Tui at Dawn

As promised, here is my prize-winning (you have no idea how cool it is to write that!) quilt, Tui at Dawn.  As you can see, it isn't a huge work, 79 cm by 49 cm.

My quilter's statement: "The morning mists change colours, perspectives, outlines.  Things become ghostly and otherworldly.  The wingbeats of Tui echo and their ethereal song is haunting, as if from another time altogether."

I began with a layer of fabric strips fused onto a background fabric.  Then I painted some elements onto this background mainly using freezer-paper stencils.  There is also one raw-edge appliqued Tui.  I used a silk organza top layer and stencilled other elements onto this and painted it also.  The sun is a separate piece of hand-painted silk organza slipped in between the background and top layer and there is some netting slipped in there too.  It was then machine quilted on my domestic machine.

Here it is on my design wall when I was playing with placement of birds and sun.  You can see that I actually reversed the top layer to fly some of the birds the other way.

And a couple of detail shots for you.

I'm home safe and sound now from the Taupo Symposium Fibre Art Festival, after been woken at 2.45am on my last morning by a bit of an earthquake!  Nothing like Wellington has been experiencing I'm sure, but it was enough to get the heart beating a little faster.

I've hugged the kids, unpacked my fabric splurges and left the unpacking of my suitcase for another day.  And now I'm going to have a cup of tea with a couple of quilty friends who didn't get to the Symposium.

I'll do another post tomorrow, hopefully with my other quilt that was accepted and the little red 12 x 12 quilts.  See you then!

Gobsmacked!

I am truly on a high! Tonight was the awards ceremony at Taupo Symposium and I was blown away to be up on stage twice.  My Tui at Dawn quilt won a merit award in the art quilt section and I also one the First Time Entrant award!

Talk about a rush!  I got all blushy and giggly and so many people congratulated me afterwards, it was absolutely amazing.

Thanks to Karamu Quilters and Cushla's Village Fabrics for my wonderful prizes.  And I would add a photo here of my great big box of goodies, except I'm posting this from my iPad and I can't figure out how.  So once I do, except a goofy photo of me next to my ribbons!

The Chicken Flower Quilt

So I haven't been in the blogosphere for a wee while.  I'll blame it on the friend who talked me into doing the Kerikeri half marathon.  I'll be walking it next Saturday and the training is cutting into my blogging time (it's probably better for me!)  But this Saturday was the Bay of Islands P and I show and my Chicken Flower quilt won first prize in the "Patchwork Article over 40cm" section!  Woot!

I don't think I've showed it to you since it's been finished and I know the photo above is not the best but every time I try and shoot it, it's windy or dull or too sunny.....I know, excuses, excuses!

Or I have a little annoying cute helper who just has to be in the shot!

Here's a close up of the machine free-motion quilting I did.  Basically just loop de loops and curlicues.  But I added a few things in for fun.

Like this feather.  And the recipient's name is quilted into it a couple of times, plus a butterfly and the odd flower and leaf.  She can have fun searching for them.

So think of me next Saturday - I'll consider myself a success if I finish, I'm not aiming for a particular time!  And after that, maybe I'll be able to spend a little more time here updating you on what's happening in my world.