We've been busy!

I thought I'd get in a quick update while Carole has been away enjoying what the region has to offer.   Easier said than done.  I now have too many cameras, phones and other media storage devices which are not behaving as best friends should, so hence the delay.

 

This photo reminded me of the "olden" days when everyone used to gather at a quilting bee and all work on the same quilt.  Ok...it's only two in this pic, but everyone was very studious.

 

 

Wendy is busy appliqueing blocks from a Piece O' Cake design book....looking very good.

 

Jessie whipped up the following quilt - her own design - using jelly rolls and a clever angled ruler.  The narrow strips of sashing between the zig zags really set it off well.

 

 

 

And how about this which is the back  of Jessie's quilt.  Looks like a bit of Jelly Roll racing has been going on....

 

We gave Melissa her memory blocks as she is leaving us to head back to a less humid, frizzy and stressful environment.  More pics of these to follow.

 

 

We all have days like this....so engrossed in what we are stitching...we manage to sew ourselves together!

 

 

and we had two special visitors today....Becky and Tom!  (Not related)

 

 

Rhonda returned from a visit to India bearing lovely gifts of small embroidered paisleys, motifs and laces.  Sandra has already used some of them in her work...lovely.

 

 

and finally some shots from out and about in Singapore....courtesy of the bathroom floor and billiard room floor in Raffles Hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

Over and out....and back to you Carole!

 

 

 

 



 

 



 



 

 

 



 

 





Show and Tell Showdown

With great enthusiasm our members have been creating, finishing, sorting and enjoying not only our Tuesday gatherings at the Hollandse Club but also every other day of the week by the look of the production output.
Although we have some newer members, everyone seems most at ease and friendly and we are all very happy in each others company.

Missing was our good friend Kathy who is in hospital with dengue fever, a mosquito born illness that is very debilitating and not uncommon here in the tropics. We are hopeful of a speedy recovery and a return to her happy, ebullient self soon. Thanks daughter Rebecca for keeping us in the loop.

It was show and tell Tuesday and the work was bountiful. Here is a snapshot:

Wendy's Wonderful Work

Wendy is creating a quilt with a flower theme and is doing some exciting applique. She also brought along a knitting bag done in very small hexagons, in great maroon colours and all hand stitched. Lots of admirers on that one.

Sandra's Silk

Beautiful Balls

Sandra has been working for many months on a crazy quilt and has been toiling away with beads, thread and embellishments to come up with a work of art. Finished product should be available for viewing soon. She also creates fabric balls which are somehow 3D, perfectly symmetrical and fun. Much admire and fondled.

Happy Hex's

And if she hasn't been busy enough...Sandra has also produced this delightful ball quilt for a beautiful baby. A great addition to a nursery.

Jess's Jigsaw

Jess is a very prolific quilter and seems to bring along a new and exciting finished product each week. This week she came along with something unfinished, liked it but was over it and has therefore donated it to the group to do with as they please. A few suggestions were to finish it and draw straws for who would get to keep it, donate it to a charity who are happy to finish it off or throw the problem open for any other suggestions. Jess has been very kind to donate all of the fabric and so it would be good if all of us could put our heads together and come up with an appropriate use for this. It looked perfect to have a play with. Thinking caps on girls!

Vicki's Variety

 Vicki has been quietly coming to quilting for many months, toiling away at her hand stitching and being coy about what she was producing. Finally, the reveal. We were all delighted to see her completed blocks for a reading quilt for her grandchildren. A generous and loving gift to delight any young child and a delicious palette of colours and designs. Lots of oohs and ahhs over this one.

Rhonda's Raptuous Relics

Rhonda is a very experienced traveller to India and regularly conducts textile tours. She recently came back with some wonderful embellishments and so generously offered us all pieces of mirrored ribbon, sparkly trinkets, buttons, paisleys and all sorts of shiny objects that we have been able to incorporate into projects. Here are just two that Carole has used in a simple scrappy quilt just to ramp it up a bit. More photos will appear in future blogs as the pieces appear in who knows what! A thoughtful and fun gift Rhonda.

Ya Hui's welcome

Our new quilter Ya Hui has been toiling away on the sewing machine and is finally ready to piece her blocks together. She has chosen this fabric for a young girls quilt and has lots of encouragement from us all, especially Marianne.

To all those who attend either every week or only sporadically, we love your company, are amazed at your skills and welcome your input. It is a great day in the week and provides friendship and comfort to those who are often away from other friends and loved ones for far too long. Keep on keeping on.

A gentle reminder to those whose ANZA membership is not current. It can easily be forgotten if you have missed emails or have been out of the country. Membership is due on the anniversary of joining so if you have not been receiving ANZA updates then this might be the reason. A worthwhile and necessary obligation if you are to be part of our group. Of course those exempt are the treasured friends who are leaving us very soon, Melissa, Marg, Elizabeth and others who may know but are not telling. Que sera sera!

Full house

Tuesday quilting was noisy this week which means that there were lots of women in the room doing LOTS of talking. It seemed to be catch up time as there were some long lost returnees from across the globe.

Chatter involved lots about members who are returning to home shores soon. Melissa is returning to Launceston, Tasmania to let her boys run and play in the cooler climate, eat fresh vegetables and spend time with family. Elizabeth is starting a new chapter in Perth WA and will rediscover the wonders of outdoor cafes and new stitching groups. Marg is returning to Melbourne VIC to reconnect with family and friends. They will all leave a big whole in our "family" here in Singapore but we have new members and long termers who will keep the home fires burning. Come and visit us again girls!

Alison was impressed with the Australian Quilters Convention that she recently attended in Melbourne and shared photos of the best in show. The talent that surrounds us is truly astounding.

There is also lots going on behind the scenes with projects being completed, in some cases sold on (way to go Jess) and many works in progress. Photos are sure to be thrilling when they hit this blog soon.

Quilts, quilts and more quilts

There is no stopping these vibrant and busy women of Singapore. The productivity and creativity is amazing. Here are some of the recent offerings...

early Christmas or very late!!!!!

superb applique

Marg's sampler quilt hand pieced and perfect

baby quilt for Archie

Elizabeth's delightful baby quilt

Beautiful Baltimore by talented Angeles... a year in the making

Kathy Illingworth's fun and vibrant embroidery

Rhonda's BOM beginnings

Marianne's great colour scheme

A few more links that might be useful to readers. There is an amazing online shop in Hawaii called Fabric Mart info@hawaiifabricmart.com, www.hawaiifabricmart.com. They have a wide selection of asian fabrics, hawaiian designs and patchwork cottons at good prices and the selection can keep a quilter busy for hours. Readers might also be interested in the numerous on line tutorials available through youtube. Favourites are http://www.youtube.com/user/MissouriQuiltCo, http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCraftyGemini?feature=watch. Try a search and be amazed at what techniques and delights await you from cyberspace.

Its not always sweat and toil on a Tuesday. Recently some of the group caught up for a luncheon and chat with not a piece of fabric in sight. The venue was great although the weather is getting hotter as we leave the wet season behind, so the outdoor setting was a little steamy. It was a great chance to meet and greet as well as catch up with news other than our latest creations. Quilters are a very interesting lot and especially here in Singapore with such an eclectic mix.

Members are reminded that this blog is all about you and the featured projects are only a glimpse of the talent and ability of our members. Some of these women are only beginners but the generosity of those more experienced has made for some excellent outcomes.

More baby quilting from Kirstyn

Cooler Quilting

The rainy season has brought with it some cool breezes and the sewing machines have been ramping it up. Nothing idle about any of these women here in Singapore.
Tuesdays are gathering speed as well and there are new members, some leaving, some planning to leave. ANZA quilting is an ever movable feast!

New member Wendy is working on a panel with interesting design and colours. We are enjoying her travel tales as she has come to us via Tanzania so has been able to share some unique stories and experiences.

Elizabeth's version

Kaffe pattern

Elizabeth is a very experienced quilter and has some great skills to teach in terms of a getting a professional finish to all her quilts. She has a lot of information that she is happy to share so ask her if you are stuck. She is very generous with her time. Here for show and tell she was able to explain to us the Kaffe Fasset pattern quilt that she was able to work on in a Kaffe workshop and with the help of the man himself, she was able to produce a colourful and intriguing quilt. Her own version above showed that she was able to play with colour and we all admired her effort and the melding of fabrics and colour combinations.

Bridget is working on  a soft pastel quilt and it embodies some old fashioned and interesting fabrics.

She is our quiet achiever and we would all like to see some more of her work to showcase here.  

 The block of the month series is coming along well. In the first of our profiles, Carole has been busy and has completed 8 of the 21 blocks that is in this folk art series. It has been fun for her to try a genre that she was not familiar with, forces her to be creative and has been a very relaxing exercise. Choosing fabrics has been the most fun though and her collection grows weekly.

Janice has been missing in action lately but has not be idle. Here she showcases an amazing Jinney Beyer design, all done by hand and with an assortment of fabrics that while under construction looked "unusual" to say the least. Suddenly POW, it became an absolute visual delight. Way to go Janice.

Plenty more where all of this has come from. Will share more soon. Remember first Tuesday of the month is show and tell...bring along your work for admiration and discussion.

Meanwhile, some members have been interested in where some of our members get their fabrics. There are of course local shops here in Singapore and lots of members are very supportive. Names and locations are listed in this blog for everyone's reference and support is encouraged. There are also some favourite on line shops from all over the world and some members have had success and are very pleased with their purchases. As a chance to explore what is available, hyperlinks are listed below. Remember that overseas postage can inflate the purchase price but there are still deals and specials that may make it worthwhile.

 Local online shop Needle and Thread which

is listed on the Tab at the top of the blog.

Excellent prices and great service from Magdalene.

Alison's favourites from Australia:

Ballarat Patchwork http://ballaratpatchwork.com.au/

Great selection of modern fabrics and lots of good Aussie patterns too

Millrose Cottage (Ballan, Vic) http://www.millrosecottage.com.au/

HUGE ranges of fabric and patterns, plus wools. Definitely worth a

visit if you are in Victoria

Amite (Gardenvale, Melbourne) http://www.amitie.com.au/

Big range of Liberty. Great modern fabrics. Awesome patterns.

Really fun fabric and stash clubs

USA

Hawthorne Theads http://www.hawthornethreads.com/

Great ranges and very competitive prices. Excellent shipping and service.

Regular newsletters and weekly giveaways. ( use them A LOT!)

Fat Quarter Shop http://www.fatquartershop.com/

Big range of fabric. Good prices. Excellent customer service.

Regular newsletters and competitions. Used them a lot - never had a problem.

eQuilter http://www.equilter.com/

Great fabrics - big range of batiks, Japanese etc.

Huge range of magazines and books

Excellent customer service

Sometimes has free shipping to USA and half-price to everywhere else.

Luana does a lot for charity.  A percentage of your bill is donated to your

nominated charity.   Never had a problem ordering here

Quilt Home http://quilthome.com/

Great range of fabrics

Excellent customer service

Weekly newsletter and giveaways

Great weekly specials - usually 25% off a particular designer or range

Good to deal with

Marg's favourite

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=batiks+plus&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Some of Carole's favourites are from eBay USA. They include

Maintained by: jordansoforegon ( 20812)
			Pre-cut patchwork kits and fabric. Log Cabin pieces precisely cut, coordinated and ready for you to sew. Bali Batik from Hoffman, Robert Kaufman Asian. Bali Pops, Jelly Rolls, 5 inch squares. Beautiful quilt store quality cotton prints. Jo Morton, Pandolph, Quilting Treasures, RJR, Anthology Batik

			Maintained by: caligal-stitches ( 7317)
			Welcome! Thanks for visiting! Shop here for a wide selection of fabric: quilt-shop cotton, minky chenille, oilcloth vinyl, decorator fabric, poly-cotton prints, as well as quilting tools, sewing trims, books, etc. Shipping from Sunny Southern California.

Also frequented by a few of us:

www.gloriouscolor.com

Great prices on Kaffe Fasset and Westminster and Rowen fabrics



Finally for your quilting enjoyment. A few funnies from Rhonda.

We all know UFO's and FQ's

Try googling quilt acronyms, and you'll find some like these:
(Not so familiar, but very clever)


HSY Haven't Started Yet

PHD Project Half Done (yes - we all have PHD's behind our names!!!)

WIM Work In Mind

WIVSP Work in Very Slow Progress

TOAD Trashed Object Abandoned in Disgust

PIG Project In Grocery bag

USO Unstarted Object

STASH Special Treasures All Secretly Hidden (!!!)

SABLE Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy


And two favourites...

FART Fabric Acquisition Road Trip ( so can we call previous trips Old farts???)

WOMBAT Waste Of Money Batting And Time