More Postcards

After a couple of quite disrupted days (problems with my longarm machine made it necessary to throw it in the back of the car & drive to Camden for some expert tweaking) I finally finished the quilt that was on the machine with a little bit of time to spare this afternoon.

So I decided to finish off some of the samples from last week's class and turn them into some more postcards for the FFAC project.

The first one is a gum blossom, enhanced with a little bit of fusible applique. The second is a banksia blossom and leaves, stitched then beefed up with some gold metallic paint.

Fun, huh?!?! 

Art Meme

All my frantic work last week has left me with nothing to show you this week (cause I'm exhausted!!). Sooooo, I picked up this tag from Deb for an Art meme and I thought that might be interesting...

Favorite artists: I have so many artists who inspire me, including Escher, Kahlo, O'Keefe, Van Gogh, Monet, Remedios Varo, Rosalie Gascoigne, to name just the first ones that spring to mind. As far as textile artists go there are too many to name them all - check out the work of some of my talented friends Lisa Walton, Jenny Bowker, Alison Muir.

Favorite art styles: Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, some Modern and Abstract works.

Favorite Mediums: Textiles, paint (oil/acrylic/watercolour), charcoal on paper.

If you had the chance to change all the artwork in your home for new, would you?Depends what was on offer - most of the artwork in my home is my own, so I'd be happy to sell some and be able to buy some of other artists work.

Have you ever won a prize or award for your work? Yes

Have you ever sold your art work? Yes

Have you ever given away your art work? Yes

Favorite colors: Lime green combined with blue is my favourite combo at the moment. Hot pink and orange is up there too. Any bright, strong or clear colours are the ones I gravitate to.

Where do you get your inspiration? I am most often inspired by the natural world, and the work of artists cleverer than I.

What are you currently working on? This week is an art free week (must make some $$$ this week, bills to pay).

If you could own one famous work of art, what would it be? One of Frida Kahlo's self portraits. Or one of Georgia O'Keefe's flowers.

Would you want to make your living as an artist, or prefer to keep money out of the creative process? Yep - that's why I'm here (though I'll continue to make it regardless).

What kind of atmosphere do you create best in? On my own in my studio, with my favourite CD blaring and a deadline to work towards.

I'll follow Deb's lead - if you feel the need to pick up the tag on this meme, go for it (I'll be sure to check it out).

Inner Landscape

This piece is called "Inner Landscape" and is constructed of a hand-felted wool/silk piece hand stitched with perl cotton to a painted canvas. It was fun to do something completely different, not even involving a sewing machine.

I have been working on so many new things lately, in part working towards an appointment I had today with a director of a local gallery http://www.dehavillandgallery.com.au/. It went very well and I am going to be part of an exhibition there later this year, along with my friend Janine Matthews. We are both feeling very chuffed, in particular because it feels like we are making some small inroads to the mainstream art world.

I am off tomorrow to Mittagong to the DUQ Indulgence Festival where I'll be attending a class with Susan Mathews, which I'm really looking forward to. 

Another one bites the dust....

One more quilt completed in my recent burst of enthusiasm. This one is about the same size as the last (approx 27" x 30") and was made in a similarly improvisational fashion. The quilting (which you can't see terribly well in my pic) is dense, stylised fern fronds in the green/blue areas with close straight lines in the red. Again, I don't have a name for it - my brain just isn't functioning on that level today, though usually I can think up something catchy. 

It grew.....

I really liked that postcard I made last weekend, and I also got some lovely positive feedback from people I'd showed. So I thought it was worth using the same design in a larger piece.

I am quite pleased with how it has turned out, particularly the texture which was achieved by quilting the poor thing nearly to death. Lines of stitching range from 1/8" to 1/4" apart. I LOOOOVVVVE heavy stitching like this, it just delights me.

I need to come up with a name for this one, so if any of you have any bright ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I've had a particularly full-on week - my 10yo daughter has been participating in a regional school dance festival which has kept me running, between rehearsals and several performances.

Besides my "mum's taxi" duties, I've taught two classes, finished three quilts plus a class sample, written up class notes and had to deal with the death of our new budgie for no apparent reason.

I'm tired and frazzled, and although it's Father's Day today, this mum needs a day off. I should be working, but I'm going to take it easy, have lunch with my family and maybe hand-stitch a binding.

Seen on the main drag of Mittagong...

Guess whose quilt is featured on the DUQ Indulgence Festival banner... see this link for a picture http://down-under-quilts.blogspot.com/

New Class Sample

This is what I was working on today - a new sample for my series of contemporary techniques classes. Turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

Isn't it wonderful, how one finishing one thing leads you to think of so many more possibilities to try out? If only I didn't have to work for a living, I could play all day (sigh). 

Fibreart for a Cause

I had a lovely day today - my local/internet group SCQIllawarras had a sewing day at Stephanie's house. Some worked on bags as a group and some of us did our own thing.
I thought it was a good opportunity to get some postcards made for the FFAC project - something I have been meaning to do for a few weeks now.
I had fun making these three - sometimes its great to just play around with designs and see what happens. Even though the deadlines are killing me this week, it was an excellent way to spend a day. 

Birmingham Quilt Festival

Some happy news today - I have it from a fairly reliable source that this quilt, which I quilted for Gay earlier this year, has won third place in the two person category at Birmingham!! Very exciting!! It was a gorgeous quilt, and a joy to work on.

Another quilt that Gay & I collaborated on won best Longarm quilt at the same show last year, so I guess you could say we have something of a succesful partnership. 

I'm on a roll

this weekend, and have gotten heaps done. Jobs that have been hanging around, waiting their turn, with deadlines looming closer & closer.

The picture is of a new class quilt, one intended particularly for a retreat next year but it will also be worked into my general teaching schedule wherever it fits. It is a quick positive/negative applique exercise, where the wallhanging will be well on the way to being completed on the day of the class. I just need to come up with a name for it - any suggestions??

I've also made good progress on another class sample, which I hope to get finished shortly. I do like it when my energy levels are such that I can jump from one job to the next, all the while turning over ideas for the next thing. Wish it was like this all the time!!