A special Sisterhood Day at Hepburn

 Last Saturday was Secret Sewing Day at Sue's gorgeous Victorian cottage in Hepburn.What a special place to reveal....... THE BOOK !!!
I managed to procure a copy on Friday afternoon.
I surprised the girls on arrival at Sue's.......no-one could believe I had kept it a secret on the hour and a half drive to Hepburn ! Unfortunately Ann was unable to join us but here's the crew celebrating!Fromleft to right..Deb, Meghan,
Kerry, Di, the book!,Sue,Barb,Merri and Clare.It was very special celebrating with the best group of friends in the whole world !

 Meghan has been so busy putting her Mrs. Miller's Journey, a design by Liz Willing,
together. It looks stunning. Just a little applique to finish over the joined seams then ready for quilting.Beautifully done Meghan.

 I'm madly working on some samples for a fussy cut applique class I'm teaching in Nantes in April....... so I really need to get a wriggle on !
To all our readers outside Australia ,it has been the hottest Summer ever not great for sewing with sticky fingers from all the perspiration....put that together with hot flushes and it's not a pretty situation !! I'll show some close ups in a future blog.

 And now just a little sneak preview of the inside front cover of the book..
        "PRIMARILY QUILTS......
          19th Century Inspirations "
Carol Veillon and all her team at Quiltmania have done the most amazing work putting everything together.THANK YOU!
The styling is just beautiful and I can't quite believe it has all happened !!

I will firstly apologise to the Sisters for this totally unrelated to the Sisterhood photo.
But they know I'm animal crazy!
This is our boy "Fletch" putting on his sad face because he had to wait for me to finish sewing before we could go for our walk !

Phew!..... this is my first post in well over 12 months so wasn't sure that I could remember what to do but once I started it all came back. Happy stitching to all.

A sneak preview........

It is just 8 weeks to Pour l'Amour du Fils and the 'official' launch of Di's book. And just this week Di received.........

...a photo of the cover design.

Many of us took our first tentative steps to becoming a quilter under Di's kind and caring tutelage at her shop (Primarily Patchwork) in Canterbury and will instantly recognise the reference to that wonderful, but now sadly closed, haven in the title.  It was there that many of us met and where many lifetime friendships have been formed.

If the cover photo is any indication, then I think this is going to be a most beautiful addition to my collection of quilting books.

Congratulations Di,

Meghan

PS.  Threadbear are taking pre-orders if you are interested.

With apologies to my "Sisters"

This post is meant to be all about our 3rd Saturday of the month sewing day.  The gathering for this month was at Deb's. Everyone was very industrious but....sorry no photos.  I forgot to take my camera! (I am blaming the hot weather for my frazzled state of mind).  

So, forgive me SSS for being a little self indulgent.  Instead of show and tell pictures from Saturday, I am filling the gap with the project I have been working on for the past few months, well years actually.  I have regained enthusiasm for this project again and began working steadily towards completing it last August.  I have posted some bits in the past but thought you might like to see what has been completed to date.

The design is by Liz Willing, it is called Mrs Miller's Journey and I have finished....

...the centre block

...all 4 of these

..two of these

...with the other two underway

...two of the borders and

...all 4 of the border cornerstone blocks.

I promise to take the camera sewing next month

Until next time

Meghan

A little secret sewing and a UFO dusted off

It was the 3rd Saturday of the month yesterday, so yippee, it was sewing day.  And there has been a little bit of secret sewing (literally) going on.   

How so? Barb arrived with a completed quilt top - a beautifully pieced 'storm at sea' for her nephew - which none of us had any idea she was making. Love the colours, just perfect for a young man.

Di is really enjoying playing with the antique chintz bird fabric.  The broderie perse is almost done and a first border is being stitched down.

The way Di has fussy cut and used this beautiful green stripe from Barbara Brackman's Metropolitan Fair is stunning.

And the UFO dusted off is from Clare.  This is an oldy but a goody started a long time ago at a class at Primarily Patchwork. (I am having a senior moment and cannot remember the name, sorry)

Ann, Sue, Merri and I are all making progress on our projects.  However sometimes there is not a lot to show, so no photos from us this month.

Until next time,

Meghan

......And A Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!

The Secret Sewing Sisterhood had their first gathering for the new year last Thursday at Di's place.
There where reminders of the Christmas season scattered around.

 And also some evidence of a trip or two to France in the past year!

......just a small reminder that "that book!" is being released in France in April, and I also have the "inside" news that it will also have an Aussie release at The Stitches and Craft Show in Victoria later this year!

Now for the really important stuff.....the quilting stuff!

We all love "show and tell" and Deb has finished a spectacular version of a Michelle Yeo pattern...love those antique colours!......and just look at her choice in backing!!  Yumm!........now it's off to be quilted!
 Deb has also started The Caswell Quilt designed by Corliss from Threadbear, in Castlemaine. Don't you just love these blocks!? Now, Deb is not the only one of the SSS to have a bit of "show and tell"! Look at this!....Di has discovered a new fabric storage system of which she is very excited about.....how nifty is this!

As for the rest of us???........................Sue and Clare where absent.....Sob!.....we missed you both! Barb was completing her stars on "The Burnt Quilt"......and using some of that beautiful Dutch chintz...

 Also I see a pattern for a Storm at Sea" quilt in the background. Ann is continuing with her Clamshell quilt......Merri with "The Civil War Bride" quilt....Meagan is completing one of the borders to one of her gorgeous applique quilts, I am muddling along with "The Morrell" and "Antique Wedding Quilt"

Oh!!......and what's this??......
and this!!............Di has been a busy girl!!....there are some "out there" who will recognize this fabric as one of Mary Kovall's antique chintz/s . There is a bit of a challenge circulating using this bird!...You know who you are!!......look to the future!!!
And, if you love this, then I know Mary may have some more!......(but leave some for me!)

As for the rest of the day..................we continued to sew.....

 

...............and, as usual, as we sew, we eat (Oh! that scrumptious apricot cake.....still warm from the oven!!), we chat,we discuss, we plan, we sip our coffee/tea, we argue a little, we have a laugh (or two!.......or , maybe three!) and we solve all the problems of the world.........or, maybe just a couple of them!
That's it for now...............keep on stitching!