ANZA Quilters Singapore

Happy New Year!

2012-01-14T16:12:00.000+08:00

It seems like forever since our last get-together. We trust everyone has enjoyed their festive celebrations and holidays.

Here is a photo of our Christmas Lunch and the pincushions made for our "Secret Santa Swap". Thanks Kathy for the photo.

We are meeting again this coming Tuesday, 17th at our usual place. Hope to see you there.

December - Singapore Quilters Challenge

2011-12-12T11:48:00.002+08:00

Goodness where has the year gone?? Here are some photos of the recent show and lunch for Singapore Quilters and the Challenge - which was to use strips from a Jelly Roll or otherwise, no wider than 2.5". There was a great variety of styles and colours.

*Drum Roll*....Here is Vicki's quilt which took Second Prize in the show. It is stunning. Vicki is also an embroiderer and was inspired by the work of Marianne Burr when making this quilt. She moved out of her comfort zone working with these colours....and the hand stitching is gorgeous!! Well done Vicki!

Next is Kate's quilt - made of 2.5" strips - sorry Kate I cannot remember the name of the pattern! Kate had the quilting done in straight lines...looks fab

and then Chris' quilt - must have lost my notes as I cannot remember this pattern either!

and Alison's quilt called "Under & Over" from one of Kim Brackett's books; machine piece and machine quilted

Our Raffle Quilt Winner

and a final pic of the British Club with the quilts hanging in the background. Well done to the organising committee for a lovely lunch and show.

November 2011

2011-11-09T11:06:00.002+08:00

Just some random photos from our get together this week....and to show we do sometimes do more than chat and eat!

Marianne's Frog Mini Quilt - great free motion quilting - you wouldn't believe she is a 'beginner'!!

and some of her Artist Trading Cards

Melissa has been working on these tiny blocks - about 3-4" square - for an online swap

The first one is "Frodo's Cottage"

and the second pic are the "Trojan Horses" complete with little flap which lifts up to reveal 2 tiny soldiers. The attention to detail is stunning - a real tail and mane - and we all wanted to be in the swap!

Kallie has finished her pinwheels top, which is going to be quilted for her friend's wedding shortly.

Elizabeth's block is made up of tiny hexagons and is part of a Block of the Month. There are a few of these BOMs in progress within the group - all a bit different and very exciting to see the progress.

Alison raided her stash for pink fabrics and put together this quilt using 2.5" strips for a new baby girl just born this week.

We all love new gadgets don't we? These are the latest cute and colourful clips just perfect for holding tiny hexagons together or stitching down your bindings

Singapore Quilters Challenge

2011-11-08T22:01:00.007+08:00

This year the theme was 'Strip Tease' - we had to use a jelly roll or other strips no wider than 2.5". There was an amazing variety of quilts on display.

Our group had four entries -

1. Vicki entered this gorgeous wall hanging in red fabrics which showcased her exquisite embroidery. She won Second Prize - congratulations Vicki!

2. Chris made this lovely quilt in turquoises, blues and greens

3. Kate's quilt is called Chain Link from a book 'Link to the 30's' - using bright, modern fabrics

4. Alison's quilt is called Under & Over from the book 'Scrap Basket Sensations' by Kim Brackett

5. The winner of our Raffle Quilt

Raffle quilt 2011

2011-09-16T11:59:00.002+08:00

A 'GFC' quilt - we raided our stashes for this one - it has a bit of everything and using a grey solid to keep it together, we made a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern. Beautifully quilted by Wendy @ Honey Pot Quilting, Mandurang Victoria.

Finally….an Update & a New Home

2011-09-08T15:26:00.001+08:00

It seems to have been a very long “Summer” – many of us away for extended trips and not a lot of photos taken.

Hopefully everyone is busily working on their Singapore Challenge quilts??

It was great to finally meet in our New Home! The Hollandse Club has generously let us have the use of a room and their wonderful facilities. I think everyone agrees it is an excellent venue, wonderful food, even childminding facilities! Happy Days!

This week we saw the finished quilt which Kirstyn has been working on for a while now

It is a beautiful mermaid and underwater theme for her daughter. I’m sure Scarlett loves it.

The only other photo of work in progress is from Elizabeth. She is doing a Block of the Month from Material Obsession in Sydney. In this block, the Aussie Coat of Arms has altered somewhat and now is a Kangaroo and Kiwi in authentic Black and White NZ fabrics. Love it.

…and a few more Show & Tell

2011-04-30T18:16:00.000+08:00

I confess to losing these photos in amongst 100’s of others from various sources and have just re-discovered them. They were taken at a get-together in February. Many of us had been away for extended periods over Christmas/Summer/School Holidays and we hadn’t had many things to show

Christina had made a small Star in Red, White & Blue, which is going towards a project in the US for soldiers serving in conflicts.

Another one showing that we don’t just sit, chat, complain about the heat and drink coffee when we meet

Confession time…..I cannot remember who did this…hope someone can enlighten me (you all know my memory is shocking)

Lots of Quilt As You Go blocks for Flood Relief victims in Australia and earthquake victims in NZ, as well as some finished tops and quilts. It was a great way to use up lots of scraps and odd fabrics and do something useful at the same time.

See Jan’s Blogs Sew Many Quilts and Oz Comfort Quilts for more information

Chris’s octagons which are looking fabulous too.

April Show & Tell

2011-04-29T17:56:00.000+08:00

Debbie had just finished hand-piecing this quilt in a Beginner’s Class and is now hand-quilting it. It looks super!

Debbie has also finished the lovely baby quilt

and a close-up of the gorgeous applique bees and flowers

Kathy has been busy making a “Tortilla Warmer” – what a great idea

…and she has also made a cute baby quilt

Marianne has been busy hand-dying lots of lovely fabrics and making these wonderful fabric postcards

Some of our members have been making quilts for the Japan to help with the Tsunami Disaster, at one of our local quilt shops. These are two they helped quilt

…and a close-up of the machine-quilting by Sandra

As we hadn’t done a Show & Tell for a while, Elizabeth showed us her stunning hand-pieced quilt – a Karen Cunningham (from Australia) design. This one is quite breathtaking “in the flesh” and was way too big for any of us to hold up off the dirty floor!

and a couple of close-ups.

Elizabeth had the quilt machine-quilted in Oz by (I forget!)

Her fussy cutting was exquisite

Show & Tell November (Page 2)

2010-11-11T20:09:00.001+08:00

Ellen has been visiting family in the US for a few months. She finished the following quilts whilst away – she has been busy.

The first 2 are for her grandson and are a pair of quilts for twin beds, called The Underground Railroad quilt. There is quite a bit of history to this design. I am still reading a book about this which I purchased in the US almost 2 years ago!

Both these quilts were hand-quilted

The next pictures are a double bed sized quilt, using a Disappearing Nine Patch design made with orginal 1940s fabrics. This quilt has been machine quilted

They are really lovely quilts Ellen.

Show & Tell November 2010

2010-11-11T20:01:00.001+08:00

A good few things to show off this month…

Tiiu’s fabric dish which a friend made for her

Debbie’s hand-pieced and appliqued quilt from a jelly-roll – her first quilt (I stand to be corrected though!). It looks fabulous

Tiiu’s challenge mini quilt; the challenge from her group in Perth. The fish block is copied from the Group’s badge

Tiiu’s made from left-over fabric from the one above

Kate’s BOM quilt from a Sue Ross design. It looks awesome!

Kate’s “Red Centre” – for one of her boys. It is a pattern from Material Obsession

Kate’s baby quilt – a work in progress, but hopefully it will be finished and off to it’s new owner before the next Show & Tell. Forgotten the name of the block – a Gwen Marston design? Skillfully uses Kate’s stash of beautiful Liberty fabrics.

Tiiu’s really expensive bag-to-be, made in a class at Rosie’s with a visiting Japanese tutor (name?)

Show & Tell October

2010-10-07T15:06:00.001+08:00

The group has been busy….

1. Marianne – hand dyed fabrics; machine applique

2. Tiiu – Australian aboriginal fabrics; disappearing nine patch design; appliqued Australian animals

3. Tiiu – appliqued and free-motion quilting on sewing machine cover

4. Kate – pattern from Material Obssession; machine pieced, hand-quilted and HUGE!

5. Kate – closeup of the lovely hand quilting

6. Melissa – appliqued and machine quilted sewing machine cover

7. Mayumi – Her first “quilt” a lovely bag

Show & Tell September

2010-10-07T14:55:00.001+08:00

Some recent projects made by our group

1. Made by Angeles

3. Marianne has made this with her own hand-dyed fabrics and the circle attachment on her machine(correct me if I’m wrong)

Our new Home

2010-09-12T16:17:00.001+08:00

Just a couple of random pics of our new space

everyone busily stitching and chatting

Our New Home

2010-08-31T22:51:00.000+08:00

We had our first meeting today in the 'Pig Pen' at Chijmes - lovely, airconditioned room, waiters to serve us coffee, lunch in the courtyard and no cleaning up to do!

Here's our next raffle quilt all finished

August Show & Tell

2010-08-31T22:34:00.000+08:00

Vicki's quilt - a stunner with embroidered blocks

August Show & Tell

2010-08-31T22:23:00.001+08:00

Singapore Quilters Challenge 2010

2010-08-28T15:36:00.003+08:00

For our newer members and a reminder for the oldies, the quilters of Singapore Challenge 2010 is themed "Curves & Circles"
Please ask if you would like a registration form

Quilters in Singapore Challenge - Wednesday 3 November 2010

Curves and Circles
Actual and Illusionary

Curves and circles make for a very interesting and pleasing design whether by machine or hand piecing, or through appliqué. Some quilt blocks give an optical illusion of curves and movement even if they
are comprised of straight seams e.g. the storm at sea. All the infinite variations on this theme may be displayed.

Quilt challenge rules:
- Choose carefully a design that demonstrates circles and curves – they must be clearly shown for your entry to be judged in the competition.

- Any quilted item will be accepted e.g. clothing, soft furnishings, quilts etc.

- An unfinished item may be considered for judging depending on the circumstances.

- Please keep in mind that there is a limited display and we will be unable to accept any entry that exceeds 60" by 60".
- Each entry must be able to be hung. Quilts should have a sleeve (2"– 4" opening depending on the size of your piece) attached in a way that will not show when the quilt is hanging. Other items may be hung with large pegs or pinned to boards.

- A normal quilt label may be attached in the usual way but must not be visible during the Exhibition.

- Please securely attach a paper label to your entry containing your full name and address as it appears on your application form to ensure its safe return.

- The entries submitted for the Challenge Exhibition will be handled many times during the set-up of the displays. While great care is taken to protect the items in the collection as much as possible, breakable embellishments and other breakable props may become damaged. When designing your entry these factors should be taken into consideration so that entries are not overly fragile. Entries must be foldable to a manageable size.

- Your entry form must be received by the 19th of October 2009. No late entries will be accepted. Finished items must be available for hanging at the venue one full day before the Challenge Lunch and will be returned as soon after the Exhibition as possible.

Show & Tell July 2010

2010-07-07T16:42:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Kallie for her hospitality – she can be assured her oven works very well and the sour-dough bread, quiche and cake were very well received.

There were lots of hexagons around today, a few bindings being stitched down and a few baby quilts on the go. At next month’s show & tell, we’ll hopefully have a new quilting baby to show off.

Angeles made this beautiful bag from batiks in one of her last classes before leaving Shanghai. Hopefully she will do some classes for us later in the year.

Ellen hand-pieced the cathedral windows, then joined together with a variegated thread by machine and machine quilted. This is for her grandchildren.

Melissa has finished her lovely baby quilt in a blue/green/gray colourway. Machine pieced and hopefully her baby will be here any day now to enjoy it!

Kathy Q made this stunning Row By Month quilt in the US – each row represents a different month/season on the calendar. There are 3D bunny ears and turkey feathers – it looks amazing. The shop supplied the fabrics and Kathy chose the borders herself. We all agreed it would be too much to quilt this monster on her own and she will probably have it professionally machine quilted.

Alison was still stitching down the binding on this cushion, made with a spiderweb block pattern sourced from a Blog.

As well as working on a baby quilt, Kathy I is making yo-yos/suffolk puffs from Kaffe Fassett fabrics. There were lots of ideas to put these to good use.

Kathy Q made this table runner from fabrics bought in Singapore and has used a sarong for some of the fabrics – very clever.

Lastly, Melissa made this cute little spectacle case for Tiiu using 1.5” squares which were leftovers from her baby quilt shown above. She used a technique where the squares are pressed onto fusible web before the seams are stitched, which is a very accurate method for such small pieces.

Other Important Shopping Haunts.....

2010-06-16T15:16:00.000+08:00

Another interesting conversation topic yesterday, especially when we have new members....'where do I buy regular sized bras, maternity bras, shoes???"

This website is an Australian company - Zodee - which sends products to Asia. You can select the country you are in and pay in whichever currency you choose.

Singapore Fabric Shopping Haunts

2010-06-16T15:06:00.001+08:00

Brigittes

Quilts and Friends - Bernina & Brother sewing machines
#06-07 Tan Boon Liat Building,
315 Outram Road
S. 169074.
Tel 62257172
http://www.quiltsandfriends.com/

Golden Dragon
Classes run in all types of crafts minimal quilting fabrics (Yuwa) but good haberdashery
& excellent selection of Clover products
101 Upper Cross St
#02-51 People’s Park Centre
S. 058357
Tel 65358454
www.goldendragon.com.sg/index.htm

Iras
Quilts N Calicoes
Ira Joseph runs classes and has a shop with large range of modern bright fabrics
#03-13 Tanglin Mall
163 Tanglin Rd
S. 247933
Tel 68874708
http://www.quiltsncalicoes.com/

Jenny’S Craft house
Shop with classes and lot of Japanese bag fabric
1 Scotts Rd
#04-56 Shaw Centre
S. 228208
Tel 67352021

Rösies
Dreams In Quilts
Shop with classes and Bernina dealership and mixture of brights and Japanese fabric
Rosie Chan
511 Guillemard Rd
#03-07 Grandlink Sq
S. 399849
Tel 67438177
H/P 90117528

Art Friend – Ngee Ann City & Bras Basah Complex

Has sewing machines, good range of threads and other haberdashery items

Spotlight

Plaza Singapura - identical to Spotlight in Oz

Janome dealership
Sue Wong, Sales Manager
GOTC (s) Pte Ltd
605B Macpherson Road, CITIMAC
HP: 96334035 Email: gotcsin.com

Disappearing Nine Patch Quilts

2010-06-16T14:11:00.001+08:00

We are using this block for our next charity quilt - using our chosen grey fabric as the centre square.

The following links show some clear instructions for making the blocks and some different layout possibilities -

Disappearing Nine Patch Tutorial from PS I Quilt Blog

Disappearing Nine Patch from Popular Patchwork Magazine

A live tutorial on You Tube

Some really nice examples here and here. One with modern colours here and another one here

Another Baby Quilt…

2010-06-16T10:31:00.000+08:00

Thanks Kathy Q. for your hospitality this week. We had a great turnout and a few new faces which is wonderful

Kathy I. has finished a baby quilt for a boy. She was concerned at the amount of ‘girly’ florals in it, so has appliqued some cute, blue teddy bears. It looks gorgeous Kathy!

And to continue the theme of the Disappearing Nine Patches, here are the blocks I have made just put up randomly on my design wall

Show & Tell June 2010

2010-06-03T19:09:00.001+08:00

Thanks Maggie for hosting this week. We were busy auditioning and cutting fabric this week as well as our Show & Tell

Melissa has completed the top for her baby quilt in a Chinese Coins pattern for her very own baby, expected very soon. It will be great to welcome an ANZA baby.

Maggie has completed another baby quilt; this one has a lovely embroidered panel in the centre Tiiu put together squares from a Moda fabric range which will now have applique or embroidery added

Tiiu – appliqued tree and birds

Kate’s version of a Sue Spargo design. Kate has made hers with Japanese fabricsand the back of the quilt…

Kate’s Spiderweb quilt

and a close up…

Apologies for the bad focus…I need to attend one of the ANZA Photography courses!

Farewell Janice - New Majestic Hotel Singapore

2010-05-06T13:36:00.002+08:00

May Show & Tell

2010-05-04T19:30:00.002+08:00

Many thanks to Janice C for hosting today in her lovely home. It was wonderful to have four new faces joining us. We bid a very sad farewell to Janice J – thanks SO much Janice for all your dedication and hard work for ANZA Quilters over the past years. You will be sorely missed, but always welcome back!
It seems ages since we’ve had a proper Show & Tell. Today we saw Maggie’s baby quilt for “Timeo” which is destined for Hong Kong. Lucky Baby.
Melissa joined us for the first time and has made this lovely pincushion from a Heather Bailey pattern, while she is waiting for her sewing machine to sail over here
And Alison finished the Wonky log cabins cushion, the pattern from Quilting Arts Stitch magazine

Show & Tell Feb/March 2010

2010-03-11T23:27:00.002+08:00

There must be a baby boom….
Kate has made a gorgeous baby quilt with half-square triangles and machine quilted it in the ditch
Don’t you just love those quilts with feet?
And a close up….
Alison used 2 x charm packs plus sashing to make a Disappearing nine patch quilt – stipple/meander quilting on a domestic machine

Holidays Show & Tell

2010-01-11T11:04:00.001+08:00

Janice visited New Zealand over the holiday and caught up with some of our past members.

Maxine has put together her friendship squares into this wonderful quilt.

December Show & Tell

2009-12-14T23:16:00.002+08:00

Better late than never….here are the photos from Show & Tell in December.
Two in One quilts – from Michele. I think are from Tops & Tails book – Aussie author to be confirmed

The quilts both use the same fabrics and are cut at the same time with two very different results – a great idea!

Next up some Christmas flavour, with Poinsettias from Christina

and some Christmas trees, still a work in progress

Maggie has finished an adorable baby quilt

and a close-up of little Sunbonnet Sam

and Michele has been super busy with an Eye Spy Disappearing Nine Patch

and lastly, the stunning Winter Wonderland from Christina, an amazing feat in hand applique

Well done everyone.

See you at our Christmas Party on the 15th!

Block of the Month - Maple Leaf

2009-11-26T12:16:00.002+08:00

Our December BOM is the Maple Leaf block.
You can see one here

The blocks should be 12" blocks in "autumnal" colours and we will draw the winner on 08 December.

Wonky Stars Quilts

2009-11-01T10:54:00.001+08:00

Finally, here are some pics of the finished quilts we made for the Bushfire appeal in Victoria this year.

The first one was backed, bound and quilted in blue

and a close up

The larger quilt was backed, bound and quilted in green

The quilting was done by the wonderful Wendy at Honey Pot Quilting in Bendigo, Victoria.

October Show & Tell

2009-10-15T18:58:00.002+08:00

Nice to have so many people here today and great to have visitors Loretta and Matthew, (Claudette's son') who helped her bring over suitcases and belongings as they are staying here for a while before leaving Singapore - in between cruises and trips to China of course. Then we welcomed back Rosemary after all these months and what an entrance she made, tripping over the threshold in her eagerness to be back. Fortunately with a pharmacist and doctor on hand she was soon mended and enjoying catching up with everyone.
Show and tell yielded some beautiful, diverse work. Maurine had a cloth designed by her and made by Christina I think at the Henderson Home. Elizabeth had a beautiful cushion (for her daughter?) complete with lovely little cat button. Christina had a block of the month quilt that she had had quilted in the States on a computerised machine. It is beautiful and she had been able to have a lot of input into the design which is always nice. Maggie’s applique quilt was quilted in Indonesia with variegated thread and they have done a fantastic job incorporating stems and insects and drawing together something that we have seen evolve over the last few months.
We are all getting excited about the Quilt Challenge so don’t forget to buy your ticket and raffle tickets and fill in the entry forms if you haven’t already done so.

Lunch/High Tea

2009-09-17T16:54:00.001+08:00

We enjoyed a “High Tea” which is really lunch, at the Shangri La Hotel’s Rose Veranda to say farewell to Melinda who is leaving us and heading to Shanghai with her family. Lots of yummy food, 102 different teas to choose from and a scrumptious dessert buffet. Best wishes for your new adventures Melinda – we’ll miss you and your wonderful classes – and we look forward to hearing about the quilting and fabric opportunities in China.

New - Block of the Month Lucky Draw

2009-09-02T11:27:00.000+08:00

We've started a Block of the Month Lucky Draw. First draw is October and the theme is anything Christmas. Blocks should be 8" (8 1/2" unfinished) and any technique. Each block you contribute equals one entry in the Lucky Draw to win all the blocks for that month. The winner will then choose theme for the next Lucky Block Draw.

September Show & Tell

2009-09-02T11:16:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Michele for hosting today. For those of us living at ground level it was a novelty to watch the big tropical storm from up high! The rain was so heavy, we stayed and watched quilting videos – what a treat.
Get Well wishes to Miranda – we hope your recovery is swift and also to Kathy who we hope is out and about again soon.
The first pic is Michele and her Eye Spy quilt for one of her grandsons.
and a close-up

then some of Michele’s nine-pach blocks, intended for a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt design, also in Eye Spy fabrics.
Christina made this stunner from a pattern which was a Mystery Quilt pattern. She machine quilted it herself on a long-arm machine, which you can “rent” for the job at shops in the US. What a great idea!
and another one
It really has been SOOO hot and we haven’t had any rain for a while, so when it hit today, the temperature plummeted to about 26c and some of us felt Quite Cold!

Show & Tell August 2009

2009-08-20T09:56:00.002+08:00

Wow. We have been busy this month.
First up is the Group Crazy Quilt we have put together, which will be raffled at the upcoming Quilters’ Lunch & Show in Singapore in October.
The top was made with lots of donated fabrics which each of the members made over the past year. It has been tied, rather than quilted.
Next is a quilt which Dal has for sale to raise funds for her African charity. The top was donated to her and she had it professionally machine-quilted by Desley (Addicted to Quilts) in Melbourne.

Melinda has made this lovely quilt with bright, modern fabrics. Not sure what she has planned for this one?

Lorraine has made the gorgeous “Owl Bag”. How cute is this ??

Lastly, Melinda has made this beautiful Sampler Quilt, which she’s teaching at one of her classes.

Victorian Quilters Showcase

2009-07-30T10:22:00.002+08:00

In amongst the shoppping, galleries and lots of eating out, Alison managed to visit the major Quilt Show of the year last weekend in Melbourne.

Here's the link to all the winners -
http://www.victorianquilters.org/index.php?act=viewDoc&docId=4

Mini Workshop

2009-07-29T11:04:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Miranda for hosting today and also giving us a demonstration of a different technique for a quilt-as-you-go project.

As requested, here are some recipes for recent cakes we have enjoyed!

APRICOT & PRUNE LOAF

1/2 cup dried apricots - chopped; 1/2 cup prunes - chopped; 1 cup sultanas; 2 tablespoons butter - melted; 2 cups SR flour; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup boiling water; 1 egg - beaten;

Mix together well. Bake in loaf tin at 180C for approx 45 mins.

LEMON OR ORANGE DRIZZLE CAKE

6oz margarine; 6oz caster sugar; 3 eggs; 12oz SR flour; 2 tablespoons milk; finely grated rind of 2 lemons or oranges;

LEMON OR ORANGE SYRUP – Juice of 2 lemons or oranges; 4 oz sugar

Cream margarine and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in flour, add milk and grated rind. Bake in a 20cm round tin, in moderate oven (180c) for 1 hour or until cooked and golden brown. Allow to cool in tin. When almost cool, cut slits in top of cake and “drizzle” with syrup so that it soaks into cake.

To make syrup, mix strained juice with sugar.

ANZA Quilters Reunion

2009-07-29T10:30:00.003+08:00

On a recent visit to Victoria, Dal attended a reunion of some former ANZA Quilters group members.
They enjoyed High Tea at Werribee Mansion in Melbourne and even had Show and Tell.

Debbie showed her quilt made from the friendship blocks the Group gave her. She has a photo of the group
in the centre of the quilt.

From left to right : Helen, Erna, Peta, Debbie and Sarlene.

Show & Tell June

2009-06-22T17:47:00.001+08:00

I need more info on this quilt, but do know it was made by Melinda who has donated it to Dal’s African charity.

A FIRST:
This is for Miranda’s & George’s son Brett (who some of you met) who turned 30 in January. Before starting her Cambridge English Language Teacher’s course –all Miranda could make was a promise, not a quilt.
Unusually for a guy, Brett was very definite not just about the colours but the tones too. However despite the huge selection of browns, oranges and chocolate found, none of the colours were to his liking. So whilst in Melbourne Spotlight, the Gutterman cotton rack was used to select the exact colours/tones. Then Miranda just carried around 3 cotton reels and scoured every material and quilting shop she knew in Victoria and NSW. On the last day in Australia driving back from her nephew’s farm in Gippsland, she found the exact 3 colours in a little quilt shop in Bairnsdale she’d never noticed before.
Since finishing the course, she machine pieced Brett’s quilt and hand quilted it. Little Mya will be delivering the quilt to Australia for her big brother in these school holidays.
Maggie encouraged Miranda to attempt her first hand quilting, lent her the quilting table and mentored her through the process. Brett has not seen it yet, but is sure to enjoy it in his new home that he moves into the week Mya arrives.

Show & Tell June

2009-06-10T11:38:00.001+08:00

The quilt is a wedding present - if I get it finished - for the daughter of a friend of mine. I am calling it the Japanese Chinese wedding quilt. Both the bride and groom have links with Singapore as their parents lived here so I wanted to make it with a Chinese theme. So I ended up with Japanese fabric of course! The centre is not the double happiness that I thought - thanks Maurine - but it is associated with weddings. Half of the squares are quilted with the eternal meander symbolising yin and yang - again thanks Maurine as I just chose it because it is often on Chinese brocade! Running out of time the other half of the squares I just quilted on the diagonal. Now I have the dragonflies of the border to do before it is finished

Janice

Quilters Guild of NSW Quilt Show

2009-06-10T11:30:00.002+08:00

Here is the link to the winners of the show which is on in Sydney this week
http://quiltersguildnsw.com/quiltshow/index.html#best

Wonky Star Block Tutorial

2009-06-04T23:38:00.001+08:00

If anyone needs a refresher....you can view a very clear tutorial
here.

How Does this Look?

2009-06-04T23:30:00.003+08:00

Quilting Today

2009-06-02T23:27:00.000+08:00

We were up high at Judy’s new apartment…..look at the view!

Basting without Pins

2009-05-26T17:21:00.003+08:00

Today while tying the charity crazy quilt, we were talking about basting quilts.
The following video shows a method which is used by Sharon Schamber, an American Quilter who has just toured Australia. Click on the link and then the section called "Basting Your
Quilt"

Beautiful Crazy Quilt

2009-05-19T16:33:00.001+08:00

We have watched Carmen make this quilt over the past few months for her In-Laws and

Janice was kind enough to hand-deliver it on her recent trip to the UK.

The new owners look very pleased and I am sure it will keep them warm on those chilly English evenings!

Singapore Quilters Challenge 2009

2009-05-13T10:35:00.002+08:00

Show & Tell April/May

2009-04-30T11:43:00.008+08:00

As the photographer is heading off for a couple of weeks (Janice) we had Show & Tell a week earlier than usual.

First Alison had a quilt for a small boy in retro prints sourced from Australia.

And a baby quilt (still a top) made from a small pack of fat 1/8s plus white sashing and borders.

Next, Carmen showed us the finished Crazy quilt she has made for her In-Laws. We have watched this quilt come together

over the past couple of months and it looks amazing. Lots of embroidery, beads and buttons have been added which look great.

Not being able to find the pearl buttons she wanted in Singapore, Carmen has raided her wardrobe and used some from her clothes. Be careful wearing those any time soon Carmen!

and a close up:

Maurine showed us the cushions she has made with tied & removable covers – a very clever idea. The ties at the back have a jade ornament which really sets them off well.

Quilting Websites

2009-04-28T17:07:00.001+08:00

We had a look today at Quiltville a website belonging to Bonnie Hunter who does lots of scrap and improvisational quilts. There are also lots of clear tutorials on the site and plenty of inspiration.

Anyone who likes miniatures will enjoy this one. It’s not strictly quilting, but she has possibly used quilting needles and thread while making these exquisite creations -

Quilters Leaving Blocks

2009-04-28T17:00:00.002+08:00

It is traditional to make blocks for members of the Group who are leaving Singapore and this is a reminder that the following ladies are leaving in the next few months:

Claudette : 6” x 6” square or rectangular not longer than 8” in unfinished size.

Any colour (NOT white), with applique in any form (hand or machine) with or without

vliesofix. Please include your name and country

Rosemary : Kimono or Fan block 6 1/2” (unfinished) in “autumn colours”

Dal : A 6 1/2'” block (unfinished), any technique and using “autumn colours”

Quilt Museum, York UK

2009-04-09T16:42:00.002+08:00

When I was home recently I managed to find an afternoon to go and visit the recently opened Quilt Museum and Gallery. It is situated in the spectacular medieval guildhall of St Anthony in Peasholme Green, York, and is home to The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles (which I must join) and its world-famous Heritage Quilt Collection. It was a freezing day so I was very grateful to get in and see the lovely quilts which make you feel all warm and cosy and almost ready for the 3C outside.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t take photos but if you follow the link to the website www.quiltmuseum.org.uk you will get an idea of the type of work they do and exhibits they have. The guild is having a Little Gems' Quilt Tombola at The Birmingham Quilt Festival in Birmingham – there is a link on the right hand side on the home page. The Birmingham festival is THE festival in the UK and Sue Kirley and I both went last year and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the UK 20 – 23^rd August. All you have to do is produce an A4 quilt that they can use to raise money for charity. I was tempted to enter until I looked at the quality of some of the ones they have already received! Maybe it’s something we could do ourselves – have a competition and silent auction?

Janice

Another Quilt Top

2009-03-25T18:48:00.004+08:00

Everyone seems to have got into the groove and enjoyed making the
wonky stars blocks.

Elizabeth kindly pieced some more together, enough for a single bed
quilt. Thanks also Elizabeth for adding in some binding.

If you click on the link to Bushfire Quilts, you will see many more
blocks and some of the quilts which have been put together,

thanks everyone.

A Show & Tell

2009-03-17T18:15:00.002+08:00

Today we saw Maggie’s beautiful purple star quilt as she’s whisking it off to Africa next week for a wedding.

The quilt is rotary cut, machine pieced and hand quilted (by a 3rd party). The lucky recipient has been a fan of mauves and purples all her life, so I’m sure she will love it.

The backing fabric is a stunning piece of batik, purchased in Singapore (no longer available apparently).

Close up of some of the hand quilting

The back of the quilt

Quilts for Victorian Bushfire Appeal

2009-03-17T18:01:00.002+08:00

In two afternoons we went from this…..

to this……

and finished with this…..

Thanks everyone! We also have some more blocks and will probably have enough for another top shortly. The tops will head off to Victoria v.soon to be quilted and distributed and I’m sure will be appreciated.

Log Cabin Quilt Challenge

2009-03-04T16:20:00.002+08:00

I managed to find a photo of a quilt my Mum (Kay) entered in a challenge late last year in Victoria, Australia. I am pretty sure she won’t mind me posting it here. She doesn’t even own a computer!

Thanks to Jasmine for the photo.

She hand-dyed the fabrics in a class over 10 years ago and was waiting for the right project to use them.

It won the Viewers Choice Award and I know she was thrilled.

Australasian Quilt Convention

2009-03-04T12:40:00.001+08:00

The recent convention was held at a new venue this year, the

Royal Exhibition
Building

in the Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. It is a World Heritage site and a

stunning venue . For some peeks behind the scenes, visit the Blog of Leanne’s House

Online Shopping

2009-03-03T16:27:00.004+08:00

Here are some links to websites in the USA for online shopping.
There are often specials for mailing list customers, such as free shipping, 10-20% off days and free vouchers and patterns.
I regularly use the following shops and have only experienced excellent customer service and never a problem with delivery to Singapore.
Hancocks of Paducah http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/
Fat Quarter Shop http://www.fatquartershop.com/
eQuilter http://www.equilter.com/
If anyone has any others to share, please let me know.

Show & Tell March 2009

2009-03-03T12:15:00.000+08:00

A small Show & Tell today at Claudette’s

Firstly, Maurine showed us a bag and ‘furoshiki’ which is the Japanese

cloth used for gift wrapping. She showed us how to wrap a bottle.

Carmen’s ‘Kimono’ quilt was made from a kit/pattern from Quilts ‘n Sew Forth

Tanglin Mall; and Ellen (hiding) made this quilt for her son with fabrics that

he chose himself. Beautiful work everyone.

Bushfire Quilt Project

2009-02-17T16:02:00.005+08:00

Today some members expressed an interest in making some blocks for quilts for victims of theBushfire tragedy in Victoria, Australia. I joined a Group on Flickr (Bushfire Quilt Project) being co-ordinated by an American military wife living in the Northern Territory, who is collecting “Wonky Star” blocks and together with her quilt group and guild, making quilts for donation to Victoria. There are lots of examples of the blocks which have already been made – they look fantastic.

My online group, Southern Cross Quilters (SCQuilters) is also making quilts and have several members located all over Victoria who have contacts with emergency services so that they make sure the quilts are going to exactly where they are needed. There are also members in other States willing to be drop-off points for any donations and I can forward details.This will be an ongoing project, as the victims who have lost their homes and choose to rebuild, will not be in a new home for possibly 12 month or longer. The co-ordinators have set up a Blog Oz Comfort Quilts and hope to keep a record of the donations and recipients.

If anyone would like to contribute, I am happy to be a co-ordinator for blocks and/or quilts and perhaps if we get enough we can put some quilts together ourselves. I see it as on ongoing charity throughout the year with no rush to get anything done immediately.

Tutorials for Wonky Star or Maverick Star block are at The Silly Boo Dilly and Quiltville. I am making 12.5” (unfinished) blocks, but 6.5” (unfinished) would be suitable as well. I have added a Button to the sidebar with a link directly to the pics of the 230-odd starswhich have been contributed already.

Today we welcomed a visitor……

2009-02-17T15:27:00.003+08:00

from Canada. We met at Maurine’s and welcomed Ada who is visiting family in SingaporeIt sounded like we had a few people interested in travelling there next year to seeCanada’s big exhibition! It was lovely to meet you Ada and thank you for your kind giftsto everyone. Thanks also to Maurine and her girls for the delicious lunch provided.We discussed a project I am involed in which is making Wonky Star blocks for victims ofthe horrific bushfires in Victoria, Australia. I personally know of a few people who havelost their lives and others who’ve lost their homes, businesses, schools & all their possessions. There are many Quilting Groups and Guilds in Australia who are now committedto providing quilts for all these people, as well as the volunteers and emergency servicestaff who do such wonderful work protecting people and property.I will add some links in another post with a tutorial, examples and what some quilters arealready achieving.

Charity Quilt and other info....

2009-02-10T21:05:00.008+08:00

Today we saw the charity crazy quilt which Janice has kindly put together by adding sashing to the blocks. It looks really good, so we now have to tie it (once we know what we are doing!)

Everyone was busy working on lots of different projects and we enjoyed some lovely food courtesy of Dal.

A couple of quilters I know were last year saving selvedges and sending them to a lady in Victoria who has been making all sorts of amazing things with them. She began with keyrings and doll quilts and has progressed to bags and cushions and her 'piece de resistance' - a dress made of selvedges.

I know some quilters save their tiniest scraps; and others are into recycling in a big way, but this really takes it to a new level.

Here is the link to her Blog: http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/
She has some tutorials on the site for some of her pieces as well. Thanks to Jodie at Ric Rac for permission to use a pic of her cushions.

Show & Tell February ‘09

2009-02-03T23:32:00.001+08:00

We had a good turnout today with three new ladies joining the meeting. We hope they’ll all come back again soon.

Show & Tell today was a bit lean, but we did have a lovely Dresden Plates quilt from Melinda, which she will be teaching in a class. The 1930’s colours are really pretty and the quilt was beautifully machine quilted by Desley from Addicted to Quilts in Melbourne. Even the back looks great.

the back of the quilt

The other photo is Kathy’s daughter Becky and the lovely quilt she has made for her music teacher’s new baby.

Congratulations Melinda!

2009-01-28T10:26:00.005+08:00

Back in November I posted a link to Living Creatively - an Aussie website for all things creative. Melinda's name is up there in lights this month, having had one of her designs for a Christmas ornament published. If you visit the website, go to "Projects", then the "Chrismtas" section and Melinda's design is the first one listed. Well done Melinda!

More Help Needed

2009-01-20T12:22:00.000+08:00

We met at Elizabeth's today and there was even a sewing machine out and being used.
Lots of input into the baby quilt which Kathy's daughter is making for her music teacher.
We look forward to seeing it finished very soon.

We also need to get the roster happening again and would appreciate help.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T12:18:00.001+08:00

We had a great gathering at Sue's today - I trust everyone has enjoyed their break and we look forward to some exciting patchwork and quilting projects this year.

Maggie was wearing an amazing pair of shoes today - we hope you will be kicking up your heels again soon.

Sue is starting work, so won't be doing the roster - please direct any queries or the many offers of help to Alison in future.

Jillian announced she is off to live in Canada - best of luck Jillian.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-09T12:12:00.000+08:00

We had a small gathering today at Jillian’s with some show & tell:

Jillian purchased this stunning quilt on a holiday in South Africa. It has all sorts of embellishments on it and is a wonderful reminder of her time there.

Ellen has made this quilt from lovely batik fabrics – it looks beautiful.

Alison made this Christmas themed table runner from a pattern in Quilting Arts Holiday issue 2008.

This will be our last meeting for this year as many people are heading off home or on holiday. Have an enjoyable Christmas & New Year and a safe time everyone.

Christmas Lunch

2008-12-02T16:00:00.000+08:00

We had a lovely day at Janice’s for our annual Christmas celebration. Unfortunately a lot of the photos were lost, but we have managed to uncover these:

The hat designing and making was fun – thanks Janice for organising this – some wonderful creations were made – sadly just a memory now.

We did however enjoy decorating some little gingerbread folk and hopefully the neighbours enjoyed our singing of some traditional Carols.

Thank you Janice for your kind hospitality and everyone who provided such wonderful delicacies for us to consume!

Sewing Triangles

2008-11-25T16:07:00.003+08:00

Today someone was asking about an easy way to make triangles.
Jane suggested this product called Thangles. This looks so easy to use - no tricky maths involved and plenty of ideas as well. They have online shopping as well

Recipe

2008-11-25T15:17:00.003+08:00

GINGER CRUNCH
-------------------

125g butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups SR Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger

GINGER ICING:
75g butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3 teaspoons ground ginger

* Cream butter & sugar till light & fluffy
* Sift flour, baking powder & ginger
* Mix into creamed mixture
* Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Knead well
* Press into 20x30cm tin
* Bake at 190c 20-25 mins until light brown
* Pour hot ginger icing over base while hot

ICING: Melt ingredients & stir together

Makes 24

Day at Kathy's & Christmas Tree of Circles

2008-11-25T14:48:00.006+08:00

Thanks Kathy for hosting us today. Lots of stitching went on this week - Kathy was busy with her log-cabin block which turned into a pincushion - beautiful colours, some very recognisable fabrics from a recent challenge????

As discussed, here is the link to amitié in Bentleigh, Victoria, another lovely patchwork store which the Melbourne girls are lucky to have. Go down to the heading of circles, dots & living creatively. There is another challenge in conjunction with the Living Creatively website. One of the staff members has made a Christmas Tree quilt entirely of circles and spotty fabric. It's simple and really effective.

Living Creatively is a mecca dedicated to all kinds of crafts. It was started by Kerri-Anne Kennerley, probably the Antipodean equivalent of Martha or Oprah. Kerri-Anne had a vision to provide a showcase for people's artistic talents and there's lots of eye-candy on this website. The site focusses on small and home-based businesses, designers, places to visit when travelling and in the future a place to sell your work. You can sign up for regular newsletters.

I have published the recipe for Kathy's Kiwi Ginger Crunch slice which we all enjoyed today. Yum!

Quilters Guild NSW Challenge

2008-11-22T09:31:00.003+08:00

Here is the link to the NSW Guild's 2008 challenge, Coast and Country.
There is a slideshow of all the quilts.

Quilters Show & Tell Blog

2008-11-16T16:54:00.005+08:00

Here is a link to a great Blog called Quilters Show & Tell
There is a new quilt posted to the site every day and it looks like a great place for some inspiration. Anyone can add their own quilts to this site as well.

Log Cabin Challenge

2008-11-15T14:52:00.006+08:00

Next year's challenge for Singapore quilters is to use the log-cabin block in a project.
This Blog by Melly & Me (sisters and designers) as well as being a visual feast for fabric lovers, has a Scrappy Cabin Challenge Tutorial.
The instructions are clear and the finished quilt is stunning.

I've whipped up my first block, just to see how easy it really is!

Block of the Month - Red Delicious

2008-11-15T14:28:00.006+08:00

Here is a link to the Blog of Esther Aliu, an award-winning quilt designer and teacher from Melbourne. She specialises in stencilling techniques and also teachs quilting on domestic sewing machines. Esther has kindly offered a mystery BOM called Red Delicious for free. She has designed the quilt to use up her stash of red fabrics although any colour would be good and it is suitable for needle-turn applique, fusible applique and redwork. The Blocks will be available on her Blog from the 15th of each month, for one month only, and thereafter can be purchased from her Etsy shop.

You can also visit her website to see some of the lovely work she has produced.

Although I don't really need any more UFOs, I was quite taken with the first block and thought it might be a good challenge for the ANZA Quilters!

The Raffle Quilt Winner!

2008-11-15T12:00:00.004+08:00

The raffle quilt winner was drawn at the Quilting Challenge lunch and was won by a very excited Jane. A number of ANZA Quilters members competed enthusiastically for as many tickets as possible to try and win this amazing quilt. As we found out this week that Jane is leaving Singapore for a new posting to South America, it will be a lovely memento of her time here. We are all glad the quilt will go to someone appreciative as well as raising S$3,500 for our chosen charity.

November Show & Tell

2008-11-15T11:19:00.008+08:00

Carmen's "Blue Collection" quilt is a pattern by Maggie Walker which she purchased in Singapore. It took Carmen quite a while to collect all the different colours and get the reds and oranges 'just right' but again it shows persistence pays off with this stunning example.

Dal's wallhanging design of "Not Quite Cathedral Windows". Dal held a workshop for us to make these origami type blocks. They are stunning on the black background fabric.

Dal's red and yellow quilt was made using a wavy ruler, then the strips appliqued onto the background.

Sue's gorgeous Christmas wallhangings from a set of panels which came from the US.

This is Dal's Baby Bees quilt in green & yellow which has been machine quilted and tied.

Melinda made this quilt which I think was a block swap? It has been beautifully machine quilted by Desley from Addicted to Quilts in Melbourne. Melinda has kindly donated this quilt to Dal's African charity project.

Sue's lovely blue and red quilt has some of her own free motion quilting designs on it. Well done Sue!

This quilt of Sue's is her Tampa Quilt made while living there and took her 18 months to do. It is machine quilted.

SINGAPORE QUILTERS CHALLENGE

2008-11-15T10:41:00.008+08:00

The Challenge was open to all quilters in Singapore. Using a minimum of a Fat Quarter of fabric from Robert Kaufman's Every Iota range, with one of two colourways (brown or red, which not many people found inspiring at all) you had to make a quilt or other article not exceeding 60x60 inches. Once again the ANZA girls did well, taking home 1st and 3rd prizes as well as a highly commended award. Congratulations to all the winners.

Carmen's gorgeous "Proud Feathers" won 1st prize in the Challenge. She saw feathers in the fabric and designed a peacock utilising the paisley/Indian theme. Carmen's quilt was changed many times along the way trying out different colours and borders. We all agreed the finished quilt was stunning and was a well deserved winner. Congratulations Carmen!

Janice's Challenge quilt is called "First Day of Christmas" and she has also seen feathers in the paisley fabric. The pears and leaves are 3D and really jump out. The text was beaded which provides an added sparkle. This quilt won 3rd prize - well done to Janice!

Maggie's quilt is called "Fireworks" which used the red challenge fabric. She has hand quilted it using some of the lovely bright colours. Maggie also used the remaining red fabric on the reverse to "get rid of it all". The quilt won a Highly Commended award - well done Maggie. This is Kathy's "Outside the Square". She used the brown colourway and used Angelina fibres to creat some 'fantasy fabric'. It was machine quilted.

Maurine has also chosen the brown colourway and appliqued a green silk or satin over some of the paisley design. Maurine's bag is called ""The Chosen Ones". Her career as a reproductive surgeon inspired her design when she saw stars in the fertility symbols. Her "Sac a Porter" creation shows the myriad of paisleys all competing for entry into the top. Maurine's mission in quilting is Recreating Life in Old Fabric. The inside of the Sac used recycled pockets from an old designer jacket. Well done Maurine!

Alison used the brown colourway for Pop Goes the Paisley, adding plenty of brights and using the disappearing nine-patch or twisted nine-patch design.

ALL BLOCKS THE SAME - AFRICAN CHARITY

2008-09-23T20:56:00.003+08:00

FROM MELINDA:
This quilt is the product of a Block Swap. There were 10 people
in our group. We each made 10 blocks; kept one and swapped the
remaining nine to the rest of the group. We then had a deadline to make
our finished quilt top. Each block in the quilt is the same even
though they look different due to color placement. The tenth block was cut
into four to make the corner blocks.

Why is Dal smiling so much? Read Below.

FROM DAL:
My cousin, Carrie, returned to S Africa last year, from
Canada where she has lived for the last 20 years. She wanted to
do something positive for underprivileged South Africans and while visiting
various areas and talking to people involved in different aid and
couselling groups, became aware of a need for a food supply
programme.
Each month, Carrie purchases food (fresh produce and staples)
and takes it to an area to be distributed. Many of the families whom she
helps are run by the oldest child as both parents are dead. Others
comprise women who have taken in children, not their own, to care for, as there
are no parents. These people are struggling against the odds, with the
children attending school and striving to earn their place in
society.
The money for this food comes from donations sent to Carrie
by her friends abroad. However, Carrie only has a very small car and this
necessitates several trips to buy the food and distribute it. With the
rising cost of fuel, this is not an ideal situation. She therefore needs a
minivan. Her work touches my heart as she works tirelessly to improve
the lives of these people, meeting with council officials to enable water
and electricity supply to the homes and other basic services that we take for
granted. She has drawn no salary in all the time she has been working on
this project.
I decided to try and make a small contribution towards a
minivan fund for Carrie by doing some fundraising. When I talked
about it, Melinda generously donated this beautiful quilt to help
raise funds. I am investigating the best possible way to use the quilt to
raise the most money, so either a raffle or perhaps selling it on the
Internet.

Editor's note:
If anyone has any fundraising ideas to support Dal/Melinda's quilt please contact Dal directly. Well done both ladies!

CONDOLENCES

2008-09-14T21:13:00.003+08:00

Our sincere condolences to Dal, Luke and family on the passing of Dal's mother last week.

Dal has returned from South Africa and will be back at quilting next week.

We hope our friendship will help during this sad time Dal.

CHARITY QUILT 2007/2008

2008-09-14T10:59:00.010+08:00

This quilt was designed by Betty Kerr whilst she was in our Group in Singapore. Two quilts were made by the quilting group members.

One was won by Janice at the Christmas Luncheon last year and the other will be used as a fund raiser this year.
Betty has written an explanation about the Charity quilt process which will soon appear below.

Our sincere thanks to Betty for her untiring work that has resulted in a brilliant quilt. Thank you to everyone who helped in assisting Betty in the cutting and distribution etc and everyone of our group who made their two blocks.

I'm trying to find out who to bribe to get the second charity quilt...... anyone got any idea?????

Betty's explanation of the ins and outs of this quilt.My inspiration for the 2006 charity quilt came about from a wonderful 6 day trip to Japan that Miranda organised just the month
before. We mainly went to see the Tokyo Quilt Fair plus the lovely city of
Kyoto, where I saw lots of beautiful ladies wearing kimonos.

A “Charity Quilt” committee of 5 women was formed to come up with ideas for the
quilt. Four of us went to Japan, hence the theme. I thought of the kimono
design as it was lovely, but it was not enough, so one of the others thought of
the fan design also. On returning home I started designing and sizing up
the quilt.

At the time we had 42 members in our quilting group who participated in making the two quilt tops. It was quite a task to fit that many blocks in the one quilt and then repeat it. So I came up with the idea of each member making two blocks, one of a kimono and the other of a fan,(I saw a fan quilt at the Tokyo show and had a photo of it), therefore each quilt top comprised of half the members blocks.

With each member paying $30 towards the making of the quilts, the committee provided
the backing square and the strips for the border, the members then provided
their own material for the kimono and the fan appliqués. The fan was to have a
section with the kimono material sewn on, enabling them to be kept as a pair on
the quilt top.

I proceeded to cut all the squares and strips for the members so that I knew they were all cut the same. The border of each block was done in a log cabin design, so they had to be cut correctly.

The committee then got together at my house and we packed all the cut pieces along with instructions and diagrams, bagged them up in a zip lock bag with a number from 1-42. When they were completed and returned, they would then correspond with my numbered block design.

The response to this design was wonderful. Within the first week, many members had made them already and thought it was a quick and interesting set of blocks to make,
some members even learned new techniques from it. The members had to return
their blocks in the same bag so that I could match the block placement to my
design.

I was pleased some members even enhanced their kimonos and fans with special stitching patterns which gave it their individual look.

By piecing it together I separated them with a 2” sashing, and then bordered the entire quilt with 8” of Japanese blue indigo, with the idea of stitching sashiko designs on it.

Editor’s note: You will agree that it is a stunning quilt and Betty took the whole project on board and put hours of behind the scenes work into it. AMAZINGLY at the same time Betty was completing her Award winning “Out of the Blue -Steve Irwin Died” quilt, which those of us who were on the Charity
Quilt committee were privileged to have previews of it being worked on, before it’s public launch. Betty we all thank you for guiding us, teaching us and inspiring us..

September Show and Tell

2008-09-14T08:47:00.004+08:00

Elly's cow print quilt

Kathy's wedding quilt

CONDOLENCES

2008-09-12T07:43:00.003+08:00

Our deepest felt condolences to Janice and Andrew on the passing of Andrews father earlier this week.

We send our friendship and prayers to both of you and your families.

from all the group.

The Slice and Dice Batik Quilt

2008-09-09T19:08:00.004+08:00

My Grandmother interested me in quilting when I was very young. I loved the
feeling of connectedness with women in my family through the generations. I
asked her to make me a quilt for my wedding and she did. Since then Ive repaired
old quilts and used pieces of others work to pull together quilts for my
grandchildren but this is the first Start-to Finish quilt Ive made on my own. I
found it quite challenging. I had help choosing the colors. Colors are not my
strong point. Accuracy is the key. I had to rip out some of my squares because
they were not accurate enough to end up giving me a quilt with square corners.
Its a bit odd when one side is two inches longer than the other. I wasnt happy
with the backing and spent a great deal of time pinning it so that it would come
out even.
It took a great deal of courage on my part to start each new phase
but once I started it and saw that it was going to work, I picked up speed and
confidence. Its worth doing. Im very happy with it.
Ellen Starmer, The Slice
and Dice Batik Quilt, Singapore, 2008

Courtney

2008-09-09T08:17:00.006+08:00

Introducing little Hamish in Brisbane.

Here's Courtney holding the quilt our group made for the new baby.

Here's a group photo taken in June when we said farewell to Courtney. We gave her the lovely quilt that members of our group had made, and she was thrilled.

Next we heard she had her little baby a month early and lately we heard that mother and baby are well, though Hamish is still in hospital he's reached his birth weight. Thanks to Betty for the mum and bub photos taken in Brisbane. Betty does voluntary work in the hospital where Counrtney gave birth to Hamish.

IN ABSENTIA DAL

2008-09-07T08:10:00.006+08:00

Dal's mother is very sick and Dal has gone to be with her. Before leaving she sent us these photos and a heart warming story.

Our very best wishes Dal,. for your mum's speedy recovery.

It is a flannel fluffy quilt which I made for my
cousin's daughter in SA so I am taking it with me. She is a young black girl
(12) who has no parents and is being raised by an older sibling.She crept into
my cousin, Carrie's heart while she was in the area working on a project to
improve life for the people. Carrie has 'adopted' her and provides for her and
the rest of the family. They still live in their own environment but their life
is considerably improved by Carrie's involvement

IN ABSENTIA MIRANDA - made in Australia

2008-08-31T18:21:00.013+08:00

In the 14 months that my sister and I were caring for my mother in
Australia , I felt I needed to quilt and make bags at night to give me some
tenuous link with my life before caring for my terminally ill Mum who eventually
passed away from cancer.
This quilt is called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" ......where I feel she is now.

I worked on 3 quilts (One was lost in all the moves and the other is still in
progress)- one was finished in time for my mother to enjoy using it right ujp to her last day. It was a source of interest at the hospice where nurses and strangers would come in to look at it and ask her about it, and she would then chat with them.
It was a healing quilt for me after Mum passed away I would wrap myself
in it when I wanted to be close to her. Now I've gifted it to my daughter.
It's a three generational quilt already. In fact all three of us had a hand in making it. Mya and mum snipped off the endless numbers of cotton threads. If you've made one of these quilts that is chenille blocks , you'll know what iI mean about the sewing threads! They're still popping up no matter how many washes it gets.

After making lots of 'THANK YOU BAGS" for friends who were being
exceptionally supportive, I started making bags for Charity. They sold like hot
cakes and the money went to Eastern Palliative Care and to Caritas Cristi; the
two organisations that helped both my mother and my sister and I through this
tough time.

The organisations were most grateful. I had hoped to start a quilt for
each cancer patient in the hospice, but due to Australian Laws, they were not
able to accept quilts: The laundry contractors could only wash their own plain
white hospital covers!! I was glad to have found a way to support the charities
without causing "OHS" problems.

In all, I made 23 bags for charities (my sister cleaned up after me), ran free workshops where the participants then donated the bags to the charities and I lost count of how many "thank you" bags I made.
As all of you know, a lot of love and thought goes into something hand made for someone special - especially if it is a thank you gift. It gave me great joy to give the bags away. Thus I have none for show and tell in Singapore - so I've put them here in the blog to share this special time with you. .

PAST MEMBER NEWS

2008-08-23T12:43:00.009+08:00

Betty just e-mailed me with the wonderful news:

"I got a call from Courtney's dad this morning saying that Courtney had a
boy a few days ago, he came a month early. So the baby shower is off for
tomorrow until she some other time soon. All are well and maybe I will get
to see Courtney at the Wesley hospital which is where I volunteer every
Tuesday. The baby has to stay in the maternity ward for a few more weeks
but Courtney is going home either tomorrow or Monday, but naturally she will
visit every day."

I just received more news. Hamish is doing well - has reached his birthweight but is still in hospital.

I hope we'll get some photos soon, and I'll post them for the clucky ones amongst us.

By the way here is Betty's banner.....

Sandra will be sending photos of her bags soon.

QUILT SHOW IN BIRMINGHAM

2008-08-21T00:07:00.007+08:00

Here are some photos that Janice has sent from the Birmingham Quilt show. She'll add some info on them when she comes back.

Birmingham Festival of Quilts August 2008

After the fantastic show in Tokyo last year, I really didn’t know what to expect despite knowing that this is one of the largest shows in Europe. Well I wasn’t disappointed! Having persuaded a friend to join me who is a lapsed quilter who learnt in the States, I was relieved to see that European quilting is alive and thriving and is not restricted to the old fashioned patchwork I remembered.

These are a few trends I noticed at the festival – Sue went the day after me and it will be interesting to see what she thought. There were a lot of quilts incorporating printed pictures or screen printed images and painting on fabrics used for all or for part of the quilt. Some of the most beautiful quilts were single coloured fabric eg cream with coloured quilting forming the picture and patterns. There were some stunning long armed machine quilting done with coloured threads which I could easily live with (so long as someone else could make them!) Hangings were in abundance and often in 3 pieces. Some pieces incorporated felting and the work of Jacqueline Heinz was just amazing and she even wore some felted and quilted pieces she had made as well as showing the best hangings in the show as far as I was concerned. Unfortunately she doesn’t have a website!! Ricky Tims was there with a variety of his quilts and of course his cowboy hat. Kaffe Fasset was also there but I missed him as there was so much to see.

There were so many workshops to do but as I only had one day I thought I would just look around and of course I didn’t get to see everything by closing time – there isn’t enough time and after a 5am start from home, although the mind was willing, the body was done for at 5pm! The shopping looked good and I found a couple of different things of course but it was a bit short on old Japanese fabric so Betty, Sandra and Miranda would have been disappointed !! Generally I had a great day and my friend has been inspired to tackle her UFOs and try some new ideas so what more could I ask for? Better try and work next year’s holidays around the festival.

Janice

PAST MEMBER WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

2008-08-20T23:50:00.005+08:00

QUILT SHOW PHOTOS FROM AUSTRALIA COURTESY OF ex member BETTY KERR

3 MEMBERS ARE IN QUEENSLAND

Courtney is having her baby shower in Queensland this weekend. Invited to the shower is Betty Kerr also a recent past member of ANZA Quilters. Betty won the Singapore Quilt challenge last year with her "Out of the Blue...Steve Irwin Died" quilt where she pieced several thousand 1 inch squares in colour wash of Steve Irwin and a crocodile. Since leaving Singapore Betty has featured Steve in a Quilting magazine in Australia and several State Quilt shows. She is currently working on a banner for a family reunion. Knowing Betty's skills it'll be something to behold. She's promised to send us a photo of the finished product. She has also sent us some phoots from the quilt shows in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Also in Queensland is Lyn McClellan who will be remembered by long term members. Lyn and I are friends (we lived in the same apartment block in Indonesia) where I taught quilting and Lyn helped tremendously to introduce her quilting skills and Knowledge to a group of expats and locals in Jakarta. Lyn is now in Queensland and preparing to head off with her husband on a huge sailing trip to Phuket and Ambon- we're trying to get her to come to Singapore and visit her old quilting group.

AUGUST REFRESHMENTS RECIPES AS REQUESTED

2008-08-19T22:57:00.003+08:00

Alison's Crispy Noodle Salad
------------------------------

1 medium red capsicum (200g)
100g baby curly endive (or
lettuce/spinach/radicchio etc)
100g crispy fried noodles
1 small red
onion (100g) sliced thinly
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh mint
1
tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh coriander

dressing:
1/3 cup
(80ml) peanut oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1
tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic,
crushed

Cut capsicum in half lengthways. Remove & discard seeds and membrane; slice
thinly. Trim endive & discard hard ends of leaves.
Combine capsicum & endive with noodles, onion, mint & coriander in large bowl.
Add dressing, toss to combine.

Dressing: combine ingredients in glass screw top jar and shake well.

*Note: add noodles & dressing at the last minute, as noodles will go soggy if
left for long

NEWSLETTER - 19TH AUGUST

2008-08-19T21:54:00.007+08:00

THANKS:
We met at Sandra Y's today. Thanks for the lovely hospitality and thanks to Alison for providing the lovely fare. Alison's Yummy recipe is in the group's recipe file further down in this blog.

WELCOME AND FAREWELLS:
Welcome back to Lorraine who has been away for a while and welcome to Judy Crispe. We'll ask Judy to let us know a little about herself in the next blog.

CONTACT LIST:
We circulated the current mailing list and I'll attempt to update the amendments and circulate that soon. If you have any updates and were not at today's quilting meeting, please let me know as soon as possible. As the blog is not private we will not be posting the contact list here - it will come to you separately in an email.

BLOG:
Those who have been with the group for a long while will rememebr when we used to get large newsletters with photos sent to our email addresses, but most internet hosts would reject them because of size and disallow dowloads - therefore some received them and others didn't.

To alleviate this problem and to centralise information this blog has been created. It doesn't get downloaded to your computer, you read it on the web and you can chose to participate/read/contribute, or not.

It was agreed today, when there were blog updates, that a quick email should be sent to all members.

Please remember to bookmark the site and refresh - for quick access in future.
Thanks to Sandra for showing the blog via her computer today.

The Show and Tell photos will still continue to appear in shutterfly and the blog, but the blog will give the quilters an opportunity to explain their quilts and pass on any handy hints on techniques etc. with a brief description as it used to be in the old days of the Show and tell photo album - but done digitally on the blog now.

I had mentioned I'd try and give everyone "writers access" and block the site from outsiders, but I've just realised what a huge job that is creating separate email address and passwords for every member. Maybe in the future when I have more time and depending on the use of the blog. For now any amendments, articles, ideas etc can come to either myself (Miranda) or Sandra Y, who as of today has agreed to be a back up editor for the blog.

ANZA NEWCOMERS:
A request was made for a few small quilts to be brought to the next quilting meeting so I can take some to the ANZA Newcomers Morning where newcomers are introduced to Singapore and the activities of ANZA (including groups like ours). Good PR for our group.

JANICE:
Janice is still in England looking after her mum and will be returning to Singapore next week. Please direct any queries to me in the meantime. When Janice returns and finds her feet again, we'll ask her to put up some of the photos of the Birmingham Quilts show she attended and we look forward to hearing and seeing more from Janice in person soon.

HOSTING:
There were a few volunteers put their hands up for hosting and refreshments for the next few weeks. Can you please check the list and see if you can chip in somewhere if you are currently not on the roster for hosting or refreshments. Thanks everyone.

Look forward to seeing you all next week at Maureens.

Warmest regards from
Miranda

AUGUST SHOW AND TELL

2008-08-18T20:57:00.009+08:00

Work in progress - brought to the group for some lay out suggestions.

Melinda:

This is a block swap quilt. A group of 10 people all made the same block, so each person keeps one of their own blocks and gives the other 9 to the others in the group. Once you get the ten blocks, you put it together as you wish. There was one common fabric in this block. You will note that it is 3 by 3, (9 blocks) and the tenth block has been cut in four to help in squaring of all the blocks.

The centre piece of the quilt.

The reverse was commercially quilted - gorgeous.

Melinda:

This was made with an Amy Butler free pattern available on the web with Amy Butler fabrics.

JUNE SHOW AND TELL

2008-07-24T04:53:00.013+08:00

Alison: My online group (Southern Cross Quilters) had a Retreat in Sydney and we swapped signature blocks. There were approx 125 participants and each person made a block consisting of a half-square triangle with your signature and/or decoration (stamped, embroidered, beaded etc) plus a coloured half-square triangle. The theme of the Retreat was "Jewel Colours". I still have to add the borders and quilt it!!
Maggie:

Anne:

The sampler Crazy quilt I made because I hadn't done one before and I thought it would be a good piece to do at quilting group. The colours I chose just because I liked them. I have actually made it into a cushion cover.

Anne:

I bought the material because I just loved the colours and Sandra S had just finished a very simple quilt made up of 7 strips so I had the idea that I would do that. However, when I went to make it I decided that was a bit too simple for my tidy mind so I cut the fabric into lots of different and varying widths and sewed them into squares which I then cut down into exact squares and sewed them together again. I have been very pleased to learn that I can make a quilt without a pattern to follow which I wouldn't have dreamed of doing until I joined our quilting group and saw how many wonderful things are possible.

NEW PRODUCT

2008-07-24T04:41:00.005+08:00

I flew back with a friend who'd just been to the Hobart quilt show and she was totally enthused about a new product. I watched it's TV launch on ABC New Inventors program whilst I was still in Australia and it has a web site link if you would like to see it.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2287744.htm

I know what I want for Chistmas....

Quilters in Singapore 2008 “The Retro Paisley Challenge”

2008-07-20T11:25:00.007+08:00

Quilters in Singapore

4th November 2008
Registration Form

Name:
Tel/Email:
Quilt Name:
Quilt Dimensions:
Patchwork Techniques used:
Quilting Method used:

Deadline for registration is 14th October, 2008
Each person may enter one quilt expressing his/her interpretation of the challenge theme. The quilt top must be made solely by the participant. The quilt may be machine or hand quilted by the participant or a third party. The quilt should not exceed 60” squared.

Please ensure that a 2” sleeve is sewn on the back of the quilt at the top for display purposes. Although finished quilts are preferred, tops will also be accepted

Please send registration form to:-
Pam Lxxxxxxxl,

THE CONTACT DETAILS HAVE BEEN REMOVED HERE AND BELOW FOR REASONS OF PRIVACY PROTECTION, PLEASE ASK GROUP MEMBERS (OR IN PRATICULAR MELINDA) FOR THE ACTUAL DETAILS.,

There will be a quilters’ lunch on Tuesday 4th November at the British club at 73 Bukit Tinggi Road where the challenge quilts will be exhibited and votes will be cast for the best quilts.
Challenge quilts will need to be received by the organizers two days before the event and will be returned to you on the following Wednesday. Details of the delivery address will be sent to all registered entrants.

Please share with us what inspired you to create your quilt:

************************************************

Quilters in Singapore Challenge 2008

Design and make a quilt using this year’s challenge fabric
The submitted quilts will be displayed and judged by the viewers during
A Luncheon at the
British Club on Tuesday, 4th November 2008.

Quilt challenge Entry Rules:
A recognizable amount ( minimum one fat quarter) of the
ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRIC EVERY IOTA PAISLEY SWIRL Creamsicle
or
ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRIC EVERY IOTA PAISLEY SWIRL Celebration
AIT-6602-203 Celebration must be used as an integral part of the entry, and must appear in the body of the quilt.
No more than two yards of the challenge fabric may be used in the entire entry, but any amount of any other fabric may be used.
The quilt can be of any shape, but the combined total of all sides of the quilt cannot be less than 72 inches nor more than 360 inches (for example an 18" x 18" quilt equals 72", a 60" x 60" quilt equals 360"). A round quilt cannot have a diameter greater than 60 inches. (Any shape is the key phrase here, yes; you can use scalloped edges and non-traditional designs!)
Quilts may include any technique and can be hand or machine quilted. If the quilting was done by someone else, this needs to be stated in the entry form.

Unfortunately, due to space restrictions we have to be firm on the maximum sizes for the quilts. If your quilt is larger than the measurements above, we may not have room to display it properly and it will not be able to be entered for the voting on the day.
Each quilt must have a sleeve attached to the top back for hanging. The sleeve opening must be 4 inches wide after it is attached to the quilt, and must be attached in a way that it will not show when the quilt is hanging. Alternately, a minimum of 4 large pegs to fit over the poles need to be provided.
A fabric identification label must be securely fastened to a bottom back corner of the quilt (a paper label pinned to the quilt is not acceptable). The label must contain the same full name and address that appears on the official entry form. The label should also contain the title of the entry.
The quilts submitted for the Challenge Exhibition will be handled many times during the set-up of the displays. While great care is taken to protect the quilts in the collection as much as possible, breakable embellishments and other breakable props may become damaged. When designing your entry these factors should be taken into consideration so that entries are not overly fragile. Quilts must be able to be folded.

Your entry form must be received by Pam Lxxxxxxxl no later than
14st October, 2008. No late entries can be accepted. This does not mean your quilt has to be finished by this day; it just lets us know that you intend to enter into the Challenge. The finished quilt has to be made available for hanging by 3 November 2008 and will be returned to the owner the day following the Quilt Exhibition and Lunch.

SURFING IN SINGAPORE - SEE INTERESTING WEB SITES

2008-06-18T16:35:00.008+08:00

The winners of the Sydney Quilt Show 2008:
http://quiltersguildnsw.com/quiltshow/

How to fold quilts on the bias to prevent material damage over time: http://whipup.net/2006/11/13/know-when-and-how-to-fold-em/

How to care for quilts long term:
http://www.lostquilt.com/Storage.html

New Product - Ruler:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2287744.htm

RECIPES

2008-06-17T07:31:00.018+08:00

WE HAVE SOME STUNNING FOOD AT QUILTING THAT IS BROUGHT BY THOSE BRINGING THE REFRESHMENTS

MIRANDA'S SIMPLE SCONES

3 cups self raising flour
1 cup cream
1 cup lemonade (sprite, 7up)

PREHEAT OVEN AT 250 C

1. Lightly mix all ingredients by lifting into the air and dropping back into the bowl until thoroughly combined.

2. Add milk and gently mix through with hands (not squeezing) it to combine.

3. All dough should come off sides and bottom of
bowl and not stick to your hands. If more flour or milk needed, add a little at
a time.

4. Dust working bench with flour. Using
palms of your hand GENTLY shape till it’s an inch high. And cut using scone
cutter or inverted beer glass. These scones are better a bit larger than normal
scones.

5. Place on a tray lined with aluminium
foil and dusted with flour in a circle so that each scone abuts the next. (this
helps them rise)

6. Cook till light brown, then
take out of the oven and quickly separate the circle giving the side of the
scone opportunity to dry out.

7. Cook for a
further 10 minutes or until golden brown.

MIRANDA’S “MADE UP” SAVOURY SCONES

350 grams (12 oz) Self-raising flour
85 grams (3 oz) butter, softened (or if
hard grated)
I packet dried soup mix (I used French onion soup. Try
Mushroom or cream of chicken etc)
I cup
milk

Optional:
Herbs or spring onions for scone mixture
(depending on flavour soup mix used)
Parmesan or other grated cheese for
top.

PREHEAT OVEN AT 250 C

1. Lightly mix first 3 ingredients by lifting into the air and dropping back into the bowl until thoroughly combined.

2. Add milk and gently mix through with hands (not squeezing) it to combine.

3. All dough should come off sides and bottom of bowl and not stick to your hands. If more flour or milk needed, add a little at a time.

4. Dust working bench with flour. Using palms of your hand GENTLY shape till it’s an inch high. And cut using scone cutter or inverted beer glass. These scones are better larger than normal scones.

5. Dip scones into grated cheese.

6. Place on a tray lined with aluminium foil and dusted with flour in a circle so that each scone abuts the next. (this helps them rise)

7. Cook till light brown, then take out of the oven and quickly separate the circle giving the side of the scone opportunity to dry out.

8. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe can be used to make ordinary scones by omitting the cheese and soup mix.

ALISON'S ASIAN RICE SALAD

1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 bunch spring/green onions, chopped
1 red
capsicum/red pepper, diced
1/2 cup currants
2 tablespoons parsley,
chopped
4 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
60g cashew
nuts

Cook rice, mix everything together (except
nuts)

Dressing

1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 tablespoon
lemon juice
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon
sesame oil
salt & pepper

Mix dressing ingredients and add,
with cashew nuts, just before serving.

Note: Recipe says 1/2
cup oil. I find this is a lot and you can halve it.
I sometimes use
light olive oil - virgin oil seemed to overpower the Asian
flavours.

ANNABEL'S CHICKPEA & ROASTED NUT DIP

1/2 cup roasted salted cashew or almonds (i used cashews)
400g can chick
peas/garbanzo beans, reserve 5 tablespoons of brine
2 tsps lemon juice
1/3
cup chopped fresh coriander
salt & pepper
olive oil for
serving
chopped cashews for garnish

Place cashews, chick peas,
reserved brine, lemon juice and coriander in a food processor and puree until
smooth.
Season to taste with S & P
Spoon into serving dish, drizzle
with a little olive oil and sprinkle with extra chopped cashews.

ELLEN'S PIMENTO CHEESE:

4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 X 2 oz. jar pimiento, diced
10
olives, chopped
mayonnaise
assorted crackers
celery

Lightly mix all the ingredients together, by hand, in a mixing bowl. The
mixture should be spreadable but not smooth. Serve with assorted crackers and
celery Sticks to dip.
"I use already grated cheese. Any grateable will do. A mixture
of cheeses gives even more flavour."

SANDRA S's MUFFIN RECIPES :

SAVOURYPASTRAMI AND PESTO MUFFINS:

Combine Dry:
2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder (or 2 cups
self-raising flour)
175 grams grated cheese100 grams pastrami
Mix Wet
together:
2 eggs
1+1/4 milk
salt and pepper
Combine mixed wet and
mixed dry imgredients. Cook for 10-12 minutes in muffin trays @ 200c

SWEET MUFFIN RECIPE:

Combine Dry:
2 + 1/2 Self raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
Mix
Wet together
1 egg
1+2/3 milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2
cup oil
Mix wet and dry together. Place in muffin trays and bake for 20
minutes @ 190Celcius. Options: add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or 1 cup mixed
frozen berries (don't thaw)

JUNE NEWSLETTER*

2008-06-16T22:30:00.012+08:00

Hello Everyone,

This is our first newsletter for simply ages.

Everyone is encouraged to contribute.I really happy to facilitate the placement of your entries onto the blog. Just send your material (ha-ha) to me by normal email. I've spoken with Janice and we may even be able to bring in Show and Tell pictures into the blog with the ability to explain, describe or discuss the quilts.

WHERE VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED WE'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING THE NOTICE IN RED. Does anyone want to help with editing the newsletter? I often write late in the night /early morning and am so tired that I make more typos than usual. It's not a huge job, just someone with a good eye for mistakes, to point them out to me to be changed.I thought the anzaquilters.blog.com would be easy for everyone to remember and access.June has been a very busy time with comings and goings, so let's start there.

MEMBERSHIP

WELCOME TO NEWCOMERS: Our group is quite active and there are a lot of things going on, so please make yourself known to me and if it's ok with you, I'll feature your picture here and some personal snippets. Elizabeth and Carmen have recently joined our group and as soon as I can, I hope to introduce them to all.

COMINGS (AND GOINGS):

Maggie is temporarily in France celebrating her daughter's wedding. Congratulations and best wishes Maggie...

Janice will be away for the (European) summer and asks "Is there anyone who can take the photos for Show and Tell?"

Miranda returned after some months in Australia caring for her mum with terminal cancer. "After my mother passed away in May I've now returned FOR ANOTHER SHORT STINT before going back to Australia for the 40 day memorial for a week (starting 26th June). My thanks to the group for the condolence card sent from the group by Janice."

FAREWELL:

Courtney wrote to members to advise that they are moving back to Brisbane and she'll be making one more visit to our group before leaving Singapore. Courtney wrote,”I have loved the quilting group in Singapore and have valued the friendships and support that I have received during my stay. I will be able to attend one more group before heading off (Tuesday 24th June) for a final quilt session and chit chat, I look forward to seeing those who can make it that day."

NEWS FROM PAST MEMBERS:
Betty, who won the Singapore Challenge, last year, with her fabulous quilt of Steve Irwin has exhibited her amazing colourwash quilt of some (5,000 x 1 inch blocks) in the Sydney Quilt show and it was featured in Patchwork and Quilting Magazine. Well done Betty. She is exhibiting her quilt at several of the Australian quilt shows. INTERESTING FACT: She is not able to enter it in the competitions as the quilting was not done by an Australian quilting guild member. So if you're thinking of exhibiting you may wish to speak to Betty to learn about her experience. Sandra has returned to life in Sydney and has just received her shipment which has reunited her with her computer and sewing machine! She has settled back very well.

OUT AND ABOUT

CAMBODIA ORPHANAGE TRIP: Janice, Maggie, Kathy, Anne and a non quilting friend have returned from their exciting time in the orphanage in Cambodia. They taught 19 nannies how to use machines donated by World Vision. The orphanage is about 2 hours outside of Phnom Penh and there are 50 children, 39 of which are babies and toddlers. They wanted the nannies to be taught how to use the machines they had been given, as a way of making their daily lives more interesting.Reminder: On this subject....Anyone upgrading their machines can contact World Vision to donate their old sewing machines - if in Australia Spotlight collects them. (Someone said Spotlight here does too, can anyone confirm??)

JAPAN TOUR: Having taken in both the Yokohama and the Tokyo International quilt shows with friends from Anza Quilting in previous years, I'm researching the possibility of running another one in November 2008 so I'm going up in July to investigate some more features to add on. This time I'm going to try and incorporate lessons on sashiko and other Japanese crafts in a beautiful traditional town called Hida Takayama. It can only be added to the November Yokohama show as the January Tokyo show is in the heart of winter and "snowing-in" has been known to happen. Please let me know if you are even slightly interested - Betty, Sandra and Janice really enjoyed being on the tour last time where we had a good combination of quilt show, sightseeing and shopping (both general and Quilting supplies - especially materials - WHICH HAVE FEATURED HEAVILY IN OUR QUILTS AND BAGS SINCE).

SYDNEY QUILT SHOW: Sandra will be sending us photos of the show. Her comment was the quality was really much better than other years. We look forward to seeing some.

RESOURCES

SEWING MACHINES:
For those who have not been able to bring their sewing machines to Singapore, Miranda has two spare ones used for her handbag workshops, but are not in use all the time, so is happy to lend them.

MAGAZINES AND BOOKS:

If you have recently bought any books or magazines that you would like to share, please let the group know through this newsletter.

SINGAPORE SUPPLIERS:

Have you found any new suppliers? Please let us add it on to an on-going list which we'll start as of next month. This will be a great resource for newcomers - instant list, instant quilting supplies!
Please put name of company: contact: address; phone number: directions.

DID YOU KNOW?

Eucalyptus oil takes off those nasty sticky labels off plastic containers. It is brilliant for old sticky tape that has "set" on wood or glass - especially if oil is put on cotton wool to soak and left on sticky stains for a few minutes. Here are some more uses for our National Oil...please go to the link: http://www.simplyoz.com/moreinfo.php?8056:0

SURF THE SITES:

TO VIEW THESE WEB SITES, EITHER CLICK ON THE UNDERLINED ADDRESS HERE, OR COPY (HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLETE ADDRESS AND PRESS CONTROL C SIMULTANEOUSLY) AND PASTE (HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLETE ADDRESS AND PRESS CONTROL V WHERE YOU LOOK AT WEB SITES).

How to fold quilts on the bias to prevent material damage over time: http://whipup.net/2006/11/13/know-when-and-how-to-fold-em/
How to care for quilts long term:
http://www.lostquilt.com/Storage.html

SOME IDEAS FOR FUTURE ISSUES:

Opinions Welcome...

Would we like to feature our group in the Australian Down Under Magazine/Patchwork and Quilting or Patchwork and Stitches?? - Magazines in Australia often feature groups from around the nation and I'm really happy to follow up and get them to meet some of Australia's Diaspora in Singapore. As well as highlighting that ANZA is made up of people from many countries around the world.I think our sensational charity quilt would make a wonderful visual. An article could also draw attention to potential members who are might be moving to Singapore in the future. I'm happy to follow up but need group discussion/approval.

SOCIAL LUNCHEON FOR ANZA QUILTERS??

When we all get back later in the year would we like to have a social get together? I've discovered a very pretty place in Singapore - Seletar Country Club that has a very informal restaurant overlooking the golf course and Seletar Reservoir. It's Greeeeeeeeen as far as your eye can see.... It's a good break away from the city - 5 minutes away from our home. The prices are very reasonable and the food (choice of Asian or Western) is consistently good. Anyone interested before the "silly" season is upon us and the year has gone?

PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS:

Do you have any quilting photos to add to our blog?

SUPPLIERS IN SINGAPORE - not just the usual ones. A comprehensive list of sewing, material and quilting suppliers in Singapore for newcomers and those of us who are happy to explore wider.

LOST, FOUND, BUY, SELL, SHARE, LEND OR RECOMMEND
Be it quilting or non-quilting itmes...Anything to buy or sell, A spot to ask if anyone know where to find......

WORKSHOP IDEAS

Some months ago we discussed having a "shared workshop" - where everyone tips in their techniques for doing mitres on a patchwork block and for borders/quilt finishings. There are so many different ways being practiced and many of us still struggling. Yet those who have mastered their particular style swear by how easy it is.

FEEDBACK

Please feel free to make constructive comments and offer any help you can if you'd like this format of communication to continue in this or some similar form.....
Hi everyone, Welcome to our new blog. It is another method we can communicate and see photos, share information and notices.

THIS GROUP BLOG IS A TRIAL TO SEE HOW WE LIKE IT, AND IF WE DO, IT CAN BE AN ONGOING NEWSLETTER TOO.

If your emails get jammed with large files etc or you've been receiving spam, this blog should solve the problem. As the information is not sent to you, you can look at the blog as often as you need and nothing gets permanently downloaded on to your computer.Each one of us can add to the blog, just send me the information and I'll post it for you. To do this just email me at my current email address and make the heading "FOR THE BLOG".

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.... THANKS FOR READING AND NOW BACK
TO QUILTING.....
Best wishes for health and happiness,
Miranda Rowlands

OUR NEW BLOG, who what when where and how

2008-06-16T21:34:00.004+08:00

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our new blog.

WHO:

This blog is to be used by current and ex-members of the ANZA quilt group in Singapore.

Each one of us can add to the blog. I am just the facilitator to help all members access and contribute to the blog.

WHAT:
It is another method we can communicate and see photos, share information and notices.

THIS IS A TRIAL TO SEE HOW WE LIKE IT AND IF WE DO IT CAN BE AN ONGOING NEWSLETTER TOO.

If your emails get jammed with large files etc or you've been receiving spam, this blog should solve the problem. The blog is not sent to you, you log on to the blog as often as you need and nothing gets permanently downloaded on to your computer.

WHEN:
Depending on interest and contributions, we will publish when we have news.

WHERE:
This site can be accessed from anywhere around the world, you can be on a Mac or a PC , all you have to remember is the address which is our group's name and then the words .blogspot.com all without any spaces.

HOW:
Just send me any information, news, articles or photos in a normal email and I'll post it for you. To do this just email to Miranda's current email address (as per our membership list) and mark the heading "FOR THE BLOG."

Please remember blogs are accessible to the public so please do NOT write any full names, addresses, phone numbers or email addresses nor anything that can compromise the privacy of any group member. Although it's extremely unlikely anyone without an interest in the Group would read it anyway as there are now millions of blogs around the world. Thank you...