Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show 2024

 Waverley Patchworkers had their quilt show earlier this month and it was very successful as usual with lots of visitors.

The standard of the quilts is always very high and with lovely shops and cafe selling delicious food, no wonder it was a popular show.

Waverley does not have a judged show but they do present a few prizes.

The President's Award is named the Dawn Burrows Award, named after our first President and founder.

The prize went to Allison Stevens-Spink for her quilt Singing in the Rain.

Singing in the Rain by Allison Stevens - Spink

It was a lovely quilt because it also won Viewer's Choice.

Cheryl Meyer won the June Lyons Award with her quilt Kelmscott. The sun was shining on her quilt and so it was difficult to get a good photo of it.

Kelmscott by Cheryl Meyer

The First Time entry for a quilter of less than 5 years experience went to Heather Stephens for Dresden Plate- Same but Different.

Dresden Plate- Same but Different by Heather Stephens

There was also a challenge called  A Touch of Blue and the overwhelming winner was Heather A Woods for Leunig's Lullaby.

Leunig's Lullaby by Heather A Woods

It is only small and my photo does not do it justice.

I like some other challenges as well.

Eileen Campbell

Jill Abery

Lyn Nethercott

The Waverley Art Quilters also had a small display of some of our work.

Waverley Art Quilters Display

Below is the work we had done after studying Brazilian Artist Carmen Hererra.

Carmen Hererra

Industrial

Landscape

Memories of France and Rex Ray

We could have had a display three times the size but we could only use a small space but it still gave an interesting look at the work that the group has been doing.

The Raffle quilt called Symphony in Blue was a gorgeous focal point as people entered.

Symphony in Blue

Bye for now,

Linda

Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show

 The Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show is on again this weekend. I don't run this event anymore but I do understand all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make it a success.

The raffle quilt is absolutely gorgeous this year. Unfortunately, I took this photo at one of our meetings where the lighting is not the best, but it is magnificent.

Waverley Raffle Quilt 2024

The quilt will be on display during the show and tickets are $2 each, all the money raised goes to a charity.

Here are a couple of detail photos.

As well as all the beautiful quilts, there will be a display of the Waverley Art Quilters work.

The Show is held on Saturday and Sunday, the 1st and 2nd of June 2024.

Saturday 9am to 5pm

Sunday 9am to 4pm.

The show is held at the Mulgrave Community Centre.

355 Wellington Road,

Mulgrave

Melbourne. Victoria

Australia

There will be quilt displays, shops, a cafe and demonstrations.

I will be helping set up on the Friday and will be at the show all day on Sunday.

Hope you can come.

Bye for now,

Linda

Classes

 I have been busy trying to tie up loose ends after having quite a busy year. I have finished a new quilt that I cannot show anyone yet and have been doing my Art Quilters homework for the rest of the year!

Next week, I am going on a European holiday to France for the European Patchwork Meeting and then a Rhine River Cruise. I don't want to come home to a mess and not know how to get back into things again.

I had signed up for an Art and Design Course using a gel plate with Tara Axford. It was a good class but trying to do the class as well as doing all the other things I do was a bit of a stretch and I have not finished doing the work!

The idea was to learn how to tame the gel plate and not have everything an experiment and left to chance. We made lots of prints onto paper and then had to put them into sketchbooks and write about  what we have learnt.

Here is some of the work that I did.

Leaf study

Botanicals

Collage

Image Transfer

I belong to Waverley Patchworkers and every two years they run a special workshop that is heavily subsidised by the club and lunch and morning tea is provided.

This year the tutor was the wonderfully talented Gloria Loughman. I have known Gloria for a while but we got to know each other better on the Morocco trip last year.

I packed a whole lot of fabrics for the class and when I got there, Gloria had her gorgeous hand dyes for sale so I bought her fabrics and did one of her patterns instead, for fun.

I really enjoyed the class and made a sunset scene which is something I have never done before.

First we fused steam a seam 2 onto our sky fabrics and then cut them into pieces and placed them onto a base fabric. Then we cut strips of fabric for the foreground.

Background

When the background was complete we added a tree or whatever we were making.

Sunset

I loved my finished piece and it was good to catch up with my friends from the club. 

Well, I have a long list of little jobs to complete before I am off on my holiday. My travel mate is a lovely friend that I met on the Morocco tour, you just never know where life will take you!

I'll be back at the end of September!!

Bye for now,

Linda

Waverley Patchworker's Meeting

 Last week, I was called upon to run the Waverley Patchworkers monthly meeting because the President was away on holidays and the Vice President was injured after a fall. 

It was a very eventful meeting. Not only were the President and Vice President unavailable, the guest speaker had to pull out because she was unwell!

I haven't been President for a few years and I felt a bit rusty but then I had to be guest speaker as well! What a night.

When we arrived at the meeting we found that the area around the hall was packed with people and  there was no parking anywhere because the Emerge Lantern Festival was on.

I took a few photos because I started to think that the meeting wouldn't be able to go ahead because of the parking situation.

It was a cold night but luckily it wasn't raining.

By some miracle, members started trickling in after finding parks in the side streets.

Most of my Art Quilts are hanging in the Kyabram Exhibition so I did my talk on my Crazy Quilts. I hadn't been guest speaker there for quite a few years and so people seemed to enjoy hearing about my quilts.

Here is the last crazy quilt that I ever made, A Time for all Seasons.

A Time for all Seasons by Linda Steele

I'll be back in Kyabram on Wednesday and that will be the last time that I can attend because I will be very busy running the Victorian Quilters Showcase. Our first in-person show since 2019.

Bye for now,

Linda

Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show Success

 Last weekend we had the Waverley Patchworker's Quilt Show and it was a great success. We hadn't had a show since 2018 and we didn't know if people would come or if they would still be wary of going to events.

People arrived in droves, the car park was full and some people went home and got dropped off in the afternoon by their husbands. We even had a couple of buses arrive from the country. Everyone was so glad to see a quilt show and shops too.

I had a small display of the work from our Waverley Art Quilters group.

I set up the rest of our work at the Kyabram Gallery, Victoria, that will be on display until the end of July.

There were so many beautiful quilts on display, here are just a few.

Fickle Pickle Clan by Linda Crouch

Pineapple Quilt by Naomi Hynes

The Caswell Quilt by Jan Smart

A Karen Kay Buckley design by Cheryl Meyer

Bye for now,

Linda

Waverley Patchworkers Quilt Show

 It's been four years but Waverley Patchworkers are having their quilt show this weekend. We were supposed to have a show in 2020, but we all know what happened that year. We were toying with the idea of having it in 2021 but we had the same problems.

Finally, our show is going ahead. I am sure the quilts will be beautiful, with so much time to prepare them.

The raffle quilt is called Chasing Rainbows and was made by members of Waverley Patchworkers and quilted by Naomi Hynes.

It's hard to tell from the photo but it's a really big quilt and so bright and colourful. Just what we need to brighten our days.

Here are a couple of detail photos.

The Show is held on Saturday the 4th of June - 9am to 5pm and Sunday the 5th of June - 9am to 4pm.

It is the same place that we had our last show in 2018. The Mulgrave Community Centre.

355 Wellington Road, Mulgrave. There is plenty of parking.

There will be quilt displays, shops and a café. We are also having a display of the Waverley Art Quilter's Working in a Series quilts.

All the things that we enjoy.

I hope that you can make it. I will be there on Friday helping to set up the show and on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I cannot be there on Sunday because I will be in Kyabram setting up my exhibition which is in conjunction with the Waverley Art Quilters. I'll post more on that next week.

I have also just returned from AQC, The Australasian Quilt Convention in Brisbane. I haven't had a chance to post about that either. Isn't it amazing how everything happens at once! It's certainly a busy time.

Bye for now,

Linda

Waverley Patchworkers turns 40

 Waverley Patchworkers turned 40 in 2021, but our celebrations had to be put on hold because of Covid restrictions. However, last month we had our party at the Box Hill golf club. It was a lovely lunch and so nice to see everyone after so long.

They had a quilt challenge called Ruby Surprise. I made one of my coral reef quilts.

It wasn't very adventurous, I must admit, but I just couldn't think of anything else to do. Here is a detail photo.

My favourite was the ballet shoes, I never did find out who made it.

 My other favourite won a prize, it was a clever present.

All the challenge quilts were displayed at the lunch.

There weren't that many really, I think that most people were feeling a bit down and uninspired after all the lockdowns.

Still it was a lovely day and hopefully all those lockdowns and restrictions are over now.

Bye for now,

Linda

Life Member of Waverley Patchworkers Inc.

 At the end of last year, I was very proud to be made a life member of Waverley Patchworkers. I received my badge and certificate at our meeting last month because it was our first in-person meeting.

It was a great honour and never expected that it would happen to me. This is what was written in our newsletter. 

Linda joined Waverley Patchworkers in 1999 and since
then has become an internationally renowned quilter
winning prizes in Victoria, Australia and overseas.
She has been a member of the main committee for a total
of 6 years: 1 year as Trading Table coordinator; 2 years as
Workshops coordinator; 2 years as President and 1 year as
Vice-President and Rosters coordinator.
In addition to this she was on the Waverley Quilt Show
committee for 2 years and then convened the show for 3
exhibitions. This led onto being Convenor of the Victorian
Quilters Showcase Exhibitions. Linda’s sharing of
knowledge and inspiration through convening the Art
Quilters Group has been exceptional. Those who attend
this group speak of her leadership and monthly challenge
to members to explore their creativity as a highlight in
their quilting journeys. This quiet support and
encouragement of quilters has enabled many members to
advance their quilting skills and their enjoyment of
patchwork.
It is recognition of both her expertise and skill in quilting
and the roles that Linda has held at Waverley
Patchworkers and Victorian Quilters that has earned her
this award.
Congratulations Linda!

There are not many members who have been made a life member and I feel very humbled because I really look up to those who have gone before me.

Bye for now,

Linda

Art Quilters Dinner 2019

It's hard to believe that another year is coming to an end. I've already had two break up parties. We had the Waverley Patchworkers Christmas meeting on Monday night with a really good turnout. At the Christmas meeting we bring a plate of food to share at our tables and have a sit and sew night. Instead of paying our entrance fee we all bring food for Christmas hampers for the Waverley Benevolent Society. They make up hampers for the people in the area that are going through tough times. I wish that I had taken a photo of all the donations, there were bags and bags of yummy treats.

The Waverley Art Quilters also have their break up in November because December gets too busy. We went to our favourite local Chinese restaurant as usual. Here we are looking gorgeous!

The Waverley Art Quilters

Because I run the group, they gave me a lovely glass candle holder called Klimt's Flowers. I absolutely love it!

Klimt's Flowers Candle holder

One of our members, Marion, makes beautiful cards and she made me one this year and everyone in the group signed it. Definitely a treasure to keep.

Every year we are given a challenge to complete over the holidays. The challenge was supplied by Norma this year, we are calling it the circle challenge.

The Circle Challenge

The instructions say that we can paint, dye, add other fabrics, weave, applique, piece, use hand or machine embroidery or anything we can think of!

We all got a different DMC thread to use and mine is a sage green. We can use it as colour inspiration for our challenge.
I have no idea what I am going to make with this challenge. It would be sensible to get on with it and do it now and not a couple of days before it is due next year.

Mmm, I have a long list of work to do over the holidays for the various challenges, quilt shows and competitions in 2020. I suppose I just have to add it to the list.

Bye for now,
Linda

Waverley Patchworkers Retreat 2019

Last weekend I went away for a couple of days with the girls from Waverley Patchworkers. They have been going to Forest Edge in Neerim East for 10 years because it is such a lovely spot.

Some of us actually stopped sewing, eating and talking for a little while and went for a walk.

The theme this year was Down on the Dairy Farm or something like that? We were asked to make a Churn Dash block with an animal in the middle. Here is the one that I made. I haven't made a block for a long time because I don't do traditional quilts now, it only took an hour.

Churn Dash block

When we arrived, we had to pin them onto a design wall in the dining room.

 I took the photo in the morning but more were added as the weekend went on. They are going to be put together for our gift quilt program.

On Saturday night we could dress up in the Dairy farm theme. There were a lot of farmers. I am dressed up in a rather unflattering outfit as milk!

After dinner Val taught us a couple of line dances and then she taught us how to make paper flowers.

Here's my flower.

Val was so organised and made little kits for us with the papers all cut to the correct size. When we had made one flower, we put them together for a photo. They are all made out of cheap wrapping paper, but look fabulous.

Here is one that Val had made to sit on a table. You need 6 flowers glued together to sit on the table and 12 to make a ball.

It was a lovely get-a-way with absolutely perfect weather.
We had two large rooms for sewing by hand or machine. I was in the hand sewing room. It was lovely sewing and chatting for two days.

Well actually, I didn't do very much sewing, I was mainly cutting out components for another Coral Reef quilt.

There's one more thing that I have to mention, I have been getting some really annoying spam on my blog despite having the captcha program enabled. The spam comes through in the middle of the night and it is in Arabic looking writing so I don't know what it says, but it's a very unpleasant thing to wake up to in the morning. So now I have enabled comment moderation because I had read that it stops the spam. Sure enough I haven't had any spam since I did that!

Bye for now,
Linda