WORKSHOP ...at Mrs Martins Quilt Shop

Done the decision making for the workshop....

what I will show you how to play ...

and what will be supplied in the initial kit 

& 

what will be able to be purchased or brought along ....

this is such fun & it is evolving all the time !!!

You will find a day creating like this will just fire up your INSPIRATION...

maybe give you some boldness to try more new things...

I adore this technique & you will really enjoy it.

You will also learn to balance the work & also you can experiment a bit with different colours

It is proposed to be held in a hall, Ringwood area...

So accessible ...

we will know the date in a week....or so.. 

on a weekend.

So you could plan a weekend in Melbourne ....one day workshop another ????

contact

www.mrsmartinsquiltshop.typepad.com 

to place your name down

Website back HURRAY !!!!

A little wee fabric purchase on Friday...

Some gorgeous Japanese fabric & check out the tiny rabbit on one piece..cute 

Well the DNS server must have had some hiccup with website transmission..

I was slightly perplexed as my website is very continuous...

thanks Pappa shop

I woke early to check & because I could not go back to sleep.

Imagine my joy when I keyed in & there it was...

I was a bit wary as my cousin on north coast of Qld lost her home phone as one company switched it's lot over to another big phone provider & a lot got lost in the translation.

She was without phone for days... she was exhausted trying to get to the bottom of the problem...

How well I knew how that felt....

Anyway HAPPY as now 

www.theodoracleave.com

Website is playing up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.theodoracleave.com is at the moment not connecting.....

so if it persists over night I will deal with it in the morning....

Just so you know ......

Thought a picture is needed..

This is one of Jo's hand dyed felt pieces that I purchased at Mrs Martin's booth at the weekend.

And I met Jo 

Stitch'n'Patch display

When I went to Melbourne for the weekend's activities...

I went on Friday so had good time to spend in Stitch'n'Patch

and

Doreen has done wonderful displays of my work again.

It for me was great to view as usually I see all these things from raw to bags & into posting boxes.

Travels with Millie's Quilt backs a fabulous display as you walk into the shop.

Doreen had a fab idea of joining 2 sized decorations to hang down in 2nd picture frame.  

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Theodora Cleave copyright 2014

Monbulk Quilt Show yesterday

The Monbulk Quilt Show was wonderful yesterday..
here are some scenes from the traders stalls & the quilts on display. 
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This was my stall.... 

set up ready to begin... 

then 

set up...!

Practise

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copyright Barbara Smith

Do you realise ...??? that seeing my work like this is rare....

So wander up to Monbulk on Saturday... 

there are other creative folk who will also be there...& Karen tells me plants & Bronwyn's mother's lavender products from her lavender farm....and many shops are also joining in the day with discounts & ???? we will have to see.

I am spending today packing the gear for travelling this weekend....

Working quite well & if I sound a bit surprised I am !

Every so often I delve into another plastic storage box & become distracted..

Would take me half the time if I stayed FOCUSED ....

But

It is more fun this way...

& 

Now I would like the chef to wander into my kitchen & create..

That isn't happening ..so I will do domestic things for a little while & return to buttons later.

Just About Ready

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Before I rattle on 

Lesley has let me know of a Quilt Applique Group have an exhibition in Castlemaine 15th & 16th March 

Corless's shop Threadbears is in Castlemaine & is open on weekends... 2 reasons to visit..

After you have visited the Monbulk Quilt Show 

on Saturday 15th March.. 9.30am - 3pm

Which brings me to....where I'll be next Saturday

I am finalising the display gear & ??? things for this ..

Occasionally I go off on some harebrain idea or need to do other things...

but today is ear marked for this .....and maybe some design work that needs inking in...

Perhaps I'll just play at this.

*****

copyright Barbara Smith

Once upon a Time... there went Millie the Cat & Zac the Donkey

TRAVELS WITH MILLIE was created into a lovely quilt in memory of 2 English Quilting cats...

Tara & Harry..

who have wandered off into the sunset of life 

and their memories live on..

A wonderful customer in Surrey UK... 

(you see cat people find each other across the globe)

....had stitched Travels with Millie with some versions to make it applicable to her friend & the cats who made sure quilts were made just so...

Harry was adept at choosing the thread colour for a quilt

Tara was quality control for machining pieces together as she snuggled on the sewing table watching fabric whizz through the machine.

There is a story for Zac the donkey as well coming from this one lovely email...

I was asked permission if Zac the Donkey pattern could be made up to sell in the

" RSPCA equine centre which cares for horses, ponies and of course donkeys. The centre was once a privately owned donkey sanctuary owned by a wonderful eccentric couple (a Mr and Mrs Lockwood) with connections to the film industry"

(I googled The Lockwoods & Mrs was a Silver screen film actress.)

"As well as the horses and ponies the centre still cares for up to 

30 donkeys and during the spring and summer months the centre is open to the public 2 days a week so they can come and visit them. We have a small shop and sell new goods and crafts and my job there is to look after this shop. 

So the favour I wish to ask is, please could I use your Zac the cloth donkey pattern to make some donkeys I could sell at the shop as part of our crafts section"

www.facebook.com/LockwoodDonkey

www.rspca.org.uk/local/lockwood-centre-for-horses-and-donkeys/

I was so thrilled to be asked to help in a small way to the donkeys...

This is always ok for charity & for small personal gain.... permission for any commercial activity is required from me  For Charity / personal small gain it is a proviso that I am acknowledgeed as the designer on each item that it is a Theodora Cleave /Barb Smith design

Don't forget Zac the real Aussie donkey has his own facebook page & shares life now with Basil the sheep...

Getting prepared for Monbulk Quilt Display

I have been slowly painting & then popping things here & there...

Always my pondering comes back to the buttons..

so many varieties...

How do I let several people poke about in the same space without feeling kind of left out.??? 

One problem I have is I don't like kind of static displays where it is simple to have neat & tidy stapled bags....but that does nothing for my creative side...so I kind of rebel against that concept...

**** 

Still do not have that answer....

But we'll sort it out ..

****

I have just got in a fantastic large stencil from www.blakeandtaylor.com.au 

Paris Flea Market..

which I quickly utilised here & there including a display board..

Then the hunt was on for the 123 stencil...I saw it the night before going through some baskets of things... interesting things...

Now smothered these board I need to get the display of my work to sit comfortably in this scene....

I find the brooches..where did I put that glue.. they lay on the table waiting to be glued up....while I stroll off to see if there are anymore brooches...in my look I do need that twine & oh those bags...what am I doing to those now ???

Out of all that 2 displays are sorted !!!!

I will have to put it all aside soon...

to get orders painted....

I love it..it is my passion...

copyright Barbara Smith

www.theodoracleave.com

Bebe French Lapins

copyright Barbara Smith 2014

www.theodoracleave.com

Bebe French Lapins came bouncing from the post box today

Eager to be painted ...

See on www.theodoracleave.com

pink, blue, white, tan & grey Bebe Lapins ...

They are just 25mm high ...

The bird became a Robin with cutout twigs in It's mouth..

These are the 2 designs also featured on the thread winders...

ow you can sew them onto a stitchery or a tiny set of frames for a child's room...

He doubles as the Easter Bunny.

AUTUMN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.theodoracleave.com

 Barbara Smith Copyright

I was mucking about with collage thing......

The picture is a small one so it will blur if enlarged anymore....

You will see some of my latest wood painted objects 

A few little embroidery pieces... felt applique...Travels with Millie laid out ready to sew the samples into one place..a little quilt !

An angel with hair.... some of you may recall doing this in a class or a Gathering many years ago now..

The Day in Paris wearables are still I guess playing about in les rue of Paris...

You see today is dull & now only begun to rain & it is out Ist Day of AUTUMN...

It's a magic day..

I have been painting some order pieces & some stock for the Quilt Show in  Monbulk on 15th March 2013

which is for raising funds for the Monbulk Fire Brigade.

We had a day to honour the fire fighters yesterday buying red balloons & attaching to our letter boxes or fences....

Honour them we do....they kept so many of us safe ... 

I am disturbed with the coal mine belonging to electricity company in Morwell still burning & belching that black coal cloud over the town & pastures...

It is totally surreal...

This brings me to 2 articles I have seen in Canberra Times last few days one on a solar bank for areas...& the wind farms.... brings it home to us more now that this coal burning episode continues ..

How I wish it was solar & wind... guess that isn't costed yet LOL