Barcelona in 1 hour

This is my Barcelona piece for the group Art Quilts Around the World, its  a bit late, but done at last. I have been so busy tring to get my Queensland Quilters pieces done and then a weekend away - which was wonderful, then back to work - not much time to actually think and then create!

This piece is meant to be a soft curved Gaudi building! some shiva sticks lend a bit of patina to the piece. the binding is bright blue, as all the pictures I saw of Barcelona had brilliant blue skies - very inviting...

Otherwise I have been machine quilting and trying to stay sane.

Completeing a very small Worlds smallest 1000 piece jigsaw has helped with the sanity but it is a big time waster, a picture next time.

Unrestrained

funky bright improvisatinal machine quilting

 I exhibited a quilt I made in 2005 at the recent Redland Quilt Extravaganza. A friend commented that my quilting had "improved" , this quilt had a boring symmetrical and predictable quilting design. My latest machine quilting adventures have been strongly influenced by many contemporary quilters world wide.

Not so much improved, but expanded, more free and unrestrained. Machine quilting is fun and should be a fun process.

Now I use funky bright thread colours with asymetrical designs, mostly freehand with only some very vague drawn guide lines  - most of which rub off before I can see them !  I am doing some improvisatonal work which pleases me, it may not please the judges or people who expect there to be symmetry. Most of my pieced work is not planned or overly symmetrical or lends itself to organised structured quilting designs.
When I first started to machine quilt I made paper patterns which I stitched over - then removed the paper, now I have the confidence to "just do it!'
I have an almost finished quilt top that does need symmetrical and ordered quilting qulting designs, this will mean paper patterns and some serious planning- which is one of my weak points - preplanning! However as it is a traditional quilt it will organisation.
Madly trying to get this current quilt finished for the upcoming Queensland Quilters Exhibition.

Red Thread

Several topics today, a little tired from work, but now I have 5 days off, and my cleaning lady starts next week! even better...

How did I manage to buy 2 red reels? oh well just lucky I guess!
They arrived today with the added bonus of some needles for stitching, what quick service, and lovely colours. Some Brytes, and  and fun colours with funky names too Bling Bling, Blimey and Ole! with Mood thrown in for fun!

A little sustenance to get me through after a busy day at work, sometimes I wonder how others manage after a busy day - chips and wine here to help soothe the tension.

 Its amazing what some bobbin work can do to a lifeless area on a quilt,  DMC
Cotton Perle 8 has done the trick - in red of course!- up to the facing now, so on the downhill run. So happy to be finishing this piece after nearly a year. A small snapshot to whet the appetite.

Life balance

Cleaning lady booked, life will start to look rosy again. Even though my lovely 18 yr old son stated on the recent census that the does up to 5 hrs unpaid work each week, his 5 hrs is not as good as a profesional cleaners 2!
Quilting almost finished in centre of quilt, have mail ordered thread for the border, hope it gets here soon. Almost ordered from USA, but the postage was huge and the time frame was 1-3 weeks, I need it before then.
I do have some thread, but always on the lookout for more. This is one of 3 boxes, plus theres more in a few more storage places.

This is the front of the quilt, just a small corner, I am so pleased its almost done, the batting is polyester, soft and lovely but a bit slippery under the machine, more suited to hand quilting OR a long arm - still dreaming about that.

A lovely quote I found on another blog :

Sooner or later we will come to the edge of all that we can control and find life, waiting there for us. ' Rachel Naomi Remen.

Work life balance or life unbalance?

The last few weeks have been hectic at the very least, an attempt at being social, trying to be creative (always in my head but almost never in reality on actual fabric), and going to work - which is extremely tiring especially with an extra shift and some overtime thrown in.

Oh and I am about to get a house cleaner again.
I did finish the birthday quilt, the recipient loves it, and I am very happy with the finished look. The border is the same fabric, fussy cut to get the flowers to flow round the quilt, and to get rid of the mustard part of fabric that just killled the quilt.
I am pleased with the quilting, it was a bit easy to do, didn't compete with the lovely fabrics on the front, but made the back look a bit fun.
Now to get on and finish the pieces for the Queensland Quilters October quilt show. some are already nearly finished, might have tome to start a (very)small piece if I am managing my time cleverly.
The problem of work life balance being out of kilter might be just because its the change in season and some unsettledness about the hot weather about to come or is because of my fast looming birthday - the last of my 40s?
Whatever it is I need to get a grip, call the cleaning agency, buy myself a birthday gift, and get quilting.

The average machine quilter

What does the average machine quilter look like? not me obviously.
I am not trying to justify myself, just to say we come in all shapes and sizes.

I got some strange looks yesterday when I chose the lime green back and the bobbin thread for my current quilt. I have just started to machine quilt it, these are the bobbin colours - I will use similar colours but variegated on the front, some of the bobbin will be green and some a fun purple thread.
Scruffy is helping quilt too - he is not very happy when I move him, then he just gets comfy again and sleeps. Maybe he likes the hum of the machine.
It is a cotton batt and is moving like warm butter across the machine, almost a bit too smooth and I am not using my Supreme Slider either!
It is a dream to quilt, I am doing a simple modified feather and swirl design, and yes the back will have these 2 colours and be fantastic.

Reverse sewing

back of quilt -happy with this quilting

I have spent the last week sick with a cold and nasty cough, just the right thing for unquilting, It is a large quilt, black and white with some colour. The quilting design I was never happy with, and when the deadline passed for last years quilt show and it was unfinished I put it folded neatly in a cupboard.
Now I have renewed sense of design, I am in the mood to finish it. I have spent some time unpicking, now to get the 'right' design and get it finished. Always working to a deadline is good - it makes me try to get things done.

front  -one corner

Not entirely sure of the quilting design yet, I did have a dream about it last week, but of course it is a bit hazy now, should have drawn it straight away.
I do have the thread though, bought it in Sydney at the quilt show, a long way to go to buy thread I know, but I knew what I wanted and where to get it from. When there is a limited stock of good thread in Brisbane, and mail order is the next best way to get what you want, to go to a quilt show to get it is a good idea.
Watch this space to see if I can get two large quilts finished soon!