Caverswall Quilt Cave

This is what happens in our lovely quilt cave.... I think there's an expression... 'Have wheels, will travel' ?... we have something similar... "Have tables will spread out" he he he. This is Rachel, using only three tables whilst designing her quilt, very clever!

She cut out the centre squares and decided to frame them on only two sides, she loves pink!

This is Sarah, apparently known as Cappy. She made a throw using brushed cotton type fabric for the back and taffeta with curly-swiry embellishment for the top. She happily stitched away on her brand new sewing machine... not really quilting but she had fun and that's all that matters really.

Joan The Shop spent the whole day doing applique. She very much likes the Bernina blanket stitch so she was using an Aurora... I bet she will be very nice to Santa this Christmas, he he he

Joan's getting into these Peppa Pig characters, her grand daughters look at every detail so Joan has to be very careful about every tiny bit and some are very fiddly.

Pauline finished off the little cushion front that she was working on last week, then cut and stitched her strips for a Rail Fence kiddie quilt.

Helen had everyone looking over her shoulder at one time or another. She had her first try at free motion quilting and made it look so easy that the ladies all want to have a go now! Helen is now suffering, in the same way I do from time to time (almost always to be honest! he he)She's making this wall hanging as a gift and now loves it and doesn't want to let go of it, he he he!

Maid Marian did finish her Mat & Ruler bag, just as I thought she would and easily remembered to bring her very own cutting mat with her! wooohooo. This is her Railfence quilt, she's making it because she wants to go back to basics (always a good idea) even though she's been a quilter for many many years. The ladies were amazed at how fab it looks in black and whites.

Barbie Bunny quilted using a herring-bone style decorative stitch, following the seams of her patchwork. Her thread colour choice was perfect, it all looks really good... much to Barbie's delight, it would have been really hard to rip out!

Ta Da!!! My Mum finished quilting her table topper! After making the Railfence blocks, she decided it wasn't long enough but hadn't enough fabrics left to cut strips so we did 9 patches... not quite enough of those either.. hence the two Churndash blocks... I reeeeeally like this quilt, I love it when we improvise!

I know haven't mentioned everyone... not too much time for taking pictures, lots of fun all day though... perfect!
I bet you can tell this post is a little bit rushed? I have to go to Leek Show in a few minutes..... I hope the weather hold up for it!

Lilly Pots @ Angie Quilts

Lilly painted a new quilty biscuit plate... t'will be placed in Kettle Corner, with biscuits on it of course, at each quilty meeting in the Quilt Cave, fabulous!
Here's a small selection of the latest hand painted mugs....Once painted they have to be fired. The worst thing is waiting for the oven to cool down before we can open the door.... whilst waiting though, I feel like a kiddie waiting for a special cake to be ready, he he he.
Lilly has lots of orders now, we had to buy the blanks in bulk already... wooohoooo. A huge thank you to all of you who sent good wishes to Lilly, it was very kind of you and very much appreciated.

Caverswall Quilt Cave

A busy and productive Wednesday in the Quilt Cave.... Helen has finished her wall hanging top, woooohooooo... click on the picture and have a closer look... See the writing in the banner 'St. Augustine's'... Helen did that with the darning foot and free motion!!! she has never done it before... (granted, she didn't breath much while she did it!! he he he) isn't it brilliant? This picture was taken as she was making her sandwich, even the safety pins co-ordinate perfectly!

Joan The Shop had us in stitches laughing, she continued adding the applique characters from Peppa Pig, but she kept losing legs and shoes and the odd eye... oh.... you really had to be there to hear Joan's despair, ha ha ha ha.

Irene couldn't resist joining us, the tables won her over. She's had this quilt ready for a sandwich for years but couldn't face the thought of 'the floor' he he he. She got in some funny positions on top of the 6 tables so that she could reach the middle but refused to allow pictures of her up there... 'tis done now and ready to quilt.

This was Laura's first time so it's a Rail Fence quilt in the making. Red dotty fabric with white-ish cream and denim... the denim was a pair of her dad's jeans, but he doesn't know yet!
I hope he doesn't read this... what are the chances?

Jenny (my fun partner in crime with kettle corner at at SPQ) is doing a mystery quilt... not your ordinary mystery where you don't know what you will make until you've made it... the mystery in this case?... Jenny started this quilt over 4 years ago and has forgotten, not only how to do it but also, what it should look like!... tee hee

Irene, on the other hand is doing a real live mystery, you can see it

here..It's finished now but you could still follow the stages. Irene had to decide which setting she liked best... sooooo many to chose from... I think this was the final choice.

Gilly worked on her quilting, tying off the ends and listening to the 'pop' as the knot 'plips' into the fabric... I love that sound, don't you?

Jenny and Irene, with the help of Shirley Lerly, spent ages trying to decide on a setting for this 'special' mystery quilt... I am not sure anything won, but that was not through lack of trying... this looks good but I am quite sure it didn't win.

This is also one of Irene's projects, wow she is going to get good use out of our tables. Three projects all almost finished...

It seems like lots of people are put off from making bigger quilts just because of making (or rather, not making of) the sandwiches... I feel like I'm coming to the rescue of the big quilt!!! ha ha ha

Shirley Lerly quilted the final diagonal lines on her Pineapple Blossom quilt centre. This quilt is a gift and it needs to be finished... like, yesterday. Just the borders to go now so it is quite 'do-abubble', go for it Lerly!

That's all for this time. We meet again in Caverswall Village Hall on Friday, 30th, 10am - 3pm, if we remember to look at the clock! Kettle Corner will be open if you would like to visit and if it's anything like last week, it'll be a very busy kettle! he he he

Uttoxeter Quilt Class

AJ (Angela that's not me) has been busy.. she finished this Christmas wall hanging that she started last week. She's done free motion quilting all over the background...good for her... we have to practice at every opportunity you know
Giggly Gillian has done enough quilting to stabilise this quilt so she was able to add the binding, she will get it all stitched down then decide whether to quilt around the centre squares or not... great light on her Bernina, don't you think?
Once Gillian finished the binding she started on a Christmas wall hanging, just like AJ's. The best thing about groups is how we all inspire each other to make things. Gillian didn't expect to like doing applique, but she did... she kept saying it out loud "ooooh I like this"
AJ stitched the binding on her wall hanging then set the hand stitching to one side for homework. She's making a table set, mats and table runner, all in lovely fabrics to match her dinner service... (my dinner service doesn't even match, let alone the mats! ha ha ha) I hope you see other things that co-ordinate in this photo?
It was raining , so Messy Maureen was able to join us again. She has all her strip sets complete. After trimming them up them up as best I could they are now ready to have the 4 inch sashing added.. Maureen might do that at home, she's going to dig in her box of goodies for the right fabrics.
Jenni was with us too, she's working on her Chunky Churndash blocks, they are looking really good, hot orange colours... fabulous.
We will meet again next week , it will be August 3rd, nearly Christmas! he he he

Scrappy Bento Box

Bento Box is quilted. Free motion quilting uses soooo much thread, 5 and a half full bobbins for this quilt, goodness knows how much is used by those who do micro quilting? (Who is Goodness anyway, maybe we could ask her?? he he he)
The binding is cut and joined to make one long strip, it will be sewn on today. I'm going to try a different label method on this quilt as the binding is a bit too dark and busy for me to write on it with my Bernina alphabet..... haven't decided which label method yet though.... soooooo many to chose from!

Lilly Pots @ Angie Quilts

Elizabeth is not, and has never been, interested in patchwork, of course she loves the few I've made for her, the ones given as gifts and the many dotted around our home (believe me there are quite a few...) but they never inspired her to stitch anything. She loves to paint and to draw. For the last few days she's had her head stuck in my quilting books... made my heart skip, he he he. She was sketching and colouring for hours on end.
I present..... one of the first 'Lilly Pots'..... This particular mug is a 'large latte', I think they are fabulous, I would be so thrilled to own one of these.... (oh... I already do! ha ha ha) I'm rather bias, understandabubble isn't it, I'm her Mum. We've sold two mugs already... wooohooo.... to people we know, I expect they just wanted to help...bless em! .... he he he.
What do you think? Should Lilly continue to paint these mugs?

Caverswall Quilt Cave

From one extreme to the other... 16 of us in the Quilt Cave this time... everyone working on different projects. In no particular order here goes....
Annie played about with the layout of her Log Cabin blocks, then put them to one side... made her quilt sandwich and set to, quilting it, pretty pink thread on top and bright cerise pink on the back.. lovely.
Shirley had two quilts to sandwich, the blue and pink Log Cabin and this Pineapple Blossom, Gilly thought it looked so much like a stained window as it hung over the edge of the table... so this photo is taken from underneath the table, fabulous, and just like a window.
The hall for 15 minutes or so... just after the 'Mid-day Money Moment'... we were all gathered in the Lunch Lounge, laughing and giggling, we do have some characters you know!
Lauren finished her quilting, made binding, stitched it down and was horrified to discover the next step would be hand stitching, he he he. See that yellow thread she used to quilt with the pink backing fabric, love that!
Barbie Bunny is making this lap quilt as a gift, see how the fabric placement makes the rails look 3D. She finished this and added one of the 3 borders by the end of our day.
Joan The Shop got on very well with her newly discovered 'chain piecing', she finished all the stars in less than half the time of the first Peppa Pig quilt... she is working on the finishing touches now....
This is the first applique, Peppa Pig herself.. there's going to be butterflies and flowers and lots of Peppa's friends, all appliqued around the borders... maybe for next week?? ha ha ha
Laura machine stitched the border onto her Rail Fence quilt and left the hand stitching to be done at home. She couldn't wait to get started on this project. Rachel, her mum was cutting blocks to order while Laura sorted out the design, remember , she is only 14!
One of our new ladies... Margaret, was using a mixture of fabrics for her first project... and doesn't it look rich and luxurious? The centre fabric is silk, great colours... I think she is already bitten with the addiction, her satisfied smile told it all!! ha ha ha
Maid Marian has almost finished her Mat & Ruler bag, she'd done some fab quilting on the ruler pockets. During the day she stitched them to the bag, front and back with thin binding. The handles were carefully placed and stitched on.... just the two sides to stitch together now and she's done. Next Friday she will have moved into the new bag so she will have no excuse for forgetting her mat.... he he he
Helen did a fabulous job on this applique, I had to look really close to believe it was stitched as I thought she had drawn it! See the staff... that is done by hand, after struggling to get the machine to play nice with the metalic thread.... I am sooo impressed with this work, no pattern... all Helen's very own work... she must have an 'arty farty streak', don't you think?
Kate is one of our new ladies, though she is not a beginner, not at all. She is making a Big Quilted Panel Bag. It needs to have the handles made stronger, probably with webbing, because it's going to carry her sewing machine... Fun fabric! To line the bag, Kate has used some left over curtain lining, so far it is working a treat and has us all waiting to see the end result.
Gilly added her borders, pieced some wadding and made her sandwich. She's ready for quilting and will start it on Wednesday next week.
Another new lady, this is one of Maid Marian's friends... Pauline, she's never tried patchwork before but thoroughly enjoyed it. She brought in lots of funny shaped scraps that had been given to her previously so we couldn't cut strips for the Rail Fence... no problem, these 3 1/2" squares will be quilted next week and Pauline will start the Railfence too, because she wants to.
I think this is funny, she has just finished the largest quilt made so far in this club's history (which is only 6 months!) and now she makes the smallest! This is a dolly quilt.. a perfect size for practicing your free motion... this one was not sent to the long arm lady, Joan The Shop did it all by her very own self!
This is also Joan's work. She was shopping for her grand daughter, saw the price of a little patchwork dress and thought " I'm not paying that, I bet I could make one" ... so, after many, many hours, she now appreciates why it cost so much money to buy one, ready made, in the shop! I should mention that this is the second one, Joan has lots of little kiddies round her.. great grandkiddies too, and they all want one!

What a loooooong post... and I haven't even mentioned everyone!

Lilly Pots @ Angie Quilts

It's really hard to find employment, I am sure you all know that. My daughter (Elizabeth, known as Lilly) has had enough... being unemployed is not good for moral....
She is going to have a go at being self employed... good for her! She paints lovely watercolour greeting cards and wants to bring something new to the market... I can't show the cards until they are finished.... But....
We went to buy 'mug blanks' today, all shapes and sizes, easy as we live close to 'The Potteries'... (did I tell you that?) so, she's painting them with patchwork & quilty designs in hopes that the quilting community might be interested enough to purchase one... or two... I shall have my very own, hand painted 'Lilly Pot' mug as soon as they are cooked... you have to cook the ceramic paints you see. Lilly says it is really hard to paint fine lines with such 'gloopy' paints, she's getting used to them though. She will paint personalized mugs too..... I shall post about the progress from time to time... I have my fingers and toes crossed for her. Won't you cross yours too?

Caverswall Quilt Cave

Joan The Shop had the wonderful hall and yours truly all to her very own self for the whole day!! She was doing a happy dance when she finally stitched the last seam of this backing. Now this mammoth project (100" square) will be delivered to a long arm quilter and Joan can work on a smaller project... for a while... she has another big one planned to be started very soon.
Joan wants a quilted cover for her sewing machine (not to keep it warm either, her poor machine never stops working! ha ha ha) We decided to make a Big Quilted Panel Bag without the handles, brilliant!!... turn it upside-down and hey ho a sewing machine cover! These small pieces are great for practicing your free motion quilting or your walking foot skills. If you click on the picture you will see that Joan was practicing long ribbons and champagne bubbles.... We will trim up the pieces and finish this cover on Friday... Joan doesn't quite understand what I mean by a 'Y' seam so I will do a short demo to help her... everything is easier to understand when you see it happen before your very own eyes, don't you think?

Wednesday numbers are a big contrast to Fridays in the Caverswall Quilt Cave, this next Friday, 23rd, I have some more new ladies coming... we will be full to bursting at this rate, we can only accommodate 30 Quilters!! he he he.... Wooohooo! lots of quilty people playing together for a whole day of stitchy fun! Kettle Corner will be extra busy too!
Keep this in mind ladies (and gents) if you need extra help with your project, fewer people come on Wednesday... at least for now anyway... remember this post?