Stitching News

Gail started a great new project. Her other quilt, the huge one, will be going to Amanda for a Long Arm treatment... Gail couldn't face it! These blocks will be made into a rather fabulous cushion.

New Sue is making another kiddy quilt. It's a Jelly Roll pattern from a book but Sue's using two and a half inch strips from her very own stash so it will be very lovely.

Fran Cupcake was having fun making this elephant wall hanging... carefully choosing the right colours of threads for the applique and embellishing with fancy stitches

Princess Jackie is making lots of blocks for the borders of her Hidden Wells quilt top... She usually plays with applique so all this piecing is keeping her quiet and concentrated.

Jean Bean's blocks were all done so, lick-etty-split, there was a quilt top. Borders have been selected too... but, I saw Beano move on to choosing other fabrics for another quilt... so we will have to see whether this one gets put to one side.

New Sue was lucky... some ladies had to cancel coming to play with one lurgy and another so Sue had enough space to make a fabulous festive sandwich. This particular quilt caused quite a stir of wows too.

Luna Twerly finished her quilting so got the binding all sorted out. It's a great size for a bed or to use as a sofa throw... it still takes a long time to hand stitch the binding though... always feels like there are 6 sides!! 

New Sue has decided not to add borders to this lovely quilt so the wadding was cut to size and the backing chosen. It's next on her list for sandwiching... It's another quilt from one of the precut books, I think Sue used a Layer Cake.

It's been a bit of a hectic time in these here parts as it was the first full week back in the classroom. There were lots of mathemisms, lots of projects started, lots of fabric choosing and lots of stories to be told about the recent Festive break for sewing prevention season... busy busy busy... and I had an extra day away from the shop for my very own Birthday... I never did it before... taking a day off to spend a luxurious day all to my very own self... shared with Lilly of course... lunch, shopping and the theatre... what a treat!!

Stitching News

Gail move house last year... and that means losing things in boxes!! Recently, while looking for something, Gail found this rather fabulous quilt top with one of the outer borders not stitched on... You know, she has absolutely no idea why she stopped at the last border... no matter now, the border is on and the top is ready to be sandwiched, and quilted.

Sister Susie has decided to do all of the applique using Blanket Stitch with black thread... it looks really good. She's using a 60 weight Presencia black so it's nice and fine and not overpowering the fabulous design. 

All Day Di came with a pile of fabrics from her stash. she wants to make a bed runner with a co-ordinating wall hanging. This design for the bed runner, is a free pattern from the Moda Bake Shop is a great introduction to the Bargello technique so if Di enjoys this process she will/might make a Bargello Wall Hanging. 

Enid couldn't wait to get started on a new Applique project. She stopped off at my bookshelf, chose this amazing book, a piece of beautiful, multi colored Batik fabric and had lots of fun for the rest of the day

This table runner is being made for Christmas... the one that just finished! ha ha ha How many of us can confess to that conundrum... no matter, it's almost finished. Chris bagged it out so there's just a bit of quilting to be done... no binding needed.

Lorna purchased my last I Spy Six Pack a few days ago and came in to make a sandwich rather Lick-etty-Split. That's the beauty of purchasing a Six Pack... most of the work is already dome for you. I have already started cutting more Eye Spy Six Packs... they take ages!!!

Beginner Cushions

Stitching News

Jean Bean's fabulous and finished baby play mat... Like a quilt! When these moda Charm packs arrived in my shop, just a bit before Sewing Prevention Season kicked in, Jean got super excited because she knew exactly what she needed one for... and this is it. Toot toot toot Beano, it's lovely

So, Jean Bean is having a run of babies it seems... These blocks will be made into a large baby play mat for gifting... All the rest of the fabrics have been cut, the borders have been chosen and cut... there's going to be a huge spurt of activity in the Beano household!

Chrystal has finished all of her Walking Foot quilting on her Hearts and 9-Patch project. She's decided to add Free-Motion detail next. Given that she had never even dropped a feed dog before... her first practice went very well. Thread chosen and time to move on to the main quilt now.

Fiona Too has this lovely quilt almost finished... We love the "About A Boy" collection... There's just trimming the crusts off and binding to be done. But Fiona set it to one side to work on something else... Oh how we love to do that!!!

New Sue got so much sewing done in one day... Arriving with all of the Pineapple blocks made at home, she stitched them all together, made a quilt sandwich and quilted the whole thing AND trimmed the crusts off And purchased her cushion zip ready for the back!! 

Princess Jackie carefully added inner border strips of gorgeous green fabric to this fabulous Hidden Wells quilt centre. There's going to be a second border added as a Coping Strip which will be calculated once Jackie has made 40+ 6" blocks for her main borders.

PM Pam has been working on this applique bunny beauty over sewing prevention season. It's going to be a panel feature on a baby play mat for gifting... The plan for the rest is being conjured up as we speak.

Stitching News

That's it then folks... 

Holiday, or rather Sewin Prevention Season, is over and we are getting, very much, back to normal.

My poorly classroom wall has been sorted out and painted, there's still stuff to do but I think the messy phase is finished.

So, today my lovely quilt shop will be opening as normal... 

I was actually still technically closed yesterday but had such a busy day in the shop, ha ha ha. I was there cleaning and sorting you see, so the lights were on and the door was open. Seems people just couldn't wait to get cracking on their stitching. It was quite a surprise to me just how many people came in to purchase Christmas themed fabric... but stitching is stitching and if you want to sew festive projects... go for it!!

There were a few pictures, from last year, waiting in my perfectly purple camera so, what better way to start us off than to toot some fabulous finishes...

Just Edna started this Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope quilt in about 2014. I'm not sure what happened, and neither is Edna... For now though, that doesn't matter. It qualifies as a fabulous and finished quilt and deserves a toot toot toot fanfare. Edna used beautiful French General fabrics from Moda, Just lovely!

The Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope workshops have always been popular... Do you think I should schedule another? I really should get working on that Saturday workshop schedule. Sewing Prevention Season scuppered all of my planning plans...

From a quilt that took four years to finish to a quilt that took only four weeks, beginning to end. Just Edna had finished her fabulous Double Wedding Ring gifting quilt and fancied making something easier and lighter in the stress department. Big blocks are much easier than small, fiddly ones!! Kiddy quilts are such a lovely size!! Make only 6 blocks and call it done!!

All left over fabrics made a great, fun backing too. Toot toot toot for Just Edna and her fabulous and very fast finish! This quilt was made for gifting and, I'm guessing, would have been gifted by now so someone will be snuggled up and very happy!

Mrs. Merlot was working on this quilt for Christmas gifting... doesn't it look great... it's so clever how careful fabric placement gives the 3D effect. This project was inspired by all those Santa Window wall hangings the ladies were making. 

This was a surprise in my perfectly purple camera.
Our Carol's unfinished Christmas Tree Skirt... we were all joking and saying she would never get it finished in time for 2016 Christmas... Carol felt challenged and put her very own self in "I'll show them" gear

She told us!!! Carol sent me this picture... Doesn't it look wonderful...
A fabulous and finished, just in time, festive tree skirt Toot toot toot Carol... you have started something now, everyone will want one!

Pow!!!  oh, oh, oh
Sometimes even I am lost for words... really!
Princess Jackie finished her quilt top...
Have you got goosebumps?

Just look at the beautiful colours Jackie chose, all beautiful Batiks. And the perfect stitching on those applique bouquets and the lovely inner border... the perfect circles and and and ... oh!

And my very own small, but fabulous, finish. Made for gifting but first, it will be on show in my very own, wonderful Patchwork and Quilting shop... which will be open today so I had better get going....

Welcome to 2018!!!
See you later?

Happy New Year Everyone

I wish you all many happy stitching hours for the year ahead.

We have such a lot to look forward to....

Several Sunday Sewing Patchwork Parties

Amazing Alison House Sewing Retreats... yes, plural!

Wonderful Westhope Quilting Retreat

 Our Annual Pilgrimage to Festival Of Quilts

And the fun classes in my very own Quilt Shop

And the Stimulating Saturday Workshops... Oh yes, ahem... 

I suppose I had better get working on those, Ha!

New

Different.

Unusual.

Scary.

Entertaining.

Let's do it all!!

Onwards and Upwards....

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