Patchwork and Quilters Guild of Victoria

I was out walking the dog this morning and came across a sign that said Patch Work.  Intriguing - was it a meeting or an exhibition?  I called in and learnt that it was the monthly meeting of the Patchwork and Quilter's Guild of Victoria, it meets there every month.  Big hall, lots of people!  It had that happy buzz sound that you get with a group of women doing something they love.
Maybe it was a sign that I should join - I've picked up their leaflet at many a Quilt Convention but have been too lazy to join.  I can hardly say it is too far to go to meetings now that they have a new location.
I have been finding my interest in patchwork (not the quilting so much) reviving recently, after having not done any for several years (not much, anyway).  I decided to do my Studio Textiles and Design course to enhance my design skills and, since I started that course, have done very little patchwork.  The course has introduced me to many other textile techniques and skills and I have been distracted by them.  I have enjoyed them greatly and have learnt a lot but I am finding I would like to incorporate some of what I have learnt with patchwork and quilting.  I have a piece that I have entered into the Graphica exhibition that is very patchwork and quilting oriented.

It is based on the many tiles we saw and the tulip motif that is so often on show in Turkey.  The technique is based on Beryl Taylor's video workshop, put out by Quilting Arts. You can see my first attempts here.

Beauty of nature

There is to be an exhibition of RMIT students' work soon, Graphica.  I have been working on a piece for it but today I saw some chrysalises that I could have used in my design.  They are beautiful, such geometric designs.

This one insisted on making its chrysalis on the window. It is easy to see all the webbing that holds it on.

Here is a photo of the caterpillar, a week or so ago.

I don't know what sort of butterfly will emerge, I will have to keep a keen eye on it.

I also took some photos of the spiderweb anchor lines that are left up every day by the spider that builds a new web every night.  At the moment, the anchor lines are across a path that we use, so I was about to break them when I saw how they were attached.  I got so distracted by taking the photos that I forgot to break the strands.

Last week, the strands were attached to the rotary clothes line and I broke them when I turned it but they just reattached themselves to a new part of the clothes line when they drifted on the breeze.  These spiders certainly do work hard.