Back in business

Fairholme Quilters is back in business this week, after our summer recess.  Not that no sewing and quilting has been happening over this coolish summer, as show and tell yesterday revealed ...

Janice has made this beauty for a friend's birthday, with Sarah Fielke's Sandwich Short of a Picnic pattern, from her book Quilting with Little Things (2011)

Miriam's Christmas quilt was finished on Boxing Day!

The community quilts collection grew significantly

Lynette put these folded stars together and quilted them into a community quilt.  The blocks were made by evening group members a couple of years ago.

Elaine made this quilt from start to finish, for the community collection.

Maureen made this top, and Lynette quilted and finished the quilt.

These two quilts (above and below) were put together, quilted and bound by Lynette, from blocks cut at the last meeting in 2011, and pieced by various members.

Obviously Lynette has kept herself busy while awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild (any day now) ... that's a great load of work Lynette - thank you from all of us.

Cleaned your machine lately, or had it serviced?

Mined from other people's blogs:

This post from Bear Hugs All Round will discourage you from using compressed 'canned' air (or anything else to blow sewing machine lint out of sight (and into the inside of your machine), should you ever be tempted. The photos will have reaching for the lint brush ...

A Dog Named Banjo has an excellent series of tutorials on the basics of the Bernina 440 QE (Aurora), with very clear and detailed photos for some processes (cleaning, attaching the walking foot and using the BSR, for example).  Recipes such as vanilla extract made with a vodka base, and soft pretzels are just a nice extra, really.

Fairholme Quilters' Quilt Show 2012

The Fairhome Quilters' two yearly exhibition will be held over three days:

Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd April 2012

at the Thornleigh Community Centre

Click here for a larger image of the flyer

We look forward to seeing you there!

Berrima Patchwork: Airing of the Quilts

Our last bus trip took us to the southern highlands, where one of the most popular stops was Berrima Patchwork.  They have just released their  workshop program for 2012, and announced the date of their annual Airing of the Quilts:  Saturday,4th February

This events coincides with a sale of fabric, patterns and books ... all details are on the website, under the link to 'current newsletter'. 

The events  include Quilting in the Highlands,  a four day program of classes with a number of well known local and international teachers in late July (you can sign up for fewer than four days). 

'Being, Nothingness' and 1000 quilt blocks

Helen, a Brisbane quilter, started a blog in late 2012 to document the two challenges was about to embark upon:

Where to start… I might as well get straight to the point. I have set myself two challenges for the year ahead. Challenge one is to make all 1000 quilt blocks in Maggi McCormick Gordon’s 1000 great quilt blocks. Challenge two is to read Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre.

... and on 13th January 2012, she announced that she had completed both.  Her blog, Being, Nothingness includes a gallery of all 1000 blocks!

100 Days of Modern Quilting

For those interested in Modern Quilting, here is a real online treat:

Get ready for a lot of beautiful modern quilts coming your way. Starting tomorrow and for the following 14 weeks we’ll be posting every single day right here on The Modern Quilt Guild blog! Here’s what you get to look forward to:

Shapes
Colors
Blocks
Improvisation
Inspiration
Composition
Prints
Solids
Using What You Have
Techniques
Collaboration
Participation
Tools
Machine Quilting

Each week will feature 7 different modern quilts that represent the topic. We’ll also include tutorials from around the web on each topic, and a brand new tutorial each and every week!

This series of posts will educate, inform and inspire. We hope that after 100 days of posting you’ll have learned a lot about modern quilting!

This link will bring up all the 100 days posts - the most recent will appear at the top, so scroll through to start at the beginning (that's just how blogs work).  The button in the right hand column will also take you there as this post disappears off your screen.

Free Motion Quilting 'Quilt Along'

Leah Day reached her goal of 365 days of free motion filler designs recently (see the link in our blogroll - right hand column).  Her blog series has been hugely popular around the world.  What will she do next?

Well, this week she has started a new series of blog posts that promises to be really useful for those of us still developing our free motion technique - a 'quilt along'  that provides virtual lessons, breaking free motion quilting into small steps, with strategies for practising and incorporating them into quilts. New posts will be published weekly.

Leah uses close-up video, static images, diagrams and very clear explanations.

Quilt Along #1 - Let's Wiggle! starts here.

Fabulous for beginners, for anyone not able to get to classes, or to augment your practice sessions in your own time.

2012 Colour of the Year

The PANTONE name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, across a variety of industries.

Since 2000, Pantone has selected a colour of the year, that has wide influence on colour trends and all kinds of products ... including fabrics, of course. 

Pantone's colour of  2012 is Tangerine Tango.

Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge ...is an online challenge (you make an item according to the challenge criteria, and  post photos of your entry to a Flickr group) that celebrates the 2012 colour of the year in a quilted item. It runs for two months, until 2nd march 2012.

Could be fun - anyone who has a tangerine paint chip for the current Fairholme Quilters' challenge would be streets ahead.

Australian Quilt Study Group in 2012

The NSW Quilt Study Group has published its calendar of events for 2012 - there are some very interesting looking offerings.

The AQSG blog also features updates and reports about 2011 events, including a series on antique quilts, with excellent images and some video. A link has been added to our 'blogroll' - right hand column.

Stash and Treasurer Recyclers' Market: Marrickville, 14 January

Lisa Walton from Dyed and Gone to Heaven will be at this market at Marrickville Town Hall in January.  Who else might be there to pick up a treasure from? Fabric and notions appear in lots of the publicity photos! Or you might have some de-stashing to do ...

Information from Stash and Treasure Market blog, and on Facebook:

Start 2012 by decluttering your studio, your sewing basket, your art and craft cupboard or work space, your book shelves, your magazine racks of your art and craft stash and treasure excess!!! Pack it up, book a table, bring it along to Marrickville Town Hall on January 14 2012 to recycle / sell for dollars. Book and pay for a table - Early birds before 31 December $40 - January 1-14 $45 or share a table with a friend ... easy ramp access to the Town Hall ... no stairs! Supporting Miracle Babies Foundation. Contact: stashandtreasure@gmail.com.

An online challenge with a great prize!

To kick off your quilting year, here is an opportunity to win an excellent fabric prize, and you don't even have to sew anything - just play with virtual fabric, and put together a combination that you like. Just like starting a quilt - what fun! 

Laura at Quokka Quilts explains it all clearly, and several examples are already posted.  The deadline is 15th January ... so you might need to get onto it sooner rather than later, to enjoy maximum playing time.

Thanks to Sue C from the Fairholme Monday group for the link.