Show and Tell at Scrub Stitching

There were plenty of impromptu Show and Tells throughout retreat as tops or blocks were finished.

Lianne —

Stephanie had a big production line happening, making bags, pouches —

Janice with a baby quilt —

More Janice busy-ness —

Sandy —

Harriet —

Lou (Down In The Garden by Leanne's House) —

Jenny (Sunshine and Lollipops) —

We also followed the coat-making for Tilly and Rosie very closely....

.....which culminated in a special dressing ceremony —

(While I am keen to make my own Luna Lapin rabbit, I am very mindful of the point that both Christine and Sharmayne vow and declare that their rabbits will not be getting any more coats!!!)

We all also really look forward to the Official Show and Tell on Saturday afternoon. This was the pile of quilts after the event! —

Sue and I shared our wee Sashiko bears (which we challenged each other to make —

This was a top I finished this year - also a challenge project — 

Stephanie with a sized up Omigosh! —

Sue —

Lou with two versions of the same tablecloth - one her grandmother made, the second her mother started and Lou finished —

Annette —

Mary with Field Journal (Cottage Garden Threads) —

Maureen was working on this last year - all FPP - great to see it finished!!

Jenny and Miranda share notes —

Jo (finally) put this together - it was an internet block swap —

Janice changed the centre wording to suit her surname —

Di with a crochet masterpiece —

Of course I can go on and on with more photos - I sure took plenty. SO much inspiration and creativity from all these special ladies.

See you next time,

Raewyn

Still at Scrub Stitching

Saturday at Scrub Stitching is typically a full and fun day with some 'scheduled' events.

We usually have our annual photoshoot. Helpful and click-happy husbands Mick and Tony were the photographers this year - 

Those who blog — 

Sue and I photo bombed this group of lovely ladies (Chooky, myself, Janice, Sharmayne, Lou, Jenny and Sue) —

Two travel buddies —

(I'll come back and replace these photos if I find some that aren't as glare-y!)

After lunch on Saturday we have Show and Tell, which I will put into a separate photo-heavy post.

And Saturday night is dress up night with some fun, a nice meal, and a gift swap.

We're given a theme early enough that we can organise our costumes but not so early that we all spend weeks making them!

This year's theme was Winter in the Warrumbungles - the Warrumbungles being a mountain range/National Park nearby. It also is a Dark Sky Park (limiting the amount of lights, etc, allowed at night).

Sue and I decided to be the starry starry night sky, with simple black capes which we sewed stars (snowflakes actually - take your pick) onto.

Always fun to see how everyone has interpreted the theme (Kylie, Lou with the snowballs and Lianne )—

Christine and Sharmayne —

Miranda (Elsa), Harriet and Tina —

Sue and Chooky —

Mary, Di and Miranda —

Jenny and Chooky —

Kate and Janice —

Jo —

The above photo shows (Solar System) Jo opening her gift in the Make It OR Fake It swap. All our anonymous gifts were numbered and we each randomly selected a number from a tin, determining whose we ended up with.

Gift dispersal in progress, and Betty showing off hers —

Linda received my wee gift —

This notepad pattern is an Anni Downs one. Next time I will put the stitching for the back of it slightly higher.

I received a gorgeous French General bag/set from Lou. As I am running out of time here and this is already photo heavy, I will keep you in suspense and show it in my next blog post. (Code for, I haven't photographed it yet!!)

All in all it was a fun night. After dinner, gifting and hijinks we all settled back into our sewing (of course!)

See you next time,
Raewyn

Scrub Stitching Special Project

Don't be too surprised to see another post today - I'm on a mission!! I hinted in my last post that there was another sewing project I worked on while at Scrub Stitching.

In recent months dear friend Chooky and family ran a big fundraising appeal for the Macquarie Homestay to expand the accommodation available for families of patients staying at Dubbo Hospital.

They had a wonderful response which surpassed their original goal. 

However we all know that quilts give that little bit of extra love so I offered to co-ordinate the making of a community quilt for the room.

A straightforward block was chosen and everyone was asked to make 2 versions of it, light surrounds and dark surrounds.

Here were my two blocks -

Before I'd even arrived, the wall was filling up with everyone's blocks - it was so cool to see how everyone was happy to jump on board with the idea.

The pattern I had chosen was called Fruit Punch out of  'Jelly Roll Quilts In A Weekend' by Pam & Nicky Lintott— 

I figured that if the authors could get one sewn in a weekend, then it might be a straight forward one to make!!

A sheet always makes a good design wall. I arranged blocks and let them sit for a while so that we could move them around as necessary — 

And then joining happened. I was pleased to get that long diagonal row joined! The odd block needed a bit of size fixing, but I found it a good one to use as a community block, where everyone's sewing is a bit different. I found a darkish neutral to use for the setting triangles - it was a bit hard to decide on a colour when the expected blocks were unknown, but I'm pleased with how this one worked.

Woohoo, 'tis together!

Photo without the goof!

Sandy of Shiralee Stitches very kindly offered to take it home to longarm quilt. A little team will bind it and then woohoo, it will be done.

What happened next was very exciting and heart warming. Sharmayne asked how many blocks we had left over; I said I was planning on taking them home and slowly making some more for a second quilt. She, however, wandered around the room collecting scraps and got a bit of a teamwork production line going. Here are Betty and Chooky making sets of blocks, which Christine and Sharmayne sewed together —

Before we knew it, we had enough blocks for a second, slightly smaller quilt. 

This one has the light blocks on the outside and will have coloured setting triangles.

Sharmayne and myself - mission accomplished —

I'll finish it here at home and get it back to Australia, either quilted or unquilted, somehow.

A great effort ♥

Thank you Scrub Stitchers for the generosity of your time and your scraps!!

See you next time,

Raewyn