STILL DEALING WITH THE HEAT! 10/3/16

Yes, thank goodness for our air-conditioned Fairland Hall! 

Across the road, we held another productive Show meeting with Meg ably leading the team! All is on-track, with publicity material decided and ready to be published very soon. Keep the Show Quilt entry forms coming in please (due 31st March) so that Lindy is able to begin planning layout and lighting issues. The blurb about your quilt can be emailed directly to Penny who will be organising the signs to go on each quilt. 

Work on the Baby Quilts Challenge for the Show is happening all around the ogroup. These need to be handed in on Thursday 5th May for a showing at the group, and then storing till Show time. We will also have a little members choice judging just for fun on May 5th! Make sure you just pin a small piece of cloth on the back with your name, and stitch on a HH Quilters label, bottom left of back. Robyn S has these.

Congratulations yet again to Jess! Her 'Errant Geese' quilt has been requested for entry in a temporary exhibition called 'Australia Uncovered' in the Rocky Mountains Quilt Museum in Colorado USA! What an honour Jess! You've done it again!

A reminder to ring the Releaf Resort asap to book your room for the retreat. Rooms are filling up fast! Can't wait.

Grace reports that fees are coming in well. Just remember if you haven't done it yet to contact Grace.

We have two new library books which were shown to the group by Jenny. A few old ones will be culled and shown before departing. Please remember our library is there. Plenty of fascinating reading and ideas!

The Grace Centre has let us know that they are desperate for more baby quilts. They tell us they could easily use 600 a year! So if you've finished your Show one, maybe it's time to run up a classic 'quicky' so we can build the pile back up. I think we're down to our last 9! Thanks so much.

SHOW AND TELL

Just a few small things this week. Everyone is so busy at present.

Helen showed a lovely quilt she has made for a raffle, and many members supported the cause buying tickets. Helen and Susie thank you so much.

      

And here's a picture of Susie 'doing it' for the good cause of the Leukemia Foundation. The outstanding results of the 'World's Greatest Shave'! Looking great Susie!

                                                

Gil took up the challenge set from the original Christmas Challenge - the inevitable left over pieces! 

There certainly were plenty for another quilt as Iris had said. I'm not sure how much more Gil needed to add, but I think it was just borders. Well done Gil!

         

And finally a small beauty completed by Grace. It's the result of the first workshop in a series with Bob James, and sounds fascinating and 'deep'. Gorgeous colours Grace, and a lovely design.

       Mm

Well, I'll see you next Thursday girls. Take care. Cheers, Elva

MARCH COMMUNITY DAY 3/3/16

Well, if a stranger had walked into quilters last Thursday, they would have mistaken it for a busy factory production line! Grace worked her particular magic and set up a whole area with work stations for each skill and process required. Thank you so much Grace for presenting another in-house workshop for us all. We certainly learned some new skills and techniques, and a fabulous quilt was seen to emerge as a result! (See pics below)

    

                            

Great to our cutting machine in use at last!

                                 

                               

It begins.....

                          

Congratulations to "our Jess" for her presentation of the Friday Showcase at the Guild yesterday. I heard it was very well received and successful -  of course! Well done Jess.

Just a reminder to all Show Committee people that there will be a Show Meeting this coming Thursday, 10th March at the Baby Health Centre, 9.30am

Please make sure if you are planning to attend the Retreat in May that you contact the resort yourself and book your room in the same way we have always done it. 

Please also make sure you fill in your Quilt Show entry form ASAP and get them to Lindy.

SHOW AND TELL

Just two gems to show today. The first is a close up of the centre of a baby quilt made by Robyn J for Akiko's new baby nephew in Japan. The gorgeous embroidery makes for a spectacular and delightful design. Outstanding Robyn!

                                        

And finally, a quilt made by Doreen and a former member Diana Drake back in 1998. It belongs to Maree K who says it has been all over Australia on her travels, into the outback, through the red dust, on the floor of their camper van, then twice through the washing machine (gentle mode) and looking practically band new! Amazing work! Aren't waggas really something special? And the colours still look perfect!

                                        

Enjoy the rest of the weekend all. See you next week.

Cheers, Elva

LAST FEBRUARY MEETING - 25/2/16

Well, that's two months of the year gone already! Mustn't freak out......still plenty of time.....!!

I noticed that I'm not the only one. There was plenty of action around the room today preparing quilts and other bits and pieces for the show in August.

Another gorgeous Wagga on the way from Doreen and Gil. Lots of deliberation about borders etc.

                               

                               

A fabulous quilt top by Kerry (started at a retreat) destined for the show collection - yet to be sandwiched and quilted. This one will be ready in plenty of time! Well done Kerry

                                 

Another spectacular Wagga from Grace being prepared for the show. Looking very nice. The hand quilting is beautiful!

                                      

                                     

Thanks to Lindy for getting the Quilt Show entry forms out to everyone, either by email or hard copies which were handed out at our group meeting. Entries are due back by the end of March please.

Thanks also to Narelle who has circulated a sign-up list for the retreat in May, and produced an information sheet about dates, costs and how to book your rooms. Contact Narelle if you didn't get a sheet, and she'll make sure you get one next week. 

Thanks to Grace who has offered to run an in-house workshop next week for the March community day. Anyone who wants to participate is most welcome, especially if you don't have other community work to be doing. 

Thanks also to Iris for making contact with  the NSW Guild about applying for display space at their show in June. We keep our fingers crossed to be given space. It's going to very competitive I think. And thanks to those who volunteered to 'man' the stall if the days coincide with their plans. 

Thanks also to Joy who carried out an audit of keys, in an attempt to clarify and get rid of obsolete ones from each bunch. Joy has marked keys with a simple code to indicate which key opens what!

A very fiddly job, but it should ensure that everyone can open all areas of the hall when needed.

Please remember to be very careful about our current master key from the HH Council. We only have one, and we can't afford to lose it. It can't be copied, and must do us till they get this card system fixed again! Hand it over to the next person carefully!! Thanks.

All these efficient and organised members help to keep our happy group running smoothly. We are very grateful for so much cooperation and support.

Our best wishes go to our friend Ailsa who is currently in hospital. All are hoping for a quick recovery for you Ailsa. 

Well, a brief rest from reading to enjoy a few pictures of the busy and active room this week.

                              

                              

Below is the quilt given to the CWA this week. Their President Suzanne came along to tell us all a little about the charity support work they do around the community. Very impressive indeed, and if our quilts help them raise funds to achieve their work goals, we are only too happy. The quilt was made by Maree K and quilted by Iris. Well done ladies. It's beautiful, and Suzanne and Barbara were delighted. 

                                 

                                 

Finally then, here is the result so far of the Christmas jelly-roll challenge. Up on the design wall, it created a good deal of discussion and gasps of delight! It really is coming together beautifully. Many thanks to Iris for all her work setting up the challenge, and now bringing it all together. 

Iris showed us a pile of extra blocks which she says are enough to do yet another quilt. It will only take an interested person or small group to take it on. Should be great fun. No rush/no deadline. Nice project for community days perhaps. Just see Iris for access to the pile! I think she's done quite enough of this challenge and deserves a rest!

                                   

                                  

See you all next Thursday. It's community day, so plenty to get on with.

Cheers, Elva

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING! 18/2/2016

Our AGM went off successfully, with all reports presented, and all positions filled for this year.

Direct Deposit details are on the website for those who wish to pay fees that way, or you can see Grace on Thursdays. It's important for our financial security that all members pay their fees as soon as possible please. Many thanks.

A pause to see all the girls at work and play.........

                                  

                                   

The Guild's new Template magazine has arrived, and it makes for some very interesting reading this month. Please feel free to have a browse through it from our library copy. Also, don't forget to browse through our extensive library and borrow books any time you wish. It's easy to forget it's there, but you will be amazed at the variety of topics covered. Certainly something for every taste!

The Template has a list of all the clubs' shows coming up, and ours will be on that list for the second half of the year. 

A small Show and Tell batch this week, but worth a look in spite of that.

June made this quilt for community at one of our retreats. She has named it "Spring Has Sprung". It certainly looks like it! Lovely.

                                  

This gorgeous bag was made by Sheila to house the Contemporary Raffle Quilt for the show. It's really lovely Sheila.

                                  

Finally a little gem from Suzie, made for and shown by her mum Helen. An old pair of jeans (grand child's I think) were used plus some cute brights. It houses a personalised coffee mug, a fabric covered notebook, plus a variety of other goodies for on-the-go quilters. Lucky Helen and clever daughter! It's the cutest thing we've seen in a while!

Cheers till next time girls.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. Bring on the cooler weather I say!

GOOD ROLL UP TODAY 11/2/16

The hall was near full last Thursday, with the return of a few friends who have been away for various reasons. Good to see everyone busy and happy at their work. 

We must never lose sight of the reasons why this group started and has kept developing. It's the companionship and sharing of our beloved hobby, and the skills we have built while practicing it. It's important I think to keep this in mind so we can continue to look forward to coming each week.

And here we are in action......

                                         

                                         

Next week is our AGM, so it's an important one to attend if you can. We seem to have all but one of the committee responsibilities filled which is a good thing. Just still looking for a volunteer to take on 'Workshops and Tours'. Jess is busy with work throughout this year, so it's not going to be possible for her to continue in the role, but I'm sure she's available for help, advice and ideas. Give it a think.

Thanks to Narelle who has stepped forward to fill Deb's shoes, and she will look after this year's retreat in May. Good on you Narelle!

Thanks to Heather who has volunteered to buy new blades (and fit them) for our entire collection of cutters! A most essential job. 

We have communicated with HH Council regarding helping find some extra storage space for a new community user of the hall. They were most grateful for our feedback and suggestions.  Let's see what comes of it.

Joy is investigating the possibility of a new padlock on our kitchen cupboards because of unauthorised access, and the loss of various supplies! Thanks and good luck with it Joy. Let's hope that solves the problem.

SHOW AND TELL

Ellen showed us the quilt she's working on for the show. It's looking very exciting and beautiful! Can't wait for the show this year. I think it's going to be outstanding, if this is any guide!

                                

                                

Looking amazing Ellen. Well done!

Three quilts for community were shown, and they are:

2 for Cystic Fibrosis, the first done by Pink Group

                                 

And the second was one done for the 2014 Christmas Challenge by the group, and put together by Iris. Very nicely done everyone!

                                 

The last one is destined for the Assisted Living Guide Dogs. It was done by Robyn J and quilted by Helena. Very nice, and very appropriate fabric!

                                  

See you all next week at group and the AGM. 

COMMUNITY DAY 4th Feb 2016

As always on the first Thursday of the month, the group mainly devoted time to working on quilts destined for the community collection. You can see from the shots below some busy tables sharing the load.

                        

                            

..... and one 'quilt as you go' beauty being spread out on the floor for group discussion and perfecting

                              

The news and communication board was brought up to date, with all relevant dates now posted. This will help everyone keep abreast of when things are due in, and when events are happening. All dates are recorded on our website as well, so you can also check there if you're not at group at the moment.

We had a wonderful donation of fabric from Carolyn, and another load from a visitor Christine, who has recently closed a business. Iris eagerly selected prime pieces for community quilts, and the rest were for general use. Many thanks ladies for these 'gifts'. It's always a particular pleasure to sort through yet more fabric!

        

SHOW AND TELL

First up this week were two baby quilts for the Grace Centre. The first from Val, and check out the backing fabric! Extra cute....

                        

                            

The second was by Robyn S using a lovely selection of colours. Very nice ladies, and much appreciated.

                             

Iris showed a gorgeous quilt, made for community from a bag of scraps donated by Hayley. With just a few addition of her own, Iris says she used up every scrap. And the result is superb!

                                        

Iris was also snapped holding yet another of her creations - this gorgeous bag which matches and houses another quilt. What a quilting workaholic! Well done Iris. Beautiful as always.

                             

And finally a work in progress by Maree G. This collection of minute hexagons - a huge variety - is looking amazing! Done with papers, some of the pieces are extremely small. An amazing effort Maree. Well done! Can't wait to see the final product!

        

And so our year bursts into life once again. There's really no stopping this group! 

Happy quilting everyone. See you next Thursday!

STOP PRESS! 2nd February 2016

Just a note to correct a date given in the last blog.

The baby quilts for the show challenge do not need to come in till 5th May. The date that was mentioned was 2nd April, but that was a mistake. Breathe a sigh of relief - we have an extra month!

Cheers, see you Thursday!