Lucky Draw
Look what I won! They love to have lucky draws here. They are like raffle prizes. Basically you put your name in a hat, and they pull for prizes. I went to an American Women’s Association coffee here in Singapore, and was lucky enough to win this great prize, a very large terra cotta warrior – the archer. We went to Xian, China and saw the terra cotta warriors in person. That was one of my favorite trips in all our travels. The warriors are truly fascinating, and quite amazing to see en masse. We went to the terra cotta warrior “factory” to see them being made. Factory is somewhat of a misnomer. It basically consists of different warehosue rooms with various people stomping out the clay, others molding the warriors, and still others packaging, and selling them. I unfortunately, bought two small versions. I always regretted that, and wished I had bought larger ones. Well now, I have a really large one! he is almost a meter high! He is busy protecting our entryway.
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Christmas Tree Skirt
At one of the innumerable Singapore Fairs, I bought this fabulous Christmas tree skirt. I have been looking for a nice skirt, and I was thinking of making one, but then I ran across this wonderful handmade skirt from Kashmir. The artform is the Chainstitch. The chainstitch is a form of embroidery, but this is done by hook rather than needle. Tiny stitches cover the entire area, with motifs are worked in striking colors. All the fibres are cotton or wool, and natural dyes are used. I picked out this holly design. Isn’t it beautiful?
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Batik Canting
I bought this fabulous batik “jacket” at a Singapore fair or bazaar from a company calling itself Batik Canting. Batik is actually a resistance dying process. Wax is applied to fabric, then the fabric is dipped in the dye. The parts of the fabric that are covered with wax, are not colored by the dye. The wax is removed in a bath of warm water, and then more wax is added and the fabric dyed again. Canting refers to the instrument that holds the wax, and is used to apply the wax to the fabric. Hand designed batik is highly sought after. You can read more about the process at Batik Canting.
Individuals working at home or in small workshops in Indonesia create these hand dyed works of art. Batik canting buys these “jackets” from these entrepreneurial women working from their homes. The jackets are hand beaded and decorated. I bought this item, and find it to be absolutely beautiful.
This is the front view:
A back view of the jacket:
I plan on seeking out more batik when we head to Bali in the New Year.
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
My Helper
When we knew we might move to Singapore, our first thought was about our cats, and quarantine here! Our kitties are 14-years old! They were born in Midland, Texas, and are sisters from the same litter. They have lived in New Orleans, Moscow Russia, San Francisco, and now Singapore. They are well traveled cats. The cats survived the plane flight, and the ten-days in quarantine. Luckily enough, with the advent of micro-chipping, and the ability to track rabies shots with the chips, the quarantine requirements are less strenuous.
So now that I have my own studio space, my cat, Triscuitt (named by my daughter Lauren for the cracker, but she wanted a little twist – thus the double t’s) likes to help out.
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Route 66 Quilt
Before we moved to Singapore, I needed to get my car to Louisville, Kentucky. We have a condo on the Ohio River there, mostly because we have a lot of family there. It is great to have a place to stay when you are taking extended leaves back home. So my daughter, Sarah, and I thought it would be fun to drive the car back to Louisville, and to follow Route 66 for a lot of the trip. We drove down Highway 1 from San Francisco, to Los Angeles. We spent the night there, and picked up Route 66, then drove cross-country to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Route 66 goes from LA to Chicago, but we got off in Tulsa, and drove over to Tennessee to see Elvis’s home, Graceland, and then on up to Louisville. There are only pieces of Route 66 left, and you follow Highway 40 for the most part, but you can drive on the actual Route 66, and stop to see towns and infamous motels along the route. We had the best time! It really was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed spending the time with my daughter.
As, we were driving through Williams, Arizona, I decided to check out a quilt store there. First off, Williams was such a cute town. It is near the Grand Canyon, and many people stop there as a jumping off point to tour the canyon. The shop was called Quilters Mercantile on Route 66. Be sure to look at their website, it is an adorable store, and the people were so friendly and helpful. I found some Route 66 fabric, and decided I had to do two quilts to commemorate our cross-country journey. I haven’t decided which one I will give to Sarah, and which one I will keep though. I have to buy some backing fabric, and then quilt them. I thought I would quilt them when I head back to the states at Thanksgiving time. I used the BQ2 pattern, from Maple Island Quilts which is an excellent choice, especially if you want to showcase some fabrics.
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Even More Fun in Australia
We also went to Fremantle to visit the market there, and the Fremantle prison. The market was really great. If we lived in Perth, I would definitely go there to get the organic fruits and veg. The rest of the market had some great jewelry, soaps, candles, and Australian goods.
We also drove over to Cottesloe Beach. Of course I had to dip my toes in the Indian Ocean. The water was cold! There were a lot of kite surfers out there. It was windy, and they were moving fast. We also ate dinner at Indiana and watched the sunset over the Indian Ocean. The atmosphere and food were wonderful. It used to be called the Indiana Tea House. We only had a couple of days to explore, but I am definitely going back to Perth!
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
More Fun in Australia
While in Perth, we also visited King’s Park. The Park is absolutely beautiful. The plantings, the view, and the beautiful weather made for a wonderful afternoon at the park.Outside of the park was a fabulous tree with these gigantic roots. I stood inside the roots to get more of an idea of the majestic size of the tree.
My husband and I stood under the kangaroo crossing sign. I am used to seeing deer crossing signs, but not kangaroo crossings!
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Fun Time in Australia
We had a lot of fun in Perth. The weather was fabulous, as it was springtime. After being in Singapore for a couple of months, I was ready for dry and cool weather. Jackets and pashmina’s were necessities in the evening! How nice for a change!
We went to Caversham Wildlife Park, and I fed the kangaroos, and petted the koalas. I felt like such a kid. I couldn’t believe how soft the roo’s were. There faces looked so much like deer. It was uncanny. I really like this picture of me petting the kangaroo. I feel like there is such pure joy on my face! The koalas were so cute. They were unbelievably soft and cuddly. Now, of course, they won’t let you pick them up but you can pet them with the back of your hand. I love this park!
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
More, More Australian Quilting
On the way back to Perth, I stopped in the litle town of Bassendean. I wanted to visit the Bassendean Fabric & Craft shop. It was a small little place, crammed full with some fabulous finds. I decided to buy some hand dyed, felted wool by Four Ewes. My quilt group here in Singapore is going to do a felted wool project for Christmas, and I decided to buy some different colors to be ready. The wool is distributed by Hatched and Patched. This is a wonderful website. Here is the wool that I bought.
I also bought this beautiful Australian yarn. The color isn’t as true on the computer, but it is a lovely lavender-grey color. I am making my infamous Potato-chip scarf. I love these. They are simple and quick to make. See my post about these scarves: Potato-chip Scarves
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
Cute Hat and Scarf
I have made two of these hats and scarves, one for each of my daughters. This is Sarah’s version. She wanted the gray, navy and white colors. I am taking it back to the States when I go to visit at Thanksgiving. I hope it will keep her warm and cozy on those cold New York days and nights.
The hat was made with a pattern from a knitting catalog, and the scarf was basically a seed stitch pattern. The colors were changed randomly, very randomly. The more erratic the colors, the better. This is really an easy hat. It was not knitted in the round. It was knitted on straight needles and then stitched together in the back.
Happy quilting . . .
Nancy
NancyE_Quilts 