Free Project Sheet - Stitched Birthday card Page 1

To print this page out full size, left click on the photo, then go to print preview and adjust margins to smallest possible before printing. Scroll down for page 2.

We hope you enjoy stitching your birthday card !

Updating the Group Banner

Back in 2007 the Clubs supplied a blue and orange stitched name patch and a rectangular patch of members' work to add to a Group banner. In this our 15th birthday year we decided to update the banner to display at our Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair Feature Display in June 2010.
Guildford, Muswellbrook, Southern Suburbs and Wollondilly Clubs have unfortunately closed while Concord West, Grafton, and Lismore District have begun. 2 of those clubs were able to send along names and patches of work and Grafton sent their name to be added to the banner. Christine unpicked the stitches on the closed clubs and moved them to the back of the banner, replacing them with the new patches in time for the set up day at Darling Harbour.
Below are Lismore's patches and the little explanation sent along, isn't the work fantastic? The Banner certainly looks even better than before, and was a big drawcard at the Show.

A great display at Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair!

Following our success at the "Horizons" exhibition at Crows Nest we were fairly confident the craft show visitors would love all the kids work, and we were right !!
Everyone was so complimentary about the quality of the display, and we could have sold the elephant hangings from Lismore 10 times over. The only down side was having to explain to every 2nd person stopping by that we weren't visiting from Young, NSW.
It seems no-one was looking past the Young Textile and Fibre Group name, and ignoring our prominent sign that said "Boys and Girls 5-18 years" on the back wall.
We gave out lots of information about both the Distance Course and face-to-face clubs. On Saturday and Sunday we also gave away small project kits for the Birthday Stitch Cards as we weren't able to run the Flash Mob Stitch-In due to our position on a major aisle. A minor inconvenience which we did not allow to spoil our otherwise fabulous 5 day show. More photos below.



Part of the Blue and Orange challenge and the "honour board of prize winners"



The Distance Course work on display and the information table



The Blue and Orange Challenge central section featuring those elephant wall hangings

Free Project Sheet - Stitched Birthday Card Page 2

To print this sheet at the right scale, left click on the picture then go to print preview and adjust your margins to smallest possible before printing.

Milestones

This March we passed several Milestones for the Young Textile and Fibre Group. 15 years ago on March 1st, 1995 the first meeting for a YTFG Club was held and by the end of that year the YTFG had over 150 members meeting at 10 clubs around New South Wales. Today we have nearly 300 members meeting at 10 clubs plus the Distance Club with the "Fun with Stitches" Course being mailed to students in 4 countries.
The face-to-face Clubs right now are at Concord West, Grafton, Lismore, Milton/Ulladulla, Nepean (Penrith), Newcastle, North District (metropolitan Sydney), Parkes, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong. Some meet monthly, others only during school holidays or several times each school term. Contact the Guild Office on (02) 9743 2501 for more information or click here.
The other milesone passed at the end of March was the 3 year anniversary of this Members' Blog. It's customary to celebrate your "blogiversary" with something special, so in the next post we'll be featuring the project sheet for the pricked stitch cards which we're doing at Darling Harbour Craft and Quilt Fair on Saturday at 12 noon. If you're coming to the Show, pop in and make a card for FREE. Instructions to print off this project sheet will be on the next post.

Orange and Blue Challenge

Members were asked to make a piece of work no larger than A4 size to be part of a display for the Guild's large exhibition called "Horizons" in early May 2010. Clubs sent along a wonderful array of work, including 3D clutch bags, covered books, wall hangings and multi-coloured tiles with orange and blue tones included.
Here are 2 photos of the work on display,







All this work will be taken straight to the display at the Craft and Quilt Fair Darling Harbour and added to selected other items.
One last Mr Shuffles elephant hanging arrived from Lismore and District Club last week, so he'll be joining his herd at Darling Harbour !!

More photos of exhibits at Horizons

It was impossible to photograph over 180 individual items, here are a few more examples of the fabulous work from around the Clubs which was displayed at the Crows Nest Centre in late May 2010.




Edwina's quilted hanging, Wagga Wagga Club



Chloe's printed hanging from Wagga Wagga Club




Another Mr Shuffles hanging from Lismore and District Club





Zipper necklaces made by Milton/Ulladulla Club

Workshops at "Horizons" exhibition at Crows Nest

Here's our tutor's sample of the Cool Bear toy made in the workshop at "Horizons" on the Saturday. Tutor Anne-Marie Bakewell prepared some bear bodies by stitching 2 layers of fleecy material in a bear shape. Students trimmed the seams, turned him inside out then stuffed with toy fill. After stitching up the hole they then added eyes, nose and mouth. Next came a felt vest which was stitched up then decorated with stitches and beads and sequins. Finally a bow around his neck then a photo of everyone with their bears was taken. All this happened in around 1 1/2 hours, so a few students took home extra beads to add later. The group photo will be posted soon.



On the Sunday we had 3 students making Fay Grant's "Cupcakes" to celebrate our 15th birthday. This project was also featured in Magazine no. 44, on page 14. Three boys worked very hard on their projects. A prepared circle of fabric was decorated with bugle beads, sequins and other bling, then cut out and gathered up. A circle of cardboard and some stuffing helped to make the cupcake and icing look quite real. Lastly the top was sewn onto the silicone base with neat stitches and a decorative braid glued and stitched around. They certainly looked good enough to eat !!





There are still a few kits available for these projects at Guild Headquarters for $10AUD each, containing all instructions and materials. Contact the Guild to enquire.

1st meeting of Concord West Club

The first meeting of the new Concord West Club "StitchKids" was held on Saturday May 8th and here is a great picture of the 5 girls who attended and their finished project for the day.
We made Ollie the Owl which was featured in YTFG Magazine no. 44 on page 16. The original design was by Heidi Iverson. Click on the photo to see the details on each wonderful owl.




Members Zoe and Evie asked their mum to photograph their owls in a tree when they got home, do you like them peeking out of the leaves?




Next meeting is on July 10th and we'll be making some fabric "party food" to celebrate the YTFG 15th birthday year.