Pushkar...

 The heat here has built up to intense here and some days it is hard to keep moving...I was recently in Australia and came home expecting to make another small quilt referencing that experience but between workshop catch ups and I don't know what- nothing came to mind.

 Last week we were re-cycling offcuts, packing and cleaning for the next round in the workshop [seems to happen like that most days, actually] when I got a real itch to play with some of the sari borders I am packing.....and then all of a sudden the juices started to flow. I really did just want to climb out from under the pile and cram them onto something, dive into their sparkly lusciousness.
I  appreciate the size of the format, I am used to working very large, this is so intimate and attainable. The size feels like a journal page to me, which is great because I have wanted to explore ideas of story cloths for sometime and here is a chance.
If I had to name this piece I am tippy back and forth between "Not drowning, waving" and "Hopefully". Reading from bottom to top you might get what I am hoping for.

Two birds

I didn't think I'd get this done before setting off to Kenya but here we are Voyage number 2.  I have to say I am very proud of having achieved this as it's been a very,very busy couple of months here and I was sure I wasn't going to be able to come up with the goods.  I did struggle to come up with an idea - but then the light went on!  I had someone come to see me - to see and buy some of my Shwe-shwe skirt panels.  Looking at them and at the same time thinking of samples that I wanted to make for an upcoming workshop the idea started to form.  I've cut out 'broderie perse' style designs from a skirt panel and applied them to a lovely batik from Ghana.  One of Gillian's favourite methods!!! Once again I've managed to add a little bit of hand stitching (this bit's not finished!) Two Birds - well it had to  be called that didn't it! Phew - did it!
Magie

Hi guys - just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and kicking here - if a little slow with April's piece!
I had to wait until I could get a day off while visiting Laura to start on it - and it may well be when I get to Gretchen's that I finish it!  So - not long now... The other pieces that are already up all look great.  I've been lucky enough to see Laura's Egoli in the flesh - it is a lovely piece - you don't really see the gold properly in the picture.
More soon...
Magie

TALEK TANGENT

The inspiration for my second Voyager quilt came from a photograph taken in Talek, a town near our camp in the Masai Mara. Talek is a dirty, dusty place teeming with people, donkeys, cows and goats. There are many small shops, bars and lodging houses. This colourful, strip pieced building caught my eye- a quilt!

As I finished piecing the building it looked rather flat. Very unlike me, I decided to let it take me off on a tangent- hence the floating squares. I added more depth with a 'trapunto' effect on the door and windows. Masai bead discs added balance to the squares.