What's on my inspiration wall?......Portuguese azulejos

The colours of Portugal are gorgeous. Coming here, where there's not many people quilting, I didn't imagine there'd be so much around to inspire me as a quilter. But I've been really taken by some gorgeous azulejos (ceramic tiles) and can see some new block designs and colours singing out....

I've been enjoying wandering the streets of Viano do Castelo and the local towns and here are some typical azulejos from the Minho region in northern Portugal. They are mostly located on the exterior of homes and apartments. I love the colours and am inspired by the designs which may be translated into patchwork blocks.

Azulejos (tiles) on the exterior of an apartment building in Viana do Castelo

I was also inspired by some Portuguese tiles that was featured in an old Dwell magazine and i read about in a blog by Factotum of Arts. They are just gorgeous. I love the colours and the design and although the colours aren't the usual, they do sing Portugal and are so fresh. I would loooove this on my bathroom floor!

I can't wait to get back home and go through my fabrics, new and old, and see what i can come up with. I do hope they inspire you too.

Linking up for Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life

In the making or the giving?

While i do have several quilts that i've purposely made just for me, most of them have been intended as gifts. The fabrics and design have been especially selected for the person or occasion. Looking back, and looking ahead, i wonder if it is the making of the quilted gift or the giving of the gift itself that is the best part of the quilting process. For most of the quilt gifts i've made, it has been extra special to be able to bless someone with something so personal and something handmade. In an era when it's so easy to purchase something off the shelf and there are occasions which encourage super consumerism (i'm thinking here especially of Christmas in Australia!), i reckon there's nothing better than a handmade gift.

I do know that some of the people i've given quilts to, probably don't know how much effort and expense went into making them, but i reckon that's okay too, because i have enjoyed so much making them and knowing they are going to someone special. I can remember giving one of my good bloke friends, who had just had a little baby girl, a cot quilt i'd just made fo her and he said 'thanks heaps for the blanket'........hehehe, it made me laugh....classic!

I recently have had the privilege of giving some quilted gifts to my family here in Portugal and it has been very special. Rosa Maria and Ze Carlos like their Dreaming of Jacarandas quilt very much and have decided to use it on their bed in their house in the north of Portugal.

Dreaming of Jacarandas, here on the granite pillars that are common here in the Minho region in northern Portugal, mostly used to support grape vines.

Ze Carlos and Rosa Maria with their Dreaming of Jacarandas quilt

To my aunts i have given some quilted placemats (placemats here and here also) that i made especially for them and it was so nice to give them something i made, like a little piece of me.

Giving quilt placemats to our Aunt Silvia (R) and Milu (L)

But, i'm still not sure. Which is it for you...the making or the giving that is the best reward?

Linking up with Lorna for Lets Bee Social

Rainbow by the meter

This week i had the pleasure of meeting Paula who owns the Arco Iris a Metro ('Rainbow by the meter' in English) patchwork shop on the south side of the Tejo River in Lisbon, Portugal. Quilting shops are quite rare in Portugal, so this was a real treat. It's a lovely shop with many delightful fabrics, and if you're ever in Lisbon, i encourage you to include a visit here.

Paula tells me that making bags is very popular here at the moment, so not as much interest here in making quilts as art or for putting on our beds.

Of course, i couldn't resist purchasing some beautiful fabrics including some Portuguese fabric which is 100% cotton that is called CHITAde ALCOBAÇA (typical from a city called Alcobaça).

For my Mum, I purchased some fabrics that reminded me of the colours of Portugal and one that has some Portuguese themes..... so pretty....

And for me, i couldn't resist some colourful blues, purples and greens....

Thanks Paula for showing me your beautiful shop. I do hope that one day, you will make it down under to Australia so i can take you to some of our local quilt shows, shops and hangouts.... i wish you many happy quilting hours!

Linking up with Milli Sparkles for Sunday Stash

Bushfire

My mum is my best friend when it comes to quilt buddies and she is always inspiring me by what she makes and how perfectly she makes things. As a young girl, i can remember my Mum making me all sorts of things on her classic Bernina (which was given to her as a wedding prezzie by her Mum in the early 60's is still rocking on today!) from clothes for my teddy to fancy dress princess outfits for school plays.

Today i just wanted to share with you my beautiful Mum's latest quilting creation and I'm linking up with Lorna for Let's bee social and AmandaJean for Finish it up Friday

Bushfire

Living in Australia means that we live with bushfire. It can be our friend and our foe. It is part of who we are and has shaped the vegetation and environment that we live in today. Fire diversity has promoted biodivesity in many of the most beautiful parts of our land. Living in the Blue Mountains, my folks have survived several bush fires including the latest last Spring which destroyed so many houses nearby. Both my husband and i have careers in bushfire research, so Mums latest creation is close to our hearts. This is super special Mum!

Inspired by a table runner by Elizabeth Long in the Patchwork and Quilting magazine, titled Bushfire,  Mums 'Bushfire' creation has been made using paper piecing, but she used interfacing instead and found that to work a treat. Featuring little geckos and quilted burnt stick and shrubs (which she did with her walking foot), the colours reflect fire and the Australian bush. Mum made this table runner as a gift for my husbands folks who live in Portugal, another country where bushfire's are part of the culture and environment.

Next week, we will take the table runner to Portugal to give to our Portuguese family and i feel our suitcase is chock full of quilted goodies....what a treat...to give and to have made......

Thanks Mum, it's truly lovely and i'm sure they will absolutely love it!

Finish it up Friday

Dreaming of Jacarandas

Hip hip hooray! It's finished. Waahooooo!

This quilt was inspired by a painting by Australian artist, Ken Done called Jacaranda reef . The colours in this painting drew me to it instantly and i knew i had to at least have a print of it on my wall.

When i found some beautiful, floral, Kaffe Fassett fabrics a couple of years ago that had some of the colours in them, i knew the colours would lure me to make something based on the Jacaranda inspiration. If you've never seen a Jacaranda tree before, when in flower they are covered in the most spectacular purple/blue, which fall and cover the ground, creating fields of  'purple snow'. Just gorgeous!

When my husband and i decided we were going to visit Portugal this year, i knew this was my opportunity to make a special quilt for my mother and father in-law, Rosa Maria and Ze Carlos, who live there. I got out my notebook and fabrics and came up with a quilt top, based on string piecing. I had plenty of blues, greens and purples in my stash to match and felt that the strips would still show those beautiful florals of Kaffe's.

To be honest, i didn't think it would take me nearly as long as it did, but after several months of sewing strips together while my little boy slept after lunch, it was finished.

Measuring just under 2x2m, my friend Carol Ikin in the Blue Mountains quilted it for me on her long arm machine using swirls in line green (thanks Carol...you've done a beautiful job).

For the back i chose to use some of the pieced string triangles left over to join together one of my favourite Kaffe Fassett fabrics with a green and white spot pattern. I machine-bound the quilt using some pretty blue fabric left over, hoping it will be super sturdy and ready for lots of use....
It has turned out to be my absolute favourite quilt so far and will be hard to let go of.

But i'm happy knowing it's going to my dear Portuguese family. Best wishes Rosa Maria and Ze Carlos.....i do hope you'll love it!

Linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social and Gemma for I Quilt Thursdays @ Pretty Bobbins

Last but not least.....

And finally in the placemat series, and quite possibly my favourite.

I made this placemat using some scraps left over from a quilt i've made for my MIL (stay tuned....i'm in the process of binding this one so will add a post on it shortly). These are my favourite colours at the moment and i really like the straight 1/4 inch quilting i did with my walking foot.

The seams got a little bulky where the triangles meet, but it was the perfect way to use up the leftover string pieced triangles.

Best wishes in floral

Have you ever had some fabric that you just thought was too pretty to cut up into small pieces? Well, this was certainly the case for me. I purchased this fabric on sale and thought it was so pretty that one day i'd make it into something beautiful.

When i pulled it out of the stash earlier in the week, i wasn't really sure how to use it, but imagined it was the perfect combination of floral and pretty colours for a placemat of some sort for my aunt Fatima.

So, in order to keep the focus on the floral patterns, i haven't added too much patchwork. Just a little splash of aqua. Its very simple and in some ways i wish i'd tried more, but i do like the focus on the floral fabric.

In keeping with the floral theme, i've quilted running flowers (i can't remember the name of the pattern), which are a favourite pattern of mine at the moment.

Best wishes Fatima!