The Drinking Quilt

Sometimes a finished quilt will be much too big for us to get a good picture of it inside my very own quilt shop... Jean Bean's is one of the lucky quilts that was finished and ready for a Toot toot toot fanfare on a beautiful sunny day, so we were able to take it outside

My disabled access ramp comes in very handy for just such an occasion doesn't it.

I present to you "Jean Bean's Drinking Quilt"... Why "Drinking Quilt"? Click on the picture and you will see that one side of each Log Cabin block has rows of beautifully colourful bottles...  

Jean had an idea to make a rather girly and quite pinky-pink quilt for her daughter, but when lovely daughter arrived to choose her fabrics... she spied the bottle fabric and declared how much fun it would be to have a 'Drinking Quilt'... so the plan was made... each bottle repeat cut needed to measure 2 3/4" so that gave Jean her strip and, of course, her block size... large Log Cabin blocks go together really quickly. Toot toot toot Jean Bean, tis really rather splendid.

New Sue's Kaleidoscope Quilt

New Sue's Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope Quilt is finished, label and all. What a stunning quilt it is too. The red strips on the sashing measure only 1/4", exactly and precisely! They bring everything together beautifully... like adding salt and pepper to your dinner... just a tiny bit but it makes all the difference. Sue stitched amazing quilting, which I am hoping you'll be able to see in detail if you click on the picture... thank goodness for 'points and bellies'. Sue pieced and quilted the centre of the quilt then added the border fabrics and wadding, which she then quilted too...
Toot Toot Toot New Sue, an absolutely beautiful Quilt!

Stitching News

Sometimes it's fun to make a very small stitching project... especially when it's as useful as a pincushion... Cynthia made this one for her very own self using the Cathedral Window block. A few special friends will be receiving pin cushions just like this one throughout the year

Chris finished stitching on her borders. She added corner stones too. There was just enough time to piece a backing, using the left over strips, and to make a sandwich... it's ready for quilting now...
Cute-e-tty Cute fabrics eh!

PM Pam had been busy over the weekend. One more finished quilt top, single bed size plus a bit. This is a great design for when you don't want to cut your fabrics up too small.

On the back Pam used left over fabrics to add the lucky little lady's name, frame it then stitch it into the backing fabric. Pam will take this quilt to Caverswall to make a sandwich next week... thank goodness for all the tables we have availabubble there!

Our newly re-named 'Lady Judith' ( was Afternoon Judith) finished these two cushions and then set to work making her 9" Pineapple Blossom blocks... they're for a quilt that's to be gifted for Christmas... 2012.. so it's a little late already, he he he.

Margaret had attended the Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope this last Saturday and popped in to show us that she's been doing her homework. She's pleased to have mastered lining up all the points in the middle using the very clever 'top tips' she picked up at the workshop.

Ann Baker wanted a super sized table runner made with these four blocks. I couldn't figure out the mathemisms for the setting triangles with borders at first so we set the blocks out on my lovely white tables, took a ruler and pencil and drew the tricky bits... onto the table tops... thank goodness for Cif!
Didn't we do well, this design is a keeper!

Princess Jackie's Stitching

Princess Jackie is chief catering manager at her local cricket club (I think she makes the tea and sandwiches) She says she started making the Hexagons to occupy herself whilst waiting for the cricket chaps to play their game... looks like a lot of waiting doesn't it. Production has slowed down of late though, as Jackie finds herself enjoying watching the matches.
It's a huge quilt and will have pale blue Half Hexagons for the border...
See what can be made with time that could have been wasted?

This is another of Jackie's projects, a lovely quilt to be gifted, I think it only took one week from start to finish... The pattern was taken from one of the Jelly Roll books

Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope Workshop

Another fun Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope workshop. More amazing result from beautiful fabrics. Thank goodness for flower head pins!!

Fantastic results as always and Everyone went home happy... that's the most important thing isn't it?
I have plans to do another Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope workshop in early Autumn.
Have you tried it yet?

Stitching News

Annette came for a beginner class last week, booked for half a day... stayed a full day!  Before a week was up she came back for more... Welcome to the "dark side" Annette... it's fun over here!!! She took her Railfence table runner home sandwiched and ready to quilt.

Wendy, even though she has a tall pile of quilts waiting to be quilted at home, has started another project, sumptuous fabrics don't you think? I wonder where they were purchased?

This may very well look like Helen's table from last week but there's been loads of  chain stitching happening so most of this is stitched together... Helen had completed most of the blocks by home time.

Chris The Foot is working her way through all the blocks needed for this quilt. She has to be very careful as the fabrics all have a directional print and need to be the right way up. Lots of the ladies have this Clarice Cliffe fabric so they're eagerly waiting to see what Chris's quilt looks like finished.

Irene's twinkly quilt... there's shiny glitter all over the fabrics making it very eye catching. Irene's going to be adding another border or two before it's sandwiched.

An Anniversary Bunting Flag made by Chatty Cathy. We have a little money pig in the kitchen at my very own quilt shop, 50 pence for a hot drink... what a brilliant idea for a flag... no prizes for guessing that Cathy is a retired accountant!! ha ha ha

Foxy Margaret made an Anniversary Bunting flag too, shiny silver bias binding makes it very eye catching.

Sheila came to play too... she's finished her very posh luggage labels/tags and has one in training hooked to her sewing machine trolley bag... I'm guessing we will be seeing more trolley bags with posh tags in the future... 

Tooting The Spinning Quilts

Every one of these small quilts is so very different... This one belongs to Angela... a third Angela, at one time we were all in the shop at once! The workshop was called 'Spinning Springtime' because it is almost Springtime... everyone had their own ideas on colour scheme... Good old PMS, Pleasing My Self!... it's great to see them coming back finished

New Sue's Spinning Springtime is also beautiful. Made with fabulous Moda Batiks, the green represents muddy grass, very much normal for spring time... the yellow?... daffodils, of course... they're on their way out of the ground right now and, as the nights draw out, it makes you feel great doesn't it. Sue's going to make a quilt for every season.

Celebration Bunting Flags

Bunting flags are slowly rolling in and boy are they fabulous... every one different... I am so very chuffed with them... I will be hanging the best bunting in the world to celebrate my Patchwork and Quilting Shop's First Anniversary wont I? They're all the same size... my pictures make some look smaller than others... Take a look...

Stitching News

PM Pam, Our Cushion Queen, finished her Spinning Springtime Workshop quilt.... I know it's Christmas fabrics...  really, there's nothing like being prepared. A trumpet tooting fanfare is well deserved... this is such a fun quilt to make.   

Lady Judith finished her  Spinning Workshop quilt quilting and added red binding. There's a bit of hand sewing to do for the back of the binding but it can be done at home... Judith had other stitching to do in class.

Jean Bean stitches for miles before reaching a corner...
She finished the centre quilting so was able to 'stitch in the ditch' of her inner borders...
I think Jean only just realised how long her quilt sides actually are!

Ann decided to make a huge table topper quilt with her left over fabrics... buying way too much fabric on purpose is always a good plan!
This is one of 4 x 12" blocks that Ann needs for the main part. 

PM Pam is chuffed to bits with her new found crafty skills... a small version of the Mat And Ruler Bag tutorial could be used for a tiny mat... or a Kindle or... an IPad... and why not?

This quilt top belongs to a customer who pops in from time to time from waaaay down south... isn't it beautiful?! It's an Australian design and the pattern was purchased at the NEC quilt show last year.
The fabrics are all from My Very Own Quilt Shop... did I mention my quilt shop?? he he he

Jean Bean enjoys making little Post Cards... they are very much fun to make, send and to receive... We had a few Post Card swaps over the years but not for quite a while now... maybe it's time for another?

1 Whole Year, Already?

It's almost a year since my very own patchwork and quilting shop opened it's doors... I took delivery of the keys from my landlady on the 17th February 2012 at 10am. Take a look at the very beginning here.
 I know we all already know that time flies when your enjoying yourself but goodness... it's passed at a turbo charged rate for me.
Yesterday I visited the trade show... when I went last year I was making plans and choosing what things I needed to open up with... This year I arrived with a list of things I wanted/needed to see. Now, realistically... there isn't actually an awful lot of space left in my shop, a couple of tiny bits of wall and one small nook... I hope that's enough space to house my huge new display for a full range of cotton thread and a new twirling book stand full of new books and... aaaaaaaall the fabric I just had to order!!

I hope you've had fun planning your anniversary bunting flags if you picked up a blank one from my very own self... only two weeks before I will need to have them delivered so I can stitch them together into bunting in readiness for My Shops 1st Anniversary open day, with cake. Remember... each finished flag will win you one entry into a rather fun raffle.

Pin Cushion Desk Tidy Workshop

An extreeeeemly fun workshop... look what the ladies made...

Looking from the left, all exactly the same...

... from the right, but all completely different.

Head on... and don't they just look wonderful!

Lots Of Stitching News

My Mum Gwynneth has always been fascinated with patchwork  that gives the illusion  of 3D. Even before she was a quilter when she went to quilt shows just to keep me company. These blocks are tricky to piece, much accuracy is needed and the placement of each fabric is crucial to make the design work... but she's sticking with them.

Helen decided to 'kit up' all of her blocks before she does any stitching. Cutting out is not her favourite thing to do so she wanted to get it over and done with. She's actually not much in love with piecing either but copes better when she can chain piece... Quilting is Helen's most favourite part of the process.

Wendy was given a Jelly Roll when she subscribed to one of the  British magazines last year and the centre of this project was made from it. Wendy has continued to make scrappy Hour Glass blocks and Wonky Stars since finishing the centre... now it's time to bring it all together... I know 'scrappy' and wonky' are not to everyone's taste... but I love it!

Just Edna came to play at Caverswall Quilt Cave, she wants to finish her stunning Kaleidoscope Stack-n-Whack quilt before Caravanning Season starts... very soon now... Edna's blocks are all pieced and, after a little trimming, she can start to sash them together.

Teeny-tiny Hexagons made by Sheila. That's a British twenty pence piece on the left and a five pence piece on the right... I thought it would help you to see just how tiny-teeny the hexagons are.
They will be made into an extreeeeemly posh luggage tag for Sheila's cruise... turns out, after my last post about Sheila's luggage tags, that there are quite a few local lasses going on the same ship... 'twill be a hoot!... I wonder... Will Sheila's luggage tags be the poshest??

Annette came to learn 'how to' so she's making a Rail fence Table Runner. She chose these rather beautiful Moda French General fabrics, I have quite a lot of them on My Very Own Shop... here Annette was auditioning a few border fabrics, she did actually choose the ones you see.

Barbie has been piecing night and day to get this quilt made. Lots of small Pin-Wheels for the centre with a wide border of appliqué vines and flowers... the borders still need their appliqué to be stitched but... because Barbie was able to use PMS... Pleasing My Self... we sandwiched the whole, unfinished lot... Barbie machine quilted the centre with diagonal lines... now she will stitch 24-6 to get the appliqué, establishment flowers and  border quilting and binding finished for Friday this week!! 24 hours a day for 6 days... who needs sleep anyway! lets see if she does it, My fingers are crossed Barbie!

Chris The Foot finished her Bed Scarf a few weeks ago but  this was her first chance to make the sandwich... it's a lot bigger than it looks in this picture. Chris made the centre from two Charm Packs of Independence Trail fabric from Moda.

Wendy sandwiched her fabulous Lone Star quilt. She did decide not to make into a square quilt, as you can see... sometimes not reading a pattern properly can pay off! It is surely a great quilt to make as a table topper for a round table isn't it?