Home and back to reality....

Symposium 2015 has finished and I have returned home, said goodbye to my friend Leeann until we see each other next and into catch up mode in the garden especially the kitchen garden. The tomatoes and zucchini have gone berserk and we are enjoying dishes containing ingredients grown by ourselves including garlic, onions, celery, cucumber, herbs, sweet corn and potatoes along with the tomatoes, zucchini and the odd capsicum - they aren't in full production mode yet.

Now that the garden is producing nicely I need to be getting more productive with the quilting too. I thoroughly enjoyed my class at Symposium with Sheila Christensen and I think I have finally got the rocking motion. There were several hand quilters in the class and they seriously out produced us new comers to hand quilting but I think eventually we might give them a run for their money.

I am happy with what I did and the progress that I made and my stitches did become more even and smaller in size, although I am not wanting my stitches too small or to me that defeats the purpose of big stitch quilting - I want it to be an accent or feature where I use it. That is the plan at this stage anyway.

http://livingcolourtextiles.com/2015/01/living-colour-at-quilt-symposium-manawatu/. 

This is my sample from the class, although I have continued with the curved lines and have managed to get my stitches a little smaller but I think I will stop there.

Loved this technique, you do your stitching and then colour in with inks. Just like colouring in when we were kids.

And the clock is ticking ...

Over the last couple of days I have completed planning and cutting the background fabrics for a quilt that I just want to move along and couldn't until I had completed this step. Now the fabrics for each block are in snap lock bags and they are all packed into a zip bag ready to come with me in case the sudden urge to do some hand appliqué hits me while I am away.

And where am I going?  I am heading south to Palmerston North for Quilt Symposium 2015 of course and I can't wait. I wasn't totally sure whether or not I would go this year, but the pull was just too great. I am booked in for lectures and a class with Sheila Christensen on Big Stitch Quilting. I haven't done much hand quilting and haven't 'got it' but I like the effect that big stitch quilting has particularly on modern quilts so thought that this would be the class for me this year. 

In the past I have taken many classes through the Symposium week and had little opportunity to see the exhibitions and the Merchants Mall. While at that stage I appreciate it was the classes and knowledge from the tutors that I needed, I find that I am getting more and more from observing the exhibitions and often go back again and again to have another look at how a particular quilt was done. Now I find that I love seeing what everyone else is doing and what is inspiring others in their work and maybe my skill level has improved and I don't need as many classes. I am looking forward to Leeann and I taking our time, walking through the exhibitions, discussing particular quilts, particular styles and skills - all of it in our own good time. I think I have developed more appreciation - of things in my life and very special friends to share them with. 

My friend Leeann and I really like attending the lectures and find it a really good way of hearing from a wide selection of tutors, particularly those that we haven't heard of before or know little about. Sometimes it helps us decide what tutors we would like to take in the future given the opportunity. We find it widens our knowledge base of techniques, quilters and their work and style and I find that I always take something away from the experience. For the price of the lectures, it is good value for money.

So yes the opportunity to spend time with like minded people that enjoy doing the same things as me, being in the same place for a week, seeing and hearing such inspirational things and add in that it is an awesome opportunity to catch up with friends from all over the country - how could I not attend Quilt Symposium 2015.

See you there - maybe.

Until next time, happy stitching.