My quilt was inspired by the tree at the front of my house.
It has gorgeous bark
and it so happened that I had fabric in similar tones.
Because the colours and the tree are so iconic, I wanted something iconic to go with the fabric, so I chose the verse of Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem, "My Country"*. I think just about everyone in Australia knows the words that start "I love a sunburnt country..." I wrote the words out on a 12 inch by 12 inch sheet of paper, just to make sure they would fit.
*By arrangement with the Licensor, The Dorothea Mackellar Estate, c/- Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd.
I rewrote them on the quilt sandwich itself, using a Frixion pen. Then the quilting started.
I knew I wanted to use the leaves in some way.
I happened to have some used (and dried) tea bags. Ah! Bush tea is a combination of very strong black tea, swirled with a gum leaf for flavour. I scattered the leaves over the quilt top, then laid a tea bag on top and stitched around each leaf.
I cut around the leaf shape.
These are real, untreated leaves. As I stitched, I got the scent of the eucalyptus - and as they dry out and crumble, there will be only the shape left - hence "essence" in both cases.
I did a faced finish rather than a binding, as I wanted a clean edge. I slightly rounded the corners.
Finished!
Check out the following blogs/posts for more creative inspiration!
15 August Linda Stokes linda-stokes.blogspot.com
17 August Robyn McGrath SAQA Oceania blog
21 August Felicity Clarke
bearlytherecreations.blogspot.com
24 August
Susan Mathews susanmathews.info