AQC Melbourne 2010

Well it's been a bit quiet on my blog here in the last week or so. Right after launching In The Pink and my long overdue website, it was time for AQC and I have spent the last week having a lovely time in classrooms and on white glove duty. I'm so glad that the AQC is in my home town of Melbourne as I would have hated to miss out on attending this event.

What a week!

I was lucky enough to meet so many of you, it's always great to put a face to a name...and catching up with everyone who is usually so far away.

My UFO list also haunted me a little as I met up Lizzie from the Civil War Bride Quilt (which I am a member of...and absolutely taking part in...I'm just taking my time about it...still choosing a colour scheme actually)but its great to see how everyone is interpreting this quilt.

I waited for all of the girls to start on their quilts so that when I started my own it wouldnt intrude on what everyone else was doing - yes, I have decided to make mine entirely in red and white with a few dashes of black. It was on the agenda, but seeing the progress has made me want to get this one out and I have finally settled on using up (I hope) the rest of my red stash.

I will be following the pattern and have spoken to Lizzie about my 'colour intentions' and she has no qualms about it. The rest of my progress and participation will be revealed in the Civil War Bride Quilt Blog (link on side bar). Are you making this fascinating quilt yourself? Have you checked out this blog? it's a must see.

So, I'm back at home. Newly inspired, and thinking about how to organise my time. I have a suprise new BOM which I have to finalise fabric for...yes another one, it's coming soon.... and a studio in serious need of a bit of a tidy. When you start quilting you aquire much 'stuff' and I've reached the era of 'simplifying' I think. Mind you, I still have some wonderful Westalee Rulers I havent managed to get around to using...there's just never enough time.

Wow, I've been a fan of Frieda Anderson for some time (photos above)....and I was lucky enough to meet her in person this year as well as enjoy taking her class. I had a great time and I will be blogging about that tomorrow as it's too dark to take a photo of what I made at the moment.

What a liberating experience it was.... more on that tomorrow!

As you can see, I am still struggling to make Blogger behave and these pics are just doing what they want!

And of course, my banner still has me defeated....urgh! computers!

New EQ7 coming soon!

EQ 7 is being launched soon. That's right. The best Electronic Quilt designer software has been upgraded. Now, I know what you're all thinking....am I computer proficient enough to work with the new EQ7??

Well...I hope so. I have EQ6 and I have gone through periods of trying to teach myself the basics, because if I managed to master it ...it would make my life -so much easier-. With the new EQ7 being launched soon...I think its time that I took some serious lessons and came to terms with using this great software.

You can visit the Electric Quilt website here: http://www.electricquilt.com/

In The Pink is launched

In The Pink is launched!

Red Delicious was so rewarding, I thought I'd do it all over again. In The Pink is a bed quilt, inspired by tulips, released in 6 parts. (87 x 87 inches). As with RD, each installment is free during it's month of 'currency' and is then replaced with a new block.

Each installment will be released on the 15th of the month.

Being a 6 month BOM, there's plenty of time to make this quilt by Christmas....and it's also a perfect stash buster as well as being suited to new modern prints. Applique and pieced. This time around, I've learnt a few things about BOMs and hopefully will be able to bypass the previous issues many of you encountered with Scribd.com.

All blocks are available from my BOM Yahoo Group or my website.

Hopefully this will allow access to run as smoothly as possible. Any feedback would be most welcomed. For more info, visit my website.

I am already toiling away on my next BOM...

Computers, urggh!

I don't know why, but my blog banner above is refusing to behave. Conquering this is beyond my skills I'm afraid...so it may remain plain until someone comes to my rescue.

Just a little clarification…

I’ve been receiving emails and queries about my last post title: April Is The Cruelest Month…and have been told that it’s a little over dramatic and off putting. So I thought I would share with you exactly what I meant when I wrote this as a heading.


The Waste Land is a very well know poem by TS Eliot and “April is the cruelest month’ is the famous first line of this poem. When I used this title, I was using it tongue in cheek.


Working with computers definitely feels to me like a waste land all of my own. I found cross referencing this poem a welcome respite from the hours of wrangling and attempting to get work out of my hated machine (my ‘computer’). As a child in school in Europe, I was forced to memorize m-a-n-y poems…and sometimes certain lines strike you during moments in life.

As for my hate / hate relationship with my computer…things are on the mend… I am moving into the ‘breeding lilacs out of the dead land’ part now.

from Wikipedia ;

The Waste Land[A] is a 434 line[B] modernist poem by T. S. Eliot published in 1922. It has been called "one of the most important poems of the 20th century."[1]

APRIL is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.


On another note:
It's a week to go until AQC. I will be there every day, hoping you meet some of you. Please do come up and say hello. I am especially looking forward to catching up with those of you making the Civil War Bride Quilt... (err, I'm still in the beginning stages...)

April is the cruelest month....

OK, I might be exaggerating a little, but April appears to be conspiring against me and my new BOM, In The Pink.

My computer suffered a glitch and I have been off- line for a week. Apologies, apologies...I'm as eager to send ITP out into the world as I hope some of you are to receive it.

Fear not all eager BOM makers, In The Pink is finished and ready to be launched in the next 48 hours. The files are written up and ready.

So hang in there, it's coming! (and so is my DD...who's in charge of the computer). I only design the BOMs....

Distractions, lovely distractions!

How can I get any work done around here?

Did my indoor cat get out when I left the back door open?


We searched and we called and we did a quick look around our yard (we have a neighborhood bruiser who likes to beat up all the neighbor’s cats. He frequently harasses our cat through the window). We called, we used food, we tapped things….and then we found her sheepishly sitting in my DH’s seat, too lazy to respond. She likes to think that SHE is the head of the house and sits in my husband’s seat whenever he is not around! (she’s not brave enough to do it when he is).

Then it rained lightly (the weather is all over the place at the moment – very hot, sudden change, cool in the morning, warm afternoons) and it looked as if a rainbow was in our garden, all the rain drops hanging off the tree leaves were illuminated in a beautiful glow.


Then I decided to go and see how my DD’s cherry tomatoes and silver beet were coping with the weird weather, and marveled that they have grown at least 3 inches overnight.


Then the birds started singing like crazy because our local street cat who we call “R” was up to no good on the fence line. I went out to save some nests from destruction and R mewed and bellowed and complained how hard his life was.


All he wanted was a cuddle and a scratch. He is a good cat really; he just needs more love and attention. I don’t think his owners take enough notice of him.

Ok…back to work. For anyone who’s still interested, the next BOM will be launched April 18th

It's Easter

I love Easter and I love birds. As we have entered the Easter season, I’ve been thinking about how important it is to stop and enjoy the beauty and wonder of creation more.

I have a morning ritual involving a cup of coffee, a window and a tenacious birdy. Finally I have managed to snap a shot (it’s a bit blurry) of the morning ritual unfolding.

You can see how tall the conifer is, it dwarfs nearby roof houses and each morning a bird comes along and tries to perch on the topper most branch.

I love this moment. Every day I watch on with baited breath. And always there are some not so brave bird spectators that come to a nearby roof and jealousy watch. It’s a great moment when the birdy finally manages to get some balance. Often he will sway wildly in the wind on that little branch. I’m amazed it hasn’t snapped. I hope it never does.

I'm back at home and un-packed after 2 great workshops this past week....what a week it's been. Both workshops were warm and inviting and as for the students...well I couldnt have asked for a nicer group of ladies. Teaching is so enjoyable! Thank you !

Not only did I get to spend three days non stop doing what I love, but I also met an incredible inspiration of mine:

Kathy of Material Obsession!

Yes, after reading her books...and drooling over her stunning designs...I met her in the flesh! And she's so much more than I could have ever guessed. Also, my DD has been on at me to make a Dresden Quilt...and now I see a Desden quilt in the horizon, but rather than a traditional affair it will be inspired by Kathy's Garden Party. Do go and have a look yourself!

Kathy, your work rocks!

www.materialobsession.typepad.com/material_obsession