Australia

Just to let you all know that I have been asked to teach in Australia next year at the Australiasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne in April, and already some of the classes are full! I feel very honoured as I have been asked to give a talk on the work of Contempoary British Quiltmakers and also to take an exhibition with me. I have asked the Out of the Fold group if I can take their current exhibition [ which has just been at the Cavern 4 gallery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk] and they are very excited about it. One of the group actually comes from Melbourne so you can imagine her reaction!
We are going to combine it with a trip to New Zealand, as that is where our son in law is from. They are having a 7 month career break and have gone travelling - they are just about to leave India to fly to China, then to go to Vietnam, Thialand, Malaysia, Australia ending up in NZ. We are going to spend some there with Jono's folks - so it's all coming together!
I have alot more info to share with you which I will do in further posts!

The Little Gracie

This is my Little Gracie set up in our new conservatory, in our new home, a flint and pan tiled cottage in Thetford. I bought the Gracie back in December, but what with the move and other things, we've only just got it put together - it was like a giant meccano set - which my husband enjoyed putting together!

The fabric was dyed in the microwave and I had done some handstitching on the quilt but didn't like it. I found it again when we moved anf thought it would be ideal for practicing on the Little Gracie. I'm coming along quite well [!] it is a different way of machine quilting as I am used to moving the fabric under the needle, but now I have to move the needle over the fabric.

The hope is that now I can concentrate on some new work which I am itching to do. I have lots of ideas and not enough time!

For those of you waiting for the new book, which we had hoped would be published in time for the Festival of Quilts, it should be out in time for The Knitting and Stitching show. The publisher's father has been ill.

That's all for now!

I'm back!

I'm back!

We've been very busy, sorting out both properties and trying to find where we've put things! We've also had a break in southern Italy with family, near Tropea which was a real blessing, sight seeing and exploring the area. Everything was closed though, including some good local restaurants as the season hasn't started.

Since being back I've been busy trying to get back on track with finishing the latest book and researching for new classes. I'm looking forward to beginning some new work and doing some experimenting.

I also have a Little Gracie, which once we have a conservatory I hope to get put up. It's a frame where you can use a domestic sewing machine in a frame - no need for pinning or tacking of quilts.

So lots to do and very little time!

Just a quickie to say that we are moving on 9th March and we will be out of email contact for about 10 days until the new line is sorted. I will try and check mail on friends computers but please be patient!
We are having two moves - we will be looking after Dan's mum in her bungalow, but we have bought our own property in Thetford, a pantiled flint cottage, which is going to be our studio and retreat!
I'm fed up of moving round boxes and our poor cat Poppy has resorted to staying in the bathroom as it is the only room which has remained the same! She is very worried!
I'll be back when I can, Annette

City and Guilds and juried exhibition

Well I'm off to Denman College [WI - Womens' Institute or the Wild Indians as my husband calls it!]this week to teach for 3 days - City and Guilds 7822 Patchwork and Quilting. I haven't been to Denman before so I'm looking forward to it.

We have a good list of people who want to do the 7922 P&Q C&G in the Autumn and also for the Diploma - if you are interested in any of the C&G courses in Suffolk do let me know.

We will be having a C&G exhibition in the Village Hall at Wickham Market, Suffolk at the end of June, and if you live in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex or Cambs and you have done a C&G course you are welcome to take part in the juried part of the exhibition entitled EROSION. E-mail me for an entry form if you are interested.

The picture on this posting is of a quilt I made last year based on the architecture of the Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral - I ought to put on the image that it was based on too so that you can see how I arrived at the design!

I love the distressed look of the peeling paint - I wonder what the cathedral looked like in the middle ages when it would have been highly decorated.

It's about time I got back to this blog, but I do have good excuse - we've sold the house, I'm writing a new book, new year with new courses to teach - I could go on!

However just to show I did do some stitching work in the last year here are some images taken for me by Kevin Mead of Art Van Go.

This one is based on bamboo at Beth Chatto's garden in Essex, I love the rustling in the bamboo when the wind blows. It's all hand dyed fabrics using dyrect dyes in the microwave, very quick and easy to do.

I do a lot of experimental work [ my new book on this subject is coming out in August] but I do like doing some basic patchwork sometimes.

For those of you wanting to do City and Guilds courses I will be teaching the 7822 course at Denman [WI] college over two weekends staring at the end of February, a new 7922 Certificate course starts in Sept in Suffolk, with a 7923 Diploma starting also in Sept but over several weekends a term. Contact me if you want more details.

For a bit of joy in these joyless times - or so the journalists would have us belive - visit louisebatten.blogspot.com - she used some of her early prototype toys to leave in a park for children to find - what a lovely idea!

Summer schools

People often ask if I teach Summer Schools, the following are availabe for 2009;

Puddleduck Patch, Cullen, Scotland;

1. Crazy Logcabin patchwork 28th & 29th July

2. 31st July, 1st & 2nd August

Sew and So's in Bungay Suffolk -

1. Textured Dimension 2 day workshop £60 6th & 7th August

2. Out of the Dustbin 3 day workshop £90 10th, 11th & 12th August

East Suffolk Embroiderers Guild, Ipswich, Suffolk - 14th, 15th and 16th August

Please contact me for more details - annette@annettemorgan.co.uk

I'm off to Spain tomorrow for a week to teach and stay with friends - it will be fun! The image above is a photo I took a village north of Malaga - it's a fantastic seed head which I have been playing around with in my design work. The other image is of an olive grove near by. Both have been manipulated using a design programme.

Thanks for your comments on my blog - I enjoy reading them!