9/3/17 GREAT TO BE BACK!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome back. It was great to see you all and enjoy HHQ once again.

Thanks to Judy and Iris for keeping the formal part of our gatherings going while I was absent. Everything was obviously in good hands.

Iris has also updated the HHQ history folder, which is a job she does amazingly well. Please help yourself to a browse through it some time, whether you're a new member or an old-timer! It's a fabulous source of information. Thanks Iris.

We seem to have completely exhausted the cupboards' store of quilting pins, so from now on people will need to organise to bring their own. Groups can liaise with each other when they're planning to pin a quilt at the hall. If anyone realises that they have a bunch of pins at home which probably should be in the cupboard, feel free to bring them in and add them to the other stores! Cheers.

If any folk are on the current executive or were previously on it, some of you must have one of the 'key' cards that open the front doors. If you have no need to keep it, it might be as well to give it back to me so that I can make sure everyone on the kitchen roster has one for their duty day.

Also, if anyone has a set of kitchen and cupboard keys, could you please hand them in as we seem to be down on those as well. Cheers.

Robyn J is now asking for volunteers for the quilting of the Traditional Raffle Quilt. Please give her your name and she will add it to the list. She tells us it's very 'doable' quilting and she will start it off as a guide.

SHOW AND TELL

Plenty to share this week!

Maree G started us off with this colourful quilt, which she said has a furry backing, and therefore didn't need any batting. 

      

The next is an unfinished work by our new member Christie. It is a Wendy Williams design, and Christie's very fine stitching skills are stunning indeed! You really need to see it close up!

Can't wait to see the finished quilt!

         

Iris showed a quilt she has put together for the community collection. Very nicely done Iris!

         

She even used some exsisting blocks for the back!

         

Iris then showed a scrappy quilt she has finally finished after beginning it in around 2007!

She declared she didn't like it very much, but I must say the rest of us did! She likes the back better because of the satisfying look of the quilting. Yes, it comes out very well indeed.

                            

                          

Grace showed the Contemporary Raffle Quilt so far. There are a few more rows to be added, but it's coming along nicely. No more blocks required, but perhaps Grace will put out a call for a few small circles to use over it here and there. Great work everyone!

                                

And finally Sheila showed us this star quilt which has come up very well. Nice variety of fabrics!

       

So there you have it. March marches on!

See you next Thursday.

Cheers, Elva

Kathy's video on FaceBook

Check out Kathy's video on the FreeSpirit page on FaceBook

March Community Day

A community day with so much happening.    First,  news from Judy:

We received a thank you card from the Susanne the President of the Phillip Group of the CWA for the donation of Jessica's wagga.   It was raffled to raise funds for disadvantaged children in the bush.

Membership - due now:  don't forget, if using direct deposit to the bank add your name to the transaction to allow Grace to reconcile the receipt.

Jenny added four new books to the library:  I did try to take a photo, but before I could they were distributed throughout the hall!

• Creative Stash and Scrap Quilts ( a donation from Val)
• Dear Jane
• Millefiore Quilts
• Take an Element by Margaret Sampson

We received the latest issue of the Template:  there was a mention for our work on Fidgety Quilts.

The hall was buzzing with activity.

Robyn J and Alison were preparing the backing for the 2018 Traditional Raffle Quilt.  The blocks are all together, hand pieced by Robyn, and quilting will start soon.

Narelle and her 'Orange' Group were working on this cute block for a community quilt:

Marie G, was the machinist as the 'Blue'  Group put  these blocks into a quilt top:

Show and Tell was all for Community .... thank you!

Grace made this quilt from Kathy D's fabric range:   Kathy's Birds

Last week Jenny showed us this quilt top:   ...  this week it is a quilt !   Finished off with some good free motion quilting - Vi's Blues

The 'Red' Group,  Judy G, Susan D, Sheila and Beryl B,  finished their community quilt -
 Block Buster

Robyn Jo. showed us the quilt top that she has just made for community - featuring some of Robyn's perfect red work.  We need a name, please ??

Cot Quilts for Grace Centre  ...   a total of nine were received  this week.

'Cats' from Susie and two pastel 'animals' from Marie G.

Three from Susan D, with a focus on elephants

Three from Carolyn - bright cheerful cows and a few rabbits

And finally, it is not all about quilting.   A supply of teddies for 'Em's Friends' -  Em distributes the teddies to police personnel so that they can be given to children in trauma situations.

Nine teddies from Robyn Jo. all super cute

A family of four, knitted by Norma and finished off by Robyn Jo.

That is all.  Enjoy a stitching week.   Elva will be back next Thursday.   Cheers,     Iris

Another productive Thursday

As Elva enjoys her scenic holiday around New Zealand,  new vice president, Judy organised the weekly news and Iris here on blog.

A couple of reminders:

• Membership fees are due:  see treasurer, Grace. 
• Any unfinished blocks for the contemporary 2018 raffle quilt must be in next week, also to Grace:  this is how it looks so far:

Helena demonstrated 'Extreme Knitting'  ...   needles were huge, 15 cms in diameter and the blanket she knitted weighed 5 Kilos  (Helena, if I've got those measurements wrong - let me know)

Show and Tell  ... lots !

Jenny was on a roll with two finished tops, both for community:  working on her UFOs.  This one had many of Vi's blue fabrics.

And this one was based around the pink  'braid' make by Sue Robuck :  both lovely memories of old friends.

I also had a finished top which was made from an UFO donated to the 'cupboard'  ...  all the triangles were already cut - I just had to put them together.   The purple fabric was the left over from our 2008 raffle quilts - no scrap goes unused.

And a finished quilt for the community stash from Doreen and Gil:  it was shown last week, but only photographed (very badly, sorry) on Thursday.    This was also a UFO from a friend which became Gil's challenge.    Heather was responsible for the free motion quilting.  The quilt came with a matching bag by Gil.   I think it should be called 'Orangeade' ?

They are still coming  ...     The first of Adrienne's three quilts is finished: worked on by many members.   It is beautiful and will be donated to a very worthy charity after Adrienne has seen it.

And finally  ...   five more cot quilts:  some from June and Beryl R and, I'm sorry,  my notes have let me down.

A very productive day.    Enjoy a good stitching week  ..  Iris

AGM day - 16/2/17

A very good roll up to HHQ this week, possibly because of our Annual General Meeting. 

Happily by the end of the day, all positions on the new committee for 2017 were filled, and the continuing business of the group can seamlessly carry on. 

A reminder that yearly membership fees are due, with the closing date 31/3/17.

We were very happy to announce that there are now 6 new members, and look forward to more possibly this year. It's always great to have new blood in the group, new ideas and strengths to share.

Robyn J has pieced all the blocks of the Traditional Show Quilt together, by hand and all by herself!

It looks amazing, and discussion continued regarding how to quilt it.

Thanks so much for your efforts Robyn, and those of all the girls who contributed a block.

      

The Contemporary Show Quilt is also coming along nicely, looking spectacular on the design wall.

Thanks to Grace for the initial workshop teaching us about the "borro" technique, and how to apply it to this design. Looking very promising. Please let us know if you need more blocks or bits Grace.

          

The only other Show and Tell this week was a small quilt which was originally started by Joan Gai (a previous member I believe). She tired of it and so Gil took it on to finish. Well done Gil!

       

I will see you all when I return in early March. Iris will take over blog duties while I'm away. Thanks Iris.

Until then, stay well and safe, and enjoy your stitching!

Cheers, Elva

HOORAY - FIXED WI FI!

At last the techs have fixed my wi fi connection. Below find the pictures which I couldn't send with the last blog.

Cheers, see you Thursday!

The Traditional blocks spread out on the floor!

     

Wagga for the CWA, made by Jess.

                            

Maree K's scrappy quilt top.

Jenny's baby quilt.

Susan H's six baby quilts.

    

DONE! Sorry for the delay!

STILL STEAMY HOT! 9/2/17

We sweated away valiantly in the hall this week, with the air-conditioners not really cooperating at full strength!

Robyn J was delighted that all the Traditional Quilt blocks are now in and that the overall quality of the work was so high! Well done girls! Now all that's needed is layout, piecing and finally the big quilting job. The style of the quilting is still being debated. Let us know if you have any ideas. Needs to be of traditional style, while at the same time being manageable for members. Great if lots of girls can participate. Thanks Robyn for all your preparatory work. It was an amazing effort!

Remember that the September retreat this year will be the weekend of September 15, 16 and 17.

Remember also that next Thursday February 16th will be our AGM, starting at 12pm. Normal start for quilting, and then we'll pause to hold the AGM. Hope to see a good turn out!

Iris showed a beautiful Wagga which has been chosen for donation to the CWA. It was made by Jess and will be handed over to Barbara Ward this weekend.

At Show and Tell this week we had a baby quilt from Jenny S and five baby quilts from Susan Hartigan.

A lovely scrappy quilt top from Maree Kennedy.

(Owing to wi fi technical difficulties, I haven't been able to include the pictures from this week's meeting. Sorry! I'll include them next week assuming I get this thing sorted!$@###?!!!!

Cheers till we meet next week.

Elva