FNSI February and Blue and White Heaven

For a little Saturday eye candy I want to share this blog post that I hopped to from Sri Threads on Facebook yesterday:
http://www.binichic.com/2012/02/weaving-the-waves/
I then happened across an earlier post:
http://www.binichic.com/2010/12/japanese-indigo/
about Sri Threads and again full of beautiful photographs.
Then this morning I was reading Julie Fukuda's great blog and found she has been lauded in the Japan Times.  What a star, I do hope I get to meet up with Julie when I'm in Japan (if she can find time).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120218a1.html
And so a happy time was spent in wonderful cyberspace.
I did finish my Japanese Circles and Squares quilt during FNSI and so here it is:

In Susan Briscoe's workshop she taught us how to add applique circles to the squares pattern.  I found that, with the fabrics I'd used, the circles didn't show very well and so decided to sashiko a circles design instead.  The pattern of interlocking circles is called Seven Treasures, Shippō 七宝  This was just stitched on the quilt top after I found using the sashiko as a quilting stitch was unsuccessful.  I thought I would then machine quilt "in the ditch" but this would have cut through the hand stitching (I should have worked the sashiko and machine quilting in reverse order!) and so I decided to tie the quilt.  Anyway, I am happy with the finished quilt and it is a perfect size (I didn't add a border to Susan's original design) to sit over my lap and keep me toasty without swamping me.
I hope you had a good FNSI (chocolate honeycomb flapjack was my treat of choice for the evening).

BritQuilt Swap Arrived Today

I had a wonderful parcel in the post today, a quilt from my secret partner in the BritQuilt Swap.  Wow, thank you Ethne, I am absolutely over the moon with the gorgeous quilt you made for me and all the lovely goodies you included in the parcel.  During the swap we have been posting "work in progress" pictures on Flickr and I have to admit to coveting this quilt but I never dared to expect that it would be for me.  When Ethne posted a picture of the quilt all finished I commented,
"This is absolutely gorgeous and I have just the right place for it in my little house, I wish! Beautiful stitching and such a great palette and design, all yummy."

Here is "Tranquillity" already hanging in my house, it's in my guest bedroom which has a Japanese theme so it fits in beautifully.
I've taken some close up pictures so that you can appreciate the wonderful quilting that Ethne has done, in fact DH was with me when I opened the parcel and he immediately exclaimed, "Now that's what you call quilting".  Ethne has painted with the thread to create wonderful texture and movement in the picture, clever girl.

 Here's the lovely label that Ethne printed for the quilt:

Here are the extras that Ethne so kindly included with the quilt, chocolate, mmmm gorgeous (but DH saw it in the parcel so I will have to share) and these wonderful fabrics that she dyed including the shibori piece.  I am planning to do something very special with that.

I am delighted with my side of this swap and I've just read on Judith's blog that she has received the quilt I made for her and is also pleased, phew!  Many thanks to all the organisers.  If you're a Brit quilter why not join the Flickr group now and be ready for the next swap?  Thanks to Teresa for getting me into this.  Have a great weekend everybody.

Rust-Tex Koi

I've been looking at the Rust-Tex website since enjoying their display at Festival of Quilts and found this lovely piece of work, Koi.  Here's the detail of one fish: 

I can't seem to find the name of the artist but here are the notes:
During the winter months I am driven from my outdoor dye studio by snow and low temperatures. I spend winter using the fabric I rust dyed in the summer. These koi were stenciled onto a fat eighth of Rust-Tex using a commercially produced stencil. I used the colors Bronze and Pewter from the Lumiere line of Jacquard brand fabric paints.  11"x18"

There is more to enjoy here:  http://rust-tex.com/TW/tiki-index.php?page=Rust-Tex
I found this so inspiring I thought you would enjoy it too!