Catching Up

When I say catching up I mean exactly that... even with longer evenings and earlier starts there are still not enough hours in a day.

Shirley was extreeeeemly happy to show us her completed Penguin Quilt top. It's been a lot of fun watching them come to life. Shirley sews with absolute precision, it's just the way she likes it...

Whizz by one week, and a weekend of quilt show... the back was already pieced and ready to be made into a Penguin sandwich. I don't have enough room for large sandwich making really but we managed it in 2 halves, How cute is that Waddle of Penguins!!!

Last Thursday Di had a bit of a 'moment'. Up to this day she had made one Ohio Star each week. It's not all about the sewing, there's a lot of cutting and planning colour placement involved too, not to mention the nattering and tea drinking! This last class Di produced 3 whole blocks... amazing. Such a happy lady Lidl

Fast foreword to yesterday... back to one block achieved but, my goodness, were those centres spot on!!! Unfortunately though, she had made a perfect Hour Glass unit with the wrong fabrics.... there will be a matching cushion now!! ha ha ha

Just Jan wanted/needed to make a fast Lick-etty-split baby quilt. a floor mat really (before you remind me we are not allowed to make baby quilts) She purchased the last bug panel then we brainstormed a bit about design possibilities, That was on Tuesday afternoon... I received this picture last night, It's already finished, and absolutely fabulous toot toot toot Jan, that really was a lick-etty-split job.

I know some of you live a million miles away...

So, more for the locals to the area... Just out of interest,...

IF I started up a Social Stitching 'thing' in Cheadle (the Staffordshire Cheadle) on a Monday evening... would any of you be interested?

The location I have in mind is a private venue and has a bar.

You would need to be doing hand stitching/knitting/crochet etc as the tables are not really suitable for sewing machines. It's just an idea at the moment but it could be fun. I would love to hear from you, constructively please.

Me, Angie 07807530441 angiequilts@gmail.com Please ask your chums too.

A Busy Weekend

I hope some of you managed to get to the Uttoxeter Quilt Show? It was really good. 'They' call it the British Quilt & Stitch Village but we still love the original Uttoxeter Quilt Show.
I was kept super busy for the duration as we were very short of Quilt Angel helpers this year. Some people volunteered but couldn't make it due to Covid! And others just didn't arrive for their Angel slot, I guess some forgot. It's a good job so many ladies were able to do more than one duty to protect the quilts from the naughty touchy feely visitors. Thank you Angel Ladies!!! I do understand though... it's hard to remember not to touch with such beautiful work to look at isn't it.
I had a little sale table which had to be looked after at the very same time. Luckily I was able to rely on Our Pam, Lady Lidl and Farmer Lynda to play shop, in between Being Angels and their frequent visits (for shopping) downstairs!! Thank You Team Monkeys.
I didn't take any photos, I didn't even remember to try to take photos but I talked and chatted and nattered almost none stop!! It's so lovely to catch up with like minded people. Many folk were excited just to be somewhere!!! I had to make sure everyone knew where my shop was too... I'm a rare Bricks And Mortar only Shop after all....  (bit of a Dinosaur really)

Luckily Our Pam took a photo of her very own Competition Quilt.

Bringing Literature Alive With Stitching was the title of the 'Special Theme' this time, I think Pam nailed that challenge... Of course it's an Elizabeth Hartman pattern with the addition of book titles, a rather cunning idea wasn't t it!! BUT even more importantly Toot toot toot Pam, a Fabulous and finished quilt that was admired by many visitors of this years Uttoxeter Quilt Show.

I have a bit more to comment on about the quilt competition but I'll have to do that another day.

The one judge we had this year was very harsh with some of her opinions/comments. If that affected you and your work, please try not to take it to heart. It's all personal taste at the end of the day. If you love your quilt that is ALL that matters.

Keep stitching for your very owns selves you lovely folk!!!

Stitching News

How lovely it is to have longer daylight hours... 

Gail finished two more of her lovely patchwork cushions. This block is called Lemoyne Star, it's basically lots of Half Square Triangles (HSTs) as lots of blocks are, it's the colour placement and unit orientation that makes them all so different... don't I sound knowledgeable!! Toot toot toot Gail, a fabulous and finished fanfare, for another lovely pair, poetry!

Last week, Rose was having a little look through my tempting book selection, I have a lot to choose from in my very own shop you know.... intrigued by the free-wheeling-ness of this book, Intuitive Color & Design, she purchased it. This week Rose came to class with a pile of scraps and set to... It took a little while to get her head around the method, but you can see, she nailed it! 

There are lots of different ways to approach a new project. Some people like to cut all the bits and label them up before sewing, some cut as they go, whatever works!! Some work in organized chaos...

But so long as there are results, does it really matter? Beano does tend to work in what looks like chaos to me, but here's the proof that she knows what she's doing

Our Pam is still working on her competition entry quilting. Proof that I'm not the only one who had three years to get it done and still had a last minute marathon!!

Bank Holiday weekends are wonderful aren't they but the lists of things to achieve during the 'holiday' don't really tally up with the time availabubble do they. Even though we have had a Friday and a Monday it's still not enough time.
I have though, finished the three quilts that were entered in to the Uttoxeter Quilt show three years ago. The hanging sleeves and labels stitched on, so that's a big relief.
Back to getting the things on my list ticked of now....

Stitching News

A little catch up... I really don't where all the time goes!!!

Cheryl is so pleased with her quilt. As am I! This picture isn't showing the true vibrancy of the colour, it's a WOW-BOOM! of loveliness, really, you can't help but smile looking at it. Inspired by this Organic Applique book Cheryl has thoroughly enjoyed the whole process

She chose this magnificent leafy Batik fabric for the back.

Toot toot toot Cheryl Cheryl a fantastically fabulous finish.

We need another fanfare for Our Lou Lou who finished her lovely Cushion, the pattern for this design is in this, very popular book Lou purchased those buttons to be added later at home. There's a covered zip installed, with great skill, in the back, but I'm not really supposed to mention how that went! She enjoyed making the back so much that she did it twice! Toot toot toot Lou Lou, it's a fabulous finish.

Remember all those little black and white unit-titty-bits I was teasing you with? Shirley has constructed lots of the cutest little penguins now... made with great accuracy as that's the way she likes it. I can't wait to show you all the little fellows together. I Googled.... "A group of penguins is called a colony, a rookery or a Waddle"  I love the idea of a Waddle of Penguins!!!

Bev's cushion is finished... an exercise for Half Square Triangles, first time using the Photo print fabric (available in my very own shop) loads of expert led embroidered embellishing stitching... I'm gushing eh!! Toot toot toot Bev, I love your fabulous and finished Hedgehog Cushion.

More time with our trumpets pointing upward... Janis very proudly held up her fabulous and finished, Quarter Log Cabin quilt, there was a bit of relief there too as this is her largest quilt yet, the last one was a table runner so that was inevitabubble. Toot toot toot Jan, it's just fabulous.

Deb also Almost finished her largest quilt to date.  It's the same design as the Cat's On The Fence quilt a few ladies have made recently, but it looks so different in these muted grey tones. 

Really speaking we can't give this one a fanfare yet because, even though it is fabulous, it's not finished. Deb stabilised it with lots of basic quilting, in the ditch stitches and got the binding on... but now she's going back in with a little bit of Free Motion playing... exciting!

Stitching News

There have been hanging sleeves stitched on to competition quilts... and plans are being made for dropping quilts off in time for the Uttoxeter Quilt show... so we are going to be ready!!!! I promise...

Norma stitched her last row of blocks onto this quilt top. It's a great scrappy project and now a few of us have started to cut two and a half inch squares as prep for making one of our very own. Norma inspired us!

Fiona Too is ready for a Toot toot toot fanfare for this fabulous and finished Tomte quilt. Each block has been made and quilted then joined together apartment-ly. Fiona enjoys that method for her larger quilts. All the fabrics are Beautiful Batiks from my very own shop. The book has been very popular too.

I told you Bev had more embellishing stitching done... So cute! All the background Half Square Triangles were great practice for accuracy. Now Bev will be tackling sewing up all those piles of 60 degree Triangles

Just because Bev is a smart cookie... 

How cute it this as an Easter gifting doo dah!!!

It's a fabulous finish, toot toot toot.

I've received notification that my Christmas fabrics are being delivered on Friday... Just as I finished finding a space for everything!!!

Here I go again... cutting Fat Quarters, re-rolling the untidy bolts etc... it's never ending colourful, quilty fun!

Stitching News

You've probably guessed by now that I  haven't had much to blog about lately. So many of my customers have been Covid positive, or determined to avoid this last wave, so classes haven't happened well for 2 weeks or so, and then I got the darn virus!! 
Our Checkley Fun Day Sewday had to be cancelled too, very disappointing.

I'm happy to report that we are on the other side of all that now and my shop and classroom are returning to normal.

Susan is working on this most wonderful quilt top. It's basically Drunkards Path units but my goodness it is clever, like a huge bunch of glorious blooms! I'll get the pattern details for you next time I see Susan.

Do you remember that Susan was working on this beautiful quilt at our last Cromford Sewing retreat? She decided to have it professionally Long Arm quilted and popped in, on her way home after collecting it from Stone, to show it to us and to purchase her binding fabric. Absolutely beautiful and we will be raising our trumpets very soon no doubt.

This is so lovely... There is something very very cute about these spikey little creatures. Bev is working on him and enjoying all the slow, hand stitching... there has been lots of embellishment added since this photo.

 Hanging sleeves are being added to a few Uttoxeter Quilt Show entries as it's only 2 weeks to go. We all entered the quilts in 2020 and we are still not ready!!! Darn that Covid!!!

Covid Update

Again I am testing positive for Covid, I still have plenty of the symptoms but I am feeling much improved. I will be in my shop today finishing the stock taking.
It might be best to call me before you plan to pop over to check on the situation.
You have to decided for your very own self whether to enter my shop. I will wear a mask for you.

I have continued my Union Jack trial blocks.

This was a square block but it did look strange as a square,

So, I quilted it and now it's round!

It will be a round cushion very soon!