Wednesday 24 October 2018

Another beautiful day to come to Bucasia Beach Quilters gathering.  The numbers are good with 30 people attending.  We welcomed a visitor Lauren who would like to join our group, she was attending the recent Quilt Show in Brisbane and so was Barbara who overheard Lauren saying she had moved to Mackay and wanted to join a group.  So Barbara said well I was in the right place at the right time.

Cathy in the absence of President Delma spoke of the Christmas Lunch coming up on the 5 December 2018 at Church on Palmer - we would love to see some of our members that don't regularly come to our gathering.
The regular Saturday Sew at the Womens Centre is this coming Saturday, also the 24 November, which will be followed by a workshop by Jenny Horsford on the 25/26 November.

It was lovely to see Doreen back after a recent fall and bad health in her family, then she was lucky enough to win the Badge Draw.

Cathy has also completed this striking quilt.

Gerry's Black and White Nine Patch will be a Bed Runner for a Super King Bed.

Cathy has completed these two Pillowslips (Log Cabin)  to compliment her large Quilt

Diana crocheted this huge rug - just because she saw the pattern - liked the challenge and  made it.  Each square  is a pattern of a scary thing!!  We could call it her Halloween Rug.  Some of the squares below.

'A Spider'

'Boo'

'The Skull'

Anne has finished her 'Chicken Scratch' Runner on Blue Linen for her Mum for Christmas.

Sue used her Xmas fabric to make these little bags for the Women's Centre

Sue's quilt she called Nine Patch Blues.

Julie's stunning Blue and White Quilt.  Perfect pattern for a Jelly Roll.

One of our members Heather who passed away left a large stash of materials, so the club has utilised them when doing our Block of the Month challenge, then made into these beautiful quilts, which Di machine quilted.  They will be given to Charity to raffle or raise money for Breast Cancer.
 This one is a Nine Patch

This striking quilt with Poinsettia fabric will be used by Woollies Northern Beaches to raise money.

Wednesday 17 October 2018

We had good numbers today, everybody out enjoying the warm weather.

Our President Delma showed us how to do the Block of the Month a deviation of Post and Rail.  So that will be lovely to see next week.  We all teased her about the colour and said we would like blue instead of Red! Sorry Delma - we appreciate you doing this for us.

Diana won the Badge Draw today - she was very excited but said 'what is she going to have to whinge about now!'

Barbara brought along a friend today, welcome to Anne, so we had four Annes present all with an 'E'

Christmas is getting close now, Delma handed out a flyer to remind us we will have it at Church on Palmer on the 5 December.

Marion has another piece of artwork to show us today.   This is Tile Work - a Beach Scene, Machine Appliqué an stitching. 

Marions Christmas Runner with beautiful embroidery on it.

Wednesday 10 October 2018

I am sorry there is not a lot of news from this day.  Lynn was excited to win the Block of the Month, we had had a lovely lot of blocks done for this.  Look forward to seeing the end product.
Barbara won the monthly raffle draw.

Joan found this lovely photo of a bear on Pinterest and made this Shaggy Bear for her Granddaughter 

This was a Block of the Month done beginning for 2017 which Anne won and finally got it together as a gift for her sister turning 60.  

Wednesday 3 October 2018

It was a quiet day at Bucasia Beach Quilters with only eighteen members showing.  Still there was some lovely work displayed.  Our weekly badge draw was won by Carol.
Thankyou to Lesley for the help in getting the blog page running again.  We miss her 'way with words' though!

Marion has completed this large Queen size quilt for her own bed.  Bali Batiks in brown, black and creams are a delightful combination.

Delma started this quilt at the Retreat only a short time ago and has completed it already.
A Rail Fence pattern in browns and blues.

Kaye wasn't present today to show her Christmas Table Runner to be donated to the Womens Health Centre.
Very pretty with embroidery on each end.

Marion has mastered a technique on her 500E Embroidery Machine.  A Waratah flower pattern.  She will soon
have more for her Dressing Table set.

Gerrie's Table Runner has been complete in good time as a Christmas gift for a friend 

Wednesday 26 September 2018

                          

Cathy wanted to use up scraps and of course didn't make any difference to her stash!
She used Owl material and made it to give to the Women's Centre

Ann has made this little bag with a Butterfly Motif on the front  and pockets for pencils inside for her little Granddaughter

This beautiful reverse appliqué cushion was made by Marion after a Dawn Johnson workshop

Di's bag has a stitchery on the front of the Boab Tree from Derby

Di's  Note Pad covers

Deane has completed a Xmas Table Runner to be donated to the Womens Centre

Wednesday 6 November 2017 - Breakup Luncheon

This morning saw 28 ladies gather in their Christmas finery and bling to enjoy some breakup shenagigans and a meal together. Our room had been decorated with bright placemats and silver Christmas runners and even little silver wrapped presents down the middle of the tables.

Conversation was calmed as everyone tried to unscramble the Christmas word scramble, find the words in the quilting wordsearch and match words to the letters of Merry Christmas. Joan eventually won the word scramble, Marion got the prize for finding all the quilting words and Cheryl won the alliterated words. Brenda declared that the words must be exactly the same as she had on her list and in the correct order. Although when someone wanted to know if  'yule" would count instead of 'yuletide' she was very lenient in allowing a half point! Robyn thought that she should get a point for her 'C' answer of cocktails, chocolate, custard and cream but Brenda was not that lenient. As soon as the answers were given, Kaye calls out that she has won unless anyone could beat 1 1/2. Somehow, Cheryl managed 9 1/2!

There was a competition to guess the length of a stitched selvedge. Flo got very close with 40 feet but was disqualified because it had to be in metric. Although we work in imperial, we do have to buy fabric in metres. Elaine and Liz were the closest to 11.472m but Elaine is better at guessing numbers and won the prize.

There were 4 lucky spot prizes of little sewing knick-knacks and these were won by Robyn, Marion, Brenda and Di. What a coincidence that Di and Brenda who had done so much to organise the function both ended up with prizes! (No, the staff secretly placed the spots so they actually didn't know where to sit!)

When it came time to draw the raffle Diana instructed Flo to pull out her ticket or she wouldn't drive her home. So Flo did just that! Diana won a lovely tin full of colourful batik fabrics. We thought Diana should pull out her mother's ticket for second prize, but it was Kaye, sitting on the other side of Diana. Second prize was a pincushion and thread catcher with some fabric lollies all made by Brenda. Not sure why there were no photos of the raffle prizes. Maybe the lucky winners zipped them out of sight very quickly so no one would make off with them!

 The happy gathering at the Souths Suburban Bowls Club for the Breakup Lunch

 What was in the gifts used as table decorations. Everyone got a zippered bag or pincushions. That is really what you call a lucky door prize! Everyone is lucky.

 The results of the Fat Quarter Swap. As usual, everyone was thrilled with their beautiful fabric. Wherever does it all come from? Everywhere from Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Melbourne and even our local Needleworx.

And we even had some Show and Tell today. Elaine just finished this wallhanging this morning from a kit she bought at the Brisbane Craft Show. The angel and each ornament has a light glowing behind it. Wonderful quilting and technology. What next?

And so ends another patchwork year. Thank you to all who celebrated it today. (Sorry Vera and Deane that you were otherwise detained. Best wishes to you both.) Thanks to President Delma for her work for the club and her boundless energy and enthusiasm. Thanks to Brenda and Di for all the wonderful surprises and fun organised for today. 

And here are a couple of snippets from the Fat Quarter Swap.

QUILTERS NEVER GROW OLD, THEY JUST FALL TO PIECES

and

We are actually NOT stopping sewing this year. Bring your quilting, handwork or machine, to the Women's Centre every Wednesday and we will join with the craft group there in the air conditioning.

Saturday sewing will continue on the second Saturday of the month at the Women's Centre.

Meetings at Northern Beaches Community Hall will resume Wednesday 7 February 2018.

And here is the very last apology for sub-standard photography. The Blogsperson does not know why she can't take an in focus photo in a large room. But no longer an issue. The position of Blogsperson and Camera Operator is now up for grabs. Please volunteer to Delma or this is the last Blog Post ever. Thanks for reading it for the past three years.

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Today was the last morning of meeting at the Northern Beaches Community Hall for this year. Meetings will resume here on Wednesday 7 February 2018.

Next Wednesday is our Breakup Function at the Souths Surburban Bowls Club, Wardrop Street, at 11:30am. If you haven't put your name down and would like to come, Friday is the final date for numbers. Ring Delma or Di to book a seat.

There was not a heap of completed Show and Tell items today but they will be gone as presents before the next Show and Tell session. Doreen won the Badge Draw and took the very last voucher home.

Cathy brought in some delicious (and slightly potent) rum balls for morning tea today. Guess it must be Christmas soon.

 Cathy's daughter Jenny made the black and white blocks for this quilt and Cathy added the red applique flowers. It is a present for Jenny's mother-in-law. Cathy may do some feature quilting around the flowers with embroidery thread depending on how many other jobs she has before Christmas. Di quilted it with a grey/black variegated thread which really shines on that black border.

 Another little snuggle boy quilt to go to the Women's Centre, hand pieced and quilted by Liz. (Don't you just love the cute way Delma hides behind the quilt so she won't get in the photo?)

 Liz has had a busy sewing week with this charity quilt made from fabric pieces a friend had left-over after sewing for small children. Teddies and Paddingtons and frogs and bees. The fabrics are just adorable.

 Joan went to Brisbane and visited a friend and came home with the directions of how to make a 15 minute tablerunner. Although Charmaine says it actually takes 22 minutes if you do it properly. And apparently the one made from a panel took slightly longer again!

 This is Heather's last quilt for the last granddaughter. The girls were all fussy-cut from one piece of fabric. Di has quilted it with hearts.

 And the background of Heather's quilt uses up all her 'girly' fabrics. Isn't it just fun?

The November BomB (Block Of the Month Bonanza) is always a Christmas pattern. We don't know why because no one in Mackay ever uses a quilt at Christmas time. These Christmas Tree Slash-It blocks are pretty cute though. They are going to the next Saturday Sewing where there will be some brainstorming about what to do with them. Possibly Christmas Table runners?

We never did mention the results of the 2017 Coastal Threads Art Prize that Di entered this year. This is Di's entry called Hidden Treasures.

You can find all entries and the winners here
 http://www.textileartworkshopsonline.com/coastal-threads-art-prize-quilts/
(Please contact me if you work out the judging criteria!)
The 2018 entry form for the topic "Coastal Fringe" is below this year's entries.