More beautiful hand dyes..........

Meg bought along another big box of hand dyed silks for us to share yesterday, including occasional pieces of lace and braids, yummo, everyone had a ball but it was so hard to choose just one piece,

At times the competition got a little fast and furious, with every toss of the fabrics unearthing another treasure.
Thank you again Meg for sharing your beautiful bounty with us.

Wendy showed us this beautifully stitched little treasure with the vibrant sashings complimenting the coloured stitcheries.

I have to tell you, those little stitchery raindrops have nothing in common with the raindrops that are falling as I sit here in front of the computer, its pouring, and the drops are huge.

Wendy went on to confess that the backing was a fabric from her stash..........from when her kiddies were little tots.  She wasn't sure what she bought it for originally, but thought perhaps PJ's??

Would have made cute Jim Jams for littlies, but better as a backing, what do you think?

So a day with not much Chantelle (Show and Tell) was rounded off by a delicious Arvo Tea, and I heard a rumor that next week, recipes will appear........will post them for you.  That chocolate and nut mud cake was divine, can't tell you about the strawberry and plum tea cake, it got scoffed real fast but if the ummmm's were any indication it was yummo too.

Binding with a Difference - It's Fluffy Binding

We all love something new and different, and Linda, from Flourishing Palms Blog, has posted a tutorial on how she constructs Fluffy Binding.

Isn't that just the cutest binding you ever saw? just perfect for a kiddies quilt, would even be super on a Shabby Chic quilt.
Linda's tutorial is clearly written with step by step instructions and clear pics.

The easiest way ever to bury those pesky quilting threads

Brenda from Serendipity Patchwork  posted a link to RedBarn Studios where quilt artist  K Grace Howes has posted this amazing tutorial on how to easily bury the tails of your quilting threads.



I have to confess that I really couldn't imagine an easy way of doing this yucky job........but there it is, one of those tips that I know I will use on every quilt from this day onwards.

Pop over to RedBarn's tutorial and see for yourself.  Oh and while your are there, look up 'FUN FACTS'...........Gotta go, there is a whole new web site and blog to explore.

500 Art Quilts.........Stunning new Book

This eagerly awaited book finally arrived yesterday, had to pre-order it, but finally it is here

It is chock full of the most inspiring quilts, but the quilt I was particularly waiting with baited breath to view was Grass, (on page 151 if you have a copy to hand) a quilt by talented quilter Brenda Gael Smith.

Growing up in N.Z. Brenda now lives and works in Copacabana N.S.W. (how romantic does that sound - Copacabana- just had to say it again...).  Brenda is a quilter, quilt tutor, and quilt designer with lots of patterns available on her site.

Brenda will be coming to Brisbane with the Textile Art Festival  being held at the Exhibition Center on the  25th to 27th June. with a very exciting part of the Festival being the world premiere of the Twelve by Twelve exhibition, including demonstrations and floor talks by her, just think of it, 144 quilts all 12" x 12", from the Artists first theme series.  Now I know this will come as a total surprise to you all, but my fave challenge by these girls is "Pink" from their first colourplay series, followed by "Chocolate"  Being familiar with some of the styles of these 12 talented quilters, its rather fun to look at a theme and pick who did what.

The book is available now from both Amazon Books for AUD 30.84 including shipping or from Book Depository AUD 27.49 with free shipping.  From my experience there isn't a lot of difference in the shipping times.


To see a pic of 'Grass' pop over to Brenda's contemporary quilts site and scroll down to the third row,  hover your mouse over the pic and left click, a larger pic will come up on your screen.  There are other quilts along the same vein on the page too, so lots to see and drool over.

A Joypatch Pattern Giveaway....hurry to join in

Joy from Joypatch has a giveaway on her blog, it is the cutest bag pattern with pretty little pleats around the sides, held in place with beads, the imagination can run riot with the beading combinations.  I haven't had time to ask Joy for a picie, so you will just have to take my word for just how pretty and gorgeous this bag is.  One version has the sweet braided handles while the other version you make your own handles.

This bag pattern is hot of the presses, Joy hasn't shipped it to any stores or even put it in her own internet stores as yet, and we have 3 chances to win one for free!!  Just click the round Joypatch Button in the sidebar - (I have moved the button up to the top to make it easy for you) and leave a comment at the bottom of Joy's  post........Joy will be picking the winners on Sunday 21st February, so get in quick!, and good luck.

An enthusiasm for Crazy Patchwork builds and a disaster......

firstly - the disaster, something that I worry about happening, did happen, there were some lovely items on the show and tell table yesterday,  I got called away while Sheila was showing them and their creators were telling their stories,......I usually don't fret too much when that happens, I get the low down from the creator when I take the pics - but yesterday,... dare I confess? - (in a bit of a whisper)....."I didn't take a pic".  Can you believe it?
I am still reeling.
So here, with apologies, are a couple of  cropped pics of some really beautiful work that I will hopefully be able to update next week.

A beautiful and beautifully stitched tapestry cushion, and just behind it, a casserole carrier, I saw that beauty being shown by Sheila and I can tell you it is just the ant's pants, large enough for a decent sized casserole or lasagne dish, stout wooden handles and well padded, I shall be keeping my eyes peeled at the next fair for one of these beauties, or maybe a commission?? ----

And these two lovely Jewellery rolls, I didn't even see them laid out......but the colours are magnificient, just calling to you to have a little pat and a pet.

Jenny, from the Thursday Evening group has agreed to be the Judge of our Lyn Ballinger Challenge this year, 

and for some of us the challenge is going to live up to it's name, just cast your peepers over this little bombshell on the side!... in particular that bottom line..........no Patchwork Cottons .....eeeek.

Thank goodness Sheila organised a little treasure bag of laces and goodies for us as our Christmas Gift.

Jenny very kindly agreed to come along to our meeting to give us a bit of a heads up on just what is involved in Crazy Patchwork, now unless you have really looked into Crazy Patchwork it could leave you a little cold.........but after yesterday not even a tinsy nip was to be felt, everyone is totally enthused, Jenny explained her method of Crazy Patch and had many samples of her wonderful work,as well as some examples of her students work, and on top of that, patterns that Jenny teaches down at Patchwork Angel, in particular the cutest little box. Just gorgeous, give the girls at the Angel a tingle to join Jenny in a class.


Janice getting a few pointers from Jenny on her 4 square throw, sashed with black velvet, this sumptuous piece seemed to be the most popular piece on show.

with an abundance of ribbons, buttons, beads and the most intricate embroidery  you can spend ages drooling over each block........don't ask how I know......the tinsy cupids aiming their arrows at the tiny gold heart, the spider and her web, and the curiosity of what story is behind this piece with the olympic rings embroidered on one square.

The black fringe and the myriad of textured fabrics give this throw a feeling of luxury, Jenny wanted it to reflect some of the colours and memories of South Africa, and I think she has certainly succeeded.

Jenny had quite a pile of blocks, a WIP of outstanding proportions, how beautifully embroidered they all are.

More of Jenny's goodies, how special would you feel, off to a special event with this evening bag

 and a cuter than cute work basket, full of goodies for Crazy Patch.

As we arrived yesterday, Sheila gave each member a number, well, we knew we were in for a treat, and what a surprising and generous treat it was. 
Meg, who you will surely remember, makes the most divine silk bags, bought along a box full of her hand dyed silks as a gift for us and also gave us a few pointers on using and stitching silk.

Just look at that box full of the most vibrant through to the most beautifully subtle shaded silks.  Can you imagine the ooohs and ahhs as each number was called and the silks were turned over.......not to mention the gasped prayers of  'oh gosh, please leave that, it would be perfect'. There is lots of sharing and trading, and groups getting together to see just what we really do have in our stashes.  Thank you Meg for being so generous and sharing with us.

It certainly was a day for the opulent, Janette bought along a quilt that has been 3 years in the making, a house warming for one of her Sons.  Janette, with Janet as helper, smiled beautifully in this pic, can't you see them? just behind the quilt, standing on chairs to show of the quilt in all it's glory........what we do for our passion!

and now you see why they stood on chairs for us, otherwise we would have missed out on the top of a fabulous applique quilt.  Janette machine quilted this beauty herself, and I don't believe the grin behind the quilt could have been any bigger than this smile of justifiable pride.

Julie gathered these fabrics at a Brisbane Craft show last year with a quilt in mind for her Niece's new baby to be, on turning to leave the booth she then spied the quilt pattern........and so one very lucky little miss has a lovely new quilt.......mind you, this is the second quilt that the little great niece has received from her great Aunty

a collage of some of the animals that Julie has stitched into the white on white spotted squares in her great Niece's quilt.

Remember those cute teddies and the nine patches from last week, well Betty decided to use some of her Japanese fabrics as hearts for their tummies, aren't they so cute?

These little bears are going to make the loveliest quilt for one of the younger set, Betty is using a Country Cupboard Designs pattern

and just look at the cute little tote that comes with the pattern, wouldn't a little girl just love that for a gift.