Wool Table Runner

It has taken me a couple of weeks to finish my latest project.

It's a table runner and I got the fabrics and pattern from a kit. 

The applique pieces were cut from 100% wool and it was very nice to stitch with it.  I used blanket stitch with a single thread.

I've had my eye on getting this book for a while to use a few jelly rolls I have.  

I got some discounted fabrics this week and a few gadgets; a dispenser to fill up with starch for applique, more leads for my Karisma pencil and the fantastic Karen Kay Buckley's micro serrated blade scissors.

Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show

I have just been to see  the quilt show from the Waverley Pachworkers.  These girls are very talented with several members having won award winning quilts, not just in Australia but internationally.

This is a very small sample of the exhibits and I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos and lack of identification of the creator of each quit.

I may add another blog post later with more quilts as well as something I finish this week.

The show is still on until Sunday, (27th May) so if you get a chance don't miss going.

Gifts, CWB block 16 and mini quilt

Friendship comes in so many unexpected ways in our lives... 

It may start with some simple words and people may touch your heart without we realising at the time. That has been the case in my life over the years.

I  'met' Angela over the web, a fellow crafter who lives in the United Kingdom and has been sharing some of her work and life on her blog.

This past  Monday I came home to find this beautiful gift she made me  along with a beautiful written card explaining the meaning of the salmon cross stitch pattern for a native American birth totem.

Thank you so much Angela, I will always cherish this piece of art and it's now in my studio.

And today, I got spoilt again.

My friend Gloria  from Brazil, sent me a parcel with these gorgeous fabrics made in Brazil as well as these buttons made from coconut shells. I collect buttons and these are really special and different.  Gloria,  like so many of us quilters, also loves stitching, so she made me the lovely Redwork pin cushion with the word "Bordado"  that translates to  "stitchery".  Thank you Gloria.

I guess after these most thoughtful gifts, my Mother's Day weekend is beginning to shape up as a great one.

I asked my husband and daughter to just give me the gift of time.... no presents, just to allow me to spend the whole day in my studio on Sunday to play with my fabrics and listen to music without any interruptions.

Now for some completed projects done this week...

Completed block 16 (4 to go) for the Civil War Bride quilt. For the remainder of the blocks, I am thinking of  making my own designs.  

I also finished last night  "Listen to my Heart". This quilt

is rather special for me...

Have a good weekend everyone and may you be inspired in whatever you do !

Coin purse, books and fabrics

This week I finished this little coin purse.  I purchased the kit and  this has been my introduction to wool applique.

The pieces are very small and fiddly but once I got the hang of it I completed it quite fast.

 

I have worked on other projects ( including my secret quilt) but at this stage none of them are completed to show you nor I can blog until the recipient of the swap receives the blocks.

                      I started a new  project on the 27th  April called "Listen to My Heart". 

 

I came up with this idea as a form of meditation to focus on the inner voice which is my heart. 

Basically the way it works for me,  is that each day (just before going to bed)  I applique a heart and while stitching I reflect and sometimes write down some thoughts that come into my mind.

I'll keep on doing these until I feel it's time to stop but having a practical side to me,  I'll make these blocks into a small quilt as soon as I have about 12 done.

Some new goodies that I got this week.....

Lynette Anderson's latest book and some of her fabrics.  

3 other books and some bright fabrics...

And a variety of gorgeous charm packs from Kate Spain, Joanna Figueroa, 3 Sisters and Howard Marcus.

Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with them at the moment but I could not pass up a 25% discount.

Quilting Retreat & Table Runner

Just completed a table runner which will be a gift for one of my relatives. Hope she likes it.

This weekend a bunch of quilting friends and I rented some lovely cottages at Neerim South to spend time relaxing, eating, quilting and touring this lovely region.

We stayed at Neerim Country Cottages set on five acres with beautiful rural views to Mt Baw Baw.

Their gardens are beautifully maintained, have a pool and a tennis court.

I took several photos this morning but the camera lens was not good enough to show the bees on this Bottlebrush   (Callistemon).

As the weather turned out just perfect (around 26°C) some of us explored Yarragon Village and a trip to the local  quilt store was not to be missed when they had a sale on.

Yarragon Village is renowned for its speciality shops (quality homeware, linen, lace, soaps, clothing) antique stores, eating places (wine, cheese, smoked meats) and Galleries.  

One of the interesting places we visited, was Candalaraine Alpacas, that sells hand crafted Alpaca garments.

The store is located on their working farm where you can meet the animals up close.


This boy is particularly handsome and was not shy to stare at us !

Cappucino (one below) was given a treat of fresh cut roses... apparently all the alpacas on this farm love eating roses.



I think the owner said they have about 70 alpacas at the moment and she showed us one baby that had just been born in that morning.

I can't say that we all did a lot of sewing, but we had a great time together....

One of the girls had a quilt to baste ready for quilting and she progressed a fair bit with it.
I really liked the scrappy look of it.

Back to the real world now but very relaxed and inspired to tackle more projects !

CWB block completed, Wool fabric and more AQC quilts

My 15th block done... 5 to go and borders. The feathers weren't as difficult as I expected and I used blanket stitch for the feet and beak.

For sometime now I have seen quilts and other smaller items done using wool. It always looks so primitive and effective, so I have purchased a table runner kit and a stack of wool pieces to begin a stash.  I am told that working with wool is quick, easy and addictive !

For those who follow my blog, it's not a surprise that I love music. Mainly Smooth Jazz and Classical.  I have had the opportunity from time to time to attend live shows in my hometown as well as overseas.  Later in the year I'm going on a Smooth Jazz cruise in the Mediterranean so I've been thinking about making a quilt to celebrate that occasion.

While I was at AQC show on Saturday with so many vendors all in one venue it was the perfect time to look for music themed fabrics.  I was lucky to get quite a few fat quarters but if you know of online stores that do sell music themed fabrics please let me know...
I used my daughter's trumpet as part of the prop to show you my lovely fabrics.
 




Here are some more pictures of the quilts that I saw over the weekend at the Australasian Quilt Convention.  They are so unique and at the highest quality.

I noticed that many quilts have circular shapes, so I wonder if that's a trend we are going through at the moment...



Australasian Quilt Convention - Melbourne

I spent most of the day at the Royal Exhibition Building  at the quilt show and checking out the various vendors from all over Australia, tempting us with their lovely fabrics, patterns and many new products.



The  Royal Exhibition Building is the only surviving Great Hall that once housed a 19th-century international exhibition and is still used for exhibitions, cultural and community events.

The architect was Joseph Reed and his design was influenced by Rundbogenstil, a round-arched architectural style combining elements from Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance buildings.

The dome’s design was influenced by Brunelleschi’s 15th-century cathedral in Florence.



The interior is equally spectacular with its meticulously restored opulent interior, expansive galleries and soaring dome.




There is a lot of history associated with this landmark. 
David Mitchell was the builder of the finest buildings in Melbourne including the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Scots Church and the Equitable Life Assurance offices on corner of Elizabeth & Collins Streets.
And in case this name is not immediately familiar, he was the father of Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), an Australian operatic soprano  who became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician.


The building is in the Carlton Gardens and it has three fountains.

And here another of the fountains...

Now, onto the quilts...

I did not take photos of all the quilts nor can I identify all the quilt makers (I apologise in advance) but I can say that each and everyone of the quilts displayed were of the highest quality regardless if the quilt maker was professional or not.

The show included a number of exclusive exhibitions, some were judged, some were awarded prizes and other quilts were produced by the tutors at the convention.

Balance by Robin Coombes

Too Easily Forgotten by Gillian Shearer

Reproduction beauties by Chris Jurd

Longbourne by Katrina Hadjmichael

 Pemberley by Katrina Hadjimichael

And this large quilt (Travelling Friendship Quilt) is a result of eight empty suitcases leaving Queensland in January 2011 for a one-year journey around Australia, returning full of completed blocks which were made into a friendship quilt. The quilt should prove to be an interesting snapshot of women's lives in 2011 and will eventually reside in the National Museum, Canberra.



The show is still on tomorrow so if you get a chance I would recommend a visit.

On my next blogpost I'm planning to show you something I completed and some of the shopping I did today...