Sunday, May 31, 2009

I wonder.....


I think the picture says a lot.....someone didn't pay attention to the label! I wonder what happened once the handle fell off? Was the owner leaving or arriving home? Did they buy a new suitcase? Lots of questions posed with this little snapshot of someones day!
Thanks to my daughter who sent the picture when taking her sister to the airport!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Hollyhock Applique

I love to get pictures from students who finish their projects. Somehow I feel better to know they had enough fun to see it through to the end!
On our Hawaii quilting cruise we had classes that didn't involve sewing machine so it was fun to introduce projects that might be new to the cruisers. I taught two classes: wool applique and beading.
Ilene Pedlar from Edmonton finished her wool applique in record time and sent a picture. I think its lovely....thanks Ilene!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Patchwork Preserves


My latest magazine article is in McCalls "America Loves Scrap Quilts". http://www.quiltersvillage.com/store/products/MQ20509
The quilt is made from a vintage top that I've had for a few years and always meant to do something with! I can't remember where I got the top (I didn't piece it) but I added a border, sandwiched and hand quilted it. The fabric collection is a wonderful group of 40's to 70's fabrics plus a few solids thrown in. The shape is an extended or elongated hexagon and they are all hand pieced.

I'm looking forward to getting the quilt back from the publisher and puttin it on the bed!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Still More Flowers!




Friday, May 22, 2009

More Flowers!





Thursday, May 21, 2009

Flowers and More Flowers

In my opinion the best place to visit in Hawaii was the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden, just outside Hilo http://www.htbg.com/ It was a lush and colourful place, with many unusual plants and flowers from around the Pacific Rim. I'm posting pictures for a couple of days, I hope you enjoy them!



Wednesday, May 20, 2009

More Hawaii


We stopped in Kona on the Big Island and began our day with a quick trip to Quilt Passions http://www.quiltpassions.com/ where I bought a great applique kit featuring a Hawaiian Pineapple. I've hoping to start the project soon.
Daphne and her husband joined us for a speedy drive around the island and we made a stop in Volcano National Park. It was fun to see steam rising from openings in the ground and look at the large crater.


The air was a little thick with sulphuric gases so we couldn't drive all the way around but did manage to see some of the park.
We also got a picture of a sea turtle on the tender trip back to our ship!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Views from the Volcano

At our second port of call we stopped in Kahului on the island of Maui. We had arranged for a bus tour even though I'm not great for large group excursions. We thought it was the best way to see some spots of interest and understand what we were seeing.
We began by driving through sugar cane fields, which are rapidly disappearing due to the high cost of production. We saw some areas being burnt off before harvesting with large clouds of smoke rising from them.

We headed up the side of Haleakala Crater to over 9,000 feet. The crater is not active, but not extinct....It was very interesting to see the different climate zones, from very warm and tropical to a very cool sub-arctic. We saw the famous aptly named silversword, a surreal plant deserving of some design considerations.....hmmm!




Our next stop was in the beautiful Iao Valley which was lush and steamy by comparison with the crater top. The Needle is a famous landmark and the sight of a famous historic battle where in 1790, at the Battle of Kepaniwai, King Kamehameha clashed with Maui's army in his quest to unite the islands. Kamehameha defeated Maui's forces in a ferocious battle that ultimately changed the course of Hawaiian history.

We are also beginning to see some rich vegetation and flowers we only see in the florist shops at home.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Just Cruising





Once we left Honolulu our first stop was in Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai. We walked to a lovely beach and spent a couple of hours kayaking around the bay. I spotted a lump in the water and thinking it was something dead and floating I paddled away rather quickly and just glanced back to see a head surface! I was a sea turtle....he dove quickly and I didn't spot him again.
Each night when we return to our cabin there's another creature to greet us!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

More from Hawaii



While we were in Honolulu we spent some time at the Honolulu Guild show http://www.hawaiiquiltguild.org/index.htm held right in the heart of the city. It was a lovely show with amazing talent displayed by all the participants. I was thrilled to see so many quilts with either Hawaiian or Asian influence.




There was lots of Sashiko embroidery, some fabric origami, and a wide range of contemporary pieces.
On our way to the show we happened across some wonderful tile work on an old historic building, including the ceilings. (I wish I could remember the name of the building)





After the show we went to Fabric Discount Warehouse and loaded up on some wonderful Hawaiian fabric-the first of many stops to fabric stores.....

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Hawaii Quilt Cruise

I'm back from Hawaii and almost unpacked! Just got to find those gifts I bought, they're around somewhere. But I did find the fabric!
I had hoped to post pictures on a regular basis but it was very expensive to use the interent on the ship and often it just didn't work, especially in the middle of the Pacific coming back to Vancouver. So I have a few pictures of the trip that I'll post over the next few days. Places of interest or sights that moved me.
We spent some time at the Byodo-in Buddhist Emple, just outside Honolulu.

This beautiful Buddhist temple is a replica of the 900-year-old Byodo-In located in Uji, Japan. It is located in one of the most peaceful locations in O'ahu - the Valley of the Temples. The valley is situated against a back-drop of tall cliffs and is landscaped with traditional lush Japanese gardens and koi ponds.


The koi were numerous and huge....each about 10 pounds..... the picture isn't that good but I did like the interesting patterns made by the raindrops and the koi coming up to feed. I think it might make an interesting design.

The sweeping curves of the roofs and the contrast of colours is exciting as well, lots of things to look at, including the bark of an old tree, can't you just see it in fabric or paper collage!