Seeing colour, fabric stairs and a handy travel solution

A little collection of links from other blogs, none of which is about how to make a quilt, but they might entertain and be useful to quilters during this possibly quiet weekend ...

Tetrachromats: A Genetic Anomaly You Want to Inherit - Barbara Brackman explains why some of us see more colour than others

Patterned Stairway - a creative way to use any 'spare' fabric you might have
Make it: cable cozy - an online tutorial and free downloadable pattern for a brilliant
'cozy' to manage all those cords and cables when you leave home with your mobile devices

More from Eldrid Røyset Førde - the Russian gallery at Birmingham, 2014

A new post (her fifth) from Eldrid Røyset Førde on the 2014 Festival of Quilts in the UK - images from an exhibition within the Festival, of 'treasures' by  Russian quilt artist Elena Folomyeva. Excellent photos and links to more work by Elena Folomveva are included.

• Earlier links to Eldrid Røyset Førde's posts on Birmingham 2014

Merry Christmas

Surface design workshop with Sue Dennis: Epping, 2015

The Quilters' Guild of NSW has announced a workshop with Queensland art quilter and tutor, Sue Dennis to be held in our near neighbourhood early in 2015:

Surface Design Entree 

2 day Workshop: Saturday14th and Sunday 15th March 2015
Epping Creative Centre
Dence Park, 26 Stanley Rd, Epping (NSW)

Sue Dennis is a Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. Accredited Teacher - Special techniques 

Visit Template Free, the Guild's blog, for details and booking information.

Visit Sue Dennis's blog to see her extensive body of work, the exhibitions in which it has been hung, and the awards she has won.

A silly one for the holidays ...

What do bananas have to do with quilting? Absolutely nothing, although it does need a sewing needle to trick your audience (children, grandchildren?) with a banana that comes ready sliced, still in its unpeeled skin.

A new hexagon quilt design

Arcadia Avenue is a new, original quilt pattern from Sassafras Lane Designs, that looks set to become very popular.  If you are looking for a new take on hexagon designs, this could be the one for you:

Image: Sassafras Designs, with permission

It is offered as a 'block of the month' project, and Sassafras Lane is planning to host a blog-based 'quilt along' from early in 2015. The pattern can be purchased directly from Sassafras Designs. Click on the thumbnail images on this page to see this beautiful quilt in a number of different colour choices

The block of the month project, in kit format, is available in Australia from Unique Stitching, with all of the fabrics all drawn from the Kona Solids range.

Art quilts commissioned for Hornsby Kuringai Hospital redevelopment

Exciting news for local quilters and art lovers:

Award winning art quilter Lucy Carroll has been commissioned to make three large art quilts for the Hornsby Kuringai Hospital Redevelopment (one of our local public hospitals here in the northern suburbs of Sydney). You can read the full story here, on Lucy's blog.

Congratulations Lucy - we look forward to having your work in a public building in our area. We'll be on the lookout for the unveiling, and details about where the quilts will be located on the hospital campus.

• Previous posts on this blog mentioning Lucy Carroll's work.

Do you love your scissors?

Meet Eric Scissorhands - the last of the craftsman scissor makers in this video from the BBC News Magazine. It's nice to see that he has two apprentices, and the pride they take in their craft.

Modern Quilts Australia 2015

www.modernquilters.com.au

Just in time ...

... for Christmas and other gift-giving occasions, Amy Smart, of Diary of a Quilter has posted a blog you might want to forward to your family, leave your laptop open at the page, or it might give you ideas for your quilty friends. As she says, it doesn't have to be for Christmas ...

• 30 Gifts for Quilters

Quilts at Hazelhurst Art Gallery 2015

The Quilters Guild of NSW has released a call for entries for a Contemporary Quilt Exhibition:

“Evolution, Change, Challenge - A Contemporary Quilt”

to be held at Hazelhurst Regional Art Gallery in Gymea

29th August to 8th September 2015

The contemporary exhibition will be held in conjunction with “Labours of Love. Australian Quilts 1850 – 2015”, to be curated by Hazelhurst.

We were pretty excited when he heard about the Hazelhurst exhibition on ABC radio recently (a passing reference in an interview with the Gallery Director), and the addition of the contemporary exhibition just adds to our interest. Definite possibility for a Fairholme bus trip to the Sutherland Shire for this one.

Pantone colour of the year 2015

It is all over the internet -but in case you missed it, Pantone has announced that its colour of the year for 2015 is 'Marsala'. There is always debate whether the year's Pantone colour is a good choice, and this year will be no exception.  This is what Pantone says about 'Why Marsala': 

Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.

Whatever you think of it (and some of us love it!), it will be everywhere, including fabrics (the products are already well and truly on the way). Further down the page are a series of sample colour pairings that give some excellent ideas for how well Marsala will work with other colours in a range of palettes.

• Why I Love the Pantone Color of the Year - a view from a quilter renowned for her colour sense, Latifah Saafir

We'll be keeping an eye out for the 'Colour of the Year Quilt Challenge' that is usually announced during January.

• Previous 'Colour of the Year' posts

Some modern Christmas quilts (2014)

A post of modern Christmas quilt links is now customary here, having been very popular with readers for the last three years, so here is our fourth annual selection from this year's blog surfing:

Mini Trees Quilt, Crazy Mom Quilts

Christmas Tree blocks, Quilt Matters

Christmas tree Skirt in July, Freshly Pieced

Christmas table runner, Sewcial Stash

Fair Isle Christmas quilt, Freshly Pieced

The Hood (Christmas tree skirt), Fresh Lemons

Quilted Christmas Tree Tutorial (No Sew) - Fabric Tree, Carly Nicole Elliotte

Best of Show quilts from around Australia

You can now see high quality images of all of the 2014 State Winners of the Bernina Australia Best of Show Awards here on the Bernina Australia website.

The the National Best of Australia Quilt Award will be announced and presented at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, 16th - 19th April 2015.