A Happy Gathering

Hi Everyone,

17 Members attended this week. It was so good to see faces we haven't seen for weeks. June walked in showing us how well she could move her arm now. She and Marie G. look wonderful.

We easily accommodate 24 members with correct social distancing. There is plenty of hand sanitizer to use and we wipe the tables down before we start. There is also Glen 20 spray to use in the bathroom.

Suzie has been in touch with Felicity. Felicity has had 8 weeks in hospital with various infections but is home now. She is such a fighter.

Elva has been in touch with Robyn Jmes too. Robyn was given a medication that didn't agree with her. She is feeling much better now.

Jenny has family staying and is snowed under. She won't be in for a while.

Alison called in briefly but she has baby sitting duties for the next few weeks. It was good to see her.

More Jacobs Ladder blocks came in this week as well as houses. I am keeping them in the cupboard for the time being.

Lots of  Show and Tell this week:

A photo of Robyn Jnst.'s boot as she left this week. All for the charities we support.

You must agree it is impressive.

A baby quilt from Kerry.

Quilt for Community from Laurel.

" Crazy Hexagons" for Community from Bev.

Marie Kennedy made two churndash quilts for Robyn's charity. 

 So pretty. Love the embroidered figures.

Two baby quilts from Kerry

 Lots of hand stitching on this baby quilt from Bev.

 Bev made such a cute little dress out of pinwale corduroy. It has a pocket on the back for a little girl's treasures. The charity sends items all around Australia to those in need.

 Two cardigans from Bev. The wool is so soft and will be very welcome for warmth this winter. Also 

going to charity.

 Deb T. made this pretty quilt for a relative.

Until next week .....

Return to Quilting

Hello Everyone,

It has been a while since I have done the blog. We started back at quilting on Thursday. 16 members arrived and it was so good to see them.
We had a lovely day with lots of show and tell. We have all been busy during the lockdown.

Members who are unwell at the moment - Susan St John who is undergoing operations for cancer and Robyn Jms is not well. She will not be back for a while. Jenny has family staying and is tied up also.

Feel free to bring in your Jacobs Ladder blocks and also the Street Scenes. I will keep them in the cupboard until we have them all.

A note about our baby quilts for Westmead. The hospital is not accepting any at the moment. I am not sure when this will change but we will keep you informed.
Many were made over the lockdown so hang onto them until we know what is happening.

Meantime if you are looking for a project, make the 40" x 50" cot quilts for Robyn Jnst.'s charity. Warm quilts will be welcome in this cold weather.

We have more tables in the hall. We can safely accommodate 24 members (4 members per group) with appropriate social distancing. We have 6 groups as Meg's group has decided not to return until September.
This also leaves room for the two heavy tables to be used for pinning or laying out your work. Please liaise with your group coordinator as there may be room if you particularly want to come.

Show and Tell:

First we have a wall hanging that Elva is making for a nautical friend using Japanese Sashiko stitching.

 Two gorgeous baby quilts from Narelle.

 Iris has made two quilts from an unfinished project that was donated to us. There was a lot of unpicking involved of the original work and enough fabric to make two quilts.

Iris used free motion quilting on one of the quilts but returned to her favoured hand quilting on the other. These are for Community.

Marie G. 's quilt finished.

 A donated quilt top that Iris finished.  

 Two cot quilts

 Iris used up bits and pieces out of our cupboard for this Community quilt. Charming.

 Iris put scraps together for this Community quilt.

Until next week .....

A Collection of Houses

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all well. From reading our WhatsApp we are very busy. We are lucky to have sewing to turn to while staying at home more.

Lots of Show and Tell happening.
This time I have decided to show some of the "House" Blocks that have been made. Such a variety and each one special and individual. When we finally get together again, the blocks will make a very colourful and interesting quilt with lots to look at.

Terrace houses from Deb T. 

Beryl R. went with elephants on the roof and a health worker having a shower perhaps!

 Grace has done a whole street.

Pub and wine bar from Suzie L. Suzie's shout! 

Gill has done Sue Stev. farm house.

Sheila with cats and clouds. Love the trees.

Squirrels in the hood from Deb T.

Two houses from Debbie A. Lots of construction happening.

 Kerry with birds singing in the sky. 

Laurel's house. Owner/Builder now expired! Love the caravan.

As you can see they are all different and lots of fun.

Until next time ........

Our Busy Group

Hi Everyone,

Our members are keeping very busy while we are in voluntary isolation. I love the fact that we can always find something to do and make when we sew, knit or do any craft.
I spoke to a friend yesterday who is totally bored and watching too much rubbish on Netflix. So many don't have hobbies to turn to.

We have received two very nice comments on Facebook.:

* A message from Beecroft House thanking us for the stunning quilts they received last year.
"They were a very welcome and heart warming gift to receive for this collection of senior and often needy residents. I know how much time and work went into them and greatly appreciate your generosity".

* From a lady in Nowra called Kim Harper, whose mother received one of the quilts we delivered to Robyn for the fire victims. Her mother was delighted. She has been a quilter and was very aware of the work and effort that went into it, so is greatly appreciative.

Iris has replied to both.

Show and Tell:

Alison found these star blocks in a shoe box. Halfway through pinning them she noticed a couple of glaring mistakes, but she didn't fix them.

Spot the mistake in this photo. I quite like it!

 Lindy' s Streetscape looks really good. Not sure if I can rise to the challenge.

 Grace has finished her quilt.

 Ros started her quilt at our retreat last year. It is only fitting that she has finished it on what would have been our retreat weekend this year.

 Debbie U. is making small brooches. The little girls are wooden buttons. The blue fabric is striking. It is from Jessie Chorley in England.

Helena enlarged the quilt she worked on during the Maria Shell workshop. It is now quilted and finished.

 House block from Alison.

Until next time ....

More Photos

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all coping with the lock down. I am looking forward to an easing in restrictions. We are so lucky to be living in Australia. Perhaps we can have a holiday in New Zealand sometime soon!

Our WhatsApp has been going well with lots of chatter. Members have offered help and advice for various situations. It is a wealth of information and a wonderful use of social media enabling us to keep in touch.

We now have a third challenge for those of you looking for something to do.

Our first challenge was the Jacobs Ladder block in 6" or 12" squares in dark blue, light blue and white.
 I do love the Jacobs Ladder block. It is so versatile. I made a mistake on my first one and made an 8" block so I made more and turned them into a baby quilt.

The second challenge was for a Star block. I gave the dimensions for this in last week's blog. Photos below.

The third challenge has been suggested by Grace and is a little more challenging. Remember the 'our house' quilts that we made for Giant Steps. Grace suggested the theme 'Our Street in Isolation', whereby we create a streetscape, real or wishful thinking. Make a 10" x 20" block so we can put a row of streets together. You could also just do a house 10.5" unfinished square block.
Landscape works well.
This should keep you out of mischief for a while!

There are lots of ideas on Pinterest for you to check out.

I have trouble keeping up with you all. I am about to start a couple of star blocks but the house/street block will take some thinking.

Good luck!

Show and Tell:

Two baby quilts from Jenny. The photo is a little blurry. Hence the smaller size.

 Laurel's beautiful rose called Golden Celebration and has a slight perfume

 A quilt Lindy is working on - stars and diamonds

Sue D. made this wall hanging for her new granddaughter in the UK. Sue can't wait to meet her in person.

Judy S. using up bits of wool she has before buying more. 

Helena's amazing knitting. One sleeve to go! A number of our members are wonderful knitters. I am in awe of them. They make it look easy.

The second challenge star block 

Ros knitted all these teddies. What a feat Ros.  So much joy for little ones.

Until next time. Keep well.

What we have been doing

Hi Everyone,

On Easter Sunday when we were having a virtual Easter lunch with the family, my daughter said "What's happened to the blog Mum?" She and my granddaughter love checking it out each week.
So here it is!

Many of us are keeping in touch through WhatsApp which Alison suggested. Alison can set you up if you would like to join. It has been a great way for us to keep in touch and show off our sewing and keeping up with our various activities.
I am enjoying the quieter period as I use the extra time to work on my unfinished projects and to start  new ones.

Early on, Jenny suggested a challenge making the Jacobs ladder block in both 6" and 12" sizes. Colours to use are dark blue, light blue and white. The blocks will be sewn together for Community quilts when we finally get to meet again. There is an example below.

The next challenge is for wonky star blocks - unfinished size 6.5". Bright colours with lots of contrast.
The centre square is 2.5" with 8 background 2.5" squares, plus 8 x 2" squares for the star points. I will post a photo next week.

Also Ros has made a huge number of little knitted teddies which I will save for next week as well.

QuiltNSW has postponed their annual show until 29 October to 1 November at Darling Harbour.
It will be interesting to see if it will go ahead. The future is still very uncertain for us all.

Show and Tell - Some of our posts in WhatsApp:

Two cushions from Alison

 Round three of a quilt from Jenny

 A bow tie top ready to be quilted from Ros

 A community quilt from Laurel

 Knitted pram blanket for a grand baby due in 9 weeks from Debbie

 Jacobs ladder blocks from Christie

 Sue D. used the Jacobs ladder challenge block for a Grace Centre quilt

 Sail Boats from Bev

Such a wide variety of show and tell. What a clever and crafty lot we are!

Until next week .........

Lord Mayor's Picnic Quilt

Hi Everyone,

I do hope you are all keeping well and staying in as much as possible. I have been making good use of my time, catching up on sewing, gardening, and jobs around the house that have been ignored for a long time.

You are all aware of the WhatsApp group that Alison has set up for us. It has been marvellous. A great way to keep in touch with everyone.
Drop Alison an email or text and she will set you up if you haven't joined in yet.

Quilts for the Bushfire Victims in the Lake Conjola Area:

Robyn's son delivered 31 quilts that we donated on 28 March. It was a huge effort and thank you to everyone who contributed.

Lord Mayor's Picnic Quilt:

Iris has received a very nice thank you letter from the major Events and Festivals Unit at the City of Sydney.

The New Years Eve picnic caters to children from a range of charities aged between 2 and 12 years, their support persons and immediate family.
The event provides a rare joyful night out in an environment that caters specifically to their needs.

We are given the theme and colours required. We then arrive at a design and all contribute a block.
Iris and Jenny were responsible for the quilt last year. What a beautiful quilt it is.

Keep in touch with your quilting friends until next time ......