Forced Retirement!!!

Don't panic!!
We are all back from a wonderful, relaxing and extremely funny sewing retreat at Alison House.
All went so well... but...
My computer has decided to retire... not me... so I have to sort out a new one. I'm hopeless with technology and change so please be patient with me.
I have some fabulous pictures to share with you... as soon as I can, I will xx

Every Day, Every Way

It's really tricky .... I find it tricky, to take good photos of bags and other 3D projects... You kind of need a video... I'm not doing any videoing!! I have a perfectly purple "point and shoot" camera and I am quite rubbish in the photo department... But I want you to know Christabelle made this...

Every Day, Every Way bag... pattern from ByAnnie.
It's a more stylised picture, sent to me by Chris... it's so smart... all pattern matched and beautifully quilted

Lots of different straps for different jobs, even straps for clipping the bag to the buggy. The Canvas fabric is an Art Gallery one which Chris has fussily cut and pattern matched... the co-ordinating yellow fabric is Alison Glass, a Sunprint I think, then the straps are also Ary Gallery ...

Pockets, pockets, pockets... all over the bag. Those to the right inside have no bottom to them so they are perfect to hold up drinks and bottles (for baby size, not gin bottles!!) Chris hasn't found every stage easy but she has thoroughly enjoyed the process. It is well deserving and an extra loud, toot toot toot.

Stitching News

Sister Susie and Fiona Too have both worked on this wall hanging. They wanted to try a few new things/technics... and that's just what they did. Each word section has had a different treatment... Free-Motion Quilting, large and micro designs, Liberated Walking Foot Quilting etc. All finished up with Apartment Joining. It's not quite finished in the picture as the binding needed to be hand stitched.

This is Annbacan's fabulous and finished quilt. You can hardly notice the sashing strips used to join all the 16-patch blocks apartmently. Toot toot toot... The black and white stripy binding pulls it all together too.

Di Butterfly had a new grandson a few months ago so he will soon be in need of a Festive Stocking to match his brother's. It's a good job Diane kept her pattern, what a smart idea to reverse the design!

Sporty Sue is absolutely thrilled with her latest project. Beach Bums She's had so much fun choosing the fabrics for the swim-wear, the hats, bags and towels... Sue is particularly thrilled with the Flip-Flops. All the applique pieces are just fused on at the moment... Sue has a lot of  stitching to do.

Some of the ladies who attended the recent Sock Knitting workshop with Nuttie have been popping in to show how thrilled they are to have finished a first sock. This one belongs to Christine S. She's already well on her way with sock number two too.

Gail is quilting her Bug Quilt. She's using her Walking Foot to help feed the layers through the machine evenly... I've been catching some other ladies quilting away having forgotten to change to their walking foot... I'm not going to name names, Pam, Longport Lynda and Sheila wouldn't like that. Simple quilting lines are very effective, especially with this cute design on Gail's blocks.

Sister Susie made this little quilt to be used as a baby changing mat... not to change the baby you understand, to change the nappy (diaper) ha ha. It's a fabulous finish with the tried and trusted Railfence design and quirky applique to show witch way up to put baby! Toot toot toot Susie, a fabulous and finished, practical little quilt.

Toot Toot Toot

Christabelle made this absolutely gorgeous quilt for her beautiful little granddaughter. The basic pattern is from the book Happy Quilts. Chris has embellished each bear... A LOT with embroidery and applique... Taking the things her granddaughter enjoys and incorporating them, like crown, a space outfit, a chef, a pirate... have a zoom in to explore...

Here's one zoom.... a flower girl bear... all those little french knots!! It is a fabulous finish and Chris is absolutely chuffed with the results. Toot toot toot-etty-toot 

The Happy Quilts Book (available in my lovely shop) also has patterns for 3D toys to accompany the quilts... it really is a great book... See Christabelle made this little bear to be gifted with the beautiful Bear quilt... another toot toot toot is needed!

Just a little reminder...

My shop will be open as normal for all of this week but it will be
CLOSED from Wednesday the 25th of September to Sunday 29th September. It's retreat time.
All of the other days the shop will be open as normal... and will be full of stock and amazing, as usual! ha ha ha
So... retreating?... To Sew?
Who would have thought that so many people would want to go on holiday to sew all day from sunrise until after... well after the sun sets... but it is true, that's what we are going to do.

Fabulous And Finished

This fabulous and finished quilt was started during the Quilt-As-You-Go workshop recently. Linda had every intention of making a kiddie play mat (baby quilt) when she started the blocks...

Bright kiddo themed fabrics joined together with perfect coloured, striped fabric using our favourite Apartment joining method. A double sided kiddy play mat and finished in good time for gifting. Toot toot toot Linda.

Princess Jackie finished this quilt in good time too. She loves to do machine applique so this pieced design has been a bit of a learning curve. Determination paid off! 

Jackie must have enjoyed getting all those accurate pointy-points because she pieced this fabulous panel for the back... making it another double sided, fabulous and finished quilt toot toot toot Jackie

Like I said, Princess Jackie loves to work with machine applique... no piece too small, no piece too round!! Such a lot of detail... every bit of applique done with closely matching thread... all those thread ends to tie off!!!

A closer shot... so you can see just how much detail has been stitched... lovely bright colours with quilting cottons and beautiful Batik fabrics... all the tiny little squares, pieced for the inner border...

This is the back... if you zoom in you will see that Jackie quilted around every detail too. Toot toot toot-etty-toot Jackie, a truly fantastic, fabulous and finished quilt. I think she's keeping this one!

Gail finished two of her new cushions, obviously this is a front and a back view at the very same time... no camera trickery, there are really two... twin cushions! Toot toot toot Gail, your sofa will look summery and bright all year round.

Stitching News

Gail says this quilt top hasn't been lost in her garage, like the others.... it was made a few years ago, though she's not quite sure why she never got it finished... It doesn't matter at all now... there is a Ladybird Sandwich on the table so the quilting will soon commence.

Another sandwich, this is a large one... Hounds a plenty...
New Sue is making this quilt for gifting.
Aren't the expressions on the Hounds fun!!

Cheryl added border fabrics to her Quilt-As-You-Go project. There will be wadding zig-zagged to the seam allowance then there will be a bit of simple quilting lines stitched. She's on the home straight now... just as well, it's nearly gifting time.

Stitching News

Di Butterfly has finished the quilting on her floor play mat.
Snakes And Ladders... good old fashioned fun!!!
Just the binding to go now...

Josie loves these traditional designs. She has a book full of them so we will be seeing more classic cushions I'm sure. Maybe even a quilt?

Cheryl Cheryl has been secretly making a quilt for gifting. She decided to do Quilt-As-You-Go blocks with apartment joining. Beautiful Batik fabrics making it modern, fresh and colourful... We are loving the stripes all in the same direction.

Annbacan has come to the Apartment joining bit now. She used a 'different' polyester wadding, I don't think it was meant for quilts because it is quite thick, rather stiff and very tricky to work with... but, it is, what it is and Ann will not be beaten by a bit of batting!

PM Pam finished another quilt top. This quilt was a special request, a commission... Pam gets a lot of special requests! It's a lovely design and Pam will make more quilts like this. I hope you can see the fussy cut corner stones, very cute indeed.