Patchwork On Stonleigh

Saturday Stitching

2012-02-10T11:48:00.000+11:00

Most Saturdays, many of the girls who attended classes at our shop, meet at the Aspect school in Albury. Saturday was our first day back for the year and there was standing room only.
We have two challenges this year, first is to finish the top of a major UFO, and second to bring along a 2kg bag of fabric from our stash( anything and any size) and we would pool it, sort it out and then we will each get back a 2kg bag of fabric.
The fabric will be hidden in a brown paper bag, and once we open it, we can swap the entire bag with someone else's bag, but we cannot swap individual fabrics. All we are allowed to add is up to 2 metres of one other fabric. At the end of the year we have to bring back a finished quilt top, but not show anyone through the year.

So on Saturday we had bags and bags of fabric, and yesterday Christine and I sorted it out. We had one pile for donation to the girls who make quilts for the orphanage in Nepal , and we packed the rest into 2kg lots, sorting it out to useable lots. Tomorrow will be the beginning of the great challenge, when we start handing them out.

Last Saturday, we saw what most girls were finishing in the UFO challenge

Beth is finishing her Trundle quilt. This is a major project, a quilt designed by Karen Cunningham, with tiny little sampler blocks all around.

Christine and Bridget and Bridgitte looking gobsmacked as Beth holds up her UFO.

Christine is completing her machine pieced, very complicated frame quilt "Remember Me". This is a quilt I taught many years ago. It is a reproduction of the Charlotte Gambold quilt from Everton. Everton is about 1/2 hour from where I live, and my husband's grandparents are both from that area. The original quilt appears in the book on Australian quilts by Margaret Rolfe.

There are a few Swan Lake aka"Dancing Dollies" quilts to be completed this year

and a few "Little Garden" quilts, another quilt designed by Karen.

and a few Irish Circles quilts.

A few of the girls have grandchildren on the way, our first baby of the year was born this week. Ruby Matilda arrived on Tuesday. So it will be a happy but busy year.

And I think these two stories are more than worthy of a mention. Sarah completed her hand quilted quilt for her son Alexander. She was having nightmares that she would die and he would be the only child without his quilt. Alexander is 16 years old, and Sarah finished the quilt. Fortunately it has been a cool summer!

Joy completed her embroidered baby blanket for her daughter Emma. Emma is now 14 years old, and loved getting her blanket, whereas if she had it when she was a baby, she couldn't have cared less, and as Joy said, probably would have just been sick on it.

summer school and new year's resolutions

2012-01-27T11:19:00.001+11:00

Its been so long since I posted, but life has ben more than a little hectic. My daughter has kept me busy having some surgery, Christmas, a few trips to Sydney and most of all getting ready for summer school.

Summer school in the Blue Mountains this year, was terrific. It was especially wonderful not having to organise it! Lots of girls who attended our summer school at patchwork on Stonleigh came back ( so nice to catch up with you), lots of girls from fabric club ( so nice to put a face to a name) and lots of new girls, from all over Australia. Everyone had a great time, so next year we will be back.

The Blue mountains is such a lovely place. The last time I had been there was for my brother's first birthday and he is now 46 years old, so quite some time ago!

Each day at lunchtime we had show and tell. Some beautiful quilts, antique and new were on display each day, sooo much beautiful work to be seen and inspire everyone to go home and finish a few more projects this year. I just loved this antique sampler quilt from the 1930's.

Classes each day were busy busy, and a few great shops from Sydney came with lots of gorgeous fabric. Unfortunately I found a few new pieces of fabric I needed to take home.

I came away from summer school, tired, but inspired to get into my sewing.

So my quilting resolutions for this year, are to finish the applique, quilt and bind my Ann Daggs quilt. This photo was before the final border was attached.
I want to complete the quilt top of Irish Circles ( so much to do this might be impossible!!!) but I will give it a try. First I need to find the box of blocks I have already started, and hope it has been busy growing inside without my help.

I want to hand quilt my St Neot Band Sampler

and finish my little sparrow quilt. I wasnt happy I didnt quite get this done before summer school.

I have a few other quilts to complete the top- my sparrows nest

and of course two new quilts for summer school next year. At least this year I have decided what I will make, so the worst part is already done.

I hope this year is uneventful!!!

road trips

2011-08-21T14:17:00.000+10:00

This time of year is a really busy time for me, it's ballet season, birthday season ( we have seven birthdays in August in our family and extended family), summer school quilting underway plus a few roadtrips to Melbourne for doctor's visits and a few trips to Sydney for work. Somehow everything gets done and I enjoy the time to myself in the car, to ponder over what I am planning to make over the next few months.
I make many quilts in my head, few ever happen!

However, I am zooming along with my summer school quilt "The St. Neot Band Sampler". I am totally enjoying making it. I hope to have it almost completed when I go to Essendon Quilter's quilt in in two weeks time- Saturday 3rd September. I am the guest speaker and looking forward to it.

When I was in Sydney a few weeks ago, I said to Karen Cunningham, I was a bit stressed about getting two new quilts completed for summer school, but at this stage, I think its possible, so I hope to get started on the other one in about two weeks time. It will be just handpieced, no applique.

Meanwhile, Pleas, Christine's sister from New Zealand has emailed a picture of her finished "Little Sparrow Quilt". I have not touched mine since summer school. I'm jealous!

summer school

2011-08-01T15:00:00.001+10:00

Firstly, Christine and I are both alive and kicking! Christine has her daughter and granddaughter visiting from Dubai at the moment. We meet most Saturdays at the Aspect school in Albury to sew, with lots of other girls who regularly came into our classes at the shop.
I have been doing a bit of sewing, a bit of knitting and lots of procrastinating over what I would make for summer school this year.
Karen Cunningham is running summer school this year in the Blue Mountains. We met up at the Sydney quilt show and discussed lots about what we were sewing etc. Karen is much more organised than Christine and I ever were. Summer school is going to be great!

I have made at least 100 quilts in my head for summer school but finally started putting my hands to some fabric the other day. I know lots of girls are wondering what I am making for summer school( I was too!!!) but I actually have done a bit of gluing this morning, so I have something to photograph.

The quilt is just a small quilt "The St. Neot band sampler". It will be in pinks and blues with little bits of greys and stone. I am hoping to get lots done over the next few weeks and will keep updating.

life after the shop

2011-04-21T12:54:00.001+10:00

It has almost been a month now since we closed the doors of the shop. After a few days of cleaning out the old building and filling up our houses with everything, a new life has started. It feels quite strange for me. I had the first two weekends heading to Melbourne but this week I have got stuck into the cleaning up. The living room is so full of "stuff" even Douglas, one of our dogs couldnt find me in there a week or so ago. My deadline for cleaning up this room has been Easter, but somehow it might not get finished today.
meanwhile I have been doing quite a lot of knitting, but not a stitch of sewing. I have been thinking though of what I might do for summer school.
Karen Cunningham is taking summer school to the Blue Mountains. How exciting! Christine said to me the other day, she thinks she will go up and her sister said she thought she might fly out again. It will be like old times, without all the work, so we are very excited!
I have enjoyed my quilt thinking time and at this stage have several ideas, so as soon as Easter is over and the house empty of visitors, I need to start.
Christine's little granddaughter, Lucy broke her arm again a few days after we closed the shop, so she has taken up a bit of Christine's time as she missed the last bit of school, but when I went over to Christine's a few days ago, she also had some time off from sewing, but was about to start making some stars.

This month in Quilter's Companion magazine, is the special Civil war edition with the pattern of my little Civil war baby quilt. It is a great edition of the magazine with some really lovely quilts included.

Today I am going to try to sort out the problem of all the quilts I have at home. I need to have something built to house them!

happy easter and happy sewing, Susan

new templates

2011-02-25T21:24:00.001+11:00

Christine and I have been frantically trying to get everything done before we close our shop in a month's time. As that date approaches, I have been madly thinking of things I want to make in the future, and what I might need for the projects.
Last week I had to go to Melbourne to the doctor, so I made the most of the trip and had some new window templates made for fussy cutting.
I loved the little clamshell from the V&A museum quilt, so I had one of those cut to size, then a tiny little tumbler as I may as well cut out one of those quilts when I cut out the clamshell. Tumbler quilts make great hand projects.

At summer school Karen Cunningham was making beautiful little stars with her class, and it reminded me I needed a template to fit the 1 1/4" diamond, so I may as well get a 2" diamond template also, then the only one I didnt have that I use often is the 1/2" hexagon. So now I have them all, and maybe I might become fussy cutting addicted! There were so many wonderful little fussy cutters at summer school. BTW we do have these at the shop now in sets.

I also had a set of large circles made on three sheets. The sizes range from 1 1/2" to 5 1/2".
One of our most beautiful customers just made a gorgeous quilt for her granddaughter appliqueing circles onto 6" squares. She joined the fabric for the back of some of the squares and it looks divine, all in citrus colours. Christine and I are very tempted to copy!

....and some really gorgeous quilts

2011-02-01T11:08:00.000+11:00

I am still going through the cd of the show and tell of our summer school. These are a few more of the gorgeous quilts we viewed

It is very nice as a teacher to see one of my students have this quilt all completed. "Stevie's Garden" is a huge task! But then again, I know of a few girls who have made two.

"The Wickersham Quilt" was such a wonderful quilt to make. We made our Wickersham quilts in a class over two years. I still have to put my quilt together and applique a few of the side blocks. Its one of my quilts at the top of my list to finish this year.

Karen Cunningham brought out some of her quilts from past summer schools. "Bluebell" is one of the loveliest quilts we had at out summer schools

And this one "Yorkshire Dales" made from one of Karen's classes two years ago was a real stunner!

Happy quilting, Susan

and more show and tell

2011-01-31T14:10:00.000+11:00

I just have five minutes to spare so I will add a few more show and tell from summer school

Christine made this quilt and its a gorgeous scrappy quilt I think!

over the years in the shop, we have raised over $50,000 for different charities and great causes with raffles of different quilts. This fun and bright one is our current raffle quilt. we will draw the winner on the last day at the shop in March

and this circle quilt is part of Christine's addiction to circles following her "Eggs on Toast" quilt. The japanese border fabric is divine!

and some more show and tell

2011-01-29T10:40:00.000+11:00

I dont think anyone remembered these old quilts "The Westtown Quaker Schoolgirl" quilts. This was based on antique family quilt and I love it. Christine loves her blue one. I wouldnt mind making this quilt again in something modern.

My "Sausage dog" quilt was made years ago for a bit of fun for an exhibition. I did not make a pattern and I have been astounded how many quilters own dachshunds and have asked for a pattern.

"Sweet Pea" was a popular quilt we had classes with a few years ago, but lately we have had quite a few being finished. One person's finished quilt inspires another.

to be continued....

a bit of show and tell

2011-01-27T18:55:00.000+11:00

Summer school is over forever and I think we have all almost recovered. It seems as if it were ages ago but I had to remind myself it was just last week.
The show and tell on the Wednesday night is a lovely opportunity for Karen Cunningham and I to see what the students have made with our patterns. Its also very inspiring for all there.

Because it was our last summer school, we brought out some of our old quilts that had been requested.

I will post a few here and update over the next few days

The first quilt is "The Mississippi Marriage Quilt", brought along by one of the girls. The middle quilt is my quilt, made about 10 years ago, and featured on the front of the pattern

and the third one, a summery version of this lovely quilt, again made by one of the attendees.

an era ends

2011-01-13T09:08:00.001+11:00

It is so long since I have posted but life has been a bit more than hectic, with getting ready for summer school and I have been ill which has lead Christine and I to make the decision we are going to close the shop at the end of March. It has been sad telling everyone as they have arrived for summer school but Christine has wanted to retire and be free to visit her family a little more often, and at the moment I need to retire to deal with my health. But as we have told everyone, I will still do some teaching, I will still continue to make new quilts and I will still sell patterns and there will be hopefully some more time for blogging! Christine tells me she will be my "roadie" so we hope we can still get to see so many of the dear friends we have made in the shop over the past 11+ years.

Summer school is underway at the moment, Karen Cunningham arrived last night with some gorgeous quilts, old and new and the show and tell from the girls was wow! I hope to get some photos from one of the keen photographers, so maybe some show and tell on line in the next few days.

I have been teaching classes with my clamshell quilt, Swan Lake, Bird on a Wire and my new quilt "Little Sparrow". I managed to get it joined in the nick of time, all bar two sides of the sawtooth border. I love it so I am looking forward to a few weeks of applique to complete it.

clamshells and slugs

2010-11-11T14:34:00.001+11:00

How am I going with all the quilts I have to get done? So far so good, I am calm at this stage.
Christine's sister in New Zealand is helping me out with Duck Hill Farm and the Browne Sister's ( they are the two I am panicking about!) and the summer school quilts bar 1 are almost done.
Last night I finished quilting the clamshell quilt. I wasnt going to quilt it, but rather leave it as a coverlet but then in the end decided to put some quilting on it. I am pleased with the result, so tonight I will bind it.
I also have only about three evenings of applique left to do on the "Bird on a Wire" and that is done, and on the weekend I will back my "Swan Lake" quilt and bind it. It has to go to Melbourne by the end of next week to travel across to San Francisco for an exhibition. Deadlines make you do things. Then its onto the "Little Sparrow" as I have sooo much work left on that one, but I am looking forward it.

Yesterday Christine and I had a gorgeous and inspirational outing to one of our local primary schools, Wodonga West primary school, to see a quilt display in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden. The garden was the real star of the show. It was absolutely fantastic. We grow all our own vegetables at home but this was the garden I would love, so it had me thinking all the way around the garden. The children were so happy working away, learning life skills, running slugs down to the chook yard for a happy hen's lunch, digging away in the compost. What very lucky children to have such a wonderful thing at their school, and then there was the kitchen!

My favorite quilt was made by Jan from our shop( Jan's grandsons attend the school).It captured the happy feeling in the garden.

Happy stitching, Susan

a little civil war quilt

2010-10-15T15:51:00.000+11:00

I have eleven quilts I have to have completed by March. ( some just to gluing stage thank goodness),
so it was with great relief I completely finished the first one this week and popped it into a bag to Sydney to Quilter's Companion.

Next year, as it is the 150th anniversary of the commencement of the Civil War, Quilter's Companion magazine are doing a feature and this little quilt will be one of their projects.
I remember about thirteen or fourteen years ago when I made the first Civil War quilt how I excited I was with the new fabrics released by Judie Rothermel. Now there have been more collections than I could remember, so finding fabrics to make this quilt was not difficult. Watch out for the pattern in the magazine next year.
Friday morning is a great delivery day at the shop. A few gorgeous fabrics came into the shop this morning. I loved these three- the brown with blue and pink flowers, the red and pink serpentine and the pretty pale pink. I needed all of them!

Now back to my clamshell quilt. I am hoping to complete it this coming week along with the summer school quilt.
Happy sewing, Susan x

nothing to do with sewing but....

2010-10-11T21:17:00.000+11:00

Christine has been in Dubai the past two weeks, visiting her daughter and granddaughter. She had a wonderful time, loved seeing their life and where they live. Today was first day back to the grindstone.
I have been busy sewing a baby civil war quilt due to Quilters Companion magazine by the end of the week, and working away on my clamshell quilt. They are both almost done.

And in between I have been trying to get rid of mess around the house. I was very pleased to get rid of three more bags to Vinnies this morning. I have been telling Christine it still looks no better, but she is like a training partner, giving me encouragement. She told me today eventually it will be done, so I hope so! I have found a few treasures so that is always encouraging.

Yesterday morning my husband and I went to a gorgeous place in Wodonga, Sumsion Gardens, where Michael goes for a walk each lunchtime. He has been watching a pair of swans nesting for weeks and on Friday saw their new babies for the first time. So armed with my camera I found the darling family on the lake and just had to take some photos.

the lakes are also full of long necked turtles and yesterday they were sunning themselves on logs while the swans were playing in the water. The little cygnets were swimming between their parents and when they tired they would hop up on the mother's back and nestle between her feathers. It was beautiful to watch.

happy sewing. Susan

after the storm

2010-09-17T17:47:00.000+10:00

The past few weeks have been chaos. I have been trying to get as much done of the summer school quilts as I could ready for the mailout and then the mailout happens. The phone runs hot, as does the email, and its easy to forget about everything else.
Our house has fabric scraps and template scraps all over our family room, Christine ate lunch about 3.00pm, and then I discovered there had been a delivery today of a box of gorgeous things.......

Boxes by Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler each filled with 9 reels of beautiful threads, and some gorgeous new Liberty art fabrics.

I wish they had arrived before I finished cutting out my Bird on a Wire

I am off to Melbourne tomorrow for a quiet weekend, to go to the ballet "The Nutcracker" and for a doctor's appointment, breakfast with my daughter on Sunday and maybe a bit of shopping on Sunday afternoon, home Tuesday.
No phone and no email. Bliss!
Susan x

... and a second peek

2010-09-15T15:28:00.000+10:00

Just a quick post to put a photo up of "Bird on a Wire". I love it , it is just so whimsical. This is the second little quilt for summer school. The pattern will be available from next week.
the quilt is a reproduction of the centre of an English quilt.

sneak peek at summer school

2010-09-12T12:39:00.000+10:00

It is September and this week we are posting our summer school details and enrollment ( probably Thursday). Karen Cunningham sent everything to me the last week of August but I still had nothing much to photograph as I have been busy handpiecing some little darlings for the centre of my new quilt "Little Sparrow". So the past week I have buried myself in fabric and paper and have been cutting out and gluing.
I have decided to call a stop to the cutting out of this quilt today ( I keep making mistakes!) and took a photos as I think it is becoming obvious as to what the quilt will be like.
Christine is off to Dubai in less than two weeks to visit her daughter so we need to have things sorted out beforehand.

I still have the four corner blocks to go, all the little birds, the butterflies and the rabbits, plus other detailing. ....and some more of the little darlings in the centre and a sawtooth border, but its only mid September.

Happy sewing, Susan

the Fabric of Society pt 2 and a hectic two weeks

2010-08-30T16:55:00.000+10:00

I have had the busiest past two weeks! A few hours after writing the last blog post, I packed the car and travelled up to Canberra. That night had dinner with my friend Joc, and Sue Spargo and co from Addiction to Fabric. Next day saw Joc and I off to class with Sue Spargo. Joc had been at class all weekend and was right in the wool embroidery, applique frame of mind. I took a little while to be overwhelmed and then excited by all this. The projects and Sue's work were all gorgeous, and I happily played with ribbons, linens and thought about what I would do for my applique when I got back.
I finished my Greta needleroll all bar the important bits- the applique and embroidery so hopefully as soon as I get a few summer school projects to the stage of being photographed, in the next few weeks, I will return.
In the meantime I have been working away in the kitchen on what I should be doing, and dyeing up and felting wool, beside me, in readiness for the next few weeks. I love dying wool, and found a great use for an old cashmere and wool blanket I will never finish embroidering. I cut off little bits from my dyeing for Jan to take to Melbourne for her Sue Spargo class, so I am eagerly waiting to see what she and Sue-Anne have made.
After class on the Monday with Sue, Joc and I came home and as usual decided we would make several more of the needlerolls.( I am dreaming!!) I must check in with Joc to see how she is going with hers!

Joc loves wool embroidery and made me a little pincushion for my birthday she had made with a little dachshund on it. I just love it! We have the kits at the shop and Joc changed the dog in the kit to a little dachshund.
I had grown up with smooth haired dachshunds until I met Joc many years ago. We got our first long haired dachshund from Joc (Wilfred, the naughtiest dog we have ever owned) and if you have ever owned a dachshund you will know how naughty they can be.

Joc has a new addition to her family, Tilly. Our three at home are getting old now, and it easy to forget just how lively a puppy is. This is Tilly in a rare moment of peace and quiet. Like our dog Bob, Tilly's hobby is gardening.

At the class is was wonderful and inspiring to see Sue Spargo's work in the flesh. It is always motivating to go a class with an international tutor. I just loved the covered buttons

It was also great to see how I can recycle or find a use for all those embroidery threads and ribbons and trims I have.

The next day we all went to the National Museum to the Canning Stock Route art exhibition. This is wow! For someone who like me, who just loves indigenous art, this was an art exhibition I have been looking forward to for the past few years when I first heard it was being assembled. I loved it so much, my husband and I will head to Canberra again before it closes late January.

Here are the girls in the entrance to the exhibition

And the next day, a drive back home which had me thinking and planning quilts all the way.

Now back to where I was two weeks ago!!!

The Fabric of Society pt 2.

Annette Gero, came to Wagga Wagga primarily to talk about wagga quilts. She described how the name had come about as they originally had been made using the Wagga Lily flour bags as a backing. One of the men at the lecture had brought along the original printing die for the flour bags. He collected memorabilia related to Wagga Wagga and owned the cast, purchased from the mill when it closed.
Annette had wonderful stories re the waggas, about how they had contained stories from the depression, the war, and where she finds them.. from under dogs in dog kennels, to being given them and then discovering they are lined with a lifetime of family baby cardigans and little children's outgrown jumpers.

this quilt was brought along, backed with hessian and rescued just in time. It was decaying as we looked at it!

Now back to my sewing. I have Duck Hill BOM to finish by tonight.

Susan x

The Fabric of Society pt 1

2010-08-14T20:48:00.000+10:00

Today I have spent a fabulous day at Wagga Wagga where the WW Antique Society hosted Annette Gero to talk about antique Australian quilts with an emphasis on wagga quilts. Annette is a wonderful speaker and makes every piece of quilting so important by making the story of the quilt more important than the quilt itself.
The RSL club hall was packed to capacity and so many people brought with them wonderful old quilts, quilts they had made and wonderful stories.

Early into the speech Annette said how (this seemed truly amazing) almost 14,000 convict quilts were made. I am sure I didnt hear this right. However they only know of one, "The Rajah " quilt, when a lady said she had another one in nearby Batlow, she knew of.

There were some gorgeous old quilts brought along and placed on display.

This one I wanted to take home! I think I am going to start bleaching some of my reproduction 1930's fabrics.

to be continued with the waggas

fabric club again

2010-08-10T22:46:00.001+10:00

Christine and I have been buried with fabric club. Sunday I was home by myself and locked myself inside and completed the newsletter. By the time I email it to our printer, anything could be written as I always feel braindead.
But with most of my part over I have been madly sewing today. The Summer school mailout is approaching and so far I have nothing to photograph! Today it has been pouring rain, hailing, thunder and everything else so it was a great day to stay home and get stuck into some serious sewing. I wont photograph it yet but my major quilt for summer school is looking gorgeous. What a relief.

On Saturday I am going to Wagga Wagga to hear Annette Gero give a lecture and I have made this the deadline to get my Dancing Dollies quilt all appliqued. Tomorrow I should finish with a big yahoo. Trying to applique the centre with the quilt all joined has been a bit trying!
The Browne Sisters sampler has only been glued as I did not want to stop to sew it.

Then Sunday I am heading to Canberra to attend a class with Sue Spargo, go to the Canning Stock Route art exhibition and stay with my friends Joc and Rollo. I just love Indigenous art and I have been anxiously awaiting this exhibition for months. So I have an exciting week ahead of me.
Joc and I have been friends for about 26 years, and usually I manage a few trips to Canberra, and Joc manages to get down to me but this year we have had lots of upheavals, and I still have her Christmas present and her birthday present sitting here.

A few weeks at the shop we had a special treat as a customer dropped in with her "being quilted" Dear Jane quilt. It was gorgeous. It did give me pangs of guilt over mine. I started my quilt about 15 years ago maybe, then I decided I should do it exactly like the original, so discarded the first ten blocks. I became obsessed with finding the same fabrics, and made about 70 blocks, then stopped again. I have to say I dont particularly like what I have done so I think one day I will start again. This time I am going to piece it just in favourite old fabrics.
We have gorgeous fabrics that are ideal for Dear Jane in stock at the moment so it is tempting to start again!
happy sewing Susan x

Little Birds... is it nearly spring?

2010-07-30T20:14:00.000+10:00

We had a day of cute little bird things arriving at the shop today. Unfortunately they didnt bring Spring weather with them. A new book arrived "Little Birds" with the most whimsical little bird projects ever. I could easily have taken a book home and locked myself away to start at least a few of them.

and just a peek inside.......

and little quilt projects too....

then the delivery man arrived with more fabric including this cute little bird fabric, which I wouldnt mind to back a quilt

Back to reproduction quilts! Today was the end of month Ann Daggs class. This week I rushed to get the latest glueing done ( I am only appliqueing Swan Lake at the moment and almost all done). I discovered amongst the new fabrics that had arrived, the greatest browny/black fabric. I LOVE how it looks when it is made into both the bias stems and the flowers, and it looks great on the quilt.

By the way, I have labelled this months notes as 15 and they should be labelled as 16. Yes only four more to go!

and just a funny story .. today at work we were discussing Masterchef. Christine said the other night her 9+ granddaughter was staying over for dinner and Christine asked if she would help. Lucy offered to "plate up"!
And something not so funny, my baby daughter is 29 on Wednesday. We cant believe it!
Susan x

return to life as normal

2010-07-25T23:37:00.001+10:00

Our household has been addicted to watching Masterchef the past few months. It has been great, my husband has arrived home by 7.30 each evening. For the first time in 32 years I have been able to have dinner ready at a particular time and know he would be home. Considering I enjoy cooking, he has also taken an interest in what he eats, which is quite a change. He usually enjoys meals with the least washing up. So I guess until the next series of masterchef, or junior masterchef, there will be a cooling off period!
Over the weekend I was on a challenge from my friend Mark in Sydney to try some different methods of making macarons. Yesterday's effort was a half disaster. They tasted great but were all cracked on top. Today I made them again, this time using the Italian method of making meringue, and although they are wearing little hats ( I need to practice my piping technique) I think they are pretty ok.

So Mark yes I did make them and fill them with lemon curd.
Now to sewing. I have been busy with finishing off my Swan lake quilt.
On Saturday August 14 Annette Gero is giving a lecture on Wagga quilts, in Wagga Wagga, so I am trying to completely finish my quilt before then ( well maybe the applique!). If you are interested in hearing Annette there are still tickets available.

I set myself a date to finish the applique by the end of July but this week will be a bit disjointed as our Lucy is dancing in the local eisteddfod, and as this will be the last competition we see her in locally, I will be in and out. So go Lucy and my applique will have to suffer! Its Ann Daggs week too so thank goodness for glue!

I didnt publish the last photos of Duck Hill Farm. I love this quilt. It is so whimsical, just stripped back to basics with applique, and totally charming without all the fussiness. I cant wait until I finish it!
Happy sewing!
Susan

a weekend at home

2010-07-18T16:28:00.003+10:00

I have had a few lovely weekends away the past few weeks, but totally enjoying my first weekend at home in ages this weekend, not that I have achieved much sewing wise!
I was behind with my Swan Lake quilt and as I have a deadline to have it completed, this was bothering me, so I spent the past week with needle in hand. I am down to about 100 pieces to go now so 5 days work, so no more need to panic.

I was in Queensland last weekend. My husband was attending a conference so I decided to go as excess baggage. Usually he is the one doing the lecturing, but this time he was an attendee, and the conference was at such a nice location (the Sheraton Mirage on the Gold Coast) I thought I would escape the freeze of Wodonga for a few days. I took my clamshell quilt to sew but the nearest I got to clamshells were the tiles on the wall.

I take so much sewing and knitting with me when I travel, that if I was stuck for a month with a volcano it wouldnt be a problem!

Back to class on Friday, we had our last day of Swan Lake, though it is such a huge project, I think the girls will be working on it for quite some time. They were swapping hexagons but planning ahead for the next quilt.

And what is their next quilt to be? I have been working on Karen Cunningham's Irish Circle quilt, showing the girls what I have done each month ( nothing to show this month!) and they fell in love with it. Karen offers this quilt by correspondence and each month a little packet of patterns arrives in the mail. I eagerly await it, stare at them for a night or so then jump in and have a wonderful time making the circles. So probably just starting with a little bit this year, I will have a few girls joining me with this quilt next year .

Karen's quilt is based on the Jane Pizar quilt from Ireland.

Happy sewing, Susan x

Saturday stitching

2010-06-28T18:15:00.000+10:00

It is a cold cold day here today. After dropping to -5 overnight at 11am this morning it has only reached 2. I have stayed indoors by the fire and been stitching a few clamshells. I now have enough made to make something of a decent size, and the tin is overflowing, so its about time I joined a few.
I bought a few fat 1/4's from the V&A museum and I was a little disappointed with them, but thought they would look good in a scrappy English quilt. I have made clamshells with them and love them now!

On Saturday we had our Ann Daggs class. The girls on a Saturday, plus and minus a few over the years, have been meeting for about seven years and making special quilts. We have shared births, deaths and marriages, divorces, lost a few favorites due to interstate moves and found a few new special members to take their places. We have almost got lunch right, so on Saturday we confirmed what quilt we will start next year.
meanwhile here are their Ann Daggs quilts.

This quilt belongs to Juliann

And this quilt belongs to Susan

Jeni's quilt is rich and vibrant but still has an old feel to it

Teresa's quilt is quite a lot like the original

Chris has stayed more or less up to date despite having two lots of surgery on her arm!

and last but not least here is Beth's quilt. we decided this quilt has the most "antique" feel to it.

As you can see they do their teacher proud!

Sydney quilt show and lots of catching up

2010-06-24T21:54:00.000+10:00

I am a bit behind in getting to this blog! thanks for all the concerned emails!

My father is getting better by the day and has a little quality of life back. He is up and about, going outside and even doing a few things around the garden this week. We went down to see him last week and he was looking the best we have seen him since Christmas.
After a weekend in Melbourne I flew the next day to Sydney to the quilt show and stayed a few more days and had some time to myself to wander around, see whats happening in the world of interior decorating and caught up with some friends and lots of fabric club members.
there werent as many quilts as I expected at the quilt show, but all the same some beautiful work.

Karen Cunningham gave me permission to put a photo of her quilt on our blog. This was probably my favorite quilt for many reasons- I have started this quilt and now have its beginnings shoved in a box. The quilt was hand quilted beautifully ( I felt some of the quilts at the show were so over quilted) and it hung straight. And most of all I love the quilt!
So here is Karen in front of her quilt doing white glove duty and looking like Miss Darling Harbour.

Here is the next little piece of the Ann Daggs quilt. Each month I cant believe how quickly it comes around and I dont think I have achieved anything between classes this time! I have a really busy July ahead of me so I will have to give up sleeping I think. I do enjoy watching the Tour de France, so I might see quite a bit of it this year.

We have had some great fabric delivered this week so I will go to work tomorrow with my camera and do some more posting in the next few days!
Happy sewing, Susan

catching up

2010-05-24T10:25:00.000+10:00

I think I should have had this block posted up here several weeks ago!

and now for Ann Daggs

and finally the next piece of The Browne Sister's sampler

I goy myself into such a muddle when I did this block. I cut the pieces out in Melbourne, when I was at my parent's home when my father had a stroke a few weeks ago. Thinking I would be organised, I cut the pieces out for blocks, this one and the one in reverse. I tried to put them away carefully so they would not get mixed up and somehow they did. When I came to sew, it was like a jigsaw and and I have bits that should be on the other block on this one. I have tossed the rest and will do the second one a bit differently!

going dotty

2010-05-21T16:48:00.000+10:00

Its been so long since I wrote a post! My father was in Melbourne in hospital for a month, he came home and then two weeks ago had a stroke. He is quite good now, getting better daily and we also had my mother's 80th birthday last weekend. In between I have written the fabric club newsletter, sewn the next applique block for fabric club and tried to keep up with all the other work. I have a few more urgent things to do by the end of next week and all should be smooth sailing from there!

I have lots to post. I love quilts with lots of dots so I am always searching out the best way for me to make those horrid little circles. I can applique a circle the size of a 20c piece or larger quite well, as long as I have a good template to begin with to mark the circle well. If its a small circle I need to make it over a template. I punch out cardboard circles sometimes, but usually now use the mylar circles we have at the shop. I gather up the fabric over the template, starch the circle, press, let it dry and then remove the mylar. There are about 4 circles each size so its not too tiresome getting up and down from the ironing board. It means I dont need to cut the quilt from behind and as the plastic is so thin you can get a great finish.

These are two of my favourite quilts with lots of dots. This quilt is a reproduction of a quilt made by Salina Browne in the late 1800's. A friend owns the original antique quilt and he gave me permission to reproduce it and sell the pattern.
The second quilt I made a few years ago, and my pattern is one of many versions of this quilt. I think the original may have been a red/green quilt. Ours is called Dorothy Dumpling.

there were lots of dots in both quilts, but the end result makes all those little dots worthwhile.

Tomorrow I will post the updates !

Lucy joins the ballet

2010-04-26T17:45:00.001+10:00

I set myself a challenge a week ago to have an enormous amount of work finished by the end of the month...so far so good!
Christine has been busy too over the past few weeks. So here is some of her finished and almost finished quilts.

The first quilt is the same as the Hope Valley quilt I am making, except Christine's blocks are a little smaller. We both felt we would have preferred the corner squares to be a little smaller, but then when the quilt is finished, we loved the result. I have not finished mine!

A quilt pattern we gave away at our summer school a few years ago proved to be an addiction with Christine. She has been stitching circles ever since. They are a lot of fun and very mindless at the end of a busy day. This is about quilt no 6 I think. One went to New York for their new grandson, and a few are at the shop. This one Christine's daughter, Louise, has coveted.

And some exciting news for those of you have attended summer school and met Joy's gorgeous girls. Lucy was invited to be a full time student at the Australian Ballet school next year. We are very proud and excited!

The Girls

2010-04-16T10:32:00.001+10:00

Two of my very favorite quilts are "Emma" and "Frances". Emma hasnt been home in a long time, she seems to have found refuge on a wall at the shop.

Emma is a adaptation of an antique quilt from the USA which appears in the book"Quilts in America" by Patsy and Myron Orlofsky. The original quilt had handkerchief in the centre. It is just a small quilt,perfect size for a cot.

Frances is an adaptation of an antique quilt from Florida. This quilt was a commission for the movie "Charlotte's Web". The quilt was not used in the end, but it was a fun experience making it. The attention to detail required by the art director back in the USA, was a lesson that I take with me to every movie now, about how moods, time atmosphere etc are created. The staff were all wonderful to work with. At the time of making this quilt, Florida was bearing down for cyclone Frances. My sewing room looked like Frances had hit.

tools of the trade

2010-04-10T16:48:00.000+10:00

For what its worth, here is my opinion on a few things tool wise.
templastic: we have a few templastics on offer and I prefer to use them to freezer paper to make my templates.
There is a nice lightweight one we have at the shop which is what I use for 99% of my templates.

Advantages: its easy to cut out , therefore the templates are accurate, and I dont get sore hands trying to cut it out. It can be marked with a pencil, which means I can use a compass on it, and when making templates for paper piecing, I can easily cut it using an old rotary cutter blade, which means nice accurate templates. I place it over grid paper and mark dots on the corners with a fine lead pencil and then rotary cut.
Disadvantages: it only comes in a A4 sheet.

The other templastic I use is a 1/4" grid templastic, which is difficult to cut but great for something you might be using 100's of times. because it is difficult to cut I dont use it unless I really need to. With small shapes, the scissors can easily go slightly off the marked line, which can mount up to a lot of inaccuracy in your quilt.

when neither of these templastics will do the task, I use freezer paper. I dont recommend any other paper than Reynolds.

threads: I have tried just about all threads over the years, and for the past 5 or so years I have only used Aurifil thread. It is silky and leaves very little lint in the sewing machine. Nice long pieces can be used for hand sewing, and the no 50wt is wonderful for applique. It does not knot up on itself, and blends into the applique fabric, making the stitches barely visible.

I think you should test your threads for colorfastness, washability, and wear and tear.

Today I needed some bias that was interesting for a small project. These new fabrics that have come into the shop were just what I wanted. I loved the cream/black ticking for a background fabric, but it has made great bias. The black stripe has me thinking about "antique stems".

Civil War Quilts

2010-04-08T13:42:00.002+10:00

About twelve years ago Judie Rothermel released her first Civil War collection of fabrics. They were gorgeous and I still treasure my scraps. I made my quilt Civil War 1, and taught so many classes and sold so many patterns. I eventually retired the quilt to my pile of treasures and made Civil War 2, when Judie Rothermel released the next collection. Over the years more Civil war collections have been released than I care to count on and I did make a Civil War 3 quilt. I have them all at home and dearly love all of them.
Next year is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, a tribute collection has been released by Judie Rothermel and it is time to make a Civil war baby. My quilts will feature in an upcoming issue of Quilters Companion along with the pattern of my new quilt, so today I have been drawing and planning.
My father's family were pioneers of North America, and I have always taken a keen interest in American history.

Civil War 1

which was followed by Civil War 2

and then came Civil War 3

and now for a baby!

Who said quilts don't breed?

a productive Easter

2010-04-06T18:33:00.000+10:00

With my father still in hospital, a few trips to Melbourne to visit, needless to say I was a bit behind with my work. I was determined to finish a few things over Easter, so I have been very busy.

First up was to finish the applique on block1 of "Duck Hill", our applique quilt of the month. I changed the fabric from my first cut out, and spent yesterday packing the kits. I have the first few blocks almost completed now but with the sudden enthusiasm I am hoping to get quite a bit done this month.

We have had so much gorgeous fabric delivered the past few weeks. It gets me thinking about quilts I have wanted to make, and some new ideas too.
Many years ago we had a wonderful book at the shop "Young at Heart" by Brannock and Patek. I love their books and quilts and over the years their quilts have stayed current. One of my favourites was on the back cover of this book and I have always wanted to make it. When fabrics that appealed to me have come into the shop, I have popped bits and pieces away. The other night because I had to use some of the new fabrics, I pieced this little angel, block 1 of a "one day I will finish it" quilt. I plan on using the spotty fabric as my main fabric for the quilt.

how grey is grey

2010-03-25T22:29:00.000+11:00

It has been a busy week. I have spent most of it in Melbourne as my father is in hospital, very unwell. I came home last night and had to get stuck into my Ann Daggs today. I had the intention of being up to date at the end of next week but I have only stitched about four pieces this month. Maybe I might get a bit done over Easter.
Before last Thursday I was quietly enjoying a sew on the sewing machine. I was piecing stars in a quilt swap with my friend Rohan. He is traveling at the moment and said he would handpiece some stars but wanted to give away a quilt in may but wasnt going to get enough done in the time frame. We decided to do a swap, I would sew his quilt and he would sew a quilt I wanted to give away later in the year.
So Rohan's quilt had to match a floor rug which is all in greys. I have the picture and it is nice but quite a challenge as it needs to be grey and white. I have suggested a few other shades to be added to the greys but received a definite answer NO!! But as you can see I have been allowed to include some greyish blues and as they have grown in numbers, I am happy with the way it is looking.
I am still sewing my Hope Valley but I was waiting on some more black and white shirtings to come into the shop. Without any exaggeration there has been about 300 bolts of fabric delivered to the shop this week. I am sure somewhere amidst the boxes and bolts there must be some black and white shirtings!

My Ann Daggs is growing and although I havent made much time to sew it, I really love it. I am heading back to Melbourne on Saturday after my class, hopefully to see my father looking a little better, to go to the ballet and to check on my mother. She will be 80 in May and thinks she is superwoman.
My sister and I spent Monday morning trying to convince her she does not need to learn how to use a lawn mower.

Queen Daisy and picks of the week

2010-03-16T10:23:00.001+11:00

Last week soooo many boxes of fabrics were delivered. I didnt have time to look through them all, or what was around the counter but these beautiful fabrics were my favorites. I loved the collection "Stripettes" as the colours were unusual, and the designs a little different, my favorites being the red stripe at the back of the photo as when a colour like this is used it can soften a red, or great to use with appliques when you are looking for shadings with oranges, reds or pinks.
The gold stripe was just a gorgeous shirting, and it came in a green stripe also. I loved both of them, beautiful for backgrounds and for sashings, especially when you want a very narrow sashing. Gold will work with most colourways, so great for putting in your stash.
The blue fabric is to die for, and a big piece of this fabric came home with me. The shade of blue is stunning, it has a hint of green, black ink work which I love but best of all it has a completely different shade of blue on the flowers which allows you to combine blues which sometimes might not work together.
So that is how I looked at what came out of the boxes!

This week I have to mail off my "Queen Daisy" quilt for an exhibition in Melbourne next month. It appeared on the cover of "Quilter's Companion" last year and as it is ten years of the magazine they are featuring their favorite quilts at the exhibition. I love this quilt, it is perhaps my favorite. It is a reproduction of the centre of a British quilt as featured in the book" Quilt Treasures of Great Britain".
I made the quilt at the time of the Royal Wedding in Denmark, and a friend of mine was dancing in a ballet there as part of the pre wedding celebrations. It was very exciting, he met Denmark's Queen Daisy and I was reminded of picking daisies as a child with some elderly neighbors who taught me to search for king and queen daisies amongst the millions of daisies in their fields.
Before making this quilt. I could rarely make up a class of girls keen enough to attempt applique, but when I made this quilt. we had so many girls who became addicted to applique. So it was the beginning of a journey for many people.
I hope Australia post and the exhibition look after it for me!

Home to Roost

2010-03-11T10:50:00.000+11:00

Sometimes at the shop we just cant wait for certain fabrics to arrive. This month I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of these gorgeous treasures. There were about 18 fabrics all up in the collection, and I will be taking a little of each home. I loved them so much I actually cant wait to sew something with them.
We have been doing lots of buying the past week and the fabric is wonderful this year. I think the economic crisis has forced the companies to be more careful with their ranges of fabrics.
Whatever, there are some super gorgeous fabrics to come.

a job half done

2010-03-10T18:23:00.000+11:00

My husband Michael thinks I will never get my rooms of fabric sorted out. Maybe I wont, I don't really care. I have been collecting fabric for about 45 years, so there are lots of treasures to make acquaintance with, as I sort out the mess. I have been finding so many gorgeous fabrics I forgot I had ( blues and greens this week). And just to show those husbands who moan and groan ( we get them in the shop when they should be at Bunnings) this is what 50% of a serious fabric collection looks like.
Yes I like fabric! And yes this is not quite half of it.
Some of the fabric I had never unpacked since I moved from Melbourne to Hobart 21 years ago.

Christine is back from New Zealand, and had a gorgeous time catching up with family, seeing her grandsons ( they are just beautiful!!) and catching up with her sisters. Christine's sister is more than prolific with the amount of work she gets through and Christine has brought back some of her hard work. She has appliqued "Plain Jane" for Christine so I am hoping to see it the next few days. My Plain Jane still needs the border appliqued as the bias unravelled and I need to pull it all off and remake the bias stems. When I see her quilt I am hoping it motivates me to get mine out and fix and finish it.

the week that has been mine

2010-03-05T23:51:00.000+11:00

I have had a lovely week. It has been the first week since about June last year, I have not had someone breathing down my neck to have something finished for them ( perhaps it was the silence that followed my announcement I was retiring). I had no classes this week other than my Monday night girls, no reps to see and no notes or newsletters etc. Pure bliss!

So with all the free time, I embarked upon a few new projects. There is nothing like starting something new. First up was to cut out a few blocks for the "Duck Hill " BOM quilt we are starting next month. It is a very cute whimsical quilt. The full picture is in the Roderick Kiracofe book, "An American Quilt". I am going to Sydney for the weekend (Christine described it as baggage), so I might get a bit of that appliqued. They are big easy pieces.

Next project was to start drawing and selecting fabrics for a new small quilt. I have been undecided as to whether I go with the original colours of cheddars, hot pinks and greens, or something that is kind to my current mood- restful and quiet!

My trip to the post office today was quite eventful. I was expecting my envelope from Karen Cunningham's correspondence school as knew it had arrived in Sydney, and I was hoping to read it while I was away. It wasnt there but a few other special surprises. First I had a gift of some little pieces of les Olivades fabrics, and then parcel no 2 was my catalogue of the forthcoming exhibition of quilts at the V&A, London. I have only skimmed through the book as I will read it on the plane tomorrow, but it looks wonderful.

discovering treasures and Ann Daggs update

2010-03-01T17:54:00.000+11:00

I am hoping for a quiet week this week. Christine has gone to New Zealand for ten days, Jan is running things at the shop and other than tonight I have no classes. Last week was more than hectic, the next stage of Ann Daggs had to be glued, notes written and packed, fabric club had to be mailed out and there was teaching for a few days also. How lovely it was to see almost everyone back at class after the summer. Most of the girls had caught up with their sewing over summer ( not me!) , we had grandmas with new babies, a special birthday and just news in general. I told the girls I was retiring in three years.

Friday morning before class, we had one of our four favorite reps pay a visit. There was so much gorgeous fabric to order. Some of it will be delivered quite soon, so I cant wait.

My plan this year is to take a little time off from work, and do some things of my own. So as I teach on Monday evenings, I have had a bit of quiet time to myself today, done a little hand piecing and ventured into the room all my fabric used to be stored. I have to walk through this room to get to my new room, so many times a day I am confronted by the explosion of mess that is in there. I have been making an effort each day to put at least a few pieces of fabric into my new room and I found so many treasures over the summer. I have discovered wonderful fabrics for quilt backs, pieces of Yuwa large and small, many quilt tops to quilt and more than a little bit of rubbish. All my putting away has made no difference to the tidiness of the room. However, I did manage to vacuum a small area before. Although I would love a fairy godmother to tidy it up for me ( they have offered) I also want to go through all my fabrics myself. If I find a treasure, it makes me happy and I am hoping to come a cross a few missing things.
The photo is of today's discoveries- a piece of Anne of Green Gables ( I think I will make myself a new little sewing bag instead of washing my other one) about a metre of Sarah Johnston blue border fabric
(still with its $3 sticker on it from the USA). I remember my husband was disappointed he brought me home some fabric I already had. I just thought he had good taste! The last little crumbs of a favorite Yuwa were what really delighted me. I will use them for some applique so they stretch themselves a little further.

And here is Ann Daggs. I am hoping to be up to date by Easter, but if I'm not I dont mind, I am enjoying the journey.

a bit of whimsy

2010-02-22T18:35:00.000+11:00

I have been aware I needed to update this blog, but I was trying to get some work finished to post here! Neither happened, but this week is the last week of the month so I have been busy writing fabric club, busy doing the next blocks for the Browne Sisters sampler ( a little delayed as I glued block one onto the back of the fabric). Meanwhile I have had another trip to Melbourne to the doctor for me and to check on my father.
He started his second round of chemotherapy last week and is going along reasonably well. just not coping with the amount of his time being taken up with doctors visits, and missing out on golf.

I had a long wait myself at the doctors last week and realised I needed another very simple project to take along with me, so I went back to that huge pile of quilts I want to make before I die ( I will have to live a very long time) and found a piece of beautiful whimsy. I have drawn most of the quilt and we will pack it as a block of the month, until we run out of the same fabric, then it will be on the waiting list for a pattern sometime next year. Whimsical quilts are my favorite things as I collect American folk art. I made the Finches years ago and now this will be a very exciting project for me.
Now I had better get to Monday night quilt class. Douglas is coming with me tonight.

back to work

2010-02-01T14:16:00.000+11:00

Its February today and I cannot ignore the pile of mounting work, and tell myself I am too tired to touch it any longer. Summer school was exhausting and Christine and I are still hoping to find our brains. Despite all the hard work it was lovely to see so many of you and we hope you enjoyed yourselves.
Karen Cunningham brought along lots of gorgeous quilts and inspired me to embrace the year ahead once again.
I am mindful not to take on too much this year, as I have my father very ill, and I know I will have to increase my trips to Melbourne, so along with my own doctors visits to Melbourne, I am imagining quite a few trips in the car.
Summer school ended and two days later I had to go to Melbourne, then arrived back home and then my husband and I went to Hobart for four days. It was gorgeous, beautiful and cool, quiet and relaxing. I am glad I dont still live there, but its possibly my favorite place to visit.
There is a wonderful art supplies shop in Hobart "Artery", and as I also love to draw, I made my annual visit to the store. They have probably been there for years, but I found some great pencils, "progresso" graphite pencils. They are woodless pencils, finished in a lacquer, but absolutely wonderful to mark dark fabrics. They are easily sharpened and with a bit of sandpaper, the point can be kept sharp. Best thing is they were $1.70 each. I bought a silver and a white one, but they came in all colours.
Somehow I think we get a little ripped off with our quilting pencils! I have to go to Melbourne this weekend, so I will search for them down there. Now I have discovered them I need back up supplies!

In my few hours I have done anything, I started on my Hope Valley quilt. I had a pack of 25cm strips of each fabric, so along with my stash of black and white shirting fabrics, I am slowly piecing a quilt. It will be large as I am determined to use up fabric this year, and I just wanted a new quilt to put in the car. I had a pile of 2 1/2" squares left over from a few quilts, so that determined the size of the corner triangles. A big effort this week might see it finished.The collection is such a happy one, I love it.

Now I must get back to work, tonight I have my Monday night girls back for sewing. We have a new member Portia, born in the break, so I hope she comes with her mum.

Susan x

calm before the storm

2010-01-06T23:10:00.000+11:00

I think and hope everything is almost done for summer school, somehow it seems to get done. Quite unexpectedly I am ready a few days early with my sewing, thanks to the wonders of glue. The Dancing Dollies quilt has been a huge undertaking! It is probably the most beautiful thing I am ever to make I think, and I cant wait to get stuck into the applique. I worked it out I should have it finished by about August, so I will keep you updated with my progress. Meanwhile, it is all glued ( although I discovered when I went to photograph it, it is missing a few pieces here and there, so some more gluing tomorrow).
The other quilts are appliqued quilted and bound, just in need of photos, and patterns to be packed.
Tomorrow while I pack patterns I thought I might put on the dvd that came with my new sewing machine I bought in April. I have barely sewn one bobbin's worth on it! A whole new world is awaiting!
I cant wait to sew some quilts on a machine, though I seem to have more time for applique these days.
Christine and are not quite sure if we ever recovered from last year's summer school!
The heat is arriving just in time for summer school, and we have already have fires nearby. Our friend's farm was burnt, leaving them with no pasture for their cattle, but they saved their house. We went over to the farm on saturday night for dinner and it was quite devastating to see, everything still covered in a layer of ash.
I am sure we wont get time to post during summer school but we will take lots of photos.
S x

corps de ballet

2009-12-14T23:12:00.000+11:00

I feel as if I have been let out of jail tonight. After a week of shutdown glueing and cutting out little dancers, I finally have the borders of my "Dancing Dollies " quilt ready for a centre and a year or so of applique, My husband asked me if it needed to be appliqued, and I said glue is good but I dont think it lasts a lifetime.

Not very often am I overwhelmed by something I am making, but this quilt is unbelievable. I have such admiration for the woman who made the original, and now I am planning my pilgrimage to Ayers House. When I saw clips of it over the years I just adored it and I think I have bought every pattern that has a dancing dollies border associated with it, so when Annette Gero published her book "The Fabric of Society"I was so excited to see it included. ( I was actually just so excited to have the book, it is stunning and so many beautiful quilts I want to make). However the pattern for this quilt included in the book is quite different to the original, so I have drafted my own borders and will make my own centre. I am not a fan of broderie perse, so I will do something different. That is for tomorrow to think about!

Douglas, our no1 dog, isnt happy at all the quilt doesnt have a centre as that is where he likes to position himself, so you can see him sulking on the tv guide. He was having a bad day all round really, as the other two dogs went to work with me this morning and then to have their vaccinations and he was left home alone.
Christine and Bob said farewell to Charlotte, Isabella and Cameron this morning and made a quick dash back from Melbourne to Wodonga. Christine thinks she will have some free time this week now they have returned to Dubai. I said I will ask her at the end of the week if she was right.
I have to clean up from all my mess of getting this quilt together. Our daughter is coming home in a few days and I have jobs for her, so I want a clean floor and table.

Dancing Dollies

2009-12-10T00:14:00.000+11:00

I have been having a bad day today, I made morning tea for my husband's office staff and went to put the little tea cakes in the oven and discovered the element or something has died as the oven was stone cold. Fortunately I have two ovens, so I quickly had to turn the second oven on and proceeded to burn my finger on the element of that oven. I hope the repair man can come before Christmas!

But I have finished the glueing of border 1 of my dancing dollies quilt for summer school. It has been a relief to know my maths worked out and all the pieces fitted where I thought they should. I love this quilt and I am loving enjoying the journey of the woman who made it. Three borders and the center to go!

I decided tonight when I have finished appliqueing all of the 1200+ pieces of this quilt I am taking a trip to Ayers House in SA. In fact I think it should be a Dancing Dollies Tour.

hexagons, circles and quilts

2009-12-07T14:36:00.000+11:00

I do not have time to leave the house until summer school, but I guess here and there I will have to make a few trips to the shop, do some shopping and one trip to Melbourne. I have still not done one of the quilts for summer school! My friend Joy suggested to me on Thursday that it might be a good idea to start, just so that I might have a few pieces done to give the girls a hint of what they were making. With that in mind, I have been busy cutting out last night and I will do some glueing this afternoon.
I have made the hexagons.

Earlier in the year we had visitors staying from France, so while I was sitting and talking ( in a very limited way as Monique's English was as good as my French), I made hexagons. I found them very therapeutic and addictive. When I make hexagons I like a little larger seam allowance than the standard 1/4". It is much easier to turn over and hold, and helps eliminate sore wrists and thumb joints. I was making 3/4" hexagons and searched for a "fussy cutting " template. After buying a few here and there , none were really what I wanted so last week finally we received stock of a custom made template. I love it!

Although I have not made the last quilt I have been busy sewing and during the week I finished our little summer school quilt "Little Miss Cupcake". Christine became addicted to appliqueing circles after last year's summer school quilt, so she can graduate to this quilt. Bridgette, one of our gorgeous Monday night girls, has the job of packing the patterns and all will be ready with that little task.

The other job I finished yesterday was the applique on the quilt "the Five Sister's quilt". I love the colours of this quilt, they are the colours of my kitchen/family room and this is where this quilt will live. I cut one the blocks wrong so it is a bit off centre, but I decided not to change them and leave it like a "real" antique quilt. I had the quilt with me in Qld in August and my mother was horrified I could leave it. But no doubt the quilt will get rough wear, the dogs will be on it, the sun will fade it and one crooked block will make no difference to its longevity.

small pleasures

2009-11-27T17:27:00.000+11:00

Today we have had our last Friday Ann Daggs class for the year. Glue is a wonderful thing and the last three months , I have not sewn a stitch on my quilt and everything is glued on. I have been very impressed with the "Best Press" as my bias has not unravelled one little bit in the humid weather, so hopefully it will hold down until after summer school. I am quite amazed as to how much of this quilt I have achieved over the first twelve months.
Next year we fill in with all the sprays of flowers and birds.
I am very excited today as a range of fabrics I just love has come in to the shop, "Hope Valley". It takes a lot to get me excited over fabric, one of the problems with having a shop and having a huge fabric collection. But I could not wait for this to arrive, it is sort of funky vintage. They are modern and fun but quite subtle in colour. I would love to start a quilt tonight, but I havent got time , so they will just have to keep me company until after summer school. But I will go and read my favorite cooking magazine "Dish" which arrived in the mail.
Michael will be happy as a pile of Geelong Football club mail has arrived for him. All in all a great day at the mailbox, no bills and Christmas catalogues.

Anna's Sampler

2009-11-26T09:28:00.000+11:00

I am running behind with my work this week. I have the Ann Dagg's class tomorrow and I have not cut out a piece or done the notes. Actually not quite true, I cut out half the pieces and they are too large for the quilt, so I have to start again. And it is our last class for the year, so I need to cook lunch for tomorrow and Saturday's class. At least the sewing, notes and lunch will be fresh!
The picture is of the original embroidered sampler of Anna Browne. This embroidery is what I am basing our new quilt upon. I hope you enjoy making it.

getting ready for summer school

2009-11-23T15:08:00.000+11:00

My lack of writing on this blog has not been due to lack of news, quite the contrary. I have been really busy, organising the last of things for summer school as a priority. This year we have been entirely booked out with 20 extra girls attending on last years booking. On top of that we do not have Joy for the first week to do our lunches and morning teas, so I have been organising everything for that, and we have just had three weeks of weather over 35, way too hot for November. Somewhere amongst all that, I have been to Sydney with my husband for four days and Christine has arrived home from New York, and I have been to Melbourne to Quilt market, and had some minor surgery and had complications. But all is under way now and I can start my final quilt for summer school.

I am not too worried about this as I have done everything in my head and just need to put it to fabric. The hexagons have all been made, and the borders drafted. I am telling myself I will be fine. I am actually ahead of schedule and I have done the Christmas shopping!

This weekend Christine has her daughter Charlotte and family arriving from Dubai. We are hoping for cool weather for them.

I have miserably failed in getting my twelve quilts finished for the year. I was hoping to bind, quilt or whatever 12 quilts not started this year. I think I got three done. Oh well.

On the weekend I finished the newsletter so it will be in your letterbox in the next few days. We have done something different this time, so I hope you enjoy it. You will be receiving the first part of the quilt "The Browne Sisters' sampler". I did the first block to take to Fragrant Cottage but came back and decided to work my quilt on a little cream check background. I like it so much more as it has more of a touch of whimsy about it. I will post a few pictures tomorrow, but tonight I have a class to teach.

I was trying to get a quilt done yesterday but Douglas, the no 1 dog in our house was busy rearranging the blocks, Here he is at work.

nesting and 100th birthdays

2009-10-15T22:55:00.000+11:00

I was in my sewing room all day yesterday and watching a pair of birds frantically building a nest. The poor little male bird had to keep resting, with his beak full of twigs and threads, on a stake nearby I have for my tomatoes. I was thinking they have chosen an ideal place, really, sort of like an ocean front apartment. They can scratch up the garden for worms, then attack the tomatoes as soon as they ripen, right at their front door. They do it every year!

We have been busy while Christine is away. She sounds to be having a great time in New York, so I hope she comes back! I have set myself targets to have completed while she is away, most of all, the summer school sample quilt cut out. I have a friend who offered to help me do some of the sewing, so I am trying to make the most of the offer. Meanwhile Jan has also been getting things ready for summer school, cutting up fabric for kits this week.

I discovered a great new product last week "Best Press". It is an alternative to spray on starch giving a much crisper finish, no flaking and the bias I made did not unravel one bit. It is my new best friend! I am allergic to spray starch so I am very pleased about this new product.

Yesterday was my great aunt's 100th birthday. She is a close aunt in the family, my mother was her flowergirl 73 years ago. Yesterday her children and my parents spent the day with her for a birthday afternoon tea and on the weekend she is having her party. Last week mum decided to repair the old flowergirl dress and washed it and then I took down the "Best Press" to starch it with, as it is acid free. Mum took the dress over for her and her children to see. It looks brand new. I took a photo, will have to get that off the camera. I chased my mother for a photo of her with it but no luck!

something very spooky happened over this on Sunday night. I had stayed at my parents on Thursday night, went to Warrnambool for the weekend and left my mother a cookbook to look at that I knew she would enjoy. When I got back we were discussing cake recipes and I said I thought she had one in a particular old book. She said it was down in the back of the cupboard in a storage box, so with a bit of effort got out the box and inside along with the recipe book was an old Kodak envelope with a picture of my mother aged 6 years old at aunty Doris' wedding. So she took the photo over to her yesterday and got her to sign it on her 100th birthday. Mum didnt remember the photo, but we are still amazed that she should find it just a few days before the event.

baby news

2009-10-05T12:45:00.000+11:00

After a busy past few days, I have found a minute to update the baby news. On Friday morning, Saturday evening New York time, Christine became a granny again to a healthy baby boy. He was born at home as planned, and Christine and Bob have left this morning, for two days in san Francisco and then on to New York. As of late yesterday afternoon he didnt have a name. Getting everything ready for Christine's three weeks away has been a rush. She gave me a quilt late Friday afternoon to get quilted for Saturday and a after a few frantic phone calls Sunday afternoon, she was ready to go.

The response to summer school has been overwhelming this year, with just a few places available. Now I just have to get the work done. I have completed two of the quilts ( still appliqueing one but glue is a wonderful thing) but more than a little work to do on the last one. I have made the hexagons and that is it. I am feeling well now though so no stopping me, head down and steam ahead until Christmas.

Meanwhile I have started a new quilt that I just love "The Browne Sister's Sampler". It has lots of applique blocks around a centre piece.

This weekend I am attending the retreat at Fragrant Cottage, and I thought I would start the quilt using one of the blocks for a small project.

and more Ann Daggs photos

2009-09-28T12:46:00.000+10:00

more Ann Daggs photos from class

getting everything done

2009-09-28T12:25:00.000+10:00

I have been more than a little busy the past week. I have had my friend, Joc, back to stay, tried to get the Ann Daggs for September done, mailed out our summer school mailout and answered so many emails, as well as getting some urgent quilting done. Summer school has almost booked out after 24 hours, which is great but kept us busy at the telephone and computer. I still have quite a bit of work to do before now and January!

Christine still has no baby news from New York but the baby is due today and Simon said Julie has had quite a few false starts, so I am assuming in the next few days. Christine and Bob leave for New York, with a stop off in San Francisco on the way, on the weekend. Getting everything done before she leaves, will no doubt work like drugs when she finally gets on the plane. She should sleep until San Francisco I think.

On Friday and Saturday we had the Ann Daggs class. Quite a few of the girls who are doing the quit by correspondence dropped in to see what the class girls are doing. I thought I had taken more photos than what I had in my camera, so I will have to add next month, but they are looking gorgeous.

My life was a bit chaotic on the weekend, Michael went down to Geelong to watch the football at the Cattery, met up with Paige and her friend, and then drove back here Saturday night ( in a much happier mood than last year). Paige has the week off this week so is coming home later in the week, so I am trying to get work done before they arrive.

Alice and all things in Wonderland

2009-09-22T18:46:00.000+10:00

I have been fabric buying today, and just when I thought all hope for something nice was lost, out came the most divine fabric. I looove Alice in Wonderland fabrics and this one was to die for. Due in the shop late November, December. The only baby clothes I have saved from now 28 year old daughter, Paige, is a baby suit made in Alice fabrics. Christine was gasping and the rep was amazed we liked it and said he wouldnt have thought he should even show it to us. I am not quite sure just what he thinks we buy.

There were other cute little prints too, I will get to those tomorrow!

S x

gardening

2009-09-21T17:28:00.000+10:00

I have just been to Melbourne for the weekend, a doctors appointment on Friday and then to the ballet on Saturday night, and then back home on Sunday. I spent most of Saturday in search of things I couldnt find, shops closed or one shop after the other saying I can order it in for you, so I bought a few clothes and headed home.

Michael had been gardening, and we have a big garden, so nothing much ever seems to be achieved. I had asked him to set up a new vegetable bin for me and clear out the old vegie garden but those things didnt get done, so I will have to wait another two weeks. I like growing vegetables, something I have done all my married life and I need to get seeds planted. Last year's vegies were not so successful as it was far too hot and the week of the bushfires everything almost burnt and dried up from the hot winds. So this year I am hoping for a cooler summer and rain ( and no rabbits).

Last year we had fruit fly in our apricots. Hello revolting! Christine has had fruit fly at her house for the past few years and no one seems to take any control to get rid of it. I somehow think the department of primary industry and and the council should call in the army or something, but no authority seems to care. So this year we have done all we can and it is now watch and wait.

We have had a rush of sales reps the past week and another tomorrow. Fabrics are looking good for next year and I have some gorgeous quilts in mind. I am usually brain dead at this time of year but as I havent been sewing I have been reading quilt books and cooking books, and doing lots of thinking. Today I organised the last bit I had to do for summer school so I can prepare that tomorrow and send it out.

I am trying to catch up on some work this week also, so back to it I am heading.

S x

2009-09-15T15:40:00.000+10:00

I am sure it wont take long to get the hang of blogging, but right at this moment I haven't got a clue what I am doing!

I should be cleaning up the house as it is a terrible mess and I have a dear friend Joc coming to stay today. We have been friends for about 25 years, so there is no need really to pretend I am a just a little tidy, she knows well, I am not. But if we want to have dinner at the table tonight I need to clear a space.

I have been away on holidays and came back home to get shingles, and I am so far behind with my work, I would like to just close the door on it all, but that wont get it done, so I need to make a start on that also.

Christine is waiting on baby news from New York. Simon and Julie are waiting on the birth of the baby, due in two weeks and Christine and Bob are off to New York about two weeks later. Christine is supposed to be saving money but yesterday we bought ourselves gorgeous new Amy Butler bags, well I hope they will be gorgeous when they arrive. It was a bit like one for the customer one for me when we had Alan from XLN here yesterday. I bought gorgeous furnishing fabrics from Amy ( I dont have anywhere to put them) but maybe I will find and old chair or something to have reupholstered.

I would like to design some fabrics so I spoke to Alan about that also yesterday, now I just need to get back into some drawing. It is about 20 years since I have done any of that, designing fabric that is, not drawing.

well I will try posting this for starters and get back to the cleaning.