Starstruck

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Sarah Fielke on the weekend. You might just want to read that first sentence again - SARAH FIELKE, I say!! Was I excited? Ha, just a little!

Sarah is a talented Australian quilter and designer, and the author of three books, the latest being 'Quilting, From Little Things'. She was in town for the day to teach a class at Patchwork Orange. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the class, but I popped in, ever so briefly, to say hello and to delight in her beautiful quilts.

For the quilting superstar that she is, Sarah was very humble and unassuming about her work. My gushing made up for any humility on her part! It was very special to see some of Sarah's quilts from her book 'in the flesh'.

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There was 'Flock Together', a stunning feathered star quilt with its tiny, tiny half-square triangles. Nothing Sarah does is half-hearted, and this quilt was intricate and HUGE!

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One of my favourite quilts from Sarah's book is 'Whirligig'. I love the Anna Maria Horner full-blown yellow roses on aqua. Seeing this quilt up close makes me even more inclined to make it. It was gorgeous.

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Sarah also had 'Hanging Lanterns' on display. I could have stood looking at this quilt all day, picking out fabrics that I have in my stash. One of the things I love about Sarah's designs is her ability to put together surprising combinations of fabrics that work together effortlessly, and give a real vibrancy to her quilts.

There is nothing ho-hum about Sarah's work. Her quilts are stimulating and energetic, and challenge me to break out of my 'matchy-matchy', safe little box. 

I would love to have chatted with this talented woman all day. It was all I could do to drag myself out the door. Family commitments took priority this time, but given another chance, I will be there in a heartbeat!