Quilt-cutting marathon

Goal: to cut out seven quilts in seven days
Progress: so far, so good
Observations: not much housework happening in these parts this week...

Screenprinting with kids

To start Aaron and Hannah off with their screenprinting, I cut a circle out of cartridge paper. They were then told to cut shapes out of the circle paper, to make up a design within the circle-hole.
Aaron got all tricky, having seen me make many paper stencils for screenprinting. He didn't realise that the shapes didn't need to be joined together, so he came up with an interesting, but very complicated design!

We put some butcher paper inside the T-shirts so that paint wouldn't seep through to the back, and then the kids put their designs in place. My blank silkscreen was then placed over top for printing. Aaron even pulled is own print, while I held the screen!
Don't they look great?

Holiday arsenal

On Saturday the kids awoke to find my 'school holiday arsenal' on the dining table - a book full of origami instructions, 501 science experiments to do at home, three new sketchpads, three new fineliners, and some t-shirts for screenprinting.I don't think I heard them for the rest of the day! This was not all new - sometimes it just helps to pull something off the shelf or out of the cupboard as a little reminder or for a little inspiration! The fineliners have produced some elaborate drawings already. (I should confess my ulterior motives - I'd like some nice clear childrens drawings to use in various textile work at some stage!)

Today we screenprinted T-shirts. Aaron and Hannah would like to model them for you tomorrow!

Oh, I do like a challenge!

I have been offered a wonderful exhibition opportunity in the first half of next year. Of course, I quite sensible responded by saying, 'thankyou very much, but unfortunately a number of large quilts are currently on tour and unavailable, and also, we are shifting house twice in the next six months, so this will not be feasible'... Ha - not likely! I suppressed an excited squeal and responded with a rather sedate 'why yes, thankyou, I'd be delighted' while mentally reassuring myself that we'll find some quilts somewhere, somehow. So there is going to have to be some serious quiltmaking happening here for the next while! Not that anyone's complaining, mind you!

The last few days were spent sorting through my sewing room, packing things to take along to our rental house or to put into storage. I am taking the essential quiltmaking supplies along with us and everything else is going into storage. I have a 'modest' 12 large crates of supplies to take along (yes, I am slightly embarassed by this...). It's all nice and tidy now, though, and I am all fired up to get going on a serious quiltmaking stint. The best part is that I will be able to share progress with you here, as these quilts don't have to be top secret!

A bit of a bind

What better place to bind a picnic blanket...
...that outside in the sun on a picnic blanket?
Alternatively, of course, you could hang around chattering, under the pretense of colouring in...
...or bump the sky with a big stick!Aiming to make the most of the less-than-three-weeks left in our house and garden!

Oh, and these images are not from today, unfortunately, but rather last Friday. Today was a rather different story involving a journey of epic proportions to retrieve the car from the mechanic. A 20 minute walk, a half-hour train ride (involving two separate trains) - to the delight of the little boys, a 50 minute walk (20 minutes longer than it should have been due to me not being able to read the map properly), two flat tyres on a three-wheeler pram containing two little boys, and chewing gum on the bottom of my shoe. Everything would have been quite bearable if not for that last point. Because if there is anything guaranteed to send me wild, it is SOMEONE ELSE's chewing gum stuck to the bottom of MY shoe!

The double kitchen sink comes into its own

On the sly

I have been doing a bit of making on the sly over last couple of months. 'On the sly' meaning that I haven't shared it with you here yet, and it happened over snatched snippets of time between house photography, house inspections, house reinspections and paper signings... (It feels rather sneaky when you quickly whisk any trace of making and living out of sight before vacating the house yet again). I've been making and squirreling away various things for the upcoming Fine Food and Craft Market hosted by the Free Reformed Church of Southern River. I might pull some things out to photograph and share at some stage, but for now, here's the current project for the market... ...a picnic blanket... Well, five picnic blankets, actually. They are made from a range of upholstery fabrics and other remnants, as well as a selection of screenprinted bits. Do you see that greeny browny florally veloury patterned fabric with the lineny background (how's that for a vaguish description)......that one there... That is the most beautiful piece of fabric I ever had the privilege of owning. You wouldn't believe how many times I pulled it out of the pile of selected fabrics for these blankets and put it back into my own stash, only to find it make its way back into the selection in no time at all... In the end I gave in, with the thought that it adds a nice bit of zing to the quilts, but I shouldn't really have fallen for that argument - that fabric would add a bit of zing to ANY project. Oh, well, I can only hope they don't sell too well so that I can continue to enjoy that fabric.

Crazy, but good

After a crazy few months, things are looking good here right now. Still crazy, but good.
We have a big eight-months-old-tomorrow boy who can finally sit all by himself. See...
Oh, wait, that's the two-year old terror who insists on plonking himself in front of unsuspecting cameras so that he can see himself on the other side of the camera afterwards...

Back there is the clever baby. A good proportion of the 'good' at the moment is due to the fact that we finally seem to have a reliable daytime routine happening for Daniel. His first batch of teeth is through, and he is now strong enough to sit in his highchair or play on the ground happily for extended periods.What a difference that makes to getting my household chores done! We have mazes happening which to attempt would mean to the risk of your life, with quick sand, danger zones, time bombs and more.And we have talking buckets.Actually, that's an understatement. You wouldn't believe how much that bucket can talk. And it probably tells you something about Ms Buckethead if I note that none of her siblings so much as batted an eyelid during the hour that the bucket was worn. Just a normal everday part of living with Hannah.

On a bigger note, we have been truly blessed again by God's provisions for us. Our house is now under offer, for which we are very thankful. Also, after being without a job for a number of weeks, Phil is currently deciding between two job offers, both of which interest him very much! Add to this the fact that the flu finally seems to be behind us, and that life is settling into some sort of routine, and we certainly have a lot to be thankful for!

Here is a Picture for You!

Here is a Picture for You!
by Ruth de Vos, 2010
162 by 141cm
cotton homespun, calico, curtain lining, fabric paint, fabric crayons
hand-dyed, screenprinted, machine pieced and quilted, hand and machine appliqued

Here is a picture for you... and another... and another...
(I have the pleasure of living with several prolific artists!)

Currently on exhibition at Heathcote Museum and Gallery, Duncraig Rd, Applecross, WA,
until 3 October 2010

Fearsome warrior

Sorry to anyone who has popped in over the past week to find that there were no new posts. Phil and myself and the two youngest have been battling the flu, which has left absolutely no extra energy. The only thing that was made in the last week was Aaron's costume. As the culmination of 'Culture Week' the whole school dressed up yesterday. Aaron stated rather decisively on Monday at breakfast that he would like to be a Samurai warrior. Applauding his initiative and decisiveness, I said 'Sure!' with little idea of what a Samurai wore... This came together mostly from things we had at hand (other than the $5 viking helmet which we sabotaged), and without taking up too much time (it had to be done with little mess and between 'home tours' by prospective house buyers). Aaron was awfully pleased with the result. I think it would have been so much easier if he'd said 'Sumo wrestler' rather than 'Samurai warrior'.