February Show and Tell....

Oh My Goodness, what a day, what a smorrebrod of visual treats and great news at the Cottage today.

Found Pat in the Atrium Gallery, struggling to single handedly hang one of the many quilts for sale.

Clever girl wouldn't you agree?

Fran is busily finishing off some beautiful bullion embroidery, started in the Needlework Group meeting.

 

Soft toys completed for the Library quilts, 2 we saw in the making last week, Dinosaurs by Sheila and Heather has made a cute Zebra.

Lots of toiletry bags have been stitched by members over the break, they were all bought in today to have their drawstrings threaded, Ailsa had the great job of measuring off the strings, while Beryl,  Louise and Dorothy busily threaded away. 

Next week there will be another one of those lines of organised ladies busily stuffing said bags with toiletries for the Mums and Kiddies helped by Najidah.

 
Julie has been very busy over the break, she has made several charity quilts, one using the great 10 minute blocks from Suzanne McNeill, pop over to her blog for some great inspiration and a YouTube link on how to make these very simple but effective blocks.

Another of Julies charity quilts, the inspiration of this one from Lorraine, again a very effective design.

And just because she can........can do beautiful embroidery that is, Julie also made this adorable baby girl quilt.

Now I know embroidery on a pale background just isn't going to show, so here are some close ups for you, with a little help from Picasa.

Who could resist those teddies.  You can see by the pink dots (showing red) how much colour has been added to bring you a nice view of the embroidery.

Fae shared this lovely quilt made for another of her friends, lovely florals.

From the muted to the vibrant.
Wendy got a Grandies request to make him a quilt with Lego on it, so she designed and created 'Growing up with Lego' for him..

Mind you, no prizes for guessing what the little guys name starts with!

The center panel shows the step by step building of a 'Lego man' and is repeated along the top and the bottom of the quilt.

The border is of course 'Lego blocks'.  Wendy was also able to source some fabric  printed with lego blocks and pieced a disappearing 9 patch for the backing.

Lorraine had another bag to share with us, this one she saw in a magazine as a cushion, so of course it's a bag!, got enough cushions, needed another bag...not!

 

And where was Lorraine?

Down the back teaching a very excited Courtney some tricks on her new sewing machine!

One of Courtney's family decided she needed to upgrade and bought her a new Brother, light enough to be easily portable and a lovely little machine with lots of fancy stitches as you can see by Courtney's practice piece.

The Great News...........is...........the arrangements for the Cottage Winter School have been finalised! Yay!!.
There is a very comprehensive booklet available in the cottage for perusal on all the tutors and the classes they will be presenting, and I will be bringing you a version of that in the next day or two, in the meantime pop over to the Buderim Craft Cottage site and click on the Winter School Button, or you could just go here and while you are over on the Craft Cottage site, have a browse around and check out the Atrium, lots of members from all of the Cottage groups have wares and treasures for sale.

Somedays, it's all under the table...

...bit disappointed yesterday, not too much hanging around for Show and Tell.......but the girls soon fixed that, it was all under the tables!.  The Cottage renovations are still in full swing and really, we just don't have the space (or stands) to display our treasures.
Betty was finishing the binding on this wonderful quilt, applique medallion of Bluebirds and flowers, surrounded by kaleidoscope blocks, its a large quilt and will live on Betty and her Darlings own bed. 

The fabrics were a gift from Betty's D-I-L awhile back, and sat in her stash awaiting inspiration, and as we can see, inspiration certainly did arrive!

 Fran was working on a piece of silk 'Crazy Patchwork' with the addition of some Suffolk Puffs, (top left pic) it's to be one of her fast selling bags.  Fran just happened to have a finished bag - yep, under the table! this one with a lovely braided silk shoulder strap.

Catti has been beavering away, organising the 'Leaf Notions' for our up-coming (fast upcoming) TREE-mendous Quilt Show, we reached our target some weeks back and for her organisational efforts Caitti was awarded our 'Star of the Month' at yesterdays meeting.  She was almost as thrilled to receive the award as the rest of us were to have her win.

Just look at all those busy beavers in the background, when we get our Cottage back to normal, there is going to be Show and Tell in abundance!

Catti then pulled out a quilt - yeah, from under the table - to show us.  A pastel take on the 'Hidden Wells' quilt from our workshop with June.

June wasn't able to be with us yesterday, but had sent along a flimsey of our next workshop showing a two colour variation.  Striking design, can't wait for the workshop.

Treasure Found, Sneak Peek at a W.I.P and other lovelies

Christine bought along her 'blue' quilt to show us today, she started collecting the blue fabrics a few years back, about 20 of 'em actually, the idea being that she would make a quilt for her Son, well she has made a stunning quilt with some advice and following a pattern from Monica down at the Sewing Basket.  DS has sadly missed out on this one.

Christine had envisaged that the quilt would go rather nicely in the spare bedroom......a.but her Darling had other ideas, its now proudly in use in their bedroom....I guess you could say he rather likes it!

 Christine had her quilt machine quilted by Fiona using a variegated thread in a swirly edge to edge pattern.

As a bit of a change from the blue and black, Christine ventured into the world of the vibrant with this bright quilt,

all sandwiched up and ready to go, she bought it along today to ask for quilting ideas.  Louise very kindly helped hold the quilt out while we all put in our tuppence worth.  Christine went home with quite a few designs, books and ideas.  We will all be interested to see the finished quilt and what Christine decides as the final quilting design.

Sadie, back from some time away bought in her flimsey from the Tessellation workshop she started with Val, soft apricot in the blocks is echoed in the border print fabric.

Caitti made good use of the Q.A.Y.G. demonstration that Beryl shared with us last week, creating her own version of the Q.A.Y.G. table runner,

The runner is destined for use on the patio table, not too far from the flower bed with blooms of the same colour palet as the runner.  Catti also made a wine bottle coaster and two coasters to complete her table setting.

Spied this rather unusual piece being worked on, just a little peek at a WIP,

Can't wait to see the finished.......(well that would be telling, now wouldn't it!)

Fran, famous for her one quilt every 10 years philosophy, started this beauty in Val's first Tessellation workshop, she finished the blocks at home, but assembled the flimsey at our Retreat and has since had it beautifully professionally quilted by Wendy.

It will be put to very good use for the Grandies to snuggle under when they visit.

The show and tell table had quite a collection of Christmas goodies,  they are all samples of what we will be working on in our upcoming mini Retreat,

Lined Christmas Stocking, tree baubles, and machine pieced and assembled hexies for a christmas table runner, oh yeah, and a mystery project.........no sneak peeks on that one yet!

Caity has been off to the Op-Shop, and found this little cutie, an embroidered linnen drawstring bag, cost her the princely sum of $1, don't you just love a bargain??

The Napkin holder is all Catti's own work, beautiful silk ribbon embroidery.
There is a matching book mark in the making as well,........ just picture it, lounging back reading a book with a beautiful marker to keep your place, sipping a pleasant cup of tea from the finest china, munching on the tinsiest little cake or pastry and helping yourself to a napkin from this beautiful napkin holder....Bliss!!

Well, its a girly-er (is that a word??) scenario than the actuality, trying to peer around a cat that has just discovered that sitting on the computer desk and snuffling into your coffee is really quite rewarding....it really makes the hooman snitty!

Arvo tea was Mud Cake, Ginger Spoges and choc bikkies, all on pretty plates on a white cloth. 

Lotsa Goss, chit chat, and generally what we have been up to...

A wee tad back, few weeks at least, there was a bit of a conversation on, would you believe it...hair.  How long between haircuts.....the law as laid down by cutters on how long/short the time between visits etc. etc.....
Fran mentioned how many moons ago, she used to have very long hair, swept up in a bun....in fact, she had that hair style when she launched a ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!            
Well, we all wanted to see a piccie, and today was our lucky day.
Fran bought along a couple of pics from her past, an official  pic  photo by Roland Bryant of the 'Latrobe' in the shipbuilding yards and a pic of Fran, sporting beautiful upswept golden locks when she launched the 'Latrobe', in the pic she is with the Shipbuilder (middle)  and the c.e.o of the shipping company that commissioned the ship, sorry, forgotten the name...ooops.

Now I had to apply a wee tad of pressure to our Star Hostess with the Mostest to capture this pic, but what the heck!!, happy to pay the price.....(Hope you all appreciate the sacrifice....)

Before the meeting began, some of us were out the front enjoying our lunches when along came a couple of lovely 'new to the area' ladies,  looking for info on the Cottage, we convinced Sue to stay and sample one of our meetings, her DDIL had to pop off and attend to other things, but was happy to scoot back to collect Sue at end of day.
Now Wendy, being a bit of a fast thinker, was more than happy to take Sue under her wing, and soon we discovered why, see all those little hexies Wendy is working on???

 Now here is Sue beavering away on Wendy's hexies

heck, if you're committed to a hexie project, wouldn't you want a little help along?  Sue, a real trooper, was more that happy to help out with those little Hexies.
And the flowers that Catti is working on?, more of those sitting by her side, she has ruched flowers and suffolk puff flowers, from Janice's in-house demonstrations.  Wonder what these will turn into?

Sheila bought along some mending, a request from her DDIL. When DIL was just a youngster, she made a dolls quilt from any scraps she could find, pieces from her sisters fave skirt, some P.J. fabric, velvets etc, all which now evoke lots of memories.  The quilt was later extend into a lap quilt, again using more scraps, but over time some of the fabrics have just plain worn out, hence the mending request.  As we all know, Sheila is not a fan of hand stitching, so this is truly a labour of love to hand piece those replacement squares.

The quilt is a two layer quilt, top and a lovely soft lambswool fleece backing.  Sheila has folded back the top  to show the lambswool.

Barbara has been working on this 3-D cat for a few weeks, not being happy with the original layout of the faux fur fabric, she disassembled poor pus and re-assembled him back to this proud creature, with his cross stitched green eyes and gold thread whiskers.  Puss will be making his home with Barbara.

Fae has turned a UFO into a finished item.  She saw this book panel a couple of years ago, and decided to make it up for her Grandson,

He will be turning 22 next week!!, we all think she should give him the book for his birthday,after all it was bought for him, he can give it to his first born.......or it may make it to the sales table for the Christmas Fair. 

Val was commissioned to make a lap quilt, and made up this beauty using directions from one of our Library books, "Kaleidoscope ABC's by Marti Michelle, all straight seam sewing but giving an illusion of circles.

A Kaleido Ruler is needed to construct the quilt, and yes, we do have that ruler in our Library.

Wendy has finished her quilt from Val's tessellation workshop, the pattern is in the Christine Porter book 'Tessellation Quilts'

Sorry I had to cut you in half Wendy, there was such a glare on the glass of the pic behind you it was just too yuck to fix.

Catti was just packing up to go home when Wendy spied this really lovely bag, beautiful silk roses,

'oh', says Catti in a very off hand manner, 'that was just a cushion I found'..........WHAA!, a cushion.  We all scrabbled around for a look and Catti showed us the inside of the bag and sure enough, there was the back zip!

Who would guess, this lovely bag is a cushion cover?

Catti then pulled another bag out from under and showed us this one, she got the fabric from our 'Bring and Buy' table for $2, and the lining for .50cents

A very swish bag for $2.50, well not the handles of course, but you can see the clever way that Catti has attached the handles, they can be interchangeable!
And so as the early birds pack up to leave, our hard working leader is just settling down to put a few stitches into her mending project, and no doubt wondering why Catti didn't have those bags out on the Show and Tell table, as did the rest of us.

Oh, almost forgot, Arvo tea was delish....again....Fran's ginger shortbread bikkies, ginger cake, other biscuits and a plate of lovely fresh rockmelon slices.

Grandsons Birthday Quilt.....

and lots of other lovelies, but first this wonderful quilt Ailsa has made for her Grandson's upcoming Birthday

Black silhouettes on backgrounds with pieced blocks in between makes for a stunning quilt.
Ailsa is also wearing a vest she created in a class some time back.  Lots of lovely 3-D applique, front and back,  makes this vest another stunner.

 Closer views of some of the vehicles, lots of debate as to which one will be the Grandie's  fav. Collectible or maybe the Ferrari?

Winnifred, shyly hiding behind her W.I.P.,  is working on a small version of 'tumbling blocks' that she is hand piecing, hand quilting and then will be turning the finished panel into a cushion.

And yes! neatness does count! tiny neat stitches and quilting.

Fran is also up to her ears, figuratively speaking in W.I.P.'s, she is working on 4, yes 4 of these lovelies, ribbon embroidered hearts, one of which will be turned into a needle case for a lucky family member, the other 3 are to be framed.

Each heart shape is formed with a different selection of embroidered flowers with an appropriate colour scheme, Fran is showing the lovely soft pink roses.

Beryl bought along a quilt that she did awhile back in a class with Jan T. Urquhart, using Jan's own invention, a fast piecing system that also teaches colour value, that she has named 'Listen With Your Eyes'.

Jan has a wealth of information on her web site and blog, including Free Quilting Lessons and Free EQ7 lessons as well as info.  Pop over here to visit with Jan.
Beryl choose an all over quilting design of four leaf clovers and swirls.

Wendy has finished her 30's fabric quilt that she started on our recent retreat (It's still recent, isn't it? less than 6 months ago!)  "All those little squares" she told us, all to be cut and then stitched back together!

When Beryl was packing up, this wonderful carrier was spied, one of the first things she made at the beginning of her quilting journey, The tutor advised against quilting the bag, something that Beryl now regrets, nevertheless it is a stunning carrier.

lots of lovely blocks showcasing not only patchwork techniques, but some lovely stitching as well.

There are sunflowers appliqued onto both ends of the bag.

Arvo Tea was wonderful as usual with an assortment of sangers, a mud cake and two lovely tea cakes, snaffled a slice of the apple one - bottom right, lovely and moist and subtly spiced.  Yummo