Berry Quilt Show 2015

Good advice for all quilters

Three Things Machine Quilters Should Stop Doing 
This video from Angela Walters is relevant to all quilters - it's not about a whizz-bang new quilting technique or pattern, but our approach to quilting, and especially to charing it with others. We do know this already, but a reminder is always worthwhile - 8 minutes well spent.

PS - you will find Angela's videos on whizz-bang new quilting techniques and machine quilting patterns on her You Tube channel. They are very good too.

This week at Fairholme (3): The Pittwater Quilts - a community project

For last year's end-of-year challenge, we made up fabric kits asked members to make a block each for several quilts to be put together this year. The pattern is based on 'Freezeframe', from Judy Laquidara's 2012 book 60 Pieced Quilt Borders: Mix & Match.

The fabric packs started with a generous donation of scrap fabric from Robyn Evans at Patchwork on Pittwater in Mona Vale, supplemented by some from our community stash. The quilts might become known as the 'Pittwater Quilts'. We estimated that we would have enough blocks for 4 - 6 quilts, depending on size. 

At our first community sewing day earlier this week, Roslyn, Sue, Susan and Georgie took on the task of laying out the blocks, and came up with 5 quilts after a couple of additional blocks are made. 

Thank you to everyone to took a kit and made a block (or two), and those who are sewing them into finished quilts that will be donated to all of our community causes.

After being packed away over our summer break, a little of
this was needed ...

Once the blocks were divided up, it was decided to work
on one quilt at a time ...

... and at the end of the day this cot-sized top was finished, 

and pin basted, and Georgie had offered to quilt it.

This week at Fairholme (2): first 2015 community sewing day

Predictably, our first community sewing day, held yesterday, was a hot, humid February day in Sydney - we were thankful for shady trees, air-conditioning, and ceiling fans. We worked  on progressing quilts started last year, and planning for our sewing throughout the year. 

Six quilts were pin basted (after their backings were chosen and made) - a much easier task when several people can work together around a large table, but still a big job. 

Some additional fabric sneaked into the community stash, some after a little vacation elsewhere, while homework was done ... I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get pictures of every quilt we worked on today, but here are some to be going on with, and we'll catch up with the others when they come back.

Jill's double disappearing 9 patch is now finished, and is in
the donation collection.

Some months ago, Lynette mined the community stash
for blue prints, that were plentiful. She has complimented
them with some additional blues from a friends stash and is
now making her fourth (or possibly the fifth or more) blue 
community quilt married with white and other 
low-volume fabrics ...

Today's nine-patch blocks were laid out like this ...
and might or might not remain in this pattern.
We will see in a few weeks!

A quilt Lynette made earlier - this one also builds on that
multi-sourced blue fabric vein, with complimentary borders
and backing in gorgeous navy prints ...

... and you can see the trip-around-the-world layout more clearly here.
Lynette used Bonnie Hunter's strip piecing method

This time last year we spent a day organising 47 'Missing U'
blocks into 3 quilt tops (the blue-grey one is here), from our
end-of-year challenge. We had two blocks left over (because 3
does not go into 47 !), and decided to use two blocks made
with oriental style prints as the starting point for a fourth 'Missing U'.
Ros found some stash fabrics that fitted the bill and made
several blocks, and Pat gathered scraps from whoever offered
them and made several more. Today we pin basted the 4 x 4 block
quilt top that Pat sewed together at our last sewing day, and she
has kindly offered to quilt it.  The Missing U pattern is from 
Amanda Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison's Sunday Morning Quilts) 
We will have a finished quilt photo soon. 

Helen was enjoying sewing up colourful blocks from stash
fabric and the scraps from earlier quilts. The larger the blocks get,
the more random the fabric selection. This is at least her
third one in this series. Our stash of fabric and the number of
quilts we make might suggest that it will not be the last.

Dawn took on the task last year of making a donated fabric book
panel into a child's quilt, taking care to keep the story flowing.

... there be castles, and dragons ... but they look friendly.

This week at Fairholme (1) ...

Susan has been working on a commissioned quilt with
Peggy and Lyn, requiring lots of practice with a
stained glass technique. Her skill and confidence grew,
and she has now finished a several-years-in-the-making
wall hanging, completing the lead lighting by machine,
with a twin needle.

Miriam made her Dilly Bag from Judy Newman's pattern
- it has a rigid round base, and uses 1 " hexagons.

Miriam likes the size of her table topper, that means that you can
use a single width of fabric for the backing.
You will find a three-part tutorial and better pictures on her blog,
Sew Miriam. 

A finished top for a community quilt that has undergone
three revisions over two years, that Jill is very pleased
to declare 'done'

We farewelled Robyn T with a morning tea this week.
After ten years as a Fairholme Quilter  and suburbanite she is
moving to the country where she and her husband will once
again be farmers. We wish you all the best in the new venture,
Robyn, and thank you for your many contributions over
the years. We will miss you. 

A selection of Robyn's beautiful quilts - she might be
largely responsible for the popularity of hexagons
amongst our members!

Quilts for Sydney Children's Hospital

This week we donated these bassinet and cot quilts from our
community quilts collection to the Sydney Children's Hospital
Pain and Palliative Care team, through the Quilters Guild of NSW.
Thank you to the members who made them, and those who
donated the fabric.

This weekend at Castle Hill

Visit the Craft Alive website or the Stitch by Craft Alive Facebook page 

for further information about exhibitors and other venues and dates.

More 2015 events ...

See our 2015 Events page for other event listings.

Stitches and Craft Show website

Springwood Community Quilt Show

24th - 26th April 2015

Springwood High School, Faulconbridge

Featured quilter: Rhonda Pearce

Eastwood Patchwork Quilters 2015 Exhibition

Friday 1st May - Sunday 3rd May 2015

Brush Farm House, Eastwood

Sometimes you do need a quick easy and effective pattern

Most of us enjoy the challenge of a more complex pattern, or an original design, and the process of working through the steps slowly, watching the overall design build up. But sometimes you either need or want to make a quilt quickly, fairly easily, but still with some design punch.

These two patterns, made freely available online could fill that brief, and will be filed for use in our community quilts program. They are ideal for precuts (layer cakes, precuts) waiting for an idea, or to cut from yardage or scraps:

Layers of Charm, from The Fat Quarter Shop. Images of the quilt made up a wide variety of fabrics, with colour, value and print/solid choices giving different looks have been appearing on social media - a few examples are here (Kitty Wilkin, Night Quilter), here (Elizabeth Timmons, and pins) and here (Daisy, ants to sugar), for starters.

Double Slice, from Missouri Star Quilt Company. The video tutorial dates from 2011, but the pattern is still attracting new makers, in all kinds of fabric combinations. Poppyprint made hers in the very popular Cotton and Steel range. A Maiden Hair Fern gives a picture tutorial in a recent range, Comma, from German fabric designer, Zen Chic.   This version, in cream and black prints was posted by the long-arm quilter.

If it's February, we're back (3)

Wrapping up this week's mega show and tell ...

Val made 25-patch blocks to use up her scraps, and
chose a high contrast whitd-on-white stripe to set off the
scrappy sashing beautifully. And still there are scraps ... 

Ros gathered an elegant collection of low-contrast
fabrics to make a calm quilt - it has worked very well.
Quilted by Jo (Quiltwise)

Jill made a 'Social Tote' in a Quiltsmith summer school class
taught by Lorena Uriarte. The pattern (by Carolyn Friedlander)
is renowned for its complexity ... quite challenging for someone 
who has never made a bag at all!

 Elaine W found the blue spot fabric in a remnant basket and thought 
Jill could 'do something' with it - she probably didn't expect it to take 
two years.  Double disappearing nine patch with a slight variation.

If it's February, we're back (2)

Robin W quietly handed this hand quilted little beauty
over to our Blankets of Love collection

We loved watching Miriam's hand-pieced Trip Around the
World grow last year, and seeing it finished - hand quilted
and bound this week.  You can see close-ups and more
about the quilt-along she joined to complete it, on her
blog, Sew Miriam

Robyn T is the boss of hexagons - this is not the first
large and intricately detailed quilt she has made
using small hexagons, and they are all brilliant ... close-ups below 

We will miss you Robyn when you move to
the country in a few weeks!

There are still a few photos to be organised ... more soon.

Online entry now available for Sydney Quilt Show

'The Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. is excited to offer members the option of an online entry form for the Sydney Quilt Show 2015.'

All the information you need and a link to the online application process is here, on the Quilters Guild of NSW website. 

Entries are open until 13th March 2015.

Online application is not compulsory - paper based entry forms are still available.

The Sydney Quilt Show will be held 17th - 21st June 2015, at the Glebe Island Expo Centre, Sydney.

Image: Pixabay.com

If it's February, we're back ...

We convened after our summer break this week - there was much catching up and a robust round of show and tell, that had a distinct 'finishing off UFOs' and 'using up the scraps' slant. It will take two or three posts to get through all the photos, here are Jo's and Lyn's UFO finishes:

Jo finished her fussy-cut shop started in a workshop with
Margaret Sampson George. The pink plaid background
fabric is a brilliant choice - but Jo said it took half a day
to make the decision!

Jo's Power Stripping quilt was started in a workshop with
Brenda Gael Smith in 2012

Jo's final finish is bright, and modern, and of
course, beautifully quilted.

Lyn finished her scrappy foundation pieced Endless Chain
quilt top - but she still has scraps! 

Lyn's second foundation pieced beauty, Catherine Wheel, was started in a
workshop with Anne Sommerlad

This Winding Ways design is Lyn's third UFO (top) finish
 -  just beautiful!

Thanks for taking the photos, Sue - more to come.

Quiltsmith: 2015 class list

Quiltsmith in Annandale has released its class list list for 2015, and bookings are now open.

In addition to the regular, ongoing class program, Quiltsmith advises that 'we have a series of one or two day workshops planned, by regular and guest teachers. These will be great skill builders.'  Keep an eye on the Quiltsmith blog for class information - there is a link in the right hand column.