SAQA Oceania Collection

A few weeks ago I posted here about my entry into 2013 SAQA Benefit Auction.  

In addition to the SAQA online gallery, there is an online gallery showcasing The Oceania Collection which features the quilts donated by SAQA Oceania members to the auction.

 

May ATCs

The theme for May was Collage Flowers.  Here are my efforts:

I had leftover pieces, from a recent project, that had fusable on them, fused them to a black background then fused that onto the white.

My swap partners sent me these:

 
The background is stitched paper napkins, the red is threads and detailed with beads.









Felt flowers stitched to a pieced background.  A novelty yarn around the edge.

Japanese quilt progress

Some progress has been made with the Japanese inspired quilt that my quilting group is making.

See here and here  for earlier pictures.

A bit of a peek ...

As seems to happen with group quilts the blocks were various sizes, the Sashiko not centred in the block (oops this was me).  So one of our group did a great job squaring up each block.
Next step, quilting!!  This could be awhile, although we are having a stitching weekend away in June.

Fabric Swap

Earlier in the year I joined Leslie Keating's handprinted fabric swap.  

I said my preferred colours were: brights - blue, red, orange.

My partners had a range - from any colours, to orange - and paired with pink,  to sorbet colors like mints,pinks,mauves, and green or brown or yellow or orange.

What I received ...

 






what I sent ...












Closeups ...

Handpainted background. The swirls were cut out of freezer paper and then brushed with paintsticks across the edges.

Also handpainted, with quite dark pink/purple and some orange. Then quite thick white paint through a stencil.  Then more white through another stencil. 








Handpainted, left to dry all scrunched up. 

Freezer paper stencil with paintstiks.

Tote & Gloat

Tote & Gloat is Rose City Quilter's annual event in Palmerston North, this year it was on Saturday 4th May.  The day starts with about 2 hours of show and tell, lunch, then a speaker, this year Cindy Needham.  In the breaks there is a range of merchants to browse/shop.  

One of my stitching groups left Wellington bright and early to get there by 10am.  Two of us decided leaving at 9am-ish with a stop at Waikanae was easier.  We arrived just before midday to see the end of show and tell.  I've been a couple of times before and didn't really enjoy sitting through two hours of quilts, bags, etc.  Those quilts that have velcro attached are hung and can be viewed later.

After a spot of lunch (next year I'm definitely going out to a cafe), quilt viewing, shop browsing, catching up with friends, Cindy began her fascinating talk.  As I've been following her blog for awhile and using linen doilies, I was keen to learn more.  

At the end we got to look, touch her quilts and talk to Cindy.  Seeing her work in the flesh was great and certainly inspiring.  I'd seen photos on her blog, but seeing them for real was the best.

A snippet of one of my efforts: 


A slightly stained doily quilted on to a cotton/linen mix fabric.

With the heavy quilting the stains sort of disappear.  My feathers need a bit more work.





Some closeups of her work:

Japanese quilt update

In a previous post I showed two Japanese blocks, here are another two.

I don't have any Japanese books so created the hexagon pattern (which also appears on the fabric) in Powerpoint, then transferred the pattern onto the fabric using Saral tracing paper.







This block is based on a picture I saw.  After carefully drawing the pattern and marking on fuseable I then managed to reverse the markings so the pattern didn't quite end up as the original picture.  All the pieces are meant to join up and be continuous! An original block - maybe!

A rough layout of the blocks so far. The quilt has progressed a bit since this photo was taken, and is now 5 blocks by 7 blocks. Each block is being sashed with a 1in strip of a stone coloured fabric.

Then how to quilt it?

SAQA Benefit Auction 2013

I joined SAQA at the end of 2012 as I had decided I needed to do more with my art quilts.

Each year SAQA hold an online auction to raise funds. Check out their website (click here) for how the auction works. 

Here is my auction entry, 'Fishnets'.

It appears on SAQA's Auction page 2A. 

The auction starts in early September and sometime around then there will be a blog hop for most of the Oceania entries.

Red 12by12

Aotearoa Quilters have a challenge that will be displayed at the Taupo Museum during the Quilting Symposium in July. 

Each quilt is to be 12 by 12 inch square and RED. All the quilts will be for sale at the same price, members and non-members can enter.

Here is my first completed effort, a third in the series of blanket stitched sari silk strips on to woollen felt.  

The quilts aren't due until 1st July so more could be coming ... a great chance to try different techniques, styles, etc.

West Wind

On ANZAC Day, after an early start for some, we had an enjoyable afternoon walk amongst the wind turbines.

West Wind is Meridian Energy's wind farm at Makara, near Wellington.

 

We took the easy route and walked from the recreation area car park.  An energetic alternative is to walk up from Makara Beach.

Great views down to the northern baches past the main part of Makara Beach, onto Mana Island.  On a clear day the view north would be amazing.  
 
 







To the south/west and the Malborough Sounds and Cook Strait.