Power Points Project

I am delighted to report that Power Points quilt features as a project in the current issue of Down Under Quilts (Issue 124 August 2008). This is another no-fuss, effective design in my Power Stripping series. You can learn the secrets of Power Stripping to make this design (or more than a dozen others!) in my forthcoming workshop at The Cottage Quiltworks on Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 10am-3pm. Call Chris and Jann on (02) 9918 7550 to reserve your place.

In 24 hours or so, I should be sitting on a plane winging my way to Europe via the United States. I hope to have regular internet access while I am travelling but have enabled comment moderation just in case there are any glitches. A bientot.

Be Prepared

I’m plodding my way through my endless “to do” list before we head overseas. Packing was temporarily delayed as I allocated myself a few minutes sulking time after I discovered that my favourite, versatile fine black merino jumper (or jersey in kiwi parlance) has been munched by some moths. Argh…Going through every cupboard and drawer in the house taking photographs for insurance records took up another chunk of time as did preparing back-up pdf files for the multiple tickets and journeys that our trip seems to entail. None of which is especially blog-worthy.

Instead, I leave you with these items:

• all of the artist statement details for the thirty New Zealand quilts in the MY PLACE exhibition are now available online and give valuable insights to these wonderful works;
• earlier in the week, Erica and I enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon viewing the Papunya Painting exhibition of western desert aboriginal art at the Australian Museum in Sydney and then the Out of the Blue exhibition by members of the Australian Textile Art and Surface Design Association. Neither venue allowed photography but you can see some images of the ATASDA charm challenge on Gramarye’s blog and I encourage all readers in the Sydney area to see the wonderful Payunya paintings before the exhibition closes at the beginning of November; and
• if I wasn’t planning to attend a church dedication for my yet-to-born niece or nephew the same weekend, I would be sending off my registration for the Ozquilt Network annual conference on 30 November. They have an interesting program lined up and all textile artists are welcome. Bookings close on 15 October.

A little R&R

As regular readers to this blog will know, during the winter months it is not unusual for me to see whales traverse the bay from headland to headland as they make their way to warmer climes.

However, yesterday was extra special as a family of whales stopped into Copacabana for several hours rest and relaxation very close to shore. The three of them (Ma, Pa and baby W) were not very active. They basically lolled around in the waves. It didn’t make for very spectacular photographs but it still put a smile on my face.
  
As the whales took refuge in the bay, I’ve been working feverishly on my shelter-themed quilt for the next Twelve by Twelve challenge which is due to be revealed on 1 October.

Utopia: The Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Utopia exhibition at the National Museum in Canberra. Since I don’t expect to be able to view this magnificent collection of works by aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye in person, I am very pleased to see that the National Museum website contains some images and informative commentary.

After decades of mark-making on the body and in the sand, Emily’s cultural narratives found expression in the batik medium from 1977 to 1988, followed by painting on canvas until the end of her life, eight years later. Those of you with broadband might like to view this 8.4MB video (warning - it ends a little abruptly).

My Place Website Update - New Zealand Quilts

Images of the thirty quilts from New Zealand can now be viewed on the MY PLACE exhibition website. (I will endeavour to add artist statements in the next few days.)

Holiday Countdown

It’s just a week until the Laundry King and I depart for Europe. No sooner do I cross one thing off my “to do” list, than three new items appear. Sigh…

Anyway, while I get back to my list, I encourage your to visit Barb Cowan’s blog www.thequiltconnection.blogspot.com. Barb is new to blogging and I am sure that she would enjoy some visitors.

Prints Charming

Apart from selling some of my patterns and contemporary quilt notecards at the market day, the highlight of yesterday’s Guild meeting was a presentation by Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor of Prints Charming. Reknown for their fresh and funky fabrics, the Prints Charming team shared the story of the genesis of their creative business which today finds them developing lines for Marcus Fabrics whilst still continuing their strong tradition in handprinted fabrics.

As part of their presentation, Cath and Kirsten showed us their original design samples created by screen printing through paper stencils onto various base cloths on a relatively small table surface (see, for example, these blog photos). It was fascinating to see how faithfully the designs have been interpreted by the mills. I was even more excited to learn that Cath and Kirsten offer Print Your Own Fabric workshops where you learn how to layer colour using papercut designs to create 1.5 metres of your very own fabric. Classes are limited to four people per class and the 2008 program is booked out but I am keen to add my name to the list for the 2009 program.

My Place Australian Quilts & Button

The gallery pages of the My Place website have been updated to display thirty Australian quilts. Spread the word!

If you would like to add a button to your website or blog sidebar, here is the code that you can cut and paste:

For a button with a navy border, this is the code:

The buttons look like this [minus the fine silver frame]:

 

As always, please do not hesitate to e-mail me if you require assistance with the button code or if you notice something is not working on the website.

What goes up…

Once upon a very short time, I was a finance/economics student tackling exam questions along the lines of “estimate the exchange rate of the Australian dollar over the next six months. Explain”. I would fare much better if I was sitting the exam today. I can confidently predict that the A$ will continue to drop for the next two months and will recover at the end of October. Just after I return from my travels…

Rotary Youth Exchange Reunion 2008

2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. In October, the annual meeting of the Australian Youth Exchange Officers will be held at the program’s birthplace in Wangaratta and Myrtleford in North East Victoria. In conjunction with this conference, there will be celebratory dinners and opportunities for former exchange students to reflect on their own involvement. Further details and a registration form are available on: www.rotary9790.org.au/yex.asp