The world of blogging has not only opened up many opportunities for me, but has also enabled me to meet new friends. Usually, this 'meeting' is an online experience, but last month I had the opportunity to really meet Helen Conway. Deborah and I joined Helen and her quilting buddy, Lesley, for a meal in Birmingham. (Thanks for the pic, Helen.)
OK, it's not in English, which makes it tricky for me since I don't know much German. Just in case you're wondering, Liesels Funfecke means Liesel's Pentagons and the book is full of ideas for these intriguing shapes. I am seriously hooked already.
I love making pieced blocks with a single template. Rose Star is one such block that I've blogged about before. Since the shapes are all the same, it comes down to the colour placement and arrangement of the pieces to create different patterns. Such fun. Liesel uses the English paper piecing method, but I think life is too short for that so I choose to hand piece.
Sarah could see I was itching to study the book in detail so it is having a holiday in my house. Sigh. So many things to investigate, so little time...
A new gallery is opening in Braidwood on Saturday 3 October. Owned by friend Kate Marshall, the gallery will sell textiles and jewellery, all handmade by talented Australian artists. The official opening by Helen Godden will be at 11am.
I've combined four blocks to show you the secondary patterns that emerge. Magic, isn't it? I need to modify some of the shapes to make them more straightforward to piece and, after I've done that, I'll sew a sample block to test it. Stand by!
Many moons ago, I was taught geometry in school. It was incredibly boring to me and I couldn't understand what use it could be. Well!Why didn't they teach me interesting stuff like this? Since I developed an interest in some of the patterns seen in Islamic art, I've been doing a lot of reading about it. I came across this little book and my copy arrived yesterday (from the wonderful Book Depository, of course).
There's whole lot I need to understand, including terms that I've never heard before (what's a dodecagon* when it's at home?). It is worth pursuing, though, because some of these shapes would be wonderful to interpret as pieced quilt designs.
The strength of this small book is that it shows the underlying structure of the designs. Most are drawn on a structure of overlapping circles, which is a new way of thinking of block construction for me. Lots to learn and lots of drawing and redrawing to be done. I love that there is always something interesting in this world to learn!
* A dodecagon is a polygon with 12 sides.
The colour is accurate. We are in the midst of a massive dust storm. The colour in the sky is created by the topsoil from the west of our state being blown towards the coast. Bad for the condition of the land in the west, bad for people who have breathing difficulties, but it is still totally spectacular. I'll be staying inside today.
Stunning from the outside - I wonder what they are like inside?
Drool.
The next three shapes are on this next piece: grape leaves, a blobby shape and a wavy line with dots. Double hmm.
This sample has line fillers (decidedly wonky) and my albsolute fave - pebbles. I love stitching those pebbles!
Then Kim freaked me out by letting us try feathers (with some other shapes like the ginko leaves). Awful. I was pleased that I stitched my name, though!
This is my second feather and I think some of the curves are actually curved on this one so that has to be an improvement, right?
In about six weeks we have our second lesson, when we'll be stitching a single sampler piece. Now that will be scary. I'd better get practising - Kim recommends at least 10 minutes a day, but maybe I need a couple of hours instead! Any tips from experienced free-motion quilters will be gratefully received in the meantime...
One of the most noticeable things about the streets of London were the exuberant baskets of flowers. Every street we travelled was decorated with glorious collections of flowering annuals, cheerfully celebrating summer. I loved the way that this made the city bright and inviting.
Make a few more....and then - a quilt! 
This lovely quilt was made by Trish Gibbons from my Slow Burners class at Material Obsession. Doesn't it look wonderful? This is a fun block to hand piece, because all the pieces in the block are cut from a single template - how clever is that?
This is the title of an amazing book by Owen Jones, an English architect of the nineteenth century. My first introduction to his work was at the V&A Museum, where I saw the original edition of The Grammar of Ornament and many of the original drawings prepared for the book (and got over-excited straight away).
When I was at the Liberty shop, I couldn't resist taking a photo of these wooden print blocks of classic Liberty designs. How wonderful it would be to use these to create different layered patterns on cloth. I would love the opportunity to use them for stamping and rubbing.
I've finished my Goddess Roseus textile piece for this fund raising activity instigated by Deborah at Down Under Quilts magazine and I'm eagerly anticipating seeing the others. The objective is to raise funds for breast cancer charities. See the Bid-4A-Cause blog to see who is participating and remember to check back regularly for updates.
The sky was an amazing colour on the afternoon we visited and a strong breeze was blowing. Yes, there were many buses and cars in the parking area. Yes, the souvenirs were tacky. Yes, there were hundreds of people there. But, you know what? It didn't matter.
Sad news filtered its way through the Australian quilters' network today. Narelle Grieve, who had been ill for many months, passed away early this morning.
At the Festival of Quilts, I was thrilled to meet Catherine Nicholls and Linda Kemshall who, together with Laura Kemshall, produce thr3fold: a journal of creative vision.Even though I had heard about this journal, I had never actually held it in my hands. Oh my goodness. Such an amazing creative resource - no wonder reviews have been so positive.
Just look at the stunning building. Doesn't it invite you to come closer?
We had imagined that the contents of the store would entice us, but firstly we had to drag ourselves away from window displays like this:
Aren't those pineapples divine? (Just ignore the feet reflected in the window. They are mine.) I now have a preoccupation with pineapples (this is a story for another day, along with my other pineapple photos). The exhibition called Prints Charming had nothing to do with my clever friends Kirsten and Cath but instead, it showed all the amazing creations top designers had made with Liberty fabric.
This gorgeous young lady was featured in another window. It took about 20 minutes before we entered the store and once we did we were captivated.
Several hours later we emerged, blinking, into the street. To have visited such a legendary store was, for us, like having been on a pilgrimage. We restored ourselves with a delicious lunch in the pub across the road and ventured onwards to the V&A Museum. It was such a blissful day...
I took these two photos in the food hall. There were astonishing mosaic designs on all the walls including this one.
Aren't they brilliant?
Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia is a designer's wonder. Plenty of lines and lights to attract the eye. We were there twice - once on the way to London and then on the trip home - both times in the night and at dawn. Scrupulously clean and efficient, the KL airport is quite inspirational.
I've spent the past couple of days working on a small textile piece, working to the theme of Goddess Roseus. This, along with other A4-sized textiles, will be auctioned next month as part of Bid-4A-Cause, organised by Deborah and Down Under Quilts magazine.
