72 MORE Ways!

Well it's done- all I have to do is the satin stitch overlay grid and the quilt is done. I struggled finding motifs for the last row, and just as I thought I couldn't possibly think of anything more, all of a sudden a few more popped into my head with the end result I ended up having some extras. The book will be available next wednesday or cd- whichever you prefer. Prices are in my previous blog post. And Picasa now allows you to put print on an image, so I will have to fiddle with that some more. I wished I had done a few motifs better, but as I always keep telling people when we look at drawings of artists we are looking for their individual impint of what they are seeing- and so it is with machine quilting! And some forms are easier to do than others.Not everyone has to do everything exactly the same as their neighbour! And as Gertrude Stein once said : "The problem with having a good idea is that someone else always comes along and does it better." However that shouldn't stop you from having ideas should it?

Now I can get on with life and new things. I am inclined to begin another traveller's blanket, as there is still a lot to tell and to interpret- I was very taken by the dilapidated cathedral at Jumieux in Normandy, perhaps I could use the window shapes to embroider this time- views of the world. I spoke to Fiona Wright of Creative Arts Safaris the other day and she was very taken with the whole idea of the traveller's blanket as a way of journalling and recording travels- so it will be feature probably in her next newsletter.

A little Doll Installation

I have made a little installation of the dolls I have been given, won and made.The first doll was made by Veronique Douillet, and the third one along is made by Belinda Schneider from Bel's Nook. The woven baskets are from New Zealand- one is a harakiki made by Maori women and the other is made by Tongan women- I love baskets! It's so nice to be able to display them in my home. I think I want to build a little altar out of recycled wood as well to display some other things I have collected over time.

Work is progressing on the book- I will be able to ship any books ordered on Wednesday arvo or Thursday morning. The cost of the book is $28 US, or 22 euros, 14 GBP ( and the prices include airmail shipping) and within Australia $25 inclusive of surface postage. I can be paid via Paypal- just email me. If you order now they will arrive in time for Christmas. I will blog the cover sometime this weekend.

Imagine my surprise this morning as I turned into our drive to ba faced with a wallaby! Unfortunately I did not have my camera- but it seems he is resident here because I also saw him one night ( or maybe it's a her) I will try and get a photo- they are so sweet. And then my daughter walking home from the school bus saw a koala walking along the road- you rarely see koalas in this area- and several other people have reported seeing them so perhaps they have moved in. I will try and make sure I don't go out without my camera- just in case I can get a photo for others to see.

And I think Ildi must be my 200.00th visitor ( so email me Ildi so I can get your address and send you something- and I rememebered I have forgotten to send my 175,000th visitor the promised present- life must have intervened, so something will be heading your way before Christmas as well)

Muslin Fabric

I am getting coy now- no more pictures of the progress on 72 MORE Ways- you shall have to wait for the book! But whilst I haven't progressed as fast as I had planned- it will be available in book form next week!

Progress has been impeded due to the fact that I have had to move things from my studio/shed as a certain person disconnected the power that used to run from the old house ( and for which I was willing to pay- it kind of blew the wind out of my sails ). The matter is complicated by the fact that the table at which I work is very heavy ( stops the machine vibrating) but there is no way it will fit in my Micra, and I have to admit it is amazing what I can actually fit in the Micra- and so I have had to resort to a small computer desk- and that is really uncomfortable to sew at. MY ability to dye has also become complicated- I will think on it in the next week or so when I have finished 72 MORE Ways.

So the photo is of some of the muslin fabric I have dyed it the past. This is true muslin- light weight and delightful to sew. It is what I used for my Travellers' Blanket. It is for sale at $35US a piece ( including shipping)- the width is 40 inches by 45 inches long except the orange and black piece which is a bit smaller but has had an extra process applied to it.

Ohhh and during the night my 200.000th visitor attended my blog- the reader is from Budapest in Hungary, please make yourself known to me and I shall send you a little surprise. Thank you one and all to my faithful readers- I have been despairing the last month because I haven't been able to write as much as I normally do when I am not travelling, but life got in the way and the lack of internet connection didn't help!

What did I begin?

Work is progressing on Seventy Two MORE Ways- little did I realise the real challenge this would present when I so sunnily announced I would be doing this book. My goodness coming up with 72 more continuous line motifs has been hard work! I have done the drawings first because I needed to see whether some of the designs would lend themselves to a continuous line- so now they need to be sewn. My machine ( a Husqvarna Designer II) is still being temperamental- yesterday it was fine but today it is not a happy little vegemite- maybe its the driver? But the sewing will be done Tuesday all things going well- and it is the type of book that writes itself- so I should have it printed by the weeks end.So place your orders now so that you will get the book in time for Christmas. I can be paid via Paypal for those that are overseas.

The bottom photo is of a grevillea- this one is in the garden at the new house- birds love it! It has been interesting getting used to the morning sounds here- no crowing roosters for one- but a lone owl who welcomes the early dawn with hoots which sets off the magpies and kookaburras in unison

Finally Making Some Progress

I must admit to feeling rather flat these last few weeks and haven't achieved anything I set out to do. So today I made a determined effort to do something as I find that usually gets the ball rolling.I have also been thinking I would love to work with someone else around to help push through barriers- but there is no one really near where I live who is involved in the kind of stuff I do. I could do with some brainstorming and enthusiasm!

I did teach at Bairnsdale on the weekend and that was fun-we used the community house to do the workshops and this was the community house vegie patch which was enclosed in netting. This is because the birds are numerous and destroy almost any food crops. I would love to have a vegie garden under cover like this one. I did manage to put in all my vegies- it's only a small patch, but everything has been planted and mulched with pea straw- so hopefully things will grow!

Have made a little progress on 72 More Ways- my machine is not in a co-operative mood and I can't work out why- maybe when she realises it's on for earnest now she will think differently of it!
Oh and I keep forgetting but all the My Place quilts are now on the website ( The quilts are from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa). They will be coming back to Australia soon for exhibition at the Australian Quilt Convention - where i am also teaching in late February.

Whne you are Not Looking

It's amazing what you find when you move house. I have been trying to find these tifaifai's I made some time ago for a couple of years now, but do you think I could find them? And then when you are not looking they reappear- I am sure they planned it! I am still thinking of writing another tifaifai book as my other one has gone out of print. And of course they had to be pomegranates as well- Demeter is sending strong signals - I am finding pomegranate things everywhere- or maybe I have just made lots of pomegrante things!

I am making progress on 72 More Ways- it's quite a challenge finding 72 new things for machine quilting- in fact I have run out of ideas for the day- I hope some new ones arrive during the night! This weekend I have to go and teach at Bairnsdale.I have also been thinking about doing an on-line workshop on lino-cutting and printing with lino on fabric , when I work out how exactly I am going to do that!

Finally Things Are Coming Together

Hoorah- finally we are connected to the internet and I can get back to a bit more regular blogging- I have missed it, as it seems to make me do the work so I have something to blog about- not a bad thing! I have been doing line drawings to explore more textures for quilting and could not resist a pomegranate one. The pomegranate/Persephone metaphor seems to be a recurring theme in my life- and so it is again, almost unconsciously- this time it is a new start!

And whilst moving stuff I found the above quilt which I made as the coloured version of my 72 Ways Quilt for the French book-alas I had made it the wrong size and so had to make another exactly the same as the white and black version. I am not sure what I was thinking. Anyway it is for sale in case anyone is interested . It measures 34 inches by 39 inches and is heavily stitched with lots of different free machine motifs. It is yours for $450US inclusive of shipping.

Update

We still have no internet connection at our new home- very frustrating in this technological age to have a three week delay before phone and internet are working... Hence no photos.

We are now settled into our new house and getting into the rhythm of being there which means I can get back to what I really need to do- which is work work work. I am working on a new book entitled Seventy Two MORE Ways not to Stipple or Meander- and you guessed it , it is 72 more ideas for free machine stitching. My schedule is to finish it by the end of next week so I can get it printed. Any pre-orders will be welcome ( as then I can determine how many I will print the first print run). I will do it in the same black and white format of my previous book and I will also add directional drawings . If you are interested please send me an email first.
The cost of the book inclusive of shipping will be as follows:
$28 US Dollars
22 Euros
$25 Australian

Around Our New House

Part of the reason I did not want to move far away from my former marital home is that I love the nature in this region ( and it allows the kids easy access to their father). The house we have rented is just outside the village we have lived in for the last 10 years- Gellibrand in the Otway Ranges of Victoria. I was delighted when we found this house we are now renting as the views are as good if not better than in our old house and best of all we have a little grove of tree ferns out the back door. We also pump water from a small creek for household water ( which is the first image). I love tree ferns and especially the uncurling fronds. I have in the past made a quilt with this subject matter- still no quilting/textile work done.

If anyone is interested ,another box of Across Australia caralogues emerged ( we had thought them all gone) - this was the exhibition which I curated that travelled to the Middle East in 2006/2007. If you are interested ( 28 quilts in full colour catalogue) the cost is $20US inclusive of postage and you can email me by clicking on my profile.

I have also had several people email me recently to ask me whether Tifaifai Remaissance is available anywhere as it is out of print. Alas the answer is no as far as I know, and I only have two copies myself which I use for teaching. I suppose the only solution is to write another and put it on cd?

We Have Moved!

I loved this wall of plants , which is a project by Patrick Blanc at the Musee Quai Branly- wouldn't it be fabulous if all houses had walls like these?

We also visited Lembach Haus in Munich and were delighted to find many of Vassily Kandinsky's early works ( he was masterfeul in the use of a powder blue/corn flowery blue sort of colour) and some work by Paul Klee. This painting took my fancy because of the way it has been framed- obviously Klee wanted the "intrinsic" quality of the canvas on which he painted to be part of the whole ambience of the painting.

We have moved house- no phone or internet yet- but almost all of our stuff is there. We decided not to take the cats with us last night as we were still moving too much stuff around and then this morning on my walk with my friend we found Celeste's cat Izzy in the gutter- she had been run over. My daughter will be heart broken, she was a very sweet and affectionate cat.

Have to write an article on my forest quilts for Magic Patch by Wedensday, and then I go to NSW to teach at the Entrance Retreat for three days.Not much work done ont he textile front unfortunately - so much for my itching hands!

The Week That was and the One to Face

The above little piece I started whilst travelling in Europe when we did some felting at the gite in France- it was machine felted and then I started to stitch it. There is a lot of stitching to still go in, but as I have done no other work it is soemthing to show.

The last week has been another roller coaster- we did get the house to rent- hoorah- but there are so many things going on it has been a tedious process moving in and it won't really happen till the weekend. Tonight I have to take my daughter for an MRI scan of a tumour in her left thigh - which has previously been looked at and is benign- but is presently causing her a lot of pain. Then we see the specialist tomorrow.

Then I had a small car accident ( well it was not really an accident more of a minor scratch really) in the car I hired to get home from the aiport- talk about a scratched bumper bar being expensive- there was a $3000 insurance excess and that has gobbled up a lot of my hard earned dollars. ( since when is a plastic bumper bar a 10th of the value of a whole car???) I don't think I will ever hire a car in Australia again- all of my experiences with the car hire companies have not been good.

And we are in the process of trying to arrange a student exchange for my middle daughter int he Netherlands- as she has not been living at home there is a lot of bureaucracy to deal with- though they are supportive of the idea and plan- meanwhile paperwork to do and t's to cross and i's to dot. So not much work is getting done

Home Again

Some Parisian icons for you and a mummified cat in the Louvre Museum. The cat dates from around 3000BC- how interesting that even then they knew how to make log cabin blocks! Of course they wove in narrow strips hence the joining of the strips to make a larger whole.

I am home again after 8 weeks of travelling- it was wonderful seeing my children again. I have swept the shed in preparation for some serious sewing which needs to be done! I have the itch in my fingers to get going on some work and to write another book. I have applied to rent a house not far from here- so I can still use my shed/studio- keep your fingers crossed for me, it would be a good solution for the time being!

Venezia!

Why does Venezia exude its charm in such way, that no matter the hordes of tourists, no matter the soaring temperature, no matter the restaurant prices, that you still love the place? It is without doubt one of the special places in the world, a place that lives in mind and creates its own stories and intrigues.If you look carefully you will see that in the silver thing from the gondola ( what are they called?) is a window with a person looking out....

And I did finish stitching all the squares and quilting of the squares of my travellers blanket. I decided not to finish the edges ( time defeated me to some etxent) but also after someone said to me if you finish it entirley than will your travels be finished as well? A good question and one that made me decide I wanted to leave this blanket unfinished!

Dyeing Class in the Savoie

We went to Venice during the week.It was hot and sticky and crawling with tourists, but still wonderful.It is such a magical place and I would love to share a photo but I can't load them.Oh and next week wewill go to Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork in Ste Marie aux Mines- so hope to catch up with some friends there! You will also find me some of the time at the Trapsuutjies stand in the Centre Commerciale.

There are still some spaces in a dyeing workshop I am doing on Sunday ( Septe 14)near St Pierre d'Albigny in case anyone is interested- here are the french details:
*Cours de teinture tissu*_
Dimanche 14 septembre à Montmélian ou salle de l'association Art et
Création Manual, 2 rue Dr Veyrat. C'est l'ancienne école, dessous les
rampart.
côut 50€ +10€ pour les teintures etc + 5€ pour le salle = *65€ total. *
Pour plus d'info margo.bimler@tele2.fr ou tél. 06 66 40 56 24 et mon blog
http://www.margo-creationetcouture.blogspot.com/

Caravanserai

I would post a photo but unfortunately at the internet cafe I am at, I cannot load photos. But just wanted to mention that my exhibition Caravanserai is now installed at:
Quilt Et Textilkunst
Christine Koehne
Sebastiansplatz 4
80331 Muenchen
Germany
Tel.+49-(0)89-23077401
Fax.+49-(0)89-23077402
info@quiltundtextilkunst.de
http://www.quiltundtextilkunst.de

The exhibition will run until 26 September.I wanted four more quilts but I could not manage it, but as the exhibition has been invited to be shown in Australia in February 2009 at the AQC I will make the quilts I had planned. I finished the stitching on the travellers blanket and decided to leave the edges unfinished- scarey but I did like the way it looked when it was hung.

I am now staying in a mountain village in Switzerland-Agra - just behind Lugano, which is a delightful place, alas all my Italian seems to have deserted me.

Cedar Forest

This quilt fell out of the sky late on Sunday afternoon. I found the fabric that I had started foiling amongst my things that had been packed away- the background tie dyed fabric was too nice not to use- my original idea was to represent the cedar forest which Gilgamesh and Enkudu had to traverse in order to chop down the father of all cedars-originally I had only foiled three cedars- it improved when I added more cedars and some stitched ones. It enlivened the piece- and because it fell out of the sky it quilted like a dream! Several people have made the comment about the unexpected circle quilting- as the story of Gilgamesh is said to be the oldest written story and seems to be a creation story of sorts the circles represent the creation- droplets in the ocean of such stories.( it also suited the tie dyeing- but purhaps I enjoy the tie dyeing because of the circles)

The formal dress is finished - hoorah- zip in and everything ( not quite perfect but I am not touching it any more....)

Thank you one and all for your good wishes- I know I made the right decision- i have no regrets- it was all too much, and I feel I need time to reflect and move from there. On an upbeat, my middle daughter is actually coming to Europe with me. I complained to the very top of the tree and it brought some results and I know she is excited about going. It has meant a lot of scrambling around getting the airfares and other stuff organised. I had to provide an itinerary- usually that stuff is all on my email and in my head and workshop dates in my diary- itineraries what are they??? I am a very easy traveller and always carry a tent in the boot of the car in case other accommodation can't be found.And I like being able to change things if it isn't what I expected or the weather is bette relsewhere :-). I am sure looking forward to getting on that plane - if only to turn off for 24 hours!

And on another note I am teaching at Centre Europeen Du Patchwork in Salelles d'Aude in the Languedoc on 10 and 11 Septemeber- if you are interested just go to the website. I hope it doesn't get cancelled too- it is always a lovely relaxed atmosphere at Marie Goddard's worshop space and always interesting things to see in her exhibitions in the gallery! We are doing Transfer Dyeing and Stitching ( working with lutradur) and machine quilting a la 72 Ways ( Pique Libre)

Ye Gads

I have finished the tifaifai quilt- the positive image- it took a lot of sewing and I couldn't work out why, but it is quite a lot bigger than the ones I normally make ( trust me to do this when I need time time time to make so much...)

I cancelled the house contract- I couldn't sleep the other night worrying about the fact that if there were other blowouts in the contract then my resources to cover that were severely limited ( after all I am not a lawyer any more but a textile artist/freelance teacher, sometime author, quiltmaker, fabric dyer, general taxi service ,and mother) - and I don't want to tie myself into a corner where the mortgage rules everything. Then there was all the running around I had to do for what was ostensibly a build where they organise all the connections- but apparently not because we do not have standard connections here. It was just too stressful to achieve all the permits and quotes for everything they wanted in the four working days left before I go away.


I am also doing workshops at the Textiel Weekend in Tilburg on 4-5 October , if they don't get cancelled , apparently there have not been many bookings thus far. I hope they don't as it is always expensive to get to Europe, and to have things cancel is a nuisance not only cost wise but I am away from home as well and could have been doing things in my studio . I have to say that 3 of the 4 workshops are ones I have not taught before in the Netherlands or Belgium ( and include my spin on lace making, gypsy moments) and the brief is to have mini workshops of 2.5 hours each. So if you are intrested - sign up! There are plenty of other activities as well.

Oh and we finished the formal dress ( well almost- I have a problem with the zipper in the back kind of bubbling near the bottom- I hand basted it in- could this be because it's too long? The drop of the dress sits really well when the zipper is not in place- we have a slim girl so we can put in a shorter zipper- any suggestions welcomed but I don't want to spend all day fiddling- already it took most of the weekend and I had to get up at 6 am to work on my tifaifai) But it is done! Ha and I don't have to stress out Wednesday night doing last minute stuff on it!

My PLace

I Had a Dream

I have done a number of quilts inspired by the view from my former workroom window. In the late afternoon the setting sun would backlight the thicket of trees as I looked out my window, and I would dream away, of new adventures, of hopes for my children, of new work. This is the last such forest piece I shall make, for my life has changed, my dreams have changed and I need to find a new way to dream my world.

This is my piece I have made for My Place- it has languished on the back burner for the finishing touches- but as I leave Oz on 21 August it has to be done- all the quilts have to be shipped to South Africa before I go! Brenda Gael Smith is building a My PLace website for all the pieces in the exhibtion- 90 in all from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is better to go and look at the website later today- I have to rephotograph some blurry images I took, before it can be completed.All the pieces are 50 cm square. I am looking forward to seeing what New Zealand and South Africa have created.

I am still in a quandary about what to do about the house- I did sign the contract but since then there have been two more phone calls- of items which will incur additional costs- survey and a stormwater pit( which has to be large as the land is level) which seems to be a new requirement from our local council- none of these items are loose change items. The annoying thing was I chose a project home so I would not have to do all this leg work ( I also have to arrange the septic and its connection) , clearance of trees- and yet here I am doing it and stressing out about it and with too little time to do it.

What I really want to do is pack my bags and move to France- but my daughter has to finish her VCE next year.

Pomegranate Tifafai

I have been working on the pomegranate tifaifai putting in the stitching- I was hoping to be much further along but life keeps on intervening.

Finally when we are at the contract stage for the house - I got the final price - which is about $12000 more than originally quoted, because we need special bushfire protection things like metal wire fly screens, different front door, different eave structure, and the earthwork costs are more- argghhh. It has me hyperventilating in a big way- do I sign or do I abandon the whole thing??? If it goes ahead they will start building at the end of the month- so I am agonising - what to do???It is not as if I can raise that sort of money in so little time. Just when I thought I was getting things sorted.

I still have a mountain of sewing to do for my exhibition at Textil Und Kunst in Munich- and I have had to abandon the idea of making catalogues- I have run out of money- it's a pity but that's the way life goes.

One thing my daughter and I have worked out working on her formal dress ( yes that has to be done too- the diamante braid arrived yesterday... ) is how to make Fortuny style pleated silk- I never thought I would turn my hand to that but it seems that was the only way to get the pleating she wanted and I must say it turned out rather well- the pleating- the dress is still in the construction stage...

More Small Pieces

Pomegranates For Sale $60 US inclusive of postage ( approx 20cm square)


Teapot and Rosewater Jug For Sale $60 US Inclusive of postage ( approx 20 cm square)

Pomegranates For Sale $60US inclusive of postage ( approx 20 cms square)

I don't seem to have got much done on the weekend- I had such plans! I did do some hand stitching on the Travellers Blanket but not as much as planned, I also dyed fabric for the pomegranate Tifaifai's I am working on but did not get the fabric washed - combo of weather ( very cold and wet) and other usage( I still have to wash things at the house I used to live in)- as I had hoped to get the borders on one quilt and get it at least basted. We did do some work on my daughters formal dress, but there is still quite some to go and I think I will have to dye some habutai as the lining we bought is not sitting nicely enough.

I did do three small pieces- I need to make a lot of these still, though I have had to abandon my plan of making 20 of each motif- maybe twelve?? I did kind of find a new way to quilt the pomegranate pieces- which is to combine the lightness of green foliage with the dark background- a juxtaposition of the underworld and the upper world - which really reflects my feelings over the last week. I am still anxiously awaiting the title for my piece of land- it is taking the Titles Office forever- meanwhile everything else cannot go ahead- the builders are ready so that is a bit frustrating. I have also mulled over ideas of working with an icon image from Sedanaya- more ont hat later.

On Raggedcloth Cafe there has been an article by Clairan Ferrano about working in a series. I suppose I have worked in a series sometimes- for example my Hellfire series- though each piece is quite distinct and individual and not a minor variation on a theme. I have also done the tifaifai method of working and after I finished the book Tifaifai Renaissance ( which is now out of print) I never thought I would make another tifaifai quilt- but I am drawn to the pleasant mandala like quality of the designs, their symmetry even though they are not truly symmetrical, and their sheer decorativenss- so I have found myself making more Tifaifai's and am even contemplating another book on them. But whether they are truly a series- I am not sure.

One thing that I do do a lot of , is research what I am doing-I like to work to a theme- for example I am working with the idea of Caravanserai ( and my impressions of Middle Eastern travels and in particular Syria). I have read books, researched Syrian artists, textiles,carpets, colours, history, myths and legends and have come up with ideas from that research whilst incorporating it with my own observations and journal notes. I seem to have gotten slack of late in keeping a journal- but find journal notes and ideas incredibly helpful in suggesting ideas, connections and feelings. So I guess what I am saying is working to a theme can produce interesting and connected work as well ( though whether I actually succeed in this, is up for the jury). It is my preferred way of working I think.

And in previous comments some people asked me about on-line classes. I must admit the idea has crossed my mind before- but I am wondering what do people expect from such a class and what type of class would people like me to teach on-line? I would really appreciate soem feedback on this if you have the time.

Someone also suggested a book( perhaps) on lino-cuts and creating balance and negative/positive space as there was not much out there. That may be true of lino-cuts themseleves but there is quite a lot of material out there on designs and the elements of design - I am not sure there is a whole book there but certainly an article looking particularly at linocutting for fabric might be worth exploring ( when I have some time...)

Inspired by Syrian Carpet

I have finished the Syrian horse rug inspired piece. I am really pleased with how it came up- It will get tassels on the points on the bottom- just haven't decided what size yet- but I think it may end up with tassels made from rayon that I bought in the Tassels souq in Damascus.The colour is really rich and deep just as I wanted it. This quilt is for sale ( haven't decided what to call it- any ideas?) for $2500 on condition that I exhibit it in Munich during September and in Belgium in early October- and then it can be shipped. It measures 35 inches (90cm) x 57 inches ( 145 cm)

One of the things that happened as I worked was the serendiptious combinations of a number of elements- it wasn't only the colour of the horse rug I have which inspired these colours, but also the shapes of a very old textile I had drawn when visiting the Damascus Museum- it was in indigo and red and the motif is very similar though at the time I did this I could not find my journal and found it the other day when unpacking stuff, and one further element was a replication of the diamond motif from a cylinder seal- I am fascinated by cylinder seals- again an entry in my journal. And In some ways it also reminds me of mashrabeya.

Don't forget the Lovely Lutradur cd is now available details of content are in my previous post- simply email me ( which you can do by clicking on my profile)- and also I have 72 Ways Not to Stipple or Meander available as a spiral bound book or cd.

Voila! Lovely Lutradur CD Is Finished!

It's done!! The Lovely Lutradur CD ,Marion Barnett and I have been working on is done! The CD is a pdf document ( you need Acrobat reader which is a free download) of the book we have written regarding this material and its use ( wouldn't a publisher be nice...) Anyway meanwhile- the book/cd contains information on what Lutradur is , how to colour it, ideas of what to do with it with instructions, trouble shooting , suppliers section and a gallery section- 88 pages in total with information we hope will inspire you! We have created the Gallery section in a separate pdf document to give you more printing options. The Cd is available from Marion or myself- simply email Marion or I. I can process orders via Paypal very easily and if you cannot use Paypal.

We have priced the Lovely Lutradur Cd to include packaging and posting- so the prices are:
Australia $25 inclusive of postage
United Kingdon 12 GBP- inclusive of psoatge
Europe 15 Euros inclusive of postage
USA $24 inclusive of postage

Zenobia's Blanket

Procrastination is not a good thing especially when you have a mountain of work to make .... but the carpet inspired piece ( I posted a pic about a month ago) was really playing on my mind- because it was crooked. I am no perfectionist mind but it was just too crooked to live with. I have been looking and looking to see how I could fix it and finally found a way but whilst I was at it I found this bit of tie dyed silk from awhile ago- and it's perfect to make Zenobia's blanket combined with a royal purple piece I had left over from the Gilgamesh blanket.

Thank you for all your lovely comments about my Traveller's blanket and Lainie asked what was the story behind it again. The blanket is inspired by the idea that the maker is a traveller in the footsteps of Ibn Battuta one of the great travellers from medieval times in the decade or so preceding Marco Polo- and the fragments of fabric that he sews to the blanket are an aide de memoire of his experiences , but, as he is also a fabric merchant it is his way of memorising cloth to be replicated in the future when he is home- it's a bit of a play on the idea of memory of cloth and memory as a sensation rather than a photographic record.

I am toying with the idea of making the catalogue - Caravanserai -for the exhibition available for sale on the Viovio website- I still need to add in some more pics and some more text.Basically you order the catalogue via the website and they print it and ship it to you and I will add in a small oroyalty for myself. I don't know whether the idea appeals to anyone? I had wanted to bulk buy them but I have run out of time and money ( the heater was important in order to make my work space more comfortable)

SOS- does anyone have a metre or 1.25 metres of Rhinstone diamonte braid ( metal ) 4 diamonte's wide that they are willing to sell or swap? We need it for my eldest daughters' formal dress al la Bond style- and the only places I have been able to find iit require you to buy 10 metres of it- which is just a tad too much!

And on another note- after lots of computer problems on both sides of the world it looks like we are finally in the last stages of getting our Lovely Lutradur cd ready for sale- I am hoping we will have it available by Monday- so watch this space!

Travellers' Blanket

I have finally put all the squares onto the travellers' blanket- now all I have to do is the stitching around the squares but it is gettign there. Being able to sit in a warm shed in this cold and wet and stormy weather certainly helps! I think the single square above is my favourite- but that may change tomorrow. There is also a mistake in the whole piece- see if you can spot it! Now I have to get down to some serious machien sewing- there is a lot of stuff to make before I leave for Europe on the 21st of August! I have some free time for teaching during the week in early October if anyone is interested ( in the Netherlands or Belgium or Northern Germany)

On the weekend I will catch up and reciprocate some blog awards I have received in recent times-it's wonderful to think that my blog can inspire other people and I really do appreicate getting the awards. I know I get a lot of inspiration from other people's blogs

I am also planning some Creative Summmer Arts workshops in my studio this summer. I think some book making courses and even some lino-cut printing /cutting etc. I have to put my thinking cap on!