SAQA Auction

The SAQA Auction starts tomorrow. In case you don't know, SAQA stands for Studio Art Quilts Associates, and members have contributed twelve-inch square quiltlets which are to be auctioned in three lots. My contribution, Effervescent Evanescent is above - inspired by the bubbles in my bathwater, techniques include cut-back applique using layered scrim and free-machine stitching.

There are quilts by some of the world's leading artists up for grabs, so why not get yourself over to the website http://www.saqa.com/ and have a look!

Congratulations America

I suppose part of the euphoria amongst democrat voters in the US must be like what many of us in the UK felt when the Tory party was finally routed and Blair came to power, a night when cheers could be heard echoing down our street and next day everyone was smiling at each other - not that I feel Tony Blair stood the test of time very well but it felt really good to start with.

But aside from being great news for America politically, historically it has been an astounding victory. I remember, when I was a student seeing news footage of the Civil Rights movement, being horrified at the killing of Martin Luther King. And now, in what is, historically speaking, a relatively short period of time, America has elected an African-American president. As one African-American woman said on Monday, "Now when we tell our children they can achieve great things they can believe us."

And it's also a reminder for us in the UK that despite in theory outlawing discrimination we still have some way to go.