Lots of Colour

I decided some weeks back that I would challenge myself to use more colour in my quilts. I've been invited by Bernina Australia to be a guest on their stand at the Australasian Quilt Convention in April this year, so with that in mind I thought some new work for the display might be the ideal opportunity. So the colour palette started to come together including one of greys only (with a touch of Morris)........

I drew up just two designs inspired by (very naively I might add!), this stunning Hammersmith carpet.......

The photo above is from the Sotheby's website HERE and the story behind it is fascinating. It was commissioned by the Barr Smith family here in Adelaide (Joanna and Robert Barr Smith were one of the biggest international clients of Morris & Co). For some reason the carpet ended up back in the UK and was then sold at auction. I have photos of a very similar carpet from Standen House in the UK which Sotheby's make reference to in their catalogue note.. You can see more of this image of Standen's carpet at their website HERE......

So I studied the floral motifs in the carpet and created some quick sketches......

 and after some hours of cutting and fusing they are ready for the next step..........

 This version is using beautiful wool felt..........all very bright but not so sure Morris would have approved!

So as I continue the theme of colour I thought I would share the mystery of those coffee bean shaped seeds that the blackbirds have been dropping in our garden. Our friend Raelene solved the mystery for us when she found the same seeds on a tree in her neighbourhood......and lo and behold we have the very same trees in our street and this one is right out the front! They are not the most appealing of trees and I did not realise that the messy seed pods are quite different before they dry out and drop to the ground. The young seeds are actually covered in a bright orange coloured gel like substance which the birds obviously like. Once they've eaten the outer orange layer they then dispose of those mysterious brown coffee shaped seeds......

 So with colour comes our recent walk by the river and the vivid purple hues of the local thistles.........

 and let me tell you these are monster thistles......nothing like the real deal from Scotland!....

Who would have thought weeds could be so pretty!.......

 The kangaroos have found lush fields to graze and it looks like they are breeding very well as Larry counted at least 50......bit hard to zoom in on them using my phone camera.......

 And some more beautiful Peter Rabbit blues to report on! I received this letter in the letterbox and came inside saying to Larry "Silly postie leaving a letter for Mr Peter B Rabbit in our letterbox"!! Took me a second to read just below and what delights were inside (and again from Dot in Victoria).......3 gorgeous little knitted blue jackets for my Peter Rabbits!..........thanks Dot x

 While Larry was reading outside one day I decided to move some furniture including the piano!! I knew if I asked him he would let out a huge sigh and say 'not again"! I am known to be constantly shifting things around! So with the repositioned piano there is now a little more room in our 'snug' with Mum's chair in the corner waiting to be recovered in perhaps a Morris print or some Cotswold tweed! The leather couch has worn out too so that will need recovering as well.....but it is all comfy and that is all that matters for now.........

Tomorrow we will catch up with the bike riders once again as they ride close by to home. It is so very exciting for our little city to host the 'Australian Tour-de-France' Tour Down Under but yesterday they shortened the race significantly because of the heat. Fortunately it is a little cooler today but the temperatures are rising again. Nothing like the beautiful images that we are seeing of Red House and Hill Top at the moment. They look wonderful but I am sure the cold and sludge is not so pretty.......

 Till next time I hope you can enjoy the "colour" of life x