Toot Toot Toot, Dazzling Diamonds

I present to you, my fabulous and finished Dazzling Diamonds quilt and, if you don't mind... I would love a tooting fanfare, all for my very own self. The rest of the quilting didn't take too much longer... only 8 more hours today, but that includes making and adding the binding, I guess that's quite a long time at the machine though eh... Faux Piped Binding (though it is a fiddly-faff) finishes the edges very nicely. I'll be putting a hanging sleeve on to the back next. It's ended up being a good size for a wallhanging.
Do you like it?

Quilty Quarters

I spent a lovely day in Quilty Quarters, popping out occasionally to sort out stuff in the various domestic appliances, including the kettle!
A full day of stitching was achieved...
Once all the strips were stitched together.. tricky with all those angles I wanted to meet perfectly!... I came to a big deciding bit... what to do for borders. 

Jan Hassard (she's the lady who taught the workshop) doesn't add side borders to her design, but my project was too thin for how long it was, in my very own opinion that is... I had some quite long pieces of each of the strip sets left and really, I could have continued cutting the 2" strips to make the quilt wider... but no... This project has to be finished ASAP... I really want to take it to SPQ for 'show and tell' on Thursday (Staffordshire Patchworkers and Quilters) also... I have sooooo many things on my pile that I would rather be stitching, including Kate Tunics all cut out and waiting!.. so... after half an hour or so of playing with ideas, including leaving it and doing something else... I just sliced a 5 inch wide strip from each of the strip sets and fudged some background shapes for the corners.

It turned out OK and lick-etty-split my better proportioned quilt top could be declared finished and, much to my surprise, I actually quited like it! Sandwich time...
I pushed my sofa to one side and rolled up the rug (it's clean under there! ha ha ha) to make my quilt sandwich on the living room floor... if I had gone down to the shop to use my tables, two things could have happened
a. I would have stayed too long tidying and faffing with the fabric on the new shelves (Yes, I had a new shelf!!) or
b. I might have come back with another quilt kitted up ready to make because I had a few fabulous new books added to the stock! ha ha ha

I had started to quilt like Jan Hassard quilted hers, lots of stitching and lots and lots of thread colour changes... not to mention all those ends to tie off... it would have taken me all of my days off to do that. I rooted for all the right colours of thread and spied one of those mono-filament ones... I hate that stuff, really really ... but I used it! I got loads of quilting done, in the blooming ditch no less!!!
I'll show you later...

Just So You Know...

My lovely little Quilt Shop

 is now closed 

until 

Thursday 2nd June 

The plan...
Is to be kidnapped and held hostage in my very own, marvelously messy, Quilty Quarters.
I will not know what to do with my very own self!!!
If it happens, there might be pictures!
BUT
The Whiston menfolk are to enjoy a weeks holiday from work at this very same time... so things could get tricky... Now then... how to get my cunning plan under way... that's the first thing to sort out.
Oh my gosh... It's already going wrong... I can smell the dreaded bacon cooking, yuk yuk yuk...

Friday Quilt Club

Friday Quilt Club? It's not a Quilt Club as such, you don't have to be a member or anything... It's just a lovely way to spend a Friday, you do have to book a table, but that's easy to do... 10am until 3pm stitching with like minded people. You just bring your project and stitching paraphernalia (what an absolutely fab-u-lous word!!) set yourself up, get a little advice or help if you need it, then... sew, sew, sew!!

Longport Lynda treated herself to a day at Friday Quilt Club. She had a piece of Linen that she wanted to embroidery wonderful words on to, to then turn into a gifting cushion. A few ideas were discussed then, after a bit of pondering, she made this cushion front and went home to do the hand stitched embroidery

Claire used the opportunity to cut our her Beatrice Pinafore
This is my wonderful Art Gallery, 100% Cotton Denim in Scarlet Brick
oh boy, oh boy,, oh boy... is it ever wonderful!! 
Claire is going to line her pinafore with a Moda, French General red print

Claire also needed a little help to get her started on Free Motion stitching with her darning foot. Free motion embroidery is a great way to start. The little birds on the right were the practice piece, It didn't actually take Claire many minutes for her to move on to the main project... Boom... an expert already!

Sandwich Saturdays are very popular... it's much easier to pin baste your quilt sandwiches up on my tables... Rose needed a sandwich Saturday and I don't have one soon enough... I am an enabler!!! I'm here to aid and encourage your stitchy addictions!!! So...We made a Friday afternoon quilt sandwich, after the Friday Quilt Club ladies had packed up and gone.
Rose can crack on with her quilting over the upcoming Bank Holiday break.

Stitching News

Our lovely Peggy finished this fabulous kiddy play mat and instantly donated it. This one's going to The Linus Project. She loves to make little quilts and is very, very happy to know they will be loved by someone. Toot toot toot Peggy.

Fran Cupcake is making this beautiful, and quite tricky, quilt to donate to a local hospice. She has worked on the block units and those fiddly sashings for a lot of hours and now it's time to make the rows stitch to each other... You have to love quilt fudge!

New Sue worked on her Churndash blocks, they are quite large and easy to piece... After a little holiday over the pond she has a rough case of the dreaded jet lag... she probably doesn't even remember making all these blocks on Tuesday... So this is a little reminder for you Sue!

Princess Jackie's photo bombing Cockerels... I promised you a better picture last week and here it is... close your mouth!!! ha ha ha... arent they just fabulous! My goodness there's a lot of beautiful fabric being used for each one...Very pretty boys!!

Princess Jackie's almost finished, personalised cushion with the very cute bunnies...Lots of little. chunky French knots in a bunch make a very tactile little bunny tail. The base fabric is the wonderful Linen and Cotton blend from Moda... feels quite luxurious me thinks

Our Sheila had a lot of Batik fabric left over from her last quilt so I suggested she make Quarter Log Cabin blocks with them... "When you've made a pile of them Sheila, we will play with them and decide what to make," said I. Well, we did play and we decided to go on-point... haven't they turned out fabulous!!!

Brenda Barbara is almost done with her quilting on the two beautiful quilts she's been working on. Binding fabrics have been chosen and purchased so, I'm guessing there's a plan to stitch over the upcoming bank holiday weekend?

All blocks were quilted as she went...the blocks're joined apartment-ly to each other into rows... Check! Farmer Lynda is on the home straight!!..The rows are being joined apartment-ly too and they match up! by George she's got it... It will be a wonderful quilt now... not a chuffing one! ha ha ha

Margaret's Noah's Ark quilt, being made for little Noah with a Kids Quilt pattern... the quilting is coming along nicely and, as you can most probably see, more than half way done!

Have you had a go at making a Fiddle Quilt yet?...
This is one of Pam's... she's making a few and as she does she's thinking of lots of other bits and bobs that could be securely stitched on for twiddling and fiddling with... oh how we have laughed!!!

Tooting News

Lady Judith has been busy. this is fabulous finish number one...
A very pretty quilt and ready for gifting
fanfares please... toot toot toot

Left over fabrics pieced together to make a fun and fabulous backing too.
Do you you piece your quilt backings?

And lady Judith's fabulous finish number two...
This quilt / play mat is for a little boy baby...
 How cute are those elephants!! Lovely warm colours

The back of the elephant quilt... as you probably expected...
 all the fabrics left over from making the front, perrrrrfect!
Toot toot toot Lady Judith, both quilts are just fabulous.

Carol finished her new Holiday tote... how fabulous it looks too!
Bosal In R Form was used in place of wadding so it stands perfectly upright... all the time! Makower's Radiance fabrics look amazing. Carol used the Whimsy Bag pattern from Lazy Girl designs ... the very best and easiest to understand bag patterns I have ever used!!

Quilty Quarters

What a treat, Sunday... all to my very own self!!!
It's been tricky to find any luxurious stitchy time for ages now...
Our Bank Holiday Retreat weekend really spoilt me... I want to go back there... every weekend!!! ha ha ha especially for 4 day weekends... can you imagine that? 4 day weekends!!! Well, it's not going to happen here any time soon, I am only 52! All my planning and effort paid off this week though, I did extra chores every evening so... Sunday was mine, all mine! I finished this quilt top, Piano Key borders were just the ticket. What a scrumptious top I made!!! Backing is required next but I don't want to use up the leftover strip sets for that just yet so I've put the top on one side, until...This is finished.

It's called Dazzling Diamonds. It's the project I started at the SPQ (Staffordshire Patchworkers and Quilters) workshop on the 8th May with Jan Hassard...
Oh, errr, yes... that was luxurious stitchy Sunday... so maybe... it hasn't actually been that long since I stitched all day... Oh gosh, one's memory!!! he he he
I'm not going to make this quilt any larger, it will be finished as a wall hanging size, I think...
Do you know the space where it will hang?.. you might have heard me mention it... opposite my loo door! ha ha ha... There's a 'not for blogging' story there!

Stitching News

Our Peggy finished another little quilt/play mat...
She loves making them, though she's never quite sure what she will do with each one until it's completed. Many have been donated to the Donna Louise Hospice.
This particular "Eye Spy" playmat will go to Linus.
Toot toot toot Peggy, your quilt is just fabulous. 

Morning Josie is advancing with her skill set... not long ago she would not have attempted these tiny little HST's (Half Square Triangles) but looky-look... they are fabulous! Inspired by a picture in a magazine and the Makower Nautical fabrics...

Jean Bean Stacked and Whacked with a slightly different method to make these fabulous kaleidoscope pinwheels... just as much fun to do and using slightly more of Jean's thinking power... the fabrics are All Aboard from Benartex

Claire Sainsbury's and her lovely Mum, Sandy, had a little retreat treat.
They both booked to come to Friday Quilt Club and spent a wonderful day making this beautiful quilt top together. What a lovely way to spend a day!

Marilla needed a little bit more Presencia Perle Cotton, number 8. Lucky for us she had to bring her Quilt to make sure she chose the right colour... Barbara Chainey persuaded Marilla to make this quilt... it's all hand pieced as is most, in fact almost ALL of Marilla's work...

Don't you love the Big Stitch Quilting....
It's my number one favourite hand work!!
Marilla has promised to bring her quilt back when it's finished...
This beauty deserves one of our special tootings

Block Of The Month, Part 1

There's another chance to take part in this Block of the Month experience with Angela... next Saturday, 28 May, the very same workshop will be repeated... a great opportunity for all those who couldn't get to this workshop...
It doesn't matter whether you sew solely by hand or whether you prefer only sewing by machine... it's perfectly perfect for any way you stitch... you can use both methods too... some of the ladies from this workshop did just that... we allow PMS!! (Pleasing My Self)

Twiddle, Fiddle Or Fidget Quilts?

It doesn't really matter what we call them does it, at the end of the day, they are for twiddling and fiddling with. 

Dementia and/or Alzheimer sufferers have restless hands and lap size activity quilts can provide good sensory and tactile stimulation. 

Just Edna made a Fiddle Quilt and brought in in to show us before sending it to it's new home. Isn't it brilliant. The things Edna stitched on have inspired us... a key on knotted string, a luggage label, lots of buttons all different sizes and colours. A piece of cord with beads threaded on, press-studs, textured ribbons, a piece of elastic, even a knitted egg cosy! We are all very keen to make a few of these. Most of us had heard of the twiddle blankets but now we have a quilters version... we are going on a mission.

PM Pam's started hers. Apparently colourful is good and these Crumbs and Mile-A-Minute blocks are certainly colourful!!! All the seam bumps and strange shapes will be great for wandering fingers. Pam's got a plethora of bits and bobs that she's gong to stitch on... I will show you when it's finished... won't I Pam?

http://www.with-heart-and-hands.com/2015/08/making-fidget-quilts-for-alzheimers.html This is a clickable link to take you to an informative blog with lots more ideas, just incase you are tempted to get making a fiddle, twiddle quilt or two. I'm sure to be adding more pictures as folk bring their little quilted fun things... hopefully with more  ideas for you.
You know that box of 'doo-dads' you've been saving?... THIS is what you were saving them for!!!
You can drop your quilts at my shop if you like, we will get them delivered to the right people.

Stitching News

Rose is 'winging it' again... and doesn't she 'wing it' well!!!
Fabulous framing, bulrushes in place and...
Just wait 'til you see what's happening next!!

Jean Bean has Stacked and Whacked this All Aboard fabric to make some really fun Kaleidoscope blocks. Loads of different fabrics prints can be used... every single time we see what happens to them, we are thrilled with the results!

PM Pam needed a cushion in a hurry... It took longer to make the ties for it that it took to make the quilt! Never the less, it is fabulous and finished so... toot toot toot Pam.
(see Princess Jackie's Cockerel photo bombing?? More on that next week!)

Princess Jackie finished her fabulous Bunny quilt...
As it happens, baby arrived only a few hours later... how's that for timing?
Such a beautiful quilt made with the help of a very old fashioned book

A closer picture so you can see the lovely bunnies...
Would you have thought to use those pretty fabrics?
Me neither... but wow I love it.

Nothing gone to waste... a perfectly co-ordinating back.
toot toot toot-etty-toot.

Well Now....

I could have blogged for you this morning but... I have used up all of my time being very inspired!!
These are the sites/blogs I was reading this morning...

http://www.agfblog.com/

http://modernhandcraft.com/

http://www.sariditty.com/

http://liveartgalleryfabrics.com/freePatterns/free-sewing-patterns/pdfs/Tracery_Instructions.pdf

Don't go there!!!!
Not to any of them...
Actually...
DO IT!!! ha ha ha

Stitching News...

All Day Di's working on a set of four quilted cushions, all with this Nautical themed fabric... Making them as a gift, for gifting! A perfect idea... I think the cushions will be used in a caravan

Margaret is making a couple of special cushions for gifting... 
It's a tricky business making rectangular panels square!!
Each cushion will have a zipped back using my super easy method...

Sister Susie's Crossbody bag is coming along a treat... It's got a lot of personalised detail, especially on the inside! The secret is safe with me though... We can fudge our way out of most predicaments!

Fiona Too made her bag at the very same time. Don't they look very different!!
Fiona's Crossbody bag is going to be gifted... at least she's trying to stick to that plan... when we love the things we make, it's sometimes better to keep them eh!!! ha ha ha

Loulou couldn't be happier with her quilt... it's also been made for gifting, and what a treasure it is! Fussily cut border fabric frames the Kid's Quilts Owlie quilt pattern brilliantly, making it a great size... it was sandwiched and quilting was started.

Kate stitched the binding to her gifting quilt but the job of hand stitching it to the back will be done at home... in fact it's probably done by now!... Also being made for gifting, what a generous bunch of quilters we are!!

Sporty Sue got her quilt top bordered and ready for sandwiching... what a lot of beautiful fabrics!! Flying Geese in all sizes.. giant ones included... We discussed at length some fabulous quilting ideas... well, I did, Sue just laughed! ha ha ha

Lady Judith ran this quilt top up, Lick-etty-split. It's such a great design for a 'go to' kiddie quilt...Judith managed to find all of the fabrics in her ever growing stash... I hope you can see the lovely embroidered flowers too?

Annbacan found an easy way to manage quilting...
Don't use wadding... ha ha ha
It's not really a quilt, Ann's making a patchwork Duvet cover, so no wadding needed...
 it's just a case of stitching the two layers together before adding the back.

Barbara BEW needed to lay out her blocks to try to understand the 'On Point' setting... It gets me every time so, I always suggest we use a corner of a table and start from there... loving these fabric choices... They are from Art Gallery... scrummy.

Princess Jackie's bunny quilt, another being made for gifting. This is what Jackie was working on at our retreat recently... the quilting is coming along very nicely... In an older post (May 16th) you can see the old fashioned book Jackie used for the pattern... Amazing what a difference fabric choices make.

Jeannette Dilly enjoys a bit of tricky piecing... She is making the Allietare pattern from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville and is loving the way it's making the secondary patterns... This will likely be another huge quilt, you know what Dilly is like!

Brenda Barbara spent her day quilting the first of her two, lovely gifting quilts.
She was working away in a window seat on a very hot and sunny day... with the quilt draped on her lap and all the sunshine, Brenda had a rosey glow! ha ha ha

This is another of Angela's quilts... she's the lady who will be teaching it for us and it's not me, ha ha ha. This lovely quilt shows you how your quilt could look in another colour way for our Block Of The Month project that gets underway today.
At 10:30 Angela will be in my shop to answer any questions you might have.

Now that is a long post!!!! I'm off to mop my brow!!! ha ha ha