The tutors had a short bus ride to the symposium every morning - we decided the group name for a gathering tutors should be a cacophony.  Can you imagine why?  The Quilt Symposium 2015 Palmerston North was a brilliant event. I have never been part of something so large and so very well organised. It was VERY impressive. I taught 5 one day workshops. All my workshops were full which was very satisfying - you never quite know when you are an international tutor, has anyone heard of you?  The first workshop was A New Starting Point which I wrote about in the previous post.  So - to continue . . . . The second workshop was Transforming Transfer. We had great fun painting papers with disperse dye (transfer paint) and then transferring the designs onto synthetic fabric. You can achieve fabulous layered effects with this process.  Some of the group getting stuck into painting the disperse dye (transfer paint) onto paper ready to transfer onto synth...

A detail of 'Off the Floor' by Gael O'Donnell. So - here I am in Palmerston North teaching at the Quilt Sympossium. It is easily the largest event I have ever been involved in and it is running like clockwork. The organisation required in an event such as this is mind boggling. There are 32 tutors and around 1200 students - amazing. Yesterday we were setting up our classrooms and also had a chance to get a good look at the fabulous exhibition - Growing the Passion. As most of you will know I am not passionately interested in quilting, I admire the craft but  . . .  However, the quilts on show were just fantastic. A fabulous array of different styles and such skill - it was very interesting to see the variety. Here are my favourites . . .   'Off the Floor' by Gael O'Donnell. 'Is it Art?' by Melanie Martin - my favourite. 'Nightwatch' by Anna Prussing. 'My Kind of Garden' by Sheryl Anicich. You are g...

 A stunning exhibit at the Museum of Auckland. Well I'm here!!  I have been on the North Island for three days now. I was collected from the airport by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden, a brilliant textile artist and tutor who lives over here full time (apart from when she is teaching in the UK). Alysn has been kindness itself. While we both knew of each other, we had never met properly, so her offer to look after me for my first couple of days on the island was very generous. It was great to be absorbed into such a fabulous family. Brian, Alysns husband and the two girls Bryony and Amber, were very welcoming. we had a great time together - as you will see! On Saturday we visited The Domain which is home to Auckland Museum - a remarkable and very beautiful building in stunning grounds. Well worth at least one visit if you are ever over here.  The reason we visited was the WOW exhibition . . . . .  One of several sayings that were projected onto the walls of the...