Royal Wedding and Retreat

Hello Everyone,

There is not a great deal to report this week.

Perhaps like me, you spent most of Saturday evening watching the Royal Wedding. It was a beautiful day in London. It would have been an experience to have been in London at the time.

This week we spoke about Grace and Gil's Wagga presentation for the NSW Guild study group. It was a huge success. We sold some raffle tickets for our show and handed out fliers.

During our retreat next weekend, Grace and Gil will be working on Waggas to sell at the show. I am sure offers of help will not go astray.

I have emailed directions and details for the retreat to those who are going. Upon arrival at the TAFE, park in the car park and go into the main building to Reception. From there you will be guided to your accommodation. It should be a fun weekend.

Show and Tell:

Grace has put the top together from the pink triangles that we all supplied. I am always amazed how these blocks go together so well. The quilt now needs finishing and will sent to the Dragon Boat people to be raffled.

This is one of the Waggas displayed at Grace's talk. Marie K. made it a while ago. It has been washed in the washing machine and thrown in the car boot and still looks brand new. Waggas are so versatile, warm and useful.

News of the retreat for next week's post.

Until then .....

Show Challenge Display

Hello Everyone,

I am a little late this week with the blog. It has been a hectic weekend.
I hope you all had a happy Mothers Day yesterday.

There are some members travelling at the moment so greetings to Sue D and Lindy. Also Hi to Hayley and others who can't come to regular meetings. Checking the blog is a good way to catch up with what has been going on with the group.

37 Sensory mats for our Show Challenge were displayed around the room on Thursday. They were all different and very colourful. Grace awarded prizes for various categories such as the most elegant, the friendliest, the most tactile, the one with the most fringe, the fiddliest, the clever idea. etc etc. It was great fun.
Grace awarded the winners with a Lindt chocolate each wrapped beautifully in a square of reusable fabric and tied with a pretty ribbon. Wonderful!

A number of girls admitted that they were bringing quite a few orphan blocks to our retreat for us all to work on. I am looking forward to seeing what we come up with.

I attended Grace and Gil's presentation of Waggas for the NSW Guild on Saturday afternoon. Many  ladies came to hear about the history of the Wagga and how the name originated.  Books and Waggas were passed around for everyone to look at.
There is a lot of interest in the Waggas and Grace showed a number of them. I have a couple of photos below.
The weather in Sydney on Saturday was cold and very windy with a strong Southerly blowing. A perfect afternoon to cuddle up with a Wagga.

We had fliers for our show on the table and a number were taken. We also sold $92 worth of raffle tickets. The sales were thanks to Gil and Grace's friend Anne who did a wonderful job selling them for us.

Show and  Tell:

First up is from Narelle. We were interested to see how Narelle had made the blocks. Narelle made the 'tulip' shapes and then added the square.
So colourful and pretty. A happy quilt. I have added a couple off close-ups below for you to see.

Next we have a jumble of some of the Sensory mats to show you how terrific they look. The last jumble caught my husband's eye and he really liked the colours.

This photo is  Grace showing the 'Fox' Wagga. This pattern is very popular and drew quite a few 'ums and ahs' of approval from the audience. It is quite stunning.

The Wagga below belongs to Kathy Doughty from Material Obsession. It is made from Vinnies' blankets and cleverly appliqued and pieced by Kathy.

So no excuses! Go to your local thrift shop for old woollen blankets and offcuts and get sewing a Wagga. Winter is the best time of year to make one.

Until next week .....

A Busy Community Day

Hello Everyone,

 Bits and pieces for you today from our Thursday meeting and a couple of quilting hints that may be useful.

First  -  mats for our Show Challenge are due next week. Small Prizes will be awarded for various categories - ugliest, funniest, prettiest etc.

Second - Please think about making quilts to sell at the show. No big big quilts though.
Standard cot size, single bed and double bed. Also lap quilts are popular with the cooler weather.
Remember though that 15% commission is taken from the sale price towards costs and the charities we are supporting.

It was Community Day and all our groups were busy sewing and planning quilts for our stash.

As is habit with many groups, we all tend to sit with the same people every week. Hence we have been divided roughly into Colours.

The RED GROUP have been given a quilt top that had been started but not finished.  Our group had a big discussion about what to do with it and how to finish it.
Sheila had also finished the backing of another quilt we have been making for Community.
We will pin it together next week ready for machine quilting.

The BLUE GROUP is always very busy. They were working on two quilt tops, finishing binding and sewing on labels.

The ORANGE GROUP had two machines working hard. All heads down and charging ahead.

The GREEN GROUP were also finishing off a pretty quilt they had designed.

I didn't catch up with the other groups but will keep tabs on them for next Community Day.

QUILTING HINTS:

I went to a talk on Friday which was very enjoyable.

1.  BINDING: When you bind a quilt, apparently it is a good idea to finish the four corners first. Then go back and finish the bits in between.This helps to keep the quilt flat.
A flat quilt is especially important if your quilt is to be entered into a show and be judged.

2.  CUTTING: One lady who does a lot of cutting, mentioned that she had been using a Titanium cutting blade.
She has been using the same blade since December last year and it is still sharp.
Apparently Spotlight sells them so it may be worth a try.

OTHER GROUPS:

Quiltsmith is closing soon and is to become an online store. The owner does not have room to store a lot of the fabric and books that are in the shop. So hurry along and pick up a bargain.
They have a big range of quilting books which are always useful.

QuiltNSW is looking for volunteers for the Saturday and Sunday of their show in June. It is mainly 'white glove' work. This enables you to have a good look at all the quilts and chat to and meet other quilters. You will also receive a special badge and morning tea after the show.

Show and Tell:

A nine patch from me made from leftovers for a bigger cot quilt I made for a friend. This is for the Grace Centre.

Also for the Grace Centre from Jenny.  Jenny and I did an Improv Class on Tuesday.  I knew Jenny would finish the quilt for our Thursday meeting.  I was going to compete but  I had no chance!
This is a fun way to make blocks.  It is similar to Gwen Marston's Wonky blocks idea. Gwen's attitude is -'if it is too big, cut it off. If too small, add it on.'
Not for the Traditionalist quilters but fun to do.

Also for the Grace Centre from Karen. This looks amazing and three dimensional.

Another baby quilt from Jenny. The pattern is a square within a square within a square. Jenny did explain how to do it but I lost track after the first two squares. An idea for a workshop I feel.

A stunning Community quilt from Karen. Thank you Karen.

Until next week......

Our Wagga Makers ....

Iris checking in   .... Just in case you haven't heard, this is exciting event involving our  'wagga' ladies  ... Australian Quilt Study Groups

QSG of NSW talk on Waggas on Saturday 12th May 2018 Posted: 23 Apr 2018 09:07 PM PDT The Quilt Study Group of NSW talk on Waggas will take place on the 12th of May at The Glover Cottages, 124 Kent Street in Millers Point. Grace Widders will talk about the background of that most Australian of bed coverings, the Wagga. Then along with two of her fellow Hunters Hill Quilters, Doreen and Gil, she will talk about the history of the fundraising project the group has run for many years that focuses on selling completed Waggas and kits from the back room at their quilt show. Grace Widders The Wagga makers from Hunters Hill Therewill of course be plenty of their waggas to see and some owners of both new and old Waggas will being theirs along too to show us. If you have made or own any waggas, please bring them along too. Please encourage everyone you know who is interested in quilting to come along to the Quilt Study Group of NSW talks. The Glover Cottages is a beautiful light-filled venue for the talks and it is an easy walk through The Rocks area from either Wynyard or Circular Quay train stations. Quilt NSW guild members pay $5, non-guild members pay $10. Afternoon tea is provided and the talks start at 2pm. Check the Quilt NSW website or the latest Template Newsletters for more details.  Keep stitching   ... Cheers Iris

The Grace Centre and other news

Hello Everyone,
Alison on the blog today.
Iris delivered 50 quilts to the Grace Centre for Mother’s Day. As you know, each mum and baby gets a quilt and Iris was told that the quilts are displayed in the office and the nurse who is caring for the baby selects the quilt which is ‘right for the baby’s personality’.
When we have another supply, Caroline and Karen from the Grace Centre will join us again with morning tea. It’s nice to know that they appreciate our efforts.
Our Carolyn has already started on our next supply with 4 more gorgeous quilts:

Jenny has added another string quilt to our community stash

A reminder that our Quilt Show Challenge is due by May 10 - should be lots of fun.
I was sent a link to this tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company on how to bind a quilt which you may find useful if you still haven’t finished your quilt for our next show...

School Holidays and Reminder

It is the first week of the school holidays for NSW.  Our group was a little smaller as a result.

Important Reminder:

The Sensory Mats are due on Thursday May 10.  For those who haven't finished theirs, you will need to get a move on.
Grace will be collecting them on the 10th.

Member News:

Merlyn and Val have been to visit Doreen during the week.

Val had lunch with her and said she is in good spirits.

Merlyn was able to give Doreen some information about her accommodation as her brother also is staying there.

It was wonderful to see Joy back this week. She is not 100% but is much better.

General:

We were sad to hear that Quiltsmith at Annandale is closing the shop. They have an amazing selection of fabrics and many of us bought fabric there.
With increasing rents and expenses, the owner has decided to go online.
They are currently having a sale with 25% off everything.

Show and Tell:

Robyn and Iris packed 50 baby quilts to take to the Grace Centre at Westmead Hospital.
Our cupboard is now bare, awaiting a refill.

Marie K. made this lovely hexagon quilt for our Community stash. Marie is very talented at putting colours and various fabrics together. Her quilts always look stunning.

 This is another quilt for Community. It is a joint effort between Gill, Val and Doreen. Elephants are always a favourite. Lovely work.

Iris asked Marie K. if she would be able to make a matching bag for her hexagon quilt. What a great bag. We all wanted it! Thank you Marie.

I will be away next week. Grace has kindly agreed to step in for me. I hope you enjoy the the rest of the school holidays which includes Anzac Day next Wednesday.

Visitors and Quilt Donations

Visitors:

* This week Tracey Sherwin from Unisson (formerly known as Sunshine Homes) joined us to tell us about her charity.
They have 30 staff and 800 participants. They help all ages with disabilities and also offer a day service as well as respite care.
The charity is government funded through the NDIS but extra funds are raised from selling arts and crafts, including painting and pottery, made by participants and also by raffling a quilt.

We donated 6 quilts for their use. Tracey said these will be used by their elderly residents to keep them warm during the winter. Residents in wheel chairs use them both as lap quilts and when they lie back in their chairs.

The quilts were particularly colourful and all made by our members.

* Heather brought a friend along to our meeting this week. Her friend Glenda lives near Dallas in Texas. She has an Australian grandson whom she likes to visit when she can.
It was such a pleasure to have her join us. She showed us a quilt and spoke to us about it.
The photograph is below.


Member News:

Norma -  one of our older members can no longer come to meetings as she requires more care. Elva has been to visit her and she is happy and enjoying her "new home". She misses us all though.

Doreen - is also in care at the moment while her daughter is away. She is slowly recovering.

Joy - is always at our meetings so it was noticeable that she was "missing in action". She has had a stay in hospital but is home now and recovering.
We all wish you a speedy recovery Joy and look forward to seeing you back here soon.

Show and Tell:

Heather showed us this very colourful quilt. Heather had quilted it using special Ruler Templates on her home machine.
These come in various shapes - straight lines, circles, etc.
Many of us did not know about these templates. They attach to your machine and make it easier to guide the needle for quilting.

Above and below, we have Glenda's quilt. Glenda said it is from a pattern which she offered to anyone who would like it. A number of her friends made the blocks separately, the only stipulation being that there was to be No Pink!
When all the blocks were returned they made this lovely, fun quilt.
It would be a great pattern for a Christmas quilt in Christmas fabrics.

Below is a close up of Heather's quilt to show the detailed quilting. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the back of the quilt which showed the quilting more clearly.

A number of our members visited the Fairholme Quilt show at Thornleigh last weekend. It was a lovely show. 

I particularly liked their challenge. The instruction was for a 12" block in black and white with a splash of colour. 

All the blocks were amazing. It was difficult to choose a favourite. This was one of mine.

The blocks will be made up into quilts for Community.