Friday 31 January 2014

Hand Pieced, Hand Quilted

Jeanette's perfectly purple quilt, as I wrote in the title, it's all been done without a sewing machine. Cardboard templates, lines drawn, cut out with scissors and hand stitching, quilting included. She chose these fabrics out of the recent 'Sale Fabric' trolley... boy, has she made them look good!!

Thursday 30 January 2014

Stitching News

Penelope Baskerville is quilting her fabulous Kaleidoscope, Stack-N-Whack quilt... She usually packs it away before I remember my camera, but this week I was on the ball... 
Fran Cup Cake's quilt started with the desire to make Log Cabin blocks.
After seeing a picture in this book called Little Quilts she went on to make other fabulous blocks. Now it's almost a lovely Lap quilt... just a decision on borders.
Giggly Gillian chose most excellent fabrics for the borders on her Hunter's Star quilt. See how she fussy cut the strips from the Moda William Morris fabrics? Lovely...
Lovely Lyn made these appliqué flowers then wondered what she would make with them... do you ever work that way? I know I do... We came up with a lovely idea and you will see that come to life next week... unless Lyn changes her mind... which is very much encouraged in our PMS classes (Pleasing My Self)
This is the back of Morning Judith's quilt. I wanted you to see her fabulous free motion quilting. Judith confirmed my thoughts and what I tell everyone... Practice makes perfect and the more you do the better it gets...
PM Pam has her Square Dance table topper quilted. The Faux Piped Binding is on and pinned in place. She will stitch that at home as it needs great concentration to get it perfect... that's not the real reason... she wanted to work on something else really Ha ha ha

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Fanfare For A Finish

Toot toot toot for your fabulous and finished Pineapple Blossom quilt, Lady Judith!!
Started only on the 19th December last year... which sounds like an age ago... we are talking about a few weeks really but we've had a whole sewing prevention season to suffer within those weeks.
It's a huge quilt and it's another that will be gifted, right now!
The only trouble with larger quilts is getting a good photograph of them in my little quilt shop!
It's not so little really, but there are no areas unused for stock! ha... we love that when we are shopping but it gets in the way for shooting my piccies!...
Roll on brighter days so we can take the quilts outside to see their full beauty... or roll on a lottery win to build a larger shop? Note to self... to win you must purchase a ticket!

It's a fabulous quilt Lady Judith, well done you!
The pattern, should you want to make a Pineapple Blossom quilt for your very own self, can be found here

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Stitching News

Maid Marion made all twelve months of the calendar and the necessary numbers to complete every date of every year then gifted it for sewing prevention season (Christmas, if I dare mention it!)
What a wonderful present to receive!!!
I do believe we need a trumpet fanfare for a finish... toot toot toot maid Marion!
Chatty Cathy wanted to make a quick and easy project. She had a Jelly Roll and a picture from the internet so, we doodled, scribbled, calculated, debated measurements and fabric placement... we debated and doodled a lot!!! Once it was all clear, Cathy started sewing... can you see what it is yet?
Joan The Shop continues with her cushion making. Family saw her beautiful Batik cushions and put in their very own orders! Joan's using a Moda Charm pack for these lovelies, Did I mention how much we are loving making these Dresden Plate cushions!! he he he
The one on the left needs a toot toot toot because it's fabulous and it's finished!

Monday 27 January 2014

Stitching News

Jean Bean had a lovely surprise... she had thought that she needed lots more of her lattice blocks making but on checking the pattern she found that she was on the home straight with only a few more needed... looking great Jean!
Chris The Foot started a new project... her 17th Quick Table Topper.
Chris chose beautiful blues this time as this fabulous and fast project will be gifted, to folk with a blue room!
Lacey Anne made another floor... She's quite fascinated by tiled floors and finds it much fun to replicate them. This quilt will be gifted to the owners of the inspirational floor.
Di Butterfly made this little Amish based quilt so that she could hand quilt it. She did hand quilt the centre, so that was good practice... the rest is being quilted by machine... but Di's hands are still involved!!
Lyn Scatterpin carefully continued quilting one segment of her large quilt... there's no rush to get it finished and Lyn prefers to stitch steadily and accurately, there's less unpicking that way! ha ha
Jolly Jo came to play, we've missed her but a busy life takes over sometimes doesn't it. Not doing anything by halves, Jo traced a complex pattern of two thousand pieces, or there abouts! onto her sticky stuff, ready for the appliqué. You can just make out the design in the bottom right corner. 
Barbara BB decided to make a large tote bag using a Charm pack... we did this as a workshop a while ago and we plan to do it again... but for now Barbara is having a go with a few helpful hints along the way. The hardest part is choosing the order of the Charms! he he he

Sunday 26 January 2014

Sue's Tote Bag Workshop








Another great workshop with beautiful fabrics...most of them from my very own quilt shop!

Gail's Jacob's Ladder Blocks

Gail's making 9" Jacob's Ladder blocks with a delicious selection of blue fabrics with a silvery grey background. She's going to make lots more because there's quite a large quilt planned. There are enough completed blocks to start playing, in an effort to choose the favourite placement for them. Lots of designs once you start playing and switching them round... Just one block... so many patterns!



Saturday 25 January 2014

Stitching News

Princess Jackie ran up this "simple little quilt, nothing special"
Those are the words of her very own self!
Nothing Special? It's fabulous and it's finished, therefore it's special!
Toot toot toot Princess Jackie
"Quite Nice"... Princess Jackie again... Quite nice?
It's much more than that, don't you think?
From the Hunter's Star workshop with Dotty to an almost finished quilt top.
Loving those colours and fabric choices!
Rose, she of scone fame, started a new project.
She likes the Log Cabin blocks that Fran Cup Cake has been making so, inspired and raring to go, she made a sample block... there will be more!
PM Pam finished her Hunter's Star quilt top. For such a simple block (and it is simple once you know how) it makes an amazing design, don't you agree?
 I think we'll repeat this Hunter's Star workshop in the future.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Stitching News

Little Annette decided to make a large quilt with the Railfence blocks with a few metres of the last few fabrics we have on sale at £5.00 per metre. She used two and a half inch strips so it grew quite quickly.
My Mum Gwynneth made a new sample kiddy quilt to show off the latest 6" square packs we made. They're still 'Hot Cakes' in my little quilt shop, all cut ready for you to sew. There are plenty of things to talk about on this quilt with 30 different designs in the squares ... quite educational for baby's future!
Fran Cupcake has been making various blocks over the weeks... in between all of her other projects that is. Now there are sufficient blocks to start deciding how to place them... looking rather great eh!
Sandwich Saturdays are proving to be a big success. We've had bookings for every week so far, 6 on the last Saturday in fact. Stephanie Iceland layered her Purple Hunters's Star which was great as PM Pam came in with her blocks at the same time... great action picture, certainly colourful!
Just Edna made her sandwich too, this is a double sided quilt and we each chose our favourite side. The bag is my Birthday quilt, I couldn't really crop it out, did I mention I had a Birthday? he he he
Christabelle was the first sandwich of the day... this memory quilt has so many thoughtful things on it, from music, composers and instruments to hippos and wine bottle corks.... it's huge too!
While the tables were free, Just Edna got out her Kaleisoscope blocks. She wants to use them on point so we played with various settings... this one won!... now we need to do the mathemisms to get it all to fit and play nice.... when I say we... I mean me.

Monday 20 January 2014

Stitching News

Brenda Barbara made two fabulous cushion fronts from beautiful oriental fabric left overs. Each cushion front will be quilted... they phooof up lovely that way and look more luxurious to boot.
Sheila's in the process of quilting her fabulous Mile-A-Minute with Crumbs quilt. With no real pattern to follow it's easier to use an 'all over' design. It can be tricky to follow your idea with seams going in all directions so marking one or two lines is often a good idea. Sheila used a yellow Chaco marker.
Peggy is making a kiddy play mat style of quilt from her new book. The way it's pieced is very similar to the Railfence so she's feeling quite confident with what she's doing. 
I told you in a post last week, that Di Butterfly was making 100's of festive gift labels... boy was I wrong... she actually made miles of 'I want some too' bunting! he he he... what a great idea for the little strips of festive fun. Di bagged out and quilted each square then joined them all for bunting with the red bias binding. fabulous
Michelle My Belle stitched the last few pieces to her artwork then borders and quilting were completed... orders are flowing in for personalised pictures, Michelle had to start her very own blog! http://millymoodesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Dam Julie is enjoying making these festive bags. Four now finished there are two more to do. She's getting ahead for the next sewing prevention season... and you might well "tut" but you will be envious of Julie's foresight when it comes to that time... it's only about 300 days away

Sunday 19 January 2014

Older And Wiser?

Today is my very own Birthday.
I don't usually mention it when it occurs.. (actually I mentioned it every year, I just checked back... he he he) I have a birthday occurrence on an annual basis you see... but this time I am 50. I very much want to thank everyone who sent good wishes via text message, Facebook, email and snail mail and with beautiful cards, all full of lovely things written to make me feel loved and special... extreeeemely special actually and I'll say another thank you for the lovely gifts... I now smell fabulous, I'm not hungry and I have a room full of blooms amongst other things! Lucky me eh....
Then there's this...
A package with a pressie... just for me,
Oooh 'eck, I wondered, what could it be?
Quilting ladies had all conspired,
to make me a quilt and here we spy it.
Instigated, I'm told, by Jenny
Birthday wishes, there were many!
Tears of joy and disbelief
I pose for photos
all be it brief-ly.
A closer picture so you can see better
There are lots of 50's, in case I forget it
Thank you again for all the good wishes
I am now 50, it's wonderful this is!
OK so I'm no poet... but I am 50... and counting...
Happy Birthday to me!