Quilts 1700-1945 Exhibition at the Queensland art Gallery...

Last Thursday, 2 friends and I went to see this magnificent exhibition right here in Brisbane.

Most of the quilts are from the famous Victoria and Albert Museum in London. We first of all took a guided tour...this is a good way to get lots of background information about the items on display, but...yes, there is a but! The gallery was quite noisy with the hum of people chattering in the background and it was very difficult to hear the guide...but what we did hear was very informative about certain items...there was no way the guide could discuss every quilt. For example, we were told that when some of the quilts were x-rayed, it was discovered that there was another quilt underneath.
I think it would be difficult to blog about every quilt so I'll just talk about the ones that 'really spoke to me'....

There were amazing whole cloth quilts, pieced quilt tops with designs still popular today and there were some wonderful hexagon quilts too! My favourite quilt would have been the 'Brayley' Hexagon Quilt...its colours were so bright and the hexies so small...about the size of my thumbnail! No photography allowed of course but I found this photo on the V&A Museum website...this quilt was dated 1864-77 and is believed to have been made by Francis Brayley as rehabilitation therapy whilst serving in India...it is made of woollen fabrics used for military uniforms...

V&A collection No. T.58-2007

Another hexie quilt I loved was one made with scrap fabrics and then the background hexagons were made from blackout curtains that were no longer needed when WW2 ended...

Yet another hexie quilt was the one made by young girls, whilst prisoners of the Japanese in Changi after the fall of Singapore. This quilt was made under unimaginably difficult conditions...how poignant to see how the girls embroidered their names on this quilt. While looking online to find a photo of this quilt, I found a V&A video instead. In this footage, Olga Henderson, a former child prisoner tells of her life in the prison and how the quilt project came about...well worth a look! Needless to say I stood in front of this quilt just looking...a number of times on our visit.

One of the quilts wasn't from the Victoria and Albert Museum...it was on loan from the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) and it is the Rajah quilt which was made by female convicts on board the HMS Rajah. This quilt is huge and for more information go here. It is well worth reading :-)

I bought some postcards of quilts that were on display. There was only a small selection of postcards...

T. 200-1969 Stitching little vignette blocks depicting everyday life were popular...applique and embroidery were used

This cot quilt was the oldest in the exhibition... the late 1600s

The photo below shows 'bed hangings' 1700-30. It looks like the curtains are made from a single piece of fabric...but it is made of clamshell (shaped) pieces of fabric...it is amazing and very beautiful in real life. A bit of trivia that the guide told us was that in those days, guests were often received in the bedroom (bed chamber) and so wealthy people had really smart furnishings to impress guests.

 No. 242-F-1908 This was another exhibit that I kept returning to,to 'drool'  admire! lol

 The 'drunkard's path' quilt below was hung so that we could see sections of the back of it...it had been stitched over papers and these had been left in...most of the precious paper had been household accounts which had been cut up. We were told that paper in those days was very expensive.

This is one of those fabrics especially printed to commemorate a momentous event/person, in this case, the Duke of Wellington . (made by Elisabeth Chapman 1829, in memory of her husband)

For those interested, the V&A website offers lots of information and insight into their magnificent collections including all the work on conservation of incredibly old quilts...

My friends and I stopped for lunch just a bit reluctantly...but it was time to have a sit down for a while! lol

Pamela and Cheryl

Cheryl and I :-)

Cheryl and I had croque monsieur for lunch... (it's a cheese and prosciutto toasted sandwich!) 

 Pamela chose the dainty finger sandwiches...our lunches were delicious!

After lunch we went to another exhibition hall at the gallery to see the exhibition of the late Ruth Stoneley's works, 'A Stitch in Time'. The works of Ruth on display ranged from her earlier, more traditional styles and then examples of how her work evolved to the dynamic style and flair so associated with her. Last Thursday was rather special because at 2.30 there was a public talk scheduled with the speaker being Adam Stoneley, one of Ruth's sons. He spoke about his mother at length, including what it was like living in a house where quilt blocks would be laid over so much of the horizontal surfaces and his memories of helping in his mum's shop after school. And then people in the audience were invited to ask Adam questions about his mother...and many took that opportunity too!

Adam with Bree Richards, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Australian Art

 After Adam's talk we had yet another look at the 1700-1945 quilts and then decided at 4pm, to call it a day. And what a day it had been... a wonderful exhibition...so much social, cultural and (even) economic history encapsulated in one exhibition!

The building work next door continues...

All of a sudden, I notice that there has been lots of progress on the 7 houses being built next door but before I can post about this last week, I'd better bring you up to date with what happened the week before!! I call it a 'week of concrete'! lol

I woke up on the Monday morning to the sound of circular saws...

 The workers were doing the 'boxing' , obviously ready for a concrete pour...

The view from my sewing room/spare bedroom...

There was some more digging going on at the back of the property...

Later in the morning the big truck with the concrete pump arrived...

The slabs are poured, house by house...

This view below, from my sewing room, shows the floor slabs for houses # 2-7...

The next photo was taken on the front veranda and is looking towards the back of the site and house #1

The workers move in to finish off the slab surfaces...

The plywood boxing was removed the next day...

The slabs show just how small in area each level of the houses will be...

Those iron rods poking out of house #1's slab will be inside the bricks of the walls...

A sunset from the front veranda...where we still have quite a lovely view in the distance...

Quite a lot of progress has been made on the site this week but I'll leave that to another post!

Friday Night Sew In...

Wendy over at Sugarlane Designs is running FNSI now, so firstly many thanks to Wendy for organising this great event.
Last night, I spent some time sewing up some more donated squares into a blanket for the needy. I had a strict time limit on this...only until 7.30!

And then it was time to grab my 2 cubes of Christmas fabrics and sort through looking for fabrics with smallish designs on them. Then I cut out some long hexagons. By then it was time to sit down in front of the TV and watch the second episode of Broadchurch on ABC1, and stitch! How good an evening is that! I stitched away through another few shows until just before midnight!

This will be either a table runner or table centre

Why not use the link to Wendy's blog and the 'sign in post' to visit other FNSI ers and see what lovely things they were working on.

What a difference 6 weeks makes...

People often comment to me that I always seem to be doing something;  that I appear to never 'sit still' for very long. In this post you will get some idea of why I try to live life to the fullest extent. I am going to show you 2 photos . These photos were taken in 2002 and were taken approximately 6 weeks apart.
Here I am in April...

With the cheeky grin I inherited from my father! 

Just before the long weekend in early May, I started to feel unwell...quite vague symptoms... I cancelled a day trip to Toowoomba with friends on the Monday which was the Labor Day holiday. On Tuesday, I awoke still feeling unwell but went into work as a medical certificate was required to take a day off after a public holiday...I got sent home within an hour because the other staff, said that 'I didn't look very well' and I didn't disagree. I stayed home from work on Wednesday but when I still didn't feel well on the Thursday I made an appointment with the GP.
The doctor didn't think I looked very well either and took my temperature...it was 39.9 Celcius. Within the hour I was at the hospital casualty section. The staff took one look at me and ordered a gurney. The rest of that day (as well as the next few days) is a blur...canulas, drips, doctors, tests, scans, ultra sounds, x-rays, nurses checking vital signs, ECGs, EEGs etc etc....Over the next few days I was tested for so many diseases and all were negative results. I would have raging fevers especially early in the morning, although for most of the time I wasn't aware of time.

Doctors came up with hypotheses but no tests confirmed any...and the fevers continued and my liver started to fail... Two of my workmates came to visit me on my second day in hospital and apparently went back to school and told the principal that they thought that I was dying, because I was grey in the face...

My brother was my next of kin as I had only know the man who would become DH, for a few months by then. The doctors told my brother that I was not expected to live, which distressed him no end as he had taken 44 years to find me after he had been adopted at birth. He would go to work each day but sit with me all night...even though I wasn't fully aware that he was there.

Then after 9 days like that, one morning I woke up with a clear head...but still with a raging temperature. Eventually on the 11th day they let me go home even though the temp wasn't normal...I was weak but pining for home. This next photo is the one DH took of me on that first day home from hospital...My wonderful female GP took over my care then, with her ringing me several times a week to check up on me, plus one, sometimes 2 visits to her surgery each week. I was a total of 7 weeks off work. By then, my liver function was back to near normal, but I took many more months to feel really well again...and to this day, it is a mystery to what illness struck me down so suddenly...the specialist at the hospital decided to call it 'an unknown virus'...

So after being so sick I decided that life must be lived to the fullest...and that's what I try to do. DH can't understand why I keep the second photo...but it's a good reminder that your life can change in a matter of weeks. 

Just a few random jottings...swaps and WIPs...

Yesterday was the final posting day for the Christmas in July swap and in my inimitable manner, I still had some hand sewing to do on one item before all items could be wrapped and taken to the post office. 

All ready to go...

Then this morning early I heard the front gate squeak...it was the parcel postman and he left a box on the top step...

Ah ha! It was from Peg who it turns out was given my name to be the recipient of her cleverness and creativity in the Christmas in July swap... I knew it would be ok to open the box... look at that!!!

And look at what was underneath the tinsel and bonbons...parcels!!!! But I knew it wasn't ok to unwrap them...that happens on July 25...but I think I've been spoiled here...many thanks Peg!

And yesterday I got something special in the mail too... a pincushion from Leanne in Tassie. This Pincushion Swap  has been organised by Maree . Thank you Leanne!

Last night and throughout the day today, I've been working on some knitting WIPs so I can 'clear the decks' and start some new projects...(she says hopefully! lol)

During the month of June, K4BN ran a challenge for squares which would then be made into desperately needed blankets. I don't mind sewing up squares so I started today on sewing up the 104 squares that one of the lovely members made during June. All of these squares have the ends neatened off which is such a bonus...no weaving in of ends which can take up to an hour with some squares and these squares are thick and that means the sewing up is easier as the stitches get hidden in the yarn. 

The smaller bag in front is 30 squares from 2 ladies at my Sisters of stitch group. 

I have tacked all the intersections and at this stage I'm sewing up the rows and columns...it will be a lovely colourful and very warm blanket; thank you to Christine...

Last night I went back to working on the throw in indigenous colours which I started ages ago ( this year though) but have ended up only working on it between other projects such as swaps and the Art Show project.   I think I only need to do another 30cm or so and this project will be finished and ready to go to a new home.

'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...'

This old saying came to mind when I visited a friend a few weeks ago. A few years ago this friend asked me to show her how I make my chevron (ripple stitch) throws. She was a great pupil and she soon got the idea of the 'increasing and decreasing stitches' to make the zigzag design. As I walked down the hallway of her house on my recent visit, I couldn't help but notice the throw over the end of a bed in one of the bedrooms. Yep! It was my friend's finished throw...I just had to take a photo... it is so beautiful!

My friend and her husband have just come back from a 3 month caravanning holiday to South and Central Australia. While they were away, my friend 'skyped' me one evening as she wanted to show me the knitting project she was working on while they were away. She said that a project that I had  worked on last year while both couples stayed in Brunswick Heads had been her inspiration! It was about 45 cm long at that stage but I was to see the finished project on this recent visit, also draped on one of the beds...

This was my throw... just garter stitch with lots of interesting yarns...

So on this recent visit, my friend wanted to show me this finished throw that she had knitted while travelling...

Doesn't it look effective? I love it!

And a close-up; it's finer than mine being knitted on smaller needles and mainly 8 ply.

And here is the chevron pattern which is made up of just 2 rows. (My banner has a knitted chevron )

Narrow chevron stripes

This is a good way to use up oddments

of yarn,

working one garter-stitch ridge in

each colour. lf you want to use that colour

again within about 6-8 rows, carry it up

the side of the work; otherwise break it off

and weave in the ends. The WS of the

fabric is an attractive mass of broken

stripes. (as you know I do thick stripes and thin stripes not just  2 rows all the time)

Using any colour, cast on a

multiple of 14 sts plus 3 extra

1st row (RS) K1 , K2 tog, *K5, yfwd, K1 ,

yfwd, K5, sl 1 , K2 tog, psso, reP f rom

-to last 14 sts, K5, yfwd, K1, yfwd,

K5, sl 1, K1, psso, K1 .

2nd row. K1, Pl, -K5, K1 tbl, K1, K1 tbl

K5, P1 , rep from  * to last st, Kl .

These 2 rows form the patt. Always

change colours at the end of a 2nd patt

row.

My turn to tease...

I've noticed of late that some of my fellow bloggers have been posting photos that are quite intriguing...in some cases these photos are close ups of objects but you can't really work out what it is a photo of :-/ Other photos are just 'bits' of an object which tantalise the reader who wonders just what the object is.
Yep! all this means that there has been lots of secret crafting going on and that means 'swaps'! And that also means that mailing dates are getting closer. So it's my turn to intrigue, confuse, tantalise and cause some wondering...

Red , green and white...hmmm...could be something Christmassy perhaps???? Maybe 'Christmas in July' ???

Now this next photo is the back of something...

I think that this next photo will have you completely confused!!!

And I wonder who this is???

This time I remembered to take proper photos as well as these sneak peek ones...unlike one swap last year where I forgot to do that!

Last week I wrote a post which included photos of our little break down on the Gold Coast at Jupiters. Now at breakfast on Thursday morning we saw the most wonderful 'confectionery construction' in the restaurant, Food Fantasy. I didn't take my camera or phone to breakfast so DH took photos with his phone. And I forgot that we had photos on DH's phone when I wrote that post last week. So I will finish this post with some photos where you get more than just a glimpse of something.

The signs described it as a 'chocolate/gingerbread Fantasy land' and it certainly was that! lol