Stitching News

Jeannette has missed us because of work. She's managed to change the rota for a few weeks giving her a few Thursdays to come over and play. To help ease her back to stitching she chose to make this large festive fabric block! Goodness me, more like jumping in at the deep end to me!

I went to the shop a bit early on Friday to make this sandwich... which I actually pinned at about 2pm because new fabrics had been delivered and I had to sort them, and customers, out first... they were mostly Kaffe... (the fabrics, not the customers!)... wonderful, colorful and bright, you can take my word for that! anyway... the pattern/method I used is the fabulous Disappearing Hourglass but made using HST's (Half Square Triangles) made with two Angie's Six Packs of Ditsy Floral Prints and blue fabric, not 2 Layer Cakes as in the video you'll find if you search for Disappearing Hourglass.

Sporty Sue loved my quilt so she's using one of her 'Stashed' Layer Cakes with the addition of the fabulous green fabric yardage... I'll show you her progress as it happens. Have you tried this method? It's fun and very satisfying!

There's a lot going on in my classroom, lots of projects being worked on and the time is passing by so quickly that I keep forgetting to take pictures for you.
We're still buzzing and happy from our retreat last week. And we're already counting how many sleeps until the next retreat in March! ha....
Luckily we have a few Sunday Sewing Patchwork Parties booked before then, the next one will be on Sunday 19th November... we are all looking forward to a day of stitching fun... not to mention the catering we've got planned!
More later...

Tooting Time

First up is Sporty Sue's wonderful Trip Around The World Quilt. A giant of project that Sue has thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish... choosing fabrics, most of which are Beautiful Batiks, all of the piecing and she even thoroughly enjoyed stitching all those quilting trips... round and round and round again

You can see how many times she went round better from the back...
It's so big I couldn't fit it into my picture without shop stuff getting in the shot.
It's an absolutely fabulous finish Sue, toot toot toot-etty-toot

Woop woop-etty-toot-toot for Carol's fabulous finish... A Place For Everything is the pattern and it most certainly has a place for all of Carol's stitching supplies with loads of zipped pockets inside. This is what Carol was making during our recent retreat so there's a good 4-5 long days of sewing needed to make, what could possible be, the cutest little suitcase in the world!!

Luna Twirly never wastes a scrap of fabric... One beautifully quilted and monogrammed place mat made with fabrics left over from making an Advent Calendar and a little Mug Rug (no room for a biscuit though) made from those leftovers! Very thrifty indeed. Toot toot toot Luna

Luna Twirly made another cushion... it's the one we call the Beginner cushion only because it's a small project do-able in one day that teaches good basic skills... we love making these cushions! There's a little Mug Rug to co-ordinate of course...

Only the one Mug Rug... just in case you thought there were two!
This is the back of Luna's cushion, complete with a hidden zip
Toot toot toot Luna Twirly, you have been busy!

Stitching Retreats, Who Would Have Thought?

Following on from our wonderful stitching retreat last weekend... 
I went ahead booked another retreat, this time for 3 days in March 2018. 
I'm just a little bit sorry (but not a lot sorry) that it is actually already fully booked.... 
I've started a reserve list... 
It's always a good idea to have a reserve list because sometimes Life gets in the way!!
So we booked a second retreat and a third retreat, both for the end of September. 
Both are for 3 nights and both are filling up fast...
Who would have thought stitching retreats would be so popular?

Stitching News With Hats

Princess Jackie is on a quilt making Marathon...
Baby will be coming earlier than expected and you all know...
That you can't have a new baby without a quilt!!! ha ha ha

New Sue has had enough of making 3" Ohio Star blocks but I want to say... they are fabulously cute and well worth Sue's suffering! Sue is able to get the top together now, might even be finished for Christmas 2017!!

We had a family wedding last week. My Daughter Lilly, the younger one, and my very good self almost went wearing these Fabric Coiled Pot Hats...
but really... they were a bit too big and very heavy!

We Had A Blast

We had a most wonderful relaxing retreat at the wonderful Alison House Hotel...
We got to sew in the lovely garden room from O'Dark Thirty until we dropped!! Fabulous food, fabulous company... it was so good that we booked to go again next March... So, My shop will be closed on Thursday 1st March 2018, Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd getting back to normal on Monday 5th March 2018... now that's giving you fair warning eh!!! ha ha ha

We Have Gone....

It's retreat day...
3 Whole days of stitchy fun with all our needs provided for...
No cleaning, no cooking, no duties at all...
What a way to spend a weekend!!!
My Shop is now closed until Monday Morning.

Catch you later... much later!

A Batik Beauty

This fabulous and finished quilt has taken just over a year to make. It's all hand pieced and hand quilted, though the customer says the hand quilting really didn't take her long at all. Pfffft! It's her own design inspired by another quilt she saw somewhere... She purchased the Batik fabrics as she went along... and the idea morphed...

On completing the quilt top the customer decided to play with the backing. Popping in for a few extra bits of fabric she realised that there would not be enough of some colours... which, in the end caused a bit of creative piecing... Now though, it's an absolutely brilliant, double sided, Batik Beauty... toot toot toot!

Stitching News

Lets start with a toot toot toot fanfare for this absolutely fab-u-lous and finished 24" cushion made by Chrystal... The extremely popular Pineapple Blossom design in wonderful bright and burnt oranges... wait for the back...

Wow! It's like a completely different project... with only the addition of that lovely sashing fabric all of these bits were bonus leftovers from making the front, a totally toot-a-bubble B side... actually, this cushion is a double A side project. There's a zip under that there middle sashing strip.

No shocker to know that the ladies continue making Pineapple Blossom blocks... they are infectious, each time someone starts new blocks they must tag another person to get started... colours are so inspiring! These blocks belong to Farmer Lynda, and it's her second cushion, ha... I rest my case.

Brenda Barbara is making a kiddie gifting quilt and she decided to use an On-Point setting with sashing and corner stones. She's very happy with the progress so far. On-Point setting needs a little extra concentration really... it's not hard it just looks weird until it is done!!

Beryl is so pleased with her lap quilt that she has decided to keep it all for her very own self... and who can blame her? She loves red colours so really... it was inevitable. The quilting is almost complete, just something simple to do in the borders I think.

Chrystal had been researching on T'Internet, you know... hours and hours of looking at quilt related pictures.. do you do it? I do. Anyway she sketched out her new project and arrived for class feeling enthusiastic and with her project plan... applique time! 

Fabric Covered Books

Another successful workshop and Jenny has kindly agreed to a further Fabric Covered Books workshop in the new year...
Which is not so far away... just saying!

Stitching News

Heather finished two wonderful cushions
They are her own design, influenced by wall paper
They've been made for gifting

This is the fabulous quilting design for the cushion backs

The second cushion... different and again her own art work.
Heather drew this design on paper and foundation Paper piecing was invented.
I know I should say re-invented as we already knew about it...
but Heather is happy thinking she invented the method! ha

Another cushion back. Both have zips!! They run along the seam there at the bottom thanks to Susan... who knows a lot about zips! I watched this new (to me) method too. Toot toot toot Heather, your fabulous and finished cushions are brilliant... but will you still gift them?

Look at the clock...it says almost 2pm. One half of Carol's 'On-Point' Kaleidoscope quilt.. looking wonderful. The other ladies thought she had lost the plot in making a triangular quilt top, ha ha ha

By the end of the day... The triangle had a partner and the other ladies were relieved to see a 'normal' shape. Carol was very pleased with her very own self had her smile said it all. Now I have to schedule another Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope Workshop for early next year.

Susan had purchased on of my Angie's Six Packs, the blue and white pack.
Lick-etty-Split, it was all stitched together.
Hey... I just noticed the design Susan chose, that is cunning!
Border fabric choosing got a little tricky... that is,
until Susan chose her wonderful Art Gallery backing fabric!
Boom!! I love that green... it gave me goosebumps.

Gail is making a giant Crown Of Thorns block for the centre of her quilt backing... yes, the back! More goosebumps for me... I love this idea and I have to say... so does Gail.
You already know we love to make a fabulous quilt backing don't you.

It's A Game Of Tag...

It can be tricky to decide what to do with some of the panels that the fabric companies produce... Often they are printed the wrong way, in the wrong direction for us to simply quilt them. They may be long and thin and so need 'tweaking'. Often the printing doesn't give enough space between pictures for us to cut the panels up with a seam allowance, and a lot... and I really do mean a LOT of panels are just plain and simply wonk-illy printed!

Many panels are purchased and placed in a drawer waiting for a good idea... We can love them... but we don't always know what to do with them....  

Do you find that? 

 PM Pam's Attic Window cushion from last week... 
Pam didn't know what to do with these beach scene fabrics until we played around with ideas, now she's happy. Fran Cupcake loved it too... Fabric placement giving that 3D window effect... How clever is that!.. 

Fran Cupcake had an idea...

Tadaaaaah... Fran's Santa Panel transformed!
Isn't it wonderful? 
Santa really looks like he is peeking through the window.

 It's a game of Tag... "I see your idea and I raise it..." 

Loopy Lynn started this off by actually using her Santa Panel...
As opposed to storing the panel for years, as we can often do!
She added splendid borders to make a lap size quilt...  

So... Would you like to play in this round of Panel Tag?

Sandwich Saturday

What is a Sandwich Saturday?

It's a day when we can push the tables together in the classroom so that you can pin (sandwich) the 3 layers of your quilt, no matter how large or small it is, without having to crawl around on the floor and without having to spoil your best dining table with pin and tape marks!

We book sessions in 1 hour slots, between 10am - 2pm, booking is always required... you can book more than one slot and some customers do just that.

You can also use the tables to lay out the blocks you've made to decide on settings, or to see how many more blocks you need or... even better... to help you choose fabrics!

Each sandwich will need wadding and we are very happy to supply you with a freshly cut piece from selection of  wadding rolls, so there are no tricky fold marks to oooch out... more wonderful customer service!

Just Edna's Double Wedding Ring sandwich... a beauty!
Two and a half metres square... huge. We can sandwich in two halves if we have to... Edna is now seeing the enormity of the task ahead... she is so very pleased with her quilt so far... which is always a bonus.

You have see this sandwich before... AnnBacan had made the sandwich a few weeks ago and done lots of quilting on it... Deciding that she wasn't happy with the result Ann unpicked it all.The fabrics have been carefully re-pressed and a new sandwich is all ready for quilting again. Ann is back at square one, but she's much wiser and much happier!!

There were two further sandwiches made, no pictures though. We consulted a lot on Saturday... there are some fabulous works being started just lately... the shorter days and rubbish weather bring the quilters out of the gardens!!!

I hope you have taken note that my shop will be closed on Friday 20th October and Saturday 21st October. It's for a family wedding and a sewing retreat... It's going to be a busy weekend.

Stitching News, With Tooting

More Pineapple Blossom blocks... boy have these cushions been popular.
16 x 6"blocks make a 24" cushion and I only made the first one to use up some scraps! How wonderful it is to inspire others to make your makes!
This beautiful batik cushion belongs to Queenie...

This is the fabulous back made using the left over strips and the Bonus HST's (Half Square Triangle) perfectly co-ordinated and beautifully quilted... there's a zip under that quilted flap too. It's fabulous and finished ! toot toot toot Queenie!

Keep your trumpets up for PM Pam. She also has a fabulous and finished cushion. Complete with a covered zip, these are four Attic Window blocks which Pam thoroughly enjoyed making with their mitred corners... toot toot toot Pam a 3D fanfare for your 3D cushion.

Rose purchased this pattern at the Festival of Quilts. Fran Cupcake made one first of all... a cunning plan as Fran was then able to teach Rose all the tricks she had learned as she worked out any queries or little misunderstandings... we all have those with new patterns eh.

It's a perfectly tootable project complete with lots of colourful zips.
I hope you can see, Rose has used a different lining for each pocket...
happy skippy joy every time a zip is opened!!!
Toot toot toot Rose, a fabulous finish... the first of many I hear.

Krafty Karen was inspired by Jean Bean's Blue Quilt... which was red actually... don't ask... it's the way our Jean Bean rolls!!! Anyway... if you want a quick quilt for the festive time... Sewing Prevention Season... this could be right up your street, border a festive themed fabric! Sandwich time for this one.

These are the tiny little Paper Pieced Log Cabin blocks that Rose was busy making before she set them to one side to she play with zippy pouches and scraps of fabric... she will get back to them soon.

PM Pam purchased this PDF pattern from The Red Boot Company
There are loads of patterns to choose from and they are all such fun.
I expect you will see a lot more of this project as Pam works through it.

Stitching News

Just a quick catch up this time....

Loopy Lynn is relatively new to quilting and she is having quite a lot of fun... her words... but it's also very obvious, especially now that she has her very own, and brand new, Juki HZL G220. The Pineapple blocks make a great colourful border on this panel don't they.

Monday Sheila is/was a dressmaker turned quiltmaker, amongst other makings... best Victoria Sponge maker in The Whole Wide World!!! She running up outfits for a few Rag Dolls that she'll be making soon... very cute, fabulous knickers and darling floppy hats!

New Sue was worrying about her cute but extremely thin looking Santa...
It must be his pre-Mince Pie and Brandy look!
He is one block of a Festive sampler.

It's been ages since anyone made 10 Minute Block quilts and it seems no-one can remember how to do it. A quick refresher for those ladies got everyone else interested, so I think you will be seeing more of this design in one form and another. It's on the wall in my very own shop if you would like to pop in to see it.

Chrystal not only finished all 16 of her 6" Pineapple Blossom blocks she had them stitched together and ready for sandwich and quilting. She has a cunning plan for the Bonus HST's (Half Square Triangles.

All Day Di got her Flying Geese organized, eventually. There were two spare tables in the afternoon which gave Di a perfect sandwich making opportunity. Such a lovely quilt.

Brenda Barbara finished one cushion zip and all and almost finished another, she is a dab-hand at free-motion quilting in the lovely meandering Jig-Saw Nipple design... he he he It's one of my favourites too.

Beryl spent her class time quilting. It was a bit of a puzzle remembering how to stitch the shadow quilting the desired distance from the seam... Then we noticed that the needle wasn't in the middle of the foot... so Beryl has to keep a very close eye on proceedings.

Taa Daa... four Pineapple Blossom Blocks stitched together with sashing and a corner stone. Loopy Lynn will turn this into a fabulous cushion... at least that was the plan last time we spoke. I'm guessing it will have covered zip in the back too.

Its a brief post, I know... but I am busy, busying.... back soon!