Lots to look at

From Lisa and the Dorrigo class. Her Mariners on its background. Love it.

And these are the littlies born in the class four weeks later. Looks like a toilet paper commercial!

I gave a show-and-tell last week for the Redberry Quilters in Berry. They meet in a beautiful new part of the local church hall and here they are eagerly awaiting my talk. What a pleasure it was to speak to the group of such enthusiastic girls. Morning tea was pretty good too. Lots of questions and some show-and-tell from them too.

This was started last year in a Bomaderry class - Maxine's quilting was superb. Pity you can't see it.

Jenny has been working on this for quite a while now. It's big - the circle is 50" across from memory.

We found a lovely wide-back to put it on and it looks great. Not sure what comes next.

Pam has been busy too with her Jacobean Star...

... and the feathered star she started at quilt camp in August - well done.

You can't see it but there's a tiny blue peeper around the centre square which was just perfect.

I've just come home from a two day workshop for the NSW Quilters Guild on the Lots of Dots quilt.

Those girls sewed their hearts out and the results are beautiful.

The start of the first block....

... mostly completed first block.

Some close-ups of WIPs

And the nearly completed second block. Same pattern but oh so different.

Hard to pick a favourite isn't it.

Guild workshops are conducted in a great venue at Epping with good lighting and lots of tables.

Apart from a blackout on day one - luckily timed for our lunch hour - all went well with a lovely group of girls all keen to perfect their foundation piecing.

Thanks Linda and the Guild for asking me!

Fires

This a a Rural Fire Service thermal image of the current situation around the lower Blue Mountains. 

We are close to Warrimoo in the picture. 

Thanks to everyone who's emailed or phoned. Just waiting for Sunday and Mondays weather to see what happens next.

A mixed bag

Don't you just want this! From the Sept issue of Country Homes and Interiors a lovely English magazine. It's paper stuck onto the cupboard - too clever.

Below is Heather's version of our Springwood Community Quilt Show raffle quilt for next year.

It's a reinterpretation of an English quilt made c.1840 by Grace Slater.

Heather's done a beautiful job and patterns will be available for our quilt at next years show - last weekend in April.

Jane's also excelled with her Mariners Madness quilt. Made for a friend using her mother's fabrics, mostly African. Stunning isn't it.

I surprised myself this week by making this from a tutorial on Linda's blog via Edith's in Switzerland.

I'm not a bag/purse person but this looked so cute and Linda's tute explained all the steps so easily.

Took me maybe 1 1/2 hrs and I had all the bits on the shelf. Have a go - they'd make great gifts and someone said there's only 10 more Saturdays til Xmas!!

Further to the classroom birth at Dorrigo - here are the darlings two weeks later. Too cute.

I'm off to RedBerry  Quilters in Berry for a show-and-tell on Friday 25th October if you're  down that way and I'm doing a two day workshop for the NSW Quilters Guild at Epping on my Lots of Dots quilt Tues 29th and Wed 30th of October. I know they have a few places left if you're interested - call the Guild now for all the info and you don't have to be a member to attend.

Finally here's a link to an exhibition of Star quilts at the Texas Quilt Museum. Great eye candy.

Dorrigo

Warning - this is a long post with lots of pics!

I've just had the best week teaching in Dorrigo in the hills behind Coffs Harbour at the Misty Mountains Getaway. What a week!

Just a sample of the work in class.

This was the view from the verandah of our lodge.

This is the big, old Dorrigo Hotel, a typical country pub with a fab restaurant and the billet for lots of the students at the retreat.

They must have known I was coming cause there was a Pony Club parade down the main street just after I arrived.

Too cute!

The locals say when you come to Dorrigo dress like an onion - so you can peel off the layers. So Sue did!

My first class was Mariners Madness and over 2 days some finished a lot and some finished a little. No matter, it was all good fun with morning and afternoon tea supplied by the Hospital Auxiliary every day. You can imagine what that was like!

In my class was also this little gem. In labour on the day so she came along and gave birth in the corner to three lovely kittens. Her mum Lisa was busy sewing in between acting as midwife.

These were my partners in crime from the left - Julie Haddrick, Chris Timmins, Tracey ??, Margaret Macdonald, Catherine Butterworth and gorgeous Kay Haerland. We had happy hour every afternoon and then were treated to dinner each night in a different Dorrigo restaurant. It was hard to take!

Second class was a couple of blocks from Lots of Dots - look happy don't they.

We even had an on-site masseuse for those tired muscles.

This is the bathroom floor at the lodge - going to the loo was an interesting exercise!

A local landmark at the sewerage works! I was told it attracts busloads of visitors.

The last two days I taught Reproduction Beauties and the results are stunning. This is my favourite class to teach. No matter what fabrics are used the blocks look great and students seem to get caught up in the excitement of seeing the block combinations and expanding their colour choices each time.

Check out the peas!

There are from 17 different students but could all be in the one quilt. Love it!

It was a long week but such a good one. Amazing hosts - thanks Chris and Caroline for inviting me and equally enthusiastic students. I can't wait for the next one!