Festive Fare

It’s a bit late for Thanksgiving 2008 but I have just posted my Holiday Ambrosia recipe. This concoction works well with turkey so, depending upon your menu, you could make it for Christmas too.

I’m on the lookout for tried and true recipes for festive fare. Not so much dinner table food but snacks and nibbles that can be pulled out when visitors come by or distributed to friends and neighbours. I’ll certainly be making Rooruu’s Lime Shortbread again but do leave a link for your favourite holiday fare. (By the way, I have temporarily enabled comment moderation but will be reviewing comments soon.)

Rosalie Dace Workshop at AQC 2009

I have never done a workshop with Rosalie Dace, but I have heard her speak (twice!) about contemporary quiltmaking in South Africa and have been utterly captivated. I see that a space in Rosalie’s four day workshop at AQC 2009 has become available. Here is the class description for Branching Out:

Nature has created trees to be the largest life forms that have ever existed on our planet. They have given shelter, shade, food and inspiration for centuries to artists, poets and storytellers. Celebrate their beauty and diversity by using them as a basis for composition and design. In this class discover the different shapes, patterns, lines, textures, colours and symbolism of trees while experimenting with design and using various piecing and appliqué techniques to make a beautiful quilt top. These will include foundation piecing, block making and appliqué (hand, machine and reverse). Enjoy a feast of visual inspiration as well as discussions on embroidery, quilting and finishing. So branch out and try something new by making a stunning, well-designed quilt top based on trees.

Some lucky person will snap up this opportunity. If it’s not you, you can still be inspired by South African quiltmakers by viewing the gallery of South African quilts on the MY PLACE website or viewing the quilts in person at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne in February 2009.

Newsletter Software

As part of my teaching and quilt design business, I send out an occasional newsletter once or twice a year. So far, this has been done with very simple tools - an Excel database, regular e-mail and a pdf attachment. I’d like to move to an html e-mail format with more sophisticated, streamlined subscriber administration.

Aweber comes highly recommended by ProBlogger Darren Rowse and I’ve heard good reports about Constant Contact. However, with monthly fees, these programs seem less suitable for my low-frequency, low volume requirements. My web hosting service Bluehost supports scripts for the following free newsletter software programs:

• PHP List
• PoMMo
• Dada Mail

If you have any practical experience with any of these programs, I would be grateful for your insights.

Maths Lesson

I have finished quilting my latest mathematics-themed piece as the most likely contender for the next Twelve by Twelve challenge which is due to be unveiled next week. I managed to break four needles in the process. I am quilting just two layers - the top and the batting with a view to using Mrs Mel’s Escape Hatch Finish and hiding the quilting with the backing fabric. This two-layer approach worked well with Simple String Theory where I was quilting in long lines. However, with today’s quilt, there are seams involved and my machine was protesting. Live and learn. I won’t do that again.

Maths Lesson (now called The Power of Three) is also a fabulous quilt designed and made by Lisa Walton and quilted by Nicole Bridges.

Another Kind of String Theory

As part of exploration of the mathematics theme, I considered a pipe and string shibori piece and got this far [same panel: B&W; True Colour; Enhanced - thanks to Photoshop]:
I’d love to be like Gloria Hansen and have the opportunity to do a shibori workshop with Jan Myers-Newbury.

Anticipation

Quilters Companion No 34 is due to go on sale this week. Inside you will find an article about the Twelve by Twelve Collaborative Art Quilt Project. I can hardly wait!

I am also looking forward to my very first cuddles with my new niece Sasha this weekend.

Gratitude

While I do not advocate the importation of American holidays into the Antipodes, the celebration of Thanksgiving has been part of my personal calendar for over half my life for various reasons. I have fond memories of my first Thanksgiving as an exchange student - a sit down affair for over 35 people orchestrated by my host grandmother with great aplomb. Thanksgiving 2008 was a more modest affair shared with our neighbours who watched over our house while we were travelling. There is much to be thankful for.

PS: Pumpkin pie and Texas Corn Bread recipes can be found on Our Family Favourites.

The wonders of e-mail

It’s over a year since I was in my hometown holding a Serendipity Circles workshop with Warkworth Quilters. So I was surprised, but delighted!, when I received this picture of Annette’s finished quilt:

Annette doesn’t have e-mail but Anne (the group’s president) kindly sent the image by e-mail along with this note “I hope this gets through okay, I am still not fully computer literate!!”.

I was delighted on two counts. First, it is always a thrill to know that one of my workshops has inspired someone to complete their very own version of Serendipity Circles - a workshop that, incidentally, I’ll be teaching at the Australasian Quilt Convention 2009 in February. Second, I greatly admire people who are willing to learn new skills in order to share special things.

I recognise that we all have different comfort levels when it comes to technology. That’s why, in addition to my RSS feed, I offer readers the option of receiving my blog updates by e-mail. All you have to do is type your e-mail address into the form below. Unlike some other e-mail subscription services, you do not need any special account. After you have submitted the form, you will receive a verification message from FeedBurner. Your subscription to my blog Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt will be activated as soon as you respond to the verification message and you can, of course, unsubscribe at any time. Such is the wonder of e-mail.

Simple String Theory

I cut into my last batch of hand dyes to make this piece. I’ve decided it is too abstract to submit as my mathematics themed quilt for the next Twelve by Twelve challenge. However, I am super-happy with the way the quilt turned out - the fluid curves; the interaction of colour; the quilting and the finish. I’m certain this will be a springboard to some larger pieces along similar lines.

Coast and Country

Images of the quilts from the 2008 Guild Challenge are now uploaded to the online album Coast and Country. Alternatively, you can view the slideshow. Members were invited to focus on either theme element or both. It’s always interesting to see what creative images people come up with - Girls Day Out is a particularly light-hearted interpretation of the theme and was awarded Viewers Choice.