Don't catch us out!

That is the name of my entry in the sand, sea and obscenity exhibition which opened yesterday at the arts centre, Port Noarlunga.  I went today to have a look, and of course to see how my entry fitted in. I posted 2 of the postcards recently, but this is the full piece - 

which (I think) looks quite good. I got some encouraging comments while I was there.
The exhibition is well worth a look. Works are in a variety of media - art, glass, sculpture, jewellery etc and my textile piece - all interesting and/or beautiful and/or thought provoking. The theme  is "interpreting the beauty of / exploring the environmental threats to / the gulfs and ocean / south australia".

These are the other postcards - they're all of marine species found around our coast which are subject to bag limits. They're connected by fishing line fittings, and hanging from a telescopic rod.
Gummy shark

Flathead

Sand crab

 Flounder

Blue Crab

 Western Blue groper

 Giant Crab 

 The ones I posted previously were the Swallow Tail and Rock Lobster
 
The exhibition is open until 7 December.

looking at lace and quilts

This week has been about looking, not making or creating.

I visited  the SA Embroiderers Guild  early in the week with friend Deirdre and my cousin Chris to see their current exhibition 'Lace in delicate detail'. It is delicate indeed, intricate and beautiful needle made laces from the 18th century to now. You can check it out at  http://www.embguildsa.org.au/ There was other beautiful embroidery work promoting classes for the members as well. More things to learn in my spare time!
After we had coffee at The Olive Tree Cafe in Thebarton where I loved the recycling touch for my iced coffee, here beside a latte -

Over the last few days it has been our Guild Festival of Quilts. As usual a wonderful display, with lots of variation, colour, inspiring pieces and brilliant workmanship. Congratulations to our Show Committee and to all the winners - especially Rachelle Denenny (Best of Show) and Julie Adamson (Runner up Best of Show). Have a look at the winners at http://www.saquilters.org.au/festival-of-quilts-2014.htm  though the photo of Rachelle's beautiful whole cloth quilt doesn't do it justice. Well done to everyone else who exhibited their work, making for a great exhibition.

... and while driving in the city I couldn't resist taking a photo or two of the beautiful jacarandah trees blooming in many streets. That is a sign of Novemeber - and exam time. Fortunately all that is a long time ago for me now, but there seemed to be some connection, as our exhibition was in the new building which replaced the old Centennial Hall where exams were conducted for many years, and I did sit some uni exams there. Exams were actually being held in another building on the site.

I liked how some of the residents in this street had tied big purple bows on the tree trunks.

From this natural beauty to our back yard. This week we had lots of frothy frog spawn patches in our fish pond.

I turned just one patch over for a close look and photo (then turned it back again).

The fish don't seem to do so well in the pond, but frogs certainly do!

tidying up the pages

I have spent some time over the last few days updating my pages. I found recently that all the pictures had disappeared. I guess it was when changes were made to make creating pages easier. Updating them was on my 'to do' list anyway, so it was has ensured that I did something about it.
The gallery page is temporary. I need to do more, but finding the scans for some of the pre-digital photos is not so simple because there have been a couple of computer upgrades along the way. Organising and tagging photographs is another item on the 'to do' list!

Had a great day for the garage sale though the profits were small. It was rather like a quilt show - a long time getting it together, but only minutes to dismatle it.
I can't do a page without a picture, so ... 2 more postcards.

 

I enjoy making them, and am thinking of selling them on line.

And lastly, I found this photo while looking for quilts. It was taken through the windscreen of a vehicle in front of us near Widdicombe in the UK, some years ago It made us smile then and still does ...

another post already...

I was busy yesterday, so thought I would show the results. I made a few postcards (some below) to add to the ones I have, and I will see if I sell any at our garage sale.
Calm:

 Pretty pink

Stripez

 Proud

Bright beauties 2

Coincidental to me changing the pattern pic the other day, since then, whilst doing my daily timeout in the garden, I repotted a hanging basket and disturbed this little fellow. He is only 6-7cm long so I have no idea how he could have been living there as it would have been a long jump to anywhere else. Here he is making his (or her) get away from the bromeliad I put him on,

carrying some debris from the pot. We've lots of huge tadpoles in the fishpond at the moment, but the frogs that live there are much bigger. It is a delight some evenings to hear several frogs in an answering chorus, coming from the pond, the garden and the storm water drain.

You won't have time when you are retired

That is what many folk said to me, and it is seeming to be true. It is already 5 (!) weeks since the last post.
I've dyed some fabric with friends Gina and Mary, and we plan to have some fun experimenting and adding layers to them - over-dyeing, printing, bleaching etc to make them more interesting. I dyed a few more at home, hoping for some sun prints, but of course that brought on some rain.

There've been lots of quilt exhibitions lately. Went to the Royal Adelaide Show and the Machine Quilters Festival in the city. It is great they have put in a station at the showground. As a child we mostly went to the Show by train, but the station was only opened for the event. In more recent years they didn't use it at all, but it sure beats the hassle (and cost) of parking.  Lots of lovely and amazing quilts at both of those. Congratulations to the winners and indeed all who exhibited. I didn't have work in either., but I put a few things in our Fleurieu Quilters exhibition last weekend at the Victor Harbor Winery - a lovely venue and display. The weather wasn't the best, with gale force winds on Monday preventing anything being displayed outside or on the verandah.

I have been stitching. I am finishing off a work to be exhibited at the next Save Our Gulf Coalition exhibition  at the arts centre, Port Noarlunga in November. These are part of it - my swallow tail and rock lobster.

Amazingly I won't be stitching it the night before! It is nearly the 'last minute', however, to be putting a sleeve on the quilt I am entering in our Guild exhibition, which is due to be delivered in a week. I finished quilting that one a few weeks ago.

I have started work on my scrapbook, collecting and organising documents and bits and pieces, and recording memories to go between the textile pages (which you can see on this blog). It is slow going gathering everything up and organising the pages, but it's a wonderful journey down memory lane. About 15 years covered - just 50 to go!

The garden has been calling too, and we now have some new herbs and vegetables in. My rose pruning must have been alright, because the front garden looks a delight at the moment. However, 

I usually get a good first flush of roses, but then not much to follow. We will see what happens this year. In the shade house, a begonia is a mass of flowers too -

I think that says something about the season.
So, with visitors from Queensland, monthly book club, a fabulous talk by Michele Hill  (williammorrisandmichele.blogspot.com/ )  about her recent tour for Fleurieu Quilters, and now sorting out for a gargage sale next week (joining in the Australia wide Garage Sale Trail - https://www.garagesaletrail.com.au/  ) that is where 5 weeks go!

mastering mirrors

In between quilting lately I have finished the embroidery piece we were given at the workshop in Bhuj in India. I can't say I have really mastered the mirrors - I managed to vary my technique as I went along so they aren't very even. I did get extra practice as I added another four to fill the background.

I found the larger ones easier to do than smaller ones and I am in awe of the maker of this little sample I bought which is only about 25 cm long and all mirrors.
Oops - uploaded a picyure of it but can't find it. When I do I will add it.

Our prunus tree has been a picture over the last couple of weeks, and I did get a couple of nice photos. I particularly like this one with the bee -

The blossoms are blowing away in the strong winds today but the white ones on the Manchurian pear are just coming out.

I spotted a new species of flower in our neighbouhood on the weekend. I've called them vandal flowers - they only open at night!

 Amusing to see but a little worrying as to the safety around the hazard the cones were removed from.

Spent 2 days last week at The Sanctuary, Judy Simcock's lovely quilt / craft retreat cottage at Bordertown. (See what's happening there at http://newsfromjude.blogspot.com). I wasn't stitching, but learning about quilt valuation. I snapped these as I went for a walk -

Sorting things in our little garden/feed shed the other day I disturbed a small blue tong lizard. That reminded me of this larger one I saw unexpectedly at Strathalbyn recently.

it's so cold ...

Well for Adelaide it is cold. 13 or 14 degrees here with an icy wind blowing, but possible snow was forecast for Mt lofty - not sure if it happened.
I am working on my Indian embroidery and also machine quilting a quilt - a nice thing to be doing in this weather. I'm about half way, but can't quite decide what to do in between the lattice I've done so far. There is no rush for it so I guess I will wait on some inspiration and continue embroidering.

I've just been reading about Michele Hill's UK William Morris tour - all warmth and sunshine, lovely stately homes, cottages and gardens full of flowers. http://williammorrisandmichele.blogspot.com/    It would be nice to be there... Instead I recently went to Sydney for a couple of days with Rachel. We took in some sights and shows, a great (waist enhancing) chocolate tour and did a lot of walking in lovely sunshine, though it was definitely overcoat weather.
These friendly (and slightly crazy) parrots entrtained us during lunch at the Art Gallery.

Took no photos of quilts at the Quilt Exhibition - just these tiles in one of the arcades.













The Centrpoint Tower certainly is hard to miss...

 

... and the harbour was beautiful as ever.

Back at home I snapped these kangaroos feeding. You would think it is out in the bush somewhere, but it is the green belt between where we live and Noarlunga Centre - a space which will be covered
with housing before too long.

There aren't too many flowers in the garden at the moment - a few violets and snowdrops and one spray of orchids. It is really quite beautiful but it has a very strong and awful scent - it has to be admired on the patio, not inside!

There is colour to be found in the foliage.