Catching Up With Stitching News

I'm not sure where to start really. Catching up with two weeks of stitchy fun is tricky. Digging into my memory, without photos to remind me what we've been up to, is pretty hopeless. I do have a few photos, thanks to the ladies who remember to suggest I take a photo!

This is Princess Jackie's Gypsy Wife quilt top. The pattern is still available but it's been re-named Wanderer's Wife What a riot of colour it is too, as we have come to expect from Jackie. She's learned a LOT while making the blocks, one half inch can confuse everything.

This is a trumpets up picture. 

Christabelle finished this fabulous quilt. It's an Anna Maria Horner design but Chris decided to quilt each block, with free motion quilting, individually and joined them all together, apartment-ly with sashing strips. Absolutely gorgeous!

This is the back, obviously. By opting to use a contrasting fabric for the sashing, which worked extremely well, Chris has a double sided quilt, very different either side.

Look how fabulous the quilting is.

Toot toot toot Christabelle, an amazing job!

We joke about quilting being rather addictive, it's actually no joke!! Most of us slide right over to that 'dark side' But Julie? She jumped on the diving board then somersaulted right into the deepest end! I can hardly keep up with her progress, quilt after quilt after quilt! 

This top is from a pattern in the Material Obsession book (which is out of print but still available as used copies) Julie saw my quilt (called 'Garden Retreat', which now I'm looking for it I see I haven't put it on my blog!!!) hanging on my classroom wall. She ordered a copy of the book. The following week she purchased all the fabrics the next week this is it, a finished top! So summery, beautiful and bright. 

I found a blog post about it from 10th June last year, My Garden Retreat quilt top! Just the top as I haven't even taken a photo of the finished quilt, shocking misdemeanor! I will, soon!

Jan has found it really tricky to achieve accuracy with this project. All because of the silly edges on the Moda Batik Jelly Roll. It's all very well saying to use the outer peaks for the accuracy of two and a half inches, but that only works if you can see them! It's a good job Jan knows how to fudge! This first strip is looking fabulous though.

Toot toot toot for Mrs. Lou Lou. A fabulous and Finished Pineapple Blossom Cushion!! Lou Lou has forgotten when she started this project, we estimate it was at least 2017, All she needed to do was finish the quilting as the back was already made. We all do it! but it is finished now. There's blog evidence that Mrs. Lou Lou made her first Pineapple Blossom cushion in September 2015 It was lovely to go back searching.

Deb has been working on her Snowman Collector blocks for a while. But that was done purposefully, keeping the project rolling on as an in-between-y sewing thing. They are all finished now so there will be borders next. Two around each block to start with. I'll show you as it progresses.

Oooh, that's it for today. Almost out of photos!

Catching Up

We had an excellent Sunday Sewday at Checkley Village Hall yesterday. A lovely atmosphere, plenty of chatter and many outbursts of laughter heard over the buzz of sewing machines working away, which makes everyone smile. Lunch received many scrumptious comments, though that's probably because our last Sunday Sewday was back in February and the ladies will have forgotten what a treat it is to be served lovely food. Thank you to Susan for bringing excellent cakes for us all.

 I'm very aware that you have been starved of quilting pictures for the best part of a month now. I just don't know where the time is going. We have had regular classes with lots going on, but not many photos!

Gail did finish her baby quilt in good time for gifting. It is a panel so only needed to be sandwiched and quilted and smothered in French Knots! Toot toot toot Gail for your fabulous, fast finish.

Rose has continued to work on her large quilt. All the centre panels are made and she's now making the borders ones which are half blocks and the corners will be quarter blocks, simples!

This is another toot toot toot opportunity for Gail. We aren't going to mention when Gail actually started with the applique, that wouldn't be very nice of me at all, I can only remember that it was before Covid restrictions!!! ooops! It's such a cute little wall hanging by Hatched and Patched

Judy started making this Christmas-sy quilt to use up her scraps of festive fabric. Needless to say a few further Fat Quarters were purchased along the way and the quilt has turned out to be rather large. Judy will have arm muscles like Popeye when the quilting is done!

Deb has finished her King Size Quilt and was so happy to have help holding it up for a picture. It's very heavy! Toot toot toot Deb, it's a fabulous finish

This is the fabric Deb chose for her backing, I LOVE IT!

Deb loves it too, which is way more important. Of course she declared that she's never going to make such a large quilt ever again. She will though, mark my words, ha!

The next thing on our Fun Agenda is our Pilgrimage to the Festival Of Quilts.
We're going on Sunday 4th August. I choose a Sunday because the car parks are free, traffic is usually lighter and the Quilt Show isn't usually too busy with others, so we get a good look at everything without being nudged about.
There are a few seats left on our coach. I will be closing the list on Wednesday 17th July as I'll need to get the tickets ordered and delivered to us in good time.
Cost is £36.00 pp which does include your return journey and show ticket.

A Bit Of Information.

Sunday Funday Sewday

30th June. 9. 30am - 3.30pm.

at Checkley Community Centre 
The cost is £20.00 if you book and pay ahead and £25.00 if you choose to pay on the day. 

The price includes a splendid light lunch and hot drinks all day.
Bring your very own project to work on, a mug and a few carefully chosen subjects to chat about!!

Our Pilgrimage to Festival Of Quilts is filling up very nicely, there are only 10 places available, should you like to join us.
We're going on Sunday 4th August.
£36.00 which includes your show entrance ticket.

Sewing Retreat in October
While I'm spending your money, we have 3 night, 5 days retreat to sew with all meals included, for £485.00
Once again it's at Hillscourt Hotel in the Lickey Hills Country Park.
You can bring anything you would like to work on, the time is yours!
Arriving Monday morning, 7th October. Leaving on Thursday the 10th, in the afternoon 
If you would like more information about the retreat, just email me and I'll send it to you, lick-etty-split.

Stitching News

We go with the flow in my classroom. Classes are very organic, Folk can work on any project they choose. Each project inspires others a great deal. From the pattern to the fabrics and colours, every day is a learning day. You don't have to remember anything either, we can repeat, repeat, repeat, And we do! That's enough said on the subject, but we do laugh!

Bev's Badger cushion front. She's not tried applique with straight stitching before but she enjoyed it. The pattern is by Helen Newton and purchased from etsy) The Borders were very carefully chosen. It was tricky because the blue fabric that Bev wanted to use didn't look right on it's own. We persevered and, As you can see, three borders? Perfectly, perfect!

Cheryl Cheryl is on a quilting roll. I think this is her largest sandwich yet. It's about 100" square. We had to use extra tables and could hardly fit ourselves around it to pin.The pattern's from the book, Quilted With Love by Sarah Fielke

Merlot is in love with her Little Llamas, another pattern from Elizabeth Hartman 

"They are soooo damn cute!!" she said a few times. 

She's right, they are super cute. Many more Little Lamas will be made, the fabrics have already been allocated for them, no surprise there.

Quilty Quarters

I was hoping to show you that I had quilted the huge Grow Fee, Wildflowers quilt. That was my long Bank Holiday weekend plan. Needless to say, it's still draped over my sofa, looking gorgeous though. I had a few family things thrown into the mix and the chores to catch up on. Then the time left after all that, went into this:-

Don't even ask why I started another project. I'm just out of control, ha! I had several, lovely triangles left over from making this quilt and  

 I wanted to make a little something to use them all up.
That's it, nothing more planned. And now I have 9 x 20" blocks to sew together, then another quilt top, at least 60" square will be joining the waiting Queue for quilting. I still have some fabrics left from the Long Quarter Bundle, it's all Alison Glass fabric and was gifted to me ages ago, so I might ponder a border to use them up. It's never ending, this quilt production, it's a Good job I love it.

Stitching News

 Trumpets up for the first photo please

Deb finished her Puppy Cushion. This was a tester project to see whether she would like to embark on a whole quilt full of cute puppies. I think the decision is a yes! Every fabulous and finished project deserves a toot toot toot fanfare. Cute cushions included.

Rose finished all 4 of her centre blocks and has started on the half blocks that will frame them. She's really pleased with her progress after a tricky start. Everything is easy once you know how isn't it.

I knew it! Christabelle had declared that she would have to park this project in order to finish another one she's quilting... She couldn't resist joining the 4 centre blocks, just to see how it would look and, before she knew it, the other quilt had been parked and this one will probabubbly be finished!

Gail wanted to make a baby quilt but with little time to get it finished she opted to use this lovely panel. Lick-etty-split a sandwich was made and the quilting had begun. There will be French Knots everywhere too. I have this panel in a pinky colourway too.

I hope you've remembered that my shop is now closed until Thursday. I have 4 days all to my very own self, sort of. Can you guess what I will be doing?

June is not far away now. I have a Checkley Sunday Funday booked in.
We couldn't get many Sewdays in this year so the lovely one day retreats have been missed, especially since the last one was at the end of February.
Sunday 30th June. 9.30am until 3.30pm. £20.00 if you book and pay ahead and £25.00 if you choose to pay on the day. The price includes a light lunch and hot drinks all day.

Then there's the Pilgrimage to Festival Of Quilts to book for, should you like to join us.
£36.00 which includes your show entrance ticket.

While I'm spending your money, we have a 3 night, 5 days sewing retreat in October for £485.00
Once again it's at Hillscourt Hotel Hillscourt Hotel in the Lickey Hills Country Park.
If you would like more information just email me and I'll send it to you, lick-etty-split.

Sandwich News

There were some huge sandwiches booked in this week. It's a good job I offer this wonderful customer service. Making huge sandwiches on the floor is no fun, not when they are this big and there aren't many floor spaces large enough in the average home, I bet. Getting down on the floor is all very well but getting back up again is a different story, so I hear! I push my classroom tables together so you don't have to know about that discomfort.

This Log Cabin sandwich belongs to Janis. The top was made with two and a half inch strips all cut from Fat Quarters, no Jelly Roll here. On the left of the photo is my rather overflowing grey fabric department, there are a few trolleys full too! and complementing Jan's sandwich beautifully is the latest finished quilt by yours truly, in my Quilty Quarters.

This sandwich belongs to Cheryl Cheryl. The Tilda fabrics were a lovely gift of fat quarters, which sent Cheryl over to the Tilda website looking for inspiration, there is a lot to choose from, if that's your cuppa tea! She chose this free pattern which turned out so lovely with the pale blue Moda Grunge.

When the tables are set out like this, it's a perfect opportunity to use the space to help decide on a layout, possible border treatments, possible sashing fabrics. Christabelle took full advantage, boy is this a beautiful project! 

Whilst the tables were set out in situ, I decided to make a sandwich of my very own, daft not to really. I stayed after time to do it when the shop was closed, because I can! This is the link to the pattern it's called Grow Free, Wild Flowers, if you dare go looking, there's so much inspiration to tempt you. Lots especially to use up stash you already own, scraps and all. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Stitching News

Izzy Whizzy, I've been bizzy! (I know you don't spell Busy like that, it's for artistic purposes) I've had my brain picked almost to it's bones this week. It's amusing how people think I can help with so many things and gosh, what a lot of mathemisms I've done. I've shared a lot of 'let's fix it with a bit of fudging' top tips. Mistakes can easily become creative opportunities to be embraced.
My classroom, as usual, has lots of lovely projects taking shape, quilt shapes of course.

This belongs to Shirley. She's used lots of pins to get those blocks perfectly pieced. Pinwheel blocks are little devils in the centre, all those seams coming together! I think there will be a couple more borders added to make it larger. 

Gail's gifting quilt is fabulous and finished, all but a couple of threads to tie off. The teddy's are all extra tactile with faux trapunto, Gail likes stuffing her applique! We won't see the quilt again as it's off to it's new owner but we can still raise those trumpets to give a Toot toot toot fanfare. 

Christabelle is about to finish the last of these blocks. There are lots and they are all beautiful! The pattern is by Anna Maria Horner and uses reverse applique, Chris quilted her blocks individually and will be using the apartment joining method. 

Rose's workspace looks super organised doesn't it. Lot's of little pieces all labelled up. Rose found the first block ever so tricky, but she's getting the hang of it now and produced two more blocks during class.