Stitching News

Our Sheila finished all the hand stitching on her Quilt-As-You-Go, apartment joined Batik Beauty and I declare that it is Fab-u-lous and Finished Toot Toot Toot!!
I must stress that, even though it looks great here, it's even better in real life... 

This is the back, if there is indeed a back to this quilt? 
Sheila has agreed to allow her quilt stay in my lovely little quilt shop for a short while so that, should you wish to come to see it for your very own self, you can. 
Oh... lets just toot toot toot for the back too!

Di Butterfly is on an applique roll... these plant pots are not for growing mustaches though, he he he... they are the lovely leaves for pretty flowers. There will be a little hand embroidery too, at least for the stems. 

Josie Juki has been wanting to make new cushions for a while. With so many styles and colours of fabric to choose from in my very own shop, fabric choices were tricky... that huge decision has now been made!

Diane made a great backing and, because a few ladies couldn't get to us for the snow... there was room to make a sandwich. 
Di quilted the afternoon away, while the snow thawed! 
What a fabulous quilt... baby arrived already... so there's not too much pressure Di!

Fahmida couldn't get the tension right on her new sewing machine while she was practicing her free motion quilting... So she purchase another new machine... a tad extravagant? Yes! It didn't make any difference, didn't solve the problem at all.  
So she booked a class to get help. The problem was soon sorted out with a new needle and different, good quality thread... sometimes you just need the right tools for the job... she practiced, and did ever so well.

A Tiny Bite Of Stitching News

Rose's piles are growing! She's been making these lovely blocks for a while and soon, very soon, I think we will be spreading them out and having a good look at the plan. Rose is following a pattern from a book... which always helps.

Giggly Gillian continued with her lovely Teddy Quilt. She played with her stitches and decided to use a blanket stitch for her edges... we love 'sticky stuff' applique! Gillian is going to change thread colours as necessary, which always looks great.

We had a busy day and, as I have said before... two pictures are better than no pictures!!

Stitching News

Just Edna, as you can see on her ruler, has started a new project. Beautiful shades of blue and grey will make half square triangle string blocks... but they are just the background for Hexagons... more next week... I expecting that you'll be curious?

Just Jan finished her beautiful bed runner with the twist and turn hearts... she decided to go with only the two twister hearts in the sashing... doesn't it look great... the back has had all the left overs incorporated too, all the tiny, little bias cut squares!... Jan doesn't waste a scrap!

Annbacan and the Coiled Fabric Buckets... She's perfected the shape and has orders galore. This is a great way to use up strips of fabric, levelling-up trimmings, selvage edges and even any/many Ugly fabrics! 

Fruity Rose has a new Juki HZL 600f.. The offer is too good to miss if you are looking for a fabulous new sewing computer... there are only two days to go on the special price, last day for orders is 31st January... Rose says that she Absolutely LOVES her new machine , she started a new baby play mat using our pre cut packs.

Stitching News

Sporty Sue sorted out her backing fabric and, as it's not too larger project, she was able to make her quilt sandwich and start the quilting. How to quilt it was a tricky decision, so many ideas... Sue decided to stitch 'near the ditch' in the black sashing using a deep and scrumptious YLU purple, variegated thread to start with. There may be a little free motion curly stitching done... there may not be... more as it happens!

Maid Marion's friend Flora had quite a few projects started when she passed away and Marion is determined to finish them, over time and in between making other things. There was a pile of Bow Tie blocks but no plan of how Flora would have wanted them, so we played a little with layout ideas until Marion was happy. This isn't quite the design we chose, but a little unpicking never hurt did it!

Barbie's quilt 'orders' are now complete... there may be another kiddy quilt required soon but, in the meanwhile she's getting back to her Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope blocks. We had to go back to the basics because it was so long ago that Barbie attended the workshop she forgot how and all the top tips!

Stitching News

Di Butterfly made this car seat quilt using beautiful Art Gallery fabric... very silky soft and luxurious to touch... the binding is on and just needs hand stitching, but it will be gifted before Di's next class, so we don't get to see it again

Diane completed her quilt top and started to join the left overs to make a spectacular backing... we do that a lot in my very own classroom, it's fun to play with left overs!
These are About A Boy fabrics, just lovely!

Our Sheila has all the borders on. When she held up the quilt we all stopped what we were doing to get closer.. these colours, in my most beautiful Batik fabrics, are like a magnet... there was a chorus of "woooooow Sheila"... and this is the back!!!

Sheila started this project after attending the workshop Quilt-As-You-Go with Apartment Quilting last year...It is absolutely beautiful, and so said all of us!
Then I said..."Aren't you just so happy that I sell such beautiful Batik fabrics Sheila?"
"Aren't you happy that I purchased them all?" she replied! ha ha ha 

Brenda Barbara has a few projects on the go at the moment.. but then most of us do eh... This is Brenda's Jean Circle Quilt... it's going to be a pic-nic blanket for her grand daughters. Technically it's not a quilt as there's no wadding... we love making them, that's all that matters really. A great project for old or unwanted jeans... you know, those that shrunk in the wardrobe! ha

Brenda Barbara added her binding to this rather tropical lap quilt... it reminds me of beautiful, blue Bahaman sea... not that I ever saw any! Brenda also used beautiful Batiks from my very own shop, these though, are Bali Batik Hand Dyes... scrummy!

These are the fabric choices of one of our new ladies. They got to grips with the rotary cutting using some practice fabric then got all the strips cut... 
mastering the all important quarter inch seam came next

The fabric choosing was tricky for Fiona.... I think we might have too much choice! She also mastered the rotary cutting and quarter inch seam. Both ladies were amazed how fast the time flew by... more on their progress next time.

Brenda Duck quilted this Quick Table Topper and added the binding... I think she's getting ahead for next year's sewing prevention season. It sounds so much better than admitting our projects weren't finished in time for last years... though I do believe Brenda is getting ahead!

Farmer Lynda is extremely excited about applique... she never thought sticking and stitching could be so very satisfying...she has plans to do all sorts... this is a design from the Nancy Halvorsen books, beautiful every one!

Stitching News

What a brilliant idea!! PM Pam made this quilted game...
The counters, Draughts, could have been made out of fabric circles too but helpful Mr. Wood Guy made these, Lick-etty-split. Pam even made a matching draw-string bag to store everything in. Toot toot toot Pam, fabulous, finished and functional!

PM Pam has a baby due. There's a lot of that lately... funny how we quilters get this news a lot more often than we did before we were stitching up fabulous projects eh? This isn't a finished quilt yet, as you can see, there's still a hand stitching to be done on the binding... but this baby arrived on Sunday so there's not going to be time for Pam to bring it back for one of our finished and fabulous fanfares.

We have a new lady, Clare. She's cutting up shirts to make two memory quilts. A lot of different striped fabrics to cut squares from... which can be tricky if that sort of thing bothers you... some of us have to avoid stripes eh! There's some great colour combinations to play with too... more as it happens. 

Fruity Rose is making good and steady progress with her matching table mat set. One finished, one needing a little more hand stitching to be done and one she's just finished stitching the binding on by machine... so, three different stages here. Rose has the others to sandwich and quilt.. and there's 337 days to go!!! How very dare I remind us of that... he he he

Just Jan finished all three of her Twister Hearts, looking fabulous.
She's playing with setting ideas now, you won't believe how long it took us to work out how to make those three red Twisty bits!! The method is, we figured out... one starter square per twisty bit! very technical eh.

Giggly Gillian has been asked to make a baby play mat (quilt) The Kids Quilts patterns are fun to make... so much so that Gillian is already doubting that she will be able to part with this quilt once it's finished!

Jean Bean is making steady progress with her Jean's Day Out In The Park quilt. It's based on Judy Martin's 'Shakespeare In The Park'... but, you know Jean Bean... why take the easy route? There's been a lot of cutting done so far... a very important process if you want you blocks to be perfectly pieced. 

New Sue finished all six of her blocks just in time for spreading them out to see how it will look... and for me to get a photo for you. It's a rather stunning quit, though Sue would not recommend it for anyone just starting out on their quilting journey. ha ha ha

Stitching News

Barbie finished her Chunky Churndash marathon... she's really enjoyed working against the clock on this quilt... can you believe that she hand stitched the whole way around the binding in less than one class? Toot toot toot Barbie, a fabulous finish.

Auntie June has decided to return to her first project and to get it finished ready for gifting. June learned a lot about tricky fabrics, rotary cutting, accuracy and unpicking whilst making this quilt top... she's much more experienced now!

Kate continued to make Flying Geese units for her border stars. Goodness knows exactly how many she's made so far but they will all be worth it, they're making those fabulous stars for the borders.

Mystery Margaret is using up her left over fabrics to make co-ordinating cushions for her large bed quilt. The back is ready so there's a sandwich to be made. Margaret thinks she will pop over to a Caverswall Quilters day to make it, there are loads of tables available to use there.

Kate's Lynda worked on a few different projects... seems like it was a different one each time I looked actually. The last part of Friday Quilt Club was given to this rather lovely Purple Pineapple project, she made quite a few blocks too.

My Mum Gwynneth has recovered from sewing prevention season, during which she didn't sew a single stitch, and decided to start the year off by making something simple... not! A Bargello inspired project with a free pattern from t'interweb. I hope it all works out because, if it does, there might well be a workshop plan!!

Sue's Goodie Bags Workshop