More flood quilts

Yesterday we held our AGM and details of our new office bearers will be posted soon. It's been a busy year so far and we've also started our regular planning meetings for our 2011 exhibition.

 

Work continues on quilts to be donated to assist flood victims. Some readers may have donated fabrics that they can recognise in completed quilts. We are really appreciative of everyone's contributions.

Some members work on flood quilts on our meeting days and others turn up to meetings with completed quilts. The backing and labels on many of our quilts are also worthy of attention; look at this one!

It seems that many of our members are "toppers" and tend to have their quilt tops professionally quilted. Those club members who are happy to quilt tops have extended themselves and are making a wonderful effort to assist with the completion process.  Here are a few more of our completed "flood quilts".

Donation of Quilts

 
Yesterday this HUGE box arrived and it was full of wonderful quilts.  Thank you to the North of the Yarra Quilters for this very generous gesture.  We will make sure that these quilts go to the needy people in our region.  They will really appreciate the warmth and comfort a quilt can bring.

Here is the great pile of quilts just unpacked.  Members of NOTY quilters are to be congratulated on the fine work they do in their community quilting.
 
Our ladies are still hard at it producing vibrant, happy quilts for our flood victims.  This butterfly one will be sure to cheer someone up.



















Angela has put together this beautiful bright quilt using some Kaffe Fassett scraps and other bright and cheerful prints.
 
Here are two more quilts where scraps have worked their magic!
 
Vicki has made a lovely strippy quilt.  She made this one as her house was being cleaned up after the floods.  Fortunately her sewing room was left unscathed.  A real flood quilt!
 
Dianne C made these sample squares up into a colourway nine patch quilt.  The squares were 4" and were found in our donation cupboard.

Thank you to all members who have donated their time, fabric etc. and made these quilts possible.

From Scrappy Beginnings

From time to time the club receives donations of fabric and orphan blocks from  members and their friends.  Thus, when the need arises, we are able to put some of them together and make them up into quilts.  Many of the quilts we are going to show on the blog over the next few weeks are wholly and solely put together from what has been donated.  It is truly amazing what wonderful quilts can be made from the smallest pieces of fabrics, and the whole process reminds us of how patchwork started in the first place!







We would like to thank some sponsors who have helped us greatly in all sorts of ways to bring these quilts together:

Kathy and Geoff Adams from Koolkat Quilting
Lyn Crump from Busy Quilting
Sue and Colleen from Indigo Niche
Lisa from Precious Time  (Cnr David & Holberton St Toowoomba)
Saba's  (Ruthven St)
Shirley Bourke Crafts (187 Ruthven St)

We would also like to thank friends and relatives of our members who have given us some wonderful donations of fabrics, notions, threads etc.  We are very appreciative, and putting it all to good use.

Sew -a thon Saturday

Saturday saw our ladies sewing madly - making quilt tops for our friends in flood ravaged parts of Queensland. Some of our sewing friends would have lost their entire sewing room whilst others may have only been able to salvage a little.

We are also making up some kits and Lyle, Libby and Vida are pictured here putting all the items into groups and preparing the kits.

Lyle is showing the group what went into the packs. Each pack is being presented in a lovely handmade bag. Lots of sewing notions, books, magazines, embroidery threads, fabric, patterns, handtowel, etc. etc. We are hoping the kits will help in some way to bring some hope to our fellow quilters and sewers.

Libby sorting through some of the fabrics which have so very kindly been donated to us from members, members' family and friends.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this venture and especially to our wonderful members who have really come to the fore and stepped in to help and have given their time and donations of goods and money so selflessly.



















Small appliqued butterfly quilt put together by Joan B.

Beautiful sampler quilt put together by Fay S.

This one put together by Genell is looking stunning, using some squares of furnishing fabrics.  That is Genell just peeping over the top.
Another small one for a child put together again by Joan B.  Thank you Joan.

We know these quilts will bring warmth and comfort to flood victims in the coming cooler months.

Morning Tea Fund Raiser

Some of the ladies brought along their sewing machines on Tuesday and got stuck into it.  We have started producing quilts and putting the sewing kits together to be passed on to our friends who have suffered because of the floods in our region.

Lyn L in front of some more quilt tops which are underway.  The photographer was a bit under the weather and was not thinking straight.  Alas, no photos of the beautiful spread the ladies put on for morning tea.  Some serious money was raised and everyone enjoyed the delightful food.  Thanks to our wonderful kitchen ladies for putting it all together.
Thank you to our wonderful members and sponsors who have given so generously to the club. 
This Saturday is our sew-a-thon starting around 9.00am.  See you there!

Floods and Community Quilting

Our group has always set aside the third Saturday of each month for community quilting.

After the recent devastating floods in our region we have decided to put some quilts together to bring a little comfort to those families who have lost everything.
We are also doing up some sewing kits to send out to our fellow quilters who have lost sewing items in the floods.  Some may have lost their whole sewing rooms - imagine!!  We hope the sewing kits will give them hope to start over.

Some of our members were right onto it and have already donated quilt tops.




Here is Angela Langdon and Dianne S in front of quilt tops they have donated.  Angela has completed and dontated  FIVE tops during the holidays.....well done, Angela. 


The group on Tuesday got together and started the organization of the whole process.  We will be having a fund raising morning tea next Tuesday 25 January starting around 10.30am  for members.  Members will be asked to give a gold coin at the door, bring a plate to share and if they have any sewing requisites surplus to their needs, they may bring them along as a donation as well. 

Then on Saturday 29 January (our designated community sewing day) we will be having a sew-a-thon and getting some more quilt tops put together.  We can start at 9.00am.  and sew right through til 5.00pm.

Our friends at KoolKat Quilting, Kathy and Geoff, have very kindly offered to quilt for us free of charge.  Thank you so much Kathy and Geoff. 

Christmas Party 2010

 

WE WISH ALL OUR MEMBERS AND READERS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

The lucky winner of our 2010 raffle quilt, Val Squair arrived to collect her lovely prize.
Photographed here (L-R) Exhibition Co-ordinator, Angela Langdon, Winner, Val Squair, Secretary and Co-ordinator of the quilt, Fay Suley and President, Marilyn Cooper.

 
At around 11.30 am Marilyn presented the President of the Toowoomba and District MS Group, Darryl Connor with a cheque.  Darryl was thrilled and the money is going to go towards "Young Care". A wonderful initiative to build specific housing for young sufferers of MS, so that they may not have to go into aged care. 

 
 Do you see the weather outside?  It was a strange December day with fog and mist and later in the day, full on rain.  Festive spirits weren't dampened though.  There was a basket full of Secret Santa parcels and another basket of colourful fat quarter bon-bons.   Lyle explained to us that the fat quarter we received in the swap has to be brought back at the next Christmas function made up into something.  Yikes!!
 
Santa, aka Sheila, was very thankful for the cooler December weather.  It gets jolly hot under that suit!!  Santa was kept hopping giving out the gifts.

Judy F. (on the right) made us a lovely Christmas cake finely decorated in marzipan fruit.  Thank you Judy, the cake was delicious too.  Cutting the cake is Diana R and looking on blissfully is our Events co-ordinator, Lyle.  Lyle and her helpers did a fabulous job in making the day a fun filled one and everything running like clockwork.

Ladies in red enjoying the day, (L-R) Marleen, Vicky and Dot.  As you can see the room was beautifully decked out in quilts and other decorations.
 
Lovely to see husband and wife quilters enjoying the club Christmas, Diane and Alton.
 
Lola is tucking into her delicious lunch all of which was provided by the members.  One group of members was asked to bring salads, another group meats, and another group dessert.  It all depended what your surname started with.  It all worked out very well.
 
Maureen and Lorelle with the backdrop of Denise's gorgeous medallion quilt. 
 
Smiling happily for the camera, (L-R) Janice K, Jan G, and Barb W.  Sorry to interrupt your meal for the photo Jan (who had to quickly swallow a mouthful so she could smile).
 
Another happy table of quilters (L-R) Patricia, Cheryl, Joan R and Joy P. 
 
Colourful Kerrie enjoying looking at the quilts and standing in front of a marvellous bargello made by Joan R.
 
Visiting us for the first time was Jane, who brought along her very first quilt made for a granchild.  Thank you for bringing it along Jane, it is very, very, cute, and well done for your first quilt too.

If you would like to join us next year we would love to see you.  Our meeting days are every Tuesday and every 1st and 3rd Saturday starting around 9.30 am.  27 Jellicoe Street, Toowoomba.  Just pop in and our Welcomer, Marleen will show you around and you can see what we are all about.

Tuesdays and Announcing Christmas break up

Tuesdays continue to grow and bring interesting quilts and items for us all to look at.  We now have over 130 members in our club and can get anywhere between 25-40 quilters on a Tuesday.  It is exciting to see what everyone is up to.   We meet every Tuesday and every 1st and 3rd Saturdays.

This Saturday 4 December is the day we are having our Christmas break up party.  It is always a fun-filled day with Secret Santa, Fat quarter swap,  a scrumptious lunch , fun and games etc..  Should be a great day, and hope the weather stays cool for us.
















This is a stunning quilt by Lyn L and she has used Kaffe Fassett fabrics in his Jane's diamonds design.  The surround on the diamonds is the most beautiful vibrant batik print.  Lyn has made this for a friend - lucky friend.

















 Stunning Kaffe Fassett backing fabric!!!!



 
Marilyn C (our illustrious President) has put together her bargello top from Lyn Crump's workshop.  Marilyn designed the bargello patterning herself  which is part of what Lyn outlined in the workshop.  Great colours and good work Marilyn.

Tuesday Show and Tell

 
Yvonne has made this bright, cheerful, funky quilt for her Neice's 21st birthday.  She was tieing it on Tuesday with some gorgeous multi-coloured sashiko thread.
Five of the blocks are the big beautiful blue flower print. Nice work Yvonne.
 
 
WOW.  Jan  G has completed her scattered tile quilt which she started in Robyn Ginn's workshop.  Sure is bright and beautiful, Jan.
 
Fabulous Medallion quilt put together by Denise.  Denise has had this professionally quilted by Kathy Adams of Kool Kat Quilting, Toowoomba.
Here is a close up of the centre medallion.  Denise has used a quirky strip in the centre piece (not showing up well in the photo).  It works really well.  A lovely quilt, Denise.
 
Here is a bit of a twist on the sashiko - black and white - by Wendy.  Wendy has combined her sashiko pieces with some cute black and white blocks.  Lovely.

Announcements

 The 2010 Toowoomba Quilters Club Inc. quilt raffle (shown above)  was drawn on Saturday 6 November.

Our lucky winner with ticket No 0848 was Val Squair of Toowoomba.  Congratulations Val, and we hope your quilt brings you much warmth over the years.
Val will be presented with the quilt at our next meeting on Saturday December 4th.  The Multiple Sclerosis Group will also be presented with a cheque. Our Christmas luncheon will be held on that day too, so it is going to be an exciting fun day.

Winner of the big basket of quilty goodness was Leanne Wilson of Toowoomba with lucky ticket No A85.
Leanne came straight up to our meeting rooms to collect her prize.  Congratulations to Leanne, and we hope you are enjoying your winnings.

2011 looks like being another busy year for Toowoomba Quilters.  We have many workshops coming up including a beginners workshop with Angela Langdon.  So if you have ever thought of 'taking the plunge' into the world of patchwork and quilting, do consider becoming a members and taking advantage of these wonderful workshops.