Project 1

First project from my fat quarter stash is this bag and zipper purse using the Monica Poole Bambino bag pattern, tweaked a bit to accommodate my fat quarters. I am quiet amazed at how far a pile of fat quarters will go!

A Day at Main Creek.

I love going up to Main Creek, find any excuse I can to spend time in such a wonderful places with wonderful company.

On my arrival this time I was introduced to the newest arrival on the property, isn't she cute! not quite 24 hours old and everything is a big surprise, so funny to watch her amazed reactions to just about everything.

The reason for my trip this time was to guide a group of lovely ladies through the process of dyeing, stamping and sewing a covered book. I really don't like the term teach or teacher. The people that come to these workshops come with their own bank of knowledge and experiences which they use in their creative endevours. I provide the materials and products I know will work and give good results and share the knowledge and experience I have gained over the past umpteen years.  Each person adds to the whole experience and I come away from each workshop a little wiser for having met and worked with them.

So what did we get up to in that jammed packed day of colour?  By morning tea time all the fabric was sat in its little pot of colour, along with a few threads that the ladies had bought along with them. After ummming and arrrring over Marion's home made Devonshire splits full of cream and jam, other little delights and some good coffee, we had a chat about block printing and I explained how I went about it and showed off my lovely wood blocks I had purchased from The Indian Woodblock Company.  It wasn't long before the fabric had had it's allotted time sitting in it's puddles of colour and was rinsed and hung out to dry.  

In this glorious sunshine it wasn't long before the fabric was ready to be ironed and taped down ready to print.

Have to confess these fabric were printed in my own workroom, but I have very little time for photo taking once the action begins. After lunch, which was delicious as always, and I won't have you all dribble over your keyboards by describing it, the fabric was cut up, arranged and sewn to cover an assortment of little and not so little books. It was a busy day and not everyone got to the sewing stage, but all went home with some beautiful fabrics they had created themselves to play with at their leisure.

These are my two sample books.

While a few were finishing up, I had a chance to slip out and catch up on the backyard politics and goings on. A month or so ago I re-homed one of my chickens up at Marions. She was a bossy thing, giving my other two a hard time and laying shell less eggs.  Marion offered to take her to the next chicken sale and "move her on" but she has fallen in love! She was put in a run with some very lovely black and white chickens and a splendid rooster.  This scruffy little red chook looked so out of place but the rooster took a fancy too her and now she has become part of his harem and they go everywhere together

Dora and her fancy man.

Here a red chook from the other group, who have their own magnificent rooster, had slipped out and Dora took exception to another red head near her man! Did she give her what for! It reminded me why I had taken her away from the two at home.

While we stood and watch the complicated social order of this eclectic group, a couple of wallabies went hopping through the top paddock. You can just see them to the right of the tree. Well if you have good eyesight that is. I only took my little point and shoot camera, typical as it was such beautiful weather and plenty of good photo opportunities but I don't usually get much chance to take any pictures.

The chickens which provided beautiful eggs for all Marion's guests are on the bottom rung in the pecking order. The guinea fowl give the chickens the run around and this magnificent peacock presided over all.

When the girls started their dispute over the cockerel, the peacock had to make sure he wasn't missing any action so came over and gave us a wonderful display of feather rattling, the noise is quiet extraordinary and I did try and take a bit of video, but obviously didn't hit the right button as have nothing!

OK one more look at that little girl who is now twice the age she was yesterday and oh so much more confident. She even came close enough to get a picture of those stunningly long eyelashes!

 Can't wait for my next trip, hopefully in about three weeks time to dye up another storm of colour and catch up with the furry and feathered residence.

A Colourful Weekend.

We had a wonderful weekend up at Main Creek, although the weather continued to be a bit difficult as the wind blew all weekend, as you can see it kicked up another nice dust storm and drove us inside to dye.

With dust masks in place, everyone got their dye stocks mixed up ready to begin.

Then we had a break for morning tea. You will notice that I never get any pictures of the fabulous food Marion makes as I am too busy stuffing my face, next time I promise.  After indulging in scones,  vanilla slice and biscuits, all lovingly hand made, the dye pots come out and all that white fabric is transformed into a myriad of colour.

Here's the white fabric being ripped ready for the dye pots.

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OK I did get a quick picture of the table set for lunch, but as soon as the food arrived, the camera was forgotten.

After lunch, the rinsing began, we found a relatively sheltered spot and set up the rinsing table. Even the buckets and gloves added to the brightness of the weekend.

And then the fabrics were hung to dry, which took all of about 4 minutes. Amazingly, none came loose to disappear over the paddock, although a few buckets and pots did make an escape and had to be run down.

A few found a nice sunny spot and enjoyed an afternoon champagne,

just to keep the energy levels up you understand.

Day two, and although the wind continued to blow, the dust had gone, leaving a beautiful sunny day.

On the second day, the stamps and shibori poles etc. come out and the fun continues making multi coloured fabrics and over dyeing some of the previous days. As you can see, you can never have enough pots and jugs and general paraphernalia when dyeing.

Here we are at the end of the weekend, very well fed, and with that weary but contented feeling that a lot has been achieved for all your hard work. You can see the piles of fabric stacked ready to take home for their final washing and then to be made into unique and treasured quilts, bags and goodness knows what else.

Surprise Parcel, Dragon Head and a Dyeing Retreat

I can't believe nearly two weeks have gone by since my last post, or it could be longer!!

I have now got the new DSL2 internet connection and WOW how much quicker do the pictures download to the blog. I used to walk away and make a coffee, now there there within seconds.

I seem to have had a busy couple of weeks, but very little to show for it, well I did work a full week so I suppose that could be classed as productive :)

I came home yesterday to find an unexpected parcel sitting on my door step, I love parcels and unexpected ones are better still. This one was from my Mum and just look at all the lovely things she sent me. The earrings are from a jewellers in Truro which my daughter has fallen in love with while she has been visiting over there, and apparently has spent some of her hard earned cash there. The stones in them don't show up in the photo, but are just beautiful. The lovely square topaz ring is one of Mum's that she has passed on, I remember it so well from when I was younger. There is also a glasses case for my new, never to leave the house glasses, which have had to have the frames replaced by the way!! and an assortment of fabrics, beads ribbons and wire and some belated Easter chocolate oh and a lovely polymer clay plaque. The piece of fabric at the front is silk that Mum batiked at a workshop she went to recently, the colours are so vibrant. 

While I was at school last week I managed to put some nice under-glazes and shiny clear glaze on my little dragon head. I still haven't started the sculpture that I intend to use him in, still collecting fabrics and bits and pieces, but getting closer to actually doing something.

In my last post I mentioned I was off to Main Creek with the Patch Happy Quilters to do a Dye and Quilt workshop. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. The weather was perfect for dyeing and the results were stunning. All the ladies done a wonderful job as this was the first time they had done any hand dyeing. 

Preparing the Dyes

Dyed pieces in the afternoon sun

Trimming ready to quilt

Some of the finished quilts.

To see more pictures and quilts visit the new Main Creek blog.