That shopping day

I was really looking forward to the shopping day with my Quilting Group, Star Sea Quilters, and it didn't disappoint.  Sometimes lady luck picks you out and says

"you need a break, here is a blessing to cheer you up."

That has been this quilting group.  The more I talk to the members the more I realise what a remarkable group of women I have joined up with.

Hiring a bus for the trip was inspired.  That traffic down on the Gold Coast is a nightmare and there I sat in a comfortable bus being driven to and from all the place I wanted to go to.  That was win No1.  Number two was the company of great people, so good.  Then there was the shopping.

We started at Fi Fi's.  Never been there?  It is well worth the visit.  The shop is arranged differently from other Quilting Shops.  Most organise their stock by colour, this shop is organised by designers, and she keeps the full range of those designers who are purchased.  (Natalie Bird who is a member of our group is featured here as well.)

The only problem is making a decision about what to buy.  I bought a new pair of scissors, that fit my hand that doesn't work properly,and some fabric to use in my charity quilts for kids and teenagers and

some to make some pillows for my grand daughter.  ( I bought a bit more than I intended but...)

Then onto Japanashe.  They manufacture futons and when they cut the fabric there are all these off cuts.  $100 work will be enough to make a King sized quilt , maybe 2!

They have a great range of Japanese fabrics and

so I had to have some of those.

And they also had Japanese Antiques.  (One of our members is still an antiques dealer so she checked everything out for us.)  I also found a lovely little tea pot for my daughter.

Then we were all dropped of in Burleigh Heads to find a place to eat, this saw us spread out in all directions.  My little group of friends from the island headed to the Surf Life Saving Club.  These clubs are located along the coast of Queensland and all are right on the beach and serve great food. This was our view whilst we ate.

Personally I think it is a bit cold for swimming, 24 degrees C.

Then a bit of retail therapy in the shops at Burleigh where I found a dress from my daughter.  (I hope she likes it?)   Back on the bus and then home.  It was a long day.  I caught the 7am ferry to the mainland and the 5.30pm ferry back to the island.

I now have so many projects planned for all that fabric!

WIPW

So, I have put in the last hand stitch on this piece. It still needs to be blocked and then made up, so another weeks work still to go before it is complete.  My challenge was using a running stitch (pattern darning) and Kogin Hishisashi patterns from the Nambu region of Japan  (even count), stitch a piece where every pattern is different.

There are 95 different designs in this piece, (and a number of small counting errors, which you really have to look for to find. )   I started by selecting the count of the diamonds then I choose patterns that would fit into that count.  The fact that there are some small errors is a positive when it comes to teaching.  It shows that although it is technically not completely correct, and you would never enter it into a competition, you can wing it, sometimes.  

You know, it is going to drive me crazy that there are a couple of small mistakes.  I might have to stitch another one?

Stitching Stories

There is a wonderful post on friend Pam's blog about an exhibition she saw at the Adelaide Art Gallery in South Australia.  This exhibition is work of the Yarrenyty Arltere women. I was so taken by their work this sent me looking for their web and facebook pages so that I could learn more.

source: facebook

These women come from Alice Springs so they are desert people.  There are lots of wonderful artists out there but this is the first time I have seen indigenous women stitching.  They not only stitch but they use old blankets that they dye with natural dyes first as their base cloth. 

Having lived in Arnhem Land I really appreciate the humour that is distinctly theirs and I can imagine those women stitching and laughing at their own work.  I love the thoughts of this artist who has given her pieces two heads because she has two thoughts in her head at the same time, should she stitch but she would like to go into town as well!  I felt exactly the same hanging out the washing and thinking I should be hosing the garden and was pulled between the two.

source : facebook

The other thing that struck me was how much they like stitching for exactly the same reasons we like stitching but they are far more insightful about their experience.  Marlee Rubuntja says:

In 2009 I came to the art centre, I thought , I'll try this. And now I come everyday. Then I got strong for this art centre, I love this art. In 2009 I didn't see properly what was happening, how this art was getting me strong. In my head and heart I grew all these ideas and I started  feeling well again. Now I feel like a strong woman, I like talking for this place, this art because I want others to be encouraged to get strong also. When we first started sewing we were in kindergarten, then we started focusing properly and moving to primary school, then high school then university- and now I'm waiting to be a professor of sewing! Look out world, I might sew Parliament House!!

source: http://www.yarrenytyarltereartists.com/artists#/marlene/

Thinking about the  week 1 TAST challenge this section of stitching using just running stitch an old dyed wool blanket and wool yarn, that looks like it comes from Lindcraft or Spotlight, is inspirational.

 

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