2017!

I have my tail between my legs and paws over my eyes.  My first blog post this year - shameful.....
Well we have had a move back to Kwa-Zulu Natal (it was Natal when we left 31 years ago) and while extremely traumatic, I can call us settled; well that is myself.  Dave drives down to Waterfall every weekend as he is still very involved with our business in Harrismith, in fact really does not see the need to retire just yet, so living apart during the week it must be for the moment.  I miss beautiful Harrismith and farm life with dogs, cats, chickens, pigs and horses but I definitely do not miss the bitterly cold winters!  Harrismith provided an ideal country town where our 4 children grew up enjoying the outdoors and a close family environment.  All good things must come to an end as there are better opportunities that lie ahead.  This brings me to the next stage in my life which has led me to update my blog!

As many of my readers and friends know, I have been a passionate quilter for 30 years and in particular, free motion quilting.  Last year in 2016 I completed the Teachers' Accreditation course run by the South African Quilters' Guild.  While I have been teaching quilting for a few years, this now enables me to teach at the National Quilt Festivals should I so desire.  I love to teach and spread the word about quilting and free-motion quilting encouraging others to jump in and just "do it"!  The local Village Quilters Guild have welcomed me and made me feel so at home; both new friends and "old" friends from waaaay back when!

Entering quilts into competitions for judging is not really my thing, however, one of my quilts won 3rd place in the last National Quilt Festival which is held bi-annually.  I blogged about it here if you would like to read it.  Last year was a heavy year with studying so not much leisure quilting was done as those who have done the course will know!  Come the National Quilt Festival to be held in Port Elizabeth this year, through encouragement from students, I thought that I would enter one of my quilts on which I had worked for over a year.  But alas, it was too big!!!!  The restriction of 2.5m measurement for one side did not allow for my 2.7m square quilt.  So, a long story short, I was invited to enter it in the World Quilt Competition.  It is called "My Journey in Free Motion" and has been selected to be judged at the competition and will hang on display during the event from 17-19 August 2017 in Manchester, New Hampshire.  The quilts will also tour the United States and will be displayed at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza (Greater Philadelphia Area) in September, in October at the Pacific International Quilt Festival (San Francisco Bay Area) and at World Quilt Florida in Orlando, Florida in January 2018.  

I received this yesterday to be used in my profile on Facebook, Instagram and any social media I choose.  So it is with a humble attitude, yet great pride....

 

I have a few photos of it.  It is a cream quilt quilted with a "goldy" colour shiney thread and needless to say, because of its colour, extremely difficult to photograph.  It is a King size quilt and will be known by my Harrismith friends as my "Issey" quilt!!!!  

I have tried to add a few close-ups to show the stitching.  It was quilted on my domestic sewing machine (I do not have a long arm machine) with the feed-dogs lowered and very tiny free-hand stitches. 

This bottom photo is taken with the early morning sun trying to pick up the gold thread colour.  

Please forgive me for this long post but it is easier to do it this way as there are some "nosy" people who shall remain un-named who require the ins-and-outs!!!!  You know who you are!!!   Love you I do........

Thanks for visiting and thank you for all your comments on Facebook.

Yours in quilting,