Town and Country Quilters September Clubnight

Don’t the weeks whizz by - it hardly seems a month since our last club night.  After the usual announcements it was raffle time again.  Sadly, I didn’t win so came home empty handed once more.  Show and Tell is always inspiring, although there doesn’t seem to be an  awful lot of quilts making it to club night lately.  Perhaps our club members are keeping them all for the up-coming Quilt Symposium to be held in early January.  Lynne held a Back to Basics class recently and several of her students bought in their work, including this lovely quilt stitched by Jan.

Jan’s quilt from Back to Basics class

Susan has been busy making cot quilts for the arrival of several new babies in the family. This one in red and navy is going to a great nephew.

Made by Susan for her great nephew

And Debi made this stunning little wall-hanging in a class with Dianne Fussell.  The Kereru (New Zealand Pigeon) and the tree branch are comprised of fancy free motion stitching.  How clever is that?

Debi with her native bird wall hanging

Our speaker for the evening was club member Carole Brungar.  Carole related how she started off her quilting journey being a perfectionist, who had a close relationship with her seam ripper.  If it wasn’t perfect, those stitches came out!  Then she dabbbled a little with paper piecing, and loved creating all those precise points.  This is such a fabulous quilt, made for hubby, I think.  (Sorry, can’t read my scribbled notes).

Paper piecing and lots of free motion quilting

Carole is a blogger and writes her interesting blog Madness and Mess – do pop over and check it out.  Some time ago she asked her readers if they would like to help her make a quilt, and contribute a stitchery block for it.  Carole provided the fabric, and suggested the colour scheme, and the rest was up to the individual.  This is the result, a lovely personal quilt made with blocks stitched by friends worldwide.

Made with the help of bloggy friends

She now looks at quilts as an adventure, she told us, and does not have to be as precise as she once was.  I rather like this playful quilt showing a road trip around New Zealand.I can spot a caravan or two, trailers, and even a surf board, all on their way to a holiday destination, I think.

Going on a NZ Road Trip

Carole loves embellishment, she said, and that shines out from her smaller works.  These need to be seen up close to be appreciated and are full of free motion machine embroidery, lace, old doilies, buttons, sparkles, and all sorts of interesting bits and bobs.  Her work is exquisite, and she teaches classes in these beauties.

Little house quilt

Beautiful birds

It was another interesting club night, and after a quick cuppa, and a look through the library books it was time to head on home, my head buzzing with beautiful quilts and new ideas.