Living it up in Melbourne

We have spent a couple of lovely days with Jenny. Yesterday she kindly took us on a day trip down the great ocean road. We loved the views of the pristine beaches and did have a little walk along the beach. The sand was so soft and the weather could not have been better.

We stopped for a fish and chip lunch and then headed down to the ferry which carried us across the bay. The woolies had to come out for the ride across but the views were great. The fur seals made a brief appearance alongside the boat. A great day of sunshine and fresh air.

The day before Jenny and her husband took us to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary where we enjoyed the local and very sleepy wildlife.

The koala was cooperative but the kangaroos refused to stand upright. I think it was way too hot to expend any energy. We enjoyed looking at all the mammals and marveled at how different they were from the African animals we know so well. When we were driving along the great ocean road we were rewarded with a lovely site of a family group of kangaroos. This time we saw them just in time before they settled for a snooze under the trees.

Of course you cant forget the birds and we loved this guy, the Kookaburra.

We finished the day off with wine and fine dining. The vineyards of the Yarra Valley were beautiful, lush and green. A reminder of the recent bush fires scar the hills in the distance. It was a very humbling experience.

Thinking of you all.

Wendy and Sue

Happy Easter from Melbourne

Happy Easter from Down Under. It is a beautiful morning here in Melbourne. We are having a wonderful few days off taking in this beautiful city. Yesterday we spent the day walking around town. Even though it is fall here there is still wonderful color everywhere you look, a little contrast from winter in Ohio. It reminds me so much of South Africa.

There is a large French influence here. Wendy and I stopped at a French Bakery for a latte and could not resisted this small chocolate mouse cake.

As you know I love polka dot fabric and had to have this cake which reminded me of the Japanese honeycomb dot fabric I just bought at Amitie the day before.

Here is another glimpse at the wonderful architecture in Melbourne. There are many arcades and ally ways that have many cafes and stores. Each one has great character. Here we found a great glass roof and mosaic floor in the same arcade.

Around the corner was another ally way full of graffiti.

Today we are off to the museums and an outdoor market. Wendy has been educating me about Australian jewellers so as you can imagine I am in big trouble as many pieces I have seen have needed to return home with me. The style is earthy and organic and very appealing.

Speak to you soon

Sue

Melbourne

We moved into a self catering apartment in the city center of Melbourne today where we get to stay till Thursday. It looks like we will be enjoying the many art and craft venues that this city has to offer. Today we had a nice walk around town and stopped in to see the beautiful tile floor of St Paul's Cathedral.

This sculpture caught our fancy and reminded us of the critters we left at home.

A few people had told us that this city is known for its streetart and when we came across this area we could see why. We enjoyed the scale of it and loved the mass of color. Of course we thought of Jason and how much he would have loved all this as we meandered through the streets. I loved that even the trash bins were covered.

Tomorrow we are off to a craft market and I am sure we will be inspired.

Thinking of you all.

Wendy and Sue

Amitie - Melbourne

We were met at the airport by Jenny Kingwell, director of Amitie in Melbourne. We arrived just in time for lunch and a quick visit to the store which is lovely. It was not long before Sue had acquired a new little stash of fabrics to take home with her. Jenny has a beautiful selection from which to choose. After settling into our B&B we had a nice Vietnamese dinner and got ready for Day 1 .

On the first morning we were welcomed by 18 enthusiastic quilters. All were ready with their large stashes of wools, cottons and linens to begin cutting and reassembling a block into their own color palette.

They all concentrated on appliqueing their block so we could have a foundation to embellishment the following day.

Here is a fabulous color selection from Gina and Amanda.

Carol worked on doing bullion's and Lynn work with velvet and mastering applique.

Kelly added her own elements to her block.

As you can see the blocks were stunning. All very individual and quiet unique.

Wendy caught me here trying on my new cardigan I purchased from one of the girls in the class. I just adore her work and also love the fact that it is all wool!

Jenny the store owner is a very talented lady and I had to post a picture of her new BOM which she has been working very hard to finish. This will be available on her website in the next few weeks. http://www.amitie.com.au/

Having fun in Australia!

Sue and Wendy

Material Obsession Visit

Today we spent some time at the store in Sydney called Material Obsession and Sue was able to meet some talented quilters. We got to see some of the quilts from Material Obsessions book one.

Another one from their about to be released book two.

We also got a sneak peak of a quilt Kathy is working on for a new pattern. This one might finally turn me into a quilter! Maybe I can put that pile of dyed wool scraps to use.

Sues Ginger Grove was hanging on the wall, a spectacular rendition done by Kate out of Japanese fabrics. Hanging next to it was a quilt composed of some of Sues blocks interpreted by Kathy's friends and given to her as a fiftieth birthday gift.

It was wonderful to just hang around, to meet you all and to share all your wonderful work.

We hope someday to see you all again.

Wendy and Sue

Time out in Sydney

At the end of Sues three days Sarah and Damien took us for a wonderful dinner down by the harbor bridge. We met up with Sarah's friend Florence who we had heard has a wonderful stash of wool. It was a gorgeous evening and what a spectacular view, not to mention the lovely food and great company. Thank you both for a great time. It was a special treat.

Sunday was another fun filled day. This time we met up with an old friend from another life. It had been about 28 years since we had seen one another and I have to say that Marion you look marvelous!!! I (Wendy) was still a high school student in South Africa back then and believe me it feels like a long time ago. Sue was a young mom living in Johannesburg when she last saw Marion and her husband Steve. We were reminiscing about her young tots playing in the sandbox in the noddy. It is hard to believe they are adults now.

We had a lovely lunch in Manly and then were taken to see this beautiful view of the Sydney Harbor and its surrounds. Truly a gorgeous sight.

The afternoon was capped off with a lovely coffee looking over the inland waterways.

Wendy and Sue.

Material Obsessions - Magnolia

I spent the next two days with 18 more students from around the Sydney area and 2 students from New Zealand. It was wonderful to meet many BOM participants as well as many customers I have talked to over the Internet. I now can put many faces with names I have know for a long time.

They all did a wonderful job choosing colors and patterns for their backgrounds and blocks. Many worked on individual blocks while others started to select backgrounds in order to get started on color placement. Hand dyed wool was very new to many but I know we have many new converts. They were just amazed at the fun you can have mixing fabrics and textures. At the end of the two days each student shared what they had worked on. Kathy the owner of Material Obsessions helped Robyn Evans share her blocks.

Creative Stitching from Sydney

Sue

Material Obsessions - Altered Texture Class

I just love teaching the Altered Texture class. All 20 ladies in the class started with the same appliqued base that they had done ahead of time and then each one embellished using cottons, wools, velvets, ribbons and yarns. It is just amazing to see each one came alive and also that they were totally different. They also become very dimensional with each layer they added.

What a wonderful group of enthusiastic ladies!

I was very fortunate as Kerran Ogg shared her quilt which she did in one of Sarah's class. It was inspired by my Uniontown Square Quilt Design.

Arriving in Sydney, Australia

After a very uneventful but long flight we arrived in Sydney to be welcomed by Damien, Sarah Fielkes husband. We met up with Sarah an hour later at her home. It was great to see her again and met both her children. After a Japanese lunch Wendy and I were able to spend a quiet day in our hotel in Crows Nest.

The next morning Sarah took us down town Sydney to the Art Museum and then for a walk through the botanical Gardens to see the harbor and the Sydney Opera House. It was wonderful to share interests that we are all so passionate about.

Sue and Wendy

Calgary

I spent the last weekend in Calgary at one of my favorite stores 'Out of Hand'. Deirdre who owns the store has a fabulous selection of textural fabrics and embellishments. I have never taught anywhere were we have had such a selection right at our finger tips.

The first day we worked on the Altered Texture class and it was amazing to see all the students pieces come to life and how they incorporated many different techniques.

Some worked on silk and others with wool and cottons. All made one of a kind pieces which were very inspiring. I always love to see all the embellishments everyone has in their stash.

The second class was working from my new book Magnolia. This was a very creative class with some students incorporating images from recent trips as well as a love for other cultures. I feel very honored that they would use my patterns for inspiration.

Calgary was very wintry while I was there. The morning I left we had a foot of snow over night. A little change from the Ohio weather the week before I left.

Thanks Deirdre for a fabulous trip and great hospitality. On Sunday evening I left straight from Calgary via San Fransisco to Sydney, Australia. I met my sister Wendy in San Fransisco.

Sue