I get so caught up working on my quilts that I sometimes forget that it's good to get out of the sewing room and venture out into the real world to see new and inspiring things. 

On Sunday morning Gbf and I caught the train into Sydney to go to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see the America, Painting of a Nation exhibition

It was a wonderfully curated exhibition that showed a history of the America and it's art. It demonstrated a distinct personality of the country and the paintings were all the best examples of their styles. 

I couldn't take photos of the artworks but here are some domed glass ceilings I spotted in my travels. 

Wouldn't they make medallion centers for quilts. 

In the afternoon I zoomed off to Quiltsmith for a lecture about the History and Printing of Toiles de Jouy presented by Marie-Christine Flocard,  a quilter, teacher and specialist in Toile du Jouy.


It was really interesting to hear about the the processes of printing from wood blocking, copper plating and then screen printing, all told through a wonderful collection of slides.  

Here is a photo of Marie- Christine showing us a toile that depicts the different stages of printing fabric. 

Lots of swatches of gorgeous fabrics.
I particularly love these two with that winding ribbon around the flowers. 

And who doesn't love a bird in fabric.

I didn't stay for afternoon tea as I had to meet Gbf who was patiently waiting for me in a nearby cafe. As the train took us home toward the mountains we both agreed it was good to get out and about and we should do it more often. Sounds a bit like a New Years resolution, a bit belated but better late than never. :)