Quilts From All Over

The Rotary Club of Hawthorn put on a stunning show of quilts at the Hawthorn Town Hall last weekend, and of course Sharon and I weren't going to miss that! It was the first show the Rotary Club have staged, but the ladies we spoke to said they hoped to make it an annual event. The selection was unusual in that it included not only modern quilts, but some very old ones that are in private collections, and had been brought out for this show. Very worth while seeing.
Unfortunately I didn't take my camera, so I can't show you any pics of the quilts, but in a side room there were a dozen or so stall holders with plenty of delicious fabrics, books, etc. to tempt us. I refused to let myself buy any more fabrics, but I couldn't go home without this cute 1950's retro stitchery, and some buttons!

Two small UFO finishes.

I've had a couple of stints of Volunteer duty at the Guild's exhibition, and taken the opportunity to finish off a couple of small UFOs that have been lying around forever. Most of the members on duty bring something to stitch, because we just sit there most of the time, answering questions and taking money for sales or entrance fees. These two are odd bits that I've picked up in opshops, or been given, and they were a handy size to put in my shoulder bag for the day.

A gift and a nearly-finish.

My colleagues at the Embroiderers Guild know my love of vintage linens, so they often present me with an item that they've been given, but which they have no use for. R. gave me this uncut Fautleys Duchess set on Tuesday, with four skeins of Anchor floss that are required for the pattern. R. says she realises that it will probably never be embroidered, but she would rather it be loved as it is, instead of being thrown into an op shop.
Jane over at Loopy loo's adventures, talked me into joining a swap she is in...THAT is a huge lie. I actually asked her if I could join the swap, once I'd seen what she was doing! They are called 'siggie(signature) blocks, and everbody makes one the same size (6" square) and swaps with a partner. I don't yet know where this will lead to, but while I'm waiting to find out, I'm already planning my second block. They only take a few minutes to construct, and you can put whatever you want in the centre block. I chose to stitch a simple design which I'd traced from an old transfer book. It is nearly finished, just a few more stitches which will take about 10 minutes, then it will be on the way to Jane. t

Embroiderers Guild Annual Exhibition.

The first Tuesday of each month is when I spend the day at the Embroiderers' Guild of Vic. As a volunteer Gallery Hostess, my role is to be present in the exhibition gallery to welcome any visitors that might pop in. I also wash the teacups used by the other volunteers present, make sure there is enough milk and supplies, loo paper, etc. A different volunteer does this every day, so usually there isn't a lot to do, and we bring some stitching with us and spend much of our time doing that. But yesterday, the exhibition committee ladies were gearing up for our annual Exhibition. There are I believe, over 60 exhibits supplied by Guild members - framed pictures, quilts, and so on. I helped out by ironing whatever needed to be pressed, and sorting out huge bags of fabrics that had been donated to the Guild. What fun! The ladies who were in and out of the gallery on their various errands would stop by and check out what I had carefully folded up in piles to be put in the remnant drawer. There was a large pile of scraps on the floor destined for the rubbish bin, and people were diving into that as well. Being the person sorting it all out, I had the first pick of the fabrics though, and came home with a nice bag of goodies to add to my stash!
If you are in or around Melbourne this month, try to make time to visit the Guild Exhibition - it will be well worth while, as this year being their 50th anniversary, they are putting on a superb display. We are also having a raffle to raise funds, and the prizes are fabulous as always!
EGV Annual Exhibition, 11 - 26th September. 10 am to 4 pm each day.
Entry $6 (no concession). Enquiries (03)9509 2222.
Embroidery House, 170 Wattletree Road, Malvern. (Melway 59 C9)

This is where I keep some of my linens.

When I wrote about how I'd organised my linen collection, some readers expressed interest in seeing photos of what I've done, so I took some pics of the tallboy/chest of drawers where I have most of the smaller items.
On top of the tallboy are small framed items, some of them were worked by friends as gifts for me, and others are my own work. In one of the small drawers are small items that I've stitched, as well as some older bits and pieces sewn by MIL. In the other small drawer are items that been stitched for me in exchanges, as well as my embroidered handkies collection. In the larger drawers are the larger items. In this one are napkins and traycloths. In the second drawer are large doilies/centrepieces, and sandwich tray (oblong) doilies. In the third drawer are more large doilies and a pile of smaller round doilies. In the bottom drawer are my duchess sets and more smaller doilies. In this suitcase I have laid out the table runners and other larger items that didn't fit in the tall boy. I've also put my vintage doiley holders in here as you can see. The wall in this photo shows the stuff I've done which has been framed. On the opposite wall are framed embroideries that have been given to me, or that I've found in opshops, or bought on eBay.

Aussie sampler finished.

There you are, Jane and Joanne - thank you both for your encouraging comments! This is not a very good photo; the colour in the previous pic. was closer to the colour of the aida fabric, which is an 'ice green' shade. Also, I hadn't removed the pins from the bottom when I took this pic - oops! I wonder if any of the girls who shared this round robin back in 2003 are still around on the internet? Susan in Vermont is my niece, so I know where she is, but I haven't heard from any of the others since the original MSN group closed. Are any of you reading this? Betina in Princeton, N.J., USA, Louise in Wynnum, Qld, Bronwyn in Kyabram, Vic. and Lynn in Vermont, Vic.