Riley Blake Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

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One of the wonderful benefits of joining our guild is that we are affiliated with The Modern Quilt Guild, and by joining, you also gain membership to the modern Quilt Guild in the states, which connects us to other guilds and provides discounts on MQG shows (including discounts and special offers from MQG sponsors). Last year, MQG an Riley Blake teamed up to create a wonderful competition open to all MQG members called the Modern Quilt Guild Riley Blake Challenge. Our guild decided to both participate in the competition, and make it interesting within our guild by creating a mini challenge. The rules were: Produce a a 24'' mini quilt, using all of the RB fabrics provided, and any solid of your choosing. The due date for our challenge quilts is Sunday the 16th of February, which happens to coincide with our Sunday Sit n Sew day! The categories are as follows:   The finished quilts must be uploaded onto the MQG Riley...
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2016 QuiltCon Charity Quilt: NYE at the House

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Improv quilting isn't new, I reckon it is possibly the oldest form of quilting as fabric scraps and woollen off cuts were patched together to make the earliest form of quilts. And then there's the fabulous improv quilts of Gees Bend, Nancy Crow and Gwen Marston. But improv with intent, is that a fairly modern concept in quilting? It relates to abstract art and music where the intent to convey an idea, image or concept drives the design process. This year's QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge was "to work collaboratively to create completed quilts using a predetermined color palette and improv with intent". With that in mind we set about choosing fabrics and coming up with a design for this group project. We then brainstormed some ideas and finally settled on the iconic image of the Sydney Opera House sails and then decided that by adding the black as a sky colour and the brights as fireworks we could capture the magic of New Year's Eve...
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MQG Riley Blake Challenge 2015

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The latest fabric challenge from the MQG is here this time using Riley Blake Fabrics! Some of our members are participating this round so be sure to watch this space to see what they come up with. The rules are * make something fantastic and quilted * make something you have never done before * challenge yourself to learn something new * use only Riley Blake "The Cottage Garden" fabrics and coordinating Riley Blake basics and solids.  ...
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Sunday Sewalongs and Monday Meetings 2015

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We'll be having our February Sunday Sewalong this Sunday, 8th February from 10am to 4pm. At this meeting we will be sewing our red and white blocks to make a group quilt for the Quilters Guild of NSW Challenge later in the year. Sunday meetings take place in a private room at Dooleys Waterview and you may bring your sewing machine and equipment. The committee will also be having a brief meeting from 11:30am. Further general information about our meetings is here . As we need to make sure we have enough room for all please let us know if you are coming along. We would love to welcome you to join our first GWSMQG Monday Meeting for 2015. It will be held at Dooleys Waterview Restaurant, Silverwater on Monday 16th February from 7pm to 9:30pm. Our future Monday dates will be posted very soon once we have venue confirmation. Each meeting has a topic (to be advised) and we usually bring some hand...
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2015 QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge

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The Greater Western Sydney Modern Quilt Guild’s 2015 charity quilt Although we are a relatively small MQG, our members were very enthusiastic about the MQG 2015 QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge. More than half our members contributed a block or two, and many more worked collaboratively to put the finished quilt together. The 2015 Charity Quilt Challenge is different from past years. We were challenged not only to work with a specified palette but to explore an alternate gridwork  design. We posted examples of the fabric colours to our Facebook group so our members could check their stashes, and then set a deadline for blocks to be collected. We held an impromptu meeting to put the blocks together, and there were plenty of opinions about layout and design. Members Jenna, Sandra, Melanie, Sofia, Ginevra, Kate, Louisa and Lorena were involved. Liberal applications of Moda Bella silver contributed important areas of negative space to the final layout. GWSMQG member Cath M undertook the top-quilting with a pattern called Water Drops, by...
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Michael Miller MQG Challenge Winners

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Better late than never! We're finally ready to announce the winners of the Michael Miller MQG/GWSMQG challenge! Here is our previous post explaining the rules for this guild challenge. The three categories we had for this challenge were: Best use of Fabric Viewer's Choice Best quilting And the winners are... 1. Best Use Of Fabric went to Hilary! 2. Viewer's choice went to Michelle! and 3. Best Quilting also went to Michelle! Congratulations, ladies! Here's our Pinterest board with all our contestant's quilts! The prizes up on offer were generously donated by both quilt shops local and international, plus a few guild members: A half yard bundle of Joel Dewberry fabric, and a quilt magazine from Christa Quilts $50 voucher from Fabric Garden via Sue Miller $20 Kate Quilts voucher via Michelle Rossetto Charlie Harper bundle from Kate Quilts Liberty bundle from Jenna Cottage Garden threads from Wendy Mini quilt Kit from Caroline and a jar of Lorena's amazing marmalade! A big thank you goes to Vancouver MQG and Brisbane MQG for helping with the voting process, and all our...
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Teeny Weeny Piecing Ideas

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(image via lillaluise) Teeny weeny piecing is the focus for this challenge. Squares, HSTs and hexies look so much cuter when they are mini sized! Think outside the box, and look at what blocks you can shrink and make teeny-weeny! Below we have included several links to pinterest boards, blogs and websites filled with inspiration and tutorials to help you with your TWS item. We have made a Pinterest board  with a focus on tiny piecing to give you a bit of inspiration, and hopefully get those creative juices flowing! Paper Pieces is a good place to source teeny EPP papers, if your local quilt stores doesn't stock any. Charise Creates has some ridiculously cute paper piecing patterns- some that are already tiny, and other could simply be scaled down before printing. Here's a Paper Piecing Flickr pool full of cute paper piecing inspiration! Patchwork Please is a wonderful book full of Zakka style cuteness, including a few paper piecing bits. Zakka Style is another wonderful source of inspiration! Sew-ichigo has a Craftsy...
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Teeny Weeny Swap

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We are very excited here at GWSMQG to announce our collaboration with Vancouver MQG, and Brisbane MQG combining forces to take part in the Teeny Weeny Swap! This swap is only open to financial members of these guilds. The ''Teeny Weeny'' bit refers to the piecing, not the actual size of the finished item, which is obligatory in this swap. It can be paper-pieced, patchwork piecing, English paper pieced, improv pieced, which may then be hand-appliquéd, but it must be pieced in some way - machine appliqué is not permitted. The overall look and feel should be intricate, cute and “zakka-tastic. One of our members Sheridan has made a mosaic  with links to the individual photos within the mosaic, should you feel inspired by these photos. Swap partners have a choice of what item they would like made for them: pouch, needlebook, sunglasses/spectacles case, collapse-able thread catcher, mug rug, or passport cover. The deadline for VMQG to finish their items is November 17th, 2014, and for...
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MQG Michael Miller Challenge Progress

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Hey readers, it's been a while! We're currently elbows deep in Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair swag - our members had a lovely time shopping up a storm at the booths! Guild member Sue had her stand Fabric Garden in full swing, Narelle was working the Handi Quilters stand and Kim Bradley Creations was dishing out coveted Cotton & Steel (the first shop in Australia to stock it!), and pre-sales of Sarah Fielke's new book, Little Quilts, and a gorgeous new pattern! Guild president Lorena and our youngest guild member Sofia did demonstrations of curved piecing, Y-seams, and disappearing 9 patch blocks respectively. We also had four guild members take part in the jelly roll race, which placed second in by a hair! Check out our Instagram and Facebook page and see what mischief we get up to, and check out Sofia's show-winning quilt! (more…)...
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Riley Blake Challenge winners!

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Hello everyone! We are so pleased to announce the winners of the GWS Riley Blake Challenge! Click here to catch up on our challenge rules. The winners from our five categories are as follows: Best Use of Riley Blake Fabric  - Lorena   Prize: $50 gift voucher from Kim Bradley Creations in Castle Hill http://kimbradleycreations.com Best Use of Quilting  - Vani Prize: A $25 gift voucher at Kate Quilts (also a Guild member) http://www.katequilts.com/ & A jar of Lorena’s Spicy Mango Chutney Best Piecing and Construction - Zoe Prize: An English Paper Piecing Kit featuring Kim’s fabulous “Holey Peepers”, papers, Bohin #9 straw needles, Sewline glue pen, glue refills and a quick unpick  from Kim Bradley Creations http://kimbradleycreations.com Members Choice   -   Marisa Prize: Two metres of any Cotton Couture Solids inc. shipping from Polka Dot Tea Fabrics on Etsy Value $26, & Rulers donated by Lorena & Sophia Best Use of Every Scrap  -  Jennifer Prize: A “Radiant Orchid” FE Bundle from Guild member Sheridan Superior Threads Frosted Donut 2. Value $50 from  Guild member Jane Davidson http://quiltjane.blogspot.com.au/ Sarah Fielke's Favourite Mini Quilt - Caroline Prize: Copy of her book Hand...
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