Warning: Quilt-related content!
Rounding out a supremely busy week, was a trip to the Canberra Quilt Show today, where I had two quilts on display! Well, one. Well none actually entered for competition...!
My calendar challenge quilt, 'The House That Jack Built' was on display with all the others - I'm 'Miss October'!
'
Susan's Stars', which was the collaborative quilt some of my work colleagues and I put together for our friend who was badly injured in a car accident, was on display too - they were down on numbers this year, so Susan asked if we wouldn't mind having it included. Why not?!
With each entry comes the obligation to 'volunteer' for a shift. I chose to do a stint at the 'Quilts for Others' stand and enjoyed playing with a new Bernina 440 QE - with table! It fairly hummed along, and I was able to finish a medium-large all-over meander on a lap-size quilt in two hours. The quilt is destined for a local hospice once its bound. The
Canberra Quilters gift many such quilts each year and it was nice to be able to do my little bit to assist. The quilting was by no means perfect, but it did the trick.
It's the first time I've quilted with an audience - there were lots of ladies (and even a couple of fellas) who wanted to know how I was doing the quilting, so it was lots of fun telling them I'm a beginner FMQ-er - a lot of them didn't believe me! I encouraged them all to give it a shot. It was pretty funny, as I was sitting next to Pat Godden, quilter and mother of Helen Godden, whom, if you've been reading for a while, I admire greatly - she is one of the best machine quilters in the world. Helen was on duty as well and I was a tad embarrassed to be sitting there having a bunch of women admiring my very basic meander while one of the best quilters in the world was watching!
Here are some of my favourite quilts from this year's exhibition (click any image to enlarge):
Beth and Trevor Reid - Hot Lava II - Best of Show
Close-up - check out that marvellously textured quilting. Amazing.
Brenda Gael Smith - Dreamlines #3
Helen Godden - Chameleon (yes, the chameleon is trapuntoed - quite an eye-popping effect)
Diane Firth - Stones
Dell Armistead - 40 Shades of Green
Diane Firth - Drainage Basin
Helen Godden - Swanning East
Helen Godden - They Grow Up So Fast
And the Australian Best of Show for 2009 - unbelievably well done in concept and execution. This photo does not do it justice.
Marlene King - Travels
And the Australian Patchwork & Quilting Challenge quilts were also being displayed. Some of my faves:
Erika Krieg - A Snapshot from My Heart
Robina Wickerson - Flanders Poppies
Poppies close-up
And, finally, here'sEB quilting buddy
Leah's quilt - it's massive! Well done Leah!
Leah Clark-Vial - Country Dresden Garden
I'm hoping to enter my first quilt for competition next year, but with all I've got on my plate these days, I'm not committing to anything! That's one of the good things about quilting - there's really no rush except our self-imposed deadlines!
The blossoms are out, the bees are abuzz and the days are warming ever so slightly. And thank goodness! We can now take the kids outside without layering them in so many clothes they can barely move. 
All this excitement was inspiration enough to see me drag out my poor, neglected machine on the weekend and whip up a skirt for Romily and a pair of pants (or very long shorts) for Tristan. Two old faithful Ottobre magazines were found (after only a little searching). 
Otto 3/2008 for some more #7 'Aqua pants' for Tristan in some lovely, soft aqua babywale cord. I love this pattern and have made it a couple of times now. Lots of pocket detailing and top-stitching make them look so cute.
And 4/2007 - the #20 'Corduroy Skirt' for Romily using some very cool printed corduroy from Michael Miller (Cool Cords), which I bought a while back from Crafty Mamas. The skirt has real insert pockets (the first time I've ever tried that and it was pretty easy really!) and lots of top-stitching. I love the cute skulls (who knew that was a possibility?) and so does Rom. She wants to wear the skirt next time she sees her far-away cousins, 'cause she knows they like skulls. (Arrr!)
