Perfect weather and a perfect location made for another very successful retreat. Quilting tasks were tackled with great gusto by some or in a more leisurely fashion by others. Saturday evening is the time for dressing up and this year’s theme was Blue and White which was not really challenging at all.
We will all be back again same time next year and look forward to lots of other members joining this happy group. Mark it on your calendar now!
So you are thinking about coming away with Waverley Patchworkers this year, but you haven’t been on a camp since high school. You have visions of sleeping under canvas, taking the zip line to breakfast and less than civilised bathroom arrangements. Riding the rapids in a rubber tyre might be fun, but probably not.
Then there are the organised activities. You plan your excuses for not traversing the rope course and all those other fun things.
Relax.
A Quilting Retreat is not a camp. It is an opportunity to put life’s cares to one side and enjoy three days in a beautiful location with a very friendly group of like minded friends.
Forest Edge is in a quiet valley on the banks of the LaTrobe River, a perfect place to get away from it all.
Two large sewing rooms, one for machines and the other for hand sewing have perfect light and ample room.
It is easy to find a comfortable corner in the sun, inside or out and if you need some advice on how to lay out your blocks, there is plenty on offer.
We are always well fed, possibly too well fed. The short walk from the dining room to the main rooms and accommodation wings is necessary exercise.
You can challenge your brain, or take a leisurely walk on either side of the river if you are wanting some visual inspiration. There are plenty of birds to spot as well.
The rooms are warm and cosy. We use the lower beds only and bringing your own quilt adds colour. The bathrooms are ensuite and have the highly desirable double vanity!
Surely you are not going to say no to this wonderful weekend from 6 – 8 October 2017. The Booking Form is in your Newsletter – send it off now! If you have misplaced it email info@waverleypatchworkers.com.au for a replacement.
We were very fortunate to have Janette McInnes show a large selection of antique and vintage quilts and tops from her collection at our August Meeting. Here they are again, with Janette’s kind permission. There are 24 quilts in the slide show.
Read about Janette’s collection, the research she has done on each new acquisition and how she restores her quilts at her website The Plain Needlewoman.
Only three to show this month, but each one worth a look, please click on the small image to read what the maker had to say.
Our guest speaker on Monday 28 August will be Janette McInnes, The Plain Needlewoman with her vintage quilt collection.
The collection features quilts from the 1840s to the present day and includes Signature Quilts, Red Work, Postage Stamp and Depression Era quilts.
The theme for the 2017 Children’s Workshop was Tivaevae, the style of quilts unique to the Cook Islands. 
This textile art is just over 100 years old and the workshop started with a bit of geography and then history of the Pacific. Fortunately most of the ten participants had seen the film Moana and knew a little about Polynesian life prior to European influence. The children next learned about how tivaevae are made and their importance in the community.
Then on to the tricky process of designing using paper folding. It took a few tries before some really good patterns emerged from the folds. The next step was thinking about colour contrast and again coloured paper was used to try lots of options.
Finally everyone was ready to work with fabric. Each child made a paper pattern of their own design. Then traced it onto a folded square of fabric that was a good contrast to their background piece. The fabric had been prepared with a fusible webbing, so after cutting, it was easily fused. For many of the children this was their first lesson in pressing. They handled it most competently.
These brilliantly coloured designs are destined to become cushion covers. That is after either machine or hand stitching in bright threads around the edges.
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Jill Abery’s talk and slide show at our July meeting was very popular. Jill has kindly supplied a selection of her slides and a brief caption for those who were not able to attend on the night. If you rest … Continue reading
Quilts made for family, friends and to use up scraps feature this month. Remember that you can click on each image to get a closer look and to read the description.
One quilt that really needs to be seen close up is Whirligig by Linda Crouch. It won first place in the miniature category at Quilt NSW and is off to the States as a finalist in the Houston Quilt Show.
Gift Quilts for July
There were smiles all round as the category winners and individual awards were announced at the Victorian Quilters Showcase on the opening day of the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair.
Waverley Patchworkers was well represented at the show and among those receiving rosettes. Congratulations to all who had quilts on display.
Individual Awards are made across the categories and celebrate the very best in quilting. We are so proud of the following members:
Scherenschnitte in Fabric
Ronnie Heagney winner of the Bernina Best Amateur Quilt Award for Scherenschnitte in Fabric.
The Bleaching
Linda Steele winner of the Excellence in Embroidery and Embellishment Award for The Bleaching.
Agapanthus
Linda Crouch winner of the Excellence in Domestic Machine Quilting – Professional for Agapanthus.
Category Award Winners:
Darelle Castelow, Highly Commended, Traditional Quilt- 2 person for Tens,
Ronnie Heagney, First, Mainly Appliqué – Amateur for Scherenschnitte in Fabric,
Liz Willing, Highly Commended, Mainly Appliqué – Professional for My Heart is Yours,
Naomi Hynes, First, Small Quilts -2 person for quilting Julie Fenn’s Primrose Manor,
Linda Steele, First, Pictorial Quilts for The Bleaching,
Naomi Hynes, Highly Commended, Pictorial Quilts for If and When, and
Naomi Hynes, First, Miniature Quilts for Masquerade.
Waverley Patchworkers as a member group of Victorian Quilters sponsors one of the Awards. This year it was for the new category, Coverlets – Bed. The winner was Mary Hitchens for her quilt Game Changer and the award was presented by Linda Steele, our President.
This was rather special as not only is Mary a former member and Past-President of Waverley Patchworkers, she is the outgoing convenor of Showcase. The Convenor from next year will be Linda.
Our speaker at our meeting on Monday 24 July is Jill Abery who will talk about the crafts of India.
Jill has visited India a number of times and more recently taken a particular interest in their crafts and textiles.
India has a long and rich tradition in crafts; many techniques which we use today have been used for centuries in India. The detailed carvings and designs found in many places are also a wonderful inspiration for quilt designs.
Jill will be showing some colourful photos and is bringing lots of crafts and textile items.
In August last year our guest speaker was Cathy Barbagallo from the Melbourne Modern Quilting Guild. Her talk inspired one Waverley member to get together with others interested in exploring Modern Quilting. Darelle approached the committee who thought a new group was a great idea if there was sufficient interest. There was.
Waverley Moderns began meeting on the fourth Sunday of the month at Wadham House, Mount Waverley.
Darelle spoke about this new venture at the June meeting and showed a few of her quilts and many of her tops. She really likes the piecing side of quilting! Her work shows a love of colour, often from a restricted palette, and the patterns that can be made from a simple block structure. The first of these is a year quilt made in 2000.
While most of the regulars are just dipping a toe into this new style, we look forward to seeing their work at out next Quilt Show.
