Koala or kookaburra?

I have made two cot quilts for our beautiful boy, Zain. Given the number of koalas coming his way in various shapes and forms, from toys to motifs on his tiny outfits (- can’t think of the right word), his totem may be the koala. Leo and Mel are lucky enough to have koalas in their backyard – in the nearby bush reserve that is part of their wider ‘backyard’. The koala features strongly in my quilts, together with a wee possum and a feisty kookaburra – which might give the koala a bit of competition, given that Leo has a strong connection with kookies. We’ll see how it turns out.

Vanishing points

Over the years I have enjoyed collecting hand-dyed fabrics. I’ve also dyed my own fabrics, including over-dying commercially printed cottons. They can be very beautiful in their own right, but usually require a leap of faith for a possible use in future creations. They are just glorious temptations in their own right, and were collected as such. I have recently resurrected the beginnings of an earlier ‘idea’ for a bed quilt, which formed as a way to use some of these gorgeous fabrics without too much structure. The cut strips had been stored away in a plastic tub for many years, marked ‘Universe Story’. The colours seemed to elicit such a grand concept. I am now involved in using them to create a wall quilted hanging for my son and Mel. But before I report on the new journey those hand-dyes are setting out on, there is another I want to share, one made from hand-dyed blues by Leo over ten years ago. Constructed using a fusing technique, the small quilt was named ‘Vanishing points’, hand quilted using a running stitch and an envelope or pillow case method to contain the three layers. I seem to remember the inspiration for the hand stitching arose from the formation formed by ducks as they swim through water, leaving an expanding V trail behind, a formation they also use in the air. There is something about this piece that overlays the many meeting points and horizons in our lives. It seems an appropriate time to reflect on such points, arising from ‘nothingness’, vanishing and returning as we welcome Leo and Mel’s beautiful boy Zain into our lives, born on 11 June. What lies behind him is fascinating. What lies ahead remains a Mystery.