Unfinished Objects

Symposium Projects: 1989

With some sense, I had mostly chosen Symposium workshops that were not beginnings of UFO’s.  I knew I was too busy with TAFE to start stocking up on more unfinished goodies.  However, I did end up with these three:

This was a quilt in the exhibition (photo of its medallion centre)
using a similar applique technique to the one I was hoping
to master.  I am not sure who made and quilted it.

Applique Medallion: Elizabeth Kennedy.  I had wanted to learn more about 3D applique which was all the rage at the time.  So I started using those horrible blue marking pens which I regretted almost immediately!  I’m guessing that the dye heat set (in my car? in the hot Tamworth sun) and nothing seemed to shift it.  So, my solution was to (think about) embroidering over these lines, add a few more flowers and try to avoid any self pity.  This project still resides (WEF 2013) in my UFO box and (after 25 years) may soon be entitled to a small pension if I don't get busy.

Well, here we are in class trying to get our colour
choices to have some zing...

Show One’s Colour: June Lyons.  Colour has always been one of my fatal flaws and I never seem to tire learning of ways to understand and make best use of it.  Eventually we pieced up a Josephs Coat block (10”) with the intention of finishing 5 more; all were to have darks placed in different positions. This use of a limited palette would assist us understand the principle of colour dominance. The idea was interesting but somehow I couldn’t get into it, probably because of TAFE demands.  So this poor block never even made it into the UFO box and is lost to the world…..  I did however, discover the usefulness of having a design wall.  What to do when you live in rented accommodation was the major challenge to implementing this useful tool. 

Our design wall in progress; my works to the front

Raffle Draw: Christmas Fairies.  The blocks are sweet, very naïve and so not me.  They too languish in the UFO box waiting on inspiration or a UFO purge.  Who knows?  I've seen some rather nice Sue Spargo designs in old copies of Quiltmania, my favourite read at the moment.