Jelly Roll Race and other things

The day of the big Jelly Roll Race finally arrived, lots of anticipation and eagerness to get going, of course, there was the last minute dash by those doing the busy-busy thing, not quite being in two places at once, but pretty close to it

Christine was  ripping the wrapping from her roll at 2 mins before 'go' time.

Then there was the reading of the rules by the adjudicator

Finally, the much awaited Ready, Set, Go!!!

And they were off,

Lots of calm control at this stage.

Mind you, someone was under a bit of a handicap, after a run in with something sharp in her quilting room - (I hear tell that there was a bit of a dash to the doc who promptly informed her that the wound was 'still pumping'...and she didn't pass out!! how's that for brave!)

None of that affected her sense of humour though, when she promptly stitched both ends of the first two strips together...

a bit of a quick un-stitch and she was off....

While the racing gals were heads down, the rest of us were busily 'doing' and 'admiring',
Lorraine bought along a finally finished quilt, started 3 years ago from a quilting magazine pattern.
Stunning pattern, Stunning rendition.

Sue had a couple of hours free this morning and ran this little darling up, who can see this as a part of your 'day at the races' accessories??

Beautiful yellow daisies on the front with a black and white/lemon back, spliced with a zip to form a secure pocket for your winnings - there are a few of the little cut off triangle from the Jelly Race strips poked in the opening to show off the zippered pocket.

Yeah, I hear you, who in their right mind would be wandering around with fabric bits that really belong in the bin....well, someone who had read the Ami Simms post on crumb quilts, or watched the youtube video on Ami's post featuring Megan Null and her lovely scrappy quilt.  Megan wastes nothing...NOTHING...I'm so in awe.
Bye the Bye, a big thank you to the ladies taking part in the race who donated all those lovely tinsy little scraps, they will make lovely blocks.

Anyhooo.....go watch the vid, read about the challenge and peek at Megans lovely scrappy quilt.

There were lots of 'Scottie Dogs" being finished off, but with the excitement of the Race we decided to have a kennel club meeting next week, except for this little guy, Marcia bought her flat pup along to show us before she stuffs and posts him.  He is just adorable and someone special is going to love him to bits.

Back to the Race!!
Lots of stitchin' going on, but Christine is wondering just how big a pile 1600" of fabric strips makes.

Back at the Ranch, oh well, back in the main room, Fae was setting out some hexagons she has been working on

...muttering about, 'a decision has to be made' and 'joining bits' - I'm sure hexie creators would understand.

Finally, she was happy.  Decision made!.
Looks very pretty, hope we see more of these please Fae.

The tension is mounting, those strips are starting to form a flimsy!

On the last lap!  Marie and Wendy are going neck and neck - who will be the winner??

 

And its.........

a draw!  these two amazing quilters ripped their flimsies from their machines at the same instant!!

Show Time!
Marie shows off her flimsey

Wendy is rather entranced by the dots, well not really, well, maybe she is, maybe she is just giving thanks that the race is over..........and no injuries - (really she looked down to answer someone's question just as the pic was snapped.)

Well Done winners, well done participants, hoping to see all those flimseys finished and turned into quilts real soon  ;)

It's been mentioned before, about our 'display cabinet' where each month a different Cottage Group displays their members art work.
The current display, with the families permission, is all about the work of one woman, an amazing needleworker and caring lady.

Jane Filmore was a member of the Cottage since 1994 until her recent passing, she was an amazing instructor, although I do remember her telling me to 'go home and practice how to hold your needle, and by the way, that crowbar you have is no where near a needle!'
As a novice I was gobsmacked!!, but she was so right! and although I will never be a 'real' embroider I'm grateful for what she taught.
Jane always told it as it truly was, but was always willing to help you understand the vagaries of the needle and thread.
For more on the life of this amazing lady read from our Newsletter here.

Some of Jane's lovely needlework, for a closer look pop into our Atrium at 5 Main Street Buderim.

Scottie Dog Softie Workshop

Heads Down for our first workshop of the year, creating cute little scottie dog softies.

Marie found the pattern as a freebie on the net and was rather taken by just how cute this little fellow looks and how simple it is to personalise his look. 
Marie whipped up two variations to show us, this guy with his ric rac trimmed orange neckerchief is using 2.5" squares with felt eyes.

This cute little guy, also using felt for his eyes, with a lovely tartan bow is more 2 dimensional , using 1.5" squares, he is just about 7" high, no gusset, with a front and a back stitched together, turned, softly stuffed and stitched closed.  Just perfect for a new babe.

Story goes that the original pattern was a freebie way back, possibly in the 1940's in an American ladies magazine.  Apparently there are squillions, well lots, that surface in garage sales and antique sales across the states. Sheila reckons she has an Aussie magazine original pattern from the 1960's, so who knows, maybe we will start another wave of creating these cuties.

 

By the end of the afternoon, great progress had been made, 

Courtney was snapped at the beginning of the workshop, planning her colour layout.

 

Sheila went for a predominance of bright primary colours  for her scottie.

Wendy went for a checkerboard effect with dots and plain red

While Janice's choices were more country in flavour.

Just love the black and white zig zags in this one, gives it a modern slant.

Of course, that super swift stitcher Lorraine had finished the assembly and just about completely stuffed her dog by the end of day.

Can't wait to see the finished doggies, which ones will be girls and which ones guys? and will there be a unisex doggie? you know, one with a changeable look, such as a bow for girly days and maybe a studded collar for the more macho moods.

The possibilities are endless

If you feel the need to make one of these cuties, pop over to Denyse Schmidt's site for a PDF pattern and directions.  I think Denyse suggests 2.25" squares and we used 2.5" squares.

Thank you Marie for the class and the great pics.

On the charity quilt front, progress is moving along with Gwen having stitched these blocks from her scrappy stash and Val quilting them together.

The use of burgundy for the sashing gives another look to this ever so versatile Q.A.Y.G.

Next workshop, which is next week (no sitting on hands for us) is the Jelly Roll Race!!

Remember, it has to be a complete Jelly Roll of 40 x 42" strips to be in the competition.

The winner, that is the gal who stitches her Jelly Roll into a quilt flimsy first will win either a lovely box of choccies or a couple of fatties.

No Jelly Roll? well take a leaf out of Lorraine's book and cut yourself 40 x W.O.F. strips in colours that you love/like//hate/ think will go together in a quilt top.

If however, you have a Honey Bun, or other roll, bring it along, join the fun, there will be a prize for those who finish but don't use a Jelly Roll.

Yeah, we know, were softies at heart, not to mention lovers of all things choccie.  Well maybe not all things choccie, not ever gonna try one of those chocolate coated ants.......no way, no how!!! yetch!!

Thusday night.

It has been a slow start for the Thursday night group with the numbers down.
Denise, however has been busy. She bought two quilt tops for show and tell.............

...............................and this jelly roll quilt.

If I am not mistaken, this also belongs to Denise.

Jane - and her 1/2" quilt - but I think she has something else she wants to start!

Jane A was hand quilting this little panel.

Marlene busy with her kites - she did tell us how many she has to make - but the number escapes me.

Jackie was busy with her GTSBQ.

For those of you who are interested in making this little mug bag please download the pattern. http://www.red-berry.com/sew-chic-butterfly-mugbag/

Jenny upcycled a Dollie for the front of the little bag, but anything goes.

Jenny will be using her mug bag as a sewing caddy replacing the teabag pocket with some wool felt for needles.

 

Till Thursday night!

Gearing up for our next Quilt Show

Yes, planning is underway for our next quilt show in 2015.
It was suggested that the group members all make a block for the raffle quilt, the pattern has been chosen and Gwen will be guiding us through the process, and for some of us who only machine quilt it will also be a learning curve on hand piecing.

Gwen shared these blocks with the group today to show the way and to inspire us.

As most of us know, Heather moved house at the end of last year, today she shared this lovely Christmas wall hanging that she had created for her new home. 

Now normally the pics are cropped down to give you a better view, normally...but things aren't swinging too normally in my neck of the woods at the moment.  It's to do with house painting and a packed up office/sewing room, all last minute, so I can't find a thing, including the computer mouse and for the life of me I can't work out how to crop pics on the laptop....I'm sure I can find out, but not just at this moment.  Nevertheless, I'm sure you can enjoy Heather's lovely hanging.

We have all been making scrappy quilts over the past few months, well almost a year now, and some folks are looking for different patterns to use, here are two links that you might enjoy, both via Ami Simms,  this one is also on youtube thanks to Ami.
Ami met Megan Null at a class she was giving and noticed Megan saving all the little scraps Ami usually tells her students to throw away.  Pop over to Ami's post, scroll down and watch the video of how Megan uses every little piece of fabric.
http://amisimms.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/the-2014-crumb-quilt-challenge/

The second scrappy quilt is from Ami Simms facebook page and is a class she teaches. https://www.facebook.com/AmiSimmsQuilter

Haven't had time yet to contact Ami or search her site for a pattern but there is bound to be one.

Thank you very much to Marie for taking the Show and Tell pics for us and the stories.

Looking forward to another year of fun...

...frolics, camaraderie, great quilts and (if Marie and Pat have their way) a few learning curves to boot.
To start us off, some pics of a beautiful doily quilt with a lovely story.

Marlene's daughter collected a number of her M.I.L's doilies, added a few others to the collection and then asked Marlene to make a quilt for said M.I.L as a special gift to help celebrate one of those milestone Birthdays, it was a very special celebration with family traveling from interstate to join in the fun.

While Marlene was chatting about the quilt and what quilting designs to use, one of our members, Judy, who also happens to be a very talented long arm quilter mentioned that she had never quilted a doily quilt before and wouldn't mind the challenge!!! Well, you can guess the rest, but I bet you didn't guess that Judy, after quilting quite a bit of the quilt decided that she didn't like the result, so she de-quilted it and started again! Now that's perfectionism.

So for a bit of quiltin' amazin' pop over to Furball Farm blog and just drool over Judy's latest quilting post, the most darling wall hanging 'Dolly Dress Ups', just don't forget to come back!

First meeting of the year was last week, sorry I missed it, but you won't, thanks to Lorraine who took some great pics to share with you.

Val, a 'Brisbane Lions' quilt

Val’s dh is an ardent (shouldn’t we say “rabid”) supporter of the Brisbane Lions. Val took the picture from their logo and made this knee rug. It is avidly shown around when fellow supporters, or not, as the case may be, come to visit. It is raw edge appliqué.

Pat - "What Colour is an Elephant" by Jenny Kingwell

 

Pat made this gorgeous baby quilt from a pattern in Quilter Companion – with a few changes from the original.

The quilt is made for Pat’s daughter-in-law’s friend. If that is a mouthful to read imagine what it was like to write it. The friend lives in Melbourne and is due to have her first baby on 13 Feb.  D-I-L asked Pat to make her something special.
 
 More on raw edge applique from Val

Following on from the Lion Val remembered that about 6 years ago Lorraine Carthew came to Buderim and did a workshop on raw edge appliqué. Like most of us the workshop item wasn’t finished but Val got it out and completed the fish.

 Lucky Needlework Gals to get a workshop from Val

No, not this wallhanging, although Val did think it was a goer but then decided to create another, more complicated design, lots of over and under pieces.  Sadly no pic, supposed to be there but not showing up.  Will try and get another for you. The Kimonos are cute but aren't they.

And so on to this weeks Show and Tell:
More from Val,  now this gal is prolific, so I took my courage in hand and asked the rude? question, just how long did it take to make that quilt Val?
guess...just guess how long it too to make this quilt.

2 mornings - I kid you not! Zoom is a word that sprang to mind.
Don't you just love the pieced backing?
Val is going to give our group a quick demo on the assembly of this quilt, super easy with only two points that the seams have to line up. A little different and just perfect for a Charity Quilt.

Again from Val
Val was gifted a stack of Moda 5" charm squares, She designed this lovely, which if you are early you will catch a glimpse of and possibly be the lucky purchaser of at our 2014 Easter Fair on 19th April.

 Beautifully worked appliqued flowers interspersing the charm squares.

 Val machine quilted a lovely trailing hearts design around the borders. Click on the pic for a bigger version to see the stitching.

 

The Judging for our Annual Lyn Ballinger Challenge is coming up fast, scarily fast.  The theme this year is 'Circle of Communication' with the challenge to make a bag/pouch/sleeve to hold a handheld electronic communication device.

Lorraine I. ran up a few ideas (you like that? ran up?) over the Christmas Break, the circles on the pink folder are pretty self explanatory with the buttons.  the Circular shoulder bag has a handy little pouch to slip your mobile into.

A rather novel chenille circle closure on the little green pouch while the blue pouch is adorned with a more traditional elasticised loop and button closure and the black I-pad cover.....well, I'm guessing it is for Lorraine's darling, what with the letter G and all, and those loop and button closures, - got 'guy' written all over them.
UPDATE-e-mail just popped up from Lainey...."On/Off switch to complete the 'Circle of Communication' of course"   -  clever or what?

Now have you ever been involved in giving back to the community?, as is in, you know what has been proposed, you know it happened, 'cause you got to read the 'thank you' note, but you never really saw the result, in the flesh - so to speak - well our group provide the funds for this really great sunshade for one of our local Nippers groups (Nippers, as in Junior Life Savers ) so just imagine the excitement when Sheila, trundling along the beach with the Grandies spotted the latest Surf Carnival featuring out little donation. Talk about make your heart proud, or as someone else said "make your eyes stand out on sticks"

 It's what we love to do, support the community where we live.