Welcome to Precious Time

Back from the dark.......

I have been very naughty and have left you all in the dark for too long.  My sincere apologies – there has been so much going on at the shop, Easter and family events have keep me busy ever since.    So I have a few weeks of happenings to catch you up on as well as letting you in on what is going on at the moment. 

This weekend we are thrilled to welcome Sarah Fielke to Toowoomba.  The ladies are on their way from near and far to enjoy a weekend of sewing, sharing, laughter and learning.  Everyone is filled with excitement over their fabric choices and the quilts they are planning on making.  So keep watching this space and I will try not to take so long this time, for images and the latest news from the class.

A few weeks ago – that is so bad – sorry, Sue visited us for the weekend to share her mystery block of the month.  So here are the first two blocks from the quilt.

Majella and I decided to travel a different path with our fabric choices from the ladies in class – it may have been forced on us because we sold all of Sue’s kits, but we like to think that it was our own creative juices flowing……

The background that Majella chose for her blocks had just arrived at the shop and as with any new fabric, her fingers and sewing soul were itching to use it.  So clear colours set her palette.  A little while ago I shared some gorgeous yellow backgrounds that I absolutely fell in love with.  So when it came time to make my decision it was really easy – yellow.  Majella and Sue were a little shocked – yellow is the colour that I always throw out – Majella puts it in and I throw it out.  I am not sure what is with yellow and I at the moment but we seem to be on the same path at the moment – but more on that later.

We had the pleasurable company of Margie for a few days as she was on a mission to finish hand piecing her Kite quilt.  The inspiration for her quilt is a Turkish Tiled Floor – all hand pieced it is truly a credit to her.  It is absolutely stunning.  Next for Marg is choosing the borders.  I am sure that Margie will bring in her quilt to share with us once the borders have been sewn on.  We can’t wait. 

Margie is on a finishing path with her quilts and brought in her Antique Baby Crib quilt from her class with Marg Sampson last September.  Another beautiful quilt….congratulations Margie on your amazing quilts.

 I just love Margie's elephants.  They are absolutely gorgeous.

A stack of fabric awaits to be folded for the class on the weekend so I have to leave you now for my other job.

Enjoy your weekend.  I hope you get time to do the things that you love most, whether it is sewing, reading, cooking or spending time with your family and friends.

Until next time .....stay happy and safe.......lisa 

 

The deliveryman arrived with a lovely surprise for us this week. Our Presencia threads stand holds over 180 absolutely delicious coloured sewing threads made from the highest quality 3 ply 100% Egyptian long fibre cotton (50 weight).   Presencia is a Spanish company that was founded in 1949 by the brothers Perez-Presencia, and today is considered a major leader in Perle and cotton threads for embroidery.  On your next visit to the shop ask us to show you these gorgeous new threads.

 

Also arriving this week are Wendy Williams’ favourite quilting gloves in S/M & M/L sizes.  Wendy introduced us to these fantastic gloves when she visited the shop in February.  Wendy recommends that you purchase a firm fitting set of gloves and the thing that she loves most about these particular quilting gloves is the cushion finger tip which grips the fabric making your machine quilting easier and far more enjoyable.  The ladies in class used these gloves and were thrilled with the feel, comfort and assistance they provided in quilting their cushions. 

 

The other little treasure to arrive were Frosted Donuts…mmmmmm.  The bobbin holder contains 35 pre wound 50 weight, 100% cotton bobbins from Superior Threads.  They are wonderful for hand applique, especially if you are travelling as the bobbin saver keeps them neat and tidy and you have instant access to a lovely array of colours.  If you are a passionate needle turn applique lover then you need to have a look at these the next time you are visiting Precious Time.

I finished piecing Super Scrappy this week – it was a fun, easy, quick quilt to whip up. 

 

Patrina loves scrappy quilts and this week she picked up this delightful quilt of happiness.  Patrina is a prolific quilt maker and it is always a treat to see her next creation being returned from quilting. 

 

I had a lady visit the shop today with her husband who happily took a seat in the classroom with his Ipad.  I was helping his wife choose fabrics – like all of us she stated that she didn’t need any more fabrics but they were so delicious how could she resist.  I assured her that we were all the same – we all surrender to our love of beautiful fabrics.  With a confident smile she stated that she was assisting her husband to secure his future wife.  When I go hubby will have no trouble, he will be able to advertise  - in need of new wife, in possession of fantastic stash………isn’t it wonderful that we can laugh at ourselves and our addiction and that we are blessed with the men in our lives as they understand (or just accept) us and our addiction.

 

We have the last of the Auntie Green coverlets to share with you in the next post.  

Enjoy your week ahead – I hope that you can find some time to sew……….lisa

 

 

Some show & tell

 

Bronwyn is working extremely hard on her Auntie Green to have it ready for the next class and I am sure you will agree with me that Bronwyn’s quilt is looking gorgeous.  All of the ladies in class may be suffering from sore fingers and tired eyes due to the amount of stitching required but I know that all would agree in an instance that they are thrilled and proud to be making this historic quilt.  We are all looking forward to sharing the next installment with Sue this weekend.  Stay tuned for an update and more images after the weekend.

Still filled with the excitement of sharing the weekend with Wendy I have been working on 9 patches for my Growing Up.  They are absolutely delicious.  This is not the only project that I have been working on…….new fabrics……..new quilts.  I have also been playing with 1862 Battle Hymn...…..borders have yet to be decided on but so far so good.

 

Super Scrappy is a new pattern, which arrived today.  Easy to read, cute little pattern card which Majella and I thought would look fantastic made up in Kaffe and friends.  A few little easy steps…..

 

Audition

Final selection

Chopped to size

Wrapped ready to buy

 

One of the beautiful voiles for the back and ta dah a yummy quilt…..…

hey I’m not that quick……..stay tuned……

 

Dreams are like stars….you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead to your destiny.

 

Yours in stitching………lisa

 

 

Wendy + fantastic fabrics + fun + good food = wonderful weekend of quilting

With February fast approaching I thought it would be a good time to remind you all of our upcoming class with Wendy Williams.  Wendy’s playful nature has everyone quickly at ease and her happy personality ensures you will have a thoroughly enjoyable two days with her.  Wendy has been working on some new quilts and cushions and we are thrilled to share her latest raw-edge, machine applique cushion with you. 

It is just darling (dreaming that I had returned to Houston last year). If you have wanted to master raw edge applique this is a fantastic opportunity to start on a small project. Of course Wendy will be teaching any of her quilts or smaller projects over the weekend –Growing Up (which so many of you fell in love with), Hooterville or choose one of her new applique cushions or garden wallhanging.   What better way to start your quilting year then with a fun filled weekend of playing with gorgeous fabrics and the opportunity to increase your knowledge of colour and its placement in your quilt. 

 

 

Growing Up (pictured above) is an absolutely fun filled quilt and of course you guessed it - it is on my list to make.

What better way to start your quilting year then with a fun filled weekend of playing with gorgeous fabrics and the opportunity to increase your knowledge of colour and its placement in your quilt.  Call the shop to reserve a place in this class and join Wendy for this fantastic weekend of quilting.

There is much to love in January - beginning a new year which is filled with the promise of wonderful events, new and old friends along with inspiring projects - the re-sharing of memories as we come together again after the Christmas break - time to look at my orphan quilts and decide if one can be sent to a loving new home - deciding on actually finishing one of my orphan quilts. Which brings me to the thing I love most about January - the tennis!  So tonight I have a date with my orphan quilt and a glass of wine.  My DH has just finished making home made pizzas so it is time to go as the aroma is calling my name.  

Enjoy your Saturday evening whatever it may have install for you ...............lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric Lust........

These gorgeous stacks of fabrics are new into the shop and are a mix of Blueberry Crumb Cake by Blackbird Designs and American Banner Rose by Minick and Simpson.  The delightful blues, creams and tans are a perfect mix of fabrics for your next quilt receipe.  I have always loved two colour quilts but have never made one – red & white, blue & cream or pink & green.  Looking at these fabrics you can only agree with the dynamic duo from Blackbird – they are tasty and would make the perfect Blueberry Crumb Cake, although I couldn’t help myself – I would have to make a Blueberry Crumble.  So here is something you should know I am not a great cook – I wish I were – but I stumble through the week cooking the regular kid friendly meals.  My DH has asked that I don’t experiment with new menus, especially when they are all hungry after a day of work and school.  Why you ask – one night I cooked a new receipe given to me by my mum and instead of a teaspoon of chilli I used a tablespoon of chilli.  It was so hot they couldn’t eat it and I had left them to go to class unaware of the chaos I had left behind. I think I could manage a blueberry crumble though!

 

 

So I may not be a great cook but I can sew ……… ta dah the modern cabin made with the scrumptious mix of blues and creams and in doing so have made my first two colour quilt.

 

Our superstar of the week is Christina, pictured below holding her gorgeous quilt, which her mum made for her.  They were both in the shop today to choose borders and binding so it can be quilted to lie on her bed either at home or uni.

 

Also new in the shop is a collection of fabrics - Indian Summer from Laundry Basket Quilts.  The moody blue floral is my favourite with the birds taking advantage of the fading blooms before they welcome the autumn months. 

 

 

I have fabric lust for this following stack.  Majella will tell you that I have never really loved yellow/mustard/gold and always reject it when sifting for my final palette.  It wasn’t until a very clever customer (you know who you are) was mooching around the shop and started collecting some of these soft golden yellows for a friend. I had fabric lust – yes lust because I just couldn’t let go of them to put them back on the shelf – they have been sitting beside my cutting bench for over a week ..…some have been added and so they continue to wait I’m not sure why - but maybe they were just waiting to be shared…………I hope you fall in lust with them too.

Hope you are all embracing the joy of the Christmas season.........it is a most wonderful time of the year...........till next time.....lisa 

 

 

 

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

 

Fit for a princess.........

 

 

This week saw the much-awaited 50^th birthday celebrations for our dear friend Izabella.  As promised she wore her vintage dress made from Martha Negley complete with matching high-heeled shoes. She did however bring a comfortable pair of shoes to wear around – once you hit 50, comfort is high on the list.  She looked stunning of course and we delighted in the various poses as the girls arrived to help her celebrate.  Gifts both sensible and silly were exchanged along with lots of laughter and we delighted in the joys of friendship that have grown with this group of women over our time together. 

 
 

I have been busy gathering kits for ladies who are attending a class at Quilting on the Downs so I thought it would be nice to share some of them with you.  They look so delicious once they are packed and wrapped.  Every time we choose a new kit it becomes my favourite, and it is the one I want to use to make the quilt.  Then of course we pack another kit and then fizz…. I change my mind again.  Seriously I can’t make the same quilt in 5 or 6 different colourways – or can I.   I think I need help – is there any form of intervention for serial quilters?  My Dali Lama quilting chant begins to swim around my head – stick ability – stick ability.  I think I need chocolate.

 

Today we had a visit from Jendi and her daughter Eliza. Darling Eliza is holding one of the matching pillowcase tops that Jendi made to compliment her quilt. She came to collect her quilt “Hope” that our gorgeous Bev quilted for her.  It is absolutely stunning.  I am not sure if the pictures will do it justice. The rain has started to fall quite heavy and it seems like the best place to be would be at home with a quilt in hand, stitching.

The girls from Cold Wind are meeting tonight and I have not finished my block.  Oh well there is always next month.  I hope that you have a wonderful weekend no matter what it is that keeps you busy.

 

Do what you can, with what you have, where you can – Theodore Roosevelt.

 

 

 

Bias and Blooms........

Sunday Slippers is a group of very diverse quilters that meet once a month to sew, share, laugh, eat and of course wear their slippers.  We may even indulge with a glass or two of champagne to celebrate birthdays and special events, which may be as simple as us all being together.  As a group the ladies decide on a project for the month (or two or three) and off we go travelling together - sharing tips and tricks, design options and colour choices.  The girls are always on the lookout for the next project and are currently working on a Michelle Marvig quilt using fabrics from Rowan and Sue Ross with some Kaffe favourites.

   

 

Our close friend Kyleigh has lent us her Atomic Bloom, which has just been quilted and bound. She is one of the most productive quilters in our group.  Wendy Williams from Flying Fish designed this stunning quilt, which was featured in Quilters Companion. Wendy will be visiting Toowoomba during the Carnival of Flowers to teach her quilts Growing Up and Pebbly Beach.  We are very excited to welcome her to Toowoomba for Quilting on the Downs.

 

We are not big fans of gadgets unless we have tried and tested them and know that they benefit quilters by making quilting easier and faster.  Today the Simplicity bias maker arrived and I was so excited to unpack it and try it.  We make a huge amount of bias for various quilts and classes in the shop – but applique quilts need bias by the kilometer, and when you are making several applique quilts the kilometers get longer and longer. So when we saw this gadget we thought it would be worth investigating. 

The machine comes with a 1” bias maker and additional bias makers can be purchased and sizes start at ¼” and go up to 1 ¼” for quilt bindings.  So here is a quick overview of the bias maker as I tested it today.  Highly Recommended.

First Step:  You cut your strips and wind them on the bobbin.  It has a slot through the middle and a small metal clip so that you can wind your fabric onto the bobbin so it is secure.  It reminded me of winding film onto my camera as a young girl.  

 

You then pass it over the roller and into the bias maker. The bias maker clips out so that you can change size as well as ease of use to slide your fabric through. You then pass it over the heating plate ready for your bias to be instantly made.

Ta Da.......... It happened so quickly.  I was thrilled with the end result. A lovely stash of sweet bias.  

My next test will be to join 2 lengths of bias and see how it handles the join.  

Keep watching this space.

 

Sue Ross has been visiting Precious Time and is now in her 4th year with us.  One of our original class participants is the lovely Margie Miller.  Margie is a huge fan of both antique and applique quilts and is our number one Auntie Green fan.  So I am sure that she won't mind me sharing one of her quilts with you - it is Birdie, Birdie - pattern designed by Susan Smith from Patchwork on Stonleigh.  Most of the ladies in the class chose reproduction fabrics but Margie stood alone with her choice of brights from Kaffe Fassett and friends.  It is absolutely gorgeous.......

Update on posting - the word that I was looking for the other night when I was sharing advice from the Dali Lama of quilting was Stickability.

So I leave you with this quote - "to quilt is human, to finish divine"

Until next time........lisa

P.S. - I will have to take some apple lessons on how to make my photos larger.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Victory Garden blooms

 

We fell in love with this quilt from the moment we saw it.  I say with total honesty that we have had this quilt finished for some time, even before the announcement of a Royal Wedding.  At the time of “the wedding” we had it hanging behind the counter blissfully unaware of the link.  A customer politely asked me if that was my wedding quilt.  Taken aback I say wedding quilt – the look of confusion on my face confirms that I am obviously on another planet. 

During WWI and WWII making a victory garden became a part of life on the homefront.  Women filled their kitchens with produce and flowers from garden patches carefully tended. These women inspired Busy Bee Quilt Designs to make their nostalgic version of this quilt.  We hope that you love it us much as us.

Our Dali Lama of quilting – Kay has embarked on another design by Sue Ross.  Here are some of the blocks that Kay has under way. They look fantastic and we can’t wait to see how the quilt will come together.  Kay is also working on her Flower Garden quilt by Kim McLean and is busy piecing 90  1/1/2" square pieces for her sashings.  We are continually amazed at how much Kay gets done by hand while we work on our machine pieced quilts.

 The shop is closed tomorrow and I am looking forward to a day off hoping to spend the day on some of my own sewing again.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon whatever it brings...............lisa

 

Mystery Quilts & Lollies ..........both are yummy

A few of us that are addicted to leaving our families and heading to the beach to quilt ran away for a weekend to make a mystery quilt.  Rosters were given and menus were planned – the stakes were quite high after our last retreat – we all blame it on Master Chef and the smarty pants (you know who you are) who made Barb and Alma’s (Blackbird Design) French Toast from their gorgeous book Country Inn.  I sold just as many books for that absolutely delicious recipe as I did to make projects and quilts.

  

We left the dreary and extremely cold weather of Toowoomba behind and arrived at Buderim to warm, sunny beautiful days.  Yayyyyy!  DH was left to mind the shop on Friday afternoon – the morning had been quiet so I assured him that he would be fine.  Grab the paper have a coffee.

I didn’t get 10mins down the street before the phone started to ring hot.  Lots (and lots) of lovely ladies from Quilters Corner were up for their annual retreat ……shop was full…….DH never saw the paper or the coffee.  

The weekend was wonderful with most of the ladies finishing their quilts and as you will see from the following images and comments a good time, was had by all.   We overcame world affairs like: sick husbands, husbands attempting to cook and in need of assistance, children whose homework needed proof reading and those who were suffering from broken hearts. Does anyone remember what happened before mobile phones?

 

Helen made a start early Saturday morning and there was no stopping her from there.  She was determined to go home with her quilt finished.  All the ladies worked really hard - extracurricular activities were kept to a minimum - just a glass or two of champagne.

Here are some comments by those who attended the weekend.

Were you nervous about making a mystery quilt? 

* No. I knew that my fabrics were beautiful and that the finished quilt would be lovely

*Yes. I don’t like not knowing what I am making

*Yes I was nervous at first but now I have a sense of achievement.  If I had seen the picture first I don’t think I would have been game enough to take it on.

What did you enjoy the most? 

*I loved my colours and watching everybody working and completing their quilts

*The excitement of anticipating what the final design was going look like and trying to guess the design as it came together.

*Completing the quilt of course and the magic of the makeover.

   

 

Were you happy with your finished quilt? 

*My quilt looks beautiful and I am very happy with it

I don’t know yet

*While I do think my Coconut Ice is beautiful, I do prefer the richer colours of Izabella’s Cherry Ripe and Bronwyn’s Caramel Fudge quilt.  

Ironic too that I prefer to eat cherry ripe and caramel fudge to coconut ice.

 

 

Would you make another mystery quilt?

*Absolutely sign me up for the next one I really enjoyed it

*You bet I would.

*Perhaps

*Absolutely, as long as there are no nine patch units in it.

*Yes, I would do it again especially as a part of a group, as it is great to see everyone’s quilt develop. 

 

Is there anything you didn’t enjoy about the weekend? 

*No it was great fun

*The whole weekend was great!   Great food, great company, and even a sleep in.

 

Would you recommend it to other quilting friends?

*Definitely, it was a challenge but an enjoyable one

*My quilting friends already know.

*I be talking to everyone that is listening

*Would recommend it to any addicted quilter (as long as they don’t take my space.)

 

So look out for our next Mystery Quilt Weekend.

 

Next post - Kay is working on a new design by Sue Ross and the gorgeous Liberty Garden Quilt.

Catch you then...............lisa