2018 events

Natural Abstractions 

13 January-14 February 2018, 

Brenda Gael Smith - solo exhibition 

Gosford Regional Gallery

The Lady and the Unicorn

On loan from the collection of the Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris.

The lady and the unicorn tapestry cycle six large tapestries each depict a richly costumed lady flanked by that most mysterious animal, the unicorn, with jewel-like millefleur (‘thousand flowers’) backgrounds.
18 February - 24 June 2018

Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

Avalon Quilters Quilt Show
9 - 10 March 2018

Fairholme Quilters Quilt Show
Friday 6 April (from 1 pm) - Sunday 8 April 2018
Thornleigh Community Centre
Phylllis Ave, Thornleigh 2120

Australasian Quilt Convention 2018

5 - 8 April 2018

Challenge and tutors have been announced.

Class bookings from 2 November 2017.

Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne

Sydney Quilt Show - Quilt NSW

and Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair

Wednesday 20 - Sunday 24 June 2018 

Darling Harbour, Sydney

2018 Appliqué Academy

The Appliqué Guild of Australia
Registration is now open

26 - 28 October 2018

The George Kerferd, Albert Road, Beechworth Vic 3747

Recent community quilts

Julie is a prolific community quilter - the penguins
were donated to our end-of-year challenge, and she
couldn't go past them. The side borders are fussy cut
because Julie didn't want the penguins to be lying
sideways! The striped border is a great touch.

Another community quilt that started with just two blocks
rescued by Julie, who is a skilled machine appliquer.

And Julie's third community quilt finish this month
 - some fabrics left over from a previous one (and 
some of her own), this time cut with the tumbler 
template that she really likes to use.

Some of these fabrics were rescued too - from a 'discard'
pile during a rationalisation of the community stash.
Elaine W put them together with some from her own stash
and added a pretty back from a generous donation made by
 Material Girls Down Under earlier in the year. Good call, Elaine.

The sixth of six children's quilts made by Margaret K. Note
the simple, versatile block she has used to great effect. Lynette
quilted and bound all six quilts. They're a great team.

Recent show and tell

Several Fairholme quilters also belong to Studio Quilters,
who held their annual retreat a couple of weekends ago. Linda
was in charge of the mystery quilt this year, that was revealed at
the weekend. This one is Lyn's all finished, quilted and bound.

Louise C also opted for brights, but she wavered
about the black sashing before deciding it could go in!

... and this is Lynette's mystery quilt top, started on
Thursday, ready to take to the retreat on Friday!

Sue B's mystery quilt looks different again.
All lovely.

Linda also organised the retreaters to bring fabric to make
Boomerang Bags that have been donated to a local
coordinating group. 

They made 16 bags for the community initiative to provide a
sustainable alternative to plastic bags.

We've welcomed three new members recently,  Victoria, Jan
 and Sharon, all experienced quilters. These blocks are Jan's
current hand-piecing project - we look forward to seeing the quilt.

Roslyn is gathering an excellent stock of items for the hand
craft stall at next year's quilt show.

Yvette is learning to use a long arm quilting
machine. Her first completed quilt is the one
she started in a workshop with Denyse
Schmidt a few weeks ago. This quick preview
suggests she's going to be very good!

Bags and other patchworky things

Sue B made her Japanese style Boro bag in two day-long
classes, held one month apart at Hobbysew at Kings Park.
The first day was spent choosing fabrics, deciding layout
and preparing them for stitching. 

Sue spent the next three weeks stitching the fabrics together
- you can how worthwhile it was for her to take the time.
The last day's class was completely taken up with constructing
the bag, complete with zippered pocket and a side pocket in the
lining - she 'popped' the handles on when she got home!
It's just beautiful Sue.

Marilyn's zip top bag from our workshop with Miriam in September
is a beauty. Marilyn brought lots of purple and red fabric, expecting
to make a purple and red bag that 'matched'. After studying the
colours in her feature fabric, with the notorious red hat ('that
doesn't go'), she found herself pulling out lime and darker greens,
pink and cream highlights that were there all the time.

The reverse is just as much fun ...

... as her zipper tags!

Dawn chose some fabric squares from the end-of-year
challenge table, and went to town!

Diana made a patchwork Santa,
getting a jump on Christmas.

Soup bowl cozies for the craft stall at our 2018 Quilt Show in
April. They can be used to protect your hands from a bowl of 

hot food, or as a bowl holder in the microwave - the 

corners give you something to grip to remove the bowl 

safely without burning your hands. The cover is quilting 

cotton, and the lining is two layers of 100% cotton 

batting. made using Happy Hour Stitches online tutorial.

November events

Exhibition - inTransit

Untethered Fibre Artists

31 October - 12 November 2017

Wallarobba Arts Centre

25 Edgeworth David Ave, Hornsby

Modern Quilt Show Australia 2017

presented by Sydney Modern Quilt Guild

3 - 5 November 2017

Petersham Town Hall, Sydney

107 Crystal St, Petersham NSW 2049 

Campbelltown Patchwork and Quilters Guild Quilt Show

11 - 12 November 2017

Campbelltown Civic Centre

History of Coverlets

Linda Butcher

Australian Quilt Study Groups

Susanne Cody, Gillian Hamilton - quilt and coverlet collectors

2 pm Saturday 11 November 2017

The Glover Cottages, 124 Kent St, Sydney 

Please bring along your own coverlets for show and tell, 

especially any that have been entered in quilt shows. 

Entry $5 members, $10 non-members. Afternoon tea is provided.

Last week's show and tell (1)

Pam has finished hand quilting her large quilt, made with a 
collection of aboriginal prints. It is constructed of one large pieced 
block, cleverly rotated to add interest to the layout. The colours 
glow. One for next year's show?

A long term project interrupted became the perfect wedding
quilt for Louise's son and daughter-in-law a few weeks ago.
Much of it was already done, and a friend offered to help
out by quilting the background! Each curved seam is embellished, 
creating rich texture. The newlyweds will have it very soon.

Jo-Ann and Roslyn bought the same kit at a Sydney Quilt
Show a couple of year's ago, and have each been hand
piecing their Avenue quilts. Jo-Ann decided she wanted her to
be a wall hanging, finishing smaller than the pattern and kit
allowed, so she has generously given Roslyn the extra fabric so
she will have a larger quilt. Jo-Ann added the fabric strips
between the blocks for a little more colour. The design is by
Louise Papas, and the kit is available from Amitie Textiles.

Elaine bought the pattern for her alphabet quilt many years ago, 
thinking she might have grandchildren one day. She now has four 
grandchildren, and finished the quilt last week! One of the children 
asked her to include some numbers as well as letters, so of course, 
she did. It is hanging in their 'sleepover room'.

End-of-year challenge progress - Susan chose some blocks
and fabrics donated by Diana. She has made up more blocks
from the donated fabric and some from her stash to make a bed sized
quilt. The paler pinks compliment the rich jewel tones beautifully. 
Sue's husband Mark suggested that their daughter who is returning 
from a long stint in an isolated area of northern Queensland 
would like the colours in the quilt, so hers it will be.

A very slow burner, it took Jill four years to complete this
42" square quilt made from off-cuts and scraps from
one our raffle quilts, hand quilted with Aurifil 12 wt thread
in a mix of colours. The free-cut curved facing-on-the-front is
a compromise between straight edges with square corners and
the organic curves of the improv piecing.

Recent community quilt finishes

As our community quilts program barrels along, quilts continue to roll in as they are finished either at community sewing days, or by members working at home.  These were handed in over a recent ten day period ...

Julie stretched out a pretty lily print with a little
maths and background fabric.

Another one from Julie - patchwork can be any shape that
fits a collection of fabric scraps. Tumblers might be next.

Purposeful placement of cloud prints makes a window
in the centre of Hilary's latest disappearing four patch.

One for a tool lover! Dawn found enough 'toolie' fabric
in the community stash for this quilt, and two more in
the making. The grey print is nuts and bolts.

Helen pieced the backing for a quilt she made last year from
flowery blue-ish scraps in her stash, but she was persuaded that
it should be another top and the community quilts collection grew
by two. It has now been quilted by Lynette, in vertical straight
lines in groups of three, and backed with a bargain buy blue spot.

The community collection is benefitting from considerable
over-lap with the end-of-year challenge to finish abandoned
projects. Nerida collected some little squares joined in rows
from the table, set them around a white spot and added corner
patches with native animal prints from her stash. She finished
it with delicate lemon hand stitching and a flannelette backing
to start our next collection for Blankets of Love.

Jill's little crib quilt is also finished with a little hand quilting.

Margaret K loves to sew for children, including quilts. 

She recently made six community quilt tops, giving our collection 

a very generous boost. These five were quilted and bound by 

Lynette, and the sixth one was basted at yesterday's 

community sewing day. All different, all delightful 

October community sewing day

Another productive day of community quilt making and working with a team of friends last week, on what was our second last monthly sewing day for the year ...

Some of us use patterns, some of us wing it, and some of us are
meticulous planners - our Sue C is a planner, and it pays off.
She's also our chief photographer, among the numerous roles
she fills ... and another lovely quilt is underway!
She said on Instagram 'I like it when a plan comes together.
It was (our community sewing day yesterday day yesterday -
always such a fun day. I had my graph and most of my pieces
cut before I got there, so spent quite a while crawling around
the design floor (a low stage) ...'

'... 8 rows were pieced by the
end of the day.'

It was a marathon pin basting day, reflecting the piecing that has been done over the last few weeks ...

From the top - green bento boxes made by Sue H; the second
Star Challenge quilt from 2016 put together by Noelle;
a second 'In a Whirl' quilt made by Dawn (her third altogether.

Superheroes made by Yvette; double Irish chain made
by Dawn; donated blocks put together by Lynette.

Julie's end of year challenge quilt, crossing over into
community quilts; Jill's end of year challenge quilt also
crossing over; bDawn made the most of bird and berry
prints from a large fabric donation from earlier in the yea

Elaine has made enough 'In a Whirl' blocks from her
raffle win strips for two community quilts.
The pretty pastel strips will be the sashing.

The work table of a multi-tasker. Julie might be doing
a second end of year challenge project in there.

Yvette isn;t sure which design/colours her sister will like
 most for her birthday quilt, so she is generously making two,
and will donate the second one to the community quilt collection

4 day sale at Craft Depot, Pennant Hills

In store at Pennant Hills, and online: www.craftdepot.com.au