Friday 29 November 2013

Thursday 28/11/2013

This was a good shopping day:  thank you Colleen.


The end our HHQ year is only two weeks away, so next week we wrap the presents for Stepping Stone House and hand over the finished Lord Mayor's Picnic quilt.  And our last week on 12/12 is Party Day: Round Robin Quilt display, lunch, and champagne.

A date to remember:  Michelle Jenkins of Lucky Lantern, on-line fabric and products shop is coming to visit and show us her 'wares' on February 6th.     http://luckylantern.com.au/

Community contributions:

It never ceases to amaze me how generous (and productive) our members are.   A request for a few more cot quilts to build our stash to give to the Grace Centre for very sick newborns - and each week more arrive!

Two from June and one from Jenny


Marie K put this one together and Susan St,J quilted it, ready to be given to 
Stepping Stone House next week



Show and Tell:   Grace has been inspired for Christmas .....

A duo of Christmas Trees 
                                                          


Keep stitching,      Cheers Iris

Saturday 23 November 2013

Thursday 21/11/2013

Christmas plans seem to be the order of the day, so these are some shopping opportunities which are coming our way in the next few weeks:

Christmas cakes - Robin H. is coordinating the orders for cakes being sold to support the Wayside Chapel and Exodus Foundation.   These are highly recommended based on last year's purchases and tastings.
Jewelry with Colleen - Colleen is visiting us with her selection of jewelry at Fairlane Hall  next Thursday - 28/11
Artourstudio are having their 1 day Christmas Gift Sale at 1/1 The Close, Hunters Hill on Friday 29/11. Kerry and Robyn would love you to visit.
Material Obsession, annual swap day on Saturday 7/12:  always lots of opportunities for bargains and inspiration.

Congratulations to Jessica - she has a quilt in the Tasmanian Art Quilt Exhibition touring for the next 12 months.    Sorry,  I don't have a picture,  but this is the link to the Exhibition http://www.tasquiltguild.org.au/

Show and Tell:

Five more cot quilts to add to our  Christmas delivery to Grace Center.  
Two from Susan H,  and one each from Jill, Gill and Janet.   All had fabulous baby fabrics,  with a focus on elephants!



Grace's team,  The Orange Group'  handed over their completed 'Ducks' to Betty for the Community quilt stash - I wonder who will be the lucky recipient of these fun ducks ?



Jessica showed us the quilt that she is entering in  the New York Modern Quilters, Double Wedding Ring Challenge.   


And Christmas is coming in Susi M's house -  some of her Christmas sewing !


That's all from me this week  ...  keep sewing,  Cheers Iris

Saturday 16 November 2013

News from Thursday 14/11/2013

We may all be addicted to fabric,  but when a box of avocados and bananas direct from the farm is left on the table, they disappeared even  faster than a box of fabric !  Thank you to Lindy for sharing.

Special events coming soon:

  • ARTOURSTUDIO, one day Christmas Gift Shop on Friday 29th November.  Kerry Davis and Robyn Ross will present their selection of handmade jewelry at : 1/1 The Close,  Hunters Hill.
  • Material Obsession annual Swap Day on Saturday 7/12/2013, with great sales and  workshops for 2014:  in fact, I'm told, bigger and better that ever before.  See what Kathy says about it on MO's blog
Our Stepping Stone House Christmas gifts donation:  Grace is ready to accept your donations, with plans for shopping later in the month and gift wrapping on the first Thursday of December.  

Jill gave us an update on the work and the successes of the Familial Cancer Research that she has been involved in for several years.  As we donated the proceeds of our 2004 Quilt Show to the Familial Cancer Research, it was a positive re-enforcement of the good work they are doing.

Susan H shared a National Trust article about a tour of Alysoun and Carl's home in Hunters Hill:  it included stories of Alysoun's many quilts, her sewing room and the origins of HHQ on their back veranda.   A lovely story of a super lady and a lovely home..

We also had our first travel story:  Robyn Jo shared the highlights of their caravan trip across the Nullabar to Perth:  playing golf, counting emus and enjoying the wildflowers.   

Show and Tell:    Janet did it again - two more quilts !

Her group quilt for community:  it is a very clever pattern - check out the secondary pattern of little white butterflies.


and a close up of the blocks  ...


Then the Scottie dog quilt  ...   very cute,  with 'bones' quilted in the tartan blocks.


Debbie Ing.  was asked if she would donate a quilt to their local fire brigade - with a week's notice - this was a UFO that got finished very quickly.     


A close up of some of the beautiful Japanese fabrics.


It was another busy day with lots of good things happening :  enjoy your sewing week,
Cheers Iris

Saturday 9 November 2013

November Community Day

These were just a couple of the community day activities that were happening around the room:

Robyn S and her team working on their 'Leaf quilt'


Suzi and her team are 'building' Beach Houses


Three more cot quilts added to the Grace Centre donation:  we are aiming for at least 20 for delivery before Christmas.   At least five more to go !

Robyn S. added these two cuties:

Janet made this pretty one:

Congratulations to our new Grandmas for the week:  Jenny welcomed grandson George and Audrey welcomed granddaughter Sophia.    Our birthday girls were Joy, Henny and Jenny.

We received a very lovely thank you card from the students at the school in Nepal that we supported a couple of months ago.  The card was signed by all the students and a folder with several pictures of the students with their quilts was included.  These will be filed with in community quilts album of photos.

Interesting events coming up:  

  • Campbelltown quilt show this weekend at the Civic Hall in Campbelltown.  
  • Jewellery by Dambar - fund raising event for Reach out Nepal.  Friday 15/11 at 7/2 Harbourview Cr., Abbotsford and Saturday 16/11 at 256 Hawhorne Pde, Haberfield. (I have more info. if needed)
  • HHQ shopping with Colleen on 28/11/2013

Show and Tell:
Janet had another finished quilt to show us this week:  two weeks in a row!
Unfortunately, my picture doesn't do justice to the cute fabric.


Enjoy your week,     Cheers Iris

Saturday 2 November 2013

Thursday 31/10/2013 News

It was good to be able to applaud the Australian winners at Houston:  Rhonda Pearce, Jennifer Bowker and Helen Godden to name a few.   The full list of winners and their quilts can be found on  http://www.quilts.org/winners.html

We received a thank you card from the President of the Country Women's Association, for the donation we made to their fundraising event.    The quilt we donated was of 'wild flowers' quilt made by Robyn Jo - our knowledgeable queen of wild flowers.

Thanks to some shopping by our librarian Beryl B.,  we now have two new books in the library:  Modern Patchwork and Quilting on the go.    Both have been logged into the library and ready to be borrowed.

Robyn Jo gave us an update on the Coolatah Quilters:  they raised $3,900 for the Prostate Association  from their 'Socks and Jocks' exhibition and Trivia night.  Robyn's entry - I wish I had a picture -  was selected to hang in the Prostate Association's office.

Show and Tell :     Thank you to Suzi M who was our  photographer this week.

Gil went way outside her norm to made this pretty quilt in liberty fabrics:   the Eiffel Tower backing just worked so well.  
(Sorry, but Grelims have turned some of the pictures the wrong way and despite all my efforts, they have won !)


(The Eiffel Towers look more like Leaning Towers of Piza!)


Janet hand pieced this huge quilt - 2000 plus pieces.  Susan St J quilted it for her.


some detail ...


Joy shared her flannel  'Splats'


Thank you all,   have a fun sewing week and see you on Thursday for Community Day,
Cheers Iris