Sunday 30 August 2015

27th August 2015

BACK FROM THE RETREAT!

All participants enjoyed a great weekend away in Blackheath. Below you can see some of the work completed during the three days, and proudly displayed back at the group.

Ros's beautiful star......

                               

Laurel's counter-change blue and whites......


                                



Jenny's beautifully coloured strippy  bits....



Elva's Kaffe tube technique squares......

                             

Heather's bright community quilt......


                              

Another Heather number, this time a mystery quilt challenge.....

                               
And Hayley's gorgeous Dolly and Me interactive quilt......

                               

Gill's cute stripey animal squares quilt.....

                                

And lastly, an example of Jenny's handy bags from strips.

                                 


In addition we had two small quilts made back home.
The first by Karen, a lovely design.......

                                    


And next one for the baby quilt collection by Maree K. Check out the very cute backing fabric as well.....

                                     

                                     


A small group today, but lots of fun working together as always!
Cheers till next time.

Monday 24 August 2015

23rd August 2015 POSTSCRIPT

Oops! Forgot these two cuties. Had to rotate them so they were forgotten.
Check out this entire quilt when you get a chance at group. It defies belief. So much work, so outrageously cute! I challenge you to STOP playing around with its bits and pieces once you start!




Sunday 23 August 2015

Redleaf Resort - Blackheath 21-23rd August 2015

A happy group of 19 Wanderers made their way to Blackheath this weekend, and enjoyed many hours of stitching, quilting, cutting, designing etc etc.

Without the usual interruptions of home duties and chores, we were able to stay at what we love as long as we wished. Absolutely spoiled with afternoon and morning teas delivered to our quilting room annex and delicious breakfasts and dinners prepared for us, there was no need to think about anything but the craft. To top it all off, we were surrounded by friends and fellow crafters to share ideas, hints, advice and congratulations. 

Much incidental chatting about family, experiences, travel and anything else you could name, made for hours of warm companionship. Some fun games, a little Tai Chi to loosen tired and stiff limbs, trips out to favourite places in the mountains and pre-dinner drinks relaxing around a roaring fire topped off an outstanding weekend away.

Thank you to all the participants for your contribution to the retreat, and particular thanks to Deb L for arranging and managing the entire event so well. You did a splendid job!

Below are some shots taken during the three days. If you haven't ever done a retreat, or haven't done one for a while, you might give some thought to joining us next year. Enjoy the shots, and thanks once again ladies for your friendship and companionship.













































Saturday 22 August 2015

20th August - Retreat tomorrow!

It was quite a small group today, maybe because people were getting ready for the weekend away, or maybe they decided they would be working quilts and chatting to quilting friends all weekend, so they'd give it a rest today! 

Nevertheless we were a happy group, with some fabulous work just on the cusp of completion. With all that and the retreat weekend, the next blog should be chock-full of colour!

Jenny collected a few completed donations towards the Lord Mayor's Picnic Quilt, and I know many have plans to do theirs over the weekend.

Suzie collected donations of buttons for her stage sales project. Only another 20 or so needed. Thanks to all.

A very small Show 'n Tell today. As promised, below is a shot of the quilt made from the Figtree Playgroup kids craft day. They are very proud of it, choosing to hang it in amongst the HHQuilters products! Cute!

        


Maree K showed a counter-change design she has done. Very nice. What a prolific quilter!

                                 

Next blog will be from the Retreat! See you then........

Sunday 16 August 2015

13th August - one week to Retreat!

Hi all. A well attended group last Thursday, and lots of gorgeous quilts being worked on. I'm sure soon after the retreat there will be one amazing Show and Tell session!

Hunters Hill Council have again invited our group to apply for a Community Grant, so we plan to go ahead with that. Can't hurt to try.

The Figtree Playgroup Quilt is finished and has been delivered to them. The children who participated were eager and delighted to see their little participatory bits come to life in the finished quilt. Lovely to see. A photo will follow in the coming weeks.

Gil and Doreen are seeking 'Wagga Makers' who will volunteer to work on pieces for the next show. I'm sure groups as well as individuals would be most welcome. Just see either of the ladies when next you're at quilting. 

Robyn J is looking for more volunteers to take a turn quilting the Traditional Raffle Quilt for the show. I've taken it for now and will take it to the retreat next weekend so a few of us can take turns. After that we will be ready to hand it over to the next people. 

Iris has handed out the background fabrics for the Lord Mayor's Picnic Quilt design. The theme is 'Zoophoria' so anything one might see at the zoo and surrounds would be appropriate. As many bright and cheery colours as possible  please, and work on ground level, mid level and sky level. See Iris for more advice on how to proceed. Thanks Iris!

Looking forward to seeing those who are going at the Retreat next weekend. Don't forget to bring a fat quarter wrapped for a lucky dip game. Hope for beautiful weather!

Grace is away for a few weeks, so if you need any treasurer help, please see me and I'll do my best!

SHOW AND TELL

First up on Thursday was Sally with a quilt she has made for her mum's 85th birthday. It's taken a while, and Sally was most grateful for the assistance of friends in the group in getting it finished. Good to have friends! The finished product is delightful. I'm sure she will appreciate and love it Sally!


                                



Next some baby quilts for the Grace Centre collection. The first ones are quilts done by a former group member, Pam. Lovely bright and cheerful prints!

                               


                               


                               


Next comes a nice little blue and white one by Jess and daughter Maddie. Well done!

                                   

And finally a very sweet one by Maree G. Lovely as always.

                                    


I know the Grace Centre are always so thrilled to receive more quilts, and are constantly delighted by the creativity of the designs and the skill of the work. Well done and thanks to all those who participate in this endeavour. It's a great cause to support. 

That's it for this week. See you all next Thursday I hope, and thereafter at Blackheath! Hope the snow doesn't come back for our weekend up there. Tai Chi in the snow? I think not!

Sunday 9 August 2015

6th August - JUST TWO WEEKS TILL THE RETREAT!

Farewell to Janet!
All the girls present last Thursday wished Janet good luck with her move, and a request for visits whenever she finds herself in Sydney. Janet cut into her cake (kindly organised by Grace) and thanked all for the support of the group. We all sipped some champagne to cheer her on her way, and much emotion was felt. Best wishes from us all Janet. Keep in touch, and happy times ahead with your family.

                                  


                                  


Deb talked about the retreat which will be in just two weeks from now. We're all looking forward to a stretch of time where there are few distractions from our projects. Deb mentioned to bring a fat quarter wrapped for a lucky dip. This will be used in a new fat quarter game to be played this year. Apart from that, just get yourself there ASAP on Friday, and work can start in the main room even if it's before booking-in time. Can't wait!

As it was Community Day last Thursday, there was lots of community project work going on. As well, there were lots of community quilts on show for SHOW AND TELL:

For the Motor Neurone Disease Walk-a-thon raffle, the first is by Jenny 

                                  

and the next by Henny and Iris

                                  

Orange Group made the next quilt for the community collection from fabric donated by The Macquarie Hospital. It was designed by Grace


                                

Another Orange Group quilt made from Akiko's mum's donated silk fabric. Fabulous!



                              

Grace made the following baby quilt after the counter-change workshop last week.

                              


Gil put together another counter-change inspired quilt, this time from wool for the Wagga collection.

                             


Robyn S made this lovely quilt for her sister from fabric she had and some her sister had. A nice collaboration!

                                


And finally, Janet showed a quilt she's been working on for quite a while, fittingly ready for her final day with us. It is for her great-grand daughter and is covered in appliqué flowers. Gorgeous!

                                 


So another day passed, and Spring comes steadily closer. I think we're all ready for that!
Cheers till next time.