Quote of the Week:

I will honour Christmas in my heart and keep it there all year long . . .

Only days away now until we celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones. It is such a wonderful time of year and a chance to reflect back over the past twelve months and prepare for the coming year.

Thank you so much for your continued support over this past year. YOU are the very reason we enjoy what we do so much . . your constant words of encouragement, your loyalty and offers of support are all so much appreciated. We both wish you all a very happy Christmas, wherever in the world you may be . . .

Finally, congratulations to 'Anonymous' whose comment wins the giveaway of Deirdre's pattern titled "Yuletide WIshes". Please email us your postal address and we will pop it in the post to you.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year . . .

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

You can't have rainbows without rain . . .

Another week has flown by and we are all madly counting down the days to Christmas. Neither Deirdre or myself have done ANY Christmas shopping yet . . . so if you see two "on a mission, mad-eyed" women racing around Hobart, that will be us two on Christmas Eve!

I got a lovely surprise through the week when an old friend called in unexpectantly from interstate to say hi whilst on a conference here in Hobart - I apoligise to Pam (a customer I was serving at the time) for the possible burst ear drum that she left with after I let out one loud scream of excitement when Colin walked through the door!! Deirdre came running out from the back expecting to see a fabric delivery as that is our usual response when the delivery man arrives (sorry Col !!) and even though it wasn't fabric, she was still happy to see him too!

Speaking of fabric, there are lots of yummy things on the way - I don't think they will be here before Christmas (which is mighty sad) but they should start arriving early in the new year. "Ave Rose" is a really pretty range for all of you who like big florals in blue greys, pinks and soft greens - there are also some smaller prints in the range too.

In the reproduction line we have "Quaker Quilts" and "Sturbridge Village IV", both by Judie Rothermel on the way, so will let you know when they get here - although you WILL hear the screams then . . .

Now to our giveaway last post - we asked you to share a funny Christmas story with us and we have chosen three people who will each receive a copy of our pattern "Tiny Treasure Cones", just in time to make up for Christmas. They are Marita, Jan and Carrie P. Please email us your mailing address and we will pop them in the post to you - thanks for sharing with us and congratulations !!!

Now we also have another giveaway - Deirdre's pattern called "Yuletide Wishes" which is pictured at the top of the page - one lucky person will have the chance to win it but you must leave a comment by Monday 15th about what you like most about the quilt and we will announce the winners that same day.

Time to go and watch my darling girl at her end of year concert . . . they grow up far too quickly. . .

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room !!

Oh my gosh, is it Tuesday already? Where are the days going lately? Everyone is madly preparing for the festive season which is only weeks away now - the elbows are coming out in the supermarket aisles and the 'push and shove' is getting a little heavier on the footpaths as people go about their Christmas shopping.

I must confess right here and now, that I haven't even thought about where to start - my girls put up our Christmas tree last night, a tradition in our house on the 1st December every year.

It's lots of fun watching them pull out all of their creations that they have made over the years from kindergarten to now - how many nativity sets made out of shoe boxes and empty toilet rolls can one family possibly have? Then there are the reindeer tree decorations made from pegs complete with boggly eyes and pipe cleaners for their antlers - not to mention the angels made from paper doilies . . . how many of you out there can relate to this?? I haven't the heart to throw any of it out - there's nothing better than hearing them say 'remember when I was four . . . . and I made this at Kinder' . .

Deirdre spent all of her Sunday decorating her place for Christmas - she is being very minimilstic this year - down from ten trees to only four. FOUR!!!! But it does always look beautiful. I wonder how many shoe box nativity sets she still has?

Now because Christmas is a time for giving, we would like to have a giveaway, so if you have a funny Christmas story that you would like to share with us, leave a comment and we will announce the winners next Monday. The three lucky recipients will each receive a copy of my pattern "Tiny Treasure Cones", that you can see at the top of the page.

Thank you to everyone who left lovely comments through the week - it is so nice to read them all. I'm off to start on my Christmas list . . . have a great week.

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Ask not what your fabric can do for you, but what you can do for your fabric . . .

My goodness, has it really been two weeks since our last posting? Where has the time gone? Now I do know that I sent one thousand apologies to you all last time I had a little lapse, so I am sending two thousand this time to make up for it . . .

But in all fairness . . . we have just recently returned from the Australasian Quilt Market which is held twice a year here in Australia, Sydney in June and Melbourne in Novmeber, which is the one that we were part of.

It was our very first time there as 'designers' under the banner "Pattern Press" which is our distributors name, who happens to be Helen Stubbings of Hugs n Kisses . She has encouraged and supported us over the last couple of months and we are most grateful to her for this support.

It was lots of fun at Market and a good chance to catch up with other shop owners who share the same love, and even better because they liked what we were doing with the felted wool!! We had a great response, given that we are trying to introduce something new to shop owners with the felted wool - hopefully their customers will like what we are doing & have a dabble in it themselves!

The photo at the top is a close up of part of one of the new designs that we took along called "From My Garden" and below is another of the whole piece.

Here's another design called "Love Apple" which is a penny rug table topper. Both designs would look equally as good in cotton, but we do loooove working with the felted wool . . . .

It was also really nice to meet Jhoanna for the first time from One Red Robin who also goes under the "Pattern Press" banner with her fantastic range of softies which proved to be extremely popular! She is a beautiful person with an enormous amount of talent and it was great to share the booth with her, listening to people oohing and aahing over her designs! Be sure to pop over to her blog and say hi - she was sensible and took a camera (something that we left behind!) so if you want to see some photos of the booth, this is the place to see them!

So here we are again, back at our gorgeous shop (well, we think it is !!) working on our next 'crisis' - making up all of our samples to take the Australasian Quilt Convention which is to be held from the 26th February to 1st March, 2009 at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. This is different to Quilt Market (which is a wholesalers market). Here we take our 'shop' and sell to the general public - they get to have a taste of what we do here at The Quilted Crow by seeing all of our goodies on the booth - Stand Number 180 by the way for all of those people wanting to visit us! So I guess you're thinking that we get to do lots of "schmoozing" - well yes - we do - but there is still lots of work to be done before the "schmoozing" starts!!

Having said that, I'd better be off & get to work on the 'said' samples. I've got Deirdre out back on Big Mal, as usual, quilting up a storm. . . .

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

"Quilters make great comforters . . ."

"Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat"

It was all about Halloween last week and Deirdre being the Halloween Queen, had her house decorated out at Campania.

She lives in 'woop woop' and nobody goes trick or treating out there (much to her dismay!) so we have decided that next year she will bring it all to my place where there are loads of people dressed in fun costumes roaming the streets, knocking on doors and having lots of fun!

Here are some photos to share with you all of Deirdre's house . . .

We are still madly preparing for Quilt Market next week - there is still so much to do - and time is quickly passing us by - patterns still to write - a project still to finish - quilts to be quilted - any wonder we are going through the chocolate . . . one can never have enough . .

Until next time

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

May your sorrows be patched and your joys quilted . . .

Ten thousand apologies to those who have diligently been checking our blog . . . the past two weeks have just sped by so fast . . . but anyway, here we are again.

We have been busily working on some new projects in our gorgeous felted wool which Helen from Pattern Press is going to launch for us at Quilt Market in November. It is a new venture for us both and we are hoping that they will be well received.

Helen has also been doing some new designing herself - be sure to pop over to her blog and have a peek - there are some really nice projects there for everyone to enjoy.

Helen has just returned from Jane's Gathering in the Hills where she spent a lovely day with a group of ladies teaching her trademark Colorque technique on a quilt that she designed especially for the day. We saw some photos that Helen took and Jane certainly went to a lot of trouble to make sure every need was catered to. My gosh, you should have seen the food!! Absolutely, beautifully presented - tea served in vintage china cups and cupcakes so beautifully decorated you wouldn't want to eat them! The luncheon was also pretty fabulous and the venue decorated nicely too. We're sure those who attended had a fantastic day.

Big Mal was unwell for a couple of days which meant that our quilting pile out the back has been slowed down - but thanks to our Irish mechanic named Andrew, he is back to quilting like a dream . . .

It's that time of the month again for us where we are madly preparing our Block of the Month and Woollen Pincushion Club mailouts - it really is a big job but we have lots of fun doing it - half the fun is gift wrapping each one which makes it nice for the person receiving on the other end - a bit like Christmas each month for them . .

Best get back to some 'real work'!!

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just follow our heart's desires?"

OK, I know . . . it's Wednesday and I promised I would always do the blog first thing Monday before I opened the chocolate . . . but I didn't have any chocolate . . . so the blog thing just passed me by . . . but here we are with some new things to share with you all.

Some new fabrics arrived here on Friday. Pictured below is one of the latest reproduction lines by Judie Rothermel - Civil War Dressing Gowns II - a small range of only 12 prints and very pretty.

Also just in is 'Recess' by American Jane, a retro range that appeals to the younger sewers and is great for patchwork, bags, clothing - anything really!! Bonnie Blues, Sturbridge Village Calicoes and Vicksburg have also arrived and are just breathtakingly beautiful. Check them out on our website.

Now, if anyone from South Australia is reading our blog today, (or anyone heading over in the next fortnight!) be sure to check out Jane at The Patchwork Apple. She is hosting a "Gathering in the Hills" on Sunday 19th October with Helen Stubbings from Hugs n Kisses as her guest tutor. Here is a photo of the gorgeous quilt that Helen has designed especially for the day using her trademark Colourque technique.

A delicious morning and afternoon tea, scrummy lunch, gift bag and lots of inspiration - who wouldn't want to be part of that . . . go ahead and book and be part of the fun!

Deirdre is out the back quilting her life away on Big Mal - the quilts are piling up which is a good sign that people are happy with our work. I'm off to pick up the kiddlywinks from school - such little treasures . .

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Those who sleep under a quilt, sleep under a blanket of love . . .

Well what a week it was last week - "full on" to say the least. Pictured left are our ladies from New South Wales who spent the week with us here in the shop.

They arrived about 10.30am on Monday morning, all very excited and ready for a week of sewing.

They spent time looking about the shop to work out what they wanted to work on and then they were in to it. There was no stopping them! They all achieved quite alot the first two days so they decided that they had earnt themselves some time off and went to do some sight seeing! Thursday saw them back here ready to get back into it and by Friday afternoon they had each achieved a great deal. They were a great bunch and we look forward to this becoming a regular event every two years.

This week sees us madly getting our Block of the Month, Pincushion Club and Fabric Club organised and into the post. No rest for the wicked!!

For those reproduction fabric lovers, there are three gorgeous ranges due next week. They are Dressing Gowns II, Sturbridge Village Calicoes and Vicksburg. Our web guy is currently loading them onto our website so you should be able to view them later this week. They are all very scrummy.

Also just arrived is a retro range called RECESS by American Jane. This too can be viewed on our website later in the week. Be sure to check it out.

That just about does it for today - lots to do.

Until next time,

Cheers,

Leonie & Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Every quilter has a masterpiece within . . .

For all of you who have been eagerly awaiting news of how our Christmas Gathering went on the weekend - I've finally made it to the keyboard!!

What a fantastic day!! Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and couldn't say enough about Natalie Bird and Anni Downs -

both girls do the most amazing work and their projects that they made especially for the day were a hit with everyone.

Here are some photos to share with you all . .

Remember all of the little pressies we told you we were making for everyone (80 in total!!)but we had to keep it a surprise - well this is what they were - little messenger birds (a gorgeous pattern by Rosalie Quinlan) with an old fashioned charm tied around their neck of a traditional Christmas image. Each person received one of these beautiful little birdies sitting in their own little nest . . . .

The table display . . .

Part of the shop display on the stage area . . .

. . . And for those of you who are wondering what "Nellie's Sewing Box" looked like when it was finished, here it is . . .

Now that we have shared some of the photos of our Gathering with you, we can also share some other exciting news that we mentioned briefly a few posts back.

Helen Stubbings from Hugs n Kisses has taken on both Deirdre and myself as new designers under her pattern distribution name 'Pattern Press'. This hopefully will open up many doors for us and we can't begin to tell you how excited we both are.

All of the projects that we designed for our Christmas Gathering will be available by the end of September in our shop or if you have your own shop and would like to buy wholesale, you can contact Helen on (03) 6278 7507.

We are madly working on typing up our patterns for other projects we have designed also, so it is keeping us rather busy. Now if I was clever enough, I would be able to 'link' you to Helen's new website, but I'm not . . . so here is the website address !! www.patternpress.com.au . You will also find on this website all of Helen's patterns that she has available too.

Well, this isn't getting all the work done that needs doing, so I must be off. Thank you to everyone who came to our Gathering and supported us. Hope to see you at our next one in April/May.

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:


A quilt is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere . . .

Oops, we didn't get time yesterday to post - busy busy busy . . .

The photo to the left here are of some of the projects that will be on offer to make at our Christmas Gathering on Saturday 20th September.


We have made up for our tardiness yesterdayand here are the gorgeous projects that Anni Downs and Natalie Bird have both designed for our Gathering . .

"Petunia's Garden Bag" by Anni

"Christmas Berry Baubles" by Anni

"Sunflower Wool Bag & Pincushion" by Natalie

"Christmas Trio Wallhanging" by Natalie

I have one other project that I decided to make at the last minute . . . you know how it is!! It is called "Nellie's Sewing Box" and it is a rectangle box covered with felted wool with an applique on the lid and on the sides. Inside is a punchneedle scissor keep, a pincushion and if I have time . . . an appliqued measuring tape cover thingy !

For those of you who aren't attending the Gathering and would like patterns for the projects, all patterns will be available for sale at the end of September!

That just about ties it up for today . . . must go and get some more chores done !!

Have a great week

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre

Quote of the Week:

Friends are like fabric, you can never have enough . . .

I'm a step ahead of you today!! As you know, we ususally post on a Monday, but I am here tonight at the shop working late on a Sunday . . . waiting for my 13 year old, Ellen, who is performing in a Taiko Drumming concert to call mum for pick up. "Why aren't you there watching her?" I hear you say . . . well it was our night last night to see them perform - two and a half hours of solid drumming and singing - absolutely amazing.

Our girls had only been playing for seven weeks and we were all mighty proud of them. The other drummers are very experienced and have been playing for years.

If ever you have a chance to see a Taiko Drumming performance, don't miss it - reminds me of how unfit I am . . . damn that chocolate . . .

Now for those of you who like Halloween, check out Deirdre's Penny Rug and Trick or Treat Bags - aren't they just soooo cute? They are all made from 100% felted wool - one of our favourite textiles to work with - and are really quick and easy to make. If you are interested, we have patterns and kits available in the shop for this project and lots of other Halloween goodies too.

Only three weeks now until our Christmas Gathering - the elves have been madly working out the back getting it all organised (as in Deirdre & I). We've got the kids on the lolly bag making - not a good idea now I come to think of it . . . and husbands pacing, waiting for our next order . . . bless their hearts . .

Anni Downs emailed us some pics of her projects but I am having trouble getting them across to the blog. I'll have another go at it this week - nothing like keeping you all in suspense! We're sure you're going to love them - lots of little Christmas Ornies made from hand dyed felted wool and a gorgeous tote bag with stitchery on it - just what every girl needs . . .

Natalie Bird will be getting pics of her projects to us soon too - they are both very busy ladies and we are thrilled that they are taking time out to come to Tassie!

Oops, there's the phone, time to pick up the Taiko Drumming Girl.

Have a great week everyone,

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Quilting is a gift you give yourself . . .

Just look at this magical photo of our very own Mt Wellington here in Hobart. This sight has greeted us for the past few days - not as much snow today, but still beautiful, surrounded by a brilliant blue sky - can't get any better than that . . .

'Madness' here at Crow Central one would have to say this past week. We have been pretending that we were back in our Kindergarten days and spent a fun couple of hours cutting and pasting our folders which will hold the patterns for those attending our Christmas Gathering on the 20th September. It's soooo much fun getting everything ready . .

We are now booked out for the Gathering but are still putting interested people on a waiting list 'just in case' we happen to get a cancellation at the last minute. So keep those fingers crossed those of you who are on the list . . . we know it is a disappointment to be one of those missing out but we can only fit a certain number into the hall and hope that you understand. Be sure to be one of the first for our next Gathering in April next year!!

Australia's next top model look out - here is the gorgeous Deirdre doing her thing on the catwalk with her two designs for the Gathering - two warm and snuggly scarves made from 100% felted wool, one with appliqued snowmen and pockets and the other with flowers, reverse applique and needle felting - how could you resist either of them!! And doesn't she just make the perfect model !!

We're off to buy the 'sweeties' for the goody bags - I think we eat more than we pack but that's ok - we need to keep the sugar levels up - it's very important you know.

Thanks to everyone who leaves a comment on our blog - it much appreciated . . . we enjoy reading them . . keep them coming.

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre
The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

There is no wrong time for quilting . . .

What a beautiful sight greeted me this morning as I rounded the corner on the highway heading into Hobart and caught my first glance of Mt Wellington. The mountain was coated in snow and the sky was a brilliant blue - unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so I can't share a photo with you, but believe me, it was breathtaking.

The weekend saw us all snuggled indoors, sheltering from the cold and rain and what better excuse than to sit and do some sewing. I added a few finishing touches to my projects for the Christmas Gathering which is only five weeks away and now I have to do the boring part and write the patterns . . . arrrrgh!! Here's a photo that I took last week - not a very good one - it's a bit dark - but it gives you the idea - three 'Christmas Cones' made from our beautiful felted wool . . what do you think?

We have been busily preparing everything - the fun part is getting all the 'goodies' together for everyone - each Gathering we have, we provide a gift for each person who attends as a 'thank you' for coming along and supporting us. I came up with this 'grand idea' that we would make for each person a ????????? (I can't tell you what it is because it will spoil the surprise!! - hee hee) and now everywhere I look at home, there they are - beside my chair, on the tea trolley, on the bench, on the couch - they have taken over the whole house - "Mum, how many are you making?" my two daughters ask with their eyes rolling back thinking I've finally gone nuts . . . but they are all so cute and Deirdre and I are both sure everyone will like them (they'd better!!).

Very soon we will be able to share our secret with you that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago . . . things are well under way and we can't tell you how excited we are!! It will be a new venture for us both and one that we hope will be rewarding.

We have ordered lots of new fabric just recently - the new civil war ranges from Judie Rothermel should be arriving soon - they are Sturbridge Village Calicos, Dressing Gowns II and Vicksburg - no doubt you will hear the screams when the delivery man arrives.

Even though they are some time away, I'm off to make some room for them - there's nothing like having a change around on a cold wintry day . . it's so much fun!

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

A quilt is a treasure which follows its owner everywhere . . .

Today sees us freezing our little toes off here in Hobart - a beautiful sunny day but oh, so cold!! And there's more to come - of the cold I mean - and snow !! brrrrr . . .

One of our favourite customers came in on Friday with the quilt pictured above, made from civil war fabrics - it is absolutely gorgeous. Veronica is known for loving the 1930s fabrics but seeing as this one was for her husband she went with the civil war instead.

Her five year old daughter has the biggest fabric stash you have ever seen for someone under the age of ten! Each time Veronica comes into the shop, her little one chooses her own half a dozen or so fabrics and off she goes, quite chuffed with herself! It's great to see that someone so young can get so much pleasure from such beautiful fabrics. We will be sure to post a photo of her first patchwork attempt . . .

Our Christmas Gathering is now only six weeks away and panic is starting to kick in! Have we got everything organised? Catering? Projects? Pressies? I'm sure we've covered it all but you know how it is when you just want it to go off without a hitch . . . everyone is getting really excited and we know that Anni and Natalie are working on their projects at the moment - once all the projects are complete we'll post some photos. Not long now . . .

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Quilts are like friends . . a great source of comfort and warmth . . .

It wasn't my fault - really it wasn't . . . and it didn't have anything to do with the fact that I had run out of chocolate . . . There have been some problems with 'Blogger' since Friday which affected everyone worldwide - apparently some software mishap but all is well now and I can keep tapping away at the keyboard, keeping you up to date with all that is happening here at Crow Central.

I have taken a photo of some new fabric that arrived just recently from 'A Day in the Country' - fresh and funky we call it. There are a lot of designers using this range at the moment so you'll be sure to see it around. If you take a peek at Helen Stubbings blog (I dont' know how to link you to it yet !!) www.hugsnkisses.typepad.com/ you will see a project she is working on in these fabrics. There are also some spots and stripes that co-ordinate well with these and we have those in stock as well.

We are currently getting ready to start Helen's Block of the Month "Neenies Garden" (photo above) in store soon so if you are interested in participating and want some more information, drop us an email and we'll be sure to pop your name down. 'Sweet Escape' is the range of fabric that Helen used for this quilt and we too will be using it. The quilt is just gorgeous and Helen using a combination of stitching along with her Colorque technique and as you can see, the end result is stunning.

We are also running Kerrie Gillespie's 'Life's Pleasures & Treasures' and this is the fabric that we will be using - what do you think - pretty isn't it?

And here is the quilt . . . well maybe not . . . I will have to post the photo next week as the one I have is a little too dark . . . this BOM runs for six months and again, if you would like some more info, drop us an email.

The other Block of the Month is Anni Downs 'Pockets of Posies' and we have ordered in a range especially for this one. This BOM will run over ten months and will commence some time in October.

So yes, we have a few things happening that will keep us busy. Deirdre is out back on the quilting machine 'Big Mal' quilting up a storm . . . we both enjoy the longarm machine and often have to fight over who is going to do the next one!! But there are plenty to do so neither of us will miss out!

That's going to have to do for today - lots of secret stuff to get done!!

Until next time,

Leonie & Deirdre
The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

Friends are threads of gold in the quilt of life . . .

Well here we are again, Monday morning already, and as promised, I haven't opened the chocolate - it is sitting there waiting for me to finish this post before I break it open. Chocolate is a wonderful thing isn't it?

What a busy week we have had here at Crow Central. There has been lots of show and tell from our lovely customers recently. Remember the hexagon quilt that Sally made? Well here it is, all quilted with the binding on. Isn't it a masterpiece? We quilted it for her here at the shop - she wanted a Baptist Fan design and this proved to be a good choice. What do you think?

Sue E came in with her beautiful woollen wall hanging from an American designer. The pattern title is 'Home and Harvest'. She has been coming into our shop for some time now, purchasing our lovely 100% felted wool over the last few months and this is the end result.

We just love working with the wool and it is good to see other people enjoying it as well. It is so easy to work with, it doesn't fray, you don't need to fuse it on to the background before stitching, you just staple it on and stitch away!! Deirdre's thumbs are always 'discoloured' from all of the hand dyeing and if anyone didn't know her properly, they would think she never washed!! But it is certainly worth it, just take a look at these gorgeous colours . . .

Sorry that the photo's are a little dark, but it gives you an idea of the 'gorgeousness'!!

We have both completed our projects for our upcoming 'Christmas Gathering' which is to be held on September 20th and we are pretty happy with them. The day is approaching fast so we need to be organised in advance. The week after the Gathering will see us playing host to a group of ladies from New South Wales who are coming down for a week of sewing and fun with us here in the shop. We are really excited and by the sound of it, from the last email we received, they too, can't wait! There are lots of quilts here that they can choose to make, so we're sure they will have a ball.

This week sees us getting ready to send out our monthly Woollen Pincushion Club and Deirdre's 'Autumn Pathways Block of the Month, so it is going to be very busy.

The chocolate is still sitting here in its wrapper so I think it is time that I gave it some air - after all, it is after 10am . . . . . . have a great week.

Until next time,

Leonie and Deirdre - The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week:

A day patched with quilting seldom unravels . . .

I know we haven't had many posts of late, but I have made myself a promise. Each Monday, BEFORE I open my block of Cadbury's chocolate, I will update the blog . . . I promise . . .

We find ourselves constantly busy here at Crow Central, long arming quilts, filling phone orders, running Block of the Months and so on . . we aren't complaining though!! We are so lucky to be doing what we are doing - we meet so many nice people from all over Australia and even overseas - all sharing a love a quilting.

Check out Deirdre's Block of the Month - it's all finished now and looks fantastic. Using a combination of felted wool which is appliqued onto a cotton background the end result is stunning. What do you think?

Did you hear our screams of excitement last week - another delivery of gorgeous fabric - Rocky Mountain III by Judie Rothermel - absolutely stunning - so all you reproduction people out there, you had better be quick!! Deirdre and I are planning a secret sewing night (not so secret now is it!) one Friday night in the hope that we may be able to whip up a quilt - it seems so long ago that I sat down with Nellie (my sewing machine) and had a little one on one time with her . . . I did give her a drink of oil over the weekend though in anticipation. . .

Exciting things are happening here . . . but we can't tell you yet . . . you will have to wait a little longer. Another couple of weeks or so and we will be able to share . . . initially it will mean lots of work but once everything is in place it will be great for us (we hope!!).

We just received in the mail on Friday, the American Quilter's Society book catalogue and who should be in it but our very own Helen Stubbings from Hugs n Kisses (be sure to visit her blog) . Our very own, because she comes from Tassie!! The book is titled 'Faux Applique' and features elegant designs in the tradition of Baltimore album quilts done simply by using coloured pencils to recreate the look of intricate applique. We will be stocking this book, along with many others that we have ordered recently, so be sure to place your order to be among the first to receive it. The title is due out in October. Congratulations Helen!

Uh oh . . I hear the bookwork calling me . . . a job I really hate doing but one that needs to be done . . . and the chocolate is still waiting to be opened . .

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

BEVERLY MARY MILLER

29.01.1946 -

29.06.2008

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend Bev, who lost her battle with cancer on Sunday morning, the 29th June 2008.

Bev (pictured left) was the person behind our wonderful website - she worked tirelessly to bring it all together and make it what it is today.

She was the most warmest, loving, creative and talented person who always looked on the bright side of life.

We will miss her dearly.

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow

Quote of the Week: My soul if fed with needle and thread. My body is filled with chocolate . . .

Yes, it has been some time since our last posting; just over two weeks. I think I promised some more photos of our Autumn Gathering "tomorrow" - that seems like so long ago . . . . . . time really does get away doesn't it.

My youngest daughter Jess was our "Paparazzi Queen" on the day, so here are a couple more photo's to share with you . . .

Deirdre is currently away on holidays, swanning around Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales for the next fortnight with her husband Phil - having a wonderful and well earned break. My turn comes in the June school holidays - YIPEE!!

We are so blessed to have such good friends . . . whilst Deirdre is away, our "Roadies" insist on coming in and helping me out so I can keep up with all that needs to be done, including the long-arming of the quilts out the back on 'Big Mal'. A huge thankyou to Ange, Michelle, Kali and Sally for their tremendous help and friendship.

I'm madly getting ready for our next mail out of the "Woollen Pincushion Club" which goes in the post at the end of the month. There are six in the series and we are up to Number Four. I asked everyone last week who is in the Club to send in some photos of their completed pincushions so as soon as they start arriving, I'll be sure to pop them on for you all to see.

In the meantime, here is a photo of the samples that I made - the one missing in action is the Strawberry Pincushion - it may make a grand appearance next time!!

If anyone is interested in joining the Woollen Pincushion Club, the next Group will be starting in Mid June. The cost is $28.60 each month for six months. It includes all the 'ingredients', pattern and postage.

Deirdre's first mailout of her Block of the Month went out last week. It is called "Autumn Pathways" . . . . absolutely gorgeous . . . a combination of warm rich colours of the felted wool on a cotton background. Here is a photo of the centre blocks just to tempt you . . . . what do you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Phone us at the shop (03) 6234 8338 or email us thequiltedcrow@dodo.com.au if you are interested in either of them and we will send out the relevant details to you.

Must be off - lots to do . . .

Until next time.

Leonie & Deirdre

The Quilted Crow