Happy campers

We've just been to quilt camp and boy was it fun. Lots of girls worked on lots of different things and there was a heap of fun happening all weekend. Here's a selection of projects from these prolific quilters.

Show and tell on Saturday night was a feast for the eyes. I only see some of these girls from one year to the next and they always have fantastic quilts to show us .

We were in the country and it was a bit chilly at night. We had a short walk to the loos and Karen was making sure she survived the trip! 

Pam is a really  dedicated quilter as you can see from the pic. She's on a deadline to finish her quilt for the Sydney Quilt Show to be held shortly. Pity work gets in the way of our passion but I know she'll get there.

A close up of Janette's hexagons - aren't they beautiful. I believe there will be around 6000 in the finished product - good luck girl!

And here's what the well-dressed quilter wears to show and tell! Janet was making sure she was ready for her warm cosy bed as soon as the fun and games were finished.

Thought you might like to see this site all about your sewing machine. We can never hope to know it all.

Happy quilting!

I'm back!

This is the view from my classroom last weekend. I was at Tocal Agricultural College for a weekend with Maitland Quilters 

It was a beautiful setting and the classroom was huge. Good lighting, plenty of tables and a constant supply of morning and afternoon tea!

 The girls started with the centre of the Jacobean Star quilt in all different colourways.

This was their show and tell for Saturday night.

By Sunday things were really starting to happen! Lots of star points with those cursed set-in seams.

Donna was after the look of a marble floor with this batik version.

Ann-Marie's was coming together well.

Pat's was a stunner too.

But this one grabbed my eye. Those star points are there but because they are so pale it has made a new design. Robyn was combining NYB's from another project - just perfect. 

Speaking of NYB's these are some from a recent class that mad an impact.

Remember my Supernova Leftovers quilt? It's on the cover of the latest issue of DUQ with full instructions to make the quilt. 

I've just finished making a BOM quilt for a very well-known Sydney quilt shop. My lips are sealed til all is revealed at Darling Harbour! Can't wait to see it hanging at the shop's stall.

Which reminds me I must still finish quilting my two entries. Yikes only 2 weeks til drop-off day!

Better take them to quilt camp this weekend and put my head down.

Oh dear!

I won't be posting for a few days as my computer has died!! Don't know how I'll cope without it and I hope the Dr can save what's on it. Keep your fingers crossed.

Dookie - where's that?

Dookie is a little town in rural northern Victoria not too far from Wangaratta. I've just been to a quilting retreat at Dookie College run by the Wangaratta Centre Quilters and it was great. My friendly companion tutors were Gina Burgess and Lorraine Crocker from Adelaide and Deb Louie from NSW. We met up with Heather Ridley also from Adelaide on the first night.

This was our accommodation for the weekend - plasma tv and gas central heating - too good!

The huge site is an ex-agricultural college which is now a research centre. Also used for all sorts of retreats including quilting. There were lots of buildings around the campus like this and beautiful large trees that must have been planted when the college began. Acres of paddocks with farm animals and beautiful gardens. We even saw a fox running across the lawns one lunch-time.

The girls in my class chose to do my Pickled Lillies quilt over the two days and they sewed their socks off! I think they had fun and I know I did. Below is a selection from the workshop. Lots of different colour combos to please the eye.

Sunday just before we left to drive back to Melbourne Airport we had show-and-tell from all the classes.

Here's Gina with a few of her Kaleidoscope students - how clever are they.

Heather's class was making a coral reef - seaweed and fishy stuff - amazing.

Deb taught her free-motion class with great results.

And this is my group's efforts. Sorry Lorraine I seem to have missed out on a pic from your class.

Kay from my class is letting me show you these. She has one in memory of a quilty friend who passed away recently and the other shows how keen she is on sewing! That's dedication.

It was a whirlwind visit for all the tutors but a wonderful venue and great food.

The company was excellent and everyone was so friendly to the interstate visitors. Thanks for having me girls.

Various

A few pics from recent classes to start - Jukejema in Nowra and Hobbysew Kings Park.

Check out the fussy-cutting - Jenny's famous for it now.

Lorraine's Peacock quilt

Recently we had my daughter's baby shower at my house. My haven't they changed over the years!

We had some special visitors who were there to take part in the change-the-nappy game. Here they are waiting for the fun to begin.

Lenore is well-known for unusual cakes and this was one of them. The big round tummy lifted up and there were two babies inside - no we're not having twins.

It was a great day. We had LOTS of punch and played spit-the-dummy and other very funny games. Erica received so many beautiful gifts for her baby there's not much left to buy.

Here she is with friends as we played celebrity-baby-heads! Too funny - I didn't even know the celebrity parents let alone the children.

Now this gem is Viewer's Choice from the Springwood Quilt Show this past weekend. Lots of pics and info on the show blog. Go check it out. 

I'm off to Melbourne again this weekend to teach for the Wangaratta Quilters at their retreat at Dookie College. More tales next week.

My excellent adventure!

I've just come home from teaching at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne. This was the venue - the Royal Exhibition Centre in Carlton Gardens. What a magnificent building. It is built in a cross layout and there were four of these wings coming out under the central dome. This was my view every morning walking the 5 minutes to "work".

And this was my office once inside. 10 classrooms were along the galleries on either side above the vendors and the quilt show and this was the view from the delegates lunch area each day.

Typical classroom set-up with classes ranging from 10-20 students. I had 18 over 2 days then 13 for the next two days - a lot of students I can tell you. Hi to Maureen and Pam who both love machine work SOOOO much.

There were spinning wheels everywhere over the four days with lots of different combos making for stunning results. 

Mercedes in the purple top on the far right was one lucky girl - she was in the lucky seat at the Gala Dinner on Saturday night and won a Bernina sewing machine! I think she now has four.

At the Gala Dinner I was honoured to be invited to join the NSW Quilt Guild table - "the table of knowledge"-  right up the front in the middle of all the action. What a great bunch of girls. We had a ball and danced our socks off til the band stopped around midnight. What they thought of these old quilters dancing with all and sundry we'll never know but we sure had a good time.

Here's my wonderful room-mate Kay on the left getting up-close and personal with Lois.

Kay was so kind and welcoming to me and we had a great time over the five days - she's such a lovely person with  a wicked sense of humour.

NSW quilters scooped the pool in the awards ceremony - on the left  is Judy Hooworth winner of the Rajah Award which is presented to a quilter who has made an outstanding contribution as an individual to quilting in Australia. Then we have Gary from Expertise Events the organisers of the Convention next to my dear friend Isobel Lancashire who received the Lut-Da Award which rewards a quilter who has used their quilting skills and knowledge to selflessly contribute to others in their local environment or quilting community.

Finally there is Merelyn Pearce who won The National Quilt Award which is presented to the maker of the quilt that is judged the best from the 'Best of Show Quilts' from the annual state guild shows around the country in the previous 12 months for her Preston Dreaming.

 

AND there was a special guest at the dinner! I'm sure it was really him and boy can he dance!

I had such a good time in Melbourne tho it was full on every day. Now it's back to reality and the countdown to the Springwood Quilt Show. But before that starts next week I'm off to Nowra for 2 days at Jukejema Quilting Barn - see you soon!

Remember the previous post? There were triplets in that tummy - isn't she clever!

Snake Gully!

This is the sight that greeted me on my arrival at Snake Gully - the venue for the Secret Sisters sewing weekend in Muswellbrook on the weekend. There were two girls waiting in the labour ward for the big event - we even thought it might happen while I was there but no such luck. I remember just how they were feeling!

Part of the beautiful property of my hosts which included 37 different varieties of fruit trees, cows, sheep, chooks, ducks, geese and guinea fowl - I'm sure I've forgotten some wildlife I saw on a whirlwind walk around the house paddock.

My friendly hosts Liz and Robert with Ellie. Do you know mum cooks her bacon and eggs for breakfast every day!

We had such a good time - I even got to practice for my up-coming role as a granny.

Great venue in a renovated shed on the farm - good lighting, plenty of tables, air-con and food to die for!

Dahlias were growing slowly.

Several girls were trying out the NYB blocks. They started off quite reserved but by Sunday afternoon fabric choices were hotting up and the results were amazing.

There was lots of show-and-tell from me and the students. Unbeknown to me quite a few had made my Mariners Medley quilt and brought them along to show. They were all different and looked great.

We even had a celebrity in the room. If you follow Barbara Brackman's blog about the Civil War quilts you'll know she posted a block a week last year and lots of quilters were making the quilt in all different styles. Leonie posted her blocks on Flickr. They caught Barbara's attention and  are to be included in her soon-to-be-published book.  

These are the three blocks chosen for the book. How exciting for Leonie whose sewing skills are fantastic even though she is vision impaired.

I have lots more pics but I'll keep then for the next post.

Off to AQC in Melbourne next week - can't wait and happy Easter to you all.