Marg Sampson arrived on Friday evening with Wendy but her classes didn’t start until today so yesterday she enjoyed spending time at the shop smooching around finding fabric treasures to add to her stash, visited one of the prize winning gardens and then spent the afternoon in the unit overlooking the garden appliqueing and enjoying the peace and quite. Both Wendy and Marg are in love with Toowoomba and can’t wait to return and spend more time enjoying all the city has to offer – which really means locking themselves in the unit for a whole week just so they can stitch, eat, shop and stitch and stitch some more. They have even been hatching a plan to tell their DH’s they have classes for a whole week just to escape. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? So a delicious Chinese meal, a glass of champagne and good friends was a lovely way to finish the day. So after a good night sleep we were all fresh and bright eyed ready to start another day of classes.

Marg began teaching her Antique Baby Quilt and the girls worked so quickly they choose fabrics with Marg’s help and before you knew it vases were being stitched down, stems and flowers were chosen and oval scallops were sewn together ready to be appliqued onto the background. Marg has made this quilt with varying applique for all of her grandchildren and she delighted in telling us that her eldest granddaughter (13 years of age) still cherished her quilt. She designed each of the quilts to commemorate their births. They are simplistic in their design and reflect what was influencing Marg at the time of their birth. Her thoughts have made some of us look and think differently about the type of quilts that we now want to make for our family and loved ones.

Kay just couldn't decide which piece to use so she ironed them all and was on her way back for guidance from Marg.
Wendy and her girls continued on with their applique panels and nine patches. Beautiful stashes of gray fabrics were being chopped for set in triangles and the quilts began to come together. Wendy brought her two latest quilts with her to show the ladies in class – Hooterville and The Zoo. They are absolutely gorgeous and all the girls are desperate to start them. I wish I could find a way to stop time or better still slow it down so that I can make all the quilts on my list……it is getting soooo long. Watch out Genell – my list might just end up as long as yours. We will have the patterns for both of these and Wendy’s other beautiful quilts and bags including Growing Up in the next week or so…..we were thrilled when Wendy told us we were the first group of ladies to make Growing Up.

Bev choose to use LouLouthi by Anna Marie Horner for her Growing Up and her backgrounds were a little more muddy - it had a lovely warm feel to it. One of the best things in going to a class is to see all the different selections of fabrics and how they come together.

Katrina was in heaven choosing her 9 patch combinations............while Cathy was in full swing making hers......
Wool applique makes Hooterville a must have ........

and needleturne applique makes The Zoo a wonderful quilt for any little person in your life........that's my excuse to make it........I don't know what yours will be.......
Bev’s class were choosing fabrics for borders and set in triangles for their quilts today – they had decisions on whether to make prairie points or a pieced border .….do they add an outer border or scallop their first border………

Neralie kept working on her windows............
Bev also bought in a selection of her quilts for show and tell. She has finished her Mariner’s Madness quilt that she made in class last year with Chris Jurd. She also showed her Atomic Bloom by Wendy Williams which was made in Sunday Slippers at the shop. Her quilting is amazing and she quilted an orange spine into her feathers on the outside border. So clever…… and just to confirm it, Bev made has made another Cathedral Window quilt from a Jelly Roll – she then quilted and coloured flowers onto the border – she is a wonderfully talented quilter.

it looks so pretty........

Chris will be delighted to see how Bev finished her Mariner's Madness quilt from last year class......and below is Wendy's Atomic Bloom bursting with happiness..........

I almost forgot the girls doing Pebbly Beach - Liane lined her blocks up along the table and they looked so gorgeous we were hoping that she might just leave them with us..........

and Jenny finished sewing her centre blocks so when she goes home she will be ready to sew the centre together in readiness to applique her circles ............

We also want to thank Jenny for bringing in two huge buckets of lemons from her tree at home - I don't know what it is about lemons that makes them look so tempting - maybe it is their colour - taste or both. Whatever it is they are simply irresistible..........

So tomorrow I am off to the airport to drop Wendy off and collect Chris........
I hope that you have enjoyed seeing the work of the ladies from class......a big thank you to all of them for being so generous in allowing me to share their work.
Quilters affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops.
Until tomorrow.........lisa