Stitching News

Once again I'm having computer woes. I really need a new one but I'll keep persevering.
I wait and wait and wait with that little blue circle thing going round to tell me it's up to something and it drives me nuts. Anyway, I'm here now with a very sparce selection of piccys. Secret sewing for gifting means you can't know what lots of my customers are up to. 

This is Shirley's fabulous and finished table runner. Made in beautiful, warm Autumnal fabrics that were in the pack she purchased from my wonderful shop. Toot toot toot Shirley. Fabulous, Finished and displayed beautifully by the Legs of Lady Lidl!

I've done a few of these Bunting Cushions as workshops now. They've proved to be quite popular so I'll do more next year. This one belongs to Alaine, I think. It's the only one I have a picture of at the moment.

This is Shirley's too. It's the start of the Twister Wreath Table Topper, or wall hanging project? It can be made into whatever you like really. I think Shirley's will be a Table Topper this time.

I made a sandwich with my Cactus project. 

I've been quilting it a bit at a time.

I'll post more pictures when it's finished.

I commissioned my very own self to make this Hearts, Hugs & Kisses quilt. It's all the William Morris fabrics I could find in my stash. A very easy design to make up too. When someone is having a traumatic time, it's how I say the things I don't have words for. I'm A Quilter!!! ha. The quilt was gifted and the recipient was very pleased and now has warm knees.

Stitching!! I made lots of new Gift Vouchers for my very own shop. In the past I've hand painted them, this year they are stitched. Thanking goodness an 'A' is the same in reverse as it is the right way round, just saying, ha ha ha!!

I bet you are well into Sewing Prevention Season now?
Just, and only, ten more days and the nights will start to draw out!! Those days will get longer, hoorah hoorah.

This is the last week of classes until Monday January the 9th.
My shop will remain open for a further week, but not Wednesday, of course.

Stitching News

These blog posts are getting a bit rare aren't they? ha! I used to write a blog post on most mornings, and now I don't. I think about it but the mornings are such a rush that I forget... almost straight away, or is that an age related thing? Answers on a postcard, handmade with fabric of course.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the last post, there's a lot of secret sewing going on in my classroom so, really, those pictures are not allowed yet.

This is Jan's Autumnal quilt top all stitched together. She chose to go luscious green for the centres and has hand stitched the Cathedral-ly-window-y bits, it does look fabulous. There are borders to go on next.

This is Shirley's sandwich being made. 

See how different they look with the change of centre colours? 

Colour is so amazing!!!

Shirley had plenty enough hot and spicy colours from her Autumnal pack to make this splendid table runner. It's one that is always popular, once one person makes it, others follow. It is a 'bagged' project and quite a fast make, should you need a quick gift? 

There might be a few in those secret projects I mentioned.

Sister Susie wanted to make a Twister Wreath wall hanging. This is the start, looks very simple so far eh! This is an interesting and very curious method. If you have never tried the 'Twister', you will be amazed. Google it!

We had a great, fun day at Checkley Village Hall for our Sunday Funday Sewday. We had quite a few new ladies join us for the first time who thought the concept was brilliant. Who doesn't love a One Day Sewing retreat with refreshments lunch provided!!
There's no time to meet up through sewing prevention season (more commonly known as December) so our Next one day retreat treat will be the last Sunday in January, weather permitting!!! ha ha ha

Stitching News

 There are lots of projects being made that I can't show you pictures of yet. It's so close to sewing prevention season that folk are rallying to get their gifting projects finished in time. From Festive Stockings made from pre-printed panels to full patchwork quilts... we have them all in progress. Even me, my very good self, I have a secret project!

Beano spent most of her day in class quilting the beautiful Tilda fabrics, Log Cabin quilt. As with all quilt quilting, it's good to get up and move around during the process to stop the old body from seizing up, cups of tea help too, I believe. Not much more to go now on this quilt.

Princess Jackie also spent the day quilting. She's quilting 'In The Ditch' to show off the big circles created as a secondary pattern with this design. Tri-Recs rulers are so clever.

Josie is making a few Christmas Mug Rugs from a Patchsmith book. There's a lot of little detail in some of the pictures so they're great for using up little fabric scraps.

This Sunday, 27th November, we have the last Checkley Sunday Sewday of this year. There are still a few places left if you'd like to come and join us, just get in touch. It's from 9.30am until 3.30pm. It's £20 per person, which includes refreshments all day and a lovely, and rather tasty, light lunch.

Stitching News

Starting off with your trumpets please, 

New Sue finished this lovely gifting quilt, I think she made it for her son. Sue found it a bit tricky to get all of those little pinwheel blocks spinning the right way but, taking it steadily, she cracked it. Toot toot toot Sue, another fabulous finish in the bag!

Christabelle is almost finished on her wonderful Batik beauty. She's decided to make more of the block units to add around the edge. That will mean that all those circles finish just right. It will be well worth all those mathemisms and extra stitching time.

Princess Jackie makes the most splendid kiddo gifting quilts. All of these fabulous blocks have been selected from the many different patterns Jackie has collected over the years. Re-sizing the applique pictures makes such a difference and opens up lots more making options.

Gail has her 'vintage' toy blocks all stitched together. There has been a little bit of fudging involved but you wouldn't know that and I'm not going to be telling, ha! This is such a lovely quilt, I can't remember what border plan has been made, we will see, all in good time.

Beginner Workshop

I'm aware that a lot of shops and classes teach a 'Block of the Month' sort of project for beginners. I opt to teach this much smaller project, we treat it as a quilt, a small quilt, to learn the very basic basics of patchwork and quilting using a sewing machine. Personally, I love it when the project is finished, or almost finished by the end of the workshop, feels good!
We must remember, it is my shop, I do it my way, ha! Good old PMS (Pleasing My Self)

There were new 4 ladies on Fridays beginner workshop. We spent a good length of time getting to grips with the rotary cutter, accurate cutting is the key to all the patchwork, especially if your rotary cutter has a sharp blade and it's in the right way.

All the ladies worked at their own pace yet all finished the day pretty much at the same point. A lovely patchwork quilt, perfect size for a cushion and a co-ordinating backing complete with a zip covered with a flap. They just had a little more quilting to do, because they wanted to, then the two pieces will be sewn together, perfect.

Didn't they do well!!!

Stitching News

Blimey, what a busy week my shop has had. In between classes, and fabric deliveries, the shop has been buzzing with new customers, how fabulous is that!!! Of course they received excellent customer service, I go out of my way to have folk want to return again and again, hopefully with quilty chums!

This is Shirley's fabulous Ten Minute Block quilt top. She arrived with a plan to make a pieced backing but spotted an ideal bit of batik fabric, so that was cut up and sorted out. Then Shirley proceeded to make a table runner in these same Autumnal colours. It will look great alongside the quilt.

Norma only needs a few more pieced blocks to reach her required quilt size. 

They are all different so each one is a learning experience.

This is Norma's next one, laid out ready for piecing, preferably in this order. It's a good job we can unpick a seam... or 2 sometimes!! It's not a problem, Norma gets them all made in the end.

Lou Lou and Merlot are working on this same project, they like doing that. 

They support each other with every step, how lovely! 

You should hear the conversations, ha ha ha.

Cheryl Cheryl came to the Bunting Cushion workshop a few Saturdays ago and decided to make another one, I think it's for gifting. I love the red applique stitches!

Brief but blogged, It's my new normal , ha ha ha

There are only two more Saturday Sewdays in my classroom this year, December 10th and 17th. 10am to 3pm. £25.00 per person and I'm there to help you should you need help, and I make the tea!

Please remember Sunday Funday Sewday at Checkley Village Hall will be on 27th November 9:30am to 3:30pm. It's £20.00 per person, payable in advance please, this includes all your refreshments and a light lunch.

Stitching News

Have you ever published your own photos? It can be quite tricky getting the colours right. I know they look different on other peoples' computer screens but getting the colours to look right on this quilt of Jackie's has driven me nuts. It is the brightest of bright and colourful-est of quilts and my camera is so confused. On my computer the top picture is exactly the way it looks, well, now that I've messed about with the contrast, tint and light etc but it might look very different on your screen so I've published below it, what I started with . My goodness, the difference is incredi-bubble

edited and played with.

Original photo. It's a rich purple background, not that electric blue!

Not to distract from the absolutely beautiful workmanship, colours and shapes in Jackie's applique though. WOW is is ever wow!!! Lots of tiny details, circles too!!! perfect ones! Toot toot toot Jackie, an absolutely fabulous finish, complete with lovely Faux Piped binding.

Oh look! Jackie's ready for a whole 'nother toot toot toot! 

A second fabulous and finished quilt, a large lap sized one, carefully pieced as she's determined to have her piecing as wonderful as her applique, I think she's cracked it too.

And, as you must be expecting, just look at that backing!!!

Fun, fabulous and finished, toot toot toot.

Rose finished the centre of her latest, and very important, gifting quilt. There will be smart borders and a matching reading pillow for a precious little fellow. It's a contemporary design from a book, but I forget which one, sorry. Zoom in, there are giraffes.

I am so lucky to have such amazing quilters coming to my classes each day.
The Tuesday ladies, known as The Tuesdays,  have stuck it our for many, many years and made very good friends with each other over the time, they lunch out A Lot, ha!

They wrote to a magazine back in 2014 and this got published, I found it on Facebook, ha!

We will have the last Checkley Sunday Funday Sewday of 2022 coming up at the end of November.

It's the 27th. 9.30am to 3.30pm. £20 per person, payment on booking please. Lunch and refreshments are included, as is normal.

Stitching News

 I took these pictures last Thursday, where does all the time go?
Answers on a postcard please, prefera-bubbly a very special, hand made one!!!  The shorter days don't help do they? Why can't they just leave the blooming clocks and let us go dark slowly! Grumpygrump aren't I. Blahhh

Anyway, the pictures.
Janis is so happy to have a fabulous and finished quilt. She's worked meticulously with the cutting and the stitching, measuring all the way through the process and you can jolly well tell she did all that. Can you see the faux piped binding too? What a lovely finish it gives, just perfect.

Totally deserving of a toot toot toot fanfare!

Look at that backing! Brilliant!

The quilting is extremely good, a very popular design in my very own shop, we use it a lot. Well done Janis.

Shirley has all her Cathedral-y-window-y bits hand stitched, all done as homework, so she spent her class time choosing, cutting and rearranging the border fabrics so she could select a perfect inner border or 2, or 3! wait till you see it!!!

Stitching News

We had a fun day at Checkley Village Hall, Sunday Sewday. Numbers were down due to folk not taking good note of the date, it's usually the last Sunday of a month but the last one in October was already booked so we had to settle for the previous Sunday, but it meant that there were lots of extra tables for Sandwich making, and quite a few were made.

This sandwich is Pam's, it's a whopper at 1.50 metres by 1.70 metres. These Kids Quilt patterns always surprise folk with their finished sizes. If that's too big though, you can always take your applique part of the pattern to be printed a bit smaller, the backgrounds are easy to change the size of.

Gail has almost finished all of her blocks, this is also a Kids Quilts pattern. There are a few more French Knots to be done and a little bit of embroidered embellishment 

This is Gail's favourite bock,

A very smart young rabbit lady. You should just about be able to make out her French Knot freckles, on the left cheek.

Farmer Lynda is making up mug rugs ready for sewing prevention season gifting. The designs could be used as fabric postcards too, it's a great way to use up your tiny bits of fabric.

Actually I think this one was a postcard, I can't keep up with Lynda's projects, she's on a stitching roll!! Spring lamb maybe? Such a lovely, floral woolly jumper! Ha! see what I did there?

Sporty Sue has been sewing at home. 

How cute is this!!! 

Sometimes, gifting projects turn into keepers you know!

I won't tell Sue ;0)

Bev sent me this picture to prove she's been doing her hand stitching homework. Those Cathedral-ly window-y bits look great don't they!

Stitching News

 Do you remember those Autumnal fabric strip set packs I cut? 

There are three ladies working on their blocks in class at the moment. These are Bev's. She made all 12 10-Minute Blocks during the day so there's just the fold-y back bits to be stitched on the little Cathedral Window-y centre bits..

You can see them better here, obviously because Shirley already started to hand stitch her centres. Laying the blocks out and choosing where each block looked best was tricky, but fun, it's all part of the game. 

I have two strip set packs left, call me if you want more information.

Remember Judy's beautiful floral cushion project?

This is the blotchy Batik fabric she used to get all of those delicious colours for the flowers and bird.

I'm still trying to find time to finish off my commissioned cactus applique. I don't know about you, but with the so much shorter days we're having now and Darker night drawing in, they aren't helping!!

I'll have to retire soon otherwise I'll never finish my "want to make it"  list!

A Lovely Project

 Sometimes one book can have an amazing amount of  "Want to makes" This book  has loads of patterns for the most lovely of applique projects. From huge quilts to lovely pillows and cushions. I've actually sold a lot of them just from folk flicking through the pages. The book is for felt applique but the patterns lend themselves very well to sticky stuff applique with normal cotton fabrics, and the beautiful pleasures of batik.

This is Judy's cushion. Isn't it lovely.

All the flower pieces, red, pink, purple, golden yellows are cut from only one Fat Quarter of Beautiful, blotchy Batik. You know the ones, they look like someone threw paint at them!! They are so very practical when fussy cutting is required. My method of Bias Stems is very easy, no Bias Binding maker required, ask Judy!!

Checkley Sunday Sewday this weekend has had a few cancellations so I have plenty of space if you are teetering on the edge of deciding whether to come along. Just call me 07807530441

Catching Up With Stitching News

I'm back! Did you even notice I was missing? 

A much needed break had been planned for many months.

 What a beautiful weather week it was too. This is the view from my room up in the attic, EVERY morning! It was so beautiful watching the sun come up.

Out walking on the beach before dawns crack.

Almost tempted to have a paddle! By this point if I had dipped my toes in that there water I might have disgraced my very own self, ha ha ha. All the coffee consumed before the walks was not the best plan! 5 wonderful days of uninterrupted sewing with 15 other ladies. Fabulous food, and plenty of it, with lots of choice. Quilt Sandwich, thank you, we were very well looked after and I will be back!

During the retreat, for which I had planned and cut all my fabrics, I made up the Ocean Waves blocks, the Cactus blocks, Elizabeth Hartman pattern, and some appliqued cactus. I stitched plenty of leaves on another project. I stitched A LOT but it's all slow progress isn't it. It does make you appreciate exactly how long each project takes to make. I will continue working on it at home.

A few photos from before I disappeared...

Two ladies enjoyed another Bunting Cushion workshop. Lots of top tips were explained.

They will be finished at home as both ladies made their cushion backs with a zip concealed under a flap

Shirley has made a good start on her 10 minute blocks using the kit of fabrics I had made up. They are looking great and very Autumnal. I have a very good top tip on this one, top secret!!

Sister Susie wanted to make a cushion with diamond blocks. There's a little bit of accuracy needed to get all the points lined up, a bit of perfect pinning and a small amount of good luck!

Lot's of folk are working on Advent Panels, it is time though, if they are to be finished in time. This one belongs to Jan, she came up with an easier way to make the pleated pockets that might be classed as a top tip in the future!

Princess Jackie came to make a sandwich with her new sofa throw/Lap Quilt. She says it's for snuggling up under on the sofa when the heating is not on!! We will all need one!

Shirley finished her Festive Bauble wall hanging. 

We were all looking forward to seeing how it turned out with those very different coloured fabrics and what a stunning quilt it is. Toot toot toot Shirley, fabulous and finished and inspiring!

It's a Checkley Sunday Sewday this weekend. Have you booked your place for our One Whole Day Sewing Retreat??