SAQA 2011 Benefit Auction

So I've made three small quilts now, one of which will be my submission to the SAQA 2011 Benefit Auction (http://www.saqa.com/) in September.

The first one is a series of small jewels of fabric I printed with my Oshiwa blocks in gold fabric paint on batiks, which I then embedded into a hand-painted background of black Kona cotton stitched with a double needle in an abstract grid pattern. The jewels are outlined in another batik, sewn in an adaptation of a bound buttonhole, familiar to people who actually sew clothing!

The second one is more simply composed of a double-needle-stitched background with three mini-quiltlets I printed with my Oshiwa blocks appliqued on top. Each of the mini-quiltlets has it's own batting and backing and is finished with muliple-thread satin stitching. On the left side I've attached some of my textured "strings" made of strips of fabrics, sheers, embroidery thread, and other stray bits from my sewing table, all stitched together by machine with an interesting thread. These "strings" here represent the grasslands that these African animals live in.

The third piece features a hexagonal print of a croc framed with a geometric block (both from Oshiwa of course) extensively quilted to make him at home in the nest of scraps of African fabrics I freemotion stitched all around him. I have quite a few African fabrics in my stash, and my scrap bag is still full-----I may have to make more pieces like this!

One of these will go to SAQA very soon...unless I have another idea and make yet another possible donation quilt. So many ideas, so little time! :)

Reporting in from Libreville, Gabon

After a short break (ok, it's been over a year!) I'm now writing from Libreville, Gabon, where my husband has taken up his posting as Ambassador in the U.S. Embassy here. We arrived in October, and have been happily exploring this extravagantly green country since then. I'm putting in just a couple of photos to give you an idea of our surroundings. One is of the Residence and the other is one of the beautiful sunsets we are priviledged to enjoy almost daily. It's been wonderful to be back in Africa---I love the intense activity of life in the markets, and the vibrancy of the colors here, not to mention the sight of women (and some men) wearing clothes made from the fabulous African prints I just adore! I'm happy to report that I've managed (just) to avoid stopping the car every five seconds to ask if I can take pictures of yet another great outfit on a passerby.....

I'm busy working again, and as proof, I offer a photo of my design wall with some pieces that I'm working on now.

On the left is a black and white collection of fabric I've printed with my Oshiwa blocks, mixed with some commercial black and white prints. I haven't decided yet exactly how I'm going to put this together, but it will have vertical columns with some texture.....

On the right is a hexagon quilt top with a bright mix of fabrics I've printed or over-printed with Oshiwa blocks, assembled with pieces cut from some of my African prints. I'm contemplating borders and some fun quilting.....

In the center are the first two of a series of foot-square pieces I'm making with the idea that one of them will go to the SAQA auction. I printed up way too many pieces of great batiks with gold fabric paint, but working in a series is supposed to be good for artistic growth, so I'm having at it. :)

In the lower part of the center is a pillow-top in the making. I used one of my hexagons with a croc printed on it as a centerpiece, and then I stitched bunches of the scraplets from the hexagon quilt onto interfacing foundations to make the surrounding hexagons. It's pretty shaggy, which makes me happy, and isn't that what creating things is supposed to do?