Gwen's Quilts

Yummy egg and lettuce sandwiches from Sue with a lovely fruit cake from Julie and Fran's famous Bicckies for Arvo tea followed a delightful and informative quilting talk from Gwen.
The recipes are at the end with a surprise ingredient in the sandwiches.









Gwen started her talk by giving credit to her late husband Jack for making it possible for her to develop and have such a prolific quilting life by allowing her her independence.
Gwen is a wonderful storyteller, and gave us a witty and interesting talk on her quilts and their stories.....so make yourself a cuppa and enjoy the journey.

The description of each quilt is under the photo, just so you don't get confuzzled half way through.

This was Gwen's first full size quilt made after her first quilting lessons, back in 1990. She tells that it was a case of 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread' with all the curved piecing.

These vibrant yo-yo's were started back in 1972 using fabric from the local Fossey's Store. The quilt was finally finished for our 2007 quilt show. Do you remember Fossey's?, a bit like an early version of Spotlight, Gwen thinks that the fabrics are all cottons but isn't making any guarantees.

Gwen saw the above pattern made up in a quilt on a U.S. trip and used it to make this quilt when she returned home.

A scrap quilt made in a most enjoyable workshop with Jan Mullens

Lovely Pansy quilt is a copy of a Sarah Nephew Design, all hand quilted like so many of Gwen's quilts.

The above quilt is a Cheryl Denny design that Gwen did in a workshop with Cheryl

Gwen purchased this Amish quilt on one of her trips to the U.S., the quilting stitches are so even and tiny.


Only two fabrics in this purple and gold lovely, Gwen used both sides of each fabric to get the shading variations.

Made with Jinny Beyer fabrics, this quilt utilises the fussy cut method to get the lovely block designs.

Although to look at it, every block seems to be different, there are actually 3 blocks on this quilt that are of the same construction. Two are clearly visible in the pic above but the three blocks are pictured at the bottom of this post.

This quilt was meant to be baby block but Gwen turned it into a Thistle design. Note the interesting border treatment, a great way to get a border when you are running a little short of the fabric you want to feature.

A challenge quilt made by 15 different ladies, the blocks were all to be made using only orange, yellow, purple and mauve fabrics. When it was assembled and raffled, surprise! Gwen won it!
A close up of some of the blocks in the above quilt showing a few of the 3-d designs used.

Gwen's first attempt at embellishing, the blocks came from the book ' Applique Designs My Mother taught me to sew' by Faye Anderson.

A set of wallhangings, very bad pic but just stunning in reality, so had to include them.

'Spiral Challenge'. this challenge used 64 different fabrics all cut to the same shape and anything else added.
Another challenge quilt, 'Tiles', was to be taken from any tile pattern you came across, just to be different, Gwen went to the local tile shop for her inspiration. The corner design is done with trapunto.

This beautiful pastel quilt caused Gwen quite a bit of trouble, she often comments that she made lemonade from lemons in reference to it. Gwen reworked the design layout several times, finally getting the inspiration for the final colour layout while on a trip away, she couldn't wait to get home and try out her new idea, which as you see, worked beautifully.

This was another Challenge Quilt, this time with a Japanese quilting group.

A sampler quilt made specifically for teaching purposes.

This quilt relies on colour placement alone to create its design, it is made from one block design repeated many times, the top left hand block is the easiest to distinguish, it is one large triangle (H.S.T), two smaller triangles (the pink) and a small square.

This lovely quilt is a copy of one hung in 'Penny's Shop'. (Patchwork Angel - a link is in the sidebar)

As so often happens with quilters, Gwen fell in love with these lovely flannel fabrics. She decided to use them in a stack and slash design with a difference, that is using the blocks as an inner border. There are two of these quilts, one each for her and hubby to keep their tootsies warm in winter.

Bouguet Challenge, a wonderful soft wall hanging.

Done at a Judy Dales workshop in Vermont, Gwen has many stories of her wonderful time on that retreat.
A lovely floral 'Jacobean Applique' with vibrant colours, a Patricia Campbell Pattern. Gwen tells the story of her first glimpse of the tutor in this workshop as looking most unlike someone you would expect to teach a Jacobean applique class, a Dolly Parton look alike, with denim and lots of sparkles in cowgirl boots!

This is the "Over under double disconnected woven squares with shading'" quilt that Mary Ellen Hopkins taught at a workshop.

Gwen came by this quilt in exchange for blocks of a house quilt that gave Gwen much drama. Gwen's friend didn't want any 'storms in her house' and was happy to swap the house blocks.

A gift of Bali Prints that Gwen was saving for something special is what inspired this wonderful quilt.

From a book 'Just Woven Squares'

A selection of the many hats Gwen collected on her trip to China, some obviously with a lot of history.
This beautiful example is obviously very old and has been re assembled from old embroidered pieces, the crown of the hat is a more modern piece of cotton fabric.
This fabulous collar is an example of the embroidery the like of which may die out in modern China.
A "mans's tote bag" Gwen spotted this and bartered with the gentleman owner, neither speaking the others language, they communicated by writing a figure in the sand with a stick. Eventually a deal was struck and Gwen came away with this wonderful piece of work.

The three blocks made with the same construction.


I'm sure you have all enjoyed this trip through some of the wonderful quilts that Gwen has made in her 20 years of quilting.

And finally, the afternoon tea recipes...........oh and the surprise ingredient in Sue's sangers......well its eggs of course, they almost didn't make it.

Egg Sandwiches from Sue

Put Eggs on to boil

Go out of the kitchen

After about 10 minutes wonder what the boppel boppel sound is

Go to the back door to see if someone is out the back, passing through the kitchen realise the boppel boppel sound is the eggs boiling with very little water left in the pot.

Turn off the hot plate.

Peel and mash eggs.

Mix in a few dollops of mayo [if you are making curry eggs add curry]

Get frozen bread out of freezer wipe butter over each slice then plop a good spoon full of egg mixture on every second slice wack the other slice on top.

Pack sandwiches in plastic boxes put the plastic boxes in an esky and go shopping.

By the time you get to your Patchwork group the sandwiches are thawed and everyone is either very hungry or so polite that you will get a lot of complements.

And from Julie

VERY EASY HEALTHY BOILED FRUIT CAKE

First, have a cup of coffee to get going, then place in a saucepan

650g mixed fruit (any combination including dates, nuts, seeds, ginger etc.)

1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice

1 cup water

Stir until simmering, allow to simmer for 3 minutes.

Quickly make the bed and put the washing on.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Have breakfast, wash up, sweep floor and put out washing.

To cooled mixture add 2 cups Self Raising Flour, 3/4 cup skimmed milk and 1 egg. Mix thoroughly and place in 8" square tin lined with baking paper. Cook in moderate oven 45 minutes. Do not overcook.

The remainder of the day is free for sewing.

and Fran's Bickies?

well that's a Secret Squirrel Recipe, maybe, possibly to be shared in the future, but don't be holding your breath......I've been waiting about 6 years so far.......