Colours of the year for 2018

Do these promotions influence your use of colour, or purchases?

There are at least two 'Colours of the Year' promotions currently running campaigns on social media.

The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet, described in very purple prose, as

 ' ... A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future. Complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own ...'

The Pantone Colour of the Year is used across a very wide range of products.

The Kona Colour of the Year is much more narrowly focused, promoting Robert Kaufman Fabric's Kona Cotton Solids, via a limited edition colour that will be available for one year only. A 'look book' of quilt patterns commissioned from well known designers for 2018's Tiger Lily is available here.

It is described by Robert Kaufman fabrics as ' ... a versatile, lively red-orange hue you didn't know you were missing ...'

Kona Cotton in Tiger Lily will be available in quilt stores in the New Year.


We claim to be well ahead of the trend, with our raffle quilt 'Marmalade', made for our 2014 Quilt Show, and the quilt recently finished made from the marmalade offcuts:

Will you be swayed to use either colour in your quilts in 2018?

Merry Christmas

Community quilts, July - December 2017

In July we delivered 28 quilts made in our community quilts program for foster children and residents at a dementia care centre. In recent weeks, we have made our final deliveries for 2017, of 40 quilts. We are a bit surprised that we've completed 68 quilts for delivery in the year, especially since we don't work to a set target number, and we're not a huge team. Thanks to all who have participated as makers and donors.

All of the quilts have been posted before, but it gives us a sense of the scale of our program to see them all together and we just like to see them stacked up.

12 quilts were delivered to the Quilt NSW coordinator
of quilts for foster children at the end of November.

28 quilts delivered to a local dementia care centre in December.

Fairholme Quilters Quilt Show: 6 - 8 April 2018

2018 will be a big year for us - it's our Quilt Show year, and most of the planning has already been done, or is well in hand. We're delighted that Studio ARTES artists will be joining us again, and the proceeds of the raffle will be donated to them.

We'd love you to join us in April, so to help you keep up to date we have launched a 2018 Quilt Show page here on the blog (there is a link just below the banner photo as well), and we will post updates on our Instagram account and Facebook page. 

We'll post a Facebook event page in the new year.

Our flyers have just arrived - we will distribute
them from January.

Check the Quilt Show page out now!

2017 end-of-year challenge (3)

 These challenge quilts were made by members of the Tuesday night group ...

 Helen rescued a single star block, knowing that she had
complimentary fabrics for borders in her stash.

Elaine finished joining Peggy's hexagon flowers, that were
started long ago, added some new ones and is ready to
appliqué them to a border

Janet says she attracts orphan blocks like this near-vintage
collection that she handed over to Lynette - and another
community quilt came to life with additional donated fabrics.

Jill updated and enlarged Helen's small navy and red log cabin quilt top

Hilary also rescued s single star block and used it as a feature
panel in one of the ten SewMiriam  zip top bags she has made!

These challenge quilts were team efforts ...

Lyn re-jigged a large top that she thought was 'too brown'
into two, and Lynette practised spiral quilting on one for
a community quilt

Daphne and Sue H worked together to join up some large
pieced hexagon blocks into a table runner.

Lyn used some of the strips of a penguin print to sash
complimentary 'In a Whirl' blocks made with SewMiriam's
 tutorial. It came to a community sewing day for basting, and Lyn
quilted it for community quilts.

And some people have decided not to have their quilts photographed until they are finished - so there will be more!

2017 end-of-year challenge (2)

More end-of-year challenge quilts from the Monday group ... as well as the quilting skills, we enjoyed hearing the stories of how each one began the challenge, and their planned use. And yes, we should have taken 'before' photos!

These wedding ring blocks were nearly done, so Dawn finished
them, joined them together and has a little more planned
for them before they will be regarded as a finished quilt.

Roslyn's year has been unexpectedly challenging,
as well as joyful. She is calling her re-make her
Basket Case quilt!

Elaine W has been sewing up a storm recently - she has
finished three community quilts, and two quilts for her
granddaughters, including this one, made from nine blocks
abandoned by Diana that required very little tweaking,
sashing and borders, all ready for the Christmas holidays.
Diana will be thrilled that is will belong to a little
girl who already loves it.

Miriam's quilt made from blocks abandoned by Helen
and some of her own orphans has progressed to being
partially quilted, and will be finished for Christmas
gifting. The backing is gorgeous and quirky, but we didn't
get a photo!

We saw these two bags a couple of weeks ago,
made by Margaret K from panels cross stitched
and donated by Janice. There were eight panels, and
eventually, eight bags, where they were paired
with suitably classic fabrics. 

They are now in new homes, having been
sold on Margaret's Christmas market stall last weekend
- stocked with all sorts of beautiful things she has
sewn - where she raised more than $1,000 to
support disadvantaged children in the Solomon Islands.
Janice was really thrilled to know that her blocks
had been put to such good use - doubly appreciated.

2017 end-of-year challenge (1)

Our end-of-year challenge seems to have gone well - lots of quilts, bags and other items have been made. We each selected someone else's abandoned blocks/projects to finish or remake. Both Monday morning and Tuesday evening groups revealed our progress at our Christmas lunch/dinner this week.  We held a viewer's choice vote in the Monday group which is much larger than the evening group. 

Val's viewers' choice winning cushion, beautifully
 re-engineered from a small collection of little blocks
recut, added to and rearranged. Congratulations Val!

Susan has used two sets of blocks that play very happily together.
Some of the flying geese blocks came from Yvette, and some of the
diagonal pieced squares came from Miriam. Susan made more
of both blocks and chose the best sashing fabric ever from
her own stash. Borders will be added.

Both Yvette and Miriam are impressed by Susan's re-make.

Pat built on the centre star block and most of the pieces
inside the yellow border, adding one block there and the
outer borders for a very successful and striking re-make.

Jo-Ann made a few of these pretty blocks, but discarded
them because she didn't like the darkish grey sashing
she added. Linda chose them because she knew she
had similar coloured fabric in her stash. It turned out to
 be the same fabrics, by happy coincidence. Linda's white
 sashing lets the teal and yellow shine, and both Linda
and Jo-Ann are thrilled with the result.

There are more photos to come as they are processed. We will be enjoying the progress and finishes well into the new year. It has been such a success we might have accidentally established an ongoing repurposing program ...

Last regular show and tell for 2017 - ready for quilting

Of course a break from regular group meetings doesn't necessarily mean a break from sewing - some of us will be able to make the most of a quieter time of the year to work on any works in progress we have left after our end-of-year challenge, like these finished tops we saw this week. Or we might be working on our 2018 Fairholme Quilt Show challenge, set by Roslyn ...

Miriam claimed Helen's four granny square blocks, added
five orphans of her own and Kaffe Fassett background triangles.
She aims to quilt it in time for Christmas for a little girl
who has joined a family she knows.

Another 'Avenue' - Roslyn and Jo-Ann bought the same kit.
Jo-ann made hers a bit smaller than the pattern, and kindly
gave Roslyn the remaining blocks so that hers can be larger.

Sue C's 'Plus' top for next year's community collection is
done and looks fabulous! She said she couldn't help
but line them up in a regular pattern. 

Not much lining up here - Jill completed her 'Logs and Ladders'
improv quilt top that was started in our April workshop with
Brenda Gael Smith, just in time to have it pin basted with the
Tuesday night-ers in the hope of summer quilting.

December - January events

Every Saturday,  2 December 2017 - 25 January 2018

Event page on Facebook

13 January - 14 February 2018, 

Brenda Gael Smith - solo exhibition 

Gosford Regional Gallery

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.