Baby Bliss

There's nothing more pleasing than completing a project, just ask Kerry. The flanel fabric for this quilt was stored in her sewing cupboard left over from making winter clothes when her children were much younger. Not wanting to dispose of it, Kerry has put it together with a patchwork technique she hasn't used before. The end result is a very snuggly, soft and cuddly baby quilt.

Kaleidoscope Workshop

The workshop on June 1st is our kaleidoscope block quilts.
A good book to check out this technique is One-Block Wonders, by Maxine Rosenthal published by CT Publishing.
It has a section on choosing your fabric. Shows many quilts made by using hexagons and octagons made from kaleidoscope blocks.
I'm sure that Annette will help you with fabric selection.
Maybe a new blade in your rotary cutter will be a good idea.
Let's hope Fay can keep on finishing all these quilts she starts. A new one each time we turn up to sew. Puts the rest of us to shame.
See you all in 2 weeks.

Fabric Heaven

Does this little patchworker look like she's in seventh heaven. Leave a girl alone in a fabric shop and who knows what it will do to the mind. I'm please to report that she didn't let this opportunity go to waste and we have been oooing and arrring over her purchases. And yes she is still smiling.

Workshop Plans

Plans for the Kaleidoscope workshop have changed to Friday 1 June. Fabric required is at least 6 pattern repeats down the length of your piece. Your usual sewing items are required. Friday 8 June will be our normal sewing day allowing you to keep working on your piece. The Pat Augustine Gallery is booked for an exhibition of our quilts in September. We love putting the pressure on don't we.

The Mt Perry Show has been and gone and it was good to see lots of entries in the patchwork sections.
The Bali traveller is back with her extra bag of fabrics, beads and shoes and lots of interesting things. Her children are very happy she's back, so are we. Hope she is inspired by her travels.
See you all on Friday 18 May.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to one and all. Hope the bunny found you and by now you have had sufficient chocolate to last at least till the end of the week. You know if the bunny leaves you with the dark chocolate kind you're actually doing yourself some good by consuming it.
Hope you are able to find at least one day of the holidays to devote to patchwork. I have a quilt that hasn't gone so well at the quilting stage so I will force myself to rectify what is possible to rectify and get over the fact that not every quilt will turn out satisfactory. Then it's on with the next.

Happy patching.

Butterfly Heaven

35 Butterfly blocks and every one of them hand stitched and quilted as you go, then joined by hand. Margaret J prefers hand sewing and being able to "pick it up to go" so she can work on her projects where ever she is. This pattern was spied while browsing a magazine on a bus trip and filed away in memory until new project time.

Margaret J then made up the pattern for the border and added piping between the top and border. She then made a valance to create the finished look. Very smart indeed.

Sewing Day Friday 23 March

Success at last. Yes we had a successful sewing day Friday 23 March. One more buggerello quilt is nearly pieced. Another is ready for borders when the owner can find time for sewing.
2 more quilts were basted and Ruth continued sewing non patchwork items.
Unfortunately both cameras were forgotten in the rush to arrive so no pictures this week.
One patchworker is off to Bali for a spending spree on batiks and other stuff. She might just have to buy another suitcase to come home with.

Next sewing day is the 27 April, after Easter and school holidays and The Mt Perry Show .
Don't forget the quilting entries for the Show. Hope the sewing machines are still revved up.

How Do I Free Motion Quilt my quilt?

In preparation for our quilting workshop after our kaliedoscope workshop in May, you may be interested in reading a selection of good books on machine quilting to finish your quilt.

Guide To Machine Quilting
by Diane GaudynskiPublisher: American Quilter's Society

Quilt Savvy: Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook
Both of these books are available from the American Quilters Society website.
www.americanquilter.com


www.dianegaudynski.net/tips-march.htm
www.dianegaudynski.net/question.htm
Diane has a good selection of tips available at these web addresses.




Karen McTavish is a long arm quilter who has published a few books on machine quilting also.
Her books are available from her website,
www.designerquilts.com










Another interesting free motion quilter is Robbi Eklow
www.robbieklow.com
Her book is available from her website or The Quilting Arts magazine website.



















Hope this information gets you started on our free motion quilting adventure.

The No Show

The sewing day on Friday 2 March.
Medical appointments, funerals, and ill health all had an effect but the final straw to kill patchwork for the day was you guessed it , a power blackout.
Mt. Perry is renowned for its power shortages. This one very site specific, the Council Offices and the Shire Hall. It was a hot day anyway so not much sewing would probably have happened.
Let's hope for a better result on Friday 23 March.

Brydon's Birthday

Finally number 1 of 4 quilts is complete. Recently while on Long Service Leave Narelle feverishly made up for lost quilting time and made up for future lost quilting time by making 3 quilt tops and a fourt quilt cut up ready to sew. She has just finished the quilt pictured for her nephews' 3rd birthday. Using squares from her fabric club stash, she used a cut and slash method, with a small border in chocolate, and finished off with a wide border of dogs. Last heard of the quilt was being tightly grasped by a sleeping 3 year old. She also has purchased fabric for another project but will continue to complete the LSL quilts. Stay tuned. The next quilt will be sandwiched at the next patchwork day on Friday 2nd March.

Next Sewing Day

The next sewing day is Friday 2 March. Two more bargello quilts should be nearly finished by then. Did you know there is a new name for it ? ( buggerello) . Ask Kerry about that one.

Yes we really do some sewing and not just coffee drinking and chatting.

Bargello Quilt 1

We promised you a photo of our bargello quilts. Here is the first one finished.

It belongs to Fay and is proudly displayed on her bedroom wall.

Looks beautiful in the " flesh ".

She is nearly finished the next project already.

Patchwork in January 07

January 19 th 2007

Bags were the theme for the first patchwork day in 2007. The young ones made bags and one not so young bag made one as well to show them what to do.

This one is Chelsee's. She actually made two.

This one is made by Rachel. This one is quilted on the base. I think a second one is in progress.

The sample bag. A kit from Chandlers Cottage.A Japanese lunch bag. Beautiful fabric.

Next patchwork Day is February 9 2007

See you there.

Welcome to 2007

Welcome to 2007.
The celebrations are all over and is it back to living normally at your place yet?
Remember patchwork for 07 starts on January 19.
Hope to see you there with all your Christmas goodies to show us.

Christmas is upon us.

Christmas is nearly here again. Time for some christmas quilts, wallhangings.
Here is a scrap quilt using the inner city pattern. 5" squares were used for the centre piecing.
It has been machine quilted with gold metallic thread.
This was made by Ruth some years ago now.

Bargello Quilts and last sewing day for 2006

Friday 24 November was bargello day. Four bargello wall hangings will be finished soon.
We had a great day cutting, sewing, re cutting and unpicking before we could leave with larger pieces pinned together. Only a few action photos were taken. More later when they are finished.
We proceeded to the Mt Perry Hotel for dinner that night. Our Christmas evening a bit early but who cares !
What bliss , no meal to worry about preparing, the husbands and children catered for themselves.
A bit of a holiday and we start again in January on Friday 19.
Interested teeenagers are invited to learn to sew . Ruth has found some bag patterns if they want to make one.
Plans are underway for our kaleidoscope workshop in May. We may also do free motion quilting in February 07. Sounds like a busy year ahead.

Mt Perry Dump Truck Pull

Saturday 11 November is a new event on the Mt Perry calendar.
A mine dump truck is going to be pulled by teams of 12 people down the main street of town.
Market stalls, Armistice Day ceremony at 11am, land auction, the dump truck pull heats and finals, and live entertainment throughout the day means we'll be well emtertained.
Funds raised from this event goes to Youth Focus for prevention of youth suicide.
With the recent RAIN there should be smiles on all our faces.
Hope to see all our quilters there.

Plans for Sewing Day 24 November 06

Next sewing day will be 24 November 2006. Ruth will be helping everybody to make a bargello wallhanging. Kerry has the pattern book with sample photo and material requirements if you need further information.
We are hoping to sew all day, and have a final patchwork day for 2006 dinner at the hotel that evening.
Hope to see you all there.

This is a technique similar to bargello.
Quilt made by Ruth, October 2006
using hand dyed fabrics.

Quilt of the week

Here is something to view other than a bra.

A quilt from hand dyed fabric, free motion quilted with valdani variegated cotton . The pattern is adapted from a Quilters Newsletter Magazine called Goose on the Pond. Not the clearest photo. Taken at the Gin Gin Courthouse Gallery in April 2005.
Made by Ruth, 2004

The Bra competition is over

The winning bra submitted by Colleen in memory of a family member.
A very deserved winner.
Over $240 was raised by this competition . Not bad for a very small place.
The movie was fun to watch, the food and wine good to consume. The competitions were fun and the Cancer Fund benefits by over $1000 in one night.
Thank you to all who contributed. Kerry is sure to be happy.




All the bras displayed on the night.









Now we can get back to quilting and patchwork.
Ruth went to the Queensland Quilt Show yesterday also and was once again inspired and awed by some of the quilts on display.
Saw the Quilt Diva quilts made by Bundaberg Quilters on display down there.
Dont forget the change of day to Friday 3 November.