Night Out!

Anticipation - outside the Big Top!

Inside - the show was great! Loved the costumes, the scenery, the horses - beautiful creatures & the acrobats took your breath away at times.  We both thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Year of the Snake

Took the City Cat into the city with a couple of guests on Tuesday night. The Treasury Casino is certainly celebrating the Year of theSnake - above - this leads into a restaurant.... & below

the snake chandelier in the foyer! 

The bouganvillea walk at Southbank takes on a different look at night.

WIPs & Postcards

I worked so hard at the retreat - designed this one, cut it out & started appliqueing - it's only small - A3 - should be ready for Inner City Circle's Quilt & Textile Temptations Show on the last Saturday in August (just had to get a plug in) at Milton State School.

This is my attempt at a Row by Row for the Queensland Quilters night group.  Was not at all happy with what I had done - tea dyed it on the weekend (bit happier now), added the green borders (can almost live with it) - auditioning the rusty red border (what do you think?) - not sure if will deserve an outing in public at the Quilt Show in October - see how it turns out once quilted.

Love making fabric postcards -

Tried a new technique in a small scale -

Vleisflexed the elephant -

Jen donated a piece of white fabric so I could use the pink shape....

Tried a little bit of creative stitching using the fancy stitches on my machine - this was a great way to finish off the weekend.

Finished quilt tops

I was really pleased with work achieved at the Retreat - this top is ready for a couple of small bits of applique, then it will be quilted .............

Well - this one - PPP (Purple Paddo Patchers) girls asked me to give instructions for a sampler quilt.  I had never done one so thought I had better do the blocks as well, grabbed a bunch of coordinated fat 1/4s - was not really happy with the resulting blocks - they looked so boring.  However, now that the top is finished - I quite like it, it turned out much better than I thought (perhaps a bit like teenagers - you give them sound building blocks, maybe boring blocks, let them mature a bit & voila! you have a pretty decent adult...... one day!) Next step basting & then quilting.

Retreats - Aaaaaaah!

Aaaah - the serenity!  The mist rolling in - but it wasn't cold - it was great at James Byrne Centre, Highfields (just north of Toowoomba)

This is a Catholic Conference Centre - was Jen seeking divine intervention or asking her muse for inspiration?

Aina finished this from go to whoa on the weekend - when they turned the lights out to go to bed on Friday night, they found that the orange in the middle of the quilt - glowed!!!!  This is for a baby - we're not quite sure what effect this will have - who knows, it might even be calming.  The find caused lots of laughter & we all witnessed it after dinner on Saturday night. Wonderful weekend with a great bunch of girls!

Playing with paint & collage

Didn't like the first paint job - so added lace, piece of fabric & paper & covered it all with Modge Podge - happy with it now.

Trying to be brave & use paint - background painted, then paper collage & modge podge finished it off.

The background was a piece of art painted by a 7yr old for me - it came down off the fridge, got cut up, made a postcard & sent it to the artist.  Love the way this turned out.  All 3 pieces have added to my MailArt 365 project - am now up to #271!  Counting down.

SoTa13

Well, my "Women of Africa" didn't make it in to the exhibition - but I don't have to go to any extra therapy sessions for rejection as the other one I entered did make it!!!  Will post photos after the Opening in April. http://www.queenslandquiltersartquilters.blogspot.com.au/ - all information is on the Blog for 2QAQ (Queensland Quilters Art Quilters).  Nineteen from thirty-four entries were selected - looking forward to seeing the other quilts - it's always an exciting exhibition.