Annual General Meeting

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Waverley

It is important for every organisation run by volunteers that members take their turn on committee. Those elected for 2019/2020 include some of our newer members along with others who started with Waverley Patchworkers decades ago. A combination of experience and fresh ideas will keep us on track for another successful and enjoyable year.

It was then time to thank Helen for coordinating our fantastic retreat, our annual weekend away.

We also acknowledge members who contribute behind the scenes with the Val Dale Award, this year won by Margaret for her work on the Gift Quilts Program.

You may have noticed that our featured quilt in the background is predominately pink and many members wore some pink at the meeting. That is because, being Breast Cancer Awareness month, our guest speaker Jasmine Koch was from the Zonta organisation. This service club sews cushions for the comfort of those who have had breast cancer surgery. We took the opportunity to call for donations of suitable fabric and of course an overwhelming amount was brought along to the meeting.

Gift Quilts

As at every meeting recent completions are shown to the members. In her annual report on this activity Norma listed the huge number of beneficiaries of this work, 284 quilts were given away in the last financial year.

Show and Tell

  • Jeanette – Devilish Details
  • Jenny – Quilted Coat
  • Gale – Friendship Birthday Quilt
  • Gale – Black and White 50th
  • Naomi – Lyra’s Quilt
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September stunners

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Waverley

So many stunning quilts and quilt tops were seen at our rather special meeting in September. We were treated to a most interesting lecture and small trunk show given by Maria Shell from Alaska. Maria had also conducted a weekend of workshop as part of our June Lyons Scholarship program. The results were amazing.

Maria talked about Building Community Through Quilts with stories of numerous group quilting projects as well as the benefits of these activities.

Her technique has evolved from everyone making a block and joining them together to a more planned approach including having a lot of suitable fabrics prepared with fusible backing for participants to use.

When blocks are finished she then joins them in a way that reflects the particular community and adds lots of her own filler blocks. When finished the quilt goes back for an unveiling, celebration and installation.

Maria’s own quilts were a visual delight.

Show and Tell

As always it is a treat to see members’ finished work.

  • Deborah – Chevron Quilt
  • Karen – Anzac Memory
  • Karen – Through the Garden Window
  • Krista – Black and White Shapes on mint
  • Rhondda – Passages
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Showcase ribbons

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Waverley

Congratulations to all Waverley Patchworkers members who exhibited at Victorian Quilters Showcase in July. There were lots of ribbons on show too, adding to the excitement and pleasure of viewing the exhibition. They were won for hand and machine quilting, appliqué, embellishment, piecing and by our youngest quilter, by a newish member, for a quilt begun many years ago, by a modern quilter and an art quilter. A true representation of our membership.
If you found it hard to keep track of the awards, here are all the Waverley winning quilts.

Excellence in Domestic Machine Quilting – Amateur
First Place, Small Quilts – Amateur

  • Modern Medallion

Excellence in Embroidery and Embellishment

  • Sea Change

Excellence in Hand Quilting – Professional
Judges Commendation, Lorna Freeman
First Place, Mainly Pieced – Professional

  • Fickle Pickle Clan

Judges Commendation, Stephanie Knudsen
Highly Commended Pictorial Quilt

  • Crustacea

Runner Up Mainly Pieced Amateur

  • Tenpenny Tearoom Stars
  • Family DNA

Highly Commended Modern Quilt One Person

First Place Long Arm Machine Quilters

  • May Morris Sampler

First Place Mainly Appliqué – Amateur

  • Celebrating Mary Brown
  • Turtle Topia

Runner Up Student Primary

Highly Commended First Time Entrant

  • Ballet with Kaffe Fassett
  • My Modern Quilt

Runner Up Modern Quilt Two Person

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A clever technique

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Waverley

The Waverley Applique Special Interest Group meets on the first Thursday of each month. From time to time members share tips and tricks, explain new products or show us something new they have discovered. It is a great way expand our skills and knowledge.

At the June meeting Krista showed us the way she is making a Dresden Plate quilt and everyone found it useful – so it is being shared here.

She starts by making half square triangles using the fabrics chosen for the plate. These are joined into a large pinwheel. You don’t need to be too fussy about the centre points matching as these are cut away to reduce bulk.

Using a template she has made of the final shape she places a piece of soluble stabiliser on the right side of the pinwheel. The placement lines line up with the seams. She traces the outline of the template and then sews on the line.

Trim the outside of the seam line using pinking shears. This is a very quick way of making a curved seam allowance that will turn smoothly. Cut out a circle from the centre of the stabiliser and turn it to the wrong side, smoothing out the curves.

Find the centre of the background using diagonal folds, pin the plate in place and hand appliqué along the curves. The final step is to make a circle using your favourite technique and appliqué it onto the centre.

We loved Krista’s bold background fabric and matching spotty centres. Having made two thirties quilts with white backgrounds she said she was ready for a change.

This technique makes eight blade plates stress free. Krista is a whizz with computer design software and she has also developed templates to make ten blade plates too.

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May Meeting

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Waverley

An abundance of riches was on show at our Monthly meeting, perhaps everyone was getting their latest quilt finished in time for winter. Hope you enjoy this reshowing as well as some quilts from our talented guest speaker Christine Vlasic of Yarra Design and some from our Vice President, Suzanne.

Remember you can click on an image to see a larger photo.

Show and Tell

  • Hand pieced top – Heather
  • Jo
  • Fish pond bag 1 – Sue
  • Fish pond bag 2 – Sue
  • Dresden flowers – Janine
  • Cheery quilt – Margaret
  • Pinwheels – Jo
  • Half Square Triangles – Janine
  • Cot quilt – Val
  • Memories of Hawaii – Margaret
  • Bed quilt 1 – Rhondda
  • USA Journey – Karen
  • Bed quilt 2 – Rhondda
  • Sashiko 1 – Karen
  • Sashimi 2 – Karen
  • Bed scarf – Karen

Christine Vlasic

Christine was accidentally enrolled in Fashion and Design at Emily McPherson College by her mother because the course had a shorter queue! After a long and diverse career in teaching Christine has taken to pattern design with a vengeance. She showed us lots of quilts made from the Yarra Design collection by Christine and her students.

Featured member Suzanne learned at Primarly Patchwork and hand appliqués, pieces and hand quilts, sometimes in very strange locations. The beautiful Di Ford-Hall Quilt Homage to Sallie Ann was a gift to her mother. She encouraged her sisters to join her in the project but after just a few flowers one volunteered to pay for the quilting instead.

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Quilt In reminder

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Waverley

Saturday 22 June 2019

Mark the date on your calendar now!

10.00 am – 4.00 pm Mulgrave Community Centre,
355 Wellington Road Mulgrave (same venue as our Quilt Show)

Entry $8. Bring a friend, lunch, your sewing and a dazzling smile. Members will be providing delicious treats for morning and afternoon tea.

Our sparkling theme is a good opportunity to bring out your glitz.

Quilt-In Challenge

Make a blingy postcard. Use fabric, trim and your imagination to capture our theme in a postcard size artwork. Bring it along to the Quilt-In for all to admire and maybe win a prize.
Size approximately 15 x 10.5 cm or 6 x 4 inches

Book a table

Coming with a group? You can prebook a table. Contact Rhondda treasurer@waverleypatchworkers.com.au

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Michelle de Groot

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Waverley

We had a lot of fun at our March meeting when quilt designer and teacher Michelle de Groot came to visit. She started as a hand piecer and hand quilter, then bought a sewing machine, then a bigger one and a bigger one and she is now a long arm quilter. Her business based in rural Victoria is Michelle’s Patchwork.

Her artistic ambitions started when she was very young but she was discouraged by one of her teachers. Instead she studied floristry and had her own business for many years until the time commitment was too much with a young family. This was when she discovered quilting as a creative outlet.

Tiny Dancer is based on an original painting by Janet Knight is the culmination of her creative dreams. The quilt is painted then enhanced with trapunto quilting and it is going to be on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims – a very exciting prospect for Michelle.

Michelle is teaching at Waverley on the first weekend in May. Here class on Sunday May 5 is machine trapunto which she has developed into a very easy technique with no cutting needed.

Art quilts are now a focus of Michelle’s work and she enjoys exploring lots of machine embellishing techniques.

Those enrolled in Michelle’s workshops are sure to have a wonderful time.

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March meeting

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Waverley

Long time member and serving on the committee for the second time, Dianne brought took the quilt stack of her spare bed to show us at the March meeting.

This first quilt began in a sampler class with Hazel at Craft Connection in 1990. There were six in the class and nearly thirty years on three of them still get together regularly.


There were a lots of quilts to see, some had taken many years to get to a finished state.

The Grub Roses quilt was done with Jill Farr of Beaconsfield. The Leanne Beasley design is beautifully embroidered. No surprise at all to see a Christmas Quilt, this one was made as the pattern sample for Craft Cottage.

A scottie dog quilt made for her sister, a scrap quilt with flannel sheet wadding and quilted by hand. Finally, Bo Peep by Rosalie Quinlan, made in a workshop many years after buying the pattern.

“I believe in keeping a pattern for at least ten years to ripen before using them”

After buying a few quilts and tops here and there Dianne realises she is now also a collector of vintage quilts.

Show and Tell

Click on the photo to read more about each quilt.

  • Val – scrap quilt
  • Val – baby quilts for the hospital
  • Rhondda – Table Topper
  • Rhondda – Shopping bags
  • Trudy – baby quilts
  • Cooinda Friendship Group
  • Jennifer – Wild Wings
  • Heather – Kennel Club
  • Heather – Puppy

Gift Quilts

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February 2019 Show and Tell

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Waverley

We love to see completed work by members at any time of the year. When will your next quilt feature here?

  • Golden Spiderweb – Margaret
  • Picnic Placemats – Val
  • Blue Spikes – Janine
  • Tools, Trucks and Tractors – Denise
  • Kid’s Quilt – Val
  • Kid’s Quilt – Val
  • Noah’s Ark – Rhondda
  • Three crib quilts – Rhondda

Gift Quilts

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February Feast of Quilts

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Waverley

Fortunately there were lots of helpers to hold up the quilts at our February meeting, there were so many on show. Click on any image to have a closer look.

First up new committee member Wendy who is our Library Coordinator. While she is a newish member, she explained that she is not new to quilting. She started very young thanks to a grandfather in the textiles industry. Her first attempt at patchwork was as a young child, piecing hexagons cut from her grandfather’s samples.

This was followed by a cushion made in high school, a hanging made with Margaret Rolf patterns and then away she went with many full size quilts.

Wendy has lived in a number of countries due to the demands of her husband’s work. She has found quilting to be an excellent way to meet people and get involved in the community where ever that may be. The patterns and fabrics came in parcels sent from Australia, but with some local touches. The butterflies on the above quilt are beaded brooches made in Tanzania.

This quilt is very special, a member of the guild in Sweden designed a block each month to share with the group.

Wendy also made quilts in Singapore before finally returning to Melbourne. She is still using some of the special fabrics from her grandfather and has obviously inherited a love of textiles.

Guest Speaker: Karen Martin

What a treat to have the very entertaining Mrs Martin visit our group. Mrs Martin’s Quilt Shop opened 15 years ago, but was fully planned in Karen’s head long before that. The name comes from her primary school class who knew she was planning to open a shop. Living and working in the same community means that these students are now regular visitors to the shop, with their own children in tow.

The shop is now in her home, open three days a week and true to her community commitment, the shop visits as many events as possible, taking her treasure trove of patterns, fabrics and notions to where quilters gather. So of course the shop came to Waverley too.

Quilting seems to occupy all Karen’s waking hours, as well as running the shop and stitching days, she organises the Monbulk CFA Quilt Show.

More recently she has added taking tours to the US to her suite of quilting activities, all of which she loves.

And of course she makes quilts too.

 

 

 

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