Wednesday 21 September 2016

Lots of Show and Tell today as the Retreat ladies bring all their finished items from the 4 days to show off.
Apologies from the blogperson who was so excited to get a volunteer to look after the camera while she was away, she neglected to show same person how the autofocus button worked. Thanks for all the many photos, and descriptions though. Really appreciated. And remember, it's about the sewing, not the photography!

Iris didn't go to Retreat, but she has spent some time on this quilt between various hospital visits. Iris won some truck blocks from the Convoy BomB in May 2015. Hasn't she made a fabulous quilt for a little boy? Look at the I-Spy sashing blocks and even one truck turned into "Ollie's Pie Van". He will just love it.

Those ladies at retreat know how to be fashionistas! Marlena's challenge for everyone was microwave safe soup bowl holders. Looks like everyone enjoyed making these.

Cheryl made this very bright banana print quilt for her daughter to put in her yellow car which she calls "the banana".

Robyn pieced this very coordinated zigzag table runner after just picking up some spare charm squares at our demo. Well done Robyn. It looks great.

Marlena made a little play mat for the coming grandchild.

The present table runner Marlena demonstrated to everyone.

A very fancy curved piece Christmas Tree table runner by Marlena

A bright and cheery Christmas table runner which has pictures aligned for both sides of the table to enjoy.

A little Star Quilt by Marlena

Another Marlena quilt made of half-square triangles

Jean's simply dramatic black and white quilt. (No, it's not your eyes, it's the photo, but this is just such a fantastic idea, we thought it should stay in.)

Phillipa pieced this Cherry Pop Quilt Kit.

These Japanese fabrics were a gift from Phillipa's friend. What a lovely gift. It has made a stunning quilt.

And this is Phillipa's Eungella quilt. Each year she works on a particular quilt and it looks like she nailed this one this year.

You can never go wrong with black, white and yellow. Joan has made a happy and bright quilt here.

Joan and Charmaine use the same pattern every year to make quilts in different fabrics. Joan's was a very calming blue.

Everyone just fell in love with Joan's gorgeous bright giraffes. And that is one stunning piece of background fabric.

Del finished piecing this Crossed Kayak quilt. It must be the modern version of the old Crossed Canoes pattern.

Brenda finished her half-hexie Christmas Charity tablerunner

Brenda's Eungella Quilt

Marilyn added some borders to her fairy panel.

Marilyn has always wanted to have one of the ironing and iron carrier mats. Someone at retreat was able to lend her the pattern.

Marilyn's Zigzag charity tablerunner.

Retreat 15-18 September 2016

The Annual BBQ Retreat is a much anticipated time of sewing, learning, fun, and, also eating, it appears. Originally a weekend in September, it has grown a little to now be four days. This makes it really worthwhile to cart all that gear up the mountain! Thanks to Robyn for the organisation. It seems it was a wonderful experience once again.

Brenda and Cheryl showing off their very tidy workstations.

The other side of the room was very busy sewing too.

Jean demonstrating how easy it is to sew with such a beautiful Eungella rainforest backdrop.

Elizabeth sewing away very happily.

Brenda's first project getting larger on the floor.

Charmaine's black and white floral quilt. But there is always a little flash of colour.

The back of Cheryl's quilt-as-you-go banana quilt

Elizabeth's pretty little Friendship Star

Joan was the first to finish something. 

Charmaine did one the same pattern as Joan, but in much brighter blues and purples.

Cathy working on her woven in and out tablerunner

And this is how the woven tablerunner looks finished

A table of fabric soup plate holders to warm in the microwave. They are easy to take out by the corners without burning fingers and are lined with microwave approved heating wadding.  (Quality inspection approved!)

Robyn excelled in making these cute little lollypop fat quarters for gifts. Good enough to eat!

Everyone dressed up  and looking like they are enjoying themselves at dinner in the restaurant.

(An article on the retreat will appear in the Activites section of the blog sometime shortly.)

Wednesday 14 September 2016

It was quite a busy day today with a committee meeting, week 2 of the tablerunner demonstrations and some ladies eager to get home to pack up for the annual retreat at Eungella which begins tomorrow. Poor Del is without a voice but if everyone is frantically sewing for four days, she won't need to talk, will she? Have fun ladies and we are looking forward to seeing the results of all your efforts when you return. 

Robyn won the badge draw today and Marilyn was the lucky monthly raffle winner.

Many thanks to Robyn who pieced together the blocks we made for Gay who is no longer able to sew and has left the club. She also added the borders and a minkee backing and quilted it. It is just the most perfect soft quilt for someone in a wheelchair. We hope Gay loves it.

Cathy's neighbour turned 87 a couple of weeks ago and this quilt is for her. Considering Cathy only got the idea a week before her birthday, she has done very well to finish it for a belated  present. Cathy used the traditional method of quilt as you go as taught in the workshop with Margaret earlier this year.

Barbro is on a mission to get rid of all her scraps. Yes! This is the second scrappy quilt in two weeks. That pile must be disappearing quickly!

Linda has taken about 18 months to finish this quilt for her own bed. She wasn't entirely happy with it when she started, but has perservered until it is something she loves. A couple of scrappy geometric pillowcases to match are tucked under her arm.

Wednesday 7 September 2016

September is here and it not only brings spring, but our "Tablerunner Month". We are having a workshop to make a different tablerunner every week in September. It looks like we will have 8 made from today's pattern. Well done ladies! And we have a lot of 5"charm squares left over as well. We can keep making this pattern for ever it seems!

Some lovely ladies who brought their sewing machines in today to piece charm squares together for the Zig Zag Tablerunner. Don't they look busy? 

Kaye and Lynn showing one "Just like this one I made at home" by Diana and one top fully completed. (Kaye is a particularly quick sewer!)

Barbro brought in this colourful scrappy quilt today. All the squares were just randomly picked up and sewn together. It is backed with a very special piece of Swedish cotton from Barbro's mother.

Wednesday 31 August 2016

Another minute's silence today for the loss of another long-time and always prolific member. This blog will be much shorter without her colourful quilts and there will be a gap in our patchwork mornings at the table near the door.

The BomB blocks returned today and if only we can find the magazine with the pattern in it, we can start piecing the charity quilt. 

It was lovely to have Joan back with us this morning, but sad to hear she is moving permanently back to Mt Isa. And to show our appreciation, Joan won the badge draw. (Or maybe it was just a coincidence.)

The Colorada Beauty blocks from the August BomB ready for the latest quilt for charity

This is Faye's last quilt. Beth had quilted it for her last Thursday. Faye had used this pattern, called Exquisite, before. And this time she had dug into some really old scraps, some of which she wasn't even sure of  how they got to be in her stash. 

Beth now has matching single bed and cot quilts in the room for when the grandchildren sleep over. And how cute they are!  It is all machine blanket stitch applique. The cot quilt has been hand quilted and the big one was stippled on Faye's machine.

Joan has had this quilt on the go for about six months.  When the blocks were finished, she started using a design wall, but it just didn't seem to make a nice pattern. So the method of piecing was to put all the blocks in a plastic bag and just randomly pull out two and sew them together. That has seemed to work! (This is the prettiest pale blue quilt, but for some reason the camera turned it to grey.  Maybe too sunny a day today. Sorry.) And Joan also managed to find the perfect matching pale blue backing when she stopped at the patchwork shop at Clermont on her way to Mackay.

Kay has made this bright fun quilt for a new grandnephew. Expecting lots of wear and tear, the applique is done with a machine double blanket stitch.

Reverse of Deane's little bag.

Deane purchased this pattern and no-fabric kit from the Red Bus at the Fair. It had the papers that you iron to the fabric in it. Deane has found them quite easy to work with and now has a beautiful little project carry bag.

Wednesday 24 August 2016

There was some silence today as we thought of another loyal and lovely member who will no longer be sharing her quilting journey with us. A reminder to us all to live life to the full and to finish those quilts.

It was BomB (Block Of the Month Bonanza) day today with some instructions to make a block for a charity quilt. So no winner next week - unless we draw out the name of someone and they get the prize of having to put the quilt together!

Barbara, or rather the grandson, picked out this fabric while shopping at The Quilters Store at Salisbury. It was the first time Barbara had ever been to this shop and she advises that everyone must visit as the fabric and supplies are just mind boggling. Grandson informed Barbara, "The trains must not be cut!" So she has just backed the fabric with red minkee, machine quilted in simple squares and bound it with red. Train cuddle heaven.

These quilts Beth has made are going to Batemans Bay so they have a thick wadding as well as a fleece backing. Beth made the purple one first and did not like it at all but went ahead with the green one anyway, which was just as well as she thinks it looks great. We are pretty impressed with both of them!

Fay has changed from squares to circles! What a delicate pattern for using up scraps. And all hand quilted, of course. It will go to 'some little girl around the place'. Fay always finds a loving home for her quilts.

Delma is just finishing putting the binding on this table runner which will be gone to its home by next week. It is the first time she has used batiks in a very different style for her.

Joke won the Badge Draw again and pulled out a voucher from Mackay Sewing Centre. Well done.