Avonleigh Country Quilting

Feeling ill.....

We are feeling very sick at the moment.  Yesterday someone stole fabric off a bolt in the shop while Sharon was assisting another customer.  They left the empty cardboard bolt sitting on top of the wool felt stack.  Sharon had only just finished doing a stock take of the wool felt so we know that the empty bolt wasn't there earlier during the day.  Also, I had used that fabric in a kit only last week and there was over 2 meters of the fabric left!

The thing that really makes us feel so ill is that there were only regular, trusted customers in the shop during the time the fabric went missing. 

This is the fabric that went missing so if someone you know who shops regularly at Avonleigh suddenly has a quantity of the gorgeous Winding Way fabric, there's a fair chance that it was stolen.

We are installing the security cameras once again and apologise in advance for any intrusion into your privacy but under the circumstances we feel we can't do anything else.  Avonleigh will henceforth be monitored by security camera at all times.

A family project.

Ok, Mum may have done all of the cutting and sewing but the daughters helped with the important part of the fabric selection, especially when auditioning for the block borders and the sashing.  I love how young people have such a great colour sense uninhibited by the colour police!!  How stunning is this simple but so effective quilt!

Santa and the Elves visit the Tuesday Girls!

This is the last week of Wendy's UFO classes for the year and all the classes hold a bit of a Christmas shindig with eats and a Kris Kringle for those that wish to participate.  The Tuesday girls must have been very nice this year as Santa and 2 of his elves popped in to distribute the Kris Kringle gifts!

The Tuesday girls tucking in and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa.  Apologies for the blurry photo - and no, I hadn't been into the champagne!!

Behind the scene frantic activity happened to transform a slim Sharon into a plump Santa!!  Thank goodness for a few cushions around the shop!

 

 

 

"Does my bottom look big in this??"

One Elf was very helpful in getting Santa into 'his' suit.  The other one was too busy laughing and taking photos to be of any use whatsoever! :-))

 

Santa and the Elves open for business!!

From left to right Avonleigh's Wendy Arnold, Sharon Keeble and Kay Bennetts.

 

We all love Santa!  Personally I think the Naughty and Nice lists were swapped because everyone in the Tuesday group received a present!!

Vicky and Santa

 

Santa with Marie

Pam loves Christmas and always dresses for the occasion, from her Christmas hair to her Santa trousers.  We love it!

Chris receives her gift while Santa gets 'his' hat straightened!

My sister's quilt

We certainly love our families, don't we?  This stunning quilt was made for a much-loved younger sister.

The sisters visited the shop with the idea of what they wanted.  They chose the fabrics and brought the idea and fabric to the desk for help.  We helped calculate the quantities needed and this stunning quilt was born

Stained Glass class with Wendy

Wendy ran 2 stained glass classes this year and they were both fully booked and greatly enjoyed.

Wendy and students hard at work putting together the small quilts. 

 

"Ok girls, we'got it now. This is where this piece goes!"

Lorraine and her finished project.  How good is this?  We were delighted for her and just love it.

 

Aunt Ivy's Sewing Basket Class with Marg Low

Our first Marg Low class for 2010 will be the gorgeous Aunt Ivy's Sewing Basket.  How beautiful is this? 

Make this delightful sewing set comprising a small basket (perfect for your threads), pincushion, embroidery scissor case and needlecase with Marg as your tutor.

Finished size: Basket approx. 5.5inch diameter, height 3.5inches

Date:  Wed, 3 February

Time: 10am - 3pm.  This is a full day class so please bring your lunch or make use of one of the fabulous cafe's on nearby Dean Street.

Tutor: Marg Low

Cost: $48.00 for the class which includes the patten.

 

The Braided Table Runner is a ripper!!

  

Our 3rd Strip Club kit has been an absolute winner!  Janice chose the purple kit and has made it up beautifully.  It only takes a few hours to put the top together - literally 2 or 3 hours and you learn the very effective but simple braiding technique.

Janice is now making a second table runner from her stash fabric.

 

 

Here it is quilted and backed.  Absolutely stunning.  These kits are available in a number of different colourways and retail at $35.00.  The kit includes the fabric for the top of the table runner and all of the strips are already cut for you.  In this particular kit, you simply have to crosscut the strips and cut a square into 4 triangles.  How simple is that??

The bag that grew...and grew....and grew

Glenda bought a pack of Bali Pops and a Bohemian Bali Sack pattern to make the bag.  But when she opened the Bali Pops and started working on the 'bag', she was so inspired by the fabric that the original plan went out of the window.  This gorgeous quilt was the result!

Pam finishes her Mystery Quilt

Pam decided to do the 3 part Mystery Quilt featured in the Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine recently.  Sharon and I helped select the fabric and assisted where we could with the instructions.  And look at the result!  Isn't it just stunning??  I was totally blown away when Pam brought the finished quilt in to show us.

Blocks of the Month

We have a few of the following blocks of the month available.  Please contact us if you are interested in doing these gorgeous quilts:

A Kitten's Tale by Lynette Anderson

These are the first two blocks of the quilt and are great fun to applique and stitch.  The cost is $30 per month and it runs for 9 months.

This is a delightful Block of the month, featuring Lynette's cats and dog as they frolic through life.

 

Little Bluebirds by Janelle Wind

This gorgeous block of the month runs for 7 months and costs $30 per month.  It has quite a bit of stitchery as well as applique and is a very worthwhile project.  Very defintely a "happy quilt" - the colours alone are so bright and cheerful one can't help smiling while stitching away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The center panel of Little Bluebirds.