Quilters Companion

Welcome to the first issue for 2023. We hope you have had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying a holiday break. We have a collection of bright happy quilts for you to make in this issue, including Pointed by Pat Forster, Aster by Leanne Harvey, Leftovers by Jenny Tate, Think Positive by Moira de Carvalho and Star Flower by Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts. We also share a lovely traditional pattern from Lisa Kerr of Max & Louise and a traditional Japanese Yunomi hanging by Alison Yamazaki of Wabi-Sabi Design, as well as Part 4 of our wonderful BOM by Karen Styles. Anita Ellis advises how to handle quilting your large quilts on a domestic machine, and she also takes the new Sew Steady Suspension System on a Road Test – check…

⬣ Every inch a hero Two WWII navy veterans were honoured for their service at an emotional ceremony at Bentleigh RSL in Victoria earlier this year. Harold “Hiram” Ristrom and Margaret Hattersley (nee Hartley) were presented with a Quilt of Valour and a recognition of service. Harold, 98, was a landing craft coxswain in HMAS Kanimbla I, which landed US combat soldiers and their equipment onto Panaon Island in the campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese. Made “with love, care, and at times some tears”, the quilt Harold received is used daily on his bed. “I’m amazed; I slept for eight hours solid with this quilt, which I normally never do,” he said. Margaret’s admiration of a neighbour’s Women’s Royal Australian Naval (WRAN) Service uniform prompted her to enlist. She became…

These lovely patterns are perfect to make for any special little ones in your life all from the lovely Toni of Red Boot Quilt Company. LITTLE BEARS Quilt Pattern This is such a cute quilt with the bears, bees and beehives. Finished quilt size is 68.5” x 70.5”. TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC Quilt Pattern Just the love the little teddy bears and all their favourite foods. Finished quilt is 58” x 58”. BEST FRIEND BEARS SOFTIE Pattern This fun designer does some great designs and these softies are perfect for making with a young stitcher. Create lots of different bear friends with this pattern. We love the koala! Finished bears approx 20” tall. All these patterns are $15.95 each and are available in store, on our website or phone order 07 5477 0700. BUSES WELCOME SHOP ON OUR NEW LOOK SECURE WEBSITE Find…

Best of Show Beyond Reason, 244cm x 244cm (96in x 96in), Angela Petrocelli Artist’s statement: “Some accomplishments are beyond reason. This quilt is the embodiment of a dream … not of a finished product, but the journey and completion of a process. I believed I could, I thought I should, I said I would, and I did. The total piece count is 226,576.” Design source: Original design Master Award for Traditional Artistry Merry Christmas, 152cm x 152cm (60in x 60in), Aki Sakai Artist’s statement: “This is my second Christmas quilt. It took about a year to make. I made it with the hope that everyone can have a happy Christmas.” Design source: Original design Appliqué — First Place Cherry Blossom, 210cm x 210cm (83in x 83in), Akiko Yoshimizu Artist’s statement: “I wanted to create a quilt with many girls on…

Coming in at just under 2m square, this quilt is ‘small’ compared to Leanne’s usual quilts – but it’s a perfect size for a lovely picnic! It is based on the Double Wedding Ring block, up-sized of course, and can be made using Leanne’s commercial templates, or you can make your own from the patterns on the Pattern Sheet. The design was inspired by the pattern’s ‘daisy’ like appearance – the name Aster is a shortened version of the scientific daisy family name ‘Asteraceae’. Finished quilt size: 173cm (68in) square Finished block size: 20in square 0422 537 080 mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com Materials • 3.3m (3⅝yd) solid green fabric• 2.2m (2½yd) solid white fabric• 30cm (⅜yd) solid yellow fabric• 55cm (⅝yd) green and white stripe print fabric• 4m (4⅜yd) backing fabric• Batting at least 190cm (76in) square• Leanne’s Double…

Brightly-coloured scrap fabrics featuring a lot of spots and stripes make for a vibrant quilt that would be perfect for a baby’s cot quilt or kids’ playroom. Hand sew the diamonds into hexagon shapes, and you have Building Blocks ready to be sewn together to create the quilt centre. Finished size: 175cm x 159cm (69in x 62½in) j.tate@mail.com Materials • Scraps of bright print fabrics to total about 2.2m (2½yd). Jenny featured stripe and spot print fabrics in her quilt• 1m (1⅛yd) red and orange stripe print fabric (setting triangles/shapes and binding)• 1.2m (1⅜yd) red and orange spot print fabric (Borders 1 and 3)• 3.5m (3⅞yd) backing fabric• Batting at least 190cm x 180cm (77in x 70in)• Template plastic• Fine-point permanent-marking pen or 2B pencil• Milliners size 11 needle• Sandpaper board (optional)• Rotary cutter,…