"The Craft Group" plus...

One thing I love about The Craft Group is how we bounce ideas off each other and spur one other on to finish things and accomplish craft greatness :)  (Sorry, that was 2 things... and there are more things than that I must say.) Dianne B started a quilt for her baby grand daughter to lay on when on the floor. But the quilt went into hiding at the back of a cupboard. Enter Elaine. With encouragement and help, Elaine and Dianne saw the quilt exit the cupboard and enter the light of day. That little grand daughter will LOVE this quilt. Perfect for a six year old girl  ;) 

How can such a beautiful quilt be captured in a photo?  Well, firstly, recruit some capable chair climbers. Set up, move them to another position for better light and then set up again, 3 times.  (Sorry girls!) Try and coax Ida into the photo... Ta da! Ida lovingly made this quilt and is thinking of sending it to her sister in Europe... IF she likes it!?! Posting it from Australia across all that water is a bit scary but I'm sure it will be OK.  The alternative of course is that she sends me to hand deliver it!  Here are some close up peeks: It is machine pieced with hand stitched applique and then she had it professionally machine quilted. Well, my photos don't capture it's real beauty.  You just have to believe me. Great job Ida!

Ida is inspiring us with the table runners she made. Christmas is just over 5 weeks away! A good time to start making some decorations that are good enough to keep for years.

Ida made this quilt for her son and daughter-in-law. I loooove blue and white. It makes me feel calm. The quilting was done by her friend who was practising on a big quilting machine.  I really love the binding which has a little extra layer/flange. It's the sort of thing that would really stand out (in a bad way) if it was crooked but it has been done just beautifully. Ida shared her secret... Susies magic quilt binding Thanks Ida. We hope your son loves the quilt and can see the love that has gone into it.

Sharyn made a wall hanging. A beautiful wallhanging featuring Australian native flowers decorating a monogrammed alphabet. (My terrible photography does not do it justice.) I thought at first that she had machine embroidered the letters, but... The letters are painted! Sharyn has combined her love of quilting and folk art. Lovely!

Bev I. is using up her "scraps". She has made 2 great Alphabet Quilts with the backing made out of chalkboard fabric. You can see them HERE and HERE! It was time to use up some fabric and so she created this fun quilt.        With a backing that can be used as a blackboard... What a cosy way to learn the alphabet!

Remember the good ol' days of folk art? I loved that phase of my craft life and miss playing with paint and brushes! Well, Sharyn has not let it go and recently went to a class where she painted these cute teddy bears. There are certainly still many Folk Artists enjoying their craft and making beautiful things!                              Don't you think it is the cutest thing to actually wash all the kids soft toys and hang them on the line ? I feel a bit mean if I hang them in a painful sort of way, like by the ear. But these ones don't seem to mind :) The class painted their bears on these hessian bags which are huge (perfect for transporting a quilt project) and cost just $3 from Freedom! (The furntiture store). I tried to find the bags on their website but to no avail. I think you have to pop into a store to ask. Maybe they sell them as carry bags if you buy something like 5 cushions fr...

Elaine is our lovely Quilting mentor. She is gentle and gracious in sharing her sewing skills and patchwork passion with us all. Elaine had an operation today. Elaine has this past week been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Elaine is feeling the "Peace that passes understanding" that only Jesus can give. She is ready to take on the days ahead knowing God is with her every step of the way. We are praying for you Elaine! It is very special that last week Elaine brought along this special quilt called "Heaven & Earth". It was a Block of the Month. If you are interested in where she bought it from, just put a comment below and I will ask her. She finished it last week and rather than giving it away, she is keeping it for her own bed which is so lovely. A certain little lady couldn't resist wrapping herself in the quilt while we were trying to do our photo shoot!  Boo! Joy! Beautiful quilt Elaine. May it wrap you with ...

I was sure I had posted these amazing projects by Lorraine but I just searched my own blog and I haven't featured them yet! They are so inspirational and such a worthwhile project. Two years ago, we were challenged by a lady who works with families with young children with intellectual disabilities. She said that at their playgroup, one little quilt was made by someone who works there and understands the importance of tactile stimulation for these littlies. The little quilt was wearing out and they wondered if we could make some more. The challenge was taken and some of us put on our thinking caps to start to create. You can see the beginnings of our thoughts and creations HERE. Then you can look at the lovely post of when we gave the tactile quilts to the children  HERE. Since that time, Lorraine has been inspired by the freedom and creativity involved in making these tactile quilts. Her main inspiration has been to make something which has such an positive impact on the ...

Here is the second version of the "Leanne's House" pattern, this time by Judy K. (Sorry about the wonky photo. I don't like it when my photo doesn't do a beautiful quilt justice!) Wow, there is SO much work in this quilt Judy! It's amazing, well done! You can see Elaine's version HERE

Elaine is our lovely quilting mentor. She is happy to help any of us on our quilting journey. She introduced us to the "Leanne's House" Quilt and a few ladies bought the pattern and made this lovely quilt. Here is Elaine's Pretty version of the quilt. I'll show you some of the other lovely versions of this quilt soon. Nice job Elaine!

Bev I has plenty of little people visiting her at home so she has a play room. She made this gorgeous quilt for the playroom. It's warm. It's colourful. It's a game of "Eye Spy". I love it. Can you see the red airplane? Can you see the yellow cat? Can you see Granny I's love that has gone into this quilt? Can you see the pink square on the back? Can you see why I love this quilt so much? You can also see Bev's Eye Spy baby clutch ball HERE .

A project a day! I have so many photos of lovely things which have not yet appeared here on the blog. So, I am featuring a new craft item every day for 2 weeks, all made by ladies at The Craft Group. To continue… Project 13: Patchwork bags by Elaine T Elaine has been our patchwork teacher for years. She just keeps coming up with projects for ladies to make. Over the holidays she purchased 2 bag patterns and made them up to show anyone who would also like to make one. Sorry the photo is not all that clear. They are patterns from  The  Riverdale Collection  by Sally Giblin. "Mrs Pickle" and "Little Princess". We had a lovely morning tea last thursday and this thursday "The Craft Group" starts up again for the year, so there will be many more lovely things to show you!

A project a day! I have so many photos of lovely things which have not yet appeared here on the blog. So, I am featuring a new craft item every day for 2 weeks, all made by ladies at The Craft Group. To continue… Project 4: Bed Runner by Bev, for Cheryl A beautifully made bed is a wonderful thing.   Cheryl says she likes to change her bedding around and has a Summer look and a totally different Winter look.  What a great and inexpensive way to redecorate the bedroom. This picture is not Cheryl's room but this is, (for those who are ignorant of such things) a "Bed Runner". I don't have pictures of Cheryl's bed, so add this photo and the following photos together in your mind and you will 'see' the end product. Cheryl C is a lovely card maker. Bev I is a lovely quilter. So Cheryl commissioned her friend Bev to make her the following bed runner. Great idea hey? Sharing gifts and talents! Seeing it on the end of our craft table doe...