Friday 30 January 2015

Great to be back!

Hello everyone. Elva here, back on blog duty! Actually it's more a pleasure than a duty, and it certainly was a great pleasure to be back at Quilters yesterday at last.
The hall was buzzing with activity and there were quite a few returned members coming back from travel or other commitments.
As the year settles in, we are heading towards our AGM which will be in three weeks time on the 19th February. Kerry has sent out an email with details with hard copies coming next week for non-email people. Please approach any of the executive over the next few weeks if you have ideas for vacant positions. Don't be hesitant to put your own name forward as a committee member, there are great benefits in being more closely involved in the day to day organisation of the group, not the least of which are getting to know everyone more closely, seeing the internal workings, having greater opportunities for input, and so on. You'd be most welcome.

Next week, Feb 5th is the date set for returning your contributions to the Christmas Challenge. Quite a few are already in, but a full Show & Tell of all bits and pieces will take place next week. I look forward to seeing it all on the next blog, as I'll be away and miss the event. Have fun!

While we're on dates for this year, Deb reminded everyone that the retreat this year will be from 21st to 23rd August at The Redleaf Resort, Blackheath. In the coming weeks Deb will ask for a general indication of numbers, if not final commitment. See her for finer details re prices etc. Looking forward to it. It's always a great weekend away.

A reminder was given yesterday regarding any changes to addresses, phone contacts and emails. These need to be kept up to date as much as we can for ease and effective communications. We are a large group! Just let myself, Kerry or any of the exec know of changes. Thanks.

More fabric will continue to come in from Judith's kind donation over the coming weeks. Please help yourself or put some aside for future community work. Thanks to Jenny, Narelle and Jessica (and any others I'm unaware of) who have been working away cutting up 2 inch strips for use as jelly roll pieces etc. This is a great idea to make effective use of such a stash. Remember also the jelly roll ideas from books in our library for inspiration.

SHOW AND TELL!

Not a lot of show and tell this week, but next week there will be no shortage!

Below you can see the finished quilt Hayley has been working on. We have all watched it emerging, and here it is at last! Beautiful!



Jenny yet again has whipped up this little number in the blink of an eye! She tells us the blues came from Judith's stash donation. She also tells us not to hold our breath for it to be finished into a quilt, as this could be some time away. It's going to be a beauty!



Too shy to show it at the time, I took a shot of Merlyn's lovely quilt, made for a little girl who lost her mum when she was very young. Her big sister has one of Merlyn's as well. A lovely gesture and a beautiful quilt. I'll show both sides. So often the stories behind the quilts are very moving. It's a major part of the art isn't it?






Finally, a shot of a little girl and her cat snuggled into a quilt. It's a quilt I'm sure you'll recognise. The little girl is Neve, who won the quilt in the Lords Mayor's Picnic Raffle, and her cat is "Tiger". We received our certificate of appreciation for our brag wall, and this shot puts the icing on the cake. We can see from the photo who the real owner of the quilt is (if we were in any doubt at all)! 
Quilts truely are magic carpets are they not?



On that note, I'll sign off for the next couple of weeks. The blog will be done by others, so keep tuning in!
Just a last thought on quilt stories and magic carpets. Over the holidays. Marie K leant me a wonderful book which I would highly recommend - especially to quilters. It's "The Invetion Of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd, same author who wrote "The Secret Life Of Bees". This one has a quilt theme running through it which is very moving and wonderful. I'm sure it's in libraries by now. Enjoy!

Cheers till I see you again. Elva

Friday 23 January 2015

A quiet Thursday

Iris here again.  This week we had a very quiet day at Fairland Hall, with many people away,  obviously taking advantage of the final week of school holidays.    Elva is still not 100% but intends to be back with us next week regardless - good fighting spirit.

We had a bit of  'fabric-feast' with genuine batiks from Heather and another box of supplies from Judith:  lots were filed for community activities, but still lots for sharing.    Thank you to them both.

Another reminder of the AGM on Thursday 19/2, with a general meeting to take place just before.  Details and agenda for these will be issued next week.   

We received a  letter and certificate of appreciation from the City of Sydney for our 2014 NYE quilt.  It will be framed and added to our 'recognition' wall.

Show and Tell ..   Christmas Challenge

The supply of cot quilts is growing thanks to the Christmas Challenge:   from Marie K (yes, another one !)






Four from Lindy - these were just added to the pile and not shown,  but I found them  !  The cutest fabric is used in all four quilts but in different ways.





and two from Judy G - also just added to the pile and not shown !




On February 5th,  when all the Christmas Challenge contributions are in,  we will have a Show and Tell of all the cot quilts, bags and blocks.  

and more Show and Tell ....

From Janet, a requested purple quilt for her 8 year old great granddaughter







From Marie K,  a baby quilt for a friend ... the quilting is beautiful


From Jessica - Jessica's contribution to the Modern Quilt Exhibition - I loved the green fabric 'knotted' edging:






and finally  .. this quilt top from Beryl  R. which I spied early in the day   ...





We also had a sneak preview of a new quilt from Kathy D - an MO special to be shown at a later date.  As always, Kathy pushes us traditionalists to new horizons with her original ideas.

That's all   ... have a good week  ...   Iris

Thursday 15 January 2015

Happy New Year for 2015

Iris in the 'blog' chair this week, wishing everyone a happy, healthy and an inspirational sewing year ahead.

First of all, best wishes for a speedy recovery to Elva who is feeling the pain and discomfort of shingles .   Elva,  our thoughts are with you - get well before your holidays.

Cheryl has also been 'in the wars' again,  after another trip to the hospital over the holiday is now back home.   Cheryl, our thoughts are with you as well  - take it slowly this time.

Generous donation:  In preparation for Judith and Marsh's move,  Judith has given all her fabrics and sewing tools and books to us.  These have been picked up and over the next Thursdays Grace and Jessica will be bringing them for community work and sharing. 

Success story:  The current issue of Quilt Mania reports on the Sydney Quilt Show:  Jessica and Helena's quilts are featured - well done to both of you.   (If anyone has a copy of the magazine,  can you bring it in to share, please ?)

AGM:  The AGM is coming up on  Thursday 19th February:  there are positions available and everyone is encouraged to consider their involvement.    Positions available include,  Community Coordinator, 2106 Raffle Quilt coordinators and Show Coordinator.  Information about each of these are in a folder in the cupboard,  but the best thing is to have a chat to Elva, Grace, Jenny or me about any of these jobs.        I can, personally say that being involved in the running of our group is extremely rewarding.   Give it serious thought.

Show and Tell:    Already contributions towards the Christmas Challenge are coming in and they look good.     Seven cot quilts for the Grace Centre  were completed and shown-off at show and tell.
Janet, Jenny and Val each made one quilt and Grace and Marie K. both competed two each.





Jenny showed us what she was playing with over the holidays ..  a mystery quilt from Bonnie Hunter (I think I've got that right)  - I think that Deb L. will also have her version of the same quilt for show in the future weeks.   Despite this small picture the quilt is huge !


Jenny told us she is also working on reducing her stash of UFOs - this was a 'completed' job:






Karen M shared two quilts that she made during her time in Chicargo - they are stunning!   Is this a possible workshop for 2015 ???



and this is what Karen is working on now  ...





     Have a good sewing week and see you next week  ...  get well, Elva, we miss you.   Cheers Iris

Sunday 14 December 2014

Christmas Party

Hi all!
We enjoyed a fun Christmas party last Thursday. According to my lucky door prize ticket stubs, there were 46 of us there. So that meant plenty of food to provide an absolute feast as always, with lots of refreshing drinks to wash it all down. 
Many thanks to everyone who helped with preparation, brought food, did all the little extras that always need doing and then joined in the fun. It really made for a successful day.

While it's fresh in your minds, note down any thoughts you had about other possible games, puzzles and/or activities for next year's party. I'll keep them in my file till then. Saves a lot of brainstorming closer to the time and adds to the variety.

Judith B announced that she's 'giving up sewing' (I'll believe that when I see it!) and would like help with clearing and culling her materials and equipment. A few of us will visit her next week to lend a hand. We will then store everything till HHQ resumes Thursday meetings on the 15th of January.

Cheryl returned after a long time away having a grease and oil change! Looking good Cheryl! Thanks Helena for re-parking Cheryl's car for her. That made the visit possible.

Not a lot more to say except to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. The pictures below reveal some of the highlights of the party, including groups of avid puzzle page solvers (thanks Lynn for this great game, many requests for copies). Also some shots of the Apron Challenge results. Thanks girls for making the effort. They look great! The rest are random shots of happy party goers and food, food and more food!
Cheers everyone. Thanks for a great year!









































Here's two shots showing Iris's examples of the Christmas Challenge blocks. An email has gone out with full instructions attached, but these are the physical examples re colour. Any start design and any flower design is fine. Have fun!






Sunday 7 December 2014

December 5th

Greetings all!
Our day started with Grace running us through all the goodies which were shopped ready for Stepping Stone House Christmas Party. Thanks to all members who contributed to the $ collection for the shopping to be done. Thanks also to Grace and the shoppers, and those who wrapped everything. Items for the hamper can still be brought to our own Christmas Party which is next Thursday, 11th December. BUT THAT WASN'T ALL...........! Next came four wonderful quilts to be donated to Stepping Stone House residents, and another four waggas into the bargain! It's a great feeling knowing what an extensive and quality gift package we will be presenting to this worthy group. 
Thank you to everyone who worked on the quilts in any way. They are displayed below for your enjoyment. Something to be proud of indeed!



















Lastly a shot of the 'pile' of goodies all packed together and ready to deliver. Happy Christmas to Stepping Stone House.


We're all looking forward to the Christmas Party next week. Don't forget your glass, and remember the starting time is 11am but the door will be open at 10am for setting up. If each member brings a plate of some party offering, we should have the usual feast! Party 'games' and activities are well in hand, but remember no one is obliged to participate unless they wish to. We want everyone to enjoy themselves in whichever way they like. Dress up or down, whatever you like. I'm sure we'll have a ball!

Show and Tell turned into a mega- marathon this week, probably because it will be the last for the year. It was amazing! I'll try and get all the matching people to their quilts below, but it was flat out difficult keeping track as the quilts just kept coming and coming. Anyway, enjoy.........

First the 2 baby quilts for the Grace Centre by Jenny.....





And three more by Sue D.........(note the cute back of the doggy one!)









Next came Helena with three quilts, the first done by the 'Orange Group' for community use...



The next by Helena herself for her parents bed, ready for Christmas.....



And finally a quilt Helena won in a raffle. She was very surprised at the resulting quilt! She didn't think it looked like HH Quilters style, but we all admired it anyway. Lucky girl!


Margaret D showed a stunning quilt she made from Turkish and Thai fabrics. What a combination! A luck friend will receive it.


Margaret also showed us one she did which she described as very brown! It's fascinating......



Kerry displayed her Dad's birthday quilt which is very nearly finished. It will certainly be cosy, and is looking great Kerry! All that hand quilting!



Cate was visiting from Queensland and showed two quilts, both using the quilt-as-you-go technique. The first has amazing striped squares of tiny strips. Beautiful work Cate!



The second has been made for some friends' wedding. They specifically asked for blues and brown. I think they got what they asked for. Gorgeous!



And the back



Molina showed a lovely jungle quilt for her Great Garndson. Gorgeous!



Jill made this little wall hanging for some friends who have just moved to aged care. She wanted them to have a small 'something' homey and Christmasy to take with them. A lovely thought, and a lovely piece of work!



Iris showed a quilt she made from the embroidered hems of her nephew's childhood curtains. His mum didn't know what to do with them and asked Iris. The rest is history, and so will this quilt be. All the tiny embroideries have been encorporated into the quilt with the names of his own children now. Room has been left for any subsequent children, and the message on the quilt is "When daddy was a little boy". It's a delightful quilt and story Iris. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. It exactly represents the history of quilting and the passing down of stories, however small. I hope my feeble attempts to capture the embroidery have been successful. Everyone there enjoyed examining it close up!

And on that note I'll sign off. For those who can't get to the party next week, have a happy Christmas with family and friends. May you all keep safe and well. It's been a wonderful year.
Cheers, Elva