Good morning Asters!

I've corrected my name too. A stray 'e' has now been dismissed. Re challenge for May - I will try because I can't resist but I'm finding the Box Hill coursework fills my weekends and evenings at the moment. Luckily, Geoff is busy helping to renovate his elder son's house, but even he asked when I might be free for a day out! April is just about full of FABRICATE exhibition duties - I'll be there each Saturday: 18th, 25th and 2nd May. I hope you'll all be able to find time to visit; it is on from 10 - 5 daily between 18 April and 3 May.

By the way, I went to the Shared Journeys (papermakers) exhibition at Victoria Uni last week - it was very interesting, actually amazing.

Back to the challenge, there are a lots of things I would like to work into stitch - but I think the 'postage stamp' exercise would be the quickest (2D) as the design is done. Trouble is, I have the 3D bug quite badly now so I might go down that path. At any rate, I would like to do something for the Guild exhibition this year; I have contributed so rarely. So that is going to be my goal for ASTERsessions.

Astermazz

Name change

Hi all - I've just worked out how to change my blogger name, and the combination of Art for the STitch and RIDland was irresistable. So now I'm Astrid! TA DA!!

Congratulations!

a number of you have emailed re logging on to the blog, that's just awesome to know - great achievements by everyone!

challenge idea re stuff done during aster sounds good, I have one of the early exercises that I'd like to pursue - random shapes of black cardboard pasted on to the white page but it came out looking a bit like a cartoon dog. happy to work on it at our catch up so that it's not another deadline for people, perhaps we could start working on our challenges and then have them finished by our next session?

and louise I think you're not alone, I stitched a few things and now this weekend I've had my head in books most of the time - just lovely! cheers, belle

First post

Hi all - Am attempting to post. It's Margaret R here. However I'm "Crewella" in other places, so it seemed simpler to stay with that name. I have a question about the suggested May challenge - is that to finish beforehand and bring then? I have lots of small goals to achieve before May - the first is to sort and store everything that is currently completely covering the floor of my spare room. Best wishes - M.R.

These are the last lot of photographs, Louise

Hey, I'm getting the hang of this and it is great fun. Here are some more photos - it only seems to take a few at a time. Sorry I don't have pictures of everyone's but Margaret and Jan hadn't finished setting up when I took the photographs.

Hi Belinda

I'm not really sure what I'm doing and whether or not this note will appear on the blog. If it does I say to myself "well done Louise". If it doesn't I'm the only one that knows at this stage I'm having great difficulty working it all out. Anyway, just in case, my internet service has been troublesome over the last couple of days so I've not been able to set up an account before now.

Sewing is still proving difficult. I've started a preliminary design on my skirt a week ago but I've not gone back to it. Mmmm, I wonder how I upload some photographs?

Challenge for May

Maybe we could use one of our ideas from our year together and "finish" it into a stitch piece.  What do you all think?

So that astermazz isn't the only blogger....

Hi all,

Thought I'd ensure mazz wasn't feeling ignored or like the only aster around. I don't know that I have much stitching or design news as I spent the weekend in Lakes Entrance at my friends 'shave for a cure' event (a big night but a good one) where they managed to raise the team total to $22K! However I guess after putting up our work on the saturday I did manage to get inspired to start a 'label' for the back of a friends baby quilt which I'd not felt able to settle and do while the Aster pieces weren't completed and then got so obsessed that I finished it on the Sunday, stitched it on the quilt, mended a piece where someone's stitching hadn't quite caught and hey presto it was finished. I then mended two tops of mine and after that got out another quilt that I'd been making in memory of my previous dog, Daisy. Changed a few fabrics to liven it up and am doing a bit of work on it here and there.

However I have also been thinking about stitching and design in general as a friend's 50th is coming up and I decided that this year - without the Art for the Stitch commitment - I would endeavour to make all presents for friends and family!! As well as finish off some UFOs. Big plans hey.

I'm also getting back into the GLEW group at the guild (aka the evening giftshop working group) and if any of you have some time on the first thursday of the month it would be great to have you along too - anytime from 6.30pm at the guild.

that's it for now, hope to hear from you all soon and I shall attach more photos over the next week (is there anyone who doesn't want their work on here?).

cheers, asterbelle

Am I the only Aster blogger?

I don't want to be a blog hog, but in the absence of any news from my fellow Asters, I guess I shall have to bore you with a bit more of mine. I've been at Box Hill again today - drawing in the morning, colour experiments and handstitching in the pm, asleep on the couch in the evening! I'm back there again tomorrow for a workshop the focus of which is a bit vague but I believe will involve printing on fabric, using analogous and complimentary colours, and handstitching. There are several in the group who have not stitched much before so it is quite hard for them to learn the stitches and come up with a (small) sampler of 2 new stitches each week. For me, it is a great way to relax and get reacquainted with the tremendous potential of surface stitchery.

Cheers, and good luck for the meeting tomorrow.
Astermazz

I made it into the blog - I think

Hi fellow Asters.

Thank you Belinda for getting this up and running. Not quite sure what I am supposed to say now. I should be a) working on a couple of pages of the catalogue layout for FABRICATE exhibition, and/or b) doing my homework. I was snookered with a) because I don't have Illustrator or InDesign programs on my computer at home any more; as for b) I'll get to that shortly. Only 2 more tasks to do this week - a small sampler of chain stitch variations and drawing a fruit/vegetable 4 times each with different drawing media. Hmmm. Sound familiar? We already made outline drawings and drawings showing form in class. I chose a strawberry which was a very bad idea - too small, too much colour and too many pips! Think I'll try a pear for the next batch!

Mazz

Our first post!

Hi all

Hope everyone is going well and enjoying the time available now that our exhibition is set up and we're not working night and day on finishing (or 'tidying up') our pieces.

Looking forward to our future challenges and catch ups!

cheers, belle