Alexia Sinclair

I have been a big fan of photographer Alexia Sinclair for a few years now; ever since I saw television program about her.

Alexia Sinclair is an Australian photographer who has such a romantic, artistic and fantasy style of photography. I often  gaze at her wonderful series of photos with complete awe. Please click on the link I have put on her name, Alexia Sinclair to see her website and her wonderful photographs.

Earlier this year I received a newsletter from her to say that she had decided to release a limited edition print of one of her photos to raise money for a new camera. I didn't hesitate long and quickly put my name down for one. It was like a dream come true for me.

I have recently had it framed and I will confess that the framing wasn't cheap because I ordered museum glass so there is no reflection. I have it hanging in my family room, so I see it every day.

Cabinets of Curiosity by Alexia Sinclair

Believe me when I say that my photo does not do it justice.

You can see a short video about the making of the photo by clicking on the link below.

The making of Cabinets of Curiosity

If I could ever make a quilt like that I would be very happy.

Bye for now,
Linda

Wool Felting and Sheep Shows

Did you know that knitting has become popular again? I have a couple of quilting friends that have started to knit again and they were on the hunt for a particular wool. They decided to go on a day trip to the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show.
Bendigo is about two hours drive from Melbourne so we got there in time for an early lunch and then made our way to the showgrounds for the big show.

I had no idea what to expect and I am sure that there were plenty of live sheep and that sort of thing but it was a huge show and we went to the Art and Competition displays and the vendors. I have never seen so many beautiful hand dyed wool, threads, wool tops, wool dyes and books on the subject. Usually at quilt shows there are one or two stands. This was an incredible amount and I was really taken by surprise.

The competition work was amazing but I was absolutely blown away by the work of Jenny Romano. After looking at her website I realise that she is very talented indeed. I think that I might like to do a class with her.

Work by Jenny Romano

Possum by Jenny Romano

The work was behind glass so the photos are not the best.

Wombat by Jenny Romano

Face by Jenny Romano

I never expected to go to a Sheep and Wool show in my life and so it just goes to show that inspiration can be found in the strangest places.

Bye for now,
Linda

Top 10 reasons to belong to a Group

Last week I had to give a talk at the Waverley Patchworkers meeting about the Waverley Art Quilters group that I belong to. I started to think of all the groups that I belong to and I belong to many more than I first thought.

Why do we choose to belong to certain groups when we are all time starved anyway?
At a quick count I realise that I belong to 9 different Guilds and organisations, 5 on-line groups and 1 friendship sewing group. Of course the most important group of all is the family group and our personal friend groups. Often we can see our quilting friends more often than some family and friends and those quilting friends become our personal friends as well.

Afternoon Tea © 2011 Linda Steele

Here is my list of the top 10 reasons to belong to a Group.

1. Inspiration.
Who cannot help but be inspired by other peoples quilts.

2. Information
In our busy world it is impossible to keep up with everything going on.

3. Camaraderie
Sewing and quilting can be a solitary activity. Of course we all need time alone to prepare, design and achieve but it's good to show others what we are doing as well.

4. Critique
Honest feedback is hard to find in the quilting world. Family and friends are too close and often don't have the expertise. This is where a  group with the skill to articulate and use the principles of Art and Design as their base is invaluable.

5. Insight
Everyone's work is different and it is very interesting to see how other people  approach a theme or idea.

6. Competition
Nothing spurs you on like a little bit of friendly competition.

7. Support
Designing your own quilts and entering competitions can be tough and  rejection is common. This is where groups can offer understanding, commiseration and encouragement.

8. Purpose
 Self - esteem is often built on achievement and finishing a quilt or helping organise an activity is very rewarding.

9. Confidence
Advising, listening, supporting and sharing with others have the advantage of boosting our own confidence.

10. Friendship
I have met so many wonderful people including online friends through my quilting groups.

I have tried to be succinct in my descriptions of each reason so this is a blog post and not an essay. I realise the benefits of belonging to a group and while groups often help the community they are also helping us.

Can you add any more reasons to my list?

Bye for now,
Linda

Sydney Quilt Show 2012

Last week I travelled up to Sydney to visit the Quilters Guild of NSW Quilt Show. People from all over Australia made the same trip because the Guild was celebrating its 30th birthday.
The Sydney show is very big with plenty of quilts on display and plenty of shops to tempt you to spend your money.

In honour of their 30th birthday the guild invited 30 well known, award winning quilters to participate in two "one-off" Master Quilter Categories. One category was for the Traditional quilts and the other category was for the Contemporary or Art Quilts. I was honoured to be asked to participate.

I entered my quilt Holiday Waltz and was so thrilled to receive 2nd prize.

Holiday Waltz ©2012 Linda Steele

Rachelle Denneny won 1st prize with her beautiful wholecloth quilt named Golden Ivory. I am friends with Rachelle and I watched her quilt this quilt, step by step as she posted the photos on her Facebook page. It was wonderful to see the finished quilt.

Here is a detail shot to get an idea of the beautiful quilting.

Golden Ivory detail © 2012 Rachelle Denneny

Jenny Bowker made a stunning quilt as a tribute to quilt maker Margaret Rolfe. I was lucky enough to be there when Margaret Rolfe saw the finished quilt for the first time. Here is a photo of Margaret in front of the quilt.

The Quiltmaker © 2012 Jenny Bowker

Best of Show went to Ming Hsu for her quilt named Long Fong(Chinese Dragon and Phoenix).
On one of my white glove duties I was in charge of minding the Best of Show quilt and I got to study this wonderful quilt in detail.

Long Fong detail © 2012 Ming Hsu

Here are a couple of other quilts that were in the Masters section.

The Unicorn's Garden © Eileen Campbell

The Forever Journey:eat, pray, stay © 2012 Julie Haddrick

Here is the link to see all the winners at the Sydney Quilt Show 2012. There are links at the top of the page to see the winning quilts in each section

By the way, I also won another prize in the show. My quilt Naturally Crazy won 4th in Mixed Techniques.

Naturally Crazy © 2012 Linda Steele

 I had a wonderful time at the show and met up with many friends and made some new friends as well.

Bye for now,
Linda

Do you Design?

I started designing my own quilts in 2004. I certainly never expected to go in that direction when I first started quilting. Once I started on that road, I couldn't stop. I get so much pleasure from it.
Designing is not particularly easy for me and it takes a long time but it is so satisfying.
I never know when an idea will strike but it is often mixed up  with my life experiences somehow. We are all a product of our past. Even if we experience the same thing as a friend, our reactions to it are based in part on our life experience.

I recently read a blog post by a quilt designer, Tanya Brown who has documented her design process on her latest quilt. This is a rare pleasure. Quilt designers are usually too caught up in the trials and tribulations of designing and creating to stop and think and write about what they have done.

I don't know Tanya Brown but she was kind to me once. My quilt Crazy About Ballet was in Houston and she took a photo of it hanging there and emailed me a copy. She didn't have to do that but it warmed my heart. I have followed her blog ever since.

Crazy about Ballet © 2007 Linda Steele


Here is the link to Tanya Brown's latest blog post about the beautiful art quilt that she has finished.
I hope you enjoy the sneak peek into her designing.

Bye for now,
Linda