AQC!!!

The program is finally released for next year's AQC in Melbourne in April - details here. The event is billed as Australia's largest event dedicated specifically to quilting.

And I will be one of the tutors! How amazing is that - finally playing with the big kids. There are 13 different tutors - 3 from the US, 1 from the UK and 1 from Japan as well as lots of famous Australian quilters. Hope I can keep up!

I will be doing 2 x 2-day classes on this quilt - Jacobean Star and two blocks from my Lots of Dots quilt.

 

Lots of Dots has been chosen as one of five by the NSW Quilters Guild to represent the Best of the Best from our state. I am so pleased to be part of this event.

The quilt has also been featured in the latest issue of Quilt Mania - pics were taken when they were at Darling Harbour this year. There is a write up on the Castlemaine Applique Group and Linda from Quilts in the Barn. It is a lovely issue and shows that Australia is keeping up or even surpassing the rest of the quilting world. Well done.

Recipe for a quilt

Take some of this.....

Mix in fabric to get this.....

 Add some of this....

and voila! you have a quilt top.

Couldn't help showing you this from my garden.

Finishes

When the weather's as bad as it was over the weekend what's there to do but get in and sew!

I had a lot of UFO's (still do) sitting around so I got stuck in and finished these.

This was started at camp 3? years ago and didn't take long at all to make up.

Very graphic design isn't it.

Playing around with my favourite doilies again.

I also spent a bit of time on ebay looking at and bidding on feedsacks and feedsack fabric - didn't win one item!

This is the centre block from the doily quilt with lovely little hexagons surrounding the basket.

I have a collection of completed circle blocks and this was one of them.

Didn't take long to complete the design and all the fabric was in the stash.

It feels so good to use up fabric that's been sitting there for too long.

Just needs a centre circle.

Lots of pics today from recent classes.....

Bronwyn's lovely Mariners

Bonnie's very patriotic NYB's

We had a special guest last Saturday class - Alice's grandson Brayden joined us and made a start on this beautiful tablecloth for his mum. Well done Brayden you're a keeper!

Margaret has been busy with two versions of Emperors Wheel - what a great eye-spy quilt.

Jenny's camp project all done.

Marrianne's Mariners quilted and bound - beautiful.

QAYG Noodle box blocks



This is Bev's from Toowoomba - love the different approach to the outside scallops and the quilting is amazing.
Bev was one of the tutors at Quilting on the Downs.

Linda sent me this You tube link about sewing machine needles - take the time to look, it is very interesting.

http://youtu.be/4U48srIlnWg
On the 3rd Thursday of each month I have a class at the new Hobbysew store at Top Ryde shopping centre. It's a great venue with tons of fabric and a cafe in store. If you're in the mood for a fun class come along. You can do any of my quilts - ring the store for details.
On the Hobbysew front I also have 2 days of workshops at Hobbysew Belconnen on 29-30 October.
Come and make a basic mariners compass block or some New York Beauty blocks - both are an introduction to foundation piecing which I'm sure you'd enjoy.

Looks like someone's watching over Fiona! We are in the church hall afterall.

This was the scene Tuesday and Wednesday in our classroom at Quilting on the Downs in Toowoomba.

I shared the teaching space (and a B&B) with the lovely Margaret Sampson-George and we had a ball.

Marg was teaching her new quilt Fly away with me - on the table in front - and an antique crib quilt.

I was teaching Lots of dots, Repro NYB's and Mariners Madness.

Here are some block in progress from Dots - don't you love the design wall!

 Lynne did some great fussy-cutting for this block

 Lynne's NYB's from same class last year.

 Patrina looks deep in thought doesn't she.

 And this is what she was contemplating - yum!

 Lynne again with the top she made in class with Bev McClune - an easy way to make Cathedral Windows

 The next two make up part of  Leanne's Dots quilt

 Judy sent me this pic of her new cushion yesterday - the class was on Wednesday and she's finished it already!

I had a great time teaching in Toowoomba - thank you Lisa for inviting me back.

Have a look here for more pics from the week-long classes. Maybe you can come along next year.

It's run at the same time as the flower festival and the local gardens and houses are just beautiful.

I'm off to Toowoomba on Monday for a 2 day workshop at Precious Time, a beautiful shop in a beautiful town. Lisa has organised lots of different tutors over 2 weeks of classes and I'm lucky enough to be one of them. Thanks Lisa. I'll have some pics when I return.

In the mean time some pics from recent classes - lots of different projects just to keep me on my toes!

Bev's NYB's

Barbara is starting on Prickly Pines

Helen's Deauville is just beautiful

Rosemary was my guinea pig for this Jacobean Star class
but isn't it fabulous! Just needs one more setting triangle.

Judy is working her way thru 36 NYB blocks

Mariners Medley from a Figtree class

One day workshop on a basic mariners compass - they always look great!

Lorraine's on the "Dots" journey - love it

This is on my wall at the moment - I'm having a ton of fun
working with 30-ish fabrics and lots of doilies.

Have you seen the latest issue of Quilt Mania, the French patchwork mag? My Lots of Dots quilt is in it!! A full page pic from the Sydney Quilt Show - I'm excited! It's not in the shops yet but I've seen a subscription copy and the pic is fantastic. Did I mention it will be a BOM thru Hobbysew stores? Hopefully January 2012.
I received this email from Catherine Sanchez the editor of Australian Homespun magazine recently:

It is with great excitement that I announce that Australian Homespun magazine and all subsequent issues are now available as a digital subscription through www.zinio.com (the direct link is http://au.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp%20prnt=cat1960032&productId=500634623&categoryId=cat2250032).
This is a fantastic opportunity to present Homespun, a publication at the forefront of the industry, to a new world of readers, locally and internationally. For those who wish to take out a digital subscription, all you need to do is simply download the Zinio application from iTunes to your iPad, or log on to the website above.


Just click on the link  check it out - it's a great mag.
Have a great weekend - isn't the weather perfect and don't miss the Wentworth Quilters quilt show tomorrow at Lynwood House,  Guildford.

This and that

Not much happening at the moment so here are some pics from previous classes and a cute one of good friend Pam

She'll love it!

Recent camp projects from Helen

Lesley's batik beauties

On my design wall at the moment.

Isn't she preeety!

Lorraine's camp blocks made into a tablerunner - too good.

The inspiration for camp - pattern soon to appear in Down Under Quilts magazine.