A = Art & Answers

'A' also equals Another week that has passed us by! During the week I had a lovely day with Emily and Maisie taking a train trip to town.....but I didn't take any photos! But today I spent some time with our other daughter Sophie, again to town and this time to see some Art. I've been wanting to see the quilt that won the inaugural $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize and what a wonderful prize that would be too! This award is open to all artists using any medium but you need to be under 40 so that counts me out! The display is currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia and this winning quilt will now be a part of their permanent collection........

Sarah Contos the maker of the winning quilt explains;  ‘As an artist whose process inhabits fantasy roles to reflect on female experience, I create self-generated mythologies that evoke dichotomies synonymous with being a woman. This work is a ‘scrapbook’ of these contrasts and embraces their emotional value.’................

There is a list of finalists at this link and the photos and explanations are way better than what I could capture. In all there were 21 finalists selected from over 400 entries and I would not have wanted to be one of the judges! The entries were so varied, this one from Rebecca Selleck of a carpet adorned with rabbit skins......

I enjoyed this installation from Tanya Hughes depicting women in abstract form and I especially liked her hand printed wallpaper...........

 Ash Keating's large work is an experiment in colour and I love these hues.........

 Teelah George made this piece from linen, thread and bronze.........

 This is a very large series of oil on linen paintings from Celeste Chandler - all self portraits but using shaving cream to create male images...........

 Trent Jansen's wardrobe was fascinating.........

 I loved the detail in Khadim Ali's gouache, ink and gold leaf on wasli paper piece.......

 Of course a brief stop in the Morris room is mandatory and on the way we passed through some stunning Egyptian tentmaker's appliqué belonging to Sam Bowker. It was so nice that he loaned these to the gallery at the same time that some of the men were teaching for us here in Adelaide. This enormous quilt is dated 1892-1907........ 

 In the same gallery was this fascinating 19th century patchwork jacket from Sumatra.......

 As we passed through another gallery to the Morris room we found some lovely indigenous batiks from the Northern Territory.......

 and then Morris........

A wander through the city is always entertaining......

 So now to the 'A' for Answers. After a week of tests (and more to come), I am grateful for a wonderful new cardiologist. He agreed with me whole heartedly that nitrates are not the way to go until we get to the bottom of it all. I have always been a strong believer in not taking medication unless there is a good reason. So I apparently have a thickened heart (cardiomyopathy) that is not working effectively and I am on the list for another angiogram this time with a coronary reactivity test and under the care of an Associate Professor doing research in microvascular disease. In a nut shell I think the test means injecting drugs into the vessels of the heart to see how they react - I see that as a plan for future treatment which is good! I am not looking forward it as it says it is "invasive" and has to be done in a large public hospital......so we will see the outcome of that in the coming weeks. So onwards and upwards and time to share another Art winner...this time the lovely Gael with her version of my William and May Sampler. She received a highly commended award at the Victorian Quilters exhibition that concludes today and I am so excited for her.......congratulations Gael!........

I was a winner too during the week scoring some lovely flowers! Amazing how they can be transported in a box overnight on a plane and arrive looking so fresh. this time lots of Australian natives and not one but two bunches! (thankyou so very much Val x).......

 I also received some lovely lilies from Emily that stand proudly in the centre and a new one opens each day........

 These proteas and banksias are so colourful and I especially love the geraldton wax.......

 So thanks once again for all your lovely messages and emails....I am still off the track with avoiding William Morris in my blogging but if it bores you just turn it off!  I will leave you with how cold it has been here in Adelaide up in the hills.............

 and this sad face of little Maisie who has been sick under her new quilt.......

 but a much happier image that Emily captured from their backyard........stunning!

A week of Gifts

This week has been full of gifts - both giving and receiving and I've especially been on the receiving end. First up a huge, huge THANKYOU to Chelair of Moda Fabrics for the very generous and gorgeous gift of William Morris fabric! Some time ago I did email Moda to see if they might be able to help me and after no response I was thrilled to finally get a reply. This 2017 Moda V&A Collection is just gorgeous and I am thrilled to have some. I have a yard and half of two prints that I will use for borders in two larger quilts for the new William Morris book....lucky me!.......

I can't wait to see the rest of the range in the shops in October so buy up when you see it as I am sure it will sell fast! I am also enjoying playing with these beautiful fabrics from Curzon Fabrics. The pearl lustre is just divine and I am using them in several quilt projects in the new book too. It is so hard to capture the richness of them but believe me they are divine (and don't fray either).....

We also received gifts during the week, this time for Beau and Maisie. Two parcels arrived from Victoria (thankyou Aust Post for delivering!), and enclosed were the most delightful wooden animals. They are so beautifully made and Maisie was especially entranced with them as she had recently been to the zoo...........

 And among the collection some Australian animals too........lucky kiddies and thankyou Dot x

 Yesterday at sewing Denise handed me a large bag of dolls house furniture....another past-time that Maisie and I share and today we unpacked it together and added it to the existing household.......thankyou Denise x

 Also during the week we were giving gifts to Maisie on the occasion of her third birthday. Those three years have flown and it is so lovely to see her little personality blooming. I left the camera home so the phone had to suffice........

 After unwrapping our gifts Maisie had a quick change of clothes before the other guests arrived.......into two skirts and her slippers!!.......

 Emily and Brett captured the day and despite the wintry weather they had a special day at the zoo.......

During the week I received a lovely card in the post from Goldfield Quilters thanking me for my donation of two books for their library....here it is Heather and thank you so much for taking the time to write to me....I don't have a return address so hope you see this!.......

 Teaching for me finished on Tuesday and sadly I was too unwell to do the class with the Cairo Tentmakers on Thursday. I have been waiting months to do this special class so I was very disappointed. These are some of the photos from their Facebook page that were taken during the event.......such stunning work and many of these pieces now have new homes here in Australia.........

 On Tuesday in class I was thrilled that Julie brought in her finished version of 'A William Morris Garden'. Julie added tiny beads to enhance her beautiful appliqué........

Julie also brought me a very special gift - a Morris necklace made by her daughter at Wild Sage Designs........thankyou so much Julie...

 Gael also brought in her completed block from the design class two days earlier........can't wait to see more Gael! And then on the right an image from Dianne who was also in the design class....thankyou girls and enjoy designing your own quilts......

I did finish my work bag from Sunday's class and decided to add pockets to the outside so it will carry all I need when I am hand stitching (and more!)........

 I was thrilled and honoured to be a part of the 25 year celebrations at Quilt Encounter that included some of my designs ending up on a sewing machine! Bernina supplied several sewing machines as prizes and the machines were adorned with art work including sections of one my quilts. The top section is from the very talented Julie Haddrick and I am sure she was chuffed to be asked as well. Every time the new owners open their bobbin case doors they can think of William and May Morris sunflowers...well my interpretation anyway!.....

So I am hoping this coming week will bring me some positive news with the gift of new knowledge in relation to my jolly ticker. I'm in the middle of a few tests and during the week I struggled with one of them. I am not so thrilled with a future life on nitrates so I am hoping the cardiologist can find someone who specialises in micro-vascular disease and coronary spasm without these drugs ... being an ex RN doesn't help either (!!). The cardiologist's rooms are close to where I grew up and I do so love this architecture.....

So I will finish with these two precious gifts...we enjoyed their company today.......(and one day I must get the piano tuned and restored ....maybe when I win the lottery!)......