My Christmas Present Reveal

"What would you like for your Christmas gift this year?"
"I would like a small gift of time, please" 

At Close of business on Saturday 20th, I started to move fabrics from shelves and displays... thank goodness for my lovely trolleys... to make way for the new shelves... Thank goodness for Ikea!!
Fabrics were piled up everywhere, not to mention buttons, patterns, ribbons, Jelly Rolls etc

See, only a few hours of humping, shifting, deciding and mind changing and all was sorted... I lie a little now as the rest of the shop looks like we had a weekend bazaar!
You won't be able to find anything when you pop in next year!!

Merry Christmas...

Merreeeey Chriiiistmaaaas... 
Wait 'til you see what I had for my Christmas!
I will have to show you later though... I have too many things to do and I have places to go right now...

Happy Holidays

It's time for me to take a break

From blogging for a while

Just to give me chance to do

A list of things, numbering twenty two, (for rhyming purposes)

Clocking up those queuing miles

With everyone else, I now have piles

Of wrapping and sorting and labels to write 

The weather's predicted, 

Christmas will not be white

I'm almost done with festive preparation

And I wish us all, as a fabulous nation..

A Happy Holiday and sewing vacation!! 

Stitching News

That's in then, The final Friday Quilt Club in My very own classroom, for 2014, has happened and it was a hoot. It's amazing, when you think about it, just how many subjects of conversation can be covered in one day and almost every one ends in fits of giggles... happy days!

Louise finished a few final rows of quilting, trimmed off her quilt crusts, made miles of binding and got it all stitched on... Lou Lou's no fan of hand stitching so we stitched the binding to the back of her quilt so that it could be pulled round to the front to be machine stitched. Matching nails are not compulsory but do look fabulous eh!!

Barbie has made about two thousand Chunky Churndash blocks and an equal amount of Hour Glass blocks, so it was time to start joining a few. We decided that Barbie's best option was to make up 9 Patches to make it easier for her to follow the design when she got home and, by George, she got it!

Mystery Margaret added both inner and outer borders to her quilt centre... it's Margaret's very own design as she loves to make it up as she goes along... PMS (Pleasing My Self) is very much encouraged, as you will surely have noticed by now. All left over fabrics will be made into matching cushions. 

 Once again I only have a few photos to share... not because of secret sewing this time... I just didn't remember well about taking them!...
A bit like forgetting really... ha ha ha
Our next Friday Quilt Club date is 9th January 2015 it sounds such a long time away doesn't it...

Stitching News

How very exciting... Diane finished her crash-course, Railfence table runner... well, all but the hand stitching on the binding that is... but that's a job for homework and .. why would you sit hand stitching binding... 

When you could wander around in my very own shop and choose fabulous fabrics for a fabulous new project? Aren't these new fabrics just wonderful, It's a panel 'About A Boy' with some of the co-ordinators... I have them all in stock!
Can you guess what Di will be doing over the holidays?

Merrily almost finished her wall hanging, she only needed to add binding to that centre block to call it done but, as you can see... she's decided to complicate matters, in good old Merrily style... she's adding wide borders, turning it into a lap quilt/sofa throw! Thank goodness for apartment quilting.

Di Butterfly spent her morning in top gear, with full speed ahead stitching... she had started this quilt months ago but had been distracted by other, easier, projects... realising that she had made the label in advance... with the date included, 2014... Di knew that the quilt had to be finished this year... and there's not much of it left!! 

My Rebel Josie came to play... she planned to sandwich this terrific teddy quilt but had forgotten her pins... not a problem as Josie always brings more than one project to work on... you can see this teddy quilt is going to be amazing can't you... it's a Kids Quilts pattern, just one of lots I have to choose from

This is Josie's next project... A double Wedding Ring, thank goodness Jenny Barlaston was on hand to help Josie... I have never made one you see but lucky for Josie... Jenny has all the top tips.

Stitching News

Princess Jackie's fabulous and finished, commission quilt.
If you remember, Jackie recently gave a very similar quilt to a charity auction... it raised a lot of money and Jackie found herself taking orders for more, how funny...
Toot toot toot Jackie, it's another beauty.

More stockings have been completed. Gail made this particular pair and she's thrilled with them... well... they are rather fabulous, and finished! Toot toot toot Gail

New Sue purchased this pattern on a recent trip to the USA.
She only just came back and, Lick-etty-Split it is almost finished.
By the end of the day It had binding sewn on too.

We had our Christmas party yesterday... it was such a lovely day and it marks the beginning of the Holiday wind down for my little but lovely and rather fabulous, very own, patchwork and quilting shop. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas round here... sewing prevention season is here!!! ha ha ha. Classes run as normal for today and Friday Quilt Club is fully booked for stitching fun. My shop is open until 2pm on Saturday 20th December... after that you will have to make an appointment via email or call me... should you find your very own self with a thread or fabric emergency.... you know I will try to help you.

Fabulous And Finished

There are lots of secret sewing projects being finished in my very own classroom this week... some are extremely top secret so I can't show them to you
but there are still many for you to be inspired by

It's Toot Toot Toot time for Krafty Karen... she beat the ticking clock! All three of her Christmas gifting quilts are fabulous and finished in good time for wrapping up. 

There was a label making session in my very own classroom this week. Karen's Juki HZL 600f has lovely alphabet fonts, so the job was easy. 
Using a good quality cotton fabric she used our new iron on, tear away stabiliser... it was ever so successful and easy to use.
All of Karen's quilts were made with 7" Squares so every one is exactly the same...

Except that they are completely different at the very same time!!! ha ha ha
Karen's lucky nieces are surely going to love their new quilts... snuggling up on their sofas will forever be a lovable and luxurious thing to do.
Toot toot toot Krafty Karen... your quilts are fabulous, finished and now... famous!!! ha ha ha

Stitching News

Just Edna hasn't quite finished piecing her blocks but wanted to make a start on joining some together and, by George  she loves how it's shaping up... she soon buckled down to making more, she's feeling very inspired

Annbacan, as predicted, has a long list of people wanting her to make Coiled Fabric Pots for them... same with Ann's stockings...

These should be Ann's last few stockings... but, I'm thinking, there's time for more requests yet... but for now, they are fabulous and finished so we can toot toot toot the fanfare

Jeannette Dilly is making great progress with her Papa's Diggers appliqué blocks, she even joined some together... it's great fun and will make a large-ish quilt... Jeannette was very proud of her traffic lights.

Diane has treated her very own self to a crash course in patchwork and quilting. Three full days and homework done in between should see this brilliant beginner project finished in good time for the sewing prevention season

Wooops... right at the last minute...
Fruity Rose is making wonderful winter-y place mats... We love the Ohio Start block.... sometimes, when you are stitching in a hurry, these things happen It's easy to put right though and the star block is looking fabulous

Stitching News

Princess Jackie was our first booking in to make her delightful quilt sandwich

Followed by Fahmida's giant quilt, 2.4 metres square so it had to be sandwiched in two stages, thank goodness for our Sandwich Saturdays!! 

Stephanie Iceland made a memory quilt sandwich it has lots of interesting photos done on the Photo Fabric... (available you know where!)
I forgot to take a picture of Louise's sandwich, but it was fabulous too.

Christabelle popped in to show us her finished and fabulous projects...
this charming chicken is a weighty fellow and will be used as a door-stop in his new home

A festive banquet will look fabulous with the new table mats Christabelle made for gifting...

Barbie's Chunky Churndash blocks are adding up... a way to go yet but she's on a roll!

Sporty Sue is quilting her super sampler... free Motion stitching in the ditch!!!

There you go... stitching news in brief... where is all the time going??

Covering Books

There are lots of gifts being made in the various classes. One of the lovely things about stitching in company is that you get to share ideas and pinch ideas, ha ha ha... it's all allowed in my very own classroom. Jenny Barlaston has been making covered books for many years, they are great little fundraisers for school sales. This year Jenny excelled herself and made some of the most beautiful book covers... applique and fancy stitches, embellished and all... I can't show them though as they are secret gifts

Maid Marion had a private little tutorial with Jenny and made these stripy book covers, with fancy stitches to embellish them

Lick-etty-split... My Mum Gwynneth went through the door, purse in hand... she came back with several books and set about rooting through my very own scrap bags and everyone's wadding scraps... she's very excited about making them... more on the progress later...

Stitching News

Josie, not my rebel... it's a different one, almost finished her lovely Railfence table runner, I think you can just about see that there's a little more hand stitching to be done in the binding... Josie's loving Patchwork and Quilting

Di Butterfly finished her fabulous Christmas gifting stocking... toot toot toot
Now she just needs to purchase a few bits and bobs to fill it with and she's all ready for sewing prevention season!

Auntie June just needs to stitch the handles in place for her very own mat and ruler bag to be finished. She learned a lot making this simple and extremely useful bag... tutorial at the top of my blog, should you want to make one for your very own self

Our Sheila has finished all of her Quilt-As-You-Go blocks so we cleared a little space and played with setting ideas... you can't really see them here because these are the backing fabrics... you'll have to stay suspence-d to see the front!

It's getting tricky to take pictures for sharing... there's a lot of secret sewing going on!!
Are you going to meet your targets for 2014's end? Guess who is miles away from hers...

Fabulous And Finished

My Mum Gwynneth finished her seasonal wall hanging...
A wintry theme, so it can be used for a longer time.
You can almost hear those Robins singing can't you...
Toot toot toot Mum, it's a very lovely finish

Princess Jackie finally made her peace with the Foundation Paper Piecing Daemon.
He's well worth the battle though. just look at those long, slender pointy-points!!
Such a beautiful table topper, especially for a round table... toot toot toot Jackie

Jean Bean finished her stocking marathon by the end of the day... she loved making them, every one... they don't have to be made in festive fabrics.... Jean suggests we start making Easter Gifting Stockings... how do you feel about that I wonder?
Toot toot toot Jean, your stockings are fabulous... I'm thinking...
only a quilter could say that without winking!!!

Fabulous And Finished

Just Jan finished her huge quilt.
The design is based on an Asian Carpet and was doodled on a scruffy piece of paper by Jan... all by her very own self! What a clever lady eh...

Even the back is amazing... Toot toot toot Just Jan your quilt is Fabulous and Finished in good time for Christmas gifting...

Also fabulous and finished is this Aga door opener...
Using a few layers of wadding and the heat resistant stuff, Insul Bright... this fiery image should stop that dear Uncle from burning his hands??...

And if the fire appliqué doesn't drop a hint!!! ha ha ha
Toot toot toot for Jan's small, but fabulous, finish...
 Finished fanfares...  because A finish, is a finish!

Christabelle finished her bag... sort of her very own design after being inspired by a bag Longport Lynda made. Christabelle used our Thermolam wadding... it's great for making stiffer bags! Toot toot toot Christabelle

Just Edna made the cutest little dog...
He looks like he's wearing his pyjamas doesn't he...
A fabulous finish for yet another toot toot toot!!

Stocking And Baubles Workshop