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.

Busy

Lots of pics today so here goes.....

Lurley has done a wonderful job on her Lots of Dots despite some health issues lately. Clever fussy-cutting too.

Last Wednesday I was at Material Obsession for part two of a NYB class. Robyn used shot cottons and a gorgeous Yuwa background fabric she received on the day as a gift - just perfect! I think they are macaroons.

Elkie left the class a month ago with 2or 3 finished blocks and came back this month with 17! And she has a two year old. I think she must like doing NYBs. Aren't they beautiful with lots of William Morris.

Robyn made this for a friend - with NY fabric too.

Pam is working her way thru the same blocks all in batiks. Looks great.

This weekend I was in Murrumburrah. Where's that you say? About 4 hours south west of where I live near the town of Young. Lovely country town with the usual problem of half the shops being empty. But one of the liveliest ones is the Quilters Stash run by Sue Chesworth. It should really be called the community centre as it's the magnet for local girls to drop in and catch up on all that's happening in the town. No gossiping tho!

The class worked so hard to get their Mariners centres completed in the two days - nearly.

Don't you love it. Available in a large panel from Sue.

WIPs with Mary's lovely face. She and her husband "retired" to the area and bought 700 acres. Now they are farmers and loving it. Some retirement! Sorry Vicki I seem to have missed a pic of yours on the wall.

Auditioning for the background.

Here's the rogues gallery outside the shop. If you're ever down that way you must call in - you'll get a real country welcome. I sure did.

Some new family has moved in over the road from the shop - Shrek's the surname I think!

Entries close this Thursday for the Springwood Quilt Show - have you posted yours yet?

No camera

Did I mention earlier I have two classes at Material Obsession in Drummoyne? An intro to New York Beauty blocks and it was a fun day. Lovely shop and really nice girls - staff and students. Unbelievably one of the students was at high school with my daughter - how's that for coincidence?

Anyway I took some pics on the day and left my camera at the shop - grrrrr.  Kathy has some pics from the day here. There's another class on 14th March with a couple of vacancies if you're interested.

So these two same-but-very different Pickled Lillies quilts are from a while back.

Janette has made this for her grandson complete with shields and swords and all things knightly. He'll just love it don't you think.

This one belongs to Lynne from my class in Toowoomba - great fussy cutting and doesn't the design change when you look at both quilts and the lights and darks in the "pickles" are reversed. Beautiful work.

These are what I've been working on lately - handbags? baskets? - whatever they are I've had a great time playing with fabrics and designs. Haven't decided on the strip fabric yet but the yummy black and green 1950's vintage piece came from here and it was even better in the flesh when it arrived in the post.

Patricia has lots of vintage goodies - quilts, blocks, haby and fabric and I notice she still has some of this groovy fabric in stock.

This block is 7" x 10" and will end up a variation on the old nosegay block - japanese/spotty scraps with lots of different backgrounds - and a bit of ric rac. Can't wait to make more so the layout comes together. I'll keep you posted!

Anorina has a post here about our Mariners Compass day at Figtree - check it out.

Lastly, the entry forms for our Springwood Quilt Show are downloadable from the blog NOW.

Click on the top right but don't forget it's 2 pages with lots of info about entering on page two. Entries close 22nd March so if you're a Blue Mountains/Penrith area quilter we'd love to see your work. Print them off and get them in the post soon. You've got til 26th April to actually finish the quilt so get those skates on! This is our 7th year and we want it to be bigger and better than ever.

Out and about

Lots of pics today from recent classes - Kathy's beautiful Birds in Paradise top. Just needs some binding over the scallops and she's done.

Two from Cottage Quiltworks on Saturday - the start of a Dahlia quilt and Rosemary's mariners block with that ever-popular ric rac.

Jenny's done her own version of Deauville and doesn't it look great. She brought along lots of show-and-tell on Sunday to Hobbysew Figtree - boy does she sew a lot!! Also has a longarm machine and quilts for others so she's a very busy girl.

This is from Monica who was new to foundation piecing but took to it straight away. Looks great.

 These NYB blocks are happening in class at The Home Patch in Bathurst. Limited colour palette but how cool are these.

Pat has been busy over the break making her own version of the Faux Wedding ring quilt. The indigo squares were already embroidered and she has done lovely sashiko in the cream squares.

Why didn't I think of that!

Another from Bathurst - great contrast.

 And this belongs to Anorina from the famous Samelia's mum blog. I was so pleased to meet her

in class yesterday at Figtree and she's done a great job on this compass. Can't wait to see it in a project.

Anorina has a quilt ON THE COVER of the latest issue of Australian Homespun! First submission to the mag and she makes the cover - what a woman! Well done.

I met Janelle Noack at a class I did at Wagga quilt shop Simply Stitches last July. She teaches in the area and has had quite a few quilts in Australian magazines and has contributed a block to the Quiltmaker 100 blocks series of magazines. Now she taken the big leap and has a blog too! It's called Country Matters and you can have a look here. Her work is beautiful and you'll get an idea of where she lives from the backgrounds in her photos - she's a girl on the land. Good luck Janelle in the land of blogging but don't forget you need to be sewing some too!

Classes

Two different projects by two different people but don't they look good together.

 Here's a close-up of that groovy elephant.

 Some of the work done at Hobbysew Belconnen last weekend. A bit confusing with my quilt as the background but you get the idea. Lots of fun and interesting fabric choices.

 A beautiful William Morris compass.

 The rogues gallery! Well done everyone.

 These two pics were sent to me by Annemarie who started them in a class with me at Berrima.

Both look fantastic and will be on display at the Southern Highlands quilt show at Mittagong RSL on 18/19 February.

 I have been working on this for approx. 2 years - my Tuesday night handwork. Finally quilted it over the xmas break. It is my version of  the Garfield-Arthur Bandanna quilt @ 1880 and it was a real scrap-buster. Looks a bit wonky in the pic but it's ok in the flesh.

Entry forms arrived today for the Sydney Quilt Show in June. Yikes!! Better get myself organised and enter something.
I guess you've noticed I have an on-line shop at etsy.com. Sellers often make a treasury of things they like on the site - a collection with a theme and two sellers have used my patterns recently in their treasury. Have a look here and here - how cool is that. Thanks guys for the exposure.

We have a winner!

First of all thank you to the 73 people who left a comment on my blog - amazing and thanks for all the kind words.

There can only be one winner and that's Michelle who doesn't have a blog.

Please email me your address Michelle so I can send you your prize.

Don't forget you can buy the pattern (along with lots of others) in my etsy store and the foundation papers will be listed there soon - I've run out of the first lot already and can't get any more til after xmas!

Thanks again everyone and I hope you keep visiting.

Nearly xmas!

Judy who lives near The Rock in southern NSW sent me this pic of her version of my Pretty in Purple pattern. Looks great in Japanese reds and navys doesn't it. I love it when you send me pics and especially when you've made the quilt your own by varying the fabric/layout or whatever.

Two NYB quilts in the making from Bathurst on Saturday. The one on the left is batiks - soft and almost pretty while the one on the right has lots of oomph - purple and black.

Barbara has finished her Lots of Dots that was started early in the year at Jukejema in Nowra. She has quilted it herself - can you see the circles around each block? And her label below is from leftover bits of other blocks - very clever. Love that ric rac!

This beauty is the first block in a Noodle Box version from my Hobbysew class. That fish fabric is just perfect.

Finally added a border to my Buzz saw quilt which I think complements the centre. I bought the border fabric before I made the centre and then went to the stash looking for something and there it was! Just waiting for this project. Goes to show if you buy fabric you like when you see it, it will come in handy down the track. That's my theory anyway.

Sent my Chocolate Stars off to Homespun magazine today - won't come out in the mag til Xmas-in-July issue next year - sorry.

Xmas get-togethers are happening all this week and the teaching year is winding down. It's been a very busy one for me and next year looks even busier with lots of away gigs - all fun! After a beachy break over xmas it's back to the sewing machine and computer and I'm hoping to get a head start on what's coming up next year. Hope you have a rest too!