Counting Your Blessings: 2025

December 2025

Well folks, the Poinsettias are bloomin' so it must be Christmas! 

Things never go to plan, least of all when you really expect them to!  So here I am anticipating the countdown to another new year, with enough time to complete at least one, if not two more quilts, before we head off back to our sailing life in May.  I’ve done an early review of my UFO List; the number seems to hover around 13 -15 annually.  They are generally the same ones though, only one or two new ones are added each year!!  

In the last few days, I’ve managed to prep up backings for Beausejour (Beautiful Journey) and Horta Calling Cards but whether I get them pinned and tacked ready to quilt before we go away for Christmas, is another story.  My St Lucia’s Snowflakes are now on my design wall and I’ve decided to add sashing to contain all that scrappy high energy & colour.  

Beausejour. Top completed. YEAH!!! (Pattern by Beth Shibley)

My blue hourglass variation will be next in line for wall space and sashings but only if I can get my Dutch Coverlet fully quilted.  A few more days under the machine should do it, as long as I can pick up the rhythm of machine quilting, having been away from Bertie Bernina for so long.  And he’s still not made it to the mechanic for a service yet.

A sample of my St Lucia Snowflake blocks

My effort to pack a little pack of “something to stitch” while we were away 2024-2025 worked out quite well.  EPP and plenty of scraps made hand-stitching a pleasure and I even set up some boro work foundations to make a few bags.  My little machine from Walmart did me proud, so I am now deciding what to take with me next year.  I was given the papers from a Margaret Sampson George EPP pattern, Mrs Peach.  It’s amazing stripes and loads of fussy cutting of fabric styles I don’t usually buy.  I’m not even sure I have the templates.  So, what could possibly go wrong?   

Boro stitched scraps to now make into something useful

That’s just what I love about the creative life; you just never know what you’re going to end up with!

All Those Damn Stars

Detail of the print is thankfully not obliterated by my intense quilting

I purchased a Moda Debbie Maddy Shibori print “Shimo” layer cake in Hornsby when Hobbysew had a store there.  (Sadly, both the Hornsby and Erina stores have now closed.)  That Layer Cake sat waiting on my inspired thoughts for ages...

I had a specific friend in mind though(for her love of blue and whites of all persuasions), and as this fabric set reminded me of stars in a dark night sky, I recalled a challenge given to me many years ago.  My challenge was to make an artwork based on the Andre Breton’s 1939 poem, The House of Yves Tanguy.  Both Breton, a writer and artist, and Tanguy, an artist, belonged to the Surrealist movement at the time.  Inspired by lines such as “And the printed cloth of the sky” and “With the damned host of stars” I set about looking for a star pattern that would create a feeling of swirling night skies, just bursting with stars.   

Slowly Toward the North. Tanguy 1942.  Seen at MoMA
in 2011, although there were no stars to see in this painting!!

Eventually, I narrowed my pattern choice down to Misty Doan’s Woven Jacobs Ladder.  Yes, I know it’s not a star block but I could see endless stars in those amazing shibori prints!  The Jacobs Ladder design then became a supporting canopy of darkness for them.  This pattern is easy to cut and the blocks went together easily. Apart from a slight error in placing them on my part (nobody notices anyway), I quickly produced a top.

Outside photos using Miss WJ3 as a prop

I had fun putting the backing together, adding a strip of Jocelyn Proust’s Australian birds to the mix.  I finished off with a simple quilting design that I machined on my domestic Bernina.  I have to say that I just loved the modern vibe of the pattern and I’m sure it fits in with our sailing friends’ blue & white theme in their beautiful Urbanna, VA home, which sits in wooded grounds beside the picturesque Rappahannock River.

Under the machine in my Garden Shed

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 153 x 182cm
Block Sizes: 12 inch finished
Cut in: 27 November 2023 (Made a trial block for the first time ever!!)
Pieced Top: 18 December 2023
Basted: 29 December 2023
Quilted: Machine 16-21 Jan 2024 over 6 days; 2 reels Gutermann Sulky 30wt 4023 (Natural Taupe) using 18 bobbins (Gutermann 50wt 618).
Quilt Type: Modern
Quilt Finished: 31 January 2024
Exhibited: No
Collection: Gifted Heather & Bill on 5th March 2025
Pattern Name: Woven Jacobs Ladder
Pattern Source: Missouri Star Tutorial (Misty’s Version) 2023
Fabrics Purchased: Hobbysew, Hornsby NSW
Fabric Design: Moda, Debbie Maddy, Shimo Layer Cake 
Fabric Style: Shibori Prints
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton (Warm & White, needled cotton)
Backing: Pieced; 5 fabrics, including Australian birds by Jocelyn Proust

Shibori is a Japanese technique of resist dyeing, traditionally using a bath of indigo.  By finding different ways to manipulate cloth, various patterns are revealed after dyeing.  Handled by master dyers, spectacular patterns can be produced.  It is also a fun way to occupy children in the holidays although probably best to set up outdoors.  Rit or Procion dyes make colourful t-shirts or bags.  Just make sure dyes are set before you wash them in your ordinary laundry!!

Our neighbour came by to offer his opinion of my handiwork too!
He'd found free accommodation on the yacht next door

Warmest of Christmas Wishes

Graphics courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

St Martin, Caribbean

This has been a year of rather few “releases” from my UFO box.  I am certainly happy though, with some small achievements underway, especially on a floating, tiny home.  Just think, another new quilt started!  I also managed to give away at least 6 of my quilts to good homes, so that’s a bonus too.

Well, we won’t be back in time for me to do my annual new year’s UFO box audit, but the promise of travelling so long this year means that, fingers crossed, we will have a full year at home.  Yippee!!  I’m starting my let’s-get-busy list for my garden shed (my sewing room in the garden) even now.  

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year with family and friends.  Remember to take the time to do some quiet stitching or perhaps design just a few more quilts to make…

Missing Quiltmania

I actually finished the quilt project on this cover, Colour Game 
(2009, Issue 72) in 2013. I called mine Spice Market.

Sadly, this year on 24 April 2024, Quiltmania closed.  I loved the high quality, glossy mag and its projects were always a source of inspiration.  I never knew which project I wanted to do first.  The content was interesting too and included a world-wide coverage of people and places of interest and inspiration to quilters.  Each country seemed to have its own style, born no doubt from cultural heritage.

QM closed with minimal notice.  I didn’t realise until some months later when, in need of a good quilt fix, I tried to access my e-mags.  Although I generally paid for a “paper” subscription, sometimes I missed out on copies in between subscriptions or wanted to purchase some of the Simply Modern copies as well.  E-mags are also a bonus when living life afloat in a tiny floating home - they don't take up too much room!  Anyway, I also thought e-mags would be safer held on line rather than downloaded on my ageing hard drive.  Silly me!  

The sudden closure caused a bit of on-line chit-chat, mostly about lost subscriptions and the cost of the magazine.  Anyway, at least I knew and,thanks to a Texasgal had a link to the last ever issue.  Here in Aus, quilting supplies are rather more expensive (and less expansive) than the US, and mail delivery fees are another killer.  Anyway, I felt the price was worthwhile for a quality product, especially a European focused one that opened our eyes to quilty delights from around the world.  My only concern after closure, was lack of access to our paid on-line magazine copies.  Nothing heard yet, or probably ever, at this stage.  

My heart goes out to Carol and the team at QM.  My quilting friend’s sister ran a fabric chain (KnitWit) that ultimately failed too.  She explained to us the risky personal and financial consequences of running any business.  I should add here that several quilt shops have closed doors over the last 2 years in the wider Sydney area.  It was not a great year either for my favourite UK on-line bookstore, Book Depository, a great source of hard-to-find quilting books, which also closed.  Quiltmania’s demise though, is indeed a very sad loss for our world-wide quilting community.

Graphic courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

2023 And Me

 

Graphic courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Yes. it's that time of the year again!  Amazing how quickly it sneaks up on you.  I've been hiding in my garden shed on temperate days and can boast a top just completed.  All easily put together thanks to a Jenny Doan Jacobs Ladder tutorial.  I did muff the pattern a bit!  But it's quite forgiving and I don't think anyone would know (she said hopefully).  If this weather holds, then I hope to have it basted and under the machine for a few quiet days of quilting.  Further activity in the shed has seen construction of heaps of HST's in prep for my hourglass variation inspired by My Sewing Room's Beth.  I plan to leave some time however, to clean up and dig out all my UFO's for the big annual guilt-fest review.  This always puts brakes on my ambitions to start yet another quilt before finishing at least one or two "sleeping beauties".

Sadly, I would like to bid my quilting buddy Margaret a fond farewell (20 Dec 2023).  It was always fun stitching with you on your balcony watching the world go by.  We will miss your kindness, good heart and amazing quilting talent.

This cute little kewpie reminds me of the play by Ray Lawler, Summer of the 17th Doll, written in 1955.  I trust this cutie brings joy to you all this festive season, where-ever you are.  Have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and New Years, and allow at least some time to spend on your own stitching projects.  Better yet, relax in front of a few good, old fashioned movies while you stitch!  

Make MY Nine in 23

Warning.  This is going to be a wordy (clearly no sewing) post. And as my 150^th post, it is dedicated to my quilting friends.

Image Courtesy of Graphics Fairy 

I’ll begin by saying, this Make Nine in 23 is not my idea but one developed by Veronica.  And I might add one which she has used successfully over several years to inspire her to make time to sew, create and finish things.  As always, it is useful to have a Things to Do List and this one quite took my fancy as a useful springboard, particularly for working out where I am at in my quilting life.  For many years now, early each New Year, I add to my Project List – a basic list of my (many) languishing unfinished projects with a few little extras sitting in a not-quite-ready-to-sew pile (these are my bright little sparkles added to keep the joy :-).  Of course, I also keep another list of quilts that I’m inspired to do some day…now wouldn’t that be half of those in Quiltmania…oh my!  So, I have to confess that my list(s) is not quite so arty and has rather more than 9 projects.  What inspired me most was Home Row’s Nine Questions to ask yourself to help narrow down your chosen projects for the year.

Using these questions to help me massage and sort out my own yearly “maker’s routine” was quite an interesting exercise and one I think, helped me to focus on what was important.  Especially given the time I have for sewing!  Rather than record all my rather wordy responses, I’ll list the questions I asked myself and then give a condensed version of the answers.  I should note here that I enjoy this sort of self-reflection as it helps me focus – so little time & so many things to do – whilst some makers just prefer to get on with it and be led by the whimsy & joy of creating.

So, the Nine Questions I asked myself were:

1. What do I want or need?
2. What did I learn from last years successes?
3. What values are important to me?
4. What quilts are currently on my bed and on my walls?
5. What do I like & not like doing? (In terms of technique & quilting style).
6. Am I a seasonal maker?
7. Making time.  What’s my plan?
8. Do I want to stash or UFO bust?
9. Do I like to explore new techniques or crafts/arts?

In summary, I find something inspiring in patchwork & quilting.  It is enough for me, although I would like to get back to making my own clothes – perhaps one day.  Right now, I’m consumed by quilts.  However, my making time is currently limited to 6 months of each year as I also love to travel.  I have a large stash and many UFO’s (grin) – 12 at last count with many more ear marked for the future. As to the UFO’s, they have their own life and I’m not about to rush them for the sake of finishing them.  I always think you get a better end-result if you let the quilt, as it progresses, speak to you.  I live to honour the old but am also prepared to explore the new.  I also am fairly fastidious about workmanship and quality; I try not to rush a quilt’s progress just to get it done.  I’m also not big on following trends – each quilt has to stand on its own in terms of colour, texture, pattern, design.  That doesn’t mean they always work out – these ones are my quilts of learning!

I’m mostly inspired by old blocks & designs (Barbara Brackman, Nancy Cabot), love colour (Rachel Hauser) and love modern interpretations of old designs (SujataShah, Kaffe Fassett) & recently discovered a useful book by John Q Adams. 

If you’re wondering, I have, over the years, cleared my work area (my Garden Shed) from knitting & wools, cross stitch kits, silk screens (fabric printing), embroidery, a hardly touched weaving frame and most of my polyester fabrics so that my focus is on quilting.  I do dabble from time to time in dyeing, will add embroidery to a quilt if essential (just not too much!) and now, am loving the quiet style of boro & sashiko (Mutsu).  In all, I probably spend too much time on the internet (Jenny Doan) or with my head in a book or magazine, looking for inspiration. 

Now all I have to do is work out which ones are to make the selection final Nine in what little remains of 2023.  See if this works for you... 

Christmas Seminole Tablecloth

Christmas Re-imagined: 2022 (Started: 1987)

My Covid splurge was a new dining room table.  After all, we’d had the sturdy pine one since 1985 and it managed to survive many, many moves and growing children.  So, in December 2021, when I laid out the well-used Christmas tablecloth (made in no less than 1987) on the new table, it looked a little sad.  Hardly a surprise!  So rather than consign it to the bin, I decided on a make-over. 

Yes, the fabrics are definitely a reminder of the 1980’s, and there’s a bit of poly in the cotton selections, but it was worth saving.  I set about separating the two layers (top front & backing), then added some batting.  After wondering for a moment what I was doing when I got it ready to baste, it all came together after giving it the kiss-of-life with machine quilting in a medium stipple – a quick and easy pattern.  I chose a variegated thread to quilt with; bright red, green & a touch of yellow (Gutermann, Sulky 30wt, Colour: 4112, Vintage Holiday).  Finished size at a decent W 143cm x L 248cm.  And I am so over-the-moon with the result.  Should have done it years ago!!

I finished the Christmas Tablecloth makeover on 28 November 2022, just in time for this year’s celebrations with grandchildren.  Better get to decorating the rest of the house, there’s only a few weeks to go!

Making progress at the machine in the cooler weather this year

I am hopeful for a few hours of sunshine to have another photo session.  There's quite the backlog of quilts needing a photo or several.  Fingers crossed that the weather improves!

A temporary "indoor" fix until the sun shines again...

The Governor's Invitation

 Virginia Reel: 2022  (Started:2021)

I had in my stash a small collection of 1800’s reproduction prints, and had been waiting for the right moment to use them.  I’d seen a wonderful antique pinwheel quilt made in Maryland (1860-1880) in QuiltMania (141, p.17) and that sparked an idea. 

During our stay in Virginia, we had visited Colonial Williamsburg. I never tired of visiting the Governor’s Palace, for its beautiful gardens and inspiring décor.  The Ballroom was especially impressive with bold pinks and bright blues.  Given the local and natural dyes we had seen at nearby Jamestown (albeit used much earlier), the colours in the Palace seemed so surprising but the wealthy were, of course, able to access the best on offer from Europe and elsewhere.  So, there I was in 2019, at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum Gift shop stocking up on (just a few more) colourful reproduction prints from that era.  After all, they were also on sale for a bargain price.  Who could say no to an offer like that?

In the Garden Shed and loving it!

Back home, it took until 2021 before I found a traditional pattern called Double Pinwheel that coupled with my heritage print collection, conjured up a vision of whirling couples dancing the night away in their finery at the Palace.  Needless to say, I had to add quite a few non-reproductions (in the right colours & only from the stash) to fill out the required number of pinwheels.  Eighty to be precise!  Eight rows across and ten down.  I also decided, as I stitched, that I preferred the look of all blocks and no border, with just a “low value” binding so as not to detract from the energy as the colours whirled and soared.

To bring the vision together, I machined quilted (on my trusty domestic, Bernie Bernina) a dense pattern of sweet peas (you will have to use your imagination here, I’m afraid), leaves and vines – nature at its chaotic best.  Such quilting is rather stiff, but I’ve found that it does soften, or relax, a bit over time. 

On the bed in the motel room - the best out-of-the-wind spot we could find...

Sweet Pea Quilting

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 156 x 196cm
Block Sizes: 20cm (8 inch) unfinished; 7.5 inch finished
Cut in: 30 July 2021
Pieced by: 10 Aug 2021
Basted by: 18-19 Oct 2021
Quilted: Machine Nov 2022, over 6 days; 4 reels Gutermann Sulky 30wt 4010 (Caramel Apple)
using 24 bobbins Gutermann Quilting Cotton 50wt (variegated dark to light brown).
Quilt Type: Traditional
Quilt Finished: 16 Nov 2022
Exhibited:
Collection: Gifted to Florence 19 Nov 2022 (Greg’s 80^th Birthday)
Pattern Name: Double Pinwheel
Pattern Source: Hopkins & Martin, 101 Fabulous Rotary Cut Quilts,1998, p.75
Fabrics Purchased: From Colonial Williamsburg; also, The Calico Patch, long-closed quilt shop in Nicholls, Canberra; and a few more during RLI expeditions over the years.
Fabric Design: Reproduction Prints & Stripes, plus many extras
Fabric Style: Period Reproductions, American Revolutionary Period & Civil War & others
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton (Warm & Natural, Needled)
Backing: Pieced simply using left-over remnants 

The Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia was originally built, starting in 1706, in English Baroque style however was destroyed by fire on Dec 22, 1781.  The existing reconstruction was started in 1931 in Colonial Revival style. 

We tried a few outdoor shots the next day
but it was way too windy!

Stylish Gifting

Japanese Knot Bags 2021

Again, and after successful home-made gifting in 2020, I was determined to give it a shot in 2021.  I was on a roll!!  I decided to undertake another set of bags made of fabrics selected only from my stash.  This time, I wanted a smaller bag but with a twist; again, a reference to Japanese style.  This time I concentrated on a more traditional knot bag handle design but wanted a “standing” bag – a square bottom.  It needed to be big enough for a large phone or mail (yes, we still get letters, mostly bills ; ) in the post) and would keep keys, masks and other odd bits together if dashing to the shops. 

I settled on a great pattern from sumoftheirstories.com, found on 23rd October.  I cut all the bags out at once (8 Nov) and then started madly sewing until 12^th December, cutting it quite fine for Christmas gifting.  I did though, have fun with a Spotlight selection of Aussie flower and bird designs by Jocelyn Proust.  Don’t you just love her modern prints! 

Finished Size of bag: w-4.5; h-7.5; d-2.5 (inches) & w-11.5; h-19; d-6.5 (cms); Finished size of straps or handles: Width: 2in or 5cm; Lengths: long strap L-12 (30.5cm); short strap L-7 (18cm).  Sizes are for your information only and are in accordance with changes I made to the original pattern offered on sumoftheirstories.com to suit my needs.  Once cut out and quilted (onto wadding leftovers), I could make 3 to 4 a day.  

These bags worked up a treat, were relatively simple to make and I think, were well received.  Over the year, I finished off a few more, in all 27 bags completed.  I used them for Christmas or thank-you gifts; many were donated for raffle prizes. 

Further Reductions to the Scrap Box

Doll’s Bed Quilt: 2021

Little Miss came to stay and while I stitched some of her “clothing repairs”, I set her a task to make a pretty design using some 2 ½” squares I’d cut from leftovers for my scrap bin.  I’d been inspired by Pat Sloan’s very practical scrap sorting philosophy.  Let’s just say, it’s a fantastic idea and soooo organised…but a lot of work (just yet for me, anyway!) with my scrap box still fit to burst.

We decided that her design looked so nice it was deserving of being sewn up into a doll’s quilt.  I finished it off after she’d left for home, adding a cute little pillow and as a special surprise, finished off a cloth doll kit she’d been given as a gift. 

How wonderful to finish something in a matter of days! 

I watched quite a few great videos to work out sizing and this one by Treasurie (less than 4 minutes) was certainly helpful, particularly for making the pillow and pillow case.  Size depends very much on the doll and the bed you have. 

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 37 x 40cm

Pillow Finished Size: 19.5 x 11cm
Mermaid Finished Size: 36cm tall
Block Sizes: 2”(quilt & pillow) finished
Cut in: 18 Aug 2021 (started)
Pieced & Basted: 25 Aug 2021
Quilted: Machine: 25 Aug 2021
Quilt Type: Doll Quilt
Quilt Finished: 28 Aug 2021
Exhibited:
Collection: Gifted #23
Fabrics Purchased: From the Stash…
Fabric Design: Prints, Stripes & Dots
Fabric Style: Brights
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Pieced using left-over remnants

Shopping from Home - oh, stash...

 Making Christmas Gifts (Japanese Rice Bags) 2020

In the interests of “shopping from home” for Christmas gifts in 2020, I decided to make simple bags from my stash for family and friends.  I wanted something that was a useful size, not too complicated to sew and yet looked a bit different.  Take a bow, the humble Japanese Rice Bag, Komebukuro.  Stuart Hillard offers an easy-to-follow tutorial that makes fun viewing. (Link to his Japanese Rice Bag tute here).  Stuart’s pattern is a classic box shape but I wanted something a little more tote-like (probably not a rice bag, then?) with handles.  I’d also seen a pattern with ties rather than handles, a Furoshiki Tie Bag but the pattern was rather complex and used quite a bit of fabric.  BeBe Bold had a nice one but they don’t appear to stock it any more.  It did require quite a bit of fabric making it somewhat of an expensive kit.  This one by Kokka Fabrics looks good too – but I’ve not tried it yet.  (Now that I look at it, the Kokka pattern was similar to the one included in the BeBe Bold kit!) I really loved the little tie handles that made it just so sweet.

Margaret uses hers for her knitting 

Eventually, I settled on a pattern from SewCanShe.  Her Japanese Tote comes together very well and I managed to make two, maybe three bags a day, once I had everything cut up and ready to sew.  I also used wadding leftovers rather than interfacing to strengthen the bag.  I didn’t add drawstrings, they pulled the bags and made them look a bit too unstructured for my liking.  The bags worked up a treat, were relatively simple to make and I think, were well received.

A fun print and who doesn't love polka dots?

Of course I gave them all away before taking a photo.  As you do!  And as we're not quite out & about so much these days, it may take a while until I can locate one for the blog shot... 

(Ed: Visits made and photos finally taken...only 18 months later!!)

Louisiana Charm

 LeMoyne Stars: 2020  (Started: 2020)

By April 2020, I’d realised that living with COVID was going to be challenging.  I belong to a (non-quilting) group with a small membership who had been unable to meet but we hoped to have a Christmas gathering in order to raise funds for those more deserving.  I thought a simple quilt would make a suitable auction item and help out a bit.

I settled on a Lemon Star pattern from Jenny Doan, Missouri Star Quilts (her fab tutorial 28 Feb 2020, is here) and a nice subtle colour palette of pinks, maroons, greens and creams.  It became my first introduction to making multiple HST’s (half square triangles) which worked out simply and easily, especially with being able to watch Jenny closely and learn from her tips & tricks. 

With little fuss, and seemingly in no time at all, I had a nice top ready to quilt, with time to spare (just) before the gathering.  I normally take at least 2 years to make a quilt, so I was actually rather worried about meeting my deadline.  It all worked out well in the end.  The quilt found a lovely home, a tidy sum was raised, and my stash is slimming off…albeit rather too slowly.

Scrappy stars, pretty in pink (hanging from the "sail loft")

To my mind, the finished quilt had a bit of a French air about it.  The traditional LeMoyne Star block is thought to have originated about 1834 and is named after the Le Moyne brothers who settled in the French Colony of Louisiana in 1699.  Later, in 1718, they founded New Orleans.  The State is home to the Mississippi River, wet-lands called bayous, shrimp boats and oil rigs.  Think vibrant jazz and foot-tappin’ zydeco.  And alligators.  Let’s not forget the ‘gators. 

Out in the garden with that cranky helper, again... 

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 190 x 190cm 

Block Sizes: 10” 

Cut in: 17 Apr 2020 

Pieced & Basted: 22 Oct 2020

Quilted: Machine: 1 – 11 Dec 2020

Quilt Type: Traditional

Quilt Finished: 12 December 2020

Exhibited: 

Collection: Home #069

Pattern Name: Lemon Star

Pattern Source: Missouri Star Quilts Tutorial 28 Feb 2020

Fabrics Purchased: From the Stash…

Fabric Design: Traditional Prints & some Stripes

Fabric Style: Soft

Materials Type: Printed Cottons 

Wadding Type: Cotton

Backing: Pieced using left-over remnants & blocks

Underway & trying to find the right balance
of colour for the borders..as you do!

A Braidwood Quilt Experience

Inspiration at Every Street Corner

I can’t leave 2000 without posting up a few photos of Braidwood.  Each year, since 1995, the town obligingly hosts a quilt extravaganza – an Airing of the Quilts.  Quilts are only aired on the Saturday but both days are packed with all kinds of interesting things to do and see.  Braidwood is a quaint village full of wonderfully restored cottages – quite historic in its own right (but only old in comparative terms). 

The “airing” is usually held annually in late November and made for a long day’s drive from Sydney.  This year though, quite likely our second visit, we had decided to drive on to Canberra and spend Sunday doing a textile tour of our Capital’s famous quilt shops.  Needless to say, we found lots to look at and quite a few enticing fabrics.  Why didn’t I buy a car with a bigger boot?

These little trips away are the perfect remedy for lack of inspiration, terrific for stash building (you know what I mean!!), and make a nice addition to our group’s annual program of activities.  Thankfully I took my camera, so, we do have a few reminders.

Quilting - Coming of Age

Quilt Show at Darling Harbour: 2000

Having been at quilting for some 15 years (in 2000) and watched our craft grow from strength to strength, I’ve particularly noticed how wonderfully encouraging it is for quilters to meet and show their work.  The huge show at Darling Harbour in Sydney’s CBD announced that quilting had come of age.  In these shows, we have always been treated to a fantastic exhibition of locally produced quilts that range from traditional to art quilts.  There is also a complementary exhibition of note – I still remember the fabulous work of a collection of Japanese quilts I saw one year.  Under this same roof are market stalls with all the latest gear a textile devotee could ever want, a series of workshops to help build skills, a collection of wearable art that made the heart palpitate and all the quilting fans you could ever hope to meet. 

I never fail to walk away overawed, inspired and somewhat bedraggled.  And usually with a few bags full of “interesting things” that I had never planned to buy but just had to have! 

(Photos to come eventually, once scanned...)

Turning 2000

We started Y2K with a bang, and as luck would have it, I started a new job and had gone back to uni.  It was also the year we bought our house on the wonderful Hawkesbury River and I took on a stint of single-parenting teens.  This of course put an end to most of my “spare” time and took a bit of an edge off my patching/quilting progress.  Meanwhile, the pile of UFO's seemed to be multiplying in the deep, dark recesses of my sewing space.  However, I did have a textile trip planned - an escape to Japan no less, so it was certainly exciting times.

A magic ferry ride

I’m in the process of documenting my travel notes (slim pickings here) and photos (all pre-digital) of the Japan trip with Margaret Wright over on Textile Tourist, so I won’t re-invent that wheel here.  Needless to say, I had a great time and came back with just a tad more fabric (2 large boxes - cough! cough!).  This experience only served to re-affirm my belief that we (in Australia) were settling comfortably into “American style” crafting.  Japan’s textile heritage, fabric choices and sincere respect for craftsmanship just blew me away. 

Up in the cooler Japan Alps we found cherry blossom! 

Prior to our trip we also were invited to an exhibition "Common Threads" showcasing the work of Textile Artist Wendy Lugg and Sue Leighton-White’s Japanese textile collection.   

There were two big lessons from this; one that it really is ok to follow textiles in your own way – be it creator (in any style) collector or even admirer!  The second is that it’s ok to take inspiration from history and translate it in any direction you care to drive it.  But always respectfully of course!

Year 2000 was also the start of what I call my Japanese Discovery Period.  Somehow, something cropped up each year (until end 2003) that steered me towards learning about Japanese textiles, techniques and culture.  I was in blue & white heaven; imagine a culture that reveres its textile masters and cultivates its textile heritage!  This passion was of course driven by a wave of enthusiasm for something different – not only by me, but the textile community generally.

More Desert Island Reading

Books I can’t be Without continues:

101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts

Judy Hopkins & Nancy J. Martin, 1998, Martingale & Company, Bothell, Washington

I've just noticed that 101 seems to be my favourite number!  By the time I purchased this book I was well and truly obsessed with patchwork and quilting.  Whilst I still loved hand piecing and quilting, I realised that my machine (dear old Ernie Elna) was my best buddy and, along with the rotary cutter, my only way forward.  Of course, some quilts still demand “slow” making but there were times in my increasingly busy life when I needed a quick fix.  I was occasionally making clothes too, so it seemed only natural to do more than just machine borders and bindings on to my quilts.

Hopkins & Martin had written other books but I couldn’t wait to get my little fingers on this big bruiser.  It has become, and still is, my most favourite reference book of all.  If I want a basic pattern, it’s usually here.  The illustrations are terrific, the measurements always exact and I’ve never yet had a dud – and trust me, I’ve made quite a few from this book!  Yes, the patterns are classic but it only takes a moment to add, subtract and massage and before you know it, another new creation!  Mind you, I know I prefer to make quilts that are basically geometric designs, so that helps.

When I went to live in India in 2004, I took, aside from my machine, 2 suitcases.  One with clothes and one with quilting supplies (not fabric though, just a few UFO’s).  This book was the only one I took.  It was in the spirit of adventure – and proved a very valuable learning environment.

That Perfect Stitch: the Secrets of Fine Hand Quilting

Roxanne McElroy, 1998, The Quilt Digest Press, Chicago, Illinois USA

When it comes to hand quilting books, my choice was difficult but this one by Roxanne McElroy was a standout because it is almost a scientific evaluation of the hand quilting process.  If ever you want to improve your stitching, this is the place to come.  I particularly appreciated advice on batting choices for hand quilting and how better to position your hand to protect against repetitive strain.  I also made the decision not to buy a frame (I’d been wanting one for years) after reading this book, because I didn’t think it suited MY style of quilting.  This book is so worth the read, there is much to learn, and I refer to it time and time again.

I can’t leave the subject of hand quilting without mentioning Liuxin Newman (Perfect Hand Quilting without Pain, Thimblelady, Australia, 2003).  I did a hand quilting workshop with Liuxin a few years ago and it turned my quilting life around. I just love to use her thimbles; they are so perfect for the method she taught us.  Another plus was that I managed to use a hoop -finally! I’d always used one for embroidery but had found I had trouble quilting with one.  Now I wouldn’t quilt without one. 

So I guess the moral of the story is that it’s fine to know, understand & appreciate the theory, however well it’s presented, but it’s understanding your own needs and lots of  practice that makes the difference.     

Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts

Kaffe Fassett, 2010, Abrahams, New York

What can I say!  The title says it all - simple shapes highlighting fantastic fabrics that are all about COLOUR.  Kaffe is definitely the colour master.  I could have chosen any of his books for my “fab” favourites.  His quilts are, each and every one, a lesson in colour play and I sometimes think that in the race to make all those quilts that dance in our heads, we miss taking a slow approach.  Perhaps by making our designs less complex, taking (lots of) time to explore colour options, and considering construction options, we too can get the message. This doesn’t mean that I copy, copy, copy.  But I do see how shapes and colour can be grouped and use this as a springboard to help me find the next rung on my learning ladder.

Well, reviewing has been lots of fun; the thinking hard but at last a vague notion of better understanding - myself and my motivations.  Why?  Well in the words of Melody Crust, “my best quilt is my next one”.