I treated myself today to a class with renowned Australian quilter, Brigitte Giblin at The Home Patch in Bathurst. I have long admired Brigitte's work for her adventurous use of colour and pattern, but always with serious respect given to historical designs.

It was a fabulous class, and such a treat, as Brigitte pulled quilt after gorgeous quilt from her suitcase to show us. I felt quite overwhelmed by their loveliness, and by the sheer time commitment in constructing such intricate pieces. Does this woman not sleep?!

Many of the quilts were from Brigitte's book, 'Feathering the Nest'.  I had so many favourites, I didn't know which one to start! This photo shows detail of the centre of her 'Baby Hexagon Quilt'. Half inch hexagons - so lovely! 

Another favourite was her recently completed 'Mary Tolman' quilt. I so enjoyed making my Little Hexagon Purse that I am sorely tempted to have a go at this one. Brigitte very diplomatically and wisely cautioned that this quilt is a BIG commitment - she seems to know me!

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the day with Brigitte was her sharing of ideas for finishing quilts. Many of her ideas are strongly influenced by traditional European techniques. She rarely binds her quilts with the usual double bind, feeling that this is a rather heavy finish. You can see on this quilt that she has opted for a row of hexagons slip stitched as an edge. Other quilts were simply joined front to back with a tiny whip stitch.

With my head fairly bursting with possibilities, I settled upon starting a 'Baby Clamshell' quilt.  Brigitte's version was wonderfully soft and light. She often makes quilts without batting, sometimes bagging them to keep them feather-light.

And so a new quilt is underway. I intend to use up lots of scraps, although remarkably a few new fabrics snuck into my work basket as I left The Home Patch. Wish me luck!