Quilting Owl

Here are just a few of the quilts which were among 421 in the NSWGuild Members' Exhibition and I would like to thank these wonderful quilters for giving me permission to show their quilts on my blog. "Avignon" by  Michelle Marvig "Hatchet" by  Chris Jurd "Flower Songs II" by  Eileen Campbell "Ethel's Diary" by Eileen Campbell "Japanese Traditions" by Lynn Hewitt "Learning Curve No 1" by Sue Murtagh "Jewels in the Window" by Meg Orr "Harlequin Logs" by Meg Orr "Dolly's Garden" by Jenny Rofe It was a truly amazing exhibition and all the winners can be view  here Till next time Frances

After a wonderful but very busy trip south we are finally home in the beautiful Far North though somewhat exhausted from trying to fit in too much in a very short time, not to mention a few hiccups with delayed flight schedules.  The first thing on the agenda was the Quilt and Craft Show at Darling Harbour where once again the NSW Guild put on a first rate show.  I was lucky enough to meet up with quite a few friends who have given me permission to show their quilts which I will do in the next post when I sort through my photos. Looking down on the Guild Quilt Display At the Craft Show it has become a tradition for us to meet up with my sisters and family and we enjoyed a wonderful day visiting lots of stalls, lunching, laughing and chatting. Marie, Frances, Patricia, Maree (niece) and Margaret We also managed to catch up with Peter's son, daughters and grandchildren- Fliss, Jude, Peter and Leif Daniel, Peter, Kaen and Patrick Then it was off to Bri...

While we were in Sydney recently we found ourselves unexpectedly with a few hours free time so we hopped on a ferry and took a 30 minute trip across the Harbour to Manly.  The weather was quite hazy but Peter did manage to photograph some of Sydney's icons - The Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Fort Dennison (known from the penal colony days as "Pinchgut"). The Sydney Opera House  Ferry pulling into Manly wharf  The Sydney Harbour Bridge  Fort Dennison Coming back into Circular Quay Till next time Frances

On our recent visit to Canberra, our Nation's capital, we managed to do a little sightseeing and reacquainted ourselves with The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery and The Museum of Australian Democracy in the Old Parliament House.  Outside the National Gallery we were absolutely captivated by the shapes, colour and reflections in an art installation called  "Skyspace" by James Turrell.   The "Skyspace" is accessed by a walkway into what looks like a mound covered by greenery.  We spent a few days staying with friends and really enjoyed their beautiful gardens which were full of Azaleas, Rhododendrons and beautiful Wisteria - this was all very different to our tropical gardens at home. Till next time Frances

On a recent trip South Peter and I spent quite a bit of time visiting the Sydney Powerhouse Museum  where we found much to interest us.  A current exhibition was "The 80s are back" which explores Australian life and popular culture in the 1980s.   On display was one of the hundreds of quilts made in that era as part of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project which began in 1988 to provide a focus for the expression of community grief as the Aids epidemic grew.  The quilt was lying flat in a raised display case which made it difficult to photograph. In the Museum there was a Lace Study Centre and Peter and I spent quite a bit of time chatting to Rae and Bev who are volunteers from the NSW Tatting Guild.  It was wonderful to spend this time chatting with such committed and passionate lace makers.  The drawers in the Centre were full of wonderful treasures and it is well worth a visit if you have the oppo...

At this time of year tropical Cairns is a popular destination as people escape the cold winter weather of the southern States and during the last couple of weeks we have entertained quite a few visitors.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with Meg Orr a quilting teacher from Sydney and we took a trip along the coast road up to Port Douglas - a very scenic trip although it was not a brilliant day for photography. I was attracted by some of the interesting gnarled tree trunks we saw along the way - and the texture of this big stitch quilting on the back of a lounge throw caught my eye - I also have a new baby - an updated laptop with lots of upgraded software - so now we just have to finish transferring all my files and I have to learn how to drive the new programs.  I have already discovered that a 5 minute job can now take about 5 hours but I am sure it will all be worth it in the end. Till next time Frances

We have just spent a couple of days up on the Atherton Tablelands enjoying wonderful sights, good food and of course quilts.  One of the marvellous attractions is the Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra  which is surrounded by rain forest - We spent some time driving around Lake Tinaroo and in between showers (oh well this is the wet tropics) I managed the odd photo - Enjoyed a walk around the township of Yungaburra with its historic Federation style pub - and saw another inpressive tree - the Cathedral Fig - The main reason for our trip this weekend was to judge the Quilt Section in the Atherton Show.  This is the second year I have been invited to perform this task and again it was a privilege to do so.  There were some lovely quilts and it was difficult narrowing it down to one winner in some of the sections.  I was supported by a lovely group of women acting as Stewards for the Show Society and here some of them are setting up some of the exhibits: There wa...

I was pleased to have the opportunity for a brief visit to the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney's premier shopping centre and a must visit attraction. For many years this amazing building was used as office space and at one stage there was talk of demolition to make way for a city car park.  Luckily the building was restored to and is now an architectural and commercial success.  You can read more about it here Standing under the centre dome Beautiful leadlight windows above the centre doors An inspiring floor tile Till next time Frances

We took advantage of the magnificent weather in Sydney to get out and about in any free time we had.  The temperature was a little cooler than we are used to in the tropics but we had sunshine and blue skies for 9 out of the 10 days we were there. We enjoyed our walk through Hyde Park and I took a moment to enjoy the sun sitting at the base of the Captain Cook statue - We stayed  at Darling Harbour and walked around there as much as possible - and we also fitted in a brief visit to the Sydney Museum where Peter couldn't resist taking a photo of me with these stuffed owls - I always find time to do some stitching and the odd train trip presented a good opportunity - Till next time Frances