Convincing others to drink the scrappy, trippy KoolAid *insert evil laugh*

I'm a member of Canberra Quilters, and almost a year ago fellow member Jenny Bowker thought it would be a fab idea to start up a modern quilting interest group. We are lucky enough in the guild to have access to our own rooms, and there are quite a few special interest groups that meet up once a month - art quilters, Japanese fabric fans, row by row quilters, and so on.

Now we regularly have 15-25 quilters join us each month. It's such a fantastic group! Very informal, very inspiring. Lovely smiling faces. Everything a quilting group should be.

Last month I decided to demonstrate the Scrappy Trip Around the World Quiltville technique that I've been banging on endlessly about since January. People brought their sewing machines, their scrappy strips, and got to sewing! 

Some had already started earlier in the month thanks to the fantastic instructions from Quiltville I'd already emailed them.

This is Margrit's quilt. She said she didn't like it too much but we all loved it. I hope we managed to talk her out of that viewpoint by the end of the night!

Judy had done some 1 inch trip around the world blocks! They were amazing!  Such precise piecing.

After I demonstrated fabric placement and how to sew and press and sew and unpick and sew (using the old "here's something I prepared earlier" game), we got to sewing.

This was Gabrielle's block while pressing. Gabrielle had never sewn a 1/4 inch seam before tonight. By the end of the night is was quite clear she was a natural.

Proof that you can use just the one colour in a Scrappy Trip Around the World came with Janet's block. It's all in the placement of the different shades and tones that the variation comes!  Also - Singer Featherweight in amazing condition. Love!

Leah used a jelly roll. I love this block. Especially those flowers.

Yvonne used just some "plain old homespuns".  Nothing plain about these, Yvonne!

And Anieta had some fun with fruity fabrics and colours.

It was such a great night. I realised once again I like showing people how to do this stuff. While I'm not the best quilter, I do like spreading the enthusiasm for different quilting techniques and ideas

And passing round the KoolAid ...