Hi ..

Hi everyone ... my name is Bobbie ... some of you already know me ... some don't .. for those of you who don't ... I am married to a great guy ... 31 years now ... we have 6 children .. all grown .. and they have given us 24 of the most wonderful treasures in life .. our grandchildren ... we are very very blessed ...

we live in toowoomba in queensland ... and have been here for around 15 months this time ... it is our second time here and in october this year we are leaving again to travel ...

i have been sewing since my teenss ... and have been doing this quilting thing for around 6 years ... the moment i walked into that little patchwork meeting i have been hooked ... I have tried my hand at most things related to this craft .... the obvious ... making quilts ... i have also done ... fibreart postcards which i loved doing ... but found they were taking over my life and i was not doing any patchwork which made me a little unbalanced .. so I stopped making them .. but have a fantastic collection from all over the world ... i have also had a go at doing hand embroidery .. i am not really very good at the hand stuff .. i get easily distracted ... I have done some crazy quilting but as my embroidery work is not the greatest i sort of cheat with the crazy and use my machines fancy stitches .. i would love to do the hand stitching .. maybe one day with lots of practice i will feel my work is good enough ... i really enjoy paper piecing too ...

i have more patterns than time .. and more fabric than i will possibly ever use ... but my passion is this ... and what a passion it is ...

oh .. i also create very very long posts .. haha ... some folks call them scrollers ... me i just call it plain and simple ... being long winded .. oh .. and I am the other half of the Admin ... I am the real half .. Admin ... she is the cyber half ...

welcome to the cottage everyone ... i hope we have a fantastic future together ...

Hi, I am Karen, married for well over 34 yrs, with 5 children and 8 grandchildren, with maybe another due later this year! I live in Brisbane, having spent half my life in and around Canberra, which I love but I do love Qld.
I have been stitching since I was 7, using my nana's old treadle machine.
Around 10 yrs or so ago, I discovered quilting and made my first quilt using a pair of scissors, a ruler and a pencil, to cut the fabric, I then enrolled for a class with a lovely teacher who has since become a very close friend. The rest is history!! and now I love it, just wish I was more organised.

Hello!
I am Blondie from the USA - I live in the lovely state of North Carolina. Thank you, Bobbie for the invite!

I am married to a delightful and supportive man, have three grown children with my first grand on the way, due to arrive in May. The couple is planning a visit here this weekend, so I am in a rage to finish as much as I possibly can.

I was taught to quilt many many years ago by one of my grandmothers. There is not a day go by when I am sewing that I do not remember her, her hands stitching. I don't machine quilt, I hand quilt. That is, I piece by machine and then quilt by hand. Small projects get machine quilted. I am not good at machine quilting at all. I suppose I have never taken the adequate time to practice.

I am looking forward to getting to know everyone here and enlarge my "tent", so to speak.

Hello to all,

My name is Wendy and I live in the best city in the world - Melbourne Australia. I am a first fleeter via both my mother and father so good convict stock here!!!!! lol and my forbearers were the first europeans to discover Melbourne.

Now - I don't 'do' quilting. It is far too precise for me. I am jack of all trades - master of not onedamned thing. But I love to play and dabble in lots of textile / thread type things. I am in the process of making 56 blocks for a crazy quilt wall hanging, making some silk paper and looking at some frankenstein sewing.

The old saying is "she who dies with the most fabric wins" but in my case take out 'fabric' and inset 'threads' I love any sort of threads and have just aquired a heap of Danish threads to play with.

Take care all.............

Hallo everyone,

My name is Jan and I live on the mid north coast of NSW. I have 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren.

I learnt to sew on my grandmothers treadle machine. She and my mother also taught me to knit and to embroider. My first quilts were very practical - made of fabric from clothes that were outgrown - and one is still on my bed in the caravan. It is hard to believe how much fabric I have accumulated, and when a new project comes along somehow I always need at least one more new pattern or colour.

I did belong to IFQ and was sorry and disappointed when the group closed down, but have since discovered a couple of Australian groups and joined the Quilting and Patchwork Cottage yesterday. Looking forward to being part of a number of events.

In the meantime there is Tai Chi, Folk Dancing, Croquet, gardening, cooking and the chooks.

Hello everyone out there... I am Tarnyia and I live on a sheep station near the town of Mt Magnet in West Aussie... mind you it looks like we have sold our place and will be moving mid year... I love sewing, I've made a number of quilts and various other patchwork items but I do have a passion for applique...
Looking forward to doing heaps with you all and good to see some of the IFQ girls here too.

Hello folks, I am MissLinda. I live on my own, I have two daughters, and a beautiful grand daughter who is 3. I live in North East Victoria, in Australia, by a Creek.

I came very late to quilting, (through the ebay forums) and, will never be very good at it, but, I love sewing with a passion, who knew....I also have a passion for "Kevins" but, that's another story.

I love to read about what others are doing, and see their amazing work.

Looking forward to making some new friends.

girls .. if you know anyone who may be interested in our little forum .. please invite them along .. the more the merrier and we can only benefit by having more ladies to swap and share with ...

Hello Every one..I am Irene, I live in Maitland NSW in the Hunter Valley.

I My Husband of 36.5 years is in an aged care facility and 91 yrs ... and I have a small but growing business called Nanas weighted blankets . that I run from my home.. (more about this else where I think lol...)

I have 1 son 36 and 1 grandson 8 and 1 step grandson 18 who lives with me, as his mum didn't want him.

I have been making Patchwork quilts for nearly 36 years... and love it when I have time to do special little projects.
I do most all crafts but time is my enemy at the moment.. I have just learnt that weekends are for me..

I look forward to catching up with every one..

Hi All.
My name is Evelyn. I live on the Northern Rivers of NSW and I am addicted to all things patchwork and paper craft! I have a very large stash of fabric and paper and craft magazines and I need to stop keeping them and start using them! I tend to "plan" (procrastinate) a little longer than it takes me to create! Maybe I am in need of a 12 step process to cure this addiction and 'planning'?


That said... wish me luck as I take my first step here on my own Step 1 of 12 Steps journey to: "Just Do It - NOW!"

I am looking forward to joining in with some of the swaps. I dived into my stash and found the perfect fish print for the block lotto! (One I had been saving for a 'special project' that will probably never get made! But, if I use it for the block lotto, I can cross that project off my list of things I want to make, and (gulp) OMG now I am starting to think about the project I wanted to do and wondering if I should cut it up at all???? ...... NO! I will be brave! I will be strong! I will have the courage to use my stash! (gulp) I will cross the special project off my 'to do' list as done and dusted and join in the fun of the block lotto!! As I reach for my rotary cutter, fish fabric and the pen above the 'to do' list, I wonder now if all that lot will qualify me for Steps 1 and 2?

Waves to EVELYN.... HAPPY CUTTING.

Hi Evelyn.... love your posting... welcome to the group

Hi and welcome ........

now I ( yes me .. lol) don't think you should cut up that special fabric ......... I think you should just go and buy something else.....

Hello Evelyn, nice group of girls here, you will fit right in. Just how much fabric do you have? I didn't join the block swap but am looking forward to seeing all the pics.

Hi to everyone ... to all the new girls to our group ...

it is so lovely to see our group growing ... and expanding ... and ... no wait that is my waistline ... and my stash .. heehee ... i too have more fabric than ideas ... and i thought i was the queen of procrastination ... but it would seem Evelyn may beat me haha .. or maybe we run an equal first ... who knows but i reckon we are all good at something ...

me it is spending money i don't have on fabric i never want to use ...

Thank you ladies for the warm welcome. Waves back to Karen and tries NOT to think too much about the 'cutting'! Measure once, cut twice, read the instructions later? ha ha Didn't have my listening ears on and am now in possession of some very lovely 4.5" and 6.5" x 2.5" rectangles ready for the next scrappy project! I do like the replacement fabric much better and hope my fishy offerings will be as warmly welcomed in the block lotto as I was here. Going to post over there now (I hope). Come check them out please?

oh ladies ... we have a new member ... some of us already know her ... others don't .....


and i am sure she will be in soon to introduce herself ... but in case she arrives late ... her name is Debbie L ..

she used to live down south aways near were our lovely Irene lives ... but now she is rather close to karen and not too far away from where i am here ...


lovely to see you again Deb ....

Waves to Deb........... waiting to see if she comes in here and waves back. Time for midnight snacks......... anyone? Think I covered them all......Nop wait! Forgot the CAKE Yes, I know it is a birthday cake, but I had some left over!

OOOOOH goody goody some some musical entertainment coming Hello there lovely and welcome..........

Back with more CAKE............ Still waiting on Deb to show for the party!!!

oi - Deb

Where are you ???????????????????

We are all 'here' waiting............!
Maybe we can 'hide' until she comes in and give her a big surprise?

Wanders thru, singing..."here we are again, happy as can be...all good friends and jolly good company..." Wanders off again...oh wait, I'm supposed to introduce myself...I KNEW there was something else I had to do. :-)
Hello all, I am Debbie, and I lost the email that invited me here, but found it again while tidying up my account. I used to be in the other Cottage. Sorry it took me so long to get here, guys!

I am me. I have no grandkids. I have 2 Asperger's persons that I live with (my husband and 10 year old son), a spaniel, and a scatty cat. I also have health problems (schleraderma and depression), and think anyone who lives south of Ballina has rocks in their head, I need WARM. Narangba has the best of both worlds, one hour north and you're at the beach, one hour south and you're in Brisbane. Very satisfying.

My husband has recently lost his job, and his father. Tres difficile. Avoid trying this at home. I have only recently started doing projects again after a looooong lay-off, a variety of bags, blocks and designs. The bag got rave reviews from its recipient, the director of my latest theatrical endeavour ( i do musical theatre). I think that about covers it. Looking forward to chatting!

I am 8 again!!!!! Never mind the weather, never mind the rain! Here we are together, happy once again! Micky Mouse! Donald Duck! Micky Mouse! Donald Duck! Forever let us hold our banners HIGH! HIGH! HIGH! Come along and sing our song and join the jamboree! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!! Micky Mouse! Donald Duck! Micky Mouse! Donald Duck! Forever let us hold our banners HIGH! HIGH! HIGH! Thanks a BUNCH Deb! Now I will be singing that in my head all night while trying to fall off to sleep!!!!

Good to see you are sewing again. I am still 'thinking' about sewing! Grandchild came fully armed with mending for Grandma to do - again!

Oh heck! South of Ballina!!! Checks latitude and longitude quickly and yes........ oh joy .......... and smugly declares: I am WEST of Ballina and even better - just a tad North! So I am SAFE I tell ya! SAFE!!!! But Deb, there are several VERY NICE others here who (gulp) live SOUTH of Ballina don't ya know? And, even though I live 'in the most desirable location of North of Ballina' it was here today!!!

Now don't be losing you emails from here again and come back often - ok?