Quilters World

Quilt Winners from the Toowoomba Show

Gerry enjoyed a day away from the office to attend the Toowoomba Royal Show. While she was there she checked out the entries to the Quilting section and took photos of all the winning quilts to share. 

She was surprised to discover she'd taken 2nd place in the Baby Quilt division. The baby quilts are donated to the special care nurseries at the Toowoomba Base Hospital and St. Vincent's which is what inspired Gerry to enter a quilt and she'd never expected to win.

Congratulations to Gerry and all the winners!

 

Patchwork Quilt Reserve Champion - 1st Place - Lynn Crump

Patchwork Quilt - 2nd Place - Verna Hall

Patchwork Quilt  - 3rd Place - Janece King

 

Patchwork Quilt (commercially quilted) Champion
1st Place - Elsie McFadden

Patchwork Quilt (commercially quilted - 2nd Place - Lorraine Rowe

 

Patchwork Quilt (commercially quilted - 3rd Place - Robin Fowler

 

 

Wallhanging - 1st Prize - Judith Elliott

Wallhanging - 2nd Prize - Janece King

Wallhanging - 3rd Prize - Joanna Anderson

Baby Quilt - 1st Prize - Janece King

 

Baby Quilt- 2nd Price - Gerry Easey

Baby Quilt - 3rd Prize - Judith Johnson

 

Western Queensland Tour

Every year Pauline and Rob take the highway to western Queensland, where Pauline has workshops with all the local quilters.  This year being no exception, they began their tour at Yaraka, where they met up with lots of familiar faces all eagerly awaiting their arrival. 

The ladies are always so keen that they camp at the hall and work on their quilts late into the night, before starting again at the crack of dawn!  

However they did manage a trip up Mount Slocombe (just outside Yaraka) to see the spectacular views, after which a quick trip to the Yaraka Pub was in order. 

 

After Yaraka the next stop for Pauline was Ilfracombe, followed by Barcaldine, Aramac and Winton. 

Many of the ladies travel to each town and are able to produce some wonderful quilts over the course of the ten days. 

Pauline and Rob have been to western Queensland very many times, and they always really enjoy their visits and appreciate the warmth and hospitality of the outback folk.

Tambo Celebration Quilt

Situated in Central West Queensland, Tambo was settled in 1863, making it the oldest town in western Queensland. The first exploration of the district was by Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1846. Pastoralists flocked to Tambo during the 1860s, taking up land for grazing.

Today this small country town continues to support the important sheep and cattle industries of the region. Noted for its heritage and natural attractions, Tambo is the perfect place to gain insight into the lifestyle and heritage of Australia's forebears.

With Pauline's help the quilters of Tambo have been busy working on a special quilt to celebrate Tambo's 150th anniversary this year.The quilt is titled "Tambo Rhythm of Life".

The 150 Celebration quilt will measure about 3 metres x 2 metres when completed. It will consist of three panels, each one depicting one of the centuries in their 300 year history - 1800s, 1900s and 2000. It is scheduled to hang in the town's information centre in the town for all to enjoy. Each panels will be joined together between two panels featuring the sthe story of the district. The quilt will be surrounded by photos taken through the ages and transferred onto fabric.

The Tambo 150 Volunteer Community Committee has been working towards achieving an exciting, exhilarating celebration program of events and entertainment befitting this wonderful milestone in the history of Tambo.

 

Pauline Turns 60

I think most of us contemplate the passage of time on our birthday.  As I've hit a great milestone with this birthday, I've taken a great deal of time to reflect on my life.

Growing up in a very small country town was a fantastic foundation for my life's journey.  When I met and married Rob, who loves what life has to offer as much as I do, I felt we were in for a great time. We were blessed when our son Jason was born, and again when he married Vicki. We couldn't have wished for a more perfect daughter-in-law. They have honoured us with two amazing grandchildren, Lannah and Dean.



Patchwork & Quilting has been a huge part of our life for the past 28 years or so. We've been privileged to meet so many wonderful quilters Australia wide. I have had so many memorable experiences in those years I will one day write a book on it.

My family organised a dinner party to celebrate my 60th birthday. It was touching to see so many great friends that we have made over the years. Some of the folks who joined us for dinner included Nancy, who worked as my very first assistant many years ago, when I taught in Cunnamulla.  Then of course there was Gerry, and her husband John, who has been my faithful assistant for the past 12 years. Gerry and I actually met in Blackwater, Queensland when she attended a workshop I was tutoring. 

 
Those who have travelled with us on our Outback Quilters Tours, would remember all the fun times we had with Phil Stonestreet of Stonestreet's Coaches at the helm. Having him there for the evening, brought many merry memories back for Rob and I, and it was wonderful to also see his adorable family. 



Another family that joined us were Narelle and Gavin Miller, along with there daughter Zoe. We first met them well over 24 years ago when I was asked to teach on an outback station in the Northern Territory. It was an experience I will always treasure. While I was there I met numerous women who made the outback their home, and hear their stories about living life in isolation. Narelle and I formed a very special bond over the years, especially when she had to leave the property for her final three months when pregnant with Zoe. She came and lived with us. I had the great honour of delivering Zoe, who is now a stunning young lady in her last two years of school .

If it hadn't been for quilting I wouldn't have met this terrific folks. My realm of friends goes far and wide across the quilting world and I hope to meet plenty more in the years ahead of me. To all those who I've met on my journey, I say thank you for making my life such a fantastic ride!

Live life well and enjoy your quilt making,

Pauline
PS As it's my big 60th birthday I suggested Special was needed. Visit Quilters World to see the birthday specials.

Port Elliot Visit

While Pauline was at the Adelaide Quilt Show she met some quilters from Port Elliot who asked her to come along to their group. She had a day set aside to rest up after the show, but decided that an impromptu visit to Port Elliot would be a great way to spend the day instead of catching up on laundry and other chores.

It was a fantastic day. Pauline got to enjoy their show & tell and have a peek at what the ladies were working on before she held a Gadget Queen demonstration.

Thanks ladies for the invitation and your wonderful hospitality.

Port Broughton Machine Quilting Workshop

Pauline was in Port Broughton recently. Even though she wasn't there to relax (although it certainly would be the ideal spot for a holiday) she did have a good time. She might have even squeezed in a walk on the jetty.  

 Pauline was in Port Broughton for a  Machine Quilting Workshop with Broughton Rainbow Quilters.

The ladies enjoyed a day of stitching under Pauline's tutelage while learning new machine quilting techniques, including a no mark way of putting quilting designs onto their quilt - using Quilt & Tear Paper.

Thank you ladies for making Pauline's visit to Port Broughton a memorable one. We hope you're practising your quilting and putting your new found skills to good use.

 

What's In the Port? New Products for Quilters

As you may know, while at Quilt Market, we all spent time searching for new tools.

There were so many vendor booths to check out, Pauline brought along both Gerry and Jane to make sure that we covered Quilt Market from top to bottom.

We mentioned in an earlier post how Pauline would end up finding gadgets that we missed but there were also many a time in the evening when we'd excitedly pull out what we found to discover the same item had caught her eye!

Of course we also ended up with three very different seam rippers! These weren't your run of the mill unpickers though. One had a magnifier and light, the other had a thread remover while the last one is a battery operated tool that advertises itself as the "fastest seam ripper in the west".

Pauline managed to squeeze all the purchases into her luggage and over the next couple of months will be testing out the products. Which ones she chooses to stock will depend on how they perform... and whether the item will save time or make a task easier.

Some of the things we picked up includes a pair of scissors that cuts a 1/4" seam allowance, special creative sewing machine feet, a sewing machine light that is battery operated, the Bias Ruler (from the makers of the Binding Tool), a special needle case, the Whirlwind Whiz, Seam Dream and Steady Betty products. Pauline also picked up some products to have a play and see if she can use them in new ways.

New Quilt Design #4 Quick & Fun Wallhanging

Pauline's fourth new design is a small wallhanging with a lot of impact that's much easier to make then it looks.

This quilt as you go project makes use of  large print fabric which is appliqued with circle motifs and bias strips. Then it's embellished with folded fabric details reminiscent of origami and delightful buttons.

New Quilt Design #3 Center Motif

Pauline's third quilt showcases a gorgeous oriental fabric in the centre panel.

The corner blocks are dresden plates cut to create a kaliedoscope effect while the other blocks are appliqued with an unique star flower created especially for this Quilt As You Go quilt.

New Quilt Design #2 with Oriental Flavour

This wallhanging quilt makes the most of beautiful oriental fabrics and the design created lots of comments at quilt market because...

It's the perfect quilt to hang in a corner!

 

With a bow!

 

 

Or with no bow!

 

Pauline didn't just use Japanese fabrics in her unique quilt, she designed it to be assymetrical  placing the feature elements on a cream background with straignt lines of quilting. 

Circle motifs and fans give the quilt a distinctive Japanese flavour. Pauline also added butterflies, symbols of joy and longevity.

New Quilt Design #1 Chenille Delight

This delightful quilt features chenille flowers with 3D leaves and chenille strips. It's constructed with Pauline's Quilt As You Go technique.