6 things I learned from the challenge quilt

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Only 5 more sleeps until our annual Challenge Quilt unveiling / Christmas party. I don’t know about you but I just spent the weekend furiously trying to get my piece finished. As you know I like to share your pain and create a piece too – even though it is just for display. After spending around 200 hours on this work I have decided that some things are too much and so my offering will be a quilt top – un-quilted. I thought it would be a shame to spoil things by trying to quilt it myself and after struggling to get the beast through the small gap of my machine I cracked. I have decided to send the top off to be quilted by someone cleverer than I.

Here’s some things I learned along the way:
1. Quilt as you go doesn’t work when you overlap appliques from one section to the next;
2. If you’re going to build the Great Wall of China start early (i.e. earlier than you did!)
3. If you leave the main area until the last weekend – and it’s a weekend when it’s 40 degrees – you will overheat;
4. It is amazing how far you can jam a needle down your finger;
5. Pins are evil and will try to bite you whenever they can; and
6. Family members have a breaking point when it comes to the constant sound of a sewing machine.

What has been nice about this project, being the theme ‘Music’ is that I have been listening to my record collection (yes vinyl) while I’ve been making this quilt. The teenager-in-residence has picked up a few new bands and I have been reminiscing about my lost youth.

Here’s a sneak preview of what I’ve been working on….

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Now for all the information you need for the event:

  • Date: Saturday 22nd November
  • Time:  10am to 2pm ( please don’t arrive early as we have to set up the hall)
  • Address:  Presbyterian Hall, Queen’s Road, Clayfield
  • Bring:  A plate of food to share
  • Also bring:  A pincushion if you want to participate in the ‘Secret Santa Pincushion Swap Extravaganza’

Before next Saturday we need your challenge quilt entry – if you can bring it to class this week that would be great – as the requirements are so broad we don’t know what we have to ‘hang’ and there are very limited resources at the hall so if we have the entries in advance we can work out how to show them.

Also by the classes this week we need your raffle tickets – we have to break up all the books and this takes time – please do not leave it to Saturday.

A representative of Bluecare will be drawing the lucky ticket and Trudy’s family will be in attendance so it should be quite a day.

Look forward to seeing you there.

 

A baby AND a quilt show!

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Great excitement on Friday when I was at the quilt show in Brisbane – a new grand-daughter – clearly a good omen I’d say. Number 1 son and his fair maid welcomed their first child – Eleanor Margaret Kaye – 8lb – mother and baby doing well. Here’s a photo, the best available so far of Lady Eleanor and her adoring grandmother:
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And here’s some of what you missed at the quilt show:

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Can you have too many quilts in one weekend – no way!

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I thought you might like to see some more photos from last week’s craft show at Laidley:
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There really was some beautiful work at the show – aren’t the people of Laidley and nearby clever?

Now not content with three days of peach blossoms and craft we decided to drive out to Samford on Sunday to check out their quilt show! We weren’t disappointed as we found wonderful quilts including miniature marvels from Lorraine Sheane-Smith. This lady’s work is truly amazing. I thought you might like to visit the show now albeit virtually. Prepare for a photo-fest…….

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I’m sure you must be impressed. We certainly were. We also caught up with some old friends. Some of you may remember two delightful beginners from a couple of years ago. Tash and Joanne were both making baby quilts for their first babies and hurried to finish in time. They brought their babies to visit and then we have’t seen them for a while. Quite a while as it turned out. Those babies (Angelina and Asher) are now 3 years old and now have a brother and sister (Charles and Evie) respectively. How did that time go so fast? Just goes to show – life is short – quilt faster! Another reason to get all those UFO projects finished.

I believe there is another show in Toowoomba this weekend. Now should I do the laundry, work on my challenge quilt or nip up to Toowoomba tomorrow???

 

Laidley leaps into Spring

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Jan and I are having a great time at the Spring Festival in Laidley. You can find us at the Uniting Church at the quilt show. Just follow the queue for strawberries and ice cream but be warned they are addictive. And so are the peach blossoms and the home-made cakes and, well you get the general idea.

As always the good folk of Laidley have done a sterling job and the show is a real hit. Come and see us tomorrow and stay for the street parade. Rather than me tell you about it any more here’s some photos:

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We brought the ‘Flowers for Trudy’ quilt as you can see and everyone has been very impressed and we have sold more tickets which is wonderful although it’s sad to think we may only have it with us for another couple of months.

Jan’s been busy doing demos:

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And the tablerunner Mum made was a big hit:

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Oh and did I mention the food?

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It’s the last day tomorrow so we look forward to seeing you.

Blue is the new black

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Tiffany Blue actually. Let me go back a little – contrary to popular belief I have been rather busy lately behind the scenes. One of the things I have worked on is re-vamping the blog. As I am somewhat technologically-challenged this has probably taken me longer than it would someone who knew what they were about. But c’est la vie. Apart from the alteration in the header and the addition of the beautiful shade of blue in the background I have also changed the galleries to show each photo rather than a slideshow. There are so many images on the site now that the slideshow was taking way to long to find what you wanted. Hopefully this way is easier for you.

I have also added ‘widgets’ to the bottom of each post that will enable you to share posts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. Not only that but the sidebar on the right under ‘Search’ you can find another link to my own Pinterest page.

This Pinterest page started some time ago and includes lots of quilting-related boards as well as others for Paris (of course) and other places and things that interest me. One board that might interest you is the Pincushion board. This board is filled with ideas that may help you with your Secret Santa challenge. Let me know how you go.

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come”

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Thanks Shakespeare. Well maybe not too many wrinkles but definitely with the rest. So it’s that time of year again when there are birthdays galore at Apatchy. Mine was a few weeks past but this week we have the wonderful Jan’s on Sunday (a day she shares with a few others such as Joananne and Susan) and then there’s Mum’s on Wednesday – she will be visiting us and so we can celebrate her special day together – 84 candles this year. Last but not least Apatchy Quilting is 6 years old this year. This means we’ve beaten the statistic that says most small businesses fail within 5 years. Not only are we not failing we are going from one success to the next. To celebrate we’re having an event – here’s a clue
PicMonkey Collage birthday sale
This week only – we’re having a birthday sale – 20% off EVERYTHING (except classes and the sale table). Oh and an additional 10% for those clever people who are in our Geronimo Club. As usual Jan will be running the Tuesday and Wednesday classes and I will be around after Wednesday too so give me a call if you can’t make it for the classes. And for those who live far away – just mention BIRTHDAY in your order and you too will receive the discount.

Are you up for a challenge?

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It’s that time of year again when we issue a challenge to all our clever ladies to come up with a quilt that will fit a theme and be shown at the Christmas party event at the end of the year. Before we talk about the challenge let’s talk about our Christmas Party – it’s only4 months away – I know hard to believe isn’t it?
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Generally at the Christmas Party we have a ‘Secret Santa’ gift swap where everyone brings a gift to exchange. This year we thought we’d try to be a bit more creative – actually it was Jan who suggested it so all kudos to her – instead of bringing a gift this time we want you to bring a pincushion to exchange.
All those who bring a pincushion will take one home. Here’s your chance to try a new technique or just ‘de-stash’ a little. All you have to do is:
1. Make a pincushion.

2. Wrap it up in Christmas paper (the mystery makes swapping more exciting!)

3. Bring it to the Christmas party

4. You will receive a number and when your number is called you choose a ‘gift’ and get a pincushion to keep!

Need some inspiration? There are lots of pincushion patterns at Apatchy or you could create your own!
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And now on to the challenge……
We have had some wonderful exhibits in the past and the more there are the more interesting and fun the event – so if you haven’t entered before why don’t you have a go this time?
This time the rules are a little different in order to leave the event open to more types of work – which should make it all the more interesting!
So here are the guidelines:
– The challenge runs until 21st November 2014.
– There are two prizes – the winner judged by a neutral party; and the Viewer’s Choice Award
– You may make anything you like as long as it’s either quilted and/or embroidered. It can be machine or hand stitched.
– If it’s a quilt then make sure there is a hanging sleeve so we can hang it at the Christmas Party. Likewise other works should be able to be ‘shown’ at the display.
– Write a few words about your project including how it fits into the theme and you’re done.
The Christmas party will be held on Saturday 22nd November (earlier than previously advertised) and this event will also see the drawing of the raffle for the group “Flowers for Trudy” quilt – all proceeds of which are going to the Blue Nurses.
Oh and you’re wondering about the theme – well here it is….
Drum roll please, or maybe a fanfare on a trumpet…… the theme this year is

challenge picture 3MUSIC

Maybe it’s a favourite song or artist that inspires you, maybe it’s the harmony of hundreds of hexagons, perhaps a quilt for a loved one with musical instruments, or a landscape of the Austrian alps (the hills being alive with you-know-what or a skirt with guitar fabric (told you it didn’t have to be a quilt). Away you go…create my beauties
Here’s some inspiration:
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Maryborough Show

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Having a great weekend at the Rotary Heritage Craft weekend at Maryborough. Remember last year we were here we challenged one of the organisers to make up our owl? Well he did and here’s the proof.

Before

Before


After

After


We hung our ‘Flowers for Trudy’ quilt and we have had a huge response to it. Everyone loves the bright colours and are quite disappointed when we tell them it isn’t a kit for sale. We have sold quite a few raffle tickets so we have raised more for the Blue Nurses which is great.
We have seen some beautiful quilts here – both machine-pieced and hand-embroidered. Plus there are great stalls here. I have helped the local economy you will be pleased to hear.
It’s also been very nice spending time with Mum and Dad who have been helping Jan and I. We’ve discovered some hidden gems including a great breakfast spot.
Here are some photos from the show. Come and say hello if you’re in town tomorrow.
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Winners are Grinners!

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Well it has certainly been an inspiring weekend for some Apatchy girls – at the show at Brookfield two of our girls swept the awards – Lesa with her magnificent modern Baltimore and Chris with her wonderful tea cosies. Have a look at the photos and tell me they aren’t happy. Great work ladies, congratulations!

Chris as winner

What a champion!

What a champion!


And here’s the winning tea cosies:
Chris is a winner!

Chris is a winner!

Chris wins again

Chris wins again

Chris makes her third cosy and takes a hat trick

Chris makes her third cosy and takes a hat trick

A little peep at Lesa's prizewinning quilt

A little peep at Lesa’s prizewinning quilt

The Importance of Quilting and how it saved the life of a Japanese grandmother

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Recently my sister welcomed some visitors from Japan – the parents, sister and grandmother of an exchange student she had hosted some years before. All were impressed with the art quilts on the wall and the lovely quilts on the beds. One particular quilt struck them as it featured a Geisha with Japanese writing. They were all very complimentary about the quilts but it was the grandmother that said something profound.
She indicated via her grandson, who translated, that she had lived a full, happy and interesting life and was ready to meet her maker – that was until she saw the quilts. She said that she would now have to re-evaluate her sense of accomplishment as she saw that there was a lot more she could do yet.
This lovely lady was a teacher in the ancient Japanese tea ceremony and perhaps she was drawn by the simplicity of the quilts, or perhaps the imagination required. Whatever it was quilting managed to reinvigorate her and inspire her to create. What a great story!
If you need any more inspiration have a look at the comments that Trudy’s daughters left on the last post.
Quilting is such a great pastime – it allows you to be creative even if you’re not that artistic, it gives you a sense of accomplishment when you finish a project (and perhaps a sense of annoyance when those seams just won’t line up). Perhaps you view it as ‘therapy’ or you enjoy the sense of community from being with other quilters and sharing their stories. Maybe it connects you with history and memories of your childhood or connects you with the quilters that came before and becomes a living memorial.
Perhaps it is a practical way to keep your family warm or an artistic way to keep their memories alive.
It seems to me that quilting can be a lot of things – artistic, creative, practical and even controversial -look at the arguments for and against ‘modern’ quilts on social media sites. It can be frustrating and wonderful in equal measure. What does it mean to you? I’d love to know.
Have a happy Easter and travel safely.
Here are some free bunny-related patterns for you to enjoy. IMG_4155