Reflections, announcements and thanks

What a year it has been – 15 interstate commitments in just 7 months and it is beginning to show! My haste as I packed the car last Friday resulted in a nasty tumble down our front steps (we have witnessed many near misses so I think hand rails are in order!) Anyway that fall has made these past four days of teaching a bit of a struggle with pain and swelling in one left leg, one right foot and a few more spots :-(..... but “the show must go on”. Virgin Australia were fabulous on the flight to Canberra and provided me with a much needed icepack as I had no time to get medical assistance before I left. So thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you for your care and attention over the last few days . I am glad I am on the last "leg" (!) of this year’s workshop schedule. Here are some final reflections of some happy times….

This was the venue for the Galong Patchworker's weekend at the tranquil St Clement's retreat. This venue run by the catholic church encourages promotion of Art and the setting is wonderful with many works of art on display including this one...

WOW!

Happy campers - above and below

Thanks girls for the fun weekend

I then travelled to Bathurst for two more days as a guest of the delightful Anni Downs from The Home Patch. It was so wonderful to get to know Anni better. I have always admired her unique style and it was so wonderful to share our experiences as a teacher, author and fabric designer and about how we both seem to chase our tails all the time - you couldn't meet a nicer person. Thankyou Anni for your wonderful hospitality and caring nature XX

Such a GORGEOUS shop

Thankyou girls for coming and for putting up with my William Morris obsession!

So to the "Announcement": I am going to be reducing my commitments over the coming months and I have already reduced one of them by no longer representing Pfaff - this will free up some much needed home time. I am also trying to reduce some of my teaching and I am no longer providing patterns for shops (apart from Block of the Month sets).

With this in mind I do have to say how humbled and honoured you have made me by telling me your stories and your shared admiration for William Morris as well. I am truly touched that I have brought so much joy – especially when some of you have been going through difficult times. It brought me to tears recently when I was told by two quilters that my quilt designs had given them some purpose as they faced the challenges of cancer treatments – thankyou for that and I am glad it made a difference…something I do not think of when I create patterns.

So homeward bound tomorrow for planning more new designs, completing some old ones and for enjoying the company of family and friends once again (and catching up with those who have been unwell). See you soon X

Quilting therapy

Thankyou for your wonderful messages of support..........I will try to be positive about my things being found in the postal system! Life is still busy as I start to prepare the two new Block of the Month quilts. The fabrics only arrived just over a week ago so I have a little over two weeks (!!) to get them done...........not going to happen Tim....might be quilt TOPS but not sure they will get quilted! Tim from Lloyd Curzon's needs them to display at the Australian Quilt Market in Melbourne so an SOS was put out for some help. Now this person would be 1st on my list but does she like Applique??...definitely not!!

Instead she is the "Piecing queen"......head over to the Bedford Mystery Quilt Blog to see some pictures of her helpers at work (taken far too long ago!!). These girls below gave so much of themselves twice before on projects for the books.............

So whose arm could I twist this time???!! Well thank you to Kay, Kerry, Pam and Judy..............they stitched away all day and completed four blocks.........just fifteen to go girls!! So today was a chance to enjoy the camaraderie of quilting friends once again with machines humming and tongues wagging..........

 Hard at work while I prepared more blocks.....

 Never enough threads to match the applique....

Finished blocks and dishes to be done!

 Kay thought a drop of this might help the progress!

 Above is the palette for the Arts & Crafts Sampler and below for the Morris Meadows Sampler............just delicious

 And a border that I would love as wallpaper!

Let down AGAIN!

Sorry but this is going to be a 'dummy spit'!! It looks like Australia Post has let me down AGAIN..............over 7 years since I lost this quilt in the post...........

....and now a package I sent home to myself four weeks ago has gone missing. It is a large box with 7kgs worth of teaching gear. Inside it are design books, quilt samples, mirrors for my designing classes and personal gifts of fabric and the precious cookbook from the Western Australian Quilters' Association. I decided to send this gear home from Pemberton in Western Australia as I had finished classes in Perth and Bunbury and did not need some of the items for Dunsborough....my gut feeling is I will never see any of it again. Here is a little of what was in the box........

It is so devastating to lose all that work and I do not know when I will have the physical or emotional energy to replace it all......months of work down the drain. I know I will have to do it sometime as I need it for the Koala Convention next July.
I also need my mirrors...not one, but two Marti Michell large magic mirror kits which are worth almost $90 and two very precious design books....

I cannot even remember the names of my other design books so if any of you are reading this and have done my design class, please can you contact me and let me know so I can start to see if I can replace them. It is the book with the black cover that I cannot recall.....this one above I can and I think I can still get it...so anyone remember the black book for me please?

On a final note I do know some of you are still waiting on things I promised..........they are on their way all being well with the postal service!!

Australia Post have started an investigation today but I do not have faith in the package being found. I am once again gutted and so sad to be let down again :-(

My Quilt Show shock!

In my last post I shared my disappointment at the state of my quilt. So you can imagine my shock (and horror to start with!), of discovering that the quilt had received Best of Show at the Quilters' Guild of South Australia's annual show. I am still stunned but very grateful to the judges for what must have been a difficult task. My main supporter stands proudly beside it....thank you Larry X

I look at that quilt now and wonder how in the heck I actually got time to do it all. A lot of hand stitching was done "on the road" and even beading on flights interstate! I am in awe of all quilters and their quilts no matter what shape or size....but I do thank everyone for your support and kind words of encouragement.
I would like to share a few shots from the show....permission granted for some shots and apologies to others - but I do hope you don't mind the little close-ups that I got....enjoy:

 Lovely to see "our" beautiful Rachelle Denneny's award winning quilt once again - took out that incredible prize in Houston last year....look at all those ribbons!

And Dani's quilt below from a class two years ago and quilted by Tracey Browning and gained first place in its category. Congratulations Dani!

And love the colours in this Prairie Star....and a male quilter to boot!

I loved Chris McIndoe's stunning Japanese style applique.......and a 1st place winner and a
1st time blue ribbon as well....good on you Chris. It is beautiful!

And Rachelle Denneny shines again with this stunner 'Orchids of the Orient'. Her applique is unbelievable and the machine quilting breathtaking as always...and we love you as well Rachelle..............

 And she is as gorgeous on the inside as the outside..........

And below from my wonderful friend Faye......love, love the colours and it is soooooo big!

Another fun friend Kitty who made this stunner below.......

 The detail in Kathy Brown's quilts is always captivating. She has done a series of textural quilts with the theme of endangered bird species....and she nearly always gains 'Viewers Choice" Her work leaves me always wondering how she did it. (and it gained 1st place in its category of course!)

And some more of Rachelle's intricate machine quilting....and on a domestic machine!

The challenge this year was "Triptych" and this is the winner from Karlyn....congratulations

 above and below:

Mary Williams has found her niche with the use of multiple threads on her art quilts....this was her triptych

And finally Country Bumpkin had a stand and I just adore this smocked dress made in the Adelaide collection fabrics......maybe if the new grand baby is a girl they might loan it to me permanently??!!

Have a good week X