In your dreams!

Last year’s Stitchin’ Mission, 5 beginner quiltmaking lessons taught by Linda Hungerford at St Mark’s, was so popular that quite a few ‘graduates’ wanted to keep on creating quilts long after Linda had returned home to the USA – and so St Mark’s Quilters was born.

For one Saturday a month our church hall becomes a wonderful creative space where laughter and chatter (and sometimes even music) mixes with the whirr of sewing machines as we stitch up colourful children’s quilts for the little ones at the shortly-to-open KU Marcia Burgess Autism Specific Early Learning & Care Centre.

In the midst of this happy activity I’ve often found myself wishing Linda could join in the fun of a Saturday workshop with us.

Then last Saturday morning, when the coffee was on, the machines all threaded up, we’d just welcomed Gail and Barb who were joining us for the first time, and we were starting to spread fabric across the tables - in walked Linda! After 3 weeks here on holidays she had hopped on a USA-bound plane on Friday afternoon, just a day short of being able to join us for our May workshop. 

Or so I thought. 

But unknown to me a potentially nasty mechanical problem had forced her plane to return to Sydney, giving her 3 more days here, and the opportunity to come along to a St Mark’s Quilters Saturday workshop. 

Di B (who had spoken to Linda after the mid-air drama, and is very good at keeping secrets) says my face was priceless!

Soon the place was hopping!  Linda and her granddaughter Celina sewed as a team. And almost finished this “Stairway to Heaven” quilt top. Moo did some hand stitching on her latest creation, “Noah’s Ark”. Di C finished the binding on this beautiful quilt in which she’s used a vibrant gold and orange vintage Marimekko print donated to our Stitchin’ Mission stash. Barb and Gail worked as a team on this New Life quilt with purple sashing.

Margaret and Cath were busy stitching at their machines too.

  

And Cath finished this “Noah’s Ark” quilt in just one day!

Michaela sewed the label on another finished New Life quilt.

Di B amazed us with her free motion machine quilting.  Even Matilda and Chester joined in the fun.

Go here for more words and pictures of this special day God gave us!