Christmas Lunch 2012

Every year in December we hold a Christmas Lunch.  A dedicated group of ladies put this together, cooking and making cracker gifts and putting together raffle prizes and it is always a fun day.

Part of the day is a gift exchange.  We work it so that we don't know who is getting who's present and it's part of the rules that it is a handmade gift (it can be made by you or someone else).  So I thought I'd show some of the wonderful presents we gave and received.  Above is an armchair arm organiser.  It hangs over the arm of your chair and has a pin cushion and pockets for scissors etc.

A really bright chenille cushion.

Some delicate handmade tatting (displayed on the back of the above cushion).

Dolores and Vicky were pretty happy with their respective gifts; a Christmas bag with hand dyed fabrics and matching threads and a lovely tree skirt.

A really sweet bag with pockets inside for keys and phones and all things necessary.

A hand stitched address book cover.

A lovely little sewing bag with scissor holder, needle book and thimble pod.

And another arm chair organiser.  

There were plenty of other gifts that I didn't get a chance to snap.  Like the yummy bottle of home-pressed olive oil that I received.

The crew of gorgeous lunch ladies who do an absolutely marvellous job.

The decked out tables waiting for their hungry occupants.

A very happy Edna who won one of the raffle prizes.

Once again it was a wonderful day.  I hope that it will be repeated again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.......

Merry Christmas!!!

The Australasian Quilt Convention Challenge

Anyone up for a challenge?

The Australasian Quilt Convention presents the 2013 Challenge, themed ‘FREE’.

First prize: $3500

Runner-up: $1500

Viewers’ choice: $500

Calling All Quilters: You could win $5000 and have your quilt displayed at the 2013 Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne. Prizes will be awarded based on the interpretation of theme, excellence in design and craftsmanship. Entries close March 1, 2013.

Entry Form coming soon

New Rules include: All entries to be 125cm square.

Entries to be completed between October 2012 and the deadline of March 2013.

Retreating from the real world....

Last weekend was our club's Spring Retreat.  We hold these twice a year and it's a chance for group members to have a weekend of non-stop quilting, chat, friendship and relaxation.  We each take responsibility for one cooking task so that we aren't all cooking all weekend and it's a kids' school camp, so we aren't shelling out big bucks either.

Many hands make light work of basting.  Gaylene, Robyn and Darryl are pinning a healing hearts quilt for a club member.  We make these quilts for member's who are going through a hard time - illness, bereavement or some other reason.

And then Robyn and Gaylene set to work hand quilting it (after a long discussion of the exact pattern they were going to use!).

Here is another heart being made.  This one is being appliquéd by Valerie.  Valerie also made the most delightful Christmas wall hanging, but I seemed to have missed taking a picture :(

Judith worked most of the weekend on a Community Quilts quilt - one that will be gifted to someone in the community who needs a hug.  

I managed to finish hauling my Old Maid's Puzzle quilt through the machine and boy was I glad to get all the quilting done.  I even got a few threads tied in too.

Ingrid finished off this top that was started by Diane.  She managed to get it pinned......

and quilted over the weekend.  It is also a Community Quilt. 

Stephanie was busy making bags.  This was a lattice bag and the fabrics are actually upholstery samples.

One panel finished.

And here is the other bag Stephanie started and finished over the weekend.  A Great Big Hawaiian Bag I think it's called.  Easy to make and such a useful big bag - I've put it on my to-do list!

Carol was busy making the cutest wee bibs for her granddaughter - she was also busy waiting for the news of the impending birth.  I'm sure she jumped two feet in the air every time her cell phone beeped! 

The other Carol was making lovely little quilts for sweet little girls.  I love the bright, cheery fabric panels.

A year ago I took a photo of Darryl procrastinating by doing the cross word instead of quilting her log cabin quilt.  And here she is again - still quilting the log cabin and still procrastinating!  (She's going to kill me when she sees this!)

Alison is a master embroiderer.  She is making a huge stack of healing heart blocks and finishing them with lovely embroidery.  Here is just a selection.  (And the famous retreat couch in the background.  It must be a hundred years old, very comfy, and hard to get out of.)

Once I'd finished quilting my Old Maid's Puzzle quilt I had enough pins to pin my Tree of Life quilt and start the quilting on it.

And isn't this the cutest wee rotary cutter pouch?  I wish I could buy a pretty patterned rotary cutter like the one on the front.

The other Steph worked hard on completing this Community Quilt.  She did a lovely job on free motion quilting - the first time she's tried her hand at it.

Well, that was it for another retreat.  Everyone went home tired but happy I think.  And looking forward to the next one in Autumn.

September Show and Tell

Welcome to September's show and tell.  

This is Ingrid's pastel blue quilt.

Diane was made a healing heart quilt and she loves it!

Diane's jelly roll leftovers turned into this beautiful quilt.  I'm in love with those vines!

Here are a couple of community quilts Diane finished off.

Robyn's gorgeous kaleidoscope masterpiece. 

This quilt is titled "Black and Bright" and is the second prize in our annual raffle that we hold during our January exhibition.

Shirley made this from our fabric bingo squares from our August meeting (now that I'm posting September's show and tell I've realised I haven't done August, so I'll tell you about fabric bingo another day).  I think this is destined to be a community quilt.

This is another from Shirley - an absolutely lovely wall hanging.

Close-up!

September's meeting was all about fabric postcards.  We had the lovely Margaret teaching us how to put them together and we had a great selection from Gaylene and Robyn to peruse in show and tell for inspiration.

Oops!  This isn't a fabric postcard!  This is a little needle case - how gorgeous.

Here's what it opens out to.

And I'll leave you with a close up of the decorative stitching on the sashing of Ingrid's pastel blue quilt.  And thanks to Suz for this month's photography.