String Quilting Workshop

Many thanks to Angela for the information and photos in this blog entry.

 

 

At the beginning of the year, Angela Langdon made this quilt that she kindly donated to our Community Quilting Group and on Saturday 16 August she taught a workshop on this string quilt design (adapted from Sonja’s Windows, designed by Candace Hassen, McCalls Quilting Magazine, America Quilts Together.)

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Bonnie, Janice & Kathy

1  18 enthusiastic members participated, working as a team;   ironing, cutting and sewing strips of fabrics together - not to mention the delicious morning tea that quilters always seem to produce on social occasions! Most of the fabrics used were from the Club's stash, donated fabrics that Lyle so capably manages. (Everyone knows how difficult it can be to manage a stash.)

Jean & Daphne

Daphne, Sheila D & Valderie

·    By the end of the day sufficient blocks had been made for seven quilts (6 single bed and one queen bed.) The single bed quilts will be donated to children in hospital and the  queen bed quilt will be donated as appropriate, either to someone in need or to an organisation for use as a raffle prize.

Thanks to Angela for this workshop. These easy-to-follow diagrams were part of her presentation.

Angela's instructions

In the near future (subject to demand) she will teach another Beginners Sampler Quilt Course. This includes basic quiltmaking skills such as piecing blocks, rotary cutting & applique, setting blocks & adding borders, hand & simple machine quilting, finishing and binding quilts. Classes are for members only. Our annual exhibition in September usually generates a lot of interest in Club activities so remember to come along to the Salo Centre in Rome Street - and bring your friends! 

News catch up!

Apologies from a slack blog author!

Lyle who does a wonderful job of coordinating the community quilting group at Toowoomba Quilters organised a day of "quilt as you go" to give all members an opportunity to learn about this technique. The blocks made on the day have been assembled into a quilt that will be given to someone in need. 

Cheryl and Joan at a community quilting session

Some of the completed placemats

She has also been liaising with Meals on Wheels (as well as other organisations) with the result that Club members are now making placemats that will eventually be distributed to some clients of Meals on Wheels. At last count seventy, of a planned total of 300, placemats had been completed.

It's only two months until our annual exhibition at the Salo Centre in Rome Street, Toowoomba. Sheila has been busy compiling an Exhibition Handbook for members to ensure that we are all aware of procedures and requirements for exhibitors. She is also developing a Facebook page for the Exhibition so you may wish to follow progress on that. (https://www.facebook.com/TQ.Exhibition)

Tablecloths in progress

 We will be serving light refreshments again at the Exhibition this year and Lyn L is coordinating the making of patchwork tablecloths to adorn the tables in the refreshments area.

Our Christmas In July function was a lot of fun with a delicious luncheon, an auction, multi-draw raffle and Christmas apron parade. Our meeting rooms were decorated for the occasion and Verna's Christmas tree quilt was admired by many.

Verna's Christmas tree quilt

Trish P and Ineke - auctioneers

Christmas aprons

Proceeds from the day totalled $281 which will be donated to the St Vincent de Paul Society.

 
 

Luke's Quilt made by Di C

Di has finished a quilt for her daughter's partner. The fabrics are all from her stash and scrap bag and all of the seams are embroidered in herringbone stitch.

Much has been written about the willingness of our members to share their knowledge and assist each other - and this extends to technology. These sights prompted a few laughs at recent meetings!

Gabe and Dot C - iPhone technologists!

Heather and Fay - iPad technologists!

Sharing and learning

On Tuesday Gail Chalker from Sew Creative in Gatton visited us as a guest speaker.  She spent the morning educating and entertaining a large group of members who are always receptive to ideas, experience and techniques that fellow quilters are willing to share.

Gail with Val and Fay in the background

Verna using the Club's accuquilt fabric cutter

Mention has been made in previous blogs about the excellent range of resources available to our members. Our club owns an accuquilt fabric cutter. Gail is an experienced user of this type of cutter and was keen to encourage a relatively new member, Verna, to use the Club's equipment.

 There was a delightful range of quilts adorning our meeting room walls this week for Show and Tell. Here's a sample.

Heather R's sashiko and hexagon quilt

Chriss J's Berries and Blue Birds (Designed by Gail Pan)

Cheryl G' modern take on a wagga

In our meeting rooms we use skirt hangers on the picture rails to display our quilts informally. Some readers may be interested to see this photo, taken last year, of our quilts stands being assembled as part of the early preparations for the formal hanging of quilts at last year's Exhibition at the Salo Centre.

Sharing resources and old quilts

Our club has a wonderful range of resources for use by members. Recently our librarian, Genell, added some new quilting templates to our collection.

Marilyn checking out the new templates with Genell (R)

Denim and Lace by Joan R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Several waggas resulting from last month's workshop are nearing completion and most of them will be on display at our exhibition in September.

Joan's Denim and Lace wagga makes good use of old jeans.

Marilyn with an early quilt

Talking about old things: last week Marilyn showed us the very first quilts that she made back in the early 1980s.

A well-worn quilt made for Marilyn's son

These generated a lot of interest and discussion about the years when most quilters were using polycottons, when quilt shops were few and far between, pattern instructions were less than adequate, quilts were always hand-quilted and bindings were added in whatever manner individuals managed to work out for themselves!

Another of Marilyn's early quilts

As lots of quilters are also gardeners, Toowoomba quilters should get lots of sewing done this week as the weather is awful and none of us want to go outside to work in our gardens.

A Cuppa for a Good Cause

For several years now our club has supported the Cuppa for Cancer initiative.  This year, the theme was blue (as you will see by the display of quilts) and we enjoyed a wonderful morning tea supplied by members and some raffles and retail therapy.

Many thanks to Margie and Loretta and their helpers and all the kitchen workers who pulled this event together. Almost all attendees dressed in blue.

L – R Sally Gardner, Danielle Crismani and President Janice.

Our special guests this year were Danielle Crismani from Brisbane founder of an organization called ‘Baked Relief’, and Sally Gardner from Meals on Wheels Queensland.  Both ladies gave an informative talk and we learned from Danielle that ‘Baked Relief’ was born out of the 2011 flood crisis in Brisbane.  Both ladies do wonderful work for the community.

 

Vicky & Mel

Janice B (President)

We had a large table full of donated fabrics  with all proceeds going to Cancer Research.  Thank you to all the eager ladies who purchased fabric for their stash and helped the cause.

Our table of goodies ready to be raffled.

Blue Show and Tell:

Recycled denim quilt by Judy C

Maker unknown

Maker unknown

Beautiful sashiko quilt by Lyn V.

Abstract art quilt by Leslie E done in a workshop with Cheryl Denny.

Some serious funds were raised for Cancer research.  Thank you to our members for your generous support.

Excursions and Shows

Thank you to Christine H who organised a bus trip to the Queensland Quilters Picnic that was held this year at the Sleeman Sports Complex at Chandler. It was a great day and we even had some time for extra retail therapy on the way home!

Queensland Quilters Inc is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, as is our club.















These are some of the beautiful 12 inch 30th birthday quilts that were on display at the Picnic.

This year a number of members entered their quilts into the Royal Toowoomba Show for the first time. Buddy Johnson worked hard to reorganise and to find sponsors for prizes to encourage greater interest in this section of the Show. Vicki D was out of town at the time but the quilt entered on her behalf by a friend won a prize. Fay S also won a prize. Congratulations to both them! It was the reorganisation as much as the prizes that generated interest this year so it's likely that there will be more entries next year.

Marlene and Vicki D with her prize-winning quilt

Betty's quilt - pattern from Kids' Quilts NZ

Betty F brought along this quilt for Show and Tell recently. It was destined for her grandson's bed.  However, she was heard to say that she enjoyed making it so much that she might make another one that she would display at our Exhibition in September.

Readers may remember our 2013 Art Union quilt that was on display at last year's Exhibition.  Proceeds from that Art Union were donated to the Toowoomba Branch of the National Trust to support the Royal Bull's Head Inn (http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/qld/RoyalBullsHeadInn) at Drayton. (Sorry - still can't get links to work.) 

Helen Moloney,volunteer at Bull's Head Inn, with Verna H and Gail J

Earlier this month the lovely volunteers at the Inn invited our club members to visit for morning tea and a tour of the Inn to view some of their achievements.  For some members it was their first visit.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and appreciated the opportunity to experience a little of Toowoomba's unique history, prompting discussion over morning tea about "the (good?) old days."

April update

Many thanks to Gayle A who showed a group of us how to sew a small clam-shell case (sorry no picture yet) that is great for storing or conveying thimbles, jewellery and other small treasures. Mini workshops such as this are really popular with our members and we are grateful to those who willingly share their knowledge, skills and experience.

We've had some wonderful Show & Tell on display recently. These are a few of the quilts.

Made by Bev M for her mum's 85th birthday. (APQ Vol 20 No 9)

Romantic Handbags made by Norelle W for her granddaughter

Raw edge with free motion quilting made by Lyn L for Zoe

Joan R who is a very active member of our Community Quilting group recently completed this cosy cot quilt.

Tomorrow Joan B will give an introductory talk about waggas, prior to leading sewing workshops scheduled for later in May. Christine H has organised a bus trip to the Queensland Quilters Picnic in Brisbane on 13 May and on 20 May we will have a special Cuppa for Cancer Devonshire morning tea. Sue S, Margie and Loretta are organising this fun occasion.  (Reports will follow.)

Luscious Landscapes

At the meeting this week Committee members received rave reviews about the Luscious Landscapes workshop taught by Lisa Walton. Everyone learned new techniques and lots about design, facings and embellishment. These quilts are not completed but it is anticipated that many of them will be for display at our September Exhibition.

Workshop participants with Lisa Walton

Here's a closer view of some of the works in progress.

Leanne

June

Sharon

Members have been busy in other areas too: our 2014 Art Union quilt has been quilted so is now completed! This is an unofficial preview photograph.

2014 Art Union quilt