I was at 2014 AMQF

AMQF is held every two years since 2010, and I have been to the festival from the first time it was held. Earlier this month, it was my third trip to the AMQF in Adelaide, South Australia. I attended almost all classes on the Gammill Statler by Kelly Gallagher-Abbott, and a few classes on freehand quilting by Linda V Taylor. Kelly was wonderful with her knowledge on the Statler. I have learnt so much on tips and techniques the Creative Studio software has to offer. Linda is well-known and well-respected in the longarm quilting world. She is the face of Gammill (almost like its trademark to me!). Her skill was fantastic and I admire her a great deal.

And, to cap that off, before hopping on the plane to fly back to Sydney, I joined the Missouri Star Quilt Co. trunk show by Jenny Doan and Ron, Jenny's other fun-half. Jenny was in her element and the show was so much fun. She demonstrated several patchwork blocks using pre-cut fabrics - all are very tempting. :-)

 

.... I did find some time here and there in between classes to have a look around Adelaide. It's a beautiful city and the weather was nice during my stay. I left before the AMQF was concluded as it was during the NSW school holiday. I wanted to spend some time with my Sunshine going to a play, etc., and we had a lovely family time before school went back.

Quick Baby Quilt

My friend has just had a baby girl. I finished this cot size baby quilt in a record time (mine), 3 hours from start to finish.!! I chose the pattern named 'kid toys 2 e2e' by Deb Geissler for the quilt. It matched nicely with the front panel (quilt top). In the process, I have learnt to flip the pattern horizontally for alternate rows. I was also practicing using the 'relocate' function of Creative Studio to get things moving along smoothly during the quilting on my wonderful Gammill Statler. All fabrics were from my (full) cupboard. I didn't need to spend time searching further away from home.! It is my intention to try to use up what I have already had (way too much - but this is a relative term, depending on one's perception. :-) ). I have washed the quilt and it's in the post for Baby Prisha. I hope the blanket will keep her warm during the first winter of her life, and would be her play mat for the rest of the year.

Blue Hexagon Round Table Runner

After finishing the Christmas table cloth for my dear friend, Marijke, during my stay in France in 2010, I would like to make a round table runner for myself using the same technique; English Paper Piecing. It was just the right project, for hand sewing, to start at the time when I joined the local ladies at the 'Fat Quarter' sewing group. After several stops and starts and 2 years on with my acquisition of the Gammill Statler Stitcher along the way, I have finished this blue hexagon table runner for the round table that I have got at home. I used 1 1/2 inch size hexagon, pieced the hexagons and appliqued the finished piece on the background fabric by hand. It was a good chance for me to have more practice on custom quilting, so I custom quilted it on my wonderful Gammill Statler Stitcher. The swirl pattern named 'cinnamonroll L107' was by Laurie Thomas. I also experimented with using Creative Studio to divide the pattern (for the little daisy in the centre), and to create a scallop edge, a few tips that I learnt from Karin while visiting her in Stange, Norway. It worked out really well. Thanks, Karin. :-) Although I was managing fine, I also learnt that shallower curves would be easier when it comes to doing the binding....something to keep in mind for the next scallop edge.!! Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable task, overall, during a restful weekend.