Tables and sewing machines set up in the yoga shala

It was a week of liquid focus and fascination, flowing easily from day to day. Each morning the quilters climbed the stairs to the yoga shala where their sewing machines and tables were set up, commanding the most beautiful view of any quilting workshop. There they stayed until George beat the lali for lunch – and sometimes they’d still stay on, piecing together their pictures, stitching a line, ironing a corner, whilst their skill and creativity flowed into their quilts.

The colours were the blues and greens of the ocean and the oranges and reds of sunsets which were laid out before us every evening.

The sounds of the day were muted: the amiable murmur of quiet chat, the occasional exclamation of irritation when a mistake was discovered, the calm instruction of Gloria putting it right or demonstrating a technique.

Gloria and Ann

These were not to be traditional quilts: Gloria teaches landscape art in which the quilter creates a wonderful fabric artwork. Gloria’s own quilts are masterpieces of the genre. The inspiration for the week lay outside right before their eyes.

The quilts on display

And at the end of the week there were some glorious quilts displayed: Glenyce’s dying sun sinking behind the stark trees, Petal’s fiery sunset lighting up the palm trees, Andy’s view across the bay to the distinctive peak of an extinct volcano, and Ann’s palm tree swaying over a fading sunset.

In between there was time for exploration and swimming and snorkeling. Most memorable of all was taking Ann snorkeling: this a woman who was taking swimming lessons for the first time in her life back in Australia, and had the courage to don a life jacket, strap on a mask and snorkel, and come out into the ocean to enjoy the underwater world. I gave her a guiding hand as we floated over the corals and at the end she sat on the beach and gasped: “Brilliant!” She had been just that.

Ann after snorkelling

Lessa and Jenny (left)

When doctors go on holiday, they are all too often beset by other people asking them for a quick opinion on whatever aches and pains they have that day. When quilters go on retreat, it’s a prime opportunity for the rest of us to sidle up to them with rips and tears in our favourite garments and ask if they couldn’t just…….well, I was shameless and thanks to Jenny, my husband now has a beautifully mended shirt.

Kay at her machine

Which is all slightly irrelevant to the quilting itself but it’s a nice little story about quilters, who are some of the jolliest, best natured and most obliging groups we ever get. The sheer volume of laughter they produce is wonderful. What’s so funny each day? I have no idea, but whenever I walked up to see them and admire their work, I approached on a rising wave of burst of gaiety.

They had a lot to be happy about, of course. A week with one of Australia’s best teachers of traditional quilting. A truly stunning location : we put them up in the yoga shala with its fabulous views of the sea over the tops of the swaying palm trees. Good weather: sunny days with enough breeze to stay cool. Cheerful company, augmented by the enchanting Angelique, the baby granddaughter of one of the quilters Cheryl, who was enjoying a 3 generation outing: herself, her daughter and her granddaughter. And some fun outings, including snorkelling on the reef which was a first for both Lessa and Jenny.

Lessa demonstrating a technique on the machine

And in between all this, they produced marvellous work, swirling swathes of colour in the Fractured Circles design, and intricate patterns in the Mariners Compass design. On the last evening we had a Show and Tell, and all the other guests at the resort gathered to admire and applaud the work on display. A very happy week and Lessa will be back next year in August.

Weaving voivoi mats is a traditional craft in Fiji and should you ever buy one, consider the many, many hours spent in their making. The actual weaving is the shortest part of the process.

Catriona learns voivoi weaving watched by Ella's family

Cutting the voivoi into strips

First the women gather the pandanus leaves, going out into the countryside to gather these long, sharp blade-like leaves. Then they boil them. Then they lay them out to dry in the sun (and quickly take them back inside if there’s a rain storm). Then they smooth out the long wrinkled leaves by pulling them back and forth over a metal rod or file. Now they are ready to cut them into thin strips and finally they can begin weaving.

Catriona and I worked out that it must take approximately 30 – 40 hours to make a 3m x 2m mat. She and I spent a fascinating 2 hours with 3 local women – Killara, Ella and Kata – watching and learning how to weave the mats.

Straightening the voivoi

Catriona had a particular interest in the voivoi mats as she is herself a fibre sculptor. Used to the art and craft of weaving, she was able to pick up the technique quickly – the rigorous sequence of bending one back, folding one forward, slipping one through….over and over. The intricacies of starting and finishing were something we never quite mastered, but Catriona managed to just about complete a small mat during our time with Ella finishing it off for her. I say ‘we’ but in actual fact I never tried: I just took the photos and chatted!

It’s very much women’s business, sitting around sociably and weaving together. Ella recounted tales of her mother teaching her the craft when she was about 16 – and unpicking an afternoon’s efforts because they weren’t good enough.

Starting the mat

Voivoi mats are used extensively in Fiji – enter just about any Fijian village house and you’ll find the floor covered with three or four mats. They sell in the market in Savusavu for anything from F$80 to F$200 depending on size – and when you appreciate the time and skill involved you realise that they are very good value.

The mat progresses

Catriona was at Daku for Lotus Sanderson’s yoga retreat; her work can be viewed at fibresculptures.posterous.comHer day job is running her own PR consultancy: www.cpcommunications.com.au

The June beading workshop had an extra community dimension to it. Teacher, Annlee Butler is a well established Australian beader who is the technical advisor for Creative Beading, one of Australia’s main magazines in this area. She set one afternoon aside to invite 9 local women – and one man – up to Daku to learn some new approaches.

Rosa Sui and others beading around the big table at Daku

All the women sell handicrafts for a living, with stalls at Savusavu market, the Copra Shed and the airport. They were delighted to learn a new skill relevant to their business – and they were fast learners.

“I was stunned at how fast they learnt everything,” said Annlee. “I didn’t know what to expect, how quick or slow they’d be – and they got it immediately – the right tension in the stitch so the beads snug up together, and the stitch itself.”

Lauren Byvank and Mira Wati

The stitch she taught them was the Dutch spiral, a fairly simple stitch based on two movements: pick up / go though / pick up / go through. She showed them how to use it with a bigger bead and a seed bead, creating a lovely tube-like effect of beads wound together in a soft rope. She wanted to show them something they could use with their local resources – and this stitch is ideal for using with pearls.

Annlee shows Lauren and Angela a stitch

Getting new ideas is an important business asset for the women, who are always eager to add to their wares and have different items to sell. It was also very rewarding for the other beaders who were in Annlee’s workshops. Annlee had taught them the stitch in the morning so they could help help with demonstrating the stitches. They really enjoyed the afternoon, sitting chatting with the women as they worked. Later that week they went to the market to see the women and were delighted to find that they were already selling necklaces using the new stitch!

Annlee and Koletta Tukana

This one’s all about pictures – an unfolding scrapbook of how to make a quilted landscape picture.

Gloria Loughman, the teacher, is an immensely talented quilter who teaches all over the world and creates stunning landscapes herself. This week she was guiding her class as they sat up on the deck of the Villa and looked out over what she said was the best view she had ever had in a workshop. Most of the quilters had brought along photos of the landscape they wanted to create as a quilt, although one person, Caz, chose the view in front of her. I’ve included that in my panorama. Hope you enjoy the story!

Caz’s Quilt…

Caz's first layout of the view from her balcony at Daku

The actual view

Caz stitching the landscape

Almost finished...

The final quilt of Daku with backing

Jenny’s Quilt…

Jenny's quilt - laying out the main elements

Stitching up the background

The trees are put in place...

Painting in some water features

The finished quilt