sewing retreat
It was our annual quilting retreat last weekend. Each year, 8 of us stay in a huge holiday house somewhere on the South West Australian coast from Augusta to Yallingup. We bring 6 gifts to swap - 3 are sewing related and 3 are 'anything'. Throughout the weekend we interrupt sewing, eating, drinking, laughing, eating, drinking ... to choose a wrapped mystery gift and it adds to the fun!

Well ... this year I couldn't think of anything to make that was sewing related. We've all been sewing for DECADES and have most fabric and notions that we need, or want. I nearly didn't go in the swap ... then I thought of this idea ...

Three little paintings of quilts! What else??? They are about 20-25 cm square/rectangular.

I think the recipients liked them and if they didn't, they have permission to 'gift on'!

raggedy stripes

Amish bars with stencilling

ribbed stripes

The quilts were inspired by quilts in two books (top and bottom), Art Quilts - A Celebration and (centre), Amish - The art of the Quilt. I really enjoyed painting them! The 'quilting stitches' were drawn with black and white acrylic pens.

 

nest eggs
This year we also had a challenge and the theme was Circles. 

And it happened to be the 10 year anniversary of an online group I'm in, called Australia New Zealand Art Quilters, so we were asked to make a small quilt in recognition. Our only 'rule' was that the quilt had to be 10 inches square - to reflect the 10 years. I've been in the group for about 7 years.

Well, why not combine two themes???

So ... I created the quilt on 10 inch canvas, painted and stencilled the leaves, free-machine stitched around them and added some hand stitching. The nest and eggs were painted and I stitched circles around and around to create the base of the nest.

Different threads and bits of piping I'd made earlier were layered inside two pieces of Solvy and stitched to death to create more texture. It was all hand stitched in place. There is no visible binding - it is bound with facings, turned to the back.

Very happy with the result. I hope you like it too!

Nest eggs, 10 x 10 inches

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