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.

July Show and Tell

 Carol has been busy.  There is a new grandchild on the way and that calls for cute and cuddly.

This was a pattern Carol found on Moda Bake Shop, which is a lovely site dedicated to 'recipes' to use with Moda pre-cuts.  It's worth checking out.

And then back to a more traditional quilt - I think we can guess the gender of the new baby!

Aida finished this lovely colour wash quilt.  Just divine.

Daryl made this top for a friend's boy who's favourite colour is yellow.  

Ngaire has made a stunning quilt using the drunkard's path block.  The back was gorgeous too.

This is what Edna made from a jelly roll she couldn't resist.

Caroline made this for Community Quilts, which is what Quilts for Kids has been renamed.

Gaylene belongs to the same group as Margaret, who showed off her house quiltlet last month.  These are all hand pieced and just gorgeous close up.

July was our Community Quilts day.  We spent the morning piecing, basting, and quilting quilts to be given to people in the community who have a need.  I love this photo of Beryl, Judith and Caroline stitching away industriously!  

May Meeting Show and Tell

We had a great meeting with Carol and Valerie demonstrating quilt-as-you-go techniques.  Next month is hand embellishment with Lyn - there will be a requirements list in your newsletter.  And now, here are some photos of May's show and tell.  

Sue made this lovely bright quilt top for Quilts for Kids.

Terri's flowers are dimensional on this wall hanging.

Terri has been busy and finished her hand-painted silk organza sampler that was started in a class with Jeanette De Nicolis Meyer.

Ingrid took the ideas of last month's machine embellishment class and made this neat little underwater scene complete with fuzzy anemones. 

Margaret confessed that she can't throw anything away...but who would want to when you can make these  gorgeous little postcards with your leftover threads?

Margaret likes working in mini size - these wonky houses were just sweet!

A close up for you.

Suzanne finished this for her daughter.  It's backed with flannelette and was quilted on her new quilting frame.

Margaret made this for her 18th great grandchild!!

Above are photos to show you the two floor mat quilts that so many people helped Imogen put together before her hurried trip to the UK.  She wanted to thank everyone who helped with providing "I Spy" fabric, cutting out, layering, quilting etc - it really wouldn't have been possible to get them done without so many wonderful friends.  She also would like to thank those other friends who, she knows, would only have been too willing to help as well if they had only known that the need was there.  Special thanks to Valerie, Shannon, Suzanne, Charlotte, Monica and Steph B.  Imogen knows they will be thanked again by the recipients in the UK.

See you all in June.