Updates from the ether

So many things to tell you Smites, I'll be playing catch up for weeks! On July 18 Molli Sparkles (my NSW Co-President) and I were invited to attend the Eastwood Quilt Show. ​Eastwood are a Sydney guild local to us, and they have been a QuiltNSW member group for a long time so we were very pleased to be invited and to attend, especially as it was their 40th anniversary. We were treated to reserved parking spaces, a tour of the show from the guild President and even coffee and scones!! Quite the VIPs. 👑

For a local suburban quilt show they always put on a great display - around 50 quilts from my guess? There were some really fab ones and I thought you might like to see a selection.

Firstly, for their 40th anniversary they made a group quilt. Everyone one of the ladies on the panel represents one of the girls in the group! Isn't that a fun idea?? They are all apparently embellished with something that is true to that person's quirks or personalities, and then on the back is this wonderful poem to help identify them. I think that's such a fun idea for a group quilt - something to put in your idea bank Smites!

They also had a challenge for the show as it was a special one, and the challenge was RED. Some of these really were awesome, only 40cm (16") square but they packed a lot of punch. I of course love the little appliquéd and hand quilted wreath, but the gift bow is such a cool block, and the Dancing Ribbons!! Wowzers.

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It's always fun when I go to a show and someone has made one of my quilts 😍 I do so love to see it, so it was a lovely surprise when I saw this version of my Mirror Image pattern hanging. It was made by Angelique Parr, who is actually a member of our QuiltNSW Executive Committee, and she never said, the cheeky minx! It's all made in Liberty fabrics and she made it for a friend's 70th. If you want the pattern, it will be. Down the Rabbit Hole feature soon, or it's in Old Quilts, New Life. 

Other quilts I loved especially were this "Stack" by Diane Moody. Zoom in so you can see how it's put together - so clever! 

And I couldn't go past this star quilt on the black background. I love a star quilt, I really really do. I mean, REALLY. I have toyed with doing a star BOM actually, but I always worry that I will annoy my appliqué peeps if I have a fully pieced BOM. What's your thoughts on that Smites? Like 24 different star blocks, all set in a fun way and scattered across a quilt. Maybe it would have an appliqué border to appease the hounds 😉

OK I'm back to work - my fabric collection will be announced on September 22 so I am sewing flat out like a lizard drinking, as we say down here. I can't WAIT to show you all... and September 22 is a Tuesday in the USA so it's a Wednesday in Aus so maybe you'll get the first sneaky sneek peek of them all!

Sarah x