Wedding photos

 The dress!  My DD designed and made her wedding dress herself. She used over 30 meters of fabric. The train fabric is hundreds of laser cut chiffon petals with hand sewn diamantes in the centre of each flower. The train fabric came from Italy.

Photo heavy post!!

 The bridal party.

 The bodice of the dress was draped chiffon and decorated with diamante motifs.

A family photo with DS, new DSIL, DD, me and DH.

 Cutting the cake.  Also below the cake, the venue and the bride's bouquet. My sister did all the bridal party and cake flowers .

t

 The week before the wedding we had a traditional Laotian Baci ceremony for the couple. The first photo shows them dressed in traditional costume. I made my DD's clothes. The skirt and scarf are from traditional wedding fabric and were sent from Laos especially. The green silk my DSIL is wearing belonged to my FIL and my DH also wore it when we had a Baci before we were married. The second photo shows them sharing food as they will now share their lives together.


Both days were a huge success. :)

It is wedding day today!!

Today my DD gets married to the love of her life!

The sun is shining and it looks like we will have perfect weather.

My DD finished her dress yesterday, so it will be a surprise for everyone.

The photos above were taken yesterday during the rehearsal at the wedding venue. Just above the roses in the top photograph you can see a glimpse of the bay.

I will post some wedding photos in a few days.

Starting a new small quilt

Little Grace.

This is the pattern I won from Jeanneke at the end of last year. I like to have a hand piecing project to work on and because this one is so small it won't take too long to finish. It is sewn together using English paper piecing and I have all the papers covered ready to start sewing.

Included with my pattern were all the pre cut squares of  printed fabric. There are lots of tiny, cute prints in the Aunt Grace fabrics.

If you visit Jeanneke's blog and scroll down to her December 6th 2010 post she has the complete instructions (with lots of photographs) to make the quilt yourself.

This is block 7 of the Tailfeathers BOM. Only 2 more embroidered blocks to go now.

These 2 blocks are my most recent finishes of the Civil War Quilt blocks.  Block 8, Cotton Boll is on the right and block 9, Birds in the Air on the left.  I have one more to make to be up to date.


My quilting is going to slow down considerably in the next few weeks. Our DD is getting married soon, so there are lots of wedding preparations to complete....including helping to make her wedding dress.  It is an exciting ..... and stressful time!

Remembering Duncan......

A day with Kaffe and Brandon..

...yes, THAT Kaffe and Brandon!

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend a whole day workshop with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably at Amitie here in Melbourne.

The room was filled with many lovely ladies (and a 3 gentlemen!), anticipation, colourful fabric, music, lots of chatter (and some singing!), yummy food, laughter, inspiration, learning and discovery.

There were a couple of familiar faces there! :)

Cathy from Cabbage Quilts and Andi from Patch Andi.


We all worked on our own version of Kaffe's  Bordered Diamonds quilt from his book with Liza Prior Lucy, Simple Shapes and Spectacular Quilts.

The friendly staff at Amitie were kept busy cutting fabric, making endless cups of tea and coffee and provided us with delicious food.


Even though most people chose to use predominantly fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably or Philip Jacobs there was a huge difference in the look of each quilt.
One lady chose to use all Liberty fabrics, another used florals with metallic highlights and a couple of others used quite different fabrics.

I had never used a design wall before. Here is the beginning of my quilt.

The beginning of my design.

An extra row of diamonds added.

With some of the borders added.

I chose a pallete of blues and greens with a hint of pink. I usually procrastinate over fabric choices and I feel intimidated by colour, especially saturated colour such as in these fabrics.
Both Kaffe and Brandon walked around the room offering advice and fabric suggestions.


We worked very quickly and almost everyone had the fabric chosen, cut and placed for their quilt by the middle of the afternoon. I chose the colours of my borders by picking the fabric I would usually least likely chose.
 

By the end of the afternoon I this is what I had.

During the last hour of the day Kaffe walked around the room and critiqued each quilt. Often the most unexpected combinations of fabrics worked the best.

Kaffe also stayed around to sign books.

Me and Kaffe Fassett!!

We all had a wonderfully inspiring day. The room was full of energy. I was exhausted by the time I got home, but I came home with a brand new confidence in my ability to work with colour!
It was a great day! :)  I feel very lucky and priviledged that I had the opportunity to learn from such masters of colour!

A finish and more progress

 I have finished the Folk Art Fantasy wall hanging top.
On the vase I used reverse applique, a technique I haven't used for a long time.
The quilting will be done by machine once I have chosen a backing fabric.

Here is the next block of Tailfeathers. This is
such a fun project! I just love all those cute embroidered birds.
I have block 7 started.

 Finally, I have caught up with Barbara Brackman's  Civil War Quilt blocks.
These 2 are block 6, Richmond and block 7, Log Cabin.

I made this tote bag today. I used a coated fabric.





Soooooo excited about tomorrow!!!!

Chat soon..........

Catching up..

Midnight Stars Progress.

  I am making slow progress with Lori's Quiltalong:  Midnight Stars. Two blocks are finished and 2 need the outer sections added. All the small units have been prepared, they just need to be sewn together. I have had second thoughts over the background fabric I had chosen, so its back to the drawing board for that one!                                                       The completed blocks measure only 5 1/2 inches (unfinished). I challenged myself to make these blocks by machine, so there has been a bit of frog stitching to get them to line up properly!  I am much more used to hand sewing tiny pieces of fabric.  Some of the fabric I used in these blocks was left over from the Morrell Quilt......hmm...... still need to prepare all those triangles for the border on that one!

 One day last week I was surprised by a pink package at the door. My dear friend Ranette sent me a beautifully stitched wool pin cushion, note paper and card and seam ripper. The handle of the seam ripper was hand turned by the husband of a quilter Ranette knows! The card Ranette sent also has a great quilt design on it. Thank you Ranette!

While I was in Canberra I worked on the stitchery for this Tail Feathers block. I finished the borders yesterday. The next block is well on its way.

 I have finished 3 more blocks from Barbara Brackman's Civil War  Quilt blocks. (the wobbly stars might get stitched again!!!) I still have one more to make to catch up.

 I have also been busy preparing all the papers and fabric ready to make the little quilt pattern I won from Jeanneke. It will be all hand made using English Paper Piecing. (see previous post for a photo).
I have worked on the Folk Art Fantasy wall hanging too, and I only have the vase to do now.
Lots of projects, but only a little progress on each.

Close ups of flowers from my garden. The flower below is an agapanthus. I don't know what the other 2 are.
Does anyone know?? The top one is a bulb. The plant has thin, strappy leaves and is about 25 cm (10 inches) tall. It has bloomed amongst my spring flowering bulbs.
The last flower is from a bush that is about 150 cm (5 ft) tall.

Thinking of all my fellow Australians who have recently endured hardship due to weather extremes. In both Queensland and Victoria there have been floods, cyclones in Queensland and on the outskirts of Perth, Western Australia there have been bush fires.
Stay safe everyone.

I am using a new version of Blogger for the first time.....there are a few changes to get used to.

A Short Break

I have just had a short holiday in our nation's capital, Canberra. It was the first time I had been in Canberra on Australia Day, January 26th.
The photo above is of the Captain Cook fountain in Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. The National Library is in the background.


The highlight of my visit was a day at the National Gallery of Australia. The current major exhibition includes a collection of about 150 costumes and accessories from 34 productions from 1909 to 1939 of the Ballet Russes. There are also photographs of original performances, original programs and sets.



Many of the costumes were purchased by the Gallery in the 1970s and have been beautifully restored. It was interesting to see the kinds of fabrics used and the sewing techniques. One unrestored costume showed a chiffon shirt with a hand sewn hem. Also visible was a hand stitched repair to a tear in the skirt.
Many of the embellishments were painted on. One was a leotard and tights combination painted with Barium paint! Where applique was used on costumes it was machine stitched down with a raw edge showing. One set of cotton dresses were embellished with shiny, metallic looking squares make from bakelite. Few of the costumes were simple, most were highly decorated.
Many of the costumes were made of wool and looked very heavy. Quite difficult to dance in, I imagine. Silk, cotton, velvet and rayon were used in the majority of costumes.
There was a great variation in the sizes of the costumes. Some of the dresses were quite tiny, as you would imagine for ballerinas of today. However, some were much larger.



The costume below on the right was designed by Leon Blakst and worn by Vaslav Nijinski in Le Dieu Bleu (The Blue God). This ballet premiered in 1912.


The dress on the left was made of pale pink silk and was worn in Les Presages in 1933.


While at the gallery I looked at some of the other collections. I saw Blue Poles, by Jackson Pollock. It is arguably the most famous painting in Australia. The purchase of this painting was very controversial. In 1973 the government paid the highest price ever ( A$1.3 million) for an American painting. The purchase of this painting marked the beginning of the era of Australia's movement away from the British Empire.


While I was away I did a little stitching. No photos yet.
My next post will be back to quilting.

Is one more new project one too many????

.....not when it is Lori's new Doll Quilt Quiltalong! :) This time her quilt is called Midnight Stars and I have joined in. I have sewn the little hst squares in the first step and I am looking forward to the next set of instructions.....no photos yet.


The photo above is my latest finished blocks for Josephs Coat. These blocks were already prepared, so I just had to applique down the petals. I have lots of half square blocks to make now.



Below is North Star, the second block from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Commemoration quilt.


Edit.......I have just been told by a lovely lady my points are on upside down!! Ooopps!!!
I am un stitching as I type (well almost! lol).....new photo coming!!!


North Star the second!!!!



Now it looks like a star! Thank you Julia :)




Look what just arrived! :)






Time for a cup of tea and a quiet read.

The fabric the book is lying on is also a creation of Michele Hill's. This is her first range of fabrics and it is called The Adelaide Collection.

Something old, something new, "Catch Me If You Can" and a win.

This year I am going to try to concentrate on finishing a few WIPs. There will be a new start or 2, but I have quite a few projects that are partly done that deserve to be finished. I finally got all my klosjes sewn together! There will be a couple of borders added to this little quilt. You will see it again soon!

The small quilt below I started last year, but left it at the point of quilting. Up until now any quilt I have finished has only had in-the-ditch, straight line quilting or meandering on it. This quilt was my first try at more "challenging for me" free motion quilting.


I outlined some doves and did pebbling around them.



I still like the look of meandering.


A view of the back.



I will keep practising my machine quilting. I have another quilt that has lots of curved lines and straight line patterns in the quilting design. If our weather stays cool enough I will be working on it next.



This WIP is from the pattern I won from Barb late last year. I love hand applique and Folk Art Fantasy is different from anything I have made before.



Still a few more pieces to applique. I have used all Dargate fabrics on this panel.



The new year has brought lots of new projects in blogland. This one is one I have decided to join in. Barbara Brackman has started a new blog to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Each week there will be a true story from people of the time and a pattern for a quilt block. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn some American history, and to make 52 blocks which will make a commemorative quilt.

The first block is named Catch Me If You Can, and here is mine.


The fabric I used is designed by Barbara Brackman, but it is from The Morris Workshop collection. Certainly not Civil War repro fabric, but I had this fabric on hand and I love it!


Since finding Kathleen Tracy's group specialising in small quilts I have discovered several blogs written by people who make mostly small quilts. One blog I read regularly belongs to Jeanneke. Jeanneke makes doll quilts and has made patterns for several of them. Late last year Jeanneke had a giveaway and I was lucky enough to win!!! Below is what arrived in the mail yesterday! :) Thank you for your generosity, Jeanneke!



The card has a photograph of another of Jeanneke's quilts. There is a pack of Aunt Grace fabric already cut into squares. The pattern also includes all the papers required to use English Paper Piecing to make the quilt.


I plan to have some more Josephs Coat blocks finished before my next post.

I hope 2011 brings everyone happiness, good health and lots of sewing time!