Seabird

Seachange is a common practice these days, but for us seachange is a way of life. We have moved 10 times in 7 countries in the last 35 years. Apart from my birth country 6 years was the longest my family and I lived anywhere. Some people can't stand moving, but I can't seem to have enough of it. New places stimulate me. I learn a lot about a place by living there. There was no place I didn't like. I make it home wherever I go. I get settled, make friends, join a quilting guild and get involved and help with school activities, and in most places I worked too. 

Seachange is about to happen again, but this time it will be for our retirement. We just bought a block of land and will build a home. A place where both Mr Notjustnat and I can unpack and burn the boxes for good! I have mentioned blue and white studio! Yes that it, it will be at Seabird...!

What do you do when you are planning a move? You get yourself a journal. You collect information about the new place. You dream of the new place and you make a quilt for the new place. Yes that what I'm doing! Above is the handmade journal I just finished. It was Coptic bound using recycled dust jackets for the front and used bookcloth for the back cover. 

I got inspired from a book Blue and White Japan by Amy Katoh how to decorate my studio in blue and white. I found these blue and white pots at my local op-shop a while back. I didn't get them at first, but they keep talking to me every time I go there. So I decided to bring them both home. I made one into a pincushion and left the other one for my thread. The first couple of things for my blue and white studio. 

A quilt I'm planning to make is a BORO quilt. It will be made from vintage Kimono pieces and used fabric from vintage clothing. For the backing I found this old indigo kimono at Ziguzagu. It was fully lined so I unpicked and used the lining for the backing of this quilt. 

A true BORO quilt made from layers of cloths and stitched over using running stitches. Pieces for a BORO quilt are normally made up of square and rectangle shapes. I played around with all the pieces, arranging and moving and then rearranging them again. I have added some indigo moon pieces that I dyed. I will add some Sashiko stitching on some of the plain pieces too just to add texture on to the cloth. I'm looking forward to using my indigo dyed threads for this quilt. 

A close up of a piece of my indigo moon. It's a silk remnant that my student brought back for me from Japan. I need to get motivated to finish something so let's hope the blue and white studio will motivate me enough to be on track. 

I'm happy you are coming with me on the journey to Seabird. It won't happen immediately, but at least we have started.  One thing is for sure though, I can take my blog with me where ever I go. Comfortable thought...! 

Last week I received The Versatile Blogger Award from Ivory Spring. I'm so honored that Wendy has chosen me for one of the recipients. Thanks Wendy from the bottom of my heart. Now I am supposed to tell you something you don't know about me. I was a bell ringer (campanologist). I spent 4 years practicing 3 times a week and have rung in Tasmania, Sydney, Auckland, Hamilton and every tower in Victoria. I was quite good at the end. I rung quarter peals about half a dozen times in those 4 years. In bell ringing quite good is not good enough. It was a tough learning curve and I gave up quilting for it. After 4 years I decided that bell ringing is not for me, so I gave up and returned to quilting again. I must say it's much easier than bell ringing...!