Q had to be quilt, of course. This is Out of the Blue from 2001. It won a blue ribbon at the New Plymouth National Quilt Symposium. That was exciting. I love that cool, clear sky blue.
Ohh, there're some lovely curves in this quilt. It's nice to see it again. It's a shame I keep so many of them rolled up (carefully) and hidden away.
I whipped this up, it was supposed to be a speedy quilt, for me, at the same time I made the fleece backed quilts for the boys. In the spirit of use-what-you-have, I hand-dyed the border fabric one quiet afternoon. I pieced the back from bits of stashed fabric, and an old curtain. I even pieced left over cotton batting together 'til I had a piece big enough. Then I thought I would quilt it heavily with a quarter inch grid. I soon realised the folly of that, it would take forever, so I stuck to a quarter inch diagonal line. Somewhere along the way, the lines developed a curve, and of course, each row magnified the curve a tiny bit more, and now the quilting looks horrible. The quilt is creased in the photo from being folded and left neglected in a corner. But now that I've got it out again, I realise I really do love it. I call it the virginal quilt, just quietly. Well, if I'm going to be sleeping by myself, I might as well sleep among flowers. I can't imagine inviting any man to join me under it, it's far too pretty for that!
P is apparently also for perfectionist. Because that quilting is going to be unpicked, and I'm going to start again.
Butterflies and bugs and blue and green dots and other blue/green things, all from the stash.
Quilted with a large and speedy stipple all over.
It's good to be using fabrics from the stash, some I've had for years but they've never been touched, some are old friends appearing in their 2nd or 3rd quilt. Much nicer to be using them than having them folded away. Is it a quilters 'thing' to remember where I bought them, who gave them to me? There's a piece from Annette's quilt, the binding from the 9-patch, the dotty stuff I bought in Adelaide.
The quilts both have polar fleece on the back, and no batting. I love how the thread disappears into the fleece and all there is to see is the texture.
You like? What colour would yours be? Come out of hiding and leave me a comment.
And then, perhaps there should be one for me?
See, stitching, in the ditch.
Next, quilt like a mad woman....by machine of course.
I'm making a quilt for Jack. A quilt of hot colours, by special request. It's shaping up to be the speediest quilt ever. It has polar fleece on the back, and I'm quilting a big stipple all over it. My aim is to have it on his bed by the weekend. I'll show you some more when it's bound. Meantime, just looking at it is warming me up while the southerly batters our house.
The Pixie Post is one year old today. I remember starting it on a grim Wellington day, when I needed to distract myself. It worked! It's still working!
That was the year I turned 40. Hence the bit of birthday cake. I stitched all sorts of things about me into the border, see me swimming down the wiggly blue line? There's my blue and white china collection, and my scissors, a symbol really, cos I don't use them that often. There's a pig and daffodils, and a lovely blue rose, shells from the beach and a big wine glass because those are things that make me smile. There's a hammer and a paintbrush too, because I did lots of decorating that year. It was my last year as a full time stay at home Mum. There's a blue ribbon, because I won my first one that year at the National Symposium in New Plymouth. 
There's a teddy and a golly (we must talk about gollies sometime), for my two sons, that's a computer mouse, and there are 3 hearts for family. It has some stars too, one with american flags on it for Sept 11, and one with my friend's name embroidered on it, because Annette died that year. How I miss her. "What's happening this year" she asked me in January. "I'm going to be 40" I said, thinking to myself "oh my god, oh my god". "Great" she said, "we can celebrate". Had to do that without her in the end, but I've never felt bad about having a birthday ever since.
The best thing about this quilt is the gazillion 3 inch 9-patch blocks, stitched by 10 wonderful women, who swapped them fortnightly for a whole year. Deb made some. So did Morv. There were 9 quilts in the end, and they were all very different. We had crazy awards. I got one for the "bravest, most adventurous border". It's been an adventurous year since the Pixie Post began. Thanks for stopping by.
The sun has set. It was very pretty. Love those hills bathed in golden light.
I've got the daffodil quilt out. I'm making it a border.
'Open the Doors' a collaborative work, by me and my clever friend, recently hung at the 2007 Symposium. Current whereabouts unknown. I trust it's being looked after, in preparation for touring New Zealand. Perhaps it's been sold. (I kind of hope not, I'd quite like to live with it for a while). 
Funny how some quilts hang straight and flat effortlessly, and others, despite hours of effort simply refuse. This one never had a ripple.
This is my little piece from Sue Dennis's class. The shiny blue 'river' is metallic thread stitched on washaway fabric. The 'trees' are metallic treads stitched over Angelina fibres. It's nice to have a little glitz.
This is J's quilt. 1999??? (I hope it has a label!). Blocks made by a bunch of lovely women and put together by me for one of those birthdays with a '0' in it. It's a gorgeous glowy quilt in real life. It hung at the National Quilt Symposium in New Plymouth 2001.
Rejected by the jurors for the National Quilt Symposium 2007. What are they thinking? This is a fabulous quilt! Never mind, Jude and Jules can have it now, in time for their first anniversary. The whole-view photo makes this quilt look less than square. I should've got the tripod out. I wonder if that had anything to do with it? Unusually, there are no comments included from the jurors, just "the quality of the images sent in for judging did not always do justice to the quilts".
Accepted by the jurors for the National Symposium 2007. Sunny. Hooray! It's a real honour to get something accepted. I don't envy those jurors. Sunny will now get some loving care to ensure it looks its best hanging in the exhibition in Palmerston North in January.
My third entry, the house quilt which you can get a glimpse of here was a collaborative project with a quilting buddy. The accept/reject news will have been sent to her, along with news of her own two quilts. She is out of town. The envelope will be waiting in her letterbox. We'll just have to wait for her to come home.
Double Wedding Ring (1998 or thereabouts). 1930s reproduction fabrics, worn and faded now, which adds to its antique look.
Blue Star (1999 or thereabouts). A classic 2-colour quilt in my favourite colour combo. I'm stopping myself from telling you what's wrong with each of them. Quilters always do that. I wonder if other artists do? We learn a little from each quilt we make. I'm still enjoying the learning.
Green yellow treasures, for a year of colour. More yellow in real life than my monitor is showing. A tiny bowl bargain from an asian food warehouse, and a shibori dyed piece of silk, from a craft market . The silk may get worn as a scarf, or maybe cut up and used in some art.
I'm quilting. Furiously. Must finish quilts for National Symposium. Entries close 1 November.
Summertime, 2005.
I love the wonky lettering.
That border print is by KP Kids.....and those orange stars are for a year of colour!
I put white ric rac under 'fussy cut' portraits and buttonhole stitched them (by machine of course) with a heavy white cotton thread to make postage stamps.....or maybe they're postcards. Nice bubble quilting.
Portrait of the artist.
Beach girl!
Now they are these!
and a cool curvy unit.
