Another Stained Glass Class at QuiltEssentials

I've just finished another class for my quilt, Zen Courtyard AKA Stained Glass Stack and Slash. I've posted a few times about various classes, and quilts made in them, for this quilt. So, just a quick peak at a block from most of the participants- unfortunately a few were away on the day I brought my camera! Have a look at the blocks below just to see how different each one is. Even the two Bali Batik ones, though similar, are different and will make up two very different feeling quilts.






As usual, it was a lovely class at QuiltEssentials in Brisbane. Great work space, friendly people, lovely class participants and yummy food from Alfina's next door, as you can see from the mini mud cakes in the first photo.
Thanks girls! And thanks for stopping by,

Ann.

Studio: Before and After

I had this old tray mobile that I stored all my African fabrics in and had my threads and the odd fat quarter on the top. Dolly the cat really liked sleeping and leaving all her fur on there so I had to cover it with the Timorese Ikat you can see draped over the top.

Now the tray mobile has gone and it looks much better there. Dolly now sleeps and oversees the sewing on the mini ironing board attached to my work table!

This part of my studio was probably the worst with my desk piled high with all my folders and business documents . A big roll of wadding fitted in OK but it's better over in the space created near my work table.
Below, that area is now my favourite part. I painted the little vintage desk shabby chic white, as well as some cinder blocks I found under the house left over from building. Then I put one of the bookshelves I'd used on the other side of the room on top. Most of my books fit and all my photo disks and office bits and pieces live in the brick recesses.
You can see my cabinet of vintage teddy bears over to the right... not sure what to do with those as I love most of them but the cabinet really takes up a lot of space.

My New African Quillow

This is my new African Quillow. I have these 5 1/2inch African Fabric squares packs for my original African Quilt (you can see it in the side bar) and I wanted to make another project using just the squares combined with another pack of black, white and red squares. I love the red and white Prints Charming fabric and the black and white orchid design batik especially.
I decided step out of my comfort zone (usually in the red sector) and use the blue and purple border print, but I'm still not sure or completely comfortable with the choice...
I used an African Kanga on the back and lovely bamboo wadding so it washed and dried really soft and drapey.

I love this fabric! I bought this in the amazing Hartbeesport Dam Market near Pretoria in South Africa. My daughter and I went there four years ago now to visit my sister who was living in Pretoria at the time. It was a really wonderful experience! Africa holds so much of inspiration to a creative person. The ingenuity and creativity of the people - everywhere you look there is something clever, beautiful, nifty, unexpected that someone has made out of something else. Then there's the scenery, the history, the animals... Anyway, I saw this tablecloth- like length of fabric hanging amongst the other textile treasures in the market an immediately knew "I could do something with that!" It's nearly finished now. I have a fat quarter and a little bit more left over. (Tip: always cut a fat quarter from any significant lengths of fabric and save it in your stash for future projects.)

This is the quilt as I was quilting it, which I did in a simple cross hatch on my domestic sewing machine. I love the riotous jumble of colour and pattern. Then you can see below the final result of the quilt stuffed into its pillow. I used the left over squares from the fabric packs and a bit of the border fabric to make the little cushion top. But I played around with the idea of an unpieced African fabric, same as I used on the back...i didn't have enough fabric so I followed the old quilters' rule of making use of what I did have.
I am making patterns for the quillow and have fabrics ready cut available from my website.
Now it's time to get back to the re-organisation of my studio so I can make more quilts...