Birthdays for Crafty Friends

Now I don't know about you, but as a crafter I find myself wanting to give my crafty friends either something handmade, or something that will help with their craft.

The gifts I made this month do both.

For Cindy (a scrapbooker & jigsaw lover) a mug with ribbon flowers and a jigsaw (no I didn't make the jigsaw).

 

The ribbons are tied with florist wire so she can untie them to use in scrapping projects.

 I think it is really cute.

And for Gayle a scrapbooker who is entering the world of quilting.

A jug of fat quarter flowers.

These flowers were made by folding or scrunching the fat quarter into a flower shape and tying with florist wire.  Gayle can remove these from their wire when she wants to quilt with them.

 I hope the girls like their gifts for themselves and their future projects.  

Happy birthday Cindy & Gayle.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

To all Aussies out there HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY.

It is raining here today so we have hung out indoors cleaning cupboards but to be Australian we had MEAT PIES for lunch and LAMINGTONS on the VERANDAH for afternoon tea.  We have also listened to 400 (or more) Australian songs.  400 may be an exaggeration but it was a lot especially by John Williamson.

As I have no photographic evidence of anything Australian I have made this year, here are a few closeups from my Australian Quilt from 2003.

I Love this Australian flag superimposed on the map of Australia surrounded by wattle flowers.

 Cooktown Orchid the Queensland State Flower (my state of birth)

 Sturt Desert Pea the state flower of South Australia (hubby's state of birth)

 and this one is a little hard to see, but the Australian animals are having a flag raising ceremony.

I hope however you have celebrated Australia Day you felt PROUD to be an Aussie.

Brisbane Quilters you MUST visit GOMA

When I say MUST I mean it would be worth your while and get there quickly.  This exhibit "THREADS" is only showing until the 5th February, but it has some of the most beautiful &detailed quilts and textiles.

This gorgeous Hawaiian style quilt is my favourite.  The colours are so crisp.  (That small person is E, my youngest)

We have just returned home from a holiday and Brisbane and managed to pop over to the gallery for a visit.  This wasn't what we went to see, but I am sure glad we stumbled upon it.

For those of you who are not in Brissie, here are a few photos I snapped and GOMA stands for Gallery of Modern Art, located at Southbank, Brisbane.

Now I must apologise to the makers of these pieces.  I didn't note the specifics of the works, so my comments are mine, not official.

This is 2" squares

 A 'japanese' style coat made from PVC and embossed

 Beautiful woven pieces

 This circular mat was over 2m across and sooo detailed

 Now my boys thought this was a skate ramp (you can see why), it is actually a 22m long piece of Bark Cloth from New Zealand.  It is so long it goes all the way up and over this wall and 2/3 way down the other side.

 I probably should have photographed the detail.  I think this has mirror gems in it.

 This Hawaiian style quilt had amazing quilting detail, but was fairly high up.

 Uses 1" squares

This exhibit is worth seeing in person, but there are other amazing exhibits there too.  Take the time to check it out. GOMA is free and only specialist exhibits (like Mattisse) have an admission fee.  There is usually something to interest  the kids too and often something hands on.

Welcome to 2012 and a Tshirt challenge

Hi Everyone!!

Welcome back.  It seems like such a long time since I posted, but that is probably because it is.  I took the time out to be away with my family to enjoy Christmas and New Year. 

The children go back to school on Monday and life will return to 'normal' (whatever that means).

I am excited to say I have signed up for OPAM again this year.  I love that is sort of holds me accountable for what I have made.  But I think more importantly, it helps me keep track of what I have made.  I suppose, tracking my progress is the whole reason I started this blog.  I hope that any of you who read it enjoy reading my progress too.

Now as for sewing over the holidays, well, not much got done.

I had one 'essential' task and that was to complete my Sister's Travel Tshirt Doona Cover No2.  To motivate myself we gave it to her on Christmas day as a box of pieces so I would have to sew it before I came home from holidays.

Here is Susan with her box of pieces as she was stressing that she would have to sew it.

 

And through the magic of television blogging, here Susan is with the finished Doona cover approximately 1 week later.  No  I did not make her sew it, I had taken my trusty Janome on holidays with me and I took over my parent's lounge room.

 In situ on her bed in her TEAL bedroom.  Yes, I realise it doesn't match the room, but it was important to match the Tshirts and as they are predominantly from travels in the USA, the colours needed to be red, white and blue.

 A full length shot.  I think it looks like travel stickers on a suitcase or random stamps on something.   I appliqued each Tshirt image to the cover using a red & white spot binding.

Now, as I did not blog when I made Travel Tshirts Doona Cover No 1 I will include a photo of it here.  It is a really bad photo as it was taken at our quilt show 2 years ago.  This one was pieced together after HOURS of maths and calculating.  I think it was made in 2004.

Susan likes her doona cover and it has given the Tshirts a new lease on life.  I am not sure how many years will lapse before I have to make Version 3 the tshirts are already accumulating.

I am excited though.  I can list this as my first OPAM for 2012 and cross it off the UFO tracker list - YEAH - Can I hear everyone cheering???  No it must just be the little people inside my head.