Orvieto Quilt Finished

This is the quilted top once the freezer paper was removed and here is the back. The Handiquilter Sweet 16 made it all so easy. It was hard to stop
I then tested a few paints and discharge products on samples but decided against the discharge and decided a transparent paint would be best (but not too diluted). I used Prochem Profab paints with a transparent base and a touch of the opalescent base.

 

I painted it first with a pale brown but it was too pale so did it again with a darker green. 

However layering the two layers really negated the transparency so it now is more opaque. It was lovely sitting out in the garden painting for a few hours.

 So here it is finished and I really like it.

 It will be on display at my Textured Treasures Exhibition in Houston.

Orvieto Quilt

I am now working on my next quilt for my Houston Exhibition and it is based on my time in Orvieto Italy last year where I spent a wonderful week teaching my Textured Treasures workshop. I also had time to create my own fabrics and get amazing inspiration and this quilt is one of the results.
I pieced lots of fabrics together fairly simply. I either painted or stamped or rubbed or foiled nearly all of these fabrics during my time there and they are coming together beautifully.
I now want to overlay a design somehow and the image I have developed is based on this metal grill over a doorway.

I wanted it circular so have repeated it and then drawn a line drawing from it.

Now to get it onto the quilt. I have had a few ideas including discharge and line quilting and overlay. Each has been explored and tested so still not sure what the end result will be.

But I am really enjoying the journey.

And if you are inspired - I am returning to Orvieto next year - September 2012 and would love to have you join me. More information here.

I have been posting progress on my new facebook page and have decided to give away some cotton sateens every time my page reaches a milestone of 200, 300 etc so come on over and 'like' the page to be in the draw. Handy hint -- the like button in in small type on the left hand side. Here is the link

Bundaberg Luscious Landscapes

Now I am in Queensland teaching the enthusiastic Art Quilters Group of the Bundaberg Quilters for four days.

First day we did Luscious landscapes which is a workshop where we use a wide variety of fabric scraps to recreate an inspirational image.

My latest sample is this image of Orvieto (where I am returning to teach in September 2012) looking over the valley. The finished little quilt is above but probably needs more beads.

This workshop really moved quite a few ladies out of their comfort zones but some of the resulting quilts will be magnificent I think.

This one by Julie looked absolutely gorgeous once the water soluble stabiliser was washed away. She plans to add some more beads and embellishments.

Adventures in Italy Newsletter

If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I recently returned from a wonderful experience in Orvieto with Adventures in Italy. I am so thrilled to be invited back in 2012 so thought you might like to see their newsletter and maybe even subscribe to keep in touch.
This is me licking my fingers after making a wonderful desert in our cooking lesson. That reminds me that I have the recipe so should make it again - it was so delicious.

Back to Reality - nearly

Thanks for all your lovely comments about my travel journal/blog. I wasn't sure if it was a waste of time but many of you have taken the time to let me know you enjoyed it so thank you.
I am so thrilled that Bill and Kristi have invited me back to Orvieto in Septemeber 2012 so if you have been tempted by my stories please think about joining us. I know it is a long way away but having all that time to save for it would make it so achievable.
Last night we opened my treasured bottle of Palazzone desert wine and I relived the pure joy of our evening on the Terrace tasting wines and eating local delicacies.

Another perfect couple of days

Internet access here in Orvieto can be a little erratic - especially as I need to go and have a yummy cup of coffee to get the wifi.

Our classes are a lot of fun - we have been carving stamps based on motifs we find on our walks, stamping, foiling and painting fabrics. Yesterday we had our beading class and it was such a beautiful morning that we did it out on the terrace. My students are getting very adventurous





Today they are painting silk scarves which will be stamped very soon.

Local transport here is varied but I love these little trucks for getting through the narrow streets.



These are the most beautiful columns all around the outside of the Duomo.


One of the highlights so far for me was the cooking class in the very fancy Zeppelin restaurant. We cooked a four course meal from scratch including bread, pasta, soup, stuffed chicken and a desert of mascapone, ricotta and drunken peaches. Then we got to sit in the restaurant and have it all served to us. Magnificent evening!

This is me making pasta - one kilo flour and 10 eggs and lots of kneading

Finally in Orvieto

After thinking and talking about it for over a year - I am finally here!
It is so beautiful and peaceful after the frenzy of Barcelona and we are having a great time - of course.
The residence we are staying at used to be a convent with contemplative gardens and views to die for. The rooms are all fully modernised and we have the biggest room and best bathroom of the last 6 weeks (24 different ones we worked out).

Our hosts - Bill and Kristi of Adventures in Italy are so friendly ,relaxed, helpful and generous - it is like we have all known each other forever. We have already eaten too much and walked and walked around this small (1 1/2 x 1mile wide) hilltop village, explored shops, eaten gelato, drunk brilliant coffee and I have managed to fit in bit of teaching too. Although my students have temporarily deserted me to shop, I think they are having fun. They have promised to return....

Inspiration is everywhere from the entrance to the convent




to the paved roads

to the tiles on the roof




I will post more when I can - I have to force myself to find time to come and drink yet another cup of coffee to get the wifi but I am prepared to make such sacrifices for you.

Orvieto Journal Cover

I felt inspired to make a cover for my journal that I was bringing here to the UK and Orvieto .
From this photo of the Duomo in Orvieto I cut this stamp which I then stamped onto white fabric



Stamped the word Orvieto on the front

Used a rubbing plate for some additional texture of the bricks
Painted the background with fabric paints

Foiled some of the lines and the lettering
Hand stitched with hand dyed threads
Final embellishment of some beads.

I have already started filling it with sketches, colour exercises and some quilt ideas.

A typical day in Orvieto

I have just received this information from our hosts at Adventures in Italy about a typical day on our workshop in Orvieto - I am counting down the weeks (11)

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You will awake to a peaceful quiet, perhaps punctuated by bells out in the city. Each room has its own bathroom in which to prepare for the day. Descend the stairs for breakfast in a room sporting 15th century frescoes. Cheese, fruit, cereal, coffee, bread – a Continental breakfast greets you.

From there it is to the classroom for a morning of exploration and learning. We might be in class or you might be out on an assignment, an excursion in which you explore a bit of the city. We will gather for lunch with any spouses and friends who have joined us on the trip, comparing notes on our morning. Good food is a given, whether we picnic with food we have bought or go to a very local restaurant.

We'll have a bit of quiet time after lunch. Some of us may nap, some explore the city, some might head to the garden to do a little sketching or journaling.

Then, later in the afternoon, we will head out on a cultural adventure, exploring the Italian way of life, the things that make Italy and Orvieto so intriguing and appealing. An olive oil and wine tasting in a space inhabited by Etruscans, a cooking class where we make pasta and other goodies, a visit to a vineyard where we get to sample local wines, a look at the incredible cathedral, or Etruscan history, or medieval architecture.

Sated with culture we'll enjoy one of Orvieto's many wonderful restaurants. Whether for pizza which is indescribably delectable, or a traditional multi-course meal, we will eat well. Then back to the quiet of our B&B, maybe grabbing a gelatto to enjoy along the way. Once tucked into your room back at the convent, you can peer up into the Italian sky, often dotted with a million stars and framed by ancient Medieval towers. Quiet descends and you'll likely have some of the best nights of slumber ever. Mmm, I'm looking forward to more tomorrow!

Be Creative Retreat - Coffs Harbour

I have been teaching my new Textured Treasures workshop at Coffs Harbour for the last three days and have had so much fun. The idea of this workshop is to create a quilt using your own inspiration - it can be a landscape or texture or shapes. We then explore many surface design techniques to use as a basis for our final quilt. Rowena's seaside landscape above is developing beautifully.

This was the first time I have run this workshop but my students were so terrific that they were happy to join me for the experience. 14 students over a three day class can be fairly intimidating but the time went so fast.



We were nervous of ruining the carpet so had half a day outside painting and stamping and stencilling.


We beaded, stamped, collaged, fused and quilted and here are a few of the magnificent pieces.

Fiona and Wendy did landscapes based on their own images. Now to bead them for more added texture

Keryn was working outside her usual comfort zone but creatively turned this image of a cactus garden into a beautiful quilt. She carved stamps of the cactus and the main border fabric is a fabric made in Africa given to her by her brother many years ago and has special significance.


More tomorrow

This is similar to my Orvieto workshop and there are still places to join us in September.