The eventual winner of the Canberra Quilters Inc Members Exhibition raffle will surely find it difficult to choose between the terrific prizes on offer. How would you choose between a quilt by Helen Godden and a Bernina Aurora 440QE from Bernina Australia?

This year the Raffle Quilt is Poppy Paradox triptych by Helen Godden. It is in fact six quilts in one, being completely reversible and in three separate panels. Beautifully created in cotton and silk, one side is bleach painted homespun and the other is hand painted silk and quilted with free motion machine. It is a wonderful vibrant quilt that any quilter would be delighted to win.

Third prize is a Happy Jack Quilting frame valued at $1,325, kindly donated by Jackie McNab of Brindabella Quilting – a compact quilt frame that will help you to quilt to perfection. The aluminium frame sits on your own sturdy table and it is suitable for most domestic machines. It can extend to fit a king sized quilt yet packs down to 1 metre for easy storage.

The raffle will be drawn Sunday 10 August at the close of the Canberra Quilters Inc Members’ Exhibition.

This year (until 1 August and within Australia only) you can buy books of 10 tickets by post for $10 each, paid by cheque or money order made out to Canberra Quilters Inc – NO CASH PLEASE!

Send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope* (for return of the tickets) with your cheque or money order to Canberra Quilters Inc, PO Box 3297, WESTON CREEK, ACT 2611.

Single tickets will be available at participating shops and at Canberra Quilters Inc regular meetings from 3 April:

• Evening Meeting, 7.30 pm 1st Thursday of the month;
  
• Southside Day Meeting, 9.30 am 3rd Wednesday of the month;
• Northside Day Meeting, 10 1m 4th Friday of every month;

and at participating shops.

* Please note that if no SASE is included then only 9 tickets will be sent as $1 will be deducted for post and handling.

Back from Ricky Tim’s Art Quilt Studio in La Veta Colorado and with such an epic adventure to share with you all.
If you would have liked to be a fly on the wall at Ricky’s Studio last week…you can!go to www.thequiltshow.com and if you are not a member ($20 a year …so worth it) sign in as a visitor and go the the blog.

Scroll down until you find ‘3 Sisters in La Veta part 1″ and watch the 5 minute video then watch the other 6 episodes to capture an insight into the 10 AMAZING days I had with my quilting sisters and see our next 3 sisters piece develop over the time…..also notice our energy levels became zapped and the bags under our eyes grow heavier as we worked on average 16 - 18 hours a day!..was an unimaginable experience and I have so much to tell…I shall gradually add it all to my website so …let me get over jet lag and hope my luggage arrives home soon…don’t even mention the quilts that are in those bags..
shall type you the whole story soon but go watch the videos…we had so much fun….listen out for Annette’s wicked laugh, Gail’s gorgeous smile and keep an eye on Skippy as he plays tricks on Ricky every day!

Happy to be Home, Helen

Only 15 days to go and counting until I meet up with my 2 quilting sisters in Colorado Springs airport and we drive south like a Thelma and Louise plus one! We will be off for a journey of  lifetime….to play at Ricky Tim’s place in la Veta…play for 10days in his studio and create our next 3 Sisters group quilt..but this time, in the ONE LOCATION rather than in 3 different continents…Canada Australia and Chicago USA! wowow…Ricky is going to film us and document the event and share with all on his wonderful quilt community  on www.thequiltshow.com   We are so excited of the prospect of working together, eating sleeping and being together for 10days…there will be a glow of energy illuminating from the sleepy town of La Veta amongst the Colorado Mountains…apparently even some snow for me to ski so I might get a day pass and go stretch my legs! Also a pub next door and a fabric shop down the road..no children or husbands ( still love you both!) or housework or any other distraction other than to be creative for 10 days..what a luxury …I am so excited. Hope to share a lot of our adventure here with you and online on Ricky and Alex’s show…I will come home with so much energy and inspiration and lots of new skills as we 3 sisters intend to share our knowledge and individual expertise with each other…will be like learning from the Masters. We have sponsorship from Husqvarna Viking USA providing us with 3 matching Husqvarna SE..top of the range for us to play with so it is just going to be a dream come true….so logon on to www.thequiltshow.com  regularily and see what we r up to…….

Put your hand up if you thought I have only one sibling…..my big brother Peter. No I am not complaining…he is a very loving fella…very interested in my stitchin….a fan of my work but ….I have always thought a sister would have been nice too…

Well I have news…incase you did not know, I now have 2 Sisters! Quilting Sisters.

Go to www.bonniemccaffery.com and click on the image of the 3 Sisters Quilt. There you can view online Bonnie’s latest podcast release, an interview with the 3 Sisters …videoed the week we were awarded 1st in Group category IQA Houston November 2007

Enjoy….

Times are tuff when your stiffest competition is coming from under your own roof! Yep thats right…I have created a monster! well actually not a monster a gorgeous girl of 8 1/2 who has a keen eye or colour, design and is very keen to be just like her mum and be an artist!

Well she and I entered the Japan Quilt Grand Prix which has 3 rounds of judging and possibly the second hardest exhibition to get into in the world……I did not pass round 2 but……my Monster did! Her quilt “So Similar” 20″square depicting a painted image of herself and I painting together at the easel painting our icons…my dragonfly and her Peter Rabbit. She has depicted us with yellow hair and big smiles, I have very long legs with purple boots on about size 12 and my flared pants are about 6″ to short…all true! It is all free-motion stitched and I assure you…I was not allowed to even touch her quilt in progress let alone make suggestions or anything except for 3 sides of the hand stitching on the binding as one side took her about 2 hours so I did finish it for her….other wise is all her own work. The piece was exhibited at Canberra Quilters in the Children’s section and was awarded 2nd.

You know she really is not a monster….if you have ever met her you would know why her school report described her as “a dynamic flamboyant member of class!”, and thats the way we love her.

PS we fly out next week to japan to visit the exhibition and then go skiing….yee har!

NB Back from Japan..had a wonderful time…lots of fresh powder snow for skiing, lots of yummy food and the Quilt show was wonderful…Ineka did not win an award but being selected is award enough…in the Children’s category she was competing with up to 15 years old. Her quilt is pictured in the catalogue and she was asked for her autograph and signed their book….So at the age of 8 1/2 my girl is an internationally exhibited quilter! So proud of my girl.

Ok…so we learn something every day…well this lesson has taken me a while…14 hours in fact.
Some call it enthusiasm, creative energy, keen as mustard, running with the muse, Speedie Gonzalus or an Extreme Quilter well….in this case it was simply jumping in way to fast and stuffing up!
OK..the lesson.
Had one day of total freedom which during school holidays is hard to find. Mum had Ineka my 8yo daughter over night and all the following day until 8pm so I had a HUGE window of opportunity.
It was only 5 weeks before the Australian Quilt Show deadline and we were only going to be away for 2 of those weeks and I had a 5 day training in their too so…plenty of time right…..ready set go girl.
In that one day I completed my design and then launched into bleached painting a huge navy piece of cotton that was bleaching back to sepia peachy tones….2m wide by 1.5 high. An epic story depicted with loads of potential was completed in the one day with a very happy smile on my face. The piece has a title but I will taunt you and just share its nickname, Banjo…..you will have to use your powers of deduction to figure it out.
So now working back from the deadline….5 weeks – 2 weeks japan – 2 days Thredbo Blues Festival – 5 days training – 3 days teaching – that leaves …..about 5 days with no time for any domestic duties etc.
No worries….jumped in feet first with 2 hours of stitching  covering an area about 50 cm square…..but the next morning with a fresh critics eye…..aaaaahhhhhhhh…..tension too tight, wrong colour threads are not standing out as hoped, piece is already distorting,….is it cause of the new wadding I am trying? Was it the new range or thread I am trying? Is it the new  bobbin case tension is too tight?????…….. ahhhhh probably all of the above and I jumped in toooo fast without a sample piece to trial colour, tension, batting or thread …naughty naughty naughty.
The punishment for this harsh lesson…..unpicking…or reverse sewing as I have heard it called.……….14 hours of it…..2 hours in and 14 hours out. I hate that!
The lesson in here for me and perhaps all of us…..allow more time to plan and think and mull over an idea, always do a small prototype on a sample piece…say 12” square to test any new variables such as new batting, new thread, new bobbin and to trial colours and tension and stitching style on the sample not the actual potential masterpiece! This small amount of time and effort could potentially save much bother and heart ache and stress and swearing and later this sample can be cut up to postcards to share your lesson with others………I hope to take my own advice

Yep That is me…with my 2 quilty sisters, with smiles all round which lasted the whole week of Festival and mine is still on my face 3 weeks later!.

Our quilt “The 3 Sisters” was awarded 1st in the group category at Houston International Quilt Festival 2007….yyyaaaaaaaaaa……..and we are absolutely ecstatic.

So from the left is Alex Anderson, Gail E Thomas, Annette M Hendricks, yours truly Helen C Godden (had to add the “C” coz they all have one! You will never guess what my middle name is!) and Mr Ricky Tims…yes…the guy in the hat!

Alex and Ricky are about to celebrate the 1st birthday of The Quilt Show, a wonderful online network for quilters with video casts of live show interviews with a studio audience, lots of insight into techniques and stories with top quilters from all over….is like the Oprah show for quilters….if you are not a member, check it out today..it is not expensive and a wonderful asset to the quilt community.
Thats how it is at Festival, you win a prize and suddenly people you have seen online or read about in magazines and admire their work, suddenly are greeting you as the celebrity and asking for a photo…have to admit…..I love it!!

We 3 sisters and my mum had a fantastic week in Houston, sharing ideas, the spotlight, the autograph hunters, the bargains, the great restaurants, lots of laughter and lots of love. Oh and the quilts were great too!

As we walked around the show looking at the 800 quilts and shopping in the 1800 stalls, we tended to walk in formation as per the quilt and lots of people would stop for a chat and ask questions about the quilt…the FAQ were as follows:

Are y’ll 3 really Sisters?

Not Biological sisters, we were born on different continents ..we’re sisters of art, stitched together by our love for quilting…..schucks!

Where y’all from?

They would soon pick up on the differences in our accents, especially once I opened my mouth. So that is Gail from Vernon BC Canada, Annette from Chicago IL USA and me, from the capital of Australia, Canberra, followed by “No Sydney is not the capital, Canberra is.”

How did y’all meet?

Annette and I met 2 years ago at Winners Circle 2005, instantly bonded and over the following year of email had talked of doing a collaborative quilt. Winners Circle 2006 we meet Gail and by 2am that evening we had decided the 3 of us were meant to be and the design for the first 3 Sisters quilt was created. One year later almost to the minute, we 3 were awarded 1st for our Tri-Nation collaborative quilt. Serendipity, cosmic Karma, fate, universal forces of energy, the power of three…call it what you will, but whatever it is….it is good!

How did y’all work on the quilt then?

Communicated thru the internet on Skype and emails and posted it back and forward…God please the postal system!

What machine do y’all use?

Well in actual fact we are all Husqvarna Viking Gals… so we agree on the best!

When they’re not looking I also use my HQ16 from Handi-Quilter for such big jobs. It has a 16″ C section so there is plenty of room for a large quilt to move freely under the needle and the Handi-Quilter goes 1600 stitches a minute…just keeping up with me!

How long did it take?

Well in theory a year but actually, the entry for Houston has to be in my June 30th so we had from Nov 1st to June 30….you do the maths. Plus we allowed 2 weeks every time it was posted anywhere which occurred 3 times across the world.

Who did what?

Annette had hand dyed and pieced the background with 3 simple stylised flower heads, then it went home with Gail to do things, energy of our 3 portraits…she is a professional portrait artist available for commission! Then the quilt flew back to Annette in Chicago for her super fine micro quilting treatment, relief quiting for our faces and her hands. Then the quilt swam to Australia for the macro quilting…for speedie gonzalis here to quilt the rest of the quilt with intricate detail highlighting the design and extra pictorial quilting work in the borders. Then back to USA Chicago for Annette to finish but she decided to add a whole new back to the quilt to tell our story of how we meet and the legend of the dragon, the coyote and the dragonfly, then she bound it photographed and sent of the entry forms in time….phew!

Who gets to keep it?

This is an excellent question!

Is there more coming next year from the 3 Sisters?

Absolutely..stay tuned..by 1am that same night we had a plan on the drawing board and we are well on the way to the next 3 Sisters so stay tuned!

Where can we buy your book or dvd or your energy or talent?

People actually asked us where they could see our work in exhibition next and where would we be lecturing or teaching together? Did we have a book they could buy etc…it seems we have created an commodity with “The 3 Sisters”….an Identity that other woman seem to relate to and gravitate to: Our hope is that our message is heard about the power of woman to work together and create great things, to bring woman back together for support and growth…the creative energy we share when combined is far more than 3 fold. The bond and support we share is enormous and creates powerful energy with no barriers of distance, circumstances, life styles, culture….we are as one. Sounds weird I know but we are 3 into 1, peas in a pod with our art, creativity, energy and passions, like we have known each other always…we just had to wait for the universe to help us actually meet.

…….you appear as a blog entry on Ricky Timm’s and Alex Anderson’s The Quilt Show!!

www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog.php

Our Tri-Nation collaborative quilt as it is becoming nick-named has made it as a daily entry on their website blog! This is like appearing on the Oprah Show of Quilting….without the drama! So excited.

Mum and I leave for Houston next week …by plane…last year a Texan actually asked me “Did you have to catch a plane to get here?” .

I will be demonstrating on the HandiQuilter stand, with probably a crowd of Quilters standing around just smiling and nodding politely as they (locals) will have no idea what I am actually saying with this outrageous Aussie accent! Our accent truly confuses people. I have been asked once was I from France!?? Oh - La La is the only French I know!

I have even been told my accent is “soo cuuute”…no one here has ever said that….funny hey!

Anyway..as you can tell I am very excited about our trip to the Mecca that is Houston….only 12 sleeps to go!

Everybody please fill your glass and give 3 cheers for The Three Sisters! The email has come through, The Three Sisters have been judged and awarded a place in the Collaborative category for the International Quilt Festival Houston for 2007. Yaaaaaaa……………

You can hear the champers corks popping all over the world….well at least in Vernon Canada, Chicago USA and way Down Under here in Canberra.