Last regular show and tell for 2017 - finished quilts

We take a few weeks break over the summer, and there has been a little flurry of finishing things off lately. This week is our last week of regular meetings - Christmas parties next week.

This quilt design is called 'Secret Stars' - Sue B might
not be very secretive! She made the quilt start to
finish in under four weeks.

The back is pieced to use up all the left
over red and blue fabric.

Susan has finished a very stylish re, black and white
quilt that started with the fabric in the very middle.
She used the prints as a guide for quilting. It is backed
with another fabulous red and black print.

Isn't this a great use of 2 1/2" strips ? Lynette cut up solids and
white, and a black and white spot for the sashing.
One for the 2018 community collection.

A very big pile of small squares were cut from community
stash fabrics about three years ago - Lynette is still working
her way through them!

Someone will just love this comic book superhero quilt made
and long-arm quilted by Yvette and donated to the
community collection.

Jill made the 'Fancy Fox' blocks designed by
Elizabeth Hartman in 2015, but only sewed
them together a few weeks ago, and quilted
it this week.

A generous gift

Chris is not Fairholme member, but she is a generous contributor
to our community program - this week she gave us nine little
Blankets of Love to be passed on to Quilt NSW, who will
distribute them to maternity units.

They are offered to parents of babies who do not survive
the perinatal period, as wraps, and/or mementos.
Thank you Chris, they are much appreciated.

Australian National Quilt Register re-launched online

The National Quilt Register is an online database and central resource for the Australian quilting community. It provides digital access to quilts held in public and private collections throughout Australia ... read more in the Australian Quilt Study Groups' blogpost here.

A list of Australian Quilt Study Groups events for 2018 is also on the blog now.

Show and tell

Craft stall stock for April 2018 - balls with bells inside
for babies, made by Elaine B ...

... and Sue H's button jam.

Peggy has new Christmas decorations in hand ...

... and Louise C is finishing off Christmas placemats. 

Lynette has been working on her English paper pieced 1930's
repro stars for six years - and is very nearly finished.

The penguin fabric was an offering for our end-of-year
challenage - Julie has made a quilt with it, and handed
the remains to Lyn, who has paired it with 'In a Whirl'
blocks made from Miriam's tutorial. And still there is
more penguin fabric - maybe enough for one
more small quilt.

Fabric sale - Craft Depot

www.craftdepot.com.au

Community quilts parade

As the year winds down, we will soon be passing our community quilts on to those we make them for. These beautiful quilts have been handed over by their makers this week, and are very welcome additions to our already substantial collection.

Pat challenged herself with the fabrics she chose
from the community stash, and to make a chevron
pattern that will have wide appeal - she has
carried it off so well!

A different challenge - the centre block was donated by Sue H
for the end-of-year challenge, and Julie took it on. Most of
the outer border fabric was in the community stash.
Now it all looks like it just belongs together.

The second quilt that Elaine W made from fabric rescued from
the community stash cull a few months ago - another good call.

Lynette has made quite a few disappearing four
patch quilts - this one has a different layout, and is
another way to use two fabrics effectively.

Robin W made two similar quilt tops in her signature brights
with this vivid blue background, and generously donated them
to the community collection. Lynette has finished the
second one, quilting and binding it.

Chris and Lynette have teamed up again - Chris made the
top and donated it to us, via her friend Lynette who quilted and
bound it. They work so well together, and we often don't know
what they're up to until a fully finished quilt appears!

North Shore Craft Group Christmas Boutique Show and Sale

Thornleigh Community Centre

Friday 24 November 1 - 5 pm

Saturday 25 November  9am - 5 pm

Sunday 26 November  9 am - 4 pm

Facebook event page

November community sewing day

And just like that, another year of monthly community sewing days is done, and the stash is packed away until February ...

That doesn't mean that community quilts aren't still being made (we know they are, and look forward to the first show and tell after the break!) but it will be several weeks until we get together again in our lovely not-so-little community space. We might have to catch up for a coffee at least in the meantime.

Thank you to everyone who has participated this year - your time, efforts and friendship are much appreciated. We have made about 70 quilts this year!

Team basting is always a high priority for community sewing
days - we really capitalise on the large table tops and willing
hands. All of these fabrics were donated by members, and the
quilt top made up by Dawn.

Burying quilting threads - no-one's favourite job.
Robin W made the quilt, Lynette quilted and bound it.
The gorgeous hot pink backing was in the community stash.

Our new labels arrived from Spoonflower - they're a little larger
than anticipated ... but you can easily read the care instructions!

Some flannel action from Miriam - before it gets too hot to
handle it. Soft florals.

This is going to be good - Susan auditioned some stunning
sashing fabric to pair with her flying geese and another set of
blocks made with predominantly Aboriginal prints. 

Some of the beautiful bright fabrics Daphne chose from the
community stash for a new quilt that she then cut and started to
sew on the day. Another one to look forward to in the new year.

Some blocks from the stash - it's always a good idea to trim
before joining, but it is a bit annoying when you trim them
all to 8 1/2" and then find that the last few are only 8 1/4" ...
Elaine went back and re-trimmed them all.

Sue C is now about three quarters through her red and blue
cross quilt top, and it looks fabulous.

Just checking that the backing is big enough for Dawn's quilt
top - not basting, because Yvette has very, very generously
taken six community quilt tops to practise her long-arm quilting
skills, in preparation for launching a new business in the
new year!

Susan has a quilting plan for her appliqued leaves and butterflies.

Tools downed - time for lunch! The quilt top was made
by Robyn B, and is now basted ready  for Jill to quilt.

Four finished community quilts handed over this week!

Show and tell and shopping ...

Victoria's very nearly finished quilt is very large - she
 was sewing down the very last of the binding this week.

The fabrics are a mix of weights, bought as a kit.
The graphic quilting was done by Jo-Ann (Quiltwise)

The first finish of three 'In a Whirl' quilts being made by
 Elaine W, after she won a large box of 2 1/2" strips at our
Biggest Morning Tea earlier in the year. This and one other
are generous donations to our community collection, and
one has been claimed by one of Elaine's grandchildren
who is keeping a close eye on its making.

The aqua sashing and grid quilting bring the large variety of
prints together very nicely. Elaine used Sew Miriam's tutorial.

Sue H will be busy making three I-spy quilts for
 three year old family members - the first one is now
ready for quilting. They will be finished as quillows.

End-of-year challenge progress: make something (anything) from
someone else's abandoned project. In Val's skilled hands a small
collection of blocks, some joined together, some loose, became
an 18" cushion filled with light, shade, colour and movement.

Pat says she can't sew clothes, but she has made two fine
kimonos for her vintage Pedigree walking doll that remains
in excellent condition. We will see the doll herself when
she has her new wig and shoes! 

We all know that quilters need fabric, and it doesn't take
much to prompt a purchase - but there is nothing like a
quilt show to enable some spontaneous shopping. The recent
Modern Quilt Show Australia held in Sydney sent (from top
left) Jo-Ann, Roslyn and Sue C into shopping mode.
Daphne (bottom right) went for the very big guns at the
International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas a couple of
weeks ago - this bundle is a fat quarter pack of 'Dot Crazy'
the new release by Modern Quilt Studio, and there has been
some evidence of a significant Kaffe Fasset acquisition too.
Very nice work!

Last week's show and tell

It was a delight to revisit Lyn's Yoko Saito quilt, now that it
is quilted. Like all Lyn's work it is beautifully done - we look
forward to it hanging in our 2018 quilt show in April. 

Close-up details - but photos cannot do it justice
- it needs to be seen 'in the cloth'.

There is so much to see - you could look at it long
and often and still see new things.
One other quilter was heard to say that having seen
Lyn's quilt finished she was encouraged to get out the
pattern that she has had for several years, and get
started - we look forward to that!

Louise's Studio Mystery quilt is different again
 from all the others we saw the week before last!

Dawn was trying to find a way to use her bird print panels, 
without much success, until the berry and leaves stripe 
appeared in a donation of fabric from Material Girls Down 
Under - both the print and the background blue were just 
the thing, and the quilt is now happily finished and in our 
community collection.

Someone from a group Denise belongs to is leaving after a
long association, and Denise has made this small quilt with
heart shaped spaces for them all to sign as a farewell gift.

Helen found these twenty one Lemoyne Star blocks on eBay.
They are hand pieced, using authentic feed sacks and either
quilters' muslin or s fine calico /homespun, and in good condition.
She is thinking about putting them together, and how to quilt
them sympathetically.

These beautiful batiks were a roll-up, donated by Sew Can I in
Werrington County, and won by Julie at our Biggest Morning
Tea back in May. Now beautifully quilted by Jo (Quiltwise).

Margaret has been making Christmas table runners and Santa
bags for her market stall.

These beautiful bags are also Margaret's work - she selected the
cross stitch panels from the end-of-year challenge table, and is
making them into tote bags, with carefully chosen, good quality
fabric to compliment them. The eight panels were worked
more than ten years ago, by Janice, who is delighted to
see them being used.