Sadly we’ve come to the end of the Opulence Overlays workshop. Lisa Walton is teaching this class at Houston so those travelling to the show there should sign up before the places are all gone! Here’s the beautiful results our clever ladies achieved with Lisa’s help:
Here’s a sneak peek of the Opulent Overlays workshop happening here as we speak. The incomparable Lisa Walton is here today showing us how to incorporate the shapes and curves of intricate ironwork into our textile artwork. This is our progress so far:
We’re AWOL this weekend enjoying the sunshine and country hospitality at the Laidley Spring Festival. The town has been re-energised this weekend after a disastrous two years of floodIng. Many places have only just re-opened after being inundated with floodwater for the second time in January. You won’t see anyone downcast though. The streets are filled with craft stalls, the garden show is in full swing and flower baskets are hanging on poles all the way through the main street.
So if you’re at a loss tomorrow and want to help a little community with a big heart then come to the final day of the Spring Festival. You can see the shows and enjoy the street parade at noon. Don’t forget to come to the Quilt Show at the Uniting Church. We’ll be waiting for you – and we’ll try not to eat all the homemade cakes or the ice creams with strawberries!
We had to take photos of our stand before the show opened because the crowds meant we couldn’t get in for a photo after that. Here’s some things you’ll see at our stand:
Oh yes did I mention that Laidley has the best peach blossoms in all the land? No not on the trees – they’re the delicious little cakes above. Actually I think it must be cup-of-tea time now………
If you have an opportunity to attend a retreat, especially if it’s at Twilight2Twilight at Esk, make sure you make the effort. Sometimes it seems difficult because you have lots to do at home and people depend on you or maybe you’re not sure you want to live with strangers for a long weekend. Forget all that and just go. Your family will survive without you for a couple of days and you’ll get so much done because you don’t have to worry about anything apart from the project you’re working on. Those of us who attended last weekend’s retreat found this out the easy way – we got so much done and had a great time as well. And why is Twilight2Twilight so good? I could talk about the comfortable beds, the massive verandah, the beautiful countryside or the great food but really it was just the whole package rolled into one. Tamara who runs the retreat is always cheerful and makes you feel welcome and her mum and dad in the engine room work so efficiently everything just runs smoothly. Here’s some photos of our experience but why don’t you start planning yours? Imagine not having to pack your sewing away for three days…….
We had a great day on Saturday with Laura Macpherson showing us how to do altered books. We had such a good time that it was difficult to leave and that wasn’t because we’d glued our fingers together! The class was supposed to finish at 2.00pm but we didn’t finish until 3.00pm and even then….. There were books with teacups, birds, elephants, Paris, bats and the sea. Laura showed us how to make them our own and showed us lots of different techniques from watercolours to carving to make a unique piece. Thanks Laura for giving us a new addiction!
It was great fun playing with paper, paint, pencils,glue and fabric and we all found inspiration from a range of places although it was quite a challenge for some of us. Just look around you and see how things can ‘speak to you’ whether it’s for an altered book or a quilt or some other challenge! I found these tulips were quite inspiring – they were a gift from Di for Apatchy’s 5th birthday. You can see a wall hanging that June made for the same event on ‘Your Gallery’.
Many of us are looking forward to a retreat at Esk this weekend. Hopefully there will be many pieces completed during our sojourn (well started anyway). It will be like having a holiday…………
Now this leads us nicely into another subject. It’s about time that we have another challenge. This annual event has become something of a tradition at Apatchy and this year is no exception. So…. Announcing the 2013 Apatchy Challenge – here’s the rules:
– the quilt can be any shape but the combined total of all sides should be between 72″ and 160″ (so if you’re making a square item it will be between18″ and 40″ square.)
– any shape is allowable but it must be able to hang from a rod at the challenge prize event (so generally this means a sleeve on the back please)
– the quilt must be hand or machine quilted and bound
– the quilt can be any style and incorporate any technique (appliquéd, pieced, beaded, art quilt or traditional) as long as it fits the theme.
– your entry must be received at Apatchy no later than 22nd November, 2013.
– winners of the Challenge and Viewer’s Choice will be chosen at the Christmas party in early December (actual date to be advised but either 30th November or 7th December) when quilts will be returned to their creators.
and the theme for this year is …………………….
HOLIDAY
………so off we go!
It’s just after 10.00pm and I have just finished getting the fabric room back to normal after the recent ‘flood’. Well when I say ‘normal’, actually it looks FANtastic. It’s gone from this:
To this:
OK so you can’t really see much and there’s a reason for that – since you’ve been inconvenienced for the last two weeks AND since it’s Apatchy Quilting’s 5th birthday this month I think we need to have a sale to celebrate that and the new-look fabric room.
So……come and see the new improved space and save some money. This week only
20% off everything (or if you’re a Geronimo Club member add another 10%)
If you’re not able to get to the shop then you won’t miss out – just mention the word sale and we’ll make the necessary adjustments.
See you this week…………..
Well a very topsy turvy week this week. It all started when a sewerage manhole a street away became blocked. This started a chain of events which ended with a pipe on our property spewing unmentionable grossness over an area adjacent to the fabric store. While the Urban Utilities people did solve the problem and cleaned up the area, the shelving that held the fabric was not in a fit state to use again, nor could it be salvaged. So the contents of five shelves is currently on the classroom tables – which is why we haven’t been able to have classes this week. I am assured that the professional cleaning team is coming out on Thursday to use their high powered hoses and so on to ensure everything is absolutely clean clean clean.
On a brighter note I had a very enjoyable birthday on Sunday. The teenager-in-residence and I drove to Warwick for the ‘Jumpers and Jazz Festival’. We met up with Mum and Dad, and along with Miss B we stayed for the weekend. The dutiful daughter and the heir travelled to see us on Friday so it was quite a family event. We enjoyed the yarn bombed trees, the textile exhibitions, the jazz music and the steam train. Here are some photos for you to enjoy…
I would highly recommend this weekend and look forward to being able to go again next year.
After the festival we returned to the realities of restoring the fabric room and cancelling classes, however, my lovely ladies didn’t let me down. When I arrived home this afternoon after collecting the teenager-in-residence from school I found this present at my door.
I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to visiting Shine Beauty for the treatments. And I absolutely LOVE the pen with the Swarovski crystals. Thanks so much to the best quilting customers in the world!!
We have a winner for the competition to guess how many bolts there are in store. After several days counting I can now confirm that we have 1,043 bolts. And the person who guessed nearest to this wins a fabric pack including the new “Happy Hour”, which means that if she is faced with a “two wine” block this is the fabric to use! Here’s the prize
And who is the winner……..it is Susan B who guessed 999 so she was only 44 out. Congratulations Susan.
And while we’re congratulating people – big congrats to Bec and her husband Brendan. Their third daughter Alexis Jade arrived on 25th June “at home in the kitchen. Caught by her dad. 3.48kg and 50cm long. All doing well.” Here’s a lovely photo.
Another exciting day with a visit to the open day of the Textile Art Academy. There was an array of amazing creations both from the artists and their students. The academy has been running workshops this week and the creativity of its members was evident today. From artist’s books to monoprinting (with Sandra Pearce) and from basketry to felted creations the whole place was a feast for the eyes and a great source of inspiration. It was difficult to avoid bringing everything home (and indeed there is an addition to the decor in the workroom).
Svenja, a textile artist who lives here in Brisbane, had a display of her work with some amazing wearable art from dyed silk scarves to a siren of the sea. Here are some photos to whet your appetite.
Ok so not what you’d wear down to the corner shop for a loaf of bread but pretty special aren’t they! Actually my friend Jan and I were commenting on many of the ladies who wore distinctive clothing – all individually designed artwork. Not only were these artistic statements but some were entirely personal. One lady wore what was essentially of travel journal. Each area of the piece had embroidery or appliqué that referred to some part of her trip to Western Australia. I would love to have a more avant garde wardrobe but wouldn’t dare wear something too bohemian. Rather sad as this would be a wonderfully tactile way of exploring my fascination with textiles. Maybe one day…… What about you? Would you like to be less beige sometimes?
Out today at the foundation piecing workshop we’re running with Hiroe Mogi – the expert of all things Japanese. Enjoying seeing the blocks coming together. Here’s some photos:
but wait there’s more:
Smoke Signals from a Log Cabin 