Saturday 28 March 2015

A quiet Thursday

Hello again.
We had quite a few gaps at the tables today. I think some people have already made journeys for Easter break with families.

Nevertheless, we had a happy group of stitchers working away. Several of the girls were working on blocks for the Traditional Quilt presented to us by Robyn last week. A few had already finished theirs, so there were plenty of models to work from. A bunch of fabrics of the appropriate colours was placed on one table, and pre-made templates were available to assist cutting. The result was good progress being made towards the quilt. Robyn will be pleased next week I think.

Grace gave a final reminder for membership fees which are due this coming Tuesday. 

We had a visit from two ladies who run the Figtree Playgroup in the hall on Wednesdays this year. We have donated a lovely quilt for them to raffle to raise funds for their group. They would also be interested in any ideas for stitching craft activities for the older of their children. The girls have already come up with some good ideas, and the ladies may come back and 'learn' some another time. Another possibility is for someone to take an activity to their group one week. I might have a go at that myself, having once been a member of their group with my grand daughter. Could be fun. Let me know if you'd like to join me! It would be great to inspire a new generation of quilters wouldn't it?

Iris has been working hard during the past week on our website, making some changes and updating generally. Check it out and let us know what you think. Thanks for your efforts Iris.

Kathy D has just been formally accredited as a teacher by the NSW Quilters Guild. Congratulations Kathy!

SHOW AND TELL

Quite a bit to show this week.
First, another four baby quilts for the Grace Centre done by Ailsa, Val, Gil and Jenny - in that order here they are.......


                                 
         

                                  
    


                                   
    


                                     



Debbie I showed a striking quilt made for a relative who especially wanted animal prints. It's really stunning Debbie. Well done. She definitely got what she wanted.


                                       



Kathy showed us a quilt top made with her newest fabric range. Very dramatic and interesting designs!
It's going to make a gorgeous finished quilt.


                                        



                                        


Next Gil showed a quilt made for her granddaughter which is lovely, and we also show the wonderful backing fabric.


                                          




                                            


And lastly, Susan H showed a quilt made for her grandson. The back blocks were designs and messages from friends and family. Lovely memories there!


                                            




                                            



So there we go. Another fun day at the Fairland Hall! See you all next Thursday and we'll do it all again! Enjoy the weekend.

Saturday 21 March 2015

Tables replaced at last!

Yes, we now have our full complement of tables. Many thanks to HH Council for getting it done! We seem to have inherited an extra 'heavy' one into the bargain.
So, plenty of room for everyone - and room to work on sandwiching quilts as well.

Val read us a 'Cat In The Hat' poem based on the concept of ageing, which had us all in stitches. Thanks Val. We need these little diversions from time to time.

As promised, Robyn J presented the Traditional Raffle Quilt concept, and handed out instruction sheets. I'll send out an electronic copy as well for those who weren't at group, or wish to receive it that way.  Thanks Robyn. It looks like another exciting idea, and the girls were very keen to get started.

Judy G was delighted to have some contributions to the Contemporary quilt coming in already. Keep them coming. If you didn't get hold of these instructions, just see Judy when next you're at HHQ. 

Iris showed us the Christmas Challenge quilt so far, with a few gaps needing to be filled.
So if you have some brights and crisp whites lying around, Iris would like more 6 inch square stars or flowers. Here's an updated shot of how it's looking.

                                   

Looking fabulous Iris. It's going to make a pretty spectacular design for some lucky community recipient!

Susan D was back after a while away from the group, and she came armed with three gorgeous baby quilts for the Grace Centre. Thanks Susan. Here they are below.


                                    
                                   

                                     
            

                                      
        



Robyn S will be delivering yet another mighty full bag of baby quilts to the Grace Centre in a couple of weeks. Thank you Robyn. We appreciate this. And thanks to all the girls who have been working away all these months on the little quilts. They are so important to the hospital.


Jess presented the quilt below which was made by her from fabric won by Alison. Jess put it together and Helena did the quilting. Absolutely a joint effort. Well done girls. Another community quilt for the pile!

                                  


Jess also showed two quilts which have been accepted into the AQC Challenge. The first is entitled 'True Blue', and the second (a miniature) is an ANZAC tribute. Good work Jess. Inventive as ever!

                                 


                                 

And so ends another fun day at HHQ. See you all next Thursday.
Cheers, Elva

Saturday 14 March 2015

Full House!

Wow, the hall was pretty full on Thursday, and it made us feel the lack of our two missing tables. our friend Dave at HH Council is chasing them up for us. The sooner the better!

Thanks to Judy G for putting so much excellent preparation into the explanatory sheets and patterns for the Contemporary Raffle Quilt for Show 2016. The design choice was received very positively by all, so I think we're on to a winner there Judy. Well chosen. The guide sheets were flying off the table at a great rate. Everyone is clearly busting to make a start.

Next week Robyn J will present the design and guide sheets for the Traditional Quilt. Can't wait!

Thanks also to Iris who has completely updated our History Folder. It's quite a job hunting out all the details of what's happened since last it was done. It makes very interesting reading, not only for new members but a nostalgic journey for oldies as well. A very important archive to have and keep. Many thanks Iris.

Grace passed on a thank you email from Stepping Stone House. They were clearly thrilled yet again for the Christmas presents of last December. Thanks to all members who contributed in the many ways to getting it all together, and thanks to Grace for driving the initiative. It is always so appreciated.

A reminder that the Eastwood Quilters Show will be on from the 1st to the 3rd of May this year. Leaflets with all other details are in the hall near the notice board for those interested.

SHOW AND TELL

Quite a few quilts this week which have been made for community.
First, three new little ones for the Grace Centre.
The first is by Val N, and it has that cute dinosaur fabric on the back for reversing. Nice one!

                          


Next a lovely geometric from Maree G. Gorgeous colour choices!

                                

And finally a bright and delightful one by June P. Again, colours to lift any spirits!

                             


Next two quilts made for community use by Maree K. They will go to a good home and be well loved I'm sure.

                           


                                 



If I got the detail correct, the next quilt was a combined effort by Iris and June, for June's friend. I hope that's correct ladies. It also has a cute and unique fabric on the back.






Margaret D showed two quilts. The first is one made by a few of her friends for her 70th which is next week I believe! Happy birthday Margaret, and enjoy your quilt made with love.



Margaret's second presentation was a quilt made for a friend (Jenny) some years ago for her 50th. A very nice design and colour choices here.




The final show and tell was one that Iris and others chose from the stores to be given to the Palliative Care Unit at Westmead Children's Hospital. They plan to use it as a raffle prize, and the funds raised will go towards equipment which they can loan to families to support children being cared for at home.
It's a fine example of how valuable this community quilting work is. Thanks to all members who participate in this aspect of our group.



And so after another very enjoyable and busy day of quilting, chatting, eating etc etc, we say goodbye till next Thursday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Sunday 8 March 2015

Autumn at last!

We had a nice turn up at Quilters on Thursday. A short committee was held across the road beforehand, and progress was made in planning the raffle quilts for 2016. Very exciting designs, the first of which will be presented to the whole group next Thursday by Robyn J. This will be the Traditional Quilt design, a beautiful mix of colour and geometric pleasure, and we can all get started on it now so that there's plenty of time for the final hand-quilting.
The Contemporary Quilt design will be presented the week after by Judy G. This is a very colourful design which I think will excite much interest!

Our new treasurer Grace is happy that over half the fees have come in already. They all need to be in by the end of this month in order for people to remain a financial member. Don't forget it can be done on-line if you can't get to group. For details of how, just drop an email to Grace and she'll fill you in. Cheers.

The new Template magazine finally arrived, so you can have a look at it in the library cupboard if you missed out last week. Please also remember to have a browse through our extensive library. There are so many wonderful books there. Much careful deliberation and choosing has gone into gathering the collection together over the years, so it's a shame if they're not being used. Easy to forget I know.

More people have come forward to join the Show Committee for 2016. It's wonderful to have people already putting their minds toward the planning this far out. It bodes well for a bumper show I think! A new committee can mean new thinking, fresh ideas and a revitalising of the whole event! An exciting opportunity. If any person or buddy pair would like to put themselves forward as the coordinators of this outstanding committee please do. They will be a fabulous team to work with!

I'm going to contact HH Council tomorrow regarding the two missing tables from the hall. I believe they were taken away because they were damaged and therefore unsafe. I'm hoping to get them replaced because we really need them when we have a full group. We all need to remember that, although they're nice and light to erect and put away, they still need gentle handling. Apparently they had been roughly handled which has resulted in the damage. Not necessarily us mind you, but we can only do our part. Cheers.

Iris put up some of the bits and pieces from the Christmas Challenge the other day on the design wall. They looked fantastic! It's going to make something wonderful for community. Here's a glimpse.......





Some gems in this week's Show and Tell as well.
Suzie L made this gorgeous baby quilt for The Grace Centre, with wonderful dinosaur backing. Well done!





The next shots are close-ups of the finally finished music themed quilt by Robyn J a few weeks back. Quilting completed.





Helen K made the two next quilts for her grandkids, but they grew too fast and went to school! Helen is now kindly donating both to a local crèche. Lucky kids at the crèche. They're beautiful quilts Helen. Well done.


Love these letters!



Maree G made the next beauty from all 'old' fabrics she says. It's wonderful. All oldies on the back as well, including some teapot fabric from Judith's donated stash (which is proving to be endless!).





Our final show and tell item is an amazing Amish quilt. The top was purchased by Susan SJ for $250. She then brought it home and completed the quilt, and has done all the machine quilting on it as well. It's for her bed and will touch the floor I think. It's HUGE! Lots of us needed to come and take a closer look at the piecing. A fabulous result Susan. Congrats. 




The machine quilted back


Sorry this blog is late this week girls. It's been a busy few days since Thursday! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and see you next week.
Cheers, Elva

Saturday 28 February 2015

Towards Summer's End

Another busy day at HHQ. All seemed to be running smoothly this week in terms of doors, locks etc! What a relief.
A larger group this week, but I suspect there are still people away on various holidays or family commitments. 
Quite a bit of discussion was had regarding filling the position of 'Show Convenor' for the 2016 Show.
Opening this up to this chat has had a good result, and as I suspected, people have started to come forward volunteering themselves for all the show committee responsibilities. My guess is that a leader will emerge before we know it! Special thanks to Susan H, Suzie L, Penny, Hayley and Lindy for stepping up. Much appreciated by the group.

In the meantime these committee members can begin the work that needs to be started. The main ones are getting the raffle quilts underway. Both Judy and Robyn J have already done lots of planning and are ready to go! So a general committee meeting will be held next week to sign the plans off. After that you can expect to be presented fairly soon with the designs so we can all begin the task. Very exciting! I'll send out an email today to committee members concerned. 

A reminder was given on Thursday about membership fees. These are due by 31st March, and are $85 for the year. Please pass this on to Grace ( our new treasurer) as soon as you can. Thanks.

SHOW & TELL

 More quilts to be seen this week! 

Penny has constructed this fabulous quilt from Kathy's 'Wandering Mind' fabric range. She has made it for herself (good on you Penny!) and it has turned out beautifully I think you'll agree! Having purchased a pack of this fabric myself at the last show, I might get some ideas from yours Penny! It's lovely!


Susan H made this lovely table cover quilt from a Quiltmania pattern. The fabric range is Moda from Quiltsmith. A very striking design. Well done.



Jenny S (with the assistance of Maree and June) has designed and constructed this top from some of the 2" strips cut from donated fabric. Plenty more in the cupboard I believe, and Jenny suggests you can use jelly roll ideas and designs with the strips. It's a very nice quilt top and will be finished off for the community collection. Well done girls!




Jess's latest is being prepared for the Guild Show later this year. It is a classic Jess! Out there, innovative, quizical and beautiful -all at once! Well done Jess. Your work is a refreshing delight!
It is inspired by the book "Under Milkwood"


A wonderful display of the amazing work this group produces each and every week! No wonder there are so many beautiful quilts on beds, tables and everywhere else around Australia. People would be surprised how far our quilts travel! It's such a privilege to be a part of this traditional art form.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. See you Thursday.
Cheers, Elva

Saturday 21 February 2015

AGM meeting day

Hi there all.
Elva here, back from holidays.
We had a smallish group at the hall this week. I hope it wasn't the fact that it was the AGM!
We now have a new committee, all the names of which have been emailed to members.

Thanks so much those who have put their hands up to fill positions. The group can't thrive the way it has without all these people taking on responsibilities. It's very much appreciated.
We still have one very vital position to fill, so we plan to do some work on that over the next few weeks.

We farewelled Audrey as treasurer and indeed as a member. Unfortunately she had left the hall before we could properly thank her. Audrey has done an amazing job, and we all wish to acknowledge her efforts and those of her husband in assisting the group. Many thanks!

Hoping for a bigger turn up next Thursday so that we can really start moving into the planning the year ahead. 

Below are the few 'Show and Tell' shots we were able to scrabble together on Thursday.

Robyn J made this gorgeous quilt for community, on a musical theme. She made it after clearing out her stash. The backing fabric is amazing as well. Nicely done Robyn!






Iris made this beauty " just for the fun of making it". It's a very sweet quilt Iris, with some lovely detaild work as well.



With a bit of luck we'll have lots more next week.
See you then.

Friday 13 February 2015

No news day ...

Elva is still enjoying her holiday returning next week, so Helena was in control and Iris again on the blog,  but I have very little to report.

Visitor: Helena welcomed Gil's friend Libby who was visiting for the day.

General housekeeping:  
  • Reminder of the AGM next week at 12noon,  when we show our appreciation for the work of the 2014 committee and welcome the 2015 committee.   A general meeting will be held prior to to the AGM at 11.30am.

  • Susan St.J. organized a new roll of wadding - bleached 80-20 and 108 inches wide, with a roll of Polydown to follow in a couple of weeks.,  

Show and Tell:

Beryl R and Margaret have made quilts using the same pattern - but each with their individual colour choice.  Grace quilted both of them, using different designs. It was interesting to see how the end results give two very different quilts.

Margaret's browns


Beryl's brights

 Margaret's 'wham' backing



Susan St.J. also showed us the table runners that she is making for another group and suggested we may like to consider the idea for our next quilt show.   (sorry, no picture)

Keep sewing until next week   ...   Cheers Iris