Monday, November 30, 2009

Airing of the quilts

We had an almost lovely family outing over the weekend - I say almost, as Tristan had two meltdowns in the car. The poor kid has bronchiolitis again and was a bit sad. We took a drive into the countryside to visit Braidwood and Bungendore, two lovely old towns each having a quilt festival. I try to make the Airing of the Quilts in Braidwood each year, as well as checking out the quilt exhibition at the Bungendore hall. I'm yet to make it into the hall at Braidwood - there are only so many quilts you can see in one day :)This year I found a lot of the quilts to be a bit ho-hum, very traditional designs in traditional fabrics (not that there's anything wrong with that - it just doesn't float my boat). Not a lot of inspiration, but a stark reminder that contrast is KING when designing quilts. There were a couple that did catch my eye.I did, however, find a lot of inspiration in a different medium. We were very fortunate to stumble across an exhibition of painted leather masks at the Bungendore Wood Works Gallery. The artist, Michael Taylor, is an ex-Californian who now lives in Queensland - very much Australia's gain. His masks were simply exquisite. I wish I had the $4500 needed to buy one of his masterpieces. Photos from the website will have to do.
In other quilty news, I finally forced myself to get back to work on Authentic Twist! I had to unpick one of the wide border panels, as it did not match the new stuff I bought locally. The strip was from a dessert roll I purchased online. I've never had the same fabric from different bolts before, so now I've learnt my lesson - make sure you order enough of what you'll need or be prepared to buy twice! I'm not too sure about the green border, but it's on now, so it will have to do. (I'm planning on binding in solid black - the same as the inner border.) So the top is finished, and, since I took the below photo, the quilt is sandwiched and awaiting quilting. I have two twirly skirts to make and tees to applique before I can do any quilting though - one of Rom's friends is having her fifth birthday party on the weekend and of course I have to make a matching set for Romily :)

8 comments:

Clare said...

What floats someone's boat doesn't necessarily float the viewer's, but those masks definitely float mine!

Unknown said...

Those masks are spectacular! I miss the airing of the quilts. Glad you had a fairly good time and that Tristan is feeling better soon.

Emma said...

I never went to the airing of the quilts, but that bakery photo brings back memories! And the masks are amazing. I'll have the 3rd one, thanks! I'm impressed with the quilting on the log-cabin inspired quilt at the bottom. Very effective, especially in the sunlight.

Mark said...

OMG! those masks are amazing!!
I love how your quilt is looking!

Louise said...

Those masks are fantastic! I really like your quilt as well, I think the design works really well with the fabric :)

Duyvken said...

I adore Braidwood but haven't made it to the airing of the quilts yet.
That twist quilt you've made is wonderful, Lily. What a great pattern!

Chookyblue...... said...

would be great to go to a quilt airing..........but yes it is nice to see lots of different quilt styles colours etc.........

Rebekah said...

The airing of the quilts sounds like such a fun idea! I love seeing quilts hanging outside on clothes lines and barns