Market Research?

I have an Important, and quite random, question for any quilters and sewing people out there. Just a bit of research for Sewing Prevention Season.

IF (that's in capitals on purpose) 'IF' I could organize a sewing retreat for 2025 Christmas time, would you be interested?

Possibly arriving on Wednesday 24th December and staying through to Saturday 27th December. Safely landing home on the other side of the festivities.

I'm thinking for those of us who would rather sew with like minded people, enjoying pleasant conversation and giggles, than sleep on the sofa all afternoon too full of dry turkey, overcooked sprouts, sherry and boxes of chocolates!

I'm no Grinch, but how wonderful would it be?

Please or email me angiequilts@gmail.com

Stitching News

Christmas Corner has been very popular in my little shop this week. Advent Calendars are being stitched, Festive Buntings strung, little bags and table toppers made for gifting, it's been a very Christmassy themed week. I'm not a massive fan of Christmas, except for the holiday it gives! but I do like all the festive stuff we make. 

In my classroom though, lots of inspiring sewing has happened...

Christabelle finished her Quilted Table Topper. It's a pattern in a book called Skinny Quilts, which are perfect for bed runners, door or wall display quilts and table toppers. Chris has enjoyed making this smaller than usual quilt, so a fanfare is due, toot toot toot, it's long and fabulous finish

This also belongs to Christabelle. A spectacular Stack-n-Whack Kaleidoscope quilt top. There were many options for the borders so a little bit of thinking happened. The decision was made eventually and Chris has booked in to make her sandwich next Friday.

Pam's baby quilt commission is coming along very nicely. All the letters are the right way up now, don't tell her I mentioned that! Borders will be added next week.

Gail is cracking on with her new baby project. 

Delightful Teddy blocks are keeping her busy stitching. 

Changing thread colours for every fabric.

Gail's gathered a great selection of thread colours.

Farmer Lynda has quilted her Giraffe by following the applique design on the front. Of course it will show up on the backing fabric. and Look how fabulous it is!!

Lynda is chuffed to bits with it. Double sided Gifting.

Jackie finished her very long, Quick Table Topper. The pattern used to be a free PDF, lots and very lots of these have been made in my classroom using the PDF, but it seems to have disappeared from T'Internet now, at least, I can't find it. Jackie's made to measure, Fabulous and Finished quilt toot toot toot. 

Jan spied a couple of vacant tables so was able to make her festive sandwich. She's enjoyed making all the star blocks, precisely and very pointy. The quilting was started in class too. 

Julie has her Pineapple blocks all finished, 24 I think, so she's able to stitch them together with sashing strips and corner stones. The coloured fabrics are from a Tilda collection. I think it's one Jelly Roll and one Layer Cake.

I've been stitching up my first ever pre-printed, Advent Panel. I have quite a few made up in my very own shop, but my Mum's done all the sewing for those. I thought it was about time I made one. They are very easy really. A lot of pressing is involved. I didn't quite follow the instructions, I pleased my very own self on that score, I bet you're not surprised to hear that little nugget!

A Sunday Funday (always a fun day) Sewday is coming up, November 24th 9.30am - 3-30pm, which is next weekend. It's time to pay for your place, if you have't already.

Our March 2025 sewing Retreat at Hillscourt in the Lickey Hills is filling up nicely. 

That's Monday 3rd March - Thursday 6th. We have now started collecting deposits.

Please feel free to mail me angiequilts@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Stitching News

Friday this week, was a sandwich making day again. All part of the excellent customer service I like to offer, saving your back and your knees from el mucho pain-o. In between sandwich making and shop customers I was able to do a lot of  I was sorting out in my Christmas Corner. It's a very popular corner this week and the Fat Quarters all needed topping up, I still haven't finished cutting the Fat Quarters but I did find a couple of bolts of fabric that I had hidden behind the shelves. In particular, Advent Panels. I have way too many for a little Christmas Corner. More on that later, and it might be interesting.

We have a new victim, Jackie. She's been well and truly infected by the Quilting Bug. After only one day learning the basics of patchwork and quilting, she's hooked. This happened easily while making this lovely cushion. Toot toot toot Jackie, fabulous and finished projects receive a trumpet fanfare.

The same thing happened with Sue. After making her first beginner cushion, she went on to make one for everyone she knows. For a few weeks now though, Sue has been beavering away making Log Cabin blocks. This week the blocks were all joined together and a new quilt top was almost done. We will add the borders next week.

Our Judy does lots of sewing for charitable causes. Next week, in this little market town of Cheadle, it's the big Light switch on event. Lots of charities use the day to raise funds, it's a lovey event. Judy has been making festive coasters to donate to Home Link's fundraising. Don't they look great presented this way. Perfect little gifts made from Judy's left over festive fabrics.

Shirley had made this lovely quilt top a while ago and had put it to one side. It can be a bit daunting to have too many sandwiches waiting to be quilted, there's less pressure caused by a folded up top! Anyway, now it's time to quilt this one so the deed has been done.

Deb says her puppy quilt inspired by Prue Leith. Obviously she means their spectacles. How cool are those frames! One quilt top completed and ready to be sandwiched. But for now Deb is working on her Snowman Collector blocks. I'll get pictures of those next time.

And Taaaa Daaah

Finished, but no label yet.

My very own quilt is toot toot toot ready.

Hanging on the classroom wall to inspire you!

Another little reminder about Checkley Sunday Sewday on 24th November. I have quite a few names on my list with payment pending. It's just £20.00 for the day, when you pay in advance (this includes refreshments and your lunch) but it's £25.00 to pay on the day.

I'm very sorry that payment is not refundable for any cancellations made once all the catering supplies have been purchased, which is usually on the Wednesday before a sewday.

Happy stitching xx

Stitching News

November! and the glorious colours that come with it. It's almost unbelieve-a-bubble that Sewing prevention season in looming, really, only a few weeks to go! Aren't I the joyful one! If you plan on making an Advent Calendar it's time to get your very own self sewing, I have lots of panels availa-bubble for you to choose from in my very own shop. I have wadding cut to size too.

Rose finished hand sewing the binding, as predicted. She is very happy with the quilt, and no wonder. The design is by Elizabeth Hartman from the book Modern Patchwork, a lovely book. We need to polish our trumpets and hold them high for a tooting fanfare

This is the back, it's a perfect match! The book has patterns for all quilt tops with a co-ordinated backing. You get to make two quilt tops and only quilt once! blooming marvelous idea. Toot toot toot Rose, fabulous and finished and ready for gifting.

Louise Merlot is a new Granny! A new grand baby needs new quilts. Well, she doesn't probably need any more but it's how we quilters gush love and cuddles!! Merlot is making an Eye Spy Play Mat with snowballs and corner stones (quilty speak). It's a free pattern on Makower UK website

Josie came to make her sandwich. At this point she's wondering how she will manage the quilting, with it being so large. We discussed a few possibilities and we'll have to wait to see how Josie gets on, but she went home determined, that's a good sign.

Princess Jackie came to make two sandwiches. First up, The Night Before Christmas, very apt as we get closer to that sewing prevention season! There's a lot of little detail to be quilted around, which never phases Jackie, not even all those ends to tie off!

Jackie's second sandwich, an explosion of colour!

The Gypsy's Wife quilt pattern, now called the Wanderers Wife, I think. Wow is it fabulous and bright. Lot's of quilting styles will be perfect. 

My shop was closed on Saturday because I attended a weaving workshop at Masson Mills in Cromford. I made this sample. 

I enjoyed learning something different.

when I retire, I just might take up a little weaving.

There's a Sunday Funday Sewday on November 24th. It will be the last one of 2024.

All the dates for 2025 are available on the little Fun Stuff tab at the top of this blog.

Stitching News

Here we are again, the end of another busy month. Our wonderful retreat at Hillscourt, in the Lickey Hills Country Park, could be the reason it feels such a short month to me, a whole week off at the beginning of each month could become a thing, ha! We must pack in lots of fun stuff while we can. 

I'll just remind you that my shop will not be open on Saturday 2nd November. I'm going gallivanting again but on a workshop this time. Just for the one day. Because I have time for another crafting skill, don't I?

This isn't quite a tooting picture just yet. The binding is stitched in place for Rose to hand stitch at her leisure, providing it's less that a week as she's bringing it back, finished, next week for the grand reveal. Oh, I mean tomorrow, I cant keep up.

Princess Jackie has finished piecing her latest work of art. We played with fabrics trying to find perfect border ideas and we had success. The lovely pattern is called The Night Before Christmas by Bunny Hill designs. It's an older pattern that Jackie borrowed from a friend as she couldn't find it to purchase.

Gail has made about 6 of these stockings. She is going to have to hide her art from her family as they all want their own and the orders flow in. It's a good job she loves sewing. Toot toot toot Gail, another fabulous, personalized and finished festive stocking

Our Pam is also working on several commissioned projects at the moment. Two baby quilts and a doggy bag, along side the 5 or 6 quilts she is stitching, just because she wants to. And then there's her crochet, the knitting and she bakes too. She makes retirement sound scarily busy, It might be easier to keep working!

I think I'm caught up with the few pictures I have. There's a lot going on in the classes but I keep missing the photo opportunities. Maybe I need to stop nattering with other customers?

I have only one trolley of new fabrics bolts to find a home for now. I've managed to squeeze most of the new delivery onto my shelves, tightly packed isn't really practical but it looks fabulous!

Stitching News

First of all I'm going to remind you that we have a Checkley Funday Sewday coming up on Sunday, 27th of October. If you haven't booked already, the fee is £20.00 paid in advance and £25 if you opt to pay on the day.

Now to catch up on a few project pictures.

Farmer Lynda could not be any happier with her latest gifting quilt. It is very cute though isn't it. While she searched for 'just the right fabrics' I pointed her to my trolley of landscape and animal prints, Lynda didn't quite squeal with delight when she saw the giraffe print, but it was close! 

Josie held up this quilt top while confessing that she had finished it way back in 2016, or maybe the year before. When she realized how large it was she put it away, fearful of the actual quilting part. But now, she's booked to make a sandwich and to get on with it, she might have started to eat spinach from a can too?

I took my still unfinished Randolph and Rudy quilt in to show it off. My Thursday class ladies were impressed. Some have the pattern already. Lick-etty- Split, Jan got her very own self a copy and made a start on the cutting and labeling, there's a lot of that to be done.

Shirley took great care pinning her last cushion top. 

She likes precise precision, just like my very own self. 

Quilting cushion fronts is so satisfying in between larger projects.

Julie is making great progress with this, her second, Annie's Garden quilt top. Just one more strip to be made, lots of Pinwheels will be needed, the applique flowers are already sorted.

This is a fabulous and finished quilted cushion, made by Josie. She had purchased the pattern for the flower applique online, as a kit. Not knowing what to do with it once the applique was finished we all put in our two penn'orth ( I Googled the spelling, very interesting!) The beautiful Batik border sets off the floral display perfectly. toot toot toot Josie.

I do have a few more photos but I have to go to organize a rather large shipment of new fabrics that appeared earlier today. That old excuse!!!

Stitching News

 Half way through October already! Where is the time going? It's true, the older I get the faster the days pass by. I have spent quite a few luxurious minutes in Quilty Quarters since returning from our lovely retreat. I wanted to get my Randolph & Rudy quilt finished.

The pattern, by Elizabeth Hartman, called for 44.5" border strips, which meant joining fabric to extend 1 strip by 2". I realize I could have cut the whole length from my background fabric piece, but I was trying to follow the pattern. I didn't want to join a little piece so, not following the pattern, I spent extra time making little festive flying geese units, and I am happy with them.

My shop doesn't open on Mondays which proved very convenient for my very own self. I pieced a backing from my home stash and walked up to my shop to make a sandwich, at lunchtime, ha! I've started the quilting but I didn't get very far. Quilts don't half take a long time to make.

I had packed another project for the retreat, just in case I finished the other 3, ha ha ha! as if. This was my testing block, I'm keen to make more of these blocks so I'll make it my Checkley Sunday Sewday project for the October and November sessions.

Which reminds me, have you booked your place for October 27th?

Stitching News

I found some more photos...

This is Gail's Santa table runner. You might think she's been making it for a few years but no, this is her third fourth one. The problem is, when people see how wonderful and Christmassy it is, they all want one, so another has to be made. Toot toot toot Gail, and congratulations on completing your LAST one! Of course I have me fingers crossed for Gail, just in case!

This one belongs to Princess Jackie. She and Gail worked on them during their sewing retreat in August, it was a bit like a race to the finish line. 

Both are very cute and want-a-bbuble.

Toot toot toot Jackie, remember not to show it to anyone, ha ha!

FYI, The table runner pattern is 'Topsy Turvy Santa' by Happy Hollow Designs

Christabelle is making a table topper too. 

No Santas involved on this one though. 

Every shade of green will be used. 

The pattern is from a book, I think it's called Skinny Quilts.

Deb has finished all her puppies now. She was playing with the placement of them all, making sure to mix up all the fabrics. This is one very cute project. Just needs the sashing and it will be ready to sandwich and quilt.