Where have I been?

Well even I am finding it hard to keep up with me!

Caroline Bay Quilters Quilt show in March of which I am a member, had a very successful show. The venue and weather were perfect as were the quilts. Everyone who attended enjoyed themselves and we look forward to holding another exhibition in 2 years time.

AQC in Melbourne, Fairholme Quilters and Springwood Quilters in April, kept me on a never ending circle of packing and unpacking the car and constantly on the road. Its wonderful to attend these events and meet new people all the time.

Fairholme and Springwood Quilt shows are ones not to be missed so watch for upcoming events from these groups.

Campbelltown Quilters retreat this month was wonderful. I was the shop in attendance for the Saturday and what a lovely bunch of quilters these ladies are. Martin and I had a wonderful morning…thankyou. And of course this weekend (mothers day) I will be at the Arcadian Quilters show at the beautiful Swane’s Nursery in Galston.

My mighty mazda (zoom, z00m,zoom) gets me everywhere I need to go and without the help and support of my family I certainly wouldn’t get there.

New fabrics have been arriving all the time and sadly I havn’t been able to get these onto the web for you as they have just been selling so fast.

Three new fabrics from Marcus Bros…Tavern Greens, are now here and are a wonderful addition to your stash of American reproduction fabrics. Next week another 7 bolts will arrive and I will get these up onto the web as fast as I can. Click here to find out more.

 

 

 

 

 

There will be a “Shop Hop” here on the Central Coast involving myself and two other retailers (also on the Coast)  in September of  this year so keep watching the BlOG or subscribe to the newsletter to find out more information as it becomes available. We hope that this event will become an annual affair or possibly bi-annual….so stay tuned.

Carol

“Sunbursts”…new pattern release

Happy Easter,

Well I think I must win the biggest prize for eating the most chocolate before the “Bunny” got here….but thats what happens when he drops them on the floor before the official delivery day!

Wonderful autumn days and cooler nights are leading us towards winter and before we know it colder days will be with us.

My new pattern…”Sunbursts”, is now finally finished and patterns are now available on the website. Now is the perfect time to begin making a new quilt and what better way to use up all of those lovely civil war fabrics in your stash .

Click here  to purchase your pattern

You can view this quilt  at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne 12th -15th April 2012. Come along and see me and my quilts, and lots of other goodies at Stand 47. My stand is only little but full of big things!

As everyone now knows I am a fan of the Marti Michelle templates that I used in the making of this quilt and I am looking forward to my next sewing adventure using more of her templates.

You can visually follow the making of this quilt in the sewing tips section (to your right). Further and final updates will follow shortly.

I will be busy in many locations this year so dont forget to check the Up coming Events page (to your right) and keep in touch.

Carol

Caroline Bay Quilt Show

Come along and enjoy our quilt show this weekend. Everyone is invited, the more the merrier!

We are a very diverse group of quilters and I am sure that there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

All proceeds will go to the Aspect Central Coast School, The Iris Foundation and Riding for the Disabled here on the Central Coast. 

As well as being able to purchase wonderful hand made gifts from the group stall, I will be there with all of my goodies as well as Blueberries and Pieces to Treasure. Some members of our group will also have some prized quiltes for sale.

We have a beautiful William Morris raffle quilt so dont forget to purchase a ticket…..you could be lucky.

Venue; Gosford Regional Gallery, The Arts Centre, (AKA The Japanese Gardens)

            36 Webb Street, East Gosford

Saturday 31st March 10 -4pm and Sunday 1st April (same times).

We look forward to seeing you there.

Carol

 

“Sunburst” update

I know I have been a little quiet lately…(really not like me)! but I have been stitching away and working on the Sunburst quilt.

The centre is complete  together along with 2 of the outer borders. I am just adding the finishing touches to the final two borders so they can be stitched on and then all will be good to start the hand quilting!!. I am so over making the 144 grapes that I decided would be a good idea for the border, but I must say I do like them.

Here is a quick sneek peek for you…

If you havn’t used Marti Michelle templates and Mylar template plastic then you really should check them both out.

The Mylar has been wonderful for making the grapes. I cut one extra and used this as the template for cutting the fabric. Twelve others allowed me to be able to make enough grapes for two bunches at a time without the the edges wearing out as can happen when using cardboard.

Of course the Marti Michelle templates are a must when hand piecing this quilt…they make it so much easier and more accurate.

Both of these products and the pattern will be available from Cherry Pie Designs through the website in the coming weeks. So if you would like to pre-order yours just contact me at…

email; cherrypiedesigns@hotmail.com

phone; 0400 420 074

Update……Since writing the above the quilt is now basted and I have begun quilting it. I must say I just love it. All will be revealed soon!

Carol

Raining again!

We have seen so much rain this last 12 months that we are asking ourselves when will it end?

The flowing over of the Warragamba Dam in Sydney is wonderful to see after all these years of drought and when the next “Dry” comes around we will be asking ourselves another question……When is it going to stop raining?

We only have tank water at home, and oh we are so lucky to have that so this whether is just great for us unless your trying to get work done around the house.

Just recently I had John the paving man at the house trying to get all of my new paving done inbetween the bouts of rain squalls.

I am so pleased with the final results that I just have to share the before and after shots with you…

 

 

If you are looking for a great tradesman to do your paving then look no further than John Strange of J.D.S Landscaping on the Central Coast of NSW. He and his crew of hard workers are reliable, trustworthy and just a pleasure to have on the property. I cant recommend them enough. I loved the work they did so much that whilst they were there I kept them working on fixing the front driveway as well.

Now all I need is for the rain to stop so that I can enjoy the outdoors!

Carol

 

 

Upcoming Events 2012

New Events for 2012.

 Caroline Bay Quilters Inc.

 Quilt Show Saturday 31st March – Sunday 1st April at Gosford Regional Gallery, The Arts Centre 36 Webb Street, East Gosford NSW.

Contact 0406 619 996 or Glen Waples 4365 6651.

 Australasian Quilt Convention

12th – 15th April, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne. Stand…47

Fairholme Quilters

20th – 22nd April, Thornleigh Community Centre, Cnr Phyllis and Central Avenues, Thornleigh, NSW. Contact: 0412 099 813

 Arcadia Quilters

 Annual Quilt show 11th – 13th May 2012. Swane’s Nursery, Galston Rd Dural NSW. Contact: Carole Medley…98947749

 Sydney Quilt and Craft show

13th – 17th June 2012. Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW. Stand: H44

 Mad Quilters Gathering

3rd – 5th August 2012. Penrith Panthers, Mulgoa Rd Penrith. 10am – 4.30pm Contact: Dekoda Marketing

 Blue Mountains Quilt Retreat

13th – 14 October 2012. Contact: Karen (02) 4782 5809 at  The Stitching Post  for more information

Tocal Retreat Weekend

19th – 21st October 2012.Tocal College, Patterson Rd Tocal NSW. Contact: Carol 0400 420 074 for more information.

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Something good to read

Hi and Welcome,

It was lovely over the weekend to have a sunny day. It was the perfect whether to be out and about in the garden (which I was), to do those big and little jobs that needed doing and just enjoy the sweet smell of a cooler summer.

 

But now the whether has turned again and I am here with my Ugg boots on, the rain is sprinkling and the sky is cloudy so what better time to sit and browse through 19 wonderful new book titles that have just arrived.

Everything from Civil war and historical, patchwork quilts, piecing, applique, felt projects, cross stitch and many more….there is certainly something for everyone. I just love them all!

 

Whilst I am a quilter now, I was, and always will be an embroiderer and cross stitcher.

My pick of the new titles is “A Schoolgirl’s work”. There is so much to “look into” in this book as well as inspiration for applique and quilting patterns. I just love the work of Blackbird Designs and there are several titles here to choose from.

 

“French Inspirations for Artful Hands” takes you on a trip through France with many smaller projects to make by Bonnie Sullivan and Kathy Schmitz. 

 

I hope you enjoy browsing these lovely books and find that special project.

 

Click here to purchase books.

 

“Etchings”   by 3 Sisters for moda fabrics.

  

Selected fabrics from this range are now available for $15 p/m….for a very short while!

Carol