Holey Tantrums

Here is the finished work - Holey Tantrums. And yes all twin needle - and yes - all on the flower stitcher - and yes if your machine takes a twin needle it should have a button you push to make sure you don't break your needle.

lotsa stitch

Rule no 125 when using a twin needle - make sure you push the twin needle button on your machine......four twin needles later....... this is one layer of my textile tantrum and tantrum is highly appropriate because I hate breaking needles......

Incidentally, you can see the detail by clicking on it twice - Ian has pointed out the little + sign after you have clicked on it once. Learn something new every day.

some musing on Thursday

When we were in Melbourne we walked passed this glorious building in Queen Street, I think.
Constructed in 1890 for the safe keeping of valuables and securities in vaults in the basement, this building is a notable example of the Gothic Revival, the favoured style of the architect, William Pitt. The façade includes moulded griffins and heraldic figures in delicate Gothic detailing, and has an overall form that was further elaborated in his design for the Stock Exchange around the corner the next year.



Melbourne has loads of wonderful buildings which I love to see - Perth managed to get rid of most of its.

We are having interesting weather - loads of rain - very heavy (not quite so good for the ceiling in our office as water rushed in and Ian had to climb on the roof to clear the leaves away having first gone around to Grant's to get his ladder back) Very windy too. Great fro the garden though and we don't mind at all because we feel it will be a long hot summer.

Last night we went to the Australian Chamber Orchestra - last one for the year and glorious as always. Richard Tognetti and his orchestra are fantastic. We have only managed to get to 2 concerts this year - tut tut - we forgot the first one and were away unfortunately for two others.

Happy Birthday Kazuko

Happy birthday Kazuko - hope you have a wonderful day in Sapporo and Bruce has a good surprise ready for you. We shall have a toast to you tonight (not beer though!) you could really be in Paris......

back home again from Melbourne

We had a very nice weekend in Melbourne - always a pleasure to go there. We were staying in Little Burke Street which is very handy to everything. The AQM - Aust Quilt Market was good - low key but we met lots of nice customers and got a pile of orders and came home safe and sound and back to work. Our special treat on Saturday night was an outing to Movida - ooh - it was a lovely. We booked 6 months ago and could still only get into the 6pm spot. Wonderful Spanish restaurant. Now we think we would like to go to Spain.

We got up at 1am to watch the All Blacks but it was such a boring game. When we got back to Perth we watched the Wallabies vs Ireland - that was a good game and exciting to the end.

When I am away my little notebooks fill up with new ideas - now just have ot find the time to get going on them. BBQ tonight though even though it is threatening to rain.

sticky jam

well not really sticky jam but it is raining and very humid and sticky and Pearl Jam are performing at the Perth Oval on Saturday - the roadies have spent all week tap tap tapping as they set up for it and great big truck movers (I forget their real name) have been rocking up - 3 came thundering down the road when I was out this morning early. Great deal of trouble getting around the roundabout. Huge stands and stuff being erected -

BUT - we won't be here as we are flying off to Melbourne this afternoon for the Aust Quilt Market - trade show. Just hope it is not tooooo hot in Melbourne. We will be back on Sunday night and we have atreat on Saturday night but I will reveal that when we get back.

Amanda - a flimsie is what we call our hand dyed prefelts. They are made of fine merino wool - beautiful to work with and definitely flimsie.

my new toy

My new toy arrived the other day - a wild carder - and even better, Ian didn't have to put it together from scratch. (unlike the new garden shed which is still lying in bits on my studio floor).
I have been having fun feeding slushies and scrim and yarns and felty scraps and all sorts of other fibres through it and then laying it onto a flimsie and running it under the embellisher machine. We should have them for sale on the website before too long. I needed to see what I could do with it before I brought them in. I am very pleased with it as it speeds up a few operation stages up for me.

I am working on my Stonehaven fibres and stuff - I am putting the final touches to choosing the thread colours for the new set of variegated machine threads in the Earth Element Collection. I have 3 lying on the bench doing the final choose and waiting for Jacinta to send me fibres for the last one so I can match - then I can send them off to the dyer and voila we will have 4 new variegated thread and 20 new plains. If you click on the pics and enlarge them you can see the threads on the bench in their stages of being decided. It takes longer than you think to choose colours and make sure they are right.


You might be able to see the diferent textures worked on the flimsie. I have been working on this colour - see the flower stitcher piece from the other day. I am starting my Textile Tantrum sample because I need something for the advertising. This might be the one - as usual it will be cut in places. I might do a photo or two transfer using TAP - I like the cracked effect on an embellished background. Do you think that sounds innovative or what?

Happy Anniversary

Kazuko and Bruce - haven't 7 years flown by? Hope you had a wonderful night at the spa retreat. It only seems like yesterday that we all had a fabulous day for your wedding.

Sunday's flower stitcher

Today's flower stitcher piece is also about layers and textures and some gilding flakes as well. We have just loaded all the new gilding flakes to the website and because they are so lovely and useful, we have made them our promotion for this month. Click on this little one for close up.

This morning we had breakfast with Grant for his birthday yesterday and at one stage we went to an exhibition on the Berlin Wall only to find it really wasn' t on until Thursday only. We didn't fell so bad when we saw other people going to it as well. Bad advertising somewhere.

great game

We watched the Wallabies vs England game first - have to say I kept falling asleep and then we were going to go home to bed and watch the replay but Grant persuaded us to stay up and watch the All Blacks vs Wales - a great passionate game with a very good end result. So off to bed about 3.15am but worth it and we certainly didn't fall asleep during this game. Bit slow this morning though.

Happy Birthday Grant

Happy Birthday Grant - not too many years older than this.... Still the same smiling face and you are catching up to me.

Watched the Air New Zealand cup final this afternoon - Wellington once again the bridesmaid...

Friday Musings

It has been a busy week and to top it off the weather for Summer has arrived. Very hot and sticky. We have been flat out getting new stuff on the web (there is more to come) and parcels have been arriving and unpacking has been especially exciting. There are 3 new Iridescent and 3 new Professional Paintstiks for me to play with over the weekend - I am very busy creating charts with all the stiks so that I know exactly what the colours are like for blending etc.

Then I have been working away on the flower stitcher getting the next Let's Play booklet closer to fruition. This little piece above is waiting for some 3D flowers to be stitched on. Enlarge it - it is an excitement of colour - this thread is Indian Splendour.

Today we had big boxes of Flaked Metal Leaf delivered - all big flakes this time so Ian is planning to work like fury over the weekend and we will have them all on the web - I have been decanting and have colourful metallic flakes everywhere but fortunately mostly at our little warehouse. The boy from the next door unit was fascinated as always - I gave him a little jar of big gold flakes because he is getting married tomorrow. I am planning to play with them tomorrow - the flakes that is - for some samples for the web.

So the week has raced on and we are about to stop for the night. I also had another new toy delivered this week but will post a pic tomorrow. All very exciting and of course the Holey Moleys have started their 3rd lesson - I hope they all have their shoe collection out and turned over.

Off to cook my chicken curry.

Le Scrunch

today's Le Scrunch - a little more colourful and easier for you to see - click on it to see the lovely scrunchy texture.

Textile Tantrums

We have posted the information for the 2010 Challenge. Do go check it out

Textile Tantrums



I hope lots of people will enter - I am currently looking to take it all to NZ and hopefully Germany and maybe elsewhere. It is a good opportunity for experimentation and excitement.

Saturday

We really enjoyed the rugby in Tokyo yesterday - the All Blacks had a good win and a clean sweep of the Bledisloe Cup - now they are on their way to Europe - play Wales next Saturday.

Love the weather at this time of the year - before it becomes too hot although you need to go walking early.

Le Scrunch - it's not Grilon or Texture Magic although we do sell both but keep watching this space - I am playing and experimenting.

Le Scrunch

from this - to this - in about 2 minutes - I am playing - the detail is not so clear but trust me - it has scrunched into a wonderful texture with Starburst Sprays for extra Black Orchid colouring.


and this is another little one - they are all worked on cotton gauze

Nahm and Nahm Thai

In London we went to Nahm and tonight we are off to Nahm Thai to tell them all about it. This soup was divine.

Autumn Colours

Bruce has been out taking some wonderful photos in Maruyama Park in Sapporo -
Autumn Colours

do go check them out. As you can see, I was especially taken with this one - I can see all manner of ideas flowing out. I love Autumn (and Spring but Autumn most of all). In Perth we mostly have Summer and off-Summer and we really miss the changing of the colours etc.

Bruce and Kazuko tell me that the little hangings are wishes which people leave at shrines. The clear is is a message from someone who has lost his girlfriend. I think I could work on this concept very well (not the losing of the girlfriend)

We got home on Saturday afternoon and straight into work. It has been very hot and dry while we were away and thank goodness for Patricia watering our garden - I was in fear of seeing an area of wipe out. We have started cleaning up out the back in readiness for a barbecue tonight.

Loads of orders to keep us out of mischief and also loads of new stuff which Ian has started adding to the website catalogue. I have been popping into the studio working on the next booklet. I must admit that I didn't do any stitching while we were away - I didn't take any needles and only discovered this in Paris where I couldn't find any. my fingers have been itching.

day six in Paris

On our last day in Paris, we decided to take the train from Gare Saint Lazare station (the one Monet painted many times) to Vernon so we could go visit Monet's Garden in Giverny. We were there in 1992 - same time of the year. It would be magnificent to be there when the garden is at its best but then you would be body to body so perhaps not - there were quite enough people around. We loved it though.

Monet's house
lucky Dale on one of the bridges in the water lily garden. We asked a girl to take our pic together but I think she just pushe dthe button a few times and nothing actually happened.
on another bridge.
And finally, this is the cafe where we had our petit dejeuner each morning - he even shook our hand on the last morning - cafe, orange juice and croissants - and soccer on the tv. Our apartment is just to the right up 3 flights of stairs.

off we go again

Here we are at Heathrow getting ready for the long flight back to Perth. We didn't get our upgrade to Singapore but Ian is in a bit of heaven as we are flying on an A380 (eat your heart out Ken) which he thinks is second prize - me? Well - a plane is a plane. We are at the front of economy and do have rows 1a and 1b from Singapore to Perth so we will fly the last 5 hours in a bit of luxury.

We came back to London on Tuesday and spent time running arouns doing business shopping and visiting the V and A - definitely have to come back next year as the Medieval and Renaissance room is still not completed. And we had lunch at Nahm which was delightful and a great end to our holiday (working or not). Caught up with Annette and Terry and Susan who is over from NZ for a couple of weeks.

Soon be back home - Grant is down for the weekend and it will be good to catch up with him - then back to work - the orders are flowing in and we will be as fast as we can. Lots of new goodies to go up on the web in the coming week.

finally - it was lovely to catch up with so many of you in UK - JP - I will post a link to the apartment when I get home and do all call by to read day 6 in Paris - I haven't quite finished - there is Monday's adventure to go!

Day five in Paris

On Sunday we spent loads of time at the Pompadou Centre - it was packed with people all the time. Here is the escalotor going up.





And looking out at fabulous Paris.




we found the perfect table for Bruce and Kazuko and all those many bikes of theirs.
fire emergency and I loved the bucket.
after a spot of lunch at a place we went to several years back (sorry about the underline - can't get rid of it)- we wandered down to near the Notre Dame where there were all sorts of activities going on - the roads were closed to cars



We managed to miss the Musee d'Orsay again but we visited the gardens at the Palais Royle - a little gem to be found.





and the Metro entrance just nearby.
At night we went to a concert at Saint Chapelle - same group as last year but different performers - Les Archets de Paris - and the same music but magical.

To finish the night off we ate at at Moroccan restaurant nearby our apartment - very very busy and very good - coucous and Marrakesh red wine. Good memories.

day four in Paris

Today we went to the Marches aux Puces but didn't find a lot other than loads and loads of clothes and a few little goodies including some old printing blocks.

When we came back we thought we would visit the Pompidou Centre but the queues were enormous so decided to wander back instead and try tomorrow.




Coming down rue des Archives I found this fascinating shop - Archives de la Presse and these were in windows - popped in to browse.

a street scape just near us
at night we visited Des Gars dans la Cuisine - a great restaurant. We were lucky to get in and only because a couple hadn't turned and then of course, Murphy prevailed and they arrived but the owners did some magical movement and squeezed them in. We had a fabulous meal - eating doesn't seem to start until about 9.30pm - this is when most of Perth has closed down.

Indeed, my new red shoes haven't got the wonderful bottoms of last year's but the sole looks like piles of twigs and I have done a few rubbings so plenty of potential there.

day three in Paris

Good sleep ins and a relaxing start to each day. Our dejeuner today was Croque Monseur and Soupe l'onion (sic)at Les Arts et Metiers which is just across the road from the Arts et Metiers school or conservatory but definitely this wonderful church below our lunch.



After our long walk ( we have been doing lots of long walks), we went to the Opera to see Le Palais Garnier and wandered around inside. The auditorium was in use for rehearsal so we could only peep in the windows but what a fabulous building. Looking out onto the view below.
The Grand Foyer - so magnificently decorated and the staircases alone are worth seeing.

Today's lovely roses- the colours are to dye for


and of course, guess who got new red shoes? I managed to find the shop I got last year's shoes from and just happened to find a pair waiting for me. Good walking ones this, tested last night when we visited another great little restaurant. Lovely waiter very patient with our French......

day two in Paris

Yesterday we walked for miles so it was just as well I had been in training before we left Perth. We walked long the Bassin de Villette up to the Parc de la Villette to take the 2 and half hour trip down the Canal st Martin to the Musee d'Orsay. It was leisurely mostly because of the locks but most interesting and our host told us lots of history. Then we walked back. No photos because we forgot to put the camera chip back in. we finished with a very nice meal just down the way in our street and slept like logs resting our tired pins.

Thanks Verobirdie for telling me about the Chou Romanesco - I have kept that photo. Off to explore some more today after our relaxing petit dejeuner at our corner - cafe creme (it's too hard to do reasonably weak long black), fresh orange juice, bagutte and croissant.

Instead I have some pics of the pommy bag winners - there were a few people who got it wrong but we had to be fair.

This is Anne


Here Pat and Mags - lovely to see them both





Here is Sue -
and again - some of the Dodgers and Pat who is an honorary dodger
And Viv who just got there in time coming all the way from Whitby- lovely to meet you at last Viv
and here is Ros on day 2 with a lot of research to get SLAM finally
then somehow I missed Pauline (more dodger) and I think this is Amanda and somehow we forgot to photograph Barbara and Eileen but it was lovely to see you and I hope you all have fun with your pommy bags. Because of my dreadful cold I was frantically still stitching the last little pics on the morning of day 2 - I had planned to finish everything on the plane.
The weather is great and I can hear live music somewhere outside so off we go - maybe this is shoe day? Who knows.....

day one in Paris

here we are in lovely Paris - we are staying in Le Marais in an apartment - a very lively area with lots of interesting things happening. Loads of cafes of course - this is where we had breakfast - as you can see the weather is superb. plenty of florists - I bought a tiny bag of 3 roses - where the gap is - a little more expensive than in Perth so it will be photo only from now on
couldn't resist these - all the ducks and chooks came with heads, some tucked under their wings and one sad one fallen low.
We went to Place des Vosages - Paris's oldest square - perfectly symmetrical.


here is me in front of Louis X111 but I cannot work out how to turn me aound...





and to show the symmetry but only if you turn your head and not to mention the door just down our street - rue charlot - I am looking at few patterns, holey moleys....


this very interesting vegetable was with the cauliflowers but I am not sure - great though. Last night we went to a very lively restaurant - Robert and Louise - where they cook the steaks over an open fire - pretty packed and we shared our table with a young couple from LA but her is an aussie and she Korean so it was a multi-cultural mix.

Off for more adventures today - no shoes but I do have a nice new watch.

and of course the answer is SLAM

just finished the show at Ally Pally - what a wonderful time we had meeting up with friends, customers and anyone else, including lots of holey moleys!Hope all the Pommie bag recipients enjoy their goodies.It was a great show - as always the exhibitions were super - fabulous to see Chris Atkins' work in the pfaff exhibition - I could name drop that one Chris. The highlight for me was meeting Cindy Hickok whose work I have loved since I first came upon it and the pleasure of meeting such a lovely lady. As a special for us, Cindy agreed to sell us a small pile of her book which, if you know her work, you will love. All signed too. If you are interested in a book (no idea of the price as yet), do email as I know they won't last long once Ian gets them on the web.

We have lots of new goodies and my little brain is full of new ideas - awake every morning at 4am racing away. one of our treats this week has been to have Dover Sole and I do believe it was better than NZ flounder...

Today is washing the clothes day - checking the mails - haven't been able to get to the internet so nearly 500 emails to read and answer and tomorrow we are off to Paris where of course I will be posting and with pics attached. A bientot.....

off we go again and a question

Nearly time to go - what isn't done, just isn't, but apart from my suitcase, everything else seems to be done. A Western Australian Eucalyptus for you to enjoy while we are gone. We are lucky in that we have got our upgrade from Perth to Singapore so let's keep fingers crossed for the long haul section.

THE QUESTION - this is for the people who receive the newsletter and are coming to Ally Pally on Thursday or Friday. Remember I have 5 Pommie Bags for each day and I shall finish the stitching on the plane.

OKAY - What is the name of Grant's 18ft Skiff?

If you have been reading my blog you will have been so overwhelmed with pics and info I am sure you can't forget. You just have to come to our stand TGE13 and tell us the answer!

I am hoping to blog while I am away especially in Paris. Will I find new tempting shoes - i know I will be sure to find beautiful roses.

one more sleep

jobs getting done, list with ticks but still more to go. once I get on the plane it is too late to worry. Fingers crossed that we get our upgrades - I have so many frequent flyer points we could go on forever.

Our printers have done a special rush job of some of my books so we can take them with us. The rest will be ready for when we get back. Very pleased and some of the stuff I will be doing while we are away is working on the next ones.

Thanks for all the best wishes - we are looking forward to our trip, to Ally Pally and catching up with everyone and then our week in Paris. I shall do my best to blog especially in Paris. Not so easy in Muswell Hill I have discovered. Don't forget that I will be asking my question tomorrow for you to find the answer.