Donations Galore

Hello Everyone,
Alison on the blog today.
This week we were visited by Tracey from UNISSON Disability which provides support for adults with a disability. Tracey provided a delicious morning tea and we donated the following quilts:

Quilt made by Robyn S.

Quilt made by Marie G.

Quilt made by one of our members and quilted by Susan St J.

Wagga made by Doreen and Gill

Quilt made by Karen

Quilt made by June

Our members have also been busy making cot quilts for a Women's refuge which will be delivered by Robyn J.

A selection of quilts made by Grace

More cot quilts made by Robyn J.

Another cot quilt made by Iris

Now for some reminders:

Our Days for Girls workshop will be on our next Community Day on 4th April. Bring a sewing machine if you can and it would be good idea to throw in an extension cord or power board.

The Kangaroo quilts are also due on 4th April and will be displayed around the hall so that we can all admire our teal creations.

Remember the pink blocks that we made over the Christmas break?
Iris has arranged them to make this fun quilt top...

Late this Week

Hi Everyone,

I am a little late with the blog this week. I attended an 'Away Weekend' with the NSW Guild to Berry and the South Coast from Friday to Sunday evening.

It was a very full weekend and most enjoyable. These 'Away' meetings make it possible for Country Members of the Guild to attend and meet up with friends.

We stayed in Nowra and on Friday visited Meroogal which is a preserved homestead from the 1800's with all the original furnishings, books, paintings, carpets etc.

We visited three Quilt Shops where I did buy some fabric, even though I tried to be strong and resist the temptation!

There were two highlights on Sunday. First was a visit to Bundanon for a tour of Arthur Boyd's property and contents.

Then we had a speaker, Carolyn Collins, who does amazing work with plant and vegetable dyes. Carolyn demonstrated how she extracts the dyes and how to use them. A fascinating session.

 Enough of that and down to General Business for HHQ:

* Days for Girls workshop on 4 April. I believe we are going to be sewing the bags together. If you can manage to bring your sewing machine along, that will be helpful.
I will have final details in next week's blog.

* Visitor coming this Thursday is Tracey Sherwin from Unisson (formerly Sunshine Homes). Tracey has kindly offered to bring morning tea.

* Kangaroo Quilts: These are due on 4 April.

* Narelle has details of our retreat if you are thinking of coming.

* Membership fees are now overdue, so please pay up if you haven't done so already.

Show and Tell:

Below are two Community Quilts that Robyn Jnst. will be taking to the Pilliga region of Australia. This is an area between Walgett and Weewaa and Coonamble.
There is a CWA group in the aptly named 'Come-by Chance' who help with a shelter and young families.
Robyn will also be taking 6 quilts that she has made herself.

Below is an arrangement of baby quilts with a gorgeous little Teddy made by Bev in the middle.

The three baby quilts below are from Susan H.

And 4 Baby quilts from Carolyn who is back from a lovely holiday in India.

Iris made the quilt below and has hand quilted it which is always a treat.

Below is a baby quilt or play mat from Grace, who is expecting her first grandchild very soon.

Until next week ......

A Great Day

Hi Everyone,

What a great day we had this week. Alison and Helena got off to an early start with their Amish Rag Rug workshop.
Many of our members were keen to learn the technique. Some found it easier than others. Getting started with the first few knots was the hardest.
It was a lot of fun and you will see photos of some of the results below.
Thank you to Alison and Helena.

General:

* Retreat - Narelle has a leaflet for our retreat in September. Please see Narelle for a copy if you are planning on coming.
The dates are September 6,7,8.

* Lindy kindly brought in a box of ripe bananas from her farm. They were all taken to be eaten for lunch or to make banana bread. Thank you Lindy.

* Doreen rang to say how much she enjoyed reading our comments on her Birthday card. She enjoyed them so much, she has gone through and re-read them all.

*A reminder that Fees are now due. Please see Akiko with your cash or ask her for our banking details to pay online.

* Merlyn brought in an overlocker that she wasn't using. Robyn Jnst has a friend who needed one to help make the bags etc for Days for Girls.
It was extremely generous. Thank you Merlyn.

Visitors:

We had a visit from two McGrath Breast Care Nurses who work in the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
They help those ladies who don't get all the benefits that the majority receive.
This includes single Mothers or Mothers who are unable to work full time during their treatment, and therefore run short of money.
The nurses aim is to raise money to be able to give these patients some of the benefits e.g. special bras, bandages and creams, etc.
We donated a quilt for them to raffle to help raise funds.
Photo below.

Show and Tell:

 Above are examples of our work from the workshop.

Above a baby quilt from Robyn S.

Above another baby quilt from Bev which she quilted it on her machine.

 Above two close ups from our workshop.

Above the quilt we donated to the Breast Care Nurses. The quilt was made by Marie K.

That's all for today. Until next week .....

Rag Rug Tutorial

Here is a good rag rug tutorial:

Last day of Summer

Hi Everyone,

It is hard to believe two months of the year have gone by already The weather is cooler and I look forward to our spectacular Autumn days.

General News:

We had almost a full house this week.
Marie K. brought in branches from her Bay tree for us to share.
Laurel was able to join us from the Southern Highlands, and Doreen enjoyed the Birthday card we sent.

Kathy Doughty also joined us for a few hours. She announced that her shop, Material Obsession, was turning 16 on March 1.
An amazing milestone and all due to Kathy's hard work, creativity and enthusiasm. I am fortunate to be having classes with Kathy this year. She is inspirational and her classes are fun and informative.

Alison spoke to us about the workshop next week to make the Amish Rag Rug.She also demonstrated how to make the wire tool to use.

For those who weren't there last week, here are the instructions:

1. Bring strips of fabric, 1.5" wide or between 0.50 to 2.00 inches. Cut fabric across the width and remove the selvedges.
2. A small pair of scissors
3. Wire tool. Photo instructions below.

I have some wire that is suitable and Alison also has some extras. Helena is going to try it with a large crochet hook and Robyn Jms. just used her fingers when she made hers. Whatever you use will affect how tight or loose the rug will become.

Visitor next week:

Iris announced that a care nurse for Breast Cancer will come to speak to us about items that can be made and used for those women who have had a mastectomy.  She will arrive around 11 a.m.

Show and Tell:

Below are a number of felt items made by Elva. There are bookmarks, keyrings, glasses cases, and hair clips. Elva and her group do wonderful embroidery and the results are bright and cheerful as well as useful.
I am a klutz when it comes to embroidery so I am always in awe of those who make it look so easy.

Below is a baby quilt from Jenny.

 Another baby quilt from Jenny.

A baby quilt from Narelle using the wonky star block which is always eye catching.

Below Robyn Jnst. made this quilt for her grandson. It reminds me of a Northern Hemisphere winter.
The colours are lovely.

Robyn also brought in a basketful of knitted baby hats and knitted bunnies. I forgot to take a photo. They looked amazing all stacked neatly together.
The bunnies were just waiting for their tails.
Robyn takes them to a hospital for little premmie and newborn babies.

Below are the the instructions for the wire tool to make the Rag Rug.

Until next week ......

Handover of Committee Duties

Hi Everyone,

We enjoyed the cooler weather today with some welcome rain for our gardens.
As positions had come vacant, there was a general handover to the new committee members.
We had another busy meeting as well as lots of talk and show and tell.

Sensory Mats for Children:

Iris has made the cutest crocheted octopuses (octopi) for the sensory mats for young children.
Many of the sensory mats that Robyn Jnst has made were on display. One mat had a little car attached, a tunnel and a garage for the child to play with.
There seems no end to Robyn's imagination and all the mats are special.

Shelter for Mothers and Babies:

Robyn has also been asked to make cot quilts for young children at a Shelter.

The quilts should be 40" by 50" or close to. There are a number of novelty prints at the hall for anyone to use.

Workshop March 7th:

Alison has found a number of fabrics in our cupboard that could be used to make her Amish Rag Rug on Community Day next month.
Cut any selvedges off the fabric first and tear or cut into 1 1/2" strips.
There is absolutely no sewing involved, only knots all done by hand.
It should be fun.

Future Shows:

For those who like to plan ahead, there are two popular shows to be held in April.

* The AQC in Melbourne will be held from April 11 - 14 in the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne.

* The 13th Springwood Community Show will be held from 26 - 28 April at Springwood High School Hall.

Show and Tell:

First we have a baby quilt made by Grace for her grandchild which is due next month. The idea came from Elmo the Baby Elephant books. They are so cute.

Jenny showed us her Bunnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2018 called Good Fortune.
Jenny finished the quilt in record time.
The instructions were to make 240  1" squares but only about 100 of these were required. So Jenny incorporated the 'leftovers' into the backing which is as colourful as the front.
This is a quilt for Community.
Thank you Jenny.

Joy showed us this very colourful quilt she has made for her grandson. Her grandson chose all the fabrics. He has done a great job.

Helena has made this beautiful quilt based on Kathy Doughty's pattern "Liberty Fields".
It is a lovely pattern and one I intend to make sometime.
Helena crocheted the stems which looks perfect.

Marie G. made this quilt from shirt fabric samples she found in the cupboard. It shows what you can do with bits and pieces. This one I believe is for Community so thank you Marie.

Until next week .....

Annual General Meeting 2019

Hi Everyone,

We held our AGM at noon this week. It was good to see such a large attendance.
We received reports from the President, Treasurer, Community Coordinator, Membership, Retreat Coordinator, Librarian and Workshop Coordinator.
All reported a good year for 2018.

Office Bearers for 2019 were nominated and accepted as follows:

Executive Committee:

President -                         Judy
Vice President -                 Susan D.
Secretary -                         Jenny
Treasurer -                         Akiko
Community Coordinator - Iris
2020 Show Convenor -     Alison

Sub Committee:

Membership coordinator     Kerry
Retreat Coordinator             Narelle
Kitchen                                 Suzie L
Librarian                               Susan D.
Workshop Coordinator          Helena

The raffle quilts were decided for our 2020 Show:

The Contemporary quilt is the one we began at our 2018 retreat, from orphan blocks made by members.

The Traditional quilt is a beautiful design that requires a great deal of intricate and accurate stitching. Christie Dupond has kindly agreed to take charge of this project.

General:

* Akiko reported that her Mother loved the quilt we sent over to her.

* Laurel will be visiting on February 28.

* Robyn Jnst, has been asked to make as many sensory mats as possible for needy young children.
It is a huge task and Robyn would love any of our members to help out. If you can make one or two in between your other sewing and quilting, they will be be gratefully accepted.
Below is a photo of some knitted and crocheted toys that Robyn attaches to the mats.
The children love to feel them and cuddle them. Often they do not want to give them back.
If you need any ideas I am sure Robyn would be happy to provide suggestions. Grace is always a good one to ask for ideas as well.
Grace will be bringing in a copy of patterns for the knitted animals next week.

Retreat 6-8 September 2019:

I had a call from Desley at Kurri Kurri to say that they have put their fees up a little from last year.
The accommodation has increased by $20 per person.
Everything else stays the same.

Show and Tell:

Below Robyn Jms. has made the Amish rag rug out of her 'unloved' purple fabric.
Robyn made it in super quick time and it looks great.
Alison and Helena will be holding a workshop to make these rugs on next Community Day 7 March.

Below are examples of the knitted and crocheted animals for the childrens' sensory mats. My favourite is the mouse.
However you can let your imagination run wild and come up with lots of other examples.

Below is a beautiful quilt made from Adrienne's fabrics. Robyn S. and Iris have done all the hard and detailed work to make this amazing quilt.
It will be for sale at our next show.
Iris has called it "Flowers from William and Michelle" in tribute to the William Morris and Michelle Hill fabrics used in the quilt.

Below is a quilt made by Marie K for her granddaughter. Marie has used some fabrics from Margaret D. and Grace has quilted it. Her granddaughter wants to learn patchwork. She is very lucky to have such a great teacher. Marie makes lovely quilts and bags and seems to make them all in record time.

Until next week ........