It's Not All Going To Plan

Someone, or something... is trying to stop me from going to my quilting retreat...
First thing... and this is why you haven't heard much from me... last week, I started with a dreadful lurgy... without going into too much detail, whole body experience firing on all cylinders... the lurgy will not leave me alone...
It's been quite terrible but I am on the right side of it now... At least I am still alive! And I am able to go to the retreat!
Then my brand new Juki overlocker cutting knife broke and had to have bits sent to me for replacement...Trivia? no, very important.... I need it for my retreat Kate Tunic making. 
Then... as of Tuesday morning... the bloody car broke down!!
It can't be mended in time for my epic journey, so... Now we had to hire a car for the weekend... 
The hire car has gears... I have not used gears since I gave my Clio to Lilly about 3 or 4 years ago. So, I had to go for a refresher driving lesson... ha ha ha... 
My lesson took me over to Tesco... shopping for beer! 
There can't be 'Beer O'Clock' at Westhope if there's no beer!!!
Anyway... I am all packed up and almost ready to go... after a lovely day in my very own shop, I'll do a little fabric shopping and then leave , Westhope bound... So you might not hear from me for another few days...
Oh yes, the picture? It's what I have been playing with in Quilty Quarters.. All packed up now ready for my retreat.... I AM GOING!

Stitching News

Princess Jackie is doing it again...
We look at the exquisite detail in her applique...
 We are usually. almost always, lost for words
Can you see why?
Oh... oh... oh... and ohhhh

As you know... we are going on our annual sewing retreat very very soon...
PM Pam is going to work on this project... well,
That's if she hasn't already finished it before we actually go!!!
This lady couldn't wait to get started on those flowers!!! ha ha ha

Coincidentally, Queen Jacqui is also making a floral beauty... see how she stitched the blanket stitch in bright green thread... we love that... there's a bright green inner border to make all the colours scrummy-up together...

Farmer Lynda was able to make her lap quilt sandwich...
This lovely project is being made for gifting and Lynda is already wondering whether she will be able to part with it! 

Almost Time To Retreat...

Yesterday, Jean Bean and my very good self decided to write this little ditty to inform our customers of the upcoming shop closing dates for the next Bank Holiday weekend... a very looooong weekend!!!

When you own a shop, even a fabulous and very well stocked little shop, as I do... the only way you can go on holiday to refresh your batteries... is to close the doors on your very own shop and run!! 

And run I will... to long, relaxing and fun time away from all the hustle and bustle of normal life... 

No sun, sand or Sangria for me though...

I'm going away to sunny Shropshire, to the most wonderful Westhope Craft College to stitch and snip and create!! 

More sewing?... oh yes, just a little!!

A Mixed Bag...

Alison's first quilt.. Not only does it qualify for a fabulous and finished fanfare... it is just massive... my picture doesn't give you any idea of how large the quilt is, you will have to take it from me... Toot toot toot Alison.. an amazing, giant-or-mouse  job.

And this is the back of Alison's quilt...
with a  ladder of loveliness!

It's fabric in-trolley time again... all the companies gang up and send delivery after delivery of things I forgot about ordering, all at the very same time.... These, from Makower UK are fabulous... I ordered extra of the top fabric.... I don't want to ever, ever, ever run out of it!!!

Beautiful Batiks from Moda
And they play so well with the Makower animals

We had a Kate Tunic making day on Saturday. Now that was a fun day!!!
Overlockers are great for finishing off all the seams so, as my customer service has a wonderful reputation, I figure I should have a new overlocker for the Tunic makers to use!!! There you go, my new toy purchase excused!!! I did it for my reputation!!!

Not many pictures have been taken by the perfectly purple camera this week.
We've had a lot of fun and there's been a lot of creativity in my very own shop...
This is a what I have been up to in  My Quilty Quarters....
doesn't look much but it is such fun playing!!!

3 Queen Street... 1901!

https://www.facebook.com/historicalcheadle/

3 Queen Street... My Very Own Shop's address!!!
but this picture was taken in 1901...
It was posted on Facebook... what a treasure!

Quilty Quarters

Progress... it's slow and fun...
Choosing the fabrics might be my favourite part...
I found a really lovely blue for the borders...
It was in my "chuck it out, you will probably never use it" box!!!

Tricky piecing because I want accurate points...
Using lots of fine pins to get really good results.
It's in three bits now, two parts up on the design wall...
I've had a most wonderful idea for my borders!!

I just ran out of time in my day... Once again, when I looked up, it was dark!
This is the last strip of blocks... almost done.
One more evening should see all three parts sewn together
Then I get to start on those borders I mentioned I had an idea for.....
Will I take it to our Westhope Retreat??
Only 17 more sleeps!!! yippeeeeeee

25% Off??? Really!!

I made an executive decision this very morning... 
It is my very own shop after all....
I am taking 25% off all of my Kids Quilts Patterns today!! 
And I will take 25% off them all for at least for next week, while stocks last that is. 
This fabulous offer will end... when it ends. 
I'll let you know when I decide about that. 
One decision made is quite enough for one day!

Stitching News

Jean Bean, in between helping everyone with their purchases... was quilting! It's usually tricky for Jean to sew, once she puts her machine on the table the customers come... This week though, she quilted and quilted!!

Queen Jacqui was playing with applique...There is a pattern and she started to follow it, but Jacqui is already going off on a side road... and Pleasing Her Very Own Self... oh my she has plans for a fun project... and we will all get to see what happens.

Gail is making great progress... the pile of blocks is growing and soon there will be a bit of joining of a few of them to get an idea of how lovely the quilt will be... one day! ha ha ha

Tuesday Rose is deciding how to quilt each block as she gets to it, "What, No Plan??" No, she is "Winging It!!" She's using some of her lovely decorative stitches to enhance the beauty of her Hare quilt.. (doesn't that sound artistic!) You might see better if you click on the picture to make it bigger.

Fran Cupcake arrived with the intention of making bags... and make them she did! I had a lot of new patterns recently, all from ByAnnie and lots of ByAnnie bag making supplies. They are clever and so is Fran... and she did a bit of PMS (Pleasing My Self) with the zip too.

Princess Jackie has us all watching this next project.. such vibrant colours and very perfect stitching with perfectly matching threads... oooooh it is exciting. I stock Presencia Threads, among others of course.. but the beauty of my 100m spools of Precencia is that you can have a great collection of colours without it costing the earth... £1.35 each spool... there are over 400 colours to choose from

Fran Cupcake's ByAnnie bag number two... really lovely fabric with a perfect matching zip and a great co-ordinating Presencia Thread for the quilting... Toot toot toot Fran... both bags, fabulous and finished.

PM Pam is in the process of gathering up projects for our upcoming Westhope Quilting Retreat... All the ladies are gathering actually. With this selection of beautiful fabrics... Pam is making a large quilt for a friend... will she save it for Westhope though? Let's see.

Don't Look If You Are Easily Scared!!!

Every year about this time, we start making 'those' projects... the ones we always run out of time for when sewing prevention season kicks in... My Mum Gwynneth has been making up samples of the new range of advent calendars... just to inspire you!
We will be having a workshop or two for basic Christmas/festive projects later in the year but these are very simple to make... you could get ahead by making your Advent Calendars... pop in to see them for your very own self.