Preparation, We're Off

During our last Quilting Retreat, back in March 2020, people were messaging us about 'The Covid', about the 'Loo Roll' and shelf emptying situation in the supermarkets... we thought they were crackers, we were oblivious to it all as we don't really pay much attention to the news, we are on our jollies!!! We were in a little quilting bubble having a wonderful time.
At the end of the retreat, we booked and paid our deposits for the next retreat in September 2020.
Obviously, when we got home the reality hit us all... such a strange feeling. 
Then Lockdown happened... you know how that went!
So many of our little 'Bubble', including my very good self, have had life changing things happen since then, not all Covid related.
Thankfully, here we are at today, October 2021... finally we're off to our favourite place once more. Not all the same Bubblers will be with us, life does get in the way, but a great group none the less. Fun will be had and laughter, there's always laughter, is a great tonic, boy do we have a great time.

It's always tricky for me deciding what to take to sew.
I always TRY not to start a new project, ha!
So this weekend the packing, cutting, prepping, sorting, deciding and organising all got done... there are 4 new projects!!! Shhhhhh.... I know right!!

I cut this lot last weekend, little units of Churndash blocks

15" Churndash block inspired by an internet search

 which I'll tell you about when we get back... 

I need to get permission from the quilter who inspired the project first

I couldn't resist sewing one set of units together

It took all of my will power NOT to sew any more

It's going to be a fun retreat project

These aren't sewn, just cut and placed on my design wall, That sounds very artsy fartsy doesn't it. It's a brushed cotton sheet held up with sticky Hook And Loop tape, with a Clover design wall stuck to it (which they don't seem to make any more) I'm a make do genius!!!

Right, I have to load up the vehicle now, it's nearly time.... 

Heigh hoooooooo, heigh ho... it's off to work I go...

Stitching News

I was rubbish at remembering to take photos all last week.

Sometimes it's just too busy in the classroom and too exciting to remember picture taking.

And I'm not going to apologise for that!! But I am sorry, he he he

Shirley finished her Dinosaur quilt top. She decided not to have corner stones after all and it looks great, especially with all those dino-bones in the sashing. There are dinosaur footprints being prepared to make a quirky backing now.

A Jelly Roll had been sewn together in strip sets of 4, 

then left, stored, been forgotten about and now, given away, to Pam.

Pam unpicked one strip from each set, making 3, a much better size for cutting up. She pressed and stitched them into a quilt top, which is what you are looking at here.... You'll have to Wait to see where this is now going... It's exciting!

Sister Susie needed to make her sandwich so she can crack on with quilting it all through next week when there are no classes. It didn't take long with Fiona Too helping out.

Farmer Lynda is prepping her projects ready for the sewing retreat. She purchased the kit from the Festival Of Quilts last time we went so this is about 3 years in the waiting to be done. 

Naughty... a fun word!!

 Please remember that my shop will be closed all of next week,

Stitching News

There are some beautiful projects coming together in my classroom. Busy days pass by so quickly... in the blink of an eye, it's another week later....
Anyhow... I did get some photos. not the best quality, I know.

We had a Sewing Saturday in my classroom and Deb was so chuffed to have got so much done on her table runner! She learned the importance and benefits of cutting the block units as accurately as possible, and learned a little bit of fudging too.

Cheryl just needed to add the binding. It's a Single Bed quilt so it's a long way round. She did it all by machine, very successfully. So this is a call for a fabulous and finished fanfare, toot toot toot

Fiona is having a tricky time with this table runner. Not for want of trying... it's the blooming wonky panel pictures. They have made it all very trying... but it's almost done now and it will be fabulous.

Di is putting this on the back of a gifting quit. It's a great idea and now that she has committed to a year date, she's going to have to finish this Christmas project soon. All the letters are stuck on so she's a marathon of blanket stitching to do next .

Lorna has decided she doesn't like Foundation Paper Piecing after all... though she has to continue with these planes... I've started so I'll finish!! ha. I don't think there can be many to go now and Lorna is actually working on more than this one quilt so that breaks it up a bit.

We need another Fabulous and finished fanfare now...

Di's Woodland gifting quilt is finished and ready for delivery to it's lucky new owner...

This is the back of the Woodland quilt, how fabulous it is. Little man is named Obie... He has a little label in the corner too. I'm not sure whether I told you the story of Di's label did I? Trilobal Polyester is beautiful to look at but it will melt if you keep the hot iron on it while you natter!! 

Congratulations Lady Lidl A splendid quilt and worth all the frustration!

Our Pam was so excited when these Makower Advent panels arrived in my shop. She has 3 little dogs in her family and this year they'll all have fun waiting for Santa. Toot toot toot Our Pam, they are fabulous and finished in good time for filling up the pockets.

New Sue finished the centre of her latest gifting quilt. The design is from a book, which I've forgotten to note down, but it's basically a Snowball block alternating with a 9-Patch block. Very effective and, if you like to piece and play with scraps... would be great for you.

While you are here please note that
My shop will be open as normal this next week but closed from 2pm on Saturday 16th October until opening again on Monday 25th October, which I believe is Half Term.
We are going on our September 2020 Sewing retreat, only just over a year late and we are all very very very thankful to be going and super excited to sew, for a change!

Bits & Bobs

Not so many photos have been taken this week, I've been quite occupied with all the deliveries. You can get into my shop now though, I have cleared a pathway through the boxes. More new books are due in next week, and a few other little things... Like a-blooming-nother roll of wadding!

I sometimes save fabrics for customers, especially when they're not sure about quantities needed. Now, normally I would put a little label on the fabrics to say who they are saved for and for how long I need to wait before putting them back on the shelf for sale. 

Obviously, I either forgot for these fabrics or the label has fallen off and gone missing.
It was over 2 years ago that someone asked for these fabrics to be saved. Not a normal 2 years though, I wouldn't have saved them for that length of time under normal circumstances, but as it was Covid Lockdown for my shop, I've waited. 

It's time now to put them back on my shelves (not that there's any space on my shelves!) but I want to give whoever it was the opportunity to say whether they still need the fabrics, I would hate to spoil a project. So I will wait until next weekend. Was it you? 

I've had this photo sent to me, Farmer Lynda is Wrapping her Pot Cord ready to make a Pot on our upcoming Cromford Sewing Retreat. She's been busy cutting strips anything from 3/4" to 1 1/4" wide so had plenty to go at.

This is also Farmer Lynda's work. I have quite a few folk making this lovely Christmassy panel and they are all making great progress. As the longer darkness hours draw in, we are all aware it's very soon going to be Sewing Prevention Season!

As I mentioned, it's soon going to be time to pack our sewing projects for the Cromford Sewing Retreat. I started these borders back in 2017 at a Westhope College Quilting Retreat, so much has changed since then but they need to be finished and stitched to the centre, I've forgotten the original plan so I'm winging it!

I Need Your Help Please

Please can you help me?

If you have purchased a Juki sewing machine through my shop could I please ask you to get in touch with me. email angiequilts@gmail.com

WhatsApp or call me on 07807530441

I just need your name and the Juki Model and Serial Number (if possible) with an approximate date of purchase please.

This information is VERY VERY important to me.

Thank you,

Angie

A Festive Table Runner

This traditionally pieced block project is proving to be very popular. There are a few ladies making the blocks for it in their weekly class and I've been asked to teach it as a Saturday Workshop. Now you know I love to give great customer service, so I have a plan to do exactly that.
The first one will be on Saturday 6th November. 

We will make this block

This block and one more... The Wonderful, Ohio Star.

Then we will join them together with Side Setting Triangles, Half Square Triangles in the Corners, Carefully measured Border strips all round... all with top tips of course!

Then we'll make a sandwich with the backing and wadding which will need quilting

Binding will be needed too. 

It took me approximately 10 hours to get this far... 

Simple Quilting, Stitching In The Ditch (more like Ditch Hopping)

Now then... realistically, this is not achievable in one 5 hour workshop, but a lot will be accomplished. Obviously it all depends on how well you get on. 

You will be able to return for further help on a Sewing Saturday, or another weekday class if you prefer, to get it finished.

The first workshop is almost full up, but don't worry, I can schedule more.

You don't have to use Christmas fabrics either, just switch the colours and fabrics and no-one would ever know, I have one on my table during summer months that I made in 2007, with summery garden fabrics...

I'll be in my shop a bit earlier today, I have to clear a pathway through all those boxes of fabric!

Stitching News

You must have noticed last week that I had taken pictures each day so I could keep you up to date with all the makings is my classroom? 

Christabelle finished her gifting quilt, complete with the superb Faux Piped Binding which is an excellent feature here, taking Clever Mr. Black right out to the edge of this quilt, don't you think?

This is sort of the back, it's a truly double sided quilt really and, in my opinion, this is a great way to use a panel for the front and a panel on the back... she's a smart cookie is Our Chris as it's almost impossible to get them to line up, using one panel as a border avoids that issue. Toot toot toot Chris, a fabulous and rather cunning, finished quilt.

Rose arrived on a mission, book and fabrics in hand... she got straight to the cutting. All this work was completed in class, even the tracing on to the sticky stuff, there's a lot of work here. Rose is so pleased with this project, it is really cute.

Sister Susie sent this picture to show that she had finished her borders and is ready for the backing and sandwich making process, I bet she might need a bit of fabric for that, fingers crossed, ha!

It was all going so well... I even stayed extra hours in my lovely shop last week and Saturday to get all of those piled high trollies organised. All the fat quarters were cut and My Mum Gwynneth came back from her holidays and so was able to start folding them all, ready for you to put in your basket... 

Then we were at Checkley Sunday Sewday. Once everyone was set up, I popped out to visit a fabric warehouse... lots of bolts of fabric followed me home. It was quite exciting showing them all to the ladies and they were really enthusiastic. After the fun day at Checkley, I delivered the bolts to my shop and made nice tidy, full and over flowing trollies, once again!! Ready for a new week of classes...

And, would you blooming believe it.... yesterday lunchtime, three BIG boxes of Makower fabrics arrived, the delivery guy commented on how heavy they were, which is always a worry!! ha.
This stuff was ordered so long ago I had forgotten all about it...

As Rose was trying to leave my shop, having had such a great and productive day, I heard her saying... to Jean Bean, "I can't get out, Angie has barricaded the they way with fabrics... have I got to buy enough fabric to clear the way to get out!"

Although that sounded like an excellent idea, it wasn't the plan... I have no idea what the plan is now. I have no idea where this is all gong to go... so once again I must ask you to be super careful when you come to shop, there are fabric bolts everywhere, and I mean everywhere!!!
It's absolutely wonderful, ha ha ha!!!

This is just one from the new Beth Studley, Henna range

Click this link to see the others, I have most of them in stock...

 Actually, they are piled up right by my door at the moment!

My Rooting Rack has been fully replenished with Bolt End fabric pieces and mis-cuts, that's a confession!
I was trying to keep them all because I love them.
I really have issues with letting the last bits go.
I might need them when I retire you see!!

Stitching News

                                         

All Day Di has almost finished her quilting. There's more stitching than she had originally planned as she loved the way the woodland creatures were phooophing. Di's not so keen on tying off all the ends but sometimes it just has to be done, plus it's not as hard when there's plenty of social chatter to join in with. Not sure why Di bit into the wadding on the side there, quite big chunks too, I did offer her a biscuit, hey ho!

You may remember that Shirley couldn't decide what to do about corner stones. "To corner stone, or not to corner stone? that was the question!! She mulled over it for days but has now decided NOT to corner stone, we all agreed this time too, boom!

Jan's table runner centre complete. She listened carefully to my top tips for trimming and squaring, she even almost understood!! There are lots of useful lines on rulers, if you twizz them around enough times the right line will pop out! Top Tips for adding borders were much easier.

Sister Susie also added her borders. Her top tips included pattern matching, sort of. We couldn't match the pattern at the corners exactly but we figured out how to blend the designs pretty well. That's my ironing station multi tasking as a bed!

Fiona Too had a small problem, very small but important. Lots of companies print lovely picture panels but they never give much space for making them work when sewn. Sashing measurements had to be altered on the horizontal so the centre panel will work... that meant rectangular corner stones were needed... how very off piste!  It works though.

I've got a whole load of fabric due in next week so I am frantically trying to find somewhere to put the last lot that was delivered 3 weeks ago.
Quite an impossible task really... so I've had to fill the rooting rack with more end of bolt pieces... you know what that means don't you... might be a bargain or two or three.
I'll be adding more today as there's no class booked in.
I will probably take all the fabrics with me to Checkley tomorrow too. If I can fit them in my car with all the cables and ironing boards and the rest of the paraphernalia needed for a fun stitchy day.