Meet the cast

So November has gone and the primary remembrance will truly be of the devastating, coast-changing, earthquake that rocked both islands here in New Zealand.  

This shake happened on the 14th. For our Island nation, the disruption of commerce and heartbreaking loss of even a few lives was terrible.

The main artery of the South Island- State Highway 1 - had land slips over it for miles, massive cracks, blocked tunnels and the rail service was demolished. A sad day for NZ.  

One thing that is facinating though is the resiliant can-do attitude of those who have jumped back in and started to clear and re-build!  Wow, people have rallied, determined to fix things and get things going again. Communities getting together to lend a helping hand is an encouraging thing.

My own private quake in November happened only 3 days before. Skating on slippery socks inside a closet full of fabric would probably have made for a hilarious video, but the rough landing has given me a rare oportunity:

That opportunity?  A chance to have a re-contructed wrist with protruding metal (currently tucked away inside a cast.)  I tell people I'm going to become the bionic quilter!  

The doctors were a bit surprised by the gaily decorated plaster, but as I explained...I'm a QUILTER, can you expect me to wear a plain white cast?Admittedly the fabric was only glued on, but cutting one handed, (with some assistance by toes) was tricky! 

It finally occured to me a month later, that this one-handed time could be used to blog and catch up on posting all those class photos I'm behind on.  Let's see where the next weeks take us!  

'Whew!  Sew Marlborough', our 2016 Quilt Mini-Symposium is past.  What an amazing time it was!  The Blenheim quilt club and committee did a splendid job organising and running this four day event. Long hours put in by many volunteers  were required to bring this off.  For this we are grateful, thank you ladies!  

Over 230 quilters converged for classes, exhibitions, shopping at the merchant's mall, catching up with old friends and making new ones.  

During our evening social, corny puns and canned music gave us a chuckle.  Hostesses Clare and Venice wore their 'grape' costumes with distinction. Classes had time for a quick show-and-tell, liberal raffles were distributed. 

For special entertainment we were treated to the 'Iron-woman' (aka 'Iron-person')  event pitting  green and purple teams in heart-stopping competitions like...ripping out seams and ironing triangles.  The contestants showed off their skill, occasionally helped (or hampered) by Venice. *photo below*

For me - this visit to Blenheim was especially lovely.  The Blenheim quilt club supported my fledgling quilting/tutoring efforts for many years and also taught what long-term friendships could grow alongside fabric constructions.  

Another bonus was seeing quilt companions from all over the country. A more encouraging and enabling group of quilters would be hard to find.

The quilt classes were held at the Marlborough Girl's college campus, where we were very happy to have well appointed rooms and fortunately - great weather!

My classes were STARS in more ways than one.  The students ranged from novices to those who teach, with everyone achieving the top of their abilities.  WOW.  

It is always a treasure to any teacher to watch her(his) students take an idea and personalise it successfully.  The quilters who attended my classes showed a high level of ingenuity in their designs.  Their (beautiful) hard work was gratifying to this teacher!

Now the clock that runs between symposiums starts once more. In Christchurch, 5-10 October 2017 we're due to do it all again in an even bigger way at our National Quilt Symposium called 'Creative Constructions'.  

​International and NZ tutors will be bringing a great range of classes for every skill level.   A link will be on my home page if you want to peruse the website for information on this show.  

While teaching, one question I'm often asked is, "How many hours a day do you spend quilting?"

The answer is  complicated.   For some reason the question always seems to mean that the 'act' of actually 'cutting and sewing' is all there is.

When a design has been rolling around in someone's head for weeks, does that time count?  Is this not part of the quilting process?

When attempting to answer this question how can one disengage the process from the product? Where does production start and the processing stop?

Those invisible firing of little designing brain waves build into the very visible quilting Tsunami that overtakes the world and leaves my family with un-ironed clothes and substandard food.  

Consummating a design can be breath-taking.  Food, sleep, time all become irrelevant.  The perfect storm never happens from a tiny breeze, or an insipid cloud.  It requires accumulated power and energy.  It can be beautiful and devastating at the same time.

Occasionally the storm leaves nothing behind but lessons learned.  Sometimes a treasure is cast up and celebrated. No matter the outcome there is a 'rush' of being in the zone, and putting all that thought into something tangible.  

Do daydreams, testing of products and techniques, researching, staring intently at some natural beauty count towards my final quilting time tally?  

I may not be able to tell anyone how many hours I spend on my craft, but I can forecast: "cloudy with a chance of quilting".   







 

So where did the word DEADLINE come from?  By common use the world deadline is considered the time limit of a given objective.  

According to a myriad of sources the original word was derived from something grim.  American civil war prisoners were held in stockades which had a perimeter delineated.  It was understood by those incarcerated that any prisoners who passed this line (twenty feet or so) from the main structure were to be shot.

​Dead. Apparently.  It was a 'dead' line.  Yikes.  

Cheerful thought. Deadlines by their very nature make us nervous.  Perhaps we subconsciously knew....

Obviously - when trying to complete a quilt for a 'deadline' there is no fear of some stray piece of lead finding its way to our vital organs should we pass the invisible line.   

Looking at a deadline from the perspective of a entrant, they offer a goal to achieve, and in a fashion force focus of attention before the looming date. With discretion one will do everything possible to complete the entry well before that magic day.  (*insert ironic laughter here) 

Life doesn't always go to plan. When one allows insufficient time for a project to be completed, or JUST enough time, it only takes a twitch in the stream of life for the deadline to be missed.  I've missed two due to such twitches and my own lack of foresight. 

For the situation of those collecting entries it is an approaching day of both entries and excuses. Most entry dates are clearly stated in the entry rules.  Some go so far as to state ABSOLUTELY NO LATE ENTRIES. 

Ever wonder why that is written?  

For those collecting the entries, the lack of entries a few days before the date can raise worrying questions. Are there going to be enough entries? Is the exhibition going to be lame?  

The arrival of many entries at the last minute may cause relief or inconvenience (for instance if couriers are arriving all day at a private home) and inevitably some arrive late.  If a grace period has been built into this date, all is well. An assumed 'grace period' is not a point to be tried.

Why make an inflexible deadline?  Judges may be only available for a particular date, or the quilts may need to be carried to a venue for judging, so any parcel arriving the day after might not be seen - no matter how exquisite.  Exhibitions require planning and planning requires time.  

What is inspiring this blog?  In one week an entry deadline is due that I haven't finished yet.  It's taken the pressure of a 'dead line' to overcome my anxiety of failing at this entry.  

Some projects are like that.  

Bang.


  

Entering ANYTHING is intimidating the first time.  The Hoffman Challenge is one of New Zealand's most prestigious and 'challenging' quilt exhibition opportunities. If you know nothing about this challenge, here is the gist of how it works:

Hoffman NZ chooses a particular fabric to be used.  As with all Hoffman fabrics, the quality is excellent, the colours vibrant and the chosen offering modern in regard to current fabric fashion. 

The 2015/16 fabric was as pictured on the right.  Most of the fabrics I've seen in the Hoffman challenges are not fabrics I would normally have purchase, either from the colour range or flamboyancy of design. They are however perfect for making a unique one-of designs, stretching  my creativity to work with unfamiliar type fabrics.  

A single vendor carries the challenge fabric, and sells it in pre-cut one metre increments. These come in a package along with instructions for the challenge.  The current Hoffman challenge vendor is Quilter's Lane in Masterton.  Only one entry may be made per metre purchased.

The traditional Hoffman rules are that the quilt must be no more than one metre in any direction (including embellishments) and that the shape must relate to the subject of the quilt.  No squares or rectangles allowed.  A recognisable amount of the challenge fabric must be used, but any other addition of fabric or embellishment is valid.  Labelling and hanging requirements are included. The due date is not negotiable. 

The resultant entries every year are amazingly varied with fabulous skill exhibited. Competition is stiff with only a certain number of quilts making the cut to tour and many inevitably rejected.  The coveted winning spots are announced at the yearly Symposium or mini-symposium where the next year's fabric is also publicly displayed.

This is not an inexpensive challenge to enter.  The fabric price is only the beginning. Once the quilt is completed there is an additional entry fee as well as paying for postage (both directions) for the quilt. All this expenditure goes out with no guarantee that the resulting quilt will be displayed.

In my past personal attempts at Hoffman entries, more of my entries have been rejected than accepted. Twice the purchased fabrics never left their tidy plastic bag, a lost opportunity in my battle to come up with a compelling design. Entries represent a real investment so one friendly word of advice-

Any time a quilter enters a competition either locally or nationally, the quilt created needs to have value to the creator outside of the competition.  When competitions are over - that quilt comes back to the creator (unless sold as part of the competition) and should have a 'place' to occupy.  

Resist the urge to create only for the hope of winning a competition. A rejection will leave you annoyed at the expenditure and have you doubting your creative muse.

If you aren't connection with your quilt on a personal level, it will show in the final product. Judges are unlikely to swoon over something you feel blasé about.

Yes, I've completed an entry from the above pictured fabric, and I'm breathlessly waiting to see if it returns instead of tours.  Here's hoping! 

A family member has already claimed ownership of this year's entry if it doesn't sell on tour, so I'm content with the expense and effort.  

You might ask why quilters keep entering such challenges when they risk rejection? Perhaps because designing and competing are addictive and the opportunity of making a unique quilt for public display entices.  What do you think?

Wedding bells have nudged me to return to my craft.  

​After taking a break during my brother's illness, it has taken more time than I'd expected to get my mojo back.  

This eldest son and his darling bride chose a two- toned king sized quilt in cream and navy.  Hours making the 90 blocks soothed and gently reset the interrupted quilting flow.  

Now to make up for lost time! Wahoo.  
                                                                                             A rehearsal shot...

No, there were no glowing orbs in the sky.  UFO in the quilt world stands for Un Finished Object.  

Sometimes pulling out one those 'unfinished' quilts can be as mystifying as an extra-terrestrial visit.  

When  a disappointing quilt project is put away for a while, it can go from a hair-pulling experience to something a bit more positive.  

In a recent clean and restructure moment, my quilt room was turned upside down and a new/old quilt re-discovered. Tucked away in an odd place, waiting its turn for attention, this little jewel was out of sight - out of mind.  

It was one of THOSE moments.  Oh dear.   What had held it up?  What had taken precedent?  The design itself was amazing...what was the story?  Why was it put 'away'?

After carefully laying each piece out, the memory came back.  The project was too far along to toss.  A piece was missing (sometimes happens with portable mini-quilts) and some tiny squares just HAD to be unpicked and re-sewn by hand.

At the time this little project was (self) hidden, there were feelings of disappointment, frustration and annoyance.  Like a fine cheese, it just needed more time.

Now, I've had a chance to fall back in love with the original pattern and discover that hey!- the solutions were not so impossible as they looked during my irritated moments almost two years ago.  YAY!  

Four squares down - twenty one to go...

And ONLY two until I get to the shop for more stiff batting...

My daughter has laid claim on the blue one, so the rest will wait. 

On to the machine...and look what fell out?  The watermelon wonder. 

This tote bag is one of my favourite beginner's classes.  Students learn all sorts of useful cutting and sewing techniques then have a finished product when the class is over.  

Just for fun, I've added an interior pocket. 
Okee dokee..now onto the purple and blue bag. 

While orderings a new fusible fabric from Stitchbird in Wellington, I ran across a product that I had never seen before.  

All those commercially made bags that have magnetic clasps seemed so...so...out of reach.  Well Stitchbird's shop had those same magnetic clasps in their online boutique!  

Now that I've used them (on my new totes) and see how simple they are to install, they are sure to become a regular item in my class!  Cute and OH so strong.  Must remember to keep them away from my computer...