Friday 26 April 2013

2013 Springwood Quilt Show

This morning I had a look aorund the Springwood Annual Quilt Show with my mum. There were lots of lovely quilts on display.
Here's me with my entry - Mermaid on the Rocks. The pattern for this will be available from May 1st.
I'm still wearing the white glove you have to wear if you want to look at the back of the quilts. I wanted to take a peek at binding treatment and labels this year, to make sure I was doing them right ... I'm pretty sure I got them right.
The only prize at this show is a viewer's choice. This one was my choice. It is all hand appliqued and quilted. What a massive achievement.
 This one was mum's favourite and her pick for the viewer's choice. The outside borders are done with machine embroidery in tiles and then sewn together.
 We were only allowed to choose one quilt for viewer's choice, but this one came in a close second for me.The blues together were striking and some of the applique images were quite art nouveau in style all though the quitl was called symbols of Japan.
 This one was my third choice and the first quitl I noticed as I walked in. The photo doesn't really do the colours justice.
I met the owner of this quilt as I was admiring it. It took her a year to finish (she had a young son in tow, so no woner really). It has lots of really pretty details like applique butterflies and stitchery. She said it was well worth the effort and I agree with her totally.

Most of the quilts were on a larger scale than mine. I'm not sure the smaller quilts get much attention and I would like to spinsir an award for the smaller quilt next year (if it is permitted).

Mum and I also enjoyed looking at the trader stalls and I bought a few buttons and a pile of used magazines.

Hope you enjoyed this small snapshot of a very successful show,
Jennidee

Saturday 13 April 2013

Travelling Pattern, Do you need an angel? Free Pattern

I just heard of the travelling pattern and I am totally in love with the idea. I want to start one! But I suppose I need people to participate first.

I'm going to send THIS on a holiday for Cross Stitchers

So please leave me a comment if you would like her to visit your house? You don't have to turn it into a journal cover ... though I will send the instructions as well just incase anyone does want to do it. The swirls are done in metallics, but you can change that if you dont' like them. Please pass on the word to your friends. It is a free pattern that wants to see the world.

I will make a patchwork applique angel to send too, so if you applique ... please stay tuned.

Friday 5 April 2013

Donation Quilt Finished and posted

I began this quilt in January for Aussie Hero Quilts

http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au/

It's an organisation who send quilts to Australian service men and women who are on a tour of duty overseas. Lots of the pictures they send back are from very desolate places, and so the people who make these quilts aim to bring a bit of colour and comfort to the lives of the men and women while they deal with some pretty stressful conditions.

I was going for a green and gold look. Just about everyone who saw it said it look a bit feminine to be going to a soldier. But luckily it went to a lady captain in the Navy.
I hope she likes it. I was trying my hand at the braid block (or strip I suppose) and I do like how it turned out, but I'm not sure I'll do much of it in the future as it is a little time intensive and you have lots of off cuts (which I suppose you could use in a scrap quilt, but I don't make many of those either).
 
It's quilted with a spiral pattern that in places looks like wave, appropriate for the recipient.
 
I will be making some more of these donation quilts - in between paid projects like this one was. If you want to try making one, head over to the site and check it out. Thousands of quilts have already gone out, but requests for more come in all the time.
 
Jennidee

Tuesday 2 April 2013

First Australian Patchwork and Quilting Publication

I'm so excited to be in the applique special of Australian Patchwork and Quilting. I always wanted to be in this mag, and now I've made it for the first time, and hopefully not the last.
The issue number is Vol 22 No. 6 and here is how they styled my 'Breeze' applique wall hanging;
I remember how excited I was to finish this applique as it was my first large design. I still think she is lovely though. She is the start of something wonderful I think.

On other news, I've been blog crawling these past few days looking for other Australians on line. It's nice to ' meet' other people who are a little closer than America, the UK or Canada who I might one day be able to meet up with in person and have some creative time together.

I'm thinking of creating an Aussie blog link type page ... what do you think? I'm not really sure I want the extra work though. :)

I hope you've had a happy Easter. I've finished off two gorgeous new stitchery quilt tops (which don't currently have a home in a magazine, so I'll offer them up as soon as they are quilted .... so sorry, you'll have to wait a while to see them. And I finished the Arabian Night Top ready to be quilted later in the week.

We had visitors twice over the four day weekend, so I think I've done pretty well to get as much done as I did. How was your weekend?
Jennidee