Fabric Winners announced!

What excitement in the Hill household tonight!! Thankyou to all of you for sending such lovely messages.....I am just so sorry that you didn't all win. Because there were so many of you I increased the number of prizes to seven - one for each day of the week that it has been running. Here is the "official draw" courtesy of an excited husband - Larry was quite enjoying himself!!

 Cutting up all the names

 The big draw out of the icecream container!

 "Now do you think she would like this selection of fabrics??"

 And the lucky last....CONGRATULATIONS!!

So the winners are:
Betweens from Toronto, Canada
Frazzled Sugar Plum Mum from Tasmania, Australia
Alex Daw / Luvvie from Brisbane, Australia
Marjorie from Idaho, USA
Lynn Rodby, Minnesota, USA
Margaret Foster, Texas, USA
Marianne Welgemoed, ? Australia

It is way past midnight so I will email all the winners tomorrow. Some of you might need to email me your address so the postie knows where to deliver your pressie!
While Larry was busy I was at my sewing machine (between supervising and taking the official photos of course!!) I am going to my very first Quilt Market http://www.aqm.net.au/ this weekend so I thought it might be appropriate that I wear some of the fabric!

 

 I used a New Look pattern.

My late Mum would have loved this fabric

I will also be in Melbourne to see our daughter performing in the International Dance Crew competition - she performs in the best Hip Hop team here at home - Go Adelaide Dance Movement!! http://www.groovetv.com.au/



Giveaway time - at last!

My William Morris rose is in bloom and so beautiful. The roses around Adelaide are just wonderful this year with all the rain and sunshine that we have had........

Great news - I have finally received my fabrics!! I am very proud and honoured to have worked with Jason Yenter and with Tim and Jim from Lloyd Curzon's here in Australia - thanks guys! The fabrics feel beautiful.........very silky and I love the solid colour on the back of the tonals. So now it has to be time for a giveaway..........I have cut 30cm (12") strips across the width of the fabric and done them up into bundles of 6-7 fabrics.
There are six packs in total with approximately 1.8 metres (almost 2 yards) in each pack.
So send me a message and I will put all the names in a bucket and draw them out in a week's time - good luck and thanks again for all your wonderful support XX

Quilters' Guild of SA Festival of Quilts

We have just had our annual Quilt Exhibition and it was lovely to be back home among quilting friends again. Four days of a little white gloving, shopping and nattering. Now I am sorry I do not have a load of photos - I need to get permission to share them but I will sneak in a few hoping the makers won't mind! Keep an eye on the Guild website - all the winners should be there soon; http://www.saquilters.org.au/

Junior winner 1st place (under 12years) is Briana Denneny with "Beautiful Japan" 

Briana is the daughter of our famous Rachelle who has just won in Houston!!

 Here she is receiving her prize - a sewing machine!

 And little sister Tegan received 3rd place for her "Floating Flowers"

 And younger brother Casey a highly commended for "Dinotopia"

 And because Mum was in Houston I had the honour of taking Briana to

the awards evening. Here Briana is receiving prizes for her sister and

brother and I had the privilege of giving a prize! What a talented family!

Melissa was a participant in one of my sit and sew sessions some years ago and her creation is a winner as well - 2nd place Amateur Predominantly Applique - Two person

Congratulations Melissa XX (Machine quilted by Suzanne Akhurst)

And friend Mary Williams - Hope you don't mind me sharing Mary but I am too proud!

Mary received two awards......1st place Professional Art Quilt and Best Use of Colour. Congratulations Mary! 

 Close-up of all that beautiful stitching

We are all looking forward to seeing Rachelle when she gets home -

I just wish I could be at the airport to greet her but a workshop summons me :-(

Below is a photo from Lisa Walton's blog of Rachelle receiving her award in Houston

And Lisa was also a "winner" in Houston this year receiving the Jewel Pearce Patterson International Quilt Teacher Scholarship for 2010.

Congratualtions Lisa http://www.fibreinspirations.blogspot.com/ 

Oops I forgot!

Following on from my exciting news I completely forgot to mention to any of you who are going to be at the show in Houston - please, please say Hi to Rachelle and give her a big Australian congratulatory hug from all of us!
And also go and visit one of our local shops "Stitch in Time" at stand 761.
http://www.stitchintime.com.au/
Rosemary is there as a trader for the very first time and she will be showcasing all the Aussie designers. She has four of my quilts - so go and have a touch with my permission!! She took these quilts but not sure if she will have room for all of them!

Exciting news from Houston

Here in South Australia we are all on cloud ninety nine having heard that one of our friends Rachelle Denneny has won the "World of Beauty" award in Houston. I have blogged about Rachelle and her quilts many times and to see her work close-up is extraordinary.

We have our South Australian Quilters' Guild show here for the next four days and I know it will be such a buzz to share in this amazing story! Rachelle has two daughters who quilt and the older one is rostered for white glove duty this weekend at the show. Rachelle phoned me before she left for Houston to ask me if I would take Briana and also pick her up tonight for the awards night - so what excitement it will be all round! (and what an honour for me!!)
here is the link to the winners list..... 

http://www.quilts.org/winners.html

Sorry that I wasn't there to share in the excitement - go Rachelle and hugs all around XXX

Back to the Drawing Board

.....and do I have a pile of ideas for that drawing board!!! We have been home for nearly three weeks and I have no idea where that time has gone.

First of all a huge, huge thankyou to each and everyone of you for sharing our journey on the blog - your emails were lovely and I am glad so many of you enjoyed the trip! I still have outstanding emails to answer but thought I should also get back to blogging again! The highlight of the trip was definitely walking onto Red Square in Moscow at night - St Basil's was truly magical.

And all the quilt design inspiration on our travels - they will last me a lifetime

........the Hermitage Museum floor in St Petersburg

Since we have been back we have helped our daughter and son-in-law move their house and now we are packing and preparing to sell the family home - we are downsizing and boy do I have 25 years of clutter to shift! We are buying a brand new town house which should be finished in about 5 months. Now we have to sell our own home to pay for this new one!

We are Number 1

 There are a group of nine and the one below is ours....

Now lets get back to quilting......Kate sent me a photo of her own creation below. I think she already had the talent to design her own quilts but she told me she produced this after doing my design class. Your quilt is aabsolutely beautiful Kate and to think you designed it all yourself - such a great feeling! You should be justifiably proud.

 The other reason I have been busy is printing and packaging another 200 Block of the Month pattern packs. 240 were sent out before we went away so it is wonderful to see it has been so well received. Two very special friends worked like slaves on this project while I was away and look what they produced! Jill was not content stitching just one but thought another with a black background might be nice (and all this as she continues to fight her cancer battle). Then the talented Judy Simcock machine quilted both of them for me..........do I owe these girls big time!! Thought you might like to have a little look........(Thankyou Jill and Judy XX)

 While I was away I also received these stunning photos from Brenda in South Africa. The first is of one of my William Morris quilts and the rest her own..aren't they just exquisite? 

Till next time take care