1930s Reproduction is about 4' square. Next weekend it will be presented to a young couple expecting an August baby. The proud grandma is one of my workmates. It's handquilted on about a 1-1/4" grid in pink cotton. Finding that 1930's pink was the real challenge!

Finally got around to photographing "Fat Tuesday" which is up on my office wall. About 4' x 6'. This quilt is in honor of the holding of Mardi Gras in the year after Katrina. I'd hoped they would. The line is a water line (hand sponged with opalescent paint) and the "beads" are fussy-cut from a fabric called Mardi Gras. It may be possible to see two masks in the quilting.

Lately Ladybugs and Pears

Now that the annual work film festival that I run is over, the quilting begins again in ernest.

Yesterday I finished quilting a baby quilt for a woman at my office expecting #2 child. I used the stitch regular on the Bernina Aurora purchased more than a year ago --for the first time. How silly was that? I freemotioned vines, leaves and flowers all over the surface exept for on the applique ladybugs and flowers. Something about the surface or the ability to release the pressure of the presserfoot a great deal--whatever it is, I can freemotion a lot easier on this machine than on my last (but I loved that Janome anyway).

I'm also making a lot of pears from a pattern I found in a magazine. I've finally tried out my paint sticks (you see the trend--more stuff than time!) on some green fabric and these will become funky pears also.

Ned and the Very Land Itself

Finally, here is a picture of the quilt I made for my husband Terence for our wedding anniversary. If you are Australian it should be fairly self explanatory. If you aren't, this is meant to be a nod to Sydney Nolan's painting of bush ranger Ned Kelly in his homemade armor. The grey green rectangles are eucalyptus leaves and the white and yellow parallelagram is a sulfur crested cockatoo. In the center of Australia, the sand really is that color.

Polyester, silk, cotton (on the back facing and backing) and several different weights of variegated and solid color thread.

It's about 18 x 36" (guestimate).

Blue and White Quilt

My son is ten-and-a-half and ready for a new bed quilt. His existing one is for a smaller bed and seems a little too young in his current bedroom. Yesterday he told me he wants it to be blue and white. Later in the day, of his own accord, he came into my studio and pointed out some fabric that he liked. It's a slightly deeper shade than sky blue.

Unlike my friend Erica who has an impressive collection of blue fabric, the blues I have are left overs from a project that needed a lot of different shades in small amounts. I was buying blue in 20cm pieces.

White I have. I'm a white person (not cream) . So the hunt is on for a variety of that shade of blue and some inspiring block that will not be the end of me when made double-bed size. I'm leaning toward Hunter Start or Birds in the Air or a big mariner's compass and a couple borders.

Mere Words, Pix Soon

Despite my lack of blogging, there has been no lack of quilting activity now that the studio is in some kind of shape (thanks to supportive husband who installed shelves for me).

In fact, I've opened a couple new chapters.

First, I'm restoring a Road to California scrap quilt that I found at the local antique store for $12. I think it is from the 1920s. It isn't a masterpiece, but I like it, and would like to keep it "alive" for the foreseeable, so I'm appliqueing replica patches over the shredded patches. The original is there, underneath, but my efforts should stop the filling from coming out and prevent any ripping of the backing (so far intact).

Second, I'm making an anniversary art quilt for my husband (who doesn't read my blog). It's a sort of abstracted nod to Sydney Nolan. Silk, and poly with linen backing. It has been a chance to do some intensive quilting on the Bernina.

Pictures of these projects soon.

And a co-worker is having a baby so I'm having fun working on the baby quilt. Lots of flowers and ladybugs.

Crab Apple in Bloom

Since moving in almost a year ago, we were waiting for the blooming of the crab apple tree. The neighbors told us it was a spectacle, and last month we could finally see for ourselves.

As a marked contrast, here is my great-grandfather's house in Ireland.