The Making New Zealanders Quilt

Here is the photo of my Making New Zealanders: The Gallipoli Campaign 1915 quilt, made for the New Zealand Quilter Make in New Zealand challenge. It measures 32 x 41.5 inches (81cm x 105.5cm). I think it still needs some 'signs' to make the places on the 'map' at the top and I haven't figured out the best way to make them yet.
The top piece is in relief the Gallipoli Peninsula as the troops saw it for landing. I painted Vliesofix, crumpled it and when it was dry, ironed it onto the background fabric. The spurs were quilted on later, and then I painted the shadows of the valleys.
Four photos were transferred using the T-shirt transfer method and I highlighted some areas with colour pencils and stitching. The 2 central blocks were printed directly onto the fabric - the top one is a sketch of the positions of the landing crafts and boats.
The 2 silhouettes were stitched over painted document sleeve protectors (I liked the effect of lots of flies that I thought it gave), stamped painted crosses on the black background and the red block was an artistic version of explosions and blood.
The only traditional blocks were the pinwheels and I quilt stitched them with barbed wire effect.

The Kaleidoscope Quilt is Finished

I'm really pleased with this quilt (apart from the fact that it hasn't taken too long to finish it! See here when I finished the top.) and the quilting doesn't take anything away from it. I quilted around some of the 'lines' in the blocks, then straight lines in the sashings. Got a bit carried away in the outside border as I was going to do a large stipple, but the hands started on feathers before I realised what I was doing - do LOVE feathers though!
Finished size is 55 inches square (140cm).
One of the better looking blocks - well some of them are not very well lined up in the centers :-(

Playing with Some Photos

Derrick and I were watching a National Geographic documentary on Petra tonight, and I remembered that I wanted to play with one of the photos. Here are a couple of cropped photos showing the beautiful work that was created by the Nabateans around 100 A.D.
I'm so pleased we went there!

Carvings on the front of The Treasury

A Day of Celebrations

It's my little girl's 25th birthday today!
This is a cool photo taken when she was 9 (I think) and that's Ruby the pet lamb. At that time we lived in military housing. The housing officer was an old work colleague of mine but I think that we stretched the limits by getting permission to have a pet lamb! Anyway, anyway, anyway, Sarah has always loved animals so if I have to leave the 'farm' for any long period of time, she has been able to act as 'farm manager'.
Congratulations and Happy Birthday for the 1/4 century my darling daughter!

#2 celebration - her Dad arrives home today from the Middle east. Oh heck! the weather is cold, wet and miserable, but then it IS winter and the countryside is green - where he's been it's a very HOT summer, brown and sandy. From one extreme!
#3 celebration - this is my 200th post! Wow! I never thought I keep up the blogging this long, but I do enjoy it.
Have a happy day everyone!

Too Perfect To Be True!

It looks too good for working in, don't you think? The wardrobe does have some things that need to be organized but basically I have a clear table for quilting on, a clear space for cutting on and several bags with quilts that need to be quilted and/or finished, out where I can see them.
Methinks it's time to be a tidy kiwi when working in here!

All the rosettes are hiding behind the door :-)

Derrick is back in 2 days, so I am very pleased that this is now at an inspection-ready state!

Faded Beauty = New Gifts

I found this tray cloth at an Op shop the other day - the embroidery is intact but the fabric was spotted and thin in places - but lo, and behold! my friend Kirsty has a tutorial on her blog to make beautiful travel pin cushions. Go here and find it on the left hand side bar.
I love how easy and quick they are to put together. You could even do some stitching while waiting in the queue at the supermarket!

I'm Not Proud of This!

My dearly beloved husband is back in just over a week from his 6 month tour of duty to the Middle East. I have to say that there are a few things that I had planned to do outside, that still haven't been done, BUT I have been busy creating.
As you can see, the quilting studio looks like...

Yes, it is pretty bad and I just can't work in conditions like this. It's now time to take charge and whip it into shape, OTHERWISE, it will be locked and all other people will be barred from entry! (Honey, if you are looking at this, be reassured that the rest of the house is vacuumed, dusted and very, very tidy!)

Since I've Been Home ....

from my overseas experience I have been busy (oh no, not doing the housework or gardening - remember it is winter and cold outside!), BUT I have made some yummy feijoa jam, feijoa sauce and tamarillo relish. There are still heaps more tamarillos, so I'll just have to prepare them for freezing, mmm, perhaps make a batch of jam, too.


I also made, from scratch, a quilt for a competition (Made in New Zealand II) run by New Zealand Quilter magazine. Anne Scott, editor, is taking 45 quilts to France this year for a show - well I couldn't NOT try to have something accepted now, could I? But, would you believe it, I was in such a rush to finish it and get it to Wellington last weekend, that I didn't even take a photo of it!
Still waiting to hear whether it has been accepted.

Betwixt and Between ... Happiness and Pain

I am really blessed to know an extremely gifted and talented quilter. She is Kirsty Duncan, and I miss her heaps because she now lives in Townsville, Australia. She had a giveaway on her blog - and I won it! WooHoo!
BUT...
Today I had 2 teeth removed that had been causing me some problems - a pre-molar and molar next door to one another. So after some local anaesthetic, some pushing, pulling and wrenching of teeth, I am now minus 2 teeth, plus 5 sutures, plus some swelling/bruising, and a little bleeding. The house isn't very warm either so I think I'll curl up with a hot water bottle and a romance book (the imagination can work a little, even if the mouth can't!).