Friday 31 March 2017

Cottontail Bunnies

Princess Jackie made this absolutely fabulous bunny wall hanging using this free pattern from The Red Boot Quilt Company, how very generous of the lady, Antonie Alexander to give such a lovely applique pattern to us. Jackie's version is really cute with all the tiny details and perfect fabric choices... time to quilt it!

Wednesday 29 March 2017

Stitching News

This isn't quite a toot toot toot ready quilt,,, Norma got her binding made and stitched on then bundled the project into her bag... hand stitching binding can be done at home! So, then she started to sew a few more beautiful Batik strips sets together for her Hidden Wells

Batik beauties for Carol too... she's been making the blocks for this project for a few weeks, falling in and out of love with them and not being able to settle on the final layout... Taaaadaaaa the hurdle has been jumped over... now what will Carol do in her borders... I hope it's not another high hurdle?

Brenda Barbara decided to make a few small projects to give to help the Church Raffle... I think it was a church anyway...Quick Table Toppers are perfect... Twin Table Toppers? Even better... can you see that they are exactly the same and a little bit different... at the very same time! ha ha ha

If you've been to my very own shop you would probably have noticed that I pretty much live in my various Sew Me Something, Kate Tunics... Comfort! Colour! Super Easy! Quite smart? We are running a little Kate Tunic making gathering soon... Jean Bean and Carol are preparing.

Just Edna needed to make a further 20 arcs when I took this picture... she made a further 10 during Monday and I'm sure she might well have all 28000 made by now! Have you done them Edna? She's threatening to need help with the curved piecing when she gets back from her caravaning... I might have to retire while she's away!!

Toot toot toot time!! Fruity Rose made a round patchwork cushion with the left over Charm Squares... the back has a visible... yes, I said 'VISIBLE' zip... on purpose! A truly fabulous finish Rose.

Friday 24 March 2017

Stitching News

Having made two of our beginner cushions, Judy wanted to make another but fancied 'having a go' at triangles and maybe applique... this cushion has both so she was very content... and more important... it's a fabulous and finished project... toot toot toot

Judy wondered what would happen if she stitched her left over bits together... 4-Patch units! A lovely table centre, lick-etty split.... Top Tips have been acquired and Faux Piped Binding had been decided upon... this lady is hungry for new stitchy-skills!!

Our Brenda Barbara finished her free motion, with meander-wiggling, quilted Waistcoat in the very pretty Tilda fabrics. It's a perfect addition to Brenda's wardrobe with our chilly mornings! Toot toot toot Brenda, it's another fabulous finish xx

Brenda Duck also had a fabulous and finished project... this quilt turned out to be twice as large as our original plan... but Brenda is happy about that now.  here's a picture of the back...

See the cute little patch to the right... they're the two blocks Brenda had left over from making the front... we waste nothing!!! ha ha ha Fabulous diagonal quilting lines... Toot toot toot Brenda Duck

Lady Judith held up her two fabulous and finished baby play mats... And oh so very cute they are too... and both are patterns from the very same book... one Judith has used over and over making it excellent value. 

Both baby play mats (they are a bit like quilts really) have hand embroidered detail too, like eyes and smiles...  The two quilts have the same block setting but they look so very different, don't you agree? Toot toot toot-etty-toot toot Lady Judith

This is Alison's first ever quilt sandwich... unless you count the eighteen inch cushion front as her first that is... I did explain as she planned her project that it would be large and could be tricky to quilt... nerves of steel? ha ha ha... too late now... it's about 96 inches square!!!

Rose was super excited to get her Hare sandwich made...
The ideas for the quilting are just bursting to be done... as you know from previous projects, Rose likes to do 'winging it' quilting... including free motion free wheeling winging, it's her speciality... I think there will be a little Walking Foot stabilising stitched first though...

Kate's Lynda finished one of her quilt tops made with the lovely panel pictures that caused a little excitement last time I showed you a picture. I asked for more detail for you... Lynda purchased the fabric from Uttoxeter Quilt Show about two years ago, maybe more... not that that will help any of you find it I guess.

Merrily had all  nine of her Block Of The Month project blocks almost complete so we got to see them laid out, fabulous arent they!.. then they were sandwiched and quilting commenced. Merrily incorporated many of her own elements to her blocks... which is exactly what teacher Angela wanted the ladies to do.  

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Stitching News

Fran Cupcake attended a workshop whilst on her recent mini break down south somewhere... The workshop used a sewing pattern to make these fabulous creatures... aren't they fun!!! They're perfect for Fran who has chickens of her very own... I'll update you about the pattern later as I forgot the details.
(Update... Simplicity Crafts 5737 chicken rooster and chicks sewing pattern. Purchased in 2002!)

Fran Cupcake loves to make bunting... no ordinary bunting though... every time she creates her 'bunts' they are custom made to the occasion. Soon we will be deciding on the dates for our 'Bunting For Beginners' workshop...

If you've been to sewing classes you will know how it is with the carting of essentials and things you might need... Big bags are required... Quite a few of the Tuesday's have decided to make new Big Bags using the method of my Big Quilted Panel Bag, they're coming on a treat. Look at that fabulous fabric!!!

Gail is making great progress on her lovely 'Calming' quilt blocks...
That's what she is calling her quilt, The Calm Quilt. Using calm colours in hopes of tranquil nights in her new tranquil home... well, it might be tranquilt once she empties all the boxes!

New Sue has another Fabulous and almost finished project. She needed this one in a little hurry, we know Sue works at the speed of light so it didn't worry any of us...  And with just hand stitching on the binding... Two weeks from start to almost finished... Boom!

This is PM Pam's Biiiig Quilted Panel Bag... A  rather handy size for carting everything to and from classes and Sunday Sew-In Patchwork Parties and retreats too, no doubt.... it's nearly time for our Westhope retreat!!! Toot toot toot Pam it's an absolutely fabulous finish... I love your quilting too!

Sunday 19 March 2017

Stitching News

Jean Bean held up her fabulous and finished quilt for us to give out a toot toot toot fanfare.. A perfect panel print for the centre finished with co-ordinating Piano Keys in the border. Baby arrived already so the last few stitches on the binding were done at breakneck speed

With a lovely pieced backing that makes the quilt quite reversible and we can see the quilting better from the back... label is attached too

And here's a close picture of that very label... trimmed with quaint ribbon...
A Snuggle Hug
What a lovely gift for a new arrival!!

Lady Judith decided to crack on with her Pineapple Blossom cushion blocks... they had been pushed aside for the Hidden Wells project... What a wonderful Wow of a cushion this will be...the poppy fabric is a recent arrival from Moda.
All 16 blocks were finished just before hometime.

We've had another new addict join us... Christine.
She made this beginner cushion during normal class time and is already planning other projects... we all understand that feeling don't we?

We wrapped up the final Block Of The Month workshops and the ladies are slowly adding them all together. Annbacan chose to quilt each 16 inch block as a separate project and to join them together appartment-ly... there's still hand stitching to be done on the binding.

Monday Sheila decided that was the way to go too, appartment quilting I mean... Sheila's blocks were a little more liberated in size but that never worries her... she could be the queen of Quilt Fudge!

Just Edna, if I remember correctly, only needs 280 of these arcs for her King Sized Double Wedding Ring quilt... 53 to go then Edna?


my email address is angiequilts@gmail.com

Friday 17 March 2017

Angie's Patchwork And Quilting Shop And Google

I've been getting my shop organised and looking great (greater than usual) because I was cajoled into booking a Google Virtual Tour with the Cube people... It sounded such a good idea, 3 months ago! 
As the date came closer I went into a bit of a melt down... thinking my shop wasn't good enough for this, not big enough, not smart enough, not light enough and the rest... but it was too late, the tour was booked and paid for, and it was going to happen... 
It was time to advertise my shop!! 
We thought it was fun actually... Here's how it was when The Cube arrived...

It's quite an ugly building from the outside actually, it's a rented and it is, what it is!
Jean Bean made it look wonderful with her pot planting
She even brought down a beautiful quilt to dress my entrance

Step through the door and look left towards my counter

Walking  forward and look left again
Lovely eh!!!!

Christmas Corner and the Bit's And Bobs Wall
See I draped quilts over the radiator!

Grey's and Black fabrics with beautiful quilts and cushions
All perfectly placed...

See how sunny it was on the day!
Perfect weather for great light... dazzling light even!
A cushion on every chair....

View from Grey and Black corner looking toward the shop (well, when I say shop I mean the bit that started as the shop when I first opened... it spread a bit! ha ha ha
I don't know that lady... She was an imposter!!!

View from wadding corner shows one side of the classroom... set to look like we had chucked people out from their sewing for the picture! ha ha ha

Standing in front of classroom window looking right to the other side with the clock showing it was almost 2:30pm... I was ready just in time for the Cube photographer to come at 3pm
That Lady was determined to be in my pictures, who the devil is she?

I can't wait for you to see what they did...
They made my shop look wonderful... even more wonderful I mean!
It will take approximately one month to do their bit... apparently they SEW the pictures together!!! Then the Virtual Tour will be ready for you to play with...
Of course I will tell you when it is ready, I can't wait to share it!
My email... angiequilts@gmail.com

Sunday 12 March 2017

Stitching News... And A Note

New Sue was able to get her huge quilt sandwich made... it's about 80 inches square so we had to pin most of it then move it over a bit to do the last 10 or so inches... it works well that way... This quilt, according to Sue's plan, will have very simple quilting... we will see very soon.

I have a plan for something very interesting at the upcoming British Quilt and Stitch Village... it's what we locals call the Uttoxeter Quilt Show. For my plan to work I am asking customers who enjoy Crumb piecing to help me... this is Our Sheila's Crumb quilt... isn't it wonderful!!!

PM Pam had a request to make a little Kit Bag for a farmers tiddler to keep his shoes in. This tractor fabric was left over from a spot of curtain making and was just the ticket...

Pam used Art Gallery Denim to back the handy-dandy bag and now we can see that the farming tiddler is named Jack... Toot toot toot Pam, it's a fabulous and finished farmers favourite!
Just a little note....
I know I don't have to explain, but it seems I have some of you a little worried...
Thank you for the lovely messages by the way...
There's really nothing to worry about, I promise!
I know I used to prepare a blog post for you most mornings but now, at the moment, I find I can't... I just don't have enough hours in my days... and that's the truth for a lot of us eh.
There's so much to do in a little (fabulous and very well stocked) quilt shop and, since I had all those lovely new shelves sorted out during sewing prevention season, I have been constantly trying to keep up with the Fat Quarter cutting and fabric arranging and ordering and delivery sorting and dust-dusty-dusting... and, and, and...
The thing is.... my shop is looking quite fabulous (in my opinion!) So more customers are coming in, and then returning and bringing their friends! and they are TAKING my fabrics and my fresh cut Fat Quarters!... Oh,Yes, they do pay for them... it's just like a real shop after all but... I am never going to be finished! ha ha ha.
So, in between offering my pearls of wisdom, helping with colour and fabric choosing and fabulous fudging advice and terrific top tips during the classes, I am busy busying with my shop and fabrics, so I forget to take pictures... and without pictures my blog probably won't inspire anyone...
So... forgive me when I don't blog every day won't you? and just know that I will blog, when I remember to take pictures for you.
xx

My email address is angiequilts@gmail.com