Aloha!

I was lucky enough to basking in the tropical sun and snorkeling the incredible coral reefs in Maui last week. We came upon a beautiful art gallery in Upcountry Maui in the cowboy town of Makawao. The gallery owner saw my interest in the fabric art and she pulled these beauties out of the cabinet for me to take a look at. The majority of the work is hand-dyed silk with a few batiks that are machine-appliqued. Having seen the turtles and the blue water myself - this quilter has really captured the feeling of that special underwater world.

 See how the light seems to play in the water in the background?

Here are some other lovely pieces! I was so busy ogling that I didn't think to take pictures but thankfully my husband Barry did. More inspiration for applique and batik collecting. Now I just need a Maui condo to be the perfect setting to hang my work in! Sigh . . .

Block Lotto Time! by Tracy Scott

Excited with her win of the block lotto a few months ago Kim has decided to build on her won blocks by making a bunch more. She has a special someone in mind for this quilt. I found some brick red fat quarters to flesh out her colour palette and she started sewing her very neatly organized blocks this afternoon. I just had to capture the moment as her block sets looked so cute festooned with their pastel coloured clips! Kim has a gift for making everyday things fun and pretty!

Here is an example of the "cute and pretty" comment. I didn't know I was going to make this blog entry but just happend to take a cheery picture of Kim's sweet tea cozy. It inspired me!

Our Victoria Modern Quilt guild wants us to learn new techniques in our block lotto. This one is all about free-form curves - something that Kim and I have shied away from. What do you think of this one? Kim says she is going to sew her block lotto quilt FIRST - which I think is very responsible!