After the workshop:  The notebook workshop was fun (of course) and really interesting to see everyones colour choices for their projects.  The Tiaro Country Crafters again helped with the important job of crash testing the instructions, and we invited three guests to share in the fun.  With the quilted notebook covers, we really only need to measure our bindings accurately, as we need this finishing touch to be consistently even, as for the construction of the design, we check the fit of the notebook to the cover many times along the way as we make it to fit, and don’t use traditional template methods.  For some, not making templates or using specific pre planned measurements was confusing, with the comment “we aren’t used to not measuring”.  As quilters, we train as architects and engineers to get the finished results exact, and can overwork an idea to the extent that we cast it aside and return to our “safe zone” of traditional pre planning of every move.  There was a muntiny on the horizon at one point, bless their honesty, then they relaxed and enjoyed themselves,  at next workshop I will tell them that we are not measuring before we start work.  I did have my camera, but forgot to take pictures, so are going to have to pay more attention to that in future, as sharing is the best part.

Before the workshop:  I make quilted notebooks, they are so handy to pop in your purse, and if you are a person that forgets everything like I am, they are really helpful.  I made some for my family last Christmas and they were greatfully received, which encouraged me to make more.  All quilters tend to work in series, they have the prototype #1, then a succession of upgraded models as the techniques get refined.  Notebook covers are a great small project that you can get back to when you have a few spare minutes, or you can make the entire thing in one session and they aren’t a tiring project that takes all day, although my first ones certainly did as I was feeling my way along the pathway of discovery.  I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of making a new discovery of quilting skills. 

After the first few notebook covers, I found that different sizes worked better than others.  I use a diary and like it close by, but it’s a bit big/heavy and of course we all need an address book, these come in lots of sizes, so that ends up in the handbag too, I am going to put my bag on scales and weigh it one day just for cusiosity, I try to keep it organised but I’m really not a very organised-purse-person. 

I love sharing ideas and new ways of doing things.  This inspires me to get together with a bunch of girls and it’s just amazing what we learn from each other, we all have slightly different ways of doing the same thing, and that is what I love most about quilting, we all readily share information and pitch in when learning new stuff.  After seeing the inspiring fabric choices the Tiaro girls chose for their quilted handbags (I call them bucket bags as you can toss everything into them) I am really looking forward to seeing what choices they make for their quilted notebooks.   These girls crash test my instructions, requirements list and discussion notes, and the notebook workshop is another test to see if we need to make any changes in the way I present the information.  Proof-reading and practical testing is an important job, and for the bucket bag, we found that the lining was bigger than the outside, so that was a re-write on that step.  I think/hope I have everything covered for the notebook workshop, fingers crossed, and will post pictures of the day, so stay tuned…..

It has been a long time between blogs, so hope to make up for lost time over the next few weeks. 

For those that followed the creation of the double wedding ring quilt, I entered it in the Fraser Coast show after deciding at the last minute that it needed rhinestones….lots of them.  It had been safely stashed in a bag in the bottom of the wardrobe for 3 months, and I took it out to check for loose threads a week before the show, only to decide that the white trapunto was a bit lost on the white background.  The rhinestones definitely helped define the trapunto feather designs, and after a hard slog of 26 hours spread over 5 nights, burned fingers and about 4500 rhinestones, the quilt was finally ready.

I will need to edit the pictures  of the other of each class before I load them, so stay tuned for those, although I have to warn you I am the worlds worst photographer.

My DWR got 1st place in it’s class and reserve champion to an art quilt entry that was spectacular, see below.