Wagga Workshop

Hullo Everyone,

Grace and Helena held a Wagga Workshop this week for us all. Grace talked briefly about the history of the Wagga and showed some that have been made.
Gill brought in one that was made many years ago and has been dry cleaned three times. It looked brand new and so very elegant.

The Waggas always attract a lot of attention at our Quilt Show.

Nothing is nicer than cuddling under a Wagga during the Winter while watching TV or on a bed. They are so cosy, warm and luxurious.

I hope many of you will give one a try. There is plenty of fabric available in the cupboards. The dimensions required are 60 x 72 inches. There are hundreds of possibilities for designs. Remember though to use half inch seams as the wool fabric sits flatter with the larger seam.

Hunters Hill Art Show will be held at the Town Hall from May 11 to 19. The paintings on display are well worth a look.

Akiko is on holidays, so Grace is looking after Treasury for any requirements.

Lots of Show and Tell this week:

Lindy has made the first 4 cot quilts below for the Women's Refuge that Robyn Jnst visits.
Lindy actually made 5 quilts. I apologise for missing one of them.
Lindy also brought in a box of 'goodies' from her farm for us all to share.
The box contained avocados, lemons, limes, bananas and mandarins. A feast! Thank you Lindy.

Grace has also made one.

Sandy has too.

Ros has been busy knitting more Teddies for children who have suffered Trauma. The toys have no faces. We understand that this enables the child to identify more closely with the toy. I admit my heart stopped when I was first told about this.

Lindy made this quilt for Community. I think we are calling it  'Spot the Bird'.

Jenny calls this her 'Aspirational Dummy'. It is really wonderful and hand quilted as well. Ten out of ten Jenny!

Heather entered this lovely quilt in the Sydney Royal Easter Show. She was delighted and thrilled not only to win first prize, but also to receive a Standard of Excellence award. It is a very pretty quilt and beautifully made. Well done Heather.

Until next week ....

Shweshwe

Hello Everyone,

Alison on the blog this week and now that I have your attention, I need to explain that Shweshwe "is a printed dyed cotton fabric widely used for traditional South African clothing.Originally dyed indigo, the fabric is manufactured in a variety of colours and printing designs characterised by intricate geometric patterns. Due to its popularity, shweshwe has been described as the denim, or tartan, of South Africa." (Wikipedia)

We were visited by Theresa Loots from South Africa who is visiting her daughter, Vicki Du Plooy.

Theresa told us about her remarkable recent journey in quilting. Having no patchwork experience at all, she decided to make her first quilt ever from a Dresden Plate pattern designed by Alyssoun Ryves which she found on the internet. She was so inspired by the experience that she was determined to find out more about the designer of her quilt and tracked us down.

Theresa donated some Shweshwe fabric and has challenged us to make it into a quilt.

She was then treated to a visit to Carl Ryves' house to view the original quilt.

Shweshwe fabric

Grace, Carl, Theresa, June and Vicki

Things to remember:

This Thursday is ANZAC Day so we won't be meeting.

There will be a Wagga workshop on the following Thursday.

The raffle quilt blocks which were meticulously prepared by Christie have been handed out.

Please follow the markings very carefully and make stitches as small as possible.

Show and Tell:

Baby quilt made by Beryl R. for the Grace Centre

Cot quilt made by June for a women's refuge

Cot quilt by Jenny for a family member who is having a baby

Another Enjoyable Day

Hullo Everyone,

I do like my Thursdays. It is a very pleasant way to spend a day.

I cannot join you next week and the following Thursday is Anzac Day. We will back as usual on May 2nd.

News:

* We received a very nice letter from the Womens' refuge that Robyn has introduced us too. They are very appreciative of the cot quilts and little teddies and bunnies that we have given them.
Making these larger cot quilts - 40" x 40" - is an ongoing commitment.
If you have a spare moment, think about whipping one up.

* Carolyn from the Grace Centre could not come this week. She will now come to collect the Kangaroo quilts and the baby quilts on 9 May.

* Christie has been busy preparing the pieces for the Traditional quilt for our show next year.
Next week Iris will have paper bags of the pieces to be sewn together including instructions.
The pieces can be sewn by hand or machine.
The pieces are quite small so hand sewing may be more accurate.

Quilt Shows:

* Springwood  Community Quilt Sow is on from Friday to Sunday 26-28 April  from 10 am to 4 pm.

* Eastwood Patchwork quilters show is on from 3-5 May from 10 am to 4:30 pm.

Pop-up Shop for Achieve Basket:

Achieve (formerly Crowley House) is having a pop up shop at 427 Darling Street, Balmain next
week from 9 am to 2 pm Monday to Friday.

Jenny needs some 7" zips for the bags she makes for the show. If you see any at Achieve please pick them up for her.

Next Community Day Workshop:

Grace and Helena will be conducting a Wagga Workshop on May 2nd. Grace has lots of tips and will guide us through the process. The waggas are the biggest seller for us at our show so making one is very well worthwhile.

Show and Tell:

Cot quilt for the Womens' refuge from Grace.

And two from Robyn S.

 A baby quilt for the Grace Centre from Bev.

 And four from Carolyn. Carolyn's stash is never-ending.

 This pretty quilt is from Iris. It will be a quilt for Community.

Until next time ....

A Rewarding Day

Hullo Everyone,

As it was Community Day this week, we held a workshop for the wonderful charity, Days for Girls.
Janelle and her colleague arrived with two overlocking machines and two sewing machines.
Some members had brought their own sewing machines as well as the two in our cupboard.
We set to work and made 60 bags for the Days for Girls kits, cut up 6 metres of fabric which was sewn and holders for the pads were turned ready for use.
It was a very busy and satisfying day.
Janelle also showed a video of girls receiving their kits in Africa. The girls cheered when they were told the kits contained two pairs of underpants. They also understood that during their periods, they could still attend school.
The work that Days for Girls does is amazing.

Retreat:

We now have 25 members going to our retreat in September. if you want to come, please call Kurri Kurri to book your spot. Narelle has the details. Please let Narelle know once you have booked.

Kangaroo Quilts:

Members brought in  35 kangaroo quilts for the Grace Centre. They all look wonderful. These will be displayed at next meeting for us all to see.
Members from the Centre will visit us next week to collect them as well as the normal baby quilts we have.

The Achieve Sewing Basket:

They are having a 40% off sale for the next couple of weeks. Also a note that they no longer collect books.

Eastwood Quilt Show:

I have listed upcoming shows in recent blogs.
The Eastwood Show at Brush Farm House will be held in early May from 3 to 5th, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Anzac Day:

April 25 is Anzac Day. As the day falls on a Thursday this year, there will not be a meeting on that day.

Next Community Day Workshop:

Helena has asked me to advise you that she will be holding a Wagga Workshop on 2nd May.
Winter is approaching and we need to start making Waggas to sell at our show next year.
What better time to learn how to make one and give it a go.

Show and Tell:

Helena made the cot quilt below from some fabric she purchased in Scotland. Robyn will take it to the Mothers and Babies Refuge together with the other cot quilts we have made.

This quilt was made by the Blue Group from scraps from the cupboard. 

Helena made the four cute baby hats for Robyn to take to one of the many charities that she supports.

This quilt, made by the Red Group, has been chosen to go to the Sydney Community Centre to be raffled to raise valuable funds.

Below is the front of the educational folder that Days for Girls has produced to explain the human reproduction system.
Also I have included a photo of two of the bags that contain the undies, waterproof liner, plastic bag, and holder for each kit.

Until next week .....

Bunnies and Bears

Hi Everyone,

Ros surprised us this week with a bag full of bunnies and bears she had made while 'baby-sitting' her sick dog. Robyn was delighted to receive them for the sensory mats she makes for children.
Thank you Ros.

Important Note about Retreat:

If you intend to come to our retreat in September, be aware that there are only 3 rooms left in the motel accommodation.
There is another cottage still available with shared facilities for up to 5 people as a further option.

Reminder that Kangaroo quilts are due at our next meeting. Carolyn from the Grace Centre will come the following week to pick them up as well as any regular baby quilts we have.

Remember to include some Aboriginal designs and fabrics in some of your baby quilts as these will go to a centre in Alice Springs.

April Show Dates:

The AQC in Melbourne is on from April 11 to 14. Kathy Doughty will have a booth there.

The Springwood Quilt Show is on from 26 to 28 April. A trip to the mountains is always a lovely thing to do.

Days for Girls Workshop next meeting;

* Bring your machine if possible.
* General sewing items.
* Bright fabric, cut into 30" x 12" to be made into bags. The fabric must be pre -washed.
* An extension cord and power board if you have one.

Show and Tell: 

Kangaroo quilt from Sandy.

Baby quilt from Sheila.

Two baby quilts from Marie K.

 Three cot quilts above are all from Marie K. Robyn will take these to the Refuge for mothers and babies.
It is very sad to know that the refuges can take as many of these cot quilts as we can make.

A cot quilt from Jenny for the Centre.
Robyn now has 13 cot quilts to give to the Refuge. Thank you.

Until next week .....

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 ......