Three is the magic number

Three is the magic number of finished raffle quilt blocks so far...

This was the first block to be finished. Marilynn has used such pretty colours and it's fun to see the fussy cut flowers. 

Marilynn also made the block in the middle. The beautiful ring of hexie flowers on the right hand side was made by Amie. 

It's lucky they have Coco the cat guarding them. Such beautiful blocks could be stolen by fairies or blow away in the wind.

We'll be back with more beautiful raffle quilt blocks soon.

The 2017 raffle quilt has been revealed

Well, not the actual quilt but the design for the quilt.

We couldn't be more pleased! It's a beautiful hexagon sampler incorporating applique and clever piecing and the result is this wonderful pattern.

Here it is in another colour way.

The raffle quilt has been especially designed by our 2017 featured quilter Anne Sommerlad. 

It was great to hear her thoughts and ideas behind the pattern 

The design has been percolating in her mind for a while as a follow up to her popular quilt Hanazono.

The Springwood Quilt Show was the perfect excuse to bring her idea to life because Hanazono was  Quilt Show's 2009 Raffle Quilt. What a great way to pay homage to a past raffle quilt. 

Over the past few years we've made raffle quilts in bright dots, pretty 30's repro, civil war prints, blues and whites. For this quilt we've decided to use Japanese and oriental themed fabrics.

A mix of colours against pale background fabrics with a dark navy that will make the sashing pattern really pop!

The table was a flurry of activity as we swapped and chose fabrics for our blocks. It's great to do this as a group so there will be some uniformity with fabrics and to help each other with fabric selection. but there's always room for each quilter to add their own flair with their choices.

So we've got the design, picked our fabric and now we're ready to sew our blocks. 

The thing we don't have yet is a name. All suggestions are welcome.

Local quilt shows

I recently read a piece written by Kelly from Pinkadot Quilts blog, and member of the PennOaks Quilts Guild in the US. It's short and sweet but Kelly makes some great points about visiting local quilt shows and with her permission I'm sharing it with you. 

Kelly wrote:
"If you have the opportunity to attend any small local show please do so. For our guild it is the major fundraiser and helps us to pay for our programs. It is getting harder and harder for guilds, especially small ones to put on shows. For the price of a yard of fabric, you can see some awesome quilts and vendors! I promise you will not be disappointed!"


Now the Springwood Community Quilt Show and a lot of Australian quilt shows are a bit different because all the money we raise goes to the community through designated charities or back into running the show. A lot of work, organisation and increasing costs go into putting on a show and it's having people attend makes it all worthwhile.

What a great point Kelly makes about the entry fee! How lucky that in Australia the entry fee for most quilt shows is the price of a just one fat quarter! It's such a small payment to see and be inspired by lots of beautiful quilts and a chance to shop at several vendors stalls.

So have a look around for local quilt shows near you.  Here are a couple coming up in the next couple of weeks around Sydney:

Camden Country Quilters Guild is hosting their 27th annual show this coming weekend, 6th and 7th of August. 
The doors open at 9.30am at the Camden AH&I Hall, Cnr Murray St and Argyle St. The Guest Exhibitor is Margaret Sampson George. Morning Teas and light lunches will be available and you'll be able to shop at the craft and merchant tables. featured quilter
For more information visit the guilds Facebook page


Hunters Hill Quilt Show. Friday 12th- Sun 14th August, 10am - 4.30pm  at the Hunters Hill Town Hall. 
The Hunters Hill quilters only put on a show every two years so don't miss out on this great display of members quilts. In addition to a hall full of quilts is a room of Waggas for sale. There will also a display of baby quilts made for the Grace Centre for Newborn Care at Westmead Children's Hospital. Material Obsession will be there will tables full of colourful sewing goodies and you'll enjoy taking time out for a coffee or tea with some locally made treats. 
For more information visit their quilt show Facebook page


Pop over and visit Kelly's blog Pinkadot Quilts - her quilts will add colour to your day!

And because every blog post should have a photo here's another beautiful quilt called Jackie's Sampler by our 2017 featured quilter Anne Sommerlad.