One of the ladies at the Quilting Bee spent most of her day machine quilting a top (on her new Bernina!!) then took it home to finish – it looks great and is now off to someone else to bind……forgot to get a photo before I delivered it!  But that’s not all, Kaye also took some fabrics home and adding to them from her stash has created this top! 

Wow – I can see a teenage girl loving this (and we know a few teenage girls who will be receiving these quilts).  I had looked at this feature fabric and just put it aside not knowing what to do with it – it’s amazing how different people come up with different ideas – that’s part of what I love about quilting/crafting with friends……..and reading blogs.  Sunday afternoon we basted this and another quilt and Kaye has now set off to quilt both of these – what a great effort!  I’ll show you some more quilts from the Bee later in the week but meanwhile if you read this and you have taken some quilts/fabric home to work on please email me and let me know how you are going……..I’m still working on my aqua and lime top – blocks all done so just need to piece together.

This is a Japanese fabric that I got from the lovely girls at Be Be Bold at AQC.  It’s a linen-like texture.

Pop on over to Tamara to see who else is playing Sunday Stash.

If there is a perfect weather day then I would have to say that Melbourne has it today…..which is great news for the girls at market.  Blue skies…….sun……..green tinged grass thanks to some rain over the past couple of weeks……..mid-20’s (temperature that is, not age!)  These recent photos of the cactus garden at Sewjourn sum it up – not taken today but the same kind of day………more about the cactus garden soon – have had a draft post sitting there for ages but need the internet to be up to speed again to upload all the photos to go with it.

Not a lot more crafting going on here at the moment (apart from a few quilts) but did find this photo on my camera – taken at AQC (only got to see a few of the quilts) a month or so ago.  Gorgeous centre for a quilt……..still have all my Harper’s Ferry fabrics to do a hexagon quilt…….one day soon!

And to make the day yet more cheery – even more bookings!  There are so few weekends left free I’m wondering when I will be able to go up there myself!  But if the lady who enquired yesterday about 26-28 May reads this please contact me again as the email address you gave me bounces back 🙁

Off to birthday celebrations for my mother-in-law and brother-in-law.  We have to dress up as the years they were born……..but I’d best not say which years as that would be giving away their ages!  Should be lots of fun though.

Where has the week gone?  Time is just flying past…….work, wedding anniversary (15 years!!!!), Quilting Bee things to do, SLOW internet AGAIN (so not really reading blogs), tuckshop, designing invites for my 40th  – you all know what it’s like! Anyway I just realised that it’s only a week until our workshops by Meredithe Clark at Sewjourn.  So if you are planning on coming along next weekend please let me know by Sunday so that we can confirm numbers.  Meanwhile, have a great weekend……..

A couple of weeks ago……way back before Stitches and Craft and the Quilting Bee…….my 2 partners in crime craft and I went on a mini road trip down to the bayside shops, including the amazing Chandlers Cottage run by the lovely Leesa.  Its a treasure trove if you love Japanese fabrics…………

…..has been going on here this afternoon.  Made some thank-you cards for my lovely friends who cooked for us on Saturday.

Hope they don’t read my blog before the mail arrives tomorrow…………

Oops it’s after midnight so I’ve ‘missed’ Sunday Stash again!

A favorite Amy Butler from her first range Gypsy Caravan.  Had it for ages and hesitant to cut into it now……..

Wow, what a great day!  Last night I didn’t even have the energy to turn my computer on let alone type words in a sequence that would make any sense………but today I’m eager to share all that happened yesterday at our Quilting Bee.  It was a great day on so many levels.  Firstly, we were all there with the purpose of doing what we could to help those who have lost homes and family in the recent bushfires.  And what an effort girls – about 30 quilts in progress!  Secondly, what fun spending a day together sewing, chatting, eating, meeting new people and being inspired by each other’s creativity!

Set up ready to go…..

Work in progress……

Sewing………

Unpicking……….

Eating……. (thanks to 4 very special girlfriends who baked morning and afternoon tea for us – you know who you are!!)

Choosing colors……..

Planning………….

Some of the lovely quilts in progress………

First-ever-quilt!!!!!

The gorgeous Jeanette displaying her quilt backing bought in Singapore in 1967…….and red travel case taken on the same trip (now her sewing bag)!

She’d made this quilt for a friend of hers who had lost his home on Black Saturday and she had painted the border fabric with bleach to get her desired effect!!

Thank you so much to Dale, Bronwyn, Kaye, Diane, Suzie, Tracy, Maggie, Anne R, Michelle, Pam, Jonina, Jodie, Jeanette, Jo and Anne H for your great efforts and making the day so much fun.  Thanks also to all the lovely ladies who sent blocks, quilt tops or fabric to be used.  And to Lynda and the other kind lady (please email me and let me know who you are if you read this as I don’t remember your name!!!) who dropped in fabric and blocks on Saturday.  Last but not least thanks Yvonne for helping set up on Friday afternoon and then coaching the Angels to a 16-9 win in the first netball game of the season!

We are all getting together on Saturday 23rd May to bring back completed quilts and have a finishing off day – then we will be delivering the quilts to people we know who need them – packed in bags sewn by Mum’s sewing group in Bendigo and accompanied by gorgeous gift cards made by a friend Karelyn.

Have been sent lots of lovely blocks and even quilt tops for the ‘Bee’ on Saturday………and lots of lovely ladies have promised to come along also BUT there is always room for more!!!  So please if you have some time to spare on Saturday consider popping in (just shoot me off an email so I know who to expect) and do some sewing, cutting, chatting or just have a cuppa.  It looks like we will be making at least 20………probably more like 30 quilts SO we are going to need lots of help with quilting!  Thanks to anyone who I’ve already spoken to about hand quilting or machine quilting – I’ll be in touch with you next week. 

Meanwhile here’s a small sample of the gorgeous blocks that lovely girls have sent to me…………

Thank you so much to Jenny and Kylie who have generously supplied some extra backing fabrics and to Spotlight and Victorian Textiles for their donations also. 

We also decided at UFO tonight to raffle one of the quilts to raise money to get lots more of them professionally quilted………so stay tuned for the details of the raffle quilt (think it will be the one I make from this tutorial in lime green, blue and white………probably!)