Well I hope you had a wonderful 2019.  It was a pretty full on wonderful year for us.   We shifted to Queenstown, became grandparents, gained a new brother in law, and I have enjoyed having a proper studio.  About that brother in law... Imagine my surprise when earlier this year I received a phone call from my sister asking me to wish her luck as she was getting married the next day.  Eloping at 68.  All very lovely and everyone is happy.  She and her new hubby decided to visit us in NZ so to celebrate her new marriage I created this quilt.  Not an original design- it was one of the three actual 'bed' quilts finished in 2019.  The happy couple were delighted to have such a bulky addition to their international luggage. Bless their hearts.  Because the quilt needed to be finished hastily, I posted it to my friend in Darfield who does edge to edge work on her Gammill machines.  If you live in NZ and want quality edge-to-edge quilting done, let me recommend Quilts and Quilting. This arrived back in the post less than a week after I sent it to Bronwyn! ​Her turn around time is usually less than three weeks.  (Bronwyn is also a friend of the bride, so this might have gotten a bit of priority).

The Queenstown art centre (where I have my studio) holds an art award yearly. Artists who are members may enter paintings, sculptures, whatever art they fancy.  The award exhibition featured ninety works including some paintings etc. that were truly impressive.  This year I entered the first quilt I've ever mounted on canvas.  The quilt was made of leather and heavily embellished with metallic bits. Much to my surprise and delight, the judge chose this as the overall winner. The prize was substantial enough to fund my studio rent for a year, which was fantastic.  Another bonus was the honored of a mention in our local newspaper and the Style magazine!!!  It's always a buzz to see your work in 'print', good for the art and good for the artist.