Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Recent show and tell ...

Lyn has made many wonderful quilts like this one for family 
members. She says it is making her feel very ancient, 
as it is for her niece's grandson!
Marilyn's tiny hexagon centre panel will be complimented
by many exquisite little clamshells.
It does often look like Hexagon Central around our
sewing tables - but aren't they lovely?
Roslyn's current hand-piecing is 'TheAvenue' designed
by Louise Papas, available from Amitie Textiles.
Lynette has recently returned from Japan with lovely memories
of cherry blossoms, and a little fabric, including this beautiful blue
piece she dyed in a Shibori workshop.
Elaine W changed her mind about making this quilt for her
husband - she did make him another one - and generously made
it up for our community quilts collection!

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Patchwork on Pittwater 30/30 sale

Announced in the Patchwork on Pittwater June Newsletter:

30/30 Sale

  • 30% off all fabrics in store (excludes Liberty)
  • Minimum cut 30cm 
  • 20% off Charm Squares, Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes
Thursday 1st June 2017 - Friday 30th June 2017

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Community quilts for winter (1)

Quilts for winter distribution, collected together at last week's sewing day ...

Julie rather liked her first outing with hexagons a few months
ago, so she cut some more from 5 " squares and arranged
them on a stylish background from the community stash.

Several of these quilts have been made by Lynette and her friend
Chris in collaboration. There are many lovely Moda fabrics in this
one, pieced by Chris, quilted and bound by Lynette.
A lovely candy floss pink confection, pieced by Chris,
quilted and bound by Lynette
Exotic animals and birds, with the cutest elephant border,
pieced by Chris, quilted and bound by Lynette

Hillary found the four 'cheater' cloth panels deep in the community
stash, and matched them up with a floral sashing for a lap quilt.

Lynette has been mining the community stash blues for about
three years - this could be quilt #7 made from a very large pile
of 3" blue squares, complimented by crisp white from
Lynette's own stash.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Deborah Louie: new online classes

Popular and highly regarded free motion quilting teacher Deborah Louie has launched a new website, focussed on her newly released online classes on quilting on a domestic machine.

There are currently two classes online:
The website also has links to Deborah's books of quilt projects, and her blog.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Community sewing day, May 2017

We a big, productive community sewing day yesterday. We rounded up completed quilts for winter delivery, and have at least seventeen already, with another dozen close to finishing. We basted, and sewed on labels, found backings and bindings, sorted fabric, making room for recent donations and a sale purchase ... and the machines were fired up for piecing and quilting.

All the finished quilts (1) ... 
All the finished quilts (2) ... 
All the finished quilts (3)
...  and we know there are at least a dozen still in the making.

Stitching, stitching, stitching ... Elaine W is generously sewing
from her own stash; Sue C has made some very intricate quilts
using complex techniques, but thought she should 'have a go'
at a disappearing nine patch, and found pink, green and black
fabric in her stash!. Elaine B is quilting quirky little monsters,
and there were several labels needing to be hand sewn.
Noelle's gorgeous pinwheel top was ready for basting.
The fabric is scraps from a quilt made for a grandchild.

The second of three completed tops made and donated by Robin

Julie decided to 'have a go' at a disappearing 4 patch, and made
enough blocks for two quilts in these fresh apple green tones,
using fabric from the community stash and her own.

Rationalisation of the community stash (some older fabrics
were passed on to other makers) has both updated it and
made room for the very generous donation from Material
Girls Down Under, and this stack of absolute bargains from a
recent flash sale at our local large quilt shop. The red chevron and
 the pink/grey print second from the bottom didn't make it onto
the shelves they are already backing quilts in progress.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

This week's show and tell

Sue C's Little Miss April top is done, ready for basting and
quilting, with the addition of the final border.

Marilyn is working on the final stages of the centre block of her
medallion quilt -  all those 3/8" hexagons take some wrangling!
Roslyn was finishing a bassinette/pram cover for a very precious
little girl. Can you see the sheep? They're on the back too.
We didn't see any evidence of holiday sewing from Jo-Ann,
but we loved her Honolulu fabric shopping for these pineapples!

('Pineapple Fields' in grey, designer Maude Asbury, manufactured
by Blend, 2017. Also available with a white background)

More after Thursday's community sewing day.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Thread + Colour 2: Paddington (NSW)

An exhibition featuring emerging and established Australian and international artists exploring their relationship with wool and colour, opening this week in Paddington:

Friday, May 12, 2017

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Prize winning quilts from Paducah, Spring 2017

Prize winning quilts at the recent American Qquilting Society's Spring Quilt Week in Paducah can be admired online here.

AQS has published a number of short videos of prize winners talking about their quilts, on their Facebook page, and on You Tube.

Rhonda Pearce Wins Third Place in the 1st Entry in Paducah Quilt Contest
AQS Spring Quilt Week, Paducah, 29 April 2017
Rhonda Pearce talks with Tamara Hanes about her quilt, Monique's Mosaic, that won third place in the Large Quilts: 1st Entry in an AQS Paducah Contest sponsored by Gammill Quilting Machines. Learn about her inspiration for this hand made quilt with more than 14,000 hexagons and the unique way she quilted it.
Other Australian quilters who won prizes at Paducah were
  • Rachelle Denneny, A Touch of Blue, 3rd prize, Large Quilts: Stationary Machine Quilted and Honorable Mention for Vanilla Buttercream, Miniature Quilts
  • Jenny Bacon, Crabapple Jelly, Honorable Mention, Small Wall Quilts: Hand Quilted

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Modern Quilting Big Morning Tea

Well that was fun!

Our Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser in support of the Cancer Council this week had a modern theme, taken up in the table decorations, and our guest quilters from the Sydney Modern Sewists and Quilters (Sydney ModQuad) who delighted our audience of members and friends with a spectacular presentation of just some of their modern quilts.

Congratulations to Linda Parsons and the team – Sue Brennan, Robyn Leek, Janice Freelander, Roslyn Pullen and Elsa Kachwalla – on the organising of a very successful event. We raised over $600 for a cause close to our hearts - many of us have had too close encounters with cancer ourselves, or in loved ones, and we know the importance of research and support in the field of cancer. Thank you to every one who came and helped us to make that donation to the work of the Cancer Council.

Our thanks too to Natasha Renstead, Selina Cheng and Bec Proshogo from Syd ModSquad for bringing their stunning quilts, and to Jenn Davis who allowed us to see hers, even though she could not be with us. We loved your quilts, your commitment to and enthusiasm for quilting -  we are in awe of your  needlework, design and quilting skills. And thank you for allowing us to use your photos.
Linda chose a fun modern decorating theme, in keeping with
our much anticipated visit from the Syd ModSquad. The tables
were laid with fat quarters that were 'lucky plate' prizes.
Of course there was a wonderful morning tea spread,
donated by Fairholme members, and as it happens, Linda
is a brilliant cake maker and decorator - and her specialty is
towers of macaroons!
One of the aims of Sydney Modern Sewists and Quilters is 'to engage with the wider Sydney community by contributing charity quilts and acts of service.' One way of doing that is to make a group quilt each year (this year's is the fifth), that is entered into the group category at Sydney Quilt Show, and then raffled as a fundraiser for a charity that supports women in need. We saw two of those quilts on Monday:

Rainbow Skyline was made in 2015, from
Tula Pink's book '100 Modern Quilt Blocks'.
Each colour column was made by a different 
ModSquad member, graduating blocks
from dark to light tones of a single colour.
It will be raffled later this year.
(Photo: from @sydmodsquad)

In 2016 Grey Skies and Rainbow Fields was designed
for the group by Jenn Davis, and members chose blocks
to make, assisted by a detailed colour map. Blocks range
in size from 8" to 24" square, with rectangular flying
geese units.It won third place for a group quilt at
the 2016 Sydney Quilt Show.
 (Photo: from @sydmodsquad)

Bec's beautiful modern take on a classic Storm at Sea.
Its four year old owner agreed to allow her to bring it only
on the condition that she came with it to keep an eye on
it (and on us)! Smart little boy. Bec quilted it herself
on her domestic machine. Check out her own post
on this beauty on Instagram @skyberries for additional
images in close up, and of the reverse.
(Image: from @skyberries)
Bec made her toddler sized Drunkard's Path quilt for
her one year old daughter, from the same Tula Pink
fabrics as a quilt she had made for her own Mum. 
Syd Mod Squad is a very co-operative and collaborative
group, who often work together. Tash pattern tested
'Shattered Star' designed by Jenn Davis, using print
fabrics for the half-square triangles, and a white
solid for the background. Selina made a larger version
in very different fabrics as a pattern test too.
The pattern may be released for sale in the future.
Most of the Mod Squad members are active on social
media, especially Instagram. Selina @seldear 's
diamond blocks were gathered from a birthday swap
conducted via Instagram. She quilted it herself on the
longarm available for hire by customers at HobbySew at
Top Ryde. 

Selina made her Intulawoven quilt from fabric
mostly acquired in an Instagram based swap of
 designer Tula Pink's charm squares, that resulted in
 each swapper receiving 112 different 5" squares.
The intricate pattern is achieved with a single
block 'just rotated through 90º - easy' she said ...

Selina devised a modern take on the disappearing
9 patch block design by gradually increasing the
negative space and eliminating some block elements
across her quilt, and by varying the print elements.

Rain Chains is another of Jenn's own designs,made and 
quilted by her, by hand and machine. The fabrics are all 
solids. You will find her on Instagram @pennypoppleton.

Jenn's splendid modern version of Mrs Billing's Coverlet (pattern 
by Karen Styles from Somerset Patchwork and Quilting) won 
a second prize in the 2016 Sydney Quilt Show. It was hand and 
machine pieced over an 18 month period, to mark her 30th 
birthday, and machine quilted by Leanne Harvey of Mount 
Vincent Quilts @leanne_mountvincentquilts in the 
Hunter Valley.
(Photo from @pennypoppleton)
Snapped as it was being refolded, here you can see some of the
very detailed fussy cutting, piecing and quilting in 'Jenn does
Mrs B' as this wonderful quilt was known during its making.
Sydney Modern Sewists and Quilters blog, has contact details and the meeting schedule, and can be found on Instagram @sydmodsquad and #sydmodsquad.