November 2025 Shw & Tell

It was a lovely meeting yesterday and our AGM. Thanks to all those who stood for committee and to those who had been on but did not stand for re-election. Congratulations to all who were elected.

First up for Show & Tell is not a quilt at all. A lot of members enjoy other fibre arts as well as quilting and we love seeing what they have been making. Donna has been knitting socks and this is her latest pair. It is done with variegated wool and so the colour patterning doesn’t always match. With Frances on Donna’s shoulder suggesting she should try and make them match, Donna did make an effort and the ribbing does. The rest is more like a translation down 😀

I do love the colours even if the socks don’t exactly match each other and I would certainly wear them!

Donna has also finished her table runner from the Modern scrap quilt class. It is for her friend who has a really long table, hence the extra length.

Donna and Lesley have both been working on the Candy drop quilt pattern. Lesley used a grey background.

Donna used a dark grey/black for her background

Susan is having a ball making items in her favourite colour of green. The latest is this sweet flower wall hanging. Susan got inspiration for the design from the quilt show held in Featherston earlier this year. I love the flowers.

Dianne Harries is an embroiderer extraordinaire and her Autumnal Toadstool was done at a class at Stitch Tūī in Cambridge with Sue Lucas. Everything is stitched with single strands of silk embroidery thread.It is fine, detailed work and stands about 3-4 inches high.

Dianne also showed us her latest canvas work called Amadeus variations. She used hand dyed threads by Steff Francis.

Yvonne has completed the latest Laundry Basket Quilts Mystery quilt. The clues were given out weekly over 9 weeks. Yvonne used vintage reproduction prints collected over the years, mostly fat eighths making it scrappy, which Yvonne likes in a quilt. It is a big quilt, 90 inches square. Some others of us are also doing the same pattern but we are a bit behind Yvonne.

Yvonne is also a member of Rose City Quilters and started this quilt, Can Can Snowball, in a class with Chris Jurd after Tote and Gloat in 2023. She fussy cut Kaffe Fassett and Kathy Doughty fabrics for the blocks. The inset edge triangles are from an Ikea duvet cover. It the fabric pattern works for your quilt top use it, I say. Yvonne won a ribbon at the recent Rose City Quilters show.Best use of colour, I think.

Hanna is well on the way to finishing her Modern Scrap Quilt from the class. She just has to add a border. Lovely colours.

Lesley, Judy and Rosie have made the Take a Stand bag, a By Annie pattern. Rosie also made the smaller bag, also a By Annie Pattern. These ladies love making the very popular By Annie patterns. 

Last up is a quilt made by Caroline for her son and daughter in law. It is called mushrooms and has very cute mushroom fabrics in it. Caroline did a pieced backing in green and pinks which was the wedding colours of the couple.

October 2025 Show & Tell

 A great meeting today with a special guest speaker appearance by Amiee Torwick of Amiee’s Homestead Quilts. Amiee brought some of her special vintage and antiques sewing tools collection. She has some fascinating pieces. 

Here Amiee is showing a treasured recent acquisition of a chatelaine. Some of the tools on the chatelaine date back to the 1890s. It is a really beautiful piece.

On to our Show & Tell:

First up, Marlene showed these two wall hangings, called The Wayward Me (Years Ago) made using panels. These are for two of Marlene’s friends and while the panels are identical Marlene quilted each one in a different style, one using the Pauline Quilt Method which has you take a lot of pressure off the presser foot (Marlene says a setting of 6 on her machine) and the other using a walking foot. Marlene says there is a lot less puckering when you lighten the presser foot.

We recently hosted Jenny Hunter teaching her Modern Scrap Quilt class. There was a choice between making a table runner or a quilt. It was a fun day and here are some of the results.

On the left is Sandra’s and on the right Veronica’s. Both of these are finished table runner's.

Veronica also made 4 matching placemats. I love how she contrasted the binding with the blocks in her runner and placemats. It makes for a very striking effect.

Carol used beautiful Japanese fabrics for her runner on the left. Caroline wasn’t convinced she liked the pattern we were doing but ended up really enjoying it. Well done, Caroline.

Hannah used some painterly fabrics for her piece on the left and  Gail used some modern funky fabric which I love. She is going to make more rows to complete a quilt. Her row is on the right.

The next piece from the class is a whole quilt top and is a very special piece. It is called Hug Of Memories, Forever In Our Hearts and is being made for the daughter of Linda’s colleague who recently passed away, unexpectedly. Each of these are blocks contains a memory photo and I am sure the daughter will treasure it.

Jenny bought a kit at Cambridge Symposium last year and has completed it. It is called Jardin de Poche - The Posh Garden. It appeal,Ed to Jenny because it is a mixture of patchwork and embroidery and Jenny loves to do both.

Beverly made this NZ postcards quilt from the remnants of a king size quilt she made 20 years ago. She got creative with the backing to use up more of the leftovers.

Caroline’s sister is about to visit from the UK and Caroline made this bed runner for her to take home. I am sure her sister will love it and want to know why it isn’t a full size quilt - apart from luggage restrictions!

Veronica was at her group’s retreat last weekend and was very productive making two bags. She also showed a little gift bag each retreater was given but I didn’t get a picture of that, sorry.

Morag made Robyn’s Quilt for a friend. It’s a really nice pattern using a jelly roll plus extra fabric.

The next 4 quilts are for The Te Awhina Quilt project.

The first are blocks from an Amiee’s Homstead Quilts Saturday Sampler from a few years ago. The blocks were made by France’s late daughter, Amy and were put together by Mary. I quilted and bound it.

This blacks and whites with blues quilt was made, quilted and bound by me.

This striking quilt, also using black and whites but features reds with a zingy lime stripe.

Finally, a beautiful Jen Kingwell pattern made, quilted and bound by Marlene.

I am very grateful to everyone who supports this project. I have it on very good authority that patients are using their quilts when snuggling up in the lounge and take them with them when they are ready to go home. 

September 2025 Show & Tell

 September already! I for one am looking forward to saying good bye to the winter chills.

First up in Show & Tell today are three Messenger Bags made on a recent retreat gathering by Carol, Frances and Donna. The pattern is By Annie and Carol deserves a star for guiding the others through deciphering their patterns, especially as Frances and Donna had some listening challenges 😂 It is quite a complex pattern involving what seemed like a million pieces.

The next three quilts are the lovely Sunshine and Lollipops pattern which was a block of the month project in the Homespun magazine. 

Donna did hers using a kit from Tilda fabrics. She says she loved making it. The pattern had fabulous instructions and everything went together well.

Maureen did hers in very pretty Liberty fabrics

Veronica used fabrics from her William Morris collection

Each quilt has its own distinct flavour, which my photos don't really do justice to.

Next up is the Jelly Roll Race pattern made by Donna. She has generously donated this quilt to the Te Awhina Project.

This beautiful Star Dash quilt was made by Frances from a Missouri Star Quilts pattern. The quilting on it is lovely. Frances has also generously donated this to the Te Awhina Quilt project. 

This wee fabric basket was made by Carol from the Petite Four pattern By Annie using a kit purchased from The Crafty Pear in Pahiatua.

Carol also made this insulated lunch box from a June Tailor kit given to Carol by Diana plus some of Carol’s own fabric.

Caroline used the fat quarter given to her in the welcome pack to make this lovely sewing machine cover.

Caroline enjoys cross stitch and has recently finished this China Cabinet stitchery.

These tiny cross stitch bears made by Caroline are for the maternity ward to go on the wee boxes containing the precious lost babies.

Caroline also made this mug rug bag using some lovely and very appropriate fabric

The beautiful Wooly Zip It badge was made by Jenny from a pattern by Wendy Williams. I love the two different sides.

The following is a quilt I made for Te Awhina

We welcomed some visitors from Stafford to our meeting today and they brought Show & Tell with them. 

Sandra needed another project bag and epwas given the panel as a Christmas present. She loves the black and red fabric.

Sandra also made this Dropzone set of 3 bags. It is for the Stratford Village Quilters Christmas Challenge, black white and one solid colour.

She also made these 3 gorgeous  Christmas ornaments.

And this Ultimate Travel Bag

Margaret made two quilts using Letter to My Daughter stitchery designs. She didn’t wish to make the quilt that went with the designs so re-imagined them to suit two of her daughters.

The last quilt is also by Margaret and was her Stratford Paint Chip Challenge 2024.

Thanks so much to the ladies from Stratford for visiting us. We look forward to the next visit.