Monday group show and tell

Two quilts in nice contrast ...

One patch, many fabrics (a beautifully scrappy community quilt) ...

.... one fabric, many blocks (Lorraine K's fabric must have been pretty spectacular to produce this rich collection).

Beth Miller's new web-based business

Many of us are familiar with Canberra quilter Beth Miller's award winning work.  She retired from teaching last year, and has set up an online business with her daughter, Quilts by Pattern, selling her quilt patterns.

You can still see galleries of Beth's work at www.bethmillerquilts.com

55 best quilt blogs ...

Quilter's Home magazine (a US publication) has recently published a list of its top 55 blogs about (mostly) quilting.  The article, with all 55 links, is available online here. 

A good source of reading for these wintery indoors days ... or a potential occupier of much time ...?

The link is also posted over in the right hand column under 'Quilting related links' in case you want to come back to it.

Kay Haerland Showcase at Quilters Guild of NSW

From the Guild's calendar:

1 July 10-11.30am Friday Showcase at City Office:  Kay Haerland

and a reminder of the Sydney Quilt Show dates for 2011:

A visitor ...

Former Fairholme Quilter, Patrice Bullen who now lives several hours to our north, was a welcome visitor to a recent Tuesday evening.  She brought her grandson's Aliens quilt to stitch while we caught up.

And some weeks ago Robyn T demonstrated how to make this "controlled scrappy" pineapple  block - Robyn's top is constructed from four 17 inch blocks  and five borders.

Monday show and tell, 9th May

Robyn is pinting out an ingenious solution to having run out of her chosen border fabric - it's so well done that it really can't be seen.  What beautifully rich complementary colours.

Another lucky grandchild will love Lyn's appliqued fairies - fabulous wings!

This beauty is to celebrate Ros's daughter's graduation from uni.

Thanks to Sue Crowe for the pictures and descriptions.

Reece Scannell colour workshop, 30th April

 Ten of us had fun and learned a lot about colour with Reece Scannell a couple of Saturdays ago.  We played with boxes and boxes of his luminous shot cotton fabrics, colour samples, and even fruit and vegetables while we examined our responses to colours and colour combinations. 

We were able to handle, look closely at and discuss fifteen quilts made to his design with his fabrics, and to analyse what we liked (or not), and how we felt about them. 

Reece challenged us to look beyond our usual choices, and encouraged us not to just buy "more of the same", but to look for the colours lacking in our stashes to give life to our quilts.

 These are just a few of the exercises - other participants photos will be completely different.

 

If you get the opportunity to attend one of Reeces' presentations, take it and your thinking about colour will expand!

Thanks to Noelle for organising the day.

Paducah 2011 winners

Winners at the American Quilter's Society 27th Annual Quilt Show & Contest , being held this week in Paducah, Kentucky have been posted on the American Quilter's Society website, with photos.

Pam Hill from Brisbane has taken out a major award for workmanship.

A cup of tea and a good bit of time is in order to look at them all.  Thanks to Lisa Walton for the link.

Springwood Community Quilt Show

Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May 2011
9-5pm Friday and Saturday, 10-4 Sunday

Springwood High School Hall, off Grose Road, Faulconbridge

Visit the Springwood Community Quilters show blog to see the raffle quilt, and read about the range of traders who will be at the show.

Reminder: Berry Quilt and Craft Show is also on this weekend.

Beyond the square .....

Maureen made a pieced background, and appliqued some 'paper pieced bits and bobs from her stash'  in a clever way ... we look forward to seeing how she quilts it.

Jo took a class with Kay Haerland, in more radical techniques for embellishment to produce an organic landscape - there's a chocolate wrapper in there, threads, improvised lace .... photo coming of the landscape she made last weekend in a workshop with Gloria Loughman.

Charity quilts 3 - dates for sewing days

The next Sewing Day for our community quilts project is on Thursday, April 21
at Pennant Hjills Learning and Leisure Centre, Warne St, Pennant Hills.

Dates for the rest of 2011 are as follows 3rd Thursday of the month, from 10.00 am:

April 21
May 19
June 16
July 21
August 18
September 15
October 20
November 17

Charity quilts 2

Another excellent use of small(ish) strips of any width from the stash or scrap basket, these three top were put together by Georgie from blocks contributed by members.  The strips are attached to an 11 1/2 inch foundation, and those who've made them have been enjoying digging strips out of the stash.

More blocks would be welcome!

These quilts are earmarked for donation to a 'grandparents who are parents again' support organisation.

Charity quilts 1

We have a good list of charities to make quilts for this year - here are some in various stages of completion:

 These two drunkard's paths are made with gorgeous colour saturated fabrics

 More saturated colour for a playful quilt for a child ....

..... and this scrap beauty that emerged from stash fabrics collected during Robyn's 'purple phase .... a wonderful idea for all those little bits and pieces that are just too good to throw away!

(Thanks for the photos, Sue)

Grandchildren's show and tell

Our grandchildren have beautiful quilts - and here are some of the latest

Heather's granddaughter in Canada will love these bugs in bottles with lolly pop coloured sashings and bindings

Sharon's eldest grandson is into space, stars and rockets.  Aren't the rocket blocks cleverly simple and effective?

Berry Quilt and Craft Show

9.30am- 4pm
Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May 2011 School of Arts, Alexandra Street, Berry
(on the NSW South Coast).

$5 entry fee for adults and free entry for children.