Those Aussies!

A package from my August 6" Block Swap partner came in yesterday's mail. International mail takes its own sweet time and there are no tracking numbers for it. I've noticed that our Post Office raised prices again, and its gotten crazy-expensive to ship both internationally as well as anywhere in the country. Many of the quilters in this closed group are Australian because it was started in Australia and allows for International participants too. I feel lucky to have joined when I did because they are not taking new members.

The package contained squares & fabric pressed quite flat & small, in a baggie. The feel of the fabric is different from what is sold here (and when I buy, I buy good quality quilting fabric). For this swap, we are to make 4 squares for our partners and extras are extra. 

Its a real challenge making 6" squares, and the challenge is even greater to make the wonky or liberated styles because they look like the quilt-maker missed matching points or that it is off in measurements.

I've noticed that more quilters are creating guides or lessons for this method, but usually, its up to the quilter to let go of her expectations and set aside what she has learned.

My partner also sent 2 Fat Quarters of Australian fabric with Kangaroos on them. I can see that she did a fussy cut for one of the blocks from the brown piece. And having this fabric will help when the quilt starts coming together. 


Its interesting to me that the two words, "Wonky" and "Liberated" are used to describe this block style. Wonky has British roots and means 'unsteady, shaky, awry, wrong'. Liberated means 'freed from or opposed to traditional attitudes or ways of behaving'. Many of the links I found for this style will work sometimes, and this is a pinterest link for wonky-liberated-quilts that shows a number of finished quilt ideas.

Bottom line lesson is that its not easy finding that liberated place in your life, nor is it easy to be unconventional or do anything outside of normal conventions. Whenever we step away from the normal, we are seen as off in some way, even to ourselves. We are so very programmed to fit in with most facets in our lives.

Another piece to this is the generosity of quilters who give and give and give of their creative juices, of their time and resources, and of their finished projects. I am grateful for every one of them I meet around the world. For all the negative crap-style news that rolls around the internet screaming doom-n-gloom, what I can say is that this is a good green Earth and upon it live some mighty fine people.