Wednesday 18 February 2015

The Crafty QCWA Ladies.

Well today I went to a QCWA craft morning in the CBD which is something I had been intending to do for some time. I really want to improve my crochet and knitting skills this year and knew that the crafty ladies down in the QCWA rooms are experts at handicraft and could help.


If you haven't heard of the QCWA here is some info I wrote in this post a while back:

Overseas readers may not have heard of the Country Women's Association before and might be wondering what it is. The Queensland Country Women's Association was formed in 1922 and is part of the umbrella organisation called the Country Women's Association of Australia which has branches in each state of Australia. In the beginning, to be eligible to become a member of the QCWA ,women had to derive their income from the land but that has changed over the years and now members come from across the state from both urban and rural areas with the objectives of supporting women and children, promoting friendship and understanding and to be active in the local community.
They offer a host of activities including dressmaking, public speaking, cookery, knitting and patchwork, handcraft, history groups and have social days and fundraising...to name a few. When my children were babies the QCWA rooms in the CBD had a Mother's Room where I could feed them and also could have a cuppa in a quiet space if they needed a sit-down and a nappy change. 


I was greeted at the door by a lovely lady called Ruby who asked for the princely sum of $3 to attend the class :-) She found one of the ladies who is a very skilled crocheter who sat down beside me to help me work though a pattern I had been hoping to make up for ages. More on that later.

Sitting on the other side of me was a lady who was completing a tablecloth her mum had started many decades ago and it dated back to 1937. The linen fabric was of such a high quality it was a pleasure just touching it. You don't see linen like that these days.


Sorry for the blurry photo but another ' new'  person like myself was reacquainting herself once again with macrame which she used to do back in the 1970s. Macrame is making a comeback apparently and like most crafts comes and goes.


I just love this bag that one of the ladies had been given by her daughter.


I was just amazed at this fine work ...


...and the beautiful doiley that was being produced..seemingly without effort.


Another really nice person at my table had made this beanie for a bub and the pattern was from the book Baby Crochet which looks like a lovely book for those who have a baby in their life.


She had been working on this gorgeous rug and finished it this morning apart from sewing in the ends.


I think she said she made the rug by crocheting ten treble and then ten chain and when she had it at the size she wanted she then 'plaited' the chains into each other with her fingers.She wasn't sure what the name of the stitch was but thought it was a Ladder stitch. I had never seen anything like that before...not being a crochet expert or anything remotely like that ... so I had a look on Pinterest for crochet Ladder stitch and it seems to be something like Jacob's Ladder Stitch. There is a Jacob's Ladder Dishcloth tutorial with a video that I also found so I might give this a try.


I made something which looks quick and easy but which wasn't all that quick and easy for me as it was a bit fiddly but I ended up finishing a Daisy Towel Holder. It is a bit wonky but I was quite pleased with it. I have found that my hand towels wear out before the crochet tops so with this towel holder you can just slip the hand towel through it. Then when the towel needs to go into the wash, take it out and replace it with a fresh one and the holder doesn't get the wear and tear of going through the washing machine all the time. Good idea eh? There are a few different patterns on this Pinterest page as well if you are keen to make one for yourself.

So it was a nice morning and the ladies were all friendly and helpful. If you have a CWA near you and have the time then do check out whether they have a craft morning. Our local one is having a three day craft school from the 16th to 18th March which will cost $15 and the crafts being taught are Cutwork, Lagartera, English Patchwork, Ric Rac Flowers and Tunisian Crochet. Doesn't that sound interesting?

If anyone from SE Queensland is reading this I hope you all stay safe over the coming two days as Cyclone Marcia crosses the coast. We have been warned that we might be in the firing line as well so hang on to your hats and your roof as well for that matter. I pray that the damage will be minimal.

 


20 comments:

  1. I love the CWA. I dont know if you ever saw Masterchef series but they had the CWA ladies set challenges etc a few times. The cooking was wonderful. And tough! The chefs respected them and the contestants admired and feared them. One lady Merle went on to publish a book. She was amazing. She could beat those chefs. As for the craft skills what a lovely variety of things! The crochet is my favourite. CWA cook books are fabulous too, I watch for them in op shops. It looks like you would have had a lot of fun and inspiration! xxx

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    1. They are very skilled ladies and are wonderful during weather events when they serve up yummy food to the emergency workers.

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  2. Love all the crochet and applique work. I really like the linen with the embroidered lanterns on the flowered branches. Beautiful work. It is so inspirational to be a part of craft groups. So much talent.
    You also did a great job on your towel holder, by the way. Very good idea. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Krystal, the linen was exquisite. The quality was top class. It will be a lovely heirloom for that lady's family.

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  3. The daisy towel holder is a good idea. It sounds like you had a nice time with the CWA ladies. Cyclone Marcia is on my mind as well. I too hope everyone stays safe.

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    1. Sherri I think the towel holders are really cute. No rain here as yet but lots of wild wind which will get worse I imagine when Marcia crosses the coast. You stay safe too.

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  4. Stay safe through the cyclone (and an earthquake too I hear?). CWA seems to be languishing across Australia, but your chapter seems to be alive and well.

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  5. Phil, I know the CWA is trying to recruit young girls but most of them work full time so it would be hard for them to become involved. It would be a shame if it ever folded though.

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  6. we have one here but it's dying fast as many of it's members have since passed, they don't do anything with it now, our local market group have our meetings there once a month & i don't know how they are managing with their bills, think they just mostly hire out their building now.
    we are getting a nice bit of rain with the cyclone, it was awfully windy yesterday
    your crochet towel topper looks great & very pretty
    thanx for sharing, have a great day

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  7. Your crochet towel holder looks great, Chel. It must have been great to get together with such talented ladies and look at their work - I always find a morning like this inspires me to go home and get stuck in to my projects with renewed vigour. Raining heavily here now - funny though, no wind at all.

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    1. Yes, I am quite pleased with it, Sandi. Next time I will use thicker cotton though as I found it a bit fiddly. Those ladies are quite amazing and unassuming as well.

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  8. That is sad about your local CWA Selina. Still no rain to speak of here...just wind. That will change tonight by the sounds of it.

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  9. Love the idea if your towel holder. Will go on Pinterest and see what I can find. Here in Hervey Bay the wind and rain have made themselves known. The gardens are loving it. Here's hoping we get through it all without too much of a battering.

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  10. You are right in the firing line aren't you,Jane? I wonder why it is so windy here and not in some other places...perhaps because we are on top of the Range. It is not as if we are close to the coast like you. Stay safe.

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  11. What a fun way to learn new skills. So nice to slow down and have some girl time. Hope your projects come out as you hope! And may your new skills broaden as you plug them in!

    Kimmie
    mama to 8
    one homemade and 7 adopted

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    1. Nice to see you here, Kimmie. It is nice to learn from people who have a lot of experience and knowledge about a particular craft. The quality of their work is just amazing.

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  12. Wishing you all a safe passage through the storm. Your CWA sounds a little like the old 'Grange' here in the western US. Gathering and sharing and visiting and helping the neighborhood in the old days, they have sort of gone by the wayside recently though. It sounds like fun and all the projects are awesome looking - I am going to have to dig out those old macrame books from the 70's!

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    1. Kathy, the rain has just arrived and the wind is still wild. The cyclone is intensifying into a category 3 from what I have just read and is expected to cross the coast early in the morning so it is going to be an 'interesting' night I think.:-)

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  13. Stay safe Nanna Chel, I have just heard you are in the midst of the cyclone.

    Will be thinking of you tonight xx

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  14. Thanks Tania. I just heard on the news that the cyclone will cross the coast up north as a Category 5 cyclone around 9am tomorrow morning then it is supposed to track south west towards us after that. We have an old house so hope the winds die down a bit before they get here although it has been quite windy for two days now.

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