Happy campers!

Once again our quilt camp has come and gone in such a short time. Lots of planning culminated in a great weekend for all and it was the biggest roll-up we've ever had.
The weather was kind but cool - just right for sewing til 2am for some of us!
Here a just a few pics from my phone which is why they are so bad. It might have been the wines I had before our show-and-tell on Saturday night do you think.

Lyn's Gilly's coverlet

Lorraine's Dahlia - the 1st one I've seen finished!

See the ribbon? Alice won Best in Show at the recent Camden Show - what a star!

Pam's quilt for her daughter

Marrianne's HUGE top with the most amazing broderie purse flowers

These are only a few of the fantastic quilts shown on Saturday night. The variety and workmanship was truly inspiring. Quilt camp is a fun time to get away and do what we love the most with good company and lovely surroundings.

I stole this quote from Kathy Doughty's blog - I'm sure she won't mind as she put into words exactly what I was thinking of our weekend.

"It is fun to have someone show us how to do things. It is fun to sew in a group. It is fun to share the joy of creating in a group of like minded individuals."

How true!

More various

I teach at The Home Patch in Bathurst on a monthly basis and Anni and the staff are such lovely girls. (Pete too).
I saw recently that Anni's blog has been rated among the best 5 quilting blogs  and not only does she have a new book out but she also has a new fabric range (scroll down in the post to see it).
The Home Patch was one of the traders at our recent Springwood Community Quilt Show and Anni has been a regular at the show since it's inception.

Anni and Pete have just come back from Salt Lake City Quilt Market and it's pleasure to see a couple who work so hard and who are such a lovely people do so well. Congratulations to you both.

Only four more sleeps til our quilt camp this weekend! I can hardly wait to have some solid sewing time and the chance to chill out with good friends.The nights will be chilly indeed at our venue out in the wilds of Mulgoa but a few hot toddies will help to ward off the cold!

Be sure to have a look at my friend Rachel's blog over at Blue Mountain Daisy - she's joined the Sew mama sew giveaway day and has some great prizes on offer. Rachel's one of our happy campers too.

Now for some pics

Lots of dots happening here!

The start of Elizabeth's Pickled Lillies

Emperors wheel finished

More dots from Berrima

Dianne has been busy finishing - redwork Noodle box



Dianne's Mariners centre



Are you signed up to the International Quilt Study Centre quilt-of-the-month emails? You should be. Every month you'll be sent a link to a quilt from their collection at the University of Nebraska.

Check out this month's quilt - hexagons to die for! There is an exhibition on that I'd kill to see - here's a blurb about it:

"May 28 will mark the opening of the next major international quilt exhibition in the IQSCM galleries. Elegant Geometry: American and British Mosaic Patchwork will feature beautiful mosaic patchwork, technical marvels from "both sides of the pond." It is curated by Bridget Long, quilt historian from the United Kingdom, who studied the pieces during her IQSCM Fellowship in 2009 and initiated the research that informs this exhibition. She contributed the primary essay for the accompanying catalog of the same title."

Let's hope the catalogue becomes available outside the exhibition.

Various

After our quilt show debrief the other day I am so pleased to announce that we made a profit of $9300 from the three days. We had more visitors thru the door this year and more activity from the cafe.

See the quilt show blog for more details.

Now for some pics from recent classes



Janette's Deauville quilt



Roxanne's NYB's

A combination of three different quilts. Love the flow.

Jeffrey's Mariners with some applique

Susan's Mariners. Looks stunning.

Sandra's Friendship Ring

I received an email this week from Amanda in Coonamble with a pic of her group's raffle quilt. A variation on my Noughts and Crosses quilt and it's beautiful. Interesting write up too.

"The Material Girls patchwork group is currently represented by 9 ladies from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, whose mutual love of all things patchwork and quilting binds us together. The group has been meeting for 13 years, with an ebb and flow of members over that time.

For the previous 5 years, coinciding with the busy June long weekend Coonamble Rodeo and Campdraft, the Material Girls conduct an exhibition of quilts and patchwork items in the local library, showcasing our own work as well as quilts made by the many other keen and clever stitchers in our Shire. A lot of people have come to look forward to our show as a welcome additional attraction to the Rodeo weekend of activities, held in a warm cozy haven.
We are proud to be able to say that all the work in our display has not been previously shown, and that there are regularly upwards of 60 fully sized quilts on exhibit, which transforms our venue into a most colourful maze. The workmanship and talent is easily equal to any of the big city shows. There are prizes to be won here too, with the “Viewers’ Choice” a highly sought after award. There will also be patchwork fabrics, kits, books and decorator items from “Zelly’s” for purchase. Money raised over this weekend goes to local organisations and charities that assist country people. While our raison d’être may be to encourage quilting and patchwork crafts in particular, our support of one another through thick and thin, droughts and floods, good times and bad, creates strong bonds of friendship that can help us withstand whatever life throws our way.
The Sixth Annual Material Girls’ Patchwork and Quilts Exhibition, Coonamble library, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June, 10am to 4pm."

Here's the raffle quilt - stunning!



I'm sorry

I'm sorry I don't have any pics from the Springwood Quilt Show held on the weekend. I forgot every day to take my camera with me! Vicki was better prepared than me and has some good pics on the show blog including raffle winner information and viewer's choice winners. (I was one of them!).

It was a fantastic three days with excellent attendance each day. The cafe did a roaring trade and ran out of coffee on Saturday. Food was top class and we received lovely feed-back from lots of visitors.

After a debrief next week I should have some figures to share.

Instead of show pics have a look at these:

Sue has been powering away at her Lots of Dots and the blocks she has done are looking fabulous.

A few of Robyn's Dots on the wall with a quilt Lurley (seated) is working on made from a Japanese panel.

She almost matches the blocks doesn't she!

These are Toni's Reproduction Beauty blocks made from Michelle Marvig's latest range called Michelle's Backyard - fabulous colours and the designs are so beautiful. Ask for it at your local patchwork shop.

On the road 2

From a class at Jukejema Quilting Barn in Nowra

More Lots of dots from Berrima - only one more class to go

Hobbysew in Canberra - such enthusiastic students!

Pippa's hexagons! She obviously has way too much spare time!

Sue from Canberra's Featherweight machine. It sewed like a dream all day and is so beautiful.

Something I've been working on lately. A real scrap-buster.

Have you seen the latest issue of Aust Patchwork and Quilting? My son's quilt is a project in it.
He's still complaining about not having it to sleep under! Won't be long now Stu.

I been days sorting "stuff" for my stall at the Springwood Quilt Show. Fabric, patterns, bric-a-brac and all things quilty. Please call by and say hello next Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

On the road 1

Emperors wheel from Warriewood

I've been travelling a lot lately even after coming back from Toowoomba so these pics are quite varied.

Summer baskets from Warriewood
A gorgeous version of Summer Baskets using a heap of lovely doilies, ric rac and yummy fabrics

Friendship Ring - this has had three different backgrounds so far!

Kris' beautiful Hexagon Magic. After major quilting dramas it looks so beautiful. Her sister will love it.

Now this is Sue's Friendship Ring, a project started at last year's teaching camp.

The fabrics go together so well and the quilting done by Carol Ikin from Lawson is fantastic.

Here is a close-up and one of the back. Great choice of fabrics and great quilting to match.

You can see this in the flesh at the Springwood Quilt Show coming up the weekend after Easter.

Talking of quilting I received my dahlia quilt back from Belinda Betts in Orange today.

What a fantastic job she has done to highlight the design. No pics yet until I do the binding but it will also be on display at the quilt show. She's does really top-class quilting and is off the the US early May for a "study tour" of machine quilting to further her knowledge.

More pics from my travels soon.

Lots to tell

I've just come back from a flying visit to the beautiful shop Precious Time in Toowoomba. We did a two day class on Lots of Dots and boy was it flat out for the girls. This is the shop in a lovely old house in a suburban street of this spread out city at the top of "the range" as the locals call it.

There is still evidence all around of the disastrous floods earlier this year and the effects of it all will be felt in the community for years.

Here's a sample of the work the class produced over two really full-on days of sewing. We had newcomers to foundation piecing and some old hands, young sewers and the lovely Janette who is 83 and still powering on. Apart from the moment when I cut her block in half!!!!! all went well and I can only hope they continue with the project at home.

Fellow quilter Sue Ross and I were guests of Bev and her mum Pat who made us feel right at home and fed and watered us as only country people do. Bev is a machine quilting teacher in her other life and we were treated to a show and tell of her magnificent prize-winning work. It made me want to get to the machine there and then. Thanks girls and hope to see you all again in September.

These pics are from Bathurst recently and show Val's free-motion quilting skills to perfection.

It is a real sampler of techniques and was very inspiring.

An altered version of my Easy Medallion - love the diamond border!

Roxanne's cushion cover - don't you just want one?

Time is ticking away for the Springwood Quilt Show in less than three weeks time. We have over 150 quilts this year and the room will be chock full of wonderful work from local quilters.

The hard part starts in 16 days time when we begin building the stands and hanging the quilts.

Have a look at the blog for the show - Vicki has written a great post on what actually goes into this great community event.

One more thing - have a look at my quilt in the EQ Gallery here and scroll down to number 198. You send in your project file then a pic of the completed quilt - how exciting to have it displayed in their gallery!