Stitching News

Inspired by the quilts people, including Julie her very own self, have been making with our lovely little 6" squares packs, Damm Julie arrived with new fairy fabrics, cut them up into squares, stitched them together, added borders, sandwiched and quilted AND added binding
A quilt in a day? Yup... toot toot toot!

Michelle My Belle had a tricky time choosing the outer border fabric for this little cute-y. One of the great things about having a sewing day inside a beautiful quilt shop, is that you have thousands of fabrics on hand to play with and to audition... there's always one in there somewhere! Toot toot toot, it's fabulous and finished... except for the little heart buttons

Left over fabrics have their uses outside of quilting too... Sheila opted to make this apron from the left over fabrics from her most beautiful poppy quilts.
My photo's of Sheila's Poppies are rubbish... the black background must be playing a trick on my camera... anyway, if you're going to Uttoxeter quilt show at the end of April, you will see for your very own self just how beautiful the quilts are.

Brenda Barbara is in the process of making a beautiful Batik waistcoat. She made an open sandwich (as there's only two layers, one Batik the other wadding) first of all, cut out oversized pattern pieces then quilted them. Once quilted Brenda could cut the pattern out properly and continue on her merry stitching way

Peggy sat stitching her binding down by hand for the morning session then put it all away to be finished at home and jumped into action piecing the necessary Charm squares to make a tote bag, based on the Big Quilted Panel Bag tutorial... which can be found on my side bar.

Josie had done most of her quilting as homework so she just needed to do the last bit of stitching on the border. She chose a lovely shell wiggle stitch, how technical a term is that! We moved on to trimming the crusts off and binding... a good afternoons stitching!

Stitching News, In A Flash...

Jean Bean made a sandwich with her most wonderful Batik Beauty.
She threatened to free motion quilt it too!

This is the splendid backing Jean Bean's made for her quilt.
The picture doesn't show how lovely and rich the colours actually are because of that beautiful sunny day  outside, but you get the idea and you just know there will be more pictures coming soon don't you.

Lynda finished adding her borders and made the perfectly purple sandwich...
at the same time she's working on another quilt...
a large one that will be joined appartment-ly

Little Annette made enough Railfence blocks now so she started to join them. She need to see how large the quilt centre will be before deciding whether she will want borders adding.

At the very same time Annette is making a dramatic heart cushion using the twister template. She had seen the one made by My Mum Gwynneth in that lovely little quilt shop in Cheadle!

Mystery Margaret finished two shirt fabric quilts... don't they look fresh?
I'm just hoping her hubby actually knows he has fewer shirts now?
Margaret quilted them beautifully with her darning foot and free motion.

Kate worked on her sixth and, she says it's her last, kiddy play mat using the pre cut 30 x 6" square packs that have been so popular of late from my little shop.

Marilla came to the Dresden Plate workshop recently...
all of this is hand pieced and will be hand quilted...
such beautiful fabrics and, what a clever idea to fussy cut the centre like that?

Just Edna's Stack-N-Whack Kaleidoscope blocks...
slowly turning into a quite amazing quilt top.

My Mum Gwynneth enjoys a challenge... so we challenged her!
Isn't this fabulous? It's a practice for the quilt I am wanting to make with the new Dutch fabrics.

Woooosh.... that's me rushing to open up Angie's Patchwork and Quilting shop..............

Playing With Dresden Rulers

PM Pam delighted me when she opened up this little treat... The latest Mile-A-Minute quilt Pam made is wider than a width of fabric (WOF). I almost always say that if you are going to join fabric for the back of your quilt... make it look fabulous... like it was the plan all along. I suggested that Pam join a few more scraps together to make a panel to insert through her backing fabric and she made this... how very clever!!! Pam joined bits using her Mile-A-Minute and Crumb piecing skills then used her new Dresden Plate ruler to cut the up again... how extremely novel and wonderful is that idea???... I'm thinking that I want to play doing that too!!

PM Pam's new Dresden Plate ruler is getting a lot of use, two fresh new cushions have been produced, both with zips inserted beautifully in the backs. Pam's experimenting with the centre circle sizes, she prefers the smaller and my favourite is the larger... Do you have a favourite? I bet if Pam made a Dresden Plate cushion for you, you would be happy with whatever size centre it had...

Booty-Full Ted

New Sue made this teddy after a special request from yours truly... I thought it might be fun to have a workshop for teddy making and then, what-da-ya-know... there was a pattern in the very next issue of the Love Quilting Magazine. Isn't he cute!! The fabric's from Jane in Eccleshall. We had to book two workshops because the first one filled up lickety-split! See some of my new fabrics just behind Booty-full Ted?

Stitching News

Poppy's Mum came back to visit... She made these fabulous cushion covers from the fabrics she had left from making the beautiful, double sided, bed scarf/runner. She gets inspiration from the book 'Pillow Pop'

Poppy's Nan made this beautiful blouse using rather gorgeous, Art Gallery fabric, purchased from my lovely quilt shop. My picture doesn't show off the shape very well so I asked that next time, Poppy's Nan could wear, and therefore, model her new clothes... it didn't go down well! ha ha 

Just in time for our upcoming Crumbs with Mile-A-Minute workshop... on Saturday this week, Morning Judith brought in her fabulous and almost finished quilt top. There will be a couple more borders added yet. Judith thought it might inspire you to try this method of using up your little scraps, funny shapes, thin strips and all. Did you note that Judith made mini blocks for corner stones too?

Dotty Maureen started this doggie quilt last Friday at Friday Quilt Club.
Each Friday my classroom is open for you to stitch the day away, 10-3pm
One week later and the binding was stitched on to the lap sized quilt, it's ready for a fanfare. Toot toot toot, Dotty's quilt is fabulous and finished,
hope your dogs love it!

 After impressing the new Daddy by including an 'away strip' grey inner border, Barbie added the last white border to this baby play mat, sandwiched it and started the quilting. It's feeling quite easy to quilt for Barbie as it is a tiny quilt compared to her last few projects.

Sporty sue, armed with a plethora of little rulers, continued making blocks from the Jelly Roll Sampler book. She's enjoying the challenge of making each block different. Sooner or later... they will become a quilt, I wonder how many blocks Sue will make?

I've just added a few more workshops to the list. Details can be found by clicking on the tab at the top of this page.

Stitching News

Josie joined us to learn the basics of patchwork and quilting. The Railfence blocks are very forgiving, making them perfect for beginners... they are very "fudge-abubble"... Not that Josie needed to fudge much, her quilt top turned out great and she went home with a sandwich to be quilted for homework... only because she wanted homework though.

Brenda Barbara had us in stitches... she had decided to make a bag using a recently purchased Amy Butler pattern... chatting and giggling at the same time as precision cutting led to some marvellous patchwork bag lining pieces! 
No-one will ever know... 
just you, because I told you but keep it to your very own self eh!

Wow... even though this is a rubbish photo, you should be able to see how fabulous this poppy wall hanging is. Sheila has actually made two of them, they are slightly different and equally stunning... The pins are holding the Faux Piped Binding in place ready for the last bit of stitching... it's a fiddly method but gives stunning results.

Michelle My Belle decided to challenge her very own self by making a few tricky blocks... unaided! Obviously, she has great piecing skills because it was a very successful challenge! All these fabrics (and many many more) are availabubbble from Angie's Patchwork and Quilting Shop 

My shop sells pretty buttons too!! Oooops... advertising again
This most wonderful block was also made by Michelle My Belle using one of the Art To Heart books, I think it was Angels Among Us. See the beautiful appliqué Michelle does, not to mention the free motion embroidery on those stems and leaves... that hold my lovely, tiny buttons!

Dutch Fabrics Arrived

Stitching News

Just Edna is a fan of pieced backings, me too!! How about you?
This is the Edna's latest quilt backing, a giant Log Cabin, to use up all the extra 'just in case' centimetres purchased... Fabulous isn't it!

Jeannette proudly showed everyone her Lone Star quilt top.
She was telling us of all the wonderful technics and tips she had picked up at the workshop last weekend... A dramatic selection of fabrics... seems any combination works with this design.

Chatty Cathy is hooked on Apartment Quilting and declared that it's the only way she will ever make larger quilts in future. With her Jelly Roll quilt centre done in four separate quarters, Cathy's now quilting each border strip. 

And just for fun... Jeannette couldn't quite reach the centre of her sandwich
... so, up on the table top she went!
"Bottoms up Jeannette!"

Simon Henry Workshop, Sneaky Look

Although it's mighty lot of days until our workshop with Simon Henry we are almost fully booked up.
Today he sent a picture of the project we will, hopefully, produce... Curved Piecing,Trapunto and free motion quilting, three lessons in the one workshop day. What a lovely guy to put such a plan together, especially for our very own selves!!! Oh boy am I looking forward to the day.

I have booked my very own self onto the Simon Henry workshop over in Stone with SPQ too, Friday 11th April... they still have places if you are interested, not the same project but one equally as brilliant I am sure!

Stitching News & Advertising!

Crumbs and Mile-A-Minute blocks made by PM Pam.
What a fantastic quilt top made from all the little pieces, wonky strips, miss cuts and strings left over from making other quilts
(and cushions... This is Pam we are discussing here! ha ha ha)
This beauty is ready to be sandwiched. 

Workshops for Crumbs and Mile-A-Minute blocks are on Saturday 1st March plus one in June if you would like to learn the art of making blocks from your scrap boxes.

Early Sue gets a toot toot toot for her fabulous and finished Dresden Plate cushion, with a perfectly inserted zip. Very pretty fabrics finished with lovely variegated thread and decorative stitching... pink too... so very Sue!

Poppy's Mum came to visit from far away
"It is half term, so you should have expected it" she said.
We get to see both sides of her delicious and delightful, double sided bed runner

Wow!! two very different designs, both equally stunning...
Toot toot toot Poppy's Mum...
 We love your double sided work of art!

I would like to mention, again... and I can because this is my very own blog after all... that all of these fabrics were purchased from my very own Patchwork and Quilting shop which has been open for two whole years already and I am still so very proud of it. Pop in any time you're passing, you will love it too... ha ha ha

Stitching News

A new baby needs a new quilt. Daddy is a football fan and decided that his new baby son needs brainwashing educating about which team he will follow.
Great Grandma is very happy to help new Daddy with this...
Barbie's original design, made with New Daddy's old supporting shirt.
 New Mummy wanted an Eau De Nil theme!

Jeannette is 'thrilled to bits' with her Lone Star project.
Started on Saturday at Dotty's workshop and finished by Monday morning. She came to buy the binding fabric! No moment wasted for Jeannette

Cynthia started a new project. After mooching around the beautiful fabrics available in my very own quilt shop, she eventually settled on these two and made a test block for the Pineapple Blossom, with top tips, so it turned out perfectly.

Morning Judith finished her last few fabulous, paper pieced, boat blocks and, as you can plainly see, stitched them all together. There's a plan for the borders but we are waiting for the fabric to arrive from Moda.

Giggly Gillian's quilt is coming along a treat. Each floral block had a tiny Suffolk Puff stitched to it's centre, which looks quite lovely. Borders were stitched on, eventually measuring through the centre!! These borders will be made scalloped, I've never done that before so it will be interesting.

Rose has been enjoying making Hexagons while watching TV of an evening. She had no plan, just kept stitching and joining... so we had a little conflab to share ideas... I'm not sure there's a definite plan yet but at least Rose has a few to choose from.

PM Pam's now learned the importance of a very, very accurate 'scant quarter inch' seam. The more complex the designs the more accuracy is needed. She also learned some top tips for making tricky bits work! This Lone Star, made with beautiful Batik fabrics, could make an extremely huge cushion, Pam?

Gail was tucked into making more Jacob's Ladder blocks for the morning, in her beautiful blue fabrics. She had a friend pop into my shop to request a little girl gift quilt so, Gail dropped everything and made a start, these are the test blocks, they passed the test and more will be made, lick-etty-split!