woolmarks

 it was a bit sad

bumping out 'muddy waters'

fortunately i had other work to do

eucalyptus magic

never fails to delight

musing on international orange under blue skies

there was a time
when i was small
...blue and orange
were my favourite colours

they still make my heart sing

if your heart needs singing practice
you could try taking it to Melbourne
where it could exult in the Fred Williams retrospective
'infinite horizons'
the paintings are so vibrant
they seem backlit

Debbie Herd writes about her experience here
Fiona Morgan shows more images here
if you can't visit the exhibition in person
consider investing in the catalogue
worth every cent.

a national treasure

last Friday, on the way to Tumut [in New South Wales] for the felt and dye workshop, i took a small [140km] detour to Tumbarumba 

to visit the Pioneer Women's Hut

where i was given a lovely cup of tea and several caramel chocolate biscuits [by the lovely Jan who had come especially to open the Museum out of hours] and allowed to wander and take photographs to my heart's content

the collection embraces the National Quilt Register as well as extraordinarily beautiful items such as handmade wire pegs, water cans constructed from kerosene tins, buttons, household furniture

boxes of mending

drawer upon drawer of lace doilies

and jug covers

 

a shelf that runs around the Museum is clad in a decoratively cut newspaper border

an enormous gum leaf takes pride of place above the teacosy-clad mantel...

well worth a visit [even without caramel biscuits!]

red blanket wagga

for those of you who won't make it to Geelong, Victoria in the next few months, here's a picture of my eucalyptus-dyed wagga (click on that word for elucidation) presently hanging there at the National Wool Museum.

and here's the statement that sits next to it on the wall...

not all those who wander are lost - in the forest a body sleeps camouflaged in treeshadow, woolwrapped in a leafstained wagga; enfolded, hidden, warm and secure

materials : salvaged wool cloth, silk and wool stitching, eucalyptus dyes