I’m meant to be working on some quilts. Instead I’m playing on the computer designing some new business cards and other promotional materials to take with me to America and to hand out at the forthcoming North Shore Craft Exhibition (see side bar for more details). Here’s an early prototype:
Sometime earlier in the week, when I was up to my elbows in printer innards, it was a welcome distraction to receive a phone call from a librarian at Woy Woy library asking if I would be willing to give a “quilt and book” seminar in August. Apparently my talk at Kincumber branch in March was pronounced a great success in regional library circles and I am delighted to be asked back. (10.30am, 10 August 2006, Woy Woy Library - all welcome!)
I’ve never begrudged spending money on books and quilting books are no exception. I have amassed a modest library of my own and here is a peek of some of my favourites…
When I first started quilting, I did not attend any classes but taught myself from books. Spectacular Scraps and Successful Scrap Quilts were among my first acquisitions. Straight-forward, no-nonsense Aussie directions; simple repetition of shapes; wonderful colour photos. You can see the influence in my first quilts, Tropical Spectrum and Autumn Prelude:
The Ultimate Quilting Book by Maggi McCormick Gordon contains a bunch of quilting tips but I love it for the showcase of historical quilts from a range of sources. The antique quilt on page 46 inspired me to make Vintage:
I picked up Free Expression: the art and confessions of a contemporary quilter by Robbi Joy Ecklow at the Quilting Arts stand at the Sydney Quilt Show in 2005. There is much to like about this book but my favourite part is the commentary on free motion quilting and the endorsement that it is actually OK to grip your quilt with your fists. Until I read this affirmation, I was reluctant to demonstrate free motion quilting to others. Now I have no such inhibitions.
The Quilts of Gee’s Bend are testament to the creativity and dignity of their makers. How wonderful that quilts so old can look so modern.
I can’t wait to get to America next month to see Nancy Crow’s new book. Maybe I’ll be able to purchase a copy signed by Nancy herself:
The story of my new colour laser printer goes something like this:
Monday, 19 June - order printer from supplier and request estimated time of delivery
Tuesday, 20 June - supplier presents my cheque to the bank
Wed/Thurs - waiting, waiting, waiting
Friday, 23 June - call supplier for status report. Advised that printer “should be” delivered on Monday
Monday pm - stay at home all morning but no sign of printer. Call supplier. Supplier refers me to shipping company. Shipping company refers me to local depot. Find out that deliveries to Copacabana only take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Grrr.
Tuesday am - printer delivered but requires assembly. Get stuck on first key step - installation of toner cartridges. Call David - he doesn’t fare any better. Call supplier for assistance. Supplier refers me to technical help desk of Fuji Xerox. Very nice tech support guys but still cannot get cartridges installed. Seems to be something wrong with alignment of printer parts. Arrange for technician to come on Wednesday. Technician to contact me to set more precise appointment time. In the meantime, try not to trip over defunct printer in the middle of my studio.
Tuesday pm - call Fuji Xerox desk and highlight that Copacabana is not in Sydney metropolitan area. No problem! Page has gone out to technician and all is OK.
Wednesday lunchtime - deafening silence all morning. Cave in and call Fuji Xerox. Apparently page to technician disappeared into black hole. No way a technician will come today. Arrange for Friday as I am teaching on Thursday.
Wednesday pm - really want to print out teaching notes for my Making Waves workshop. David and I tackle the printer again. Printer seems to have better attitude and we manage to install cartridges. Next step is to install printer drivers. Instruction manual says do not connect USB cable until printer driver is installed on computer. Printer driver installation wizard says it cannot locate printer [because USB is not connected!]. Call Fuji Xerox help desk and get printer driver installed. Try to print sample document. Clunk, clunk, clunk. Error message reads “install black cartridge”. Open front flap - black cartridge sticking out at ominous angle and refuses to budge. Call David from main house on mobile while keeping Fuji Xerox help desk on land line. After much prodding, poking, cursing - finally get printer functioning. Cancel technician visit for Friday.
All in all, not a very auspicious start. And no, I didn’t get any sewing done today.
Despite lots of inspiration and good intentions, I’ve been struggling a little with execution since I have been back in my studio. After a two month break, I feel a little rusty so I decided to tackle something straight forward and satisfying:
This is a variation of the Single Star Wreath quilt that I made for a friend last Christmas. The Single Star Wreath pattern, in turn, was designed as a simplified version of my Christmas Star Wreaths quilt. I like the illusion of circles without any curved piecing.
I knew that my Synchronicity quilt was going to feature as a project in Down Under Quilts but I had forgotten that it would be so soon! and I certainly didn’t know that it was destined to be a small inset on the cover:
It’s always a thrill to see one of my quilts published and I find the process of project writing quite interesting. You don’t realise how many things you do instinctively/automatically until you go through the discipline of trying to set out each step in the quiltmaking process in a clear and logical fashion.
This is the 7th project that I have had published in an Australian magazine. If you have ever made a quilt based on one of my projects, I’d love to see your variation.
If you were reading my blog earlier in the year, then you may recall this post about attending the New Quilt Exhibition and being especially impressed by the works of Jan Clark. Well, there’s another treat in store at Wollombi in early July:
Yesterday’s memorable visitor waved his way across the bay:
I admit that I’ve been known to partake in a chocolate mint slice or two in my time but the inspiration for this piece was actually this Google earth aerial image of the French countryside that my brother Rowan sent me earlier in the year:
I’m sure if I am going to continue with the experimental piece any further but sure wish I had a chocolate mint slice to munch on while I think about it.
OK, I am not ever going to win any nature photography award, and the distance is clearly more than my 12x zoom can cope with, but I couldn’t resist this morning’s early visitor:
Fuzzy evidence of tail flipping, whale showoffery:
Not that you can tell from these photos, but there has been a veritable parade of whales traversing the bay today. Sometimes, all you can see is a spout of water. Other times, they are doing the flippy tail or quasi-somersault thing. Of course, the more spectacular stuff happens when my hands are full or the camera is out of reach but you get the idea:
And here is the invitation to the North Shore Craft Exhibition where some of my quilts will be on display:
My quilts will accompany the works of 38 or so other artists in a range of mediums including glass, pottery, ceramics and textiles.
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©2006-2008 Brenda Gael Smith trading as Serendipity Patchwork & Quilting.
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