May Retreat Photos

I just want to say that I didn't take any of these photos. I never even thought to get my camera (phone) out to snap away as I was too busy chilling! It's lovely that someone else took photos though, because I get to share a few pictures. Just the ones made by people who regularly give me permission to show you what we are up to. I never post pictures without permission.

This applique project belongs to Our Norma. It's an Australian designer's pattern, Irene Blanck of Focus On Quilts A few of us got together to make up an order so we could share the shipping cost, aren't we smart! Norma has set it to one side now because she might make it larger to use as a quilt rather than a wall hanging.

This is Norma's new project. You shouldn't be surprised to see that it involves colourful applique, it's her favourite thing to do. She was inspired by Lesley's project from the Quilt Lovely book.

Di was/is chuffed to bits with her fabulous and finished applique cushion toot toot toot. She took the pattern and the fabrics but had done no other prep, so this was quite an achievement.

Bev was working on her floral applique borders to go around this Tilda quilt top. She couldn't disturb the applique at photo time. If she had held it up it all the little petals and leaves would have fallen off!

Lesley was also doing Applique for the whole retreat. Tracing, gluing, cutting and sticking the animals then stitching with her Juki blanket stitch, our favourite method. Though Lesley is also a skilled hand applique-er

I've never been a fan of Advent panels. Until now that is. They are great fun to make and free motion quilting with scribble-y stitch is great practice. This will be a shop sample to show how fabulous they look made up. There's a dog one too. You can book a class or two to make one, I have top tips!

I also made this "Thing" It's a hanging pod. I went to town a bit with the quilting, because I had lots of time and I love quilting! It's not quilted at all on the pattern though. A bit more PMS. It's hanging in my shop so you can see it if you pop in.

6:30am every day walking. Pleasing my very own slef. It goes for miles and miles

What a fabulous start to every retreat day!

We had cracking thunder storms too.

Sandwich Saturday?

You won't believe it. I pleased my very own self and had a sandwich Saturday, today.

A Sandwich Saturday but ON A WEDNESDAY!!!

It's only a little one and I need to get it finished to hang in my very own shop. Perks!

 Last week we had a sandwich Saturday on a Friday! 

There were two sandwiched made and both belong to Christabelle.

You've seen the steady progress Chris made with this quilt. For it's tooting time I will get close up photos so you can see the beautiful detail. I know I have said that already in a previous post. It's worth repeating!

This one is Christabelle's 'hurry up' quilt. 

Gifting will be done as soon as it's finished.

She's already started the quilting actually.

And here is the evidence. Work In Progress. 

Chris spent all of Tuesday quilting. Another 5 days should do it!!!

Shop Talk

Fabric arrived in my shop a few weeks ago, before I went off for my retreat shenanigans. Included in the delivery was the Makower Prehistoric range. They are quite cute and dinosaur-y with some great mixer/blender designs but 

This panel is only 60 cm wide, long and thin, as most panels are. I think it needs a bit of something to help it be a useful quilt size. Of course that's my very own opinion.

We had the same dilemma with this alphabet panel that Lesley used to make her Archie quilt, too narrow for how long it was. It turned out perfect didn't it. There's not a lot of point me writing a name for a shop sample though. Obviously, I would write Anders!!! but then I wouldn't be able to give it to anyone but Anders and he already has a lot of Nangie Quilts.

I had a brain wave. But I am hopeless at drawing. I had many attempts actually, they were all rubbish. Eventually I went to YouTube and asked it for 'How to draw a dinosaur footprint', AMAZING!!! start with three lines and add oval shapes, I was so impressed with the result.

I got out the sticky stuff and traced off these 5 foot prints. Stuck them to my chosen fabric. Committed, no going back. I soon cut them out, in between serving customers, like multi tasking! They have been sewn onto that background now, with blanket stitch, my favourite applique stitch! Do you think they look like links of barbecued sausages? ha ha ha. It's not finished yet.

Stitching News

The good news is, I've had a man in! A computer guy that is. He, hopefully, has sorted out the issues that the last few HP updates had caused. The final straw for me was when the printer wouldn't print my new block pattern and pilgrimage flyers for the shop. It was about time I got help in! Ben from pcone just happened to be local to my home today so his timing was perfect. I've printed all the stuff I need and now I can find my photos to blog about!

Not that I have remembered to take many pictures though!

This is one of Pam's sandwiches. A specially requested kiddo quilt for gifting. Pam made the centre using a little bit of her home stash and purchased the border and backing. 

Jean Beano is very, very happy with her kaleidoscope Stack-n-Whack quilt. She picked it up recently from Amanda in Stone who has done a splendid job with the Long Arm Quilting. Jean has faced the quilt so as to avoid needing binding (not that she could find her pre-made binding!)

A close-up of the quilting design that Beano chose, it's just perfect isn't it! And now, raise those trumpets for this fabulous and finished, beautiful quilt  Toot Toot Toot.

 Rose is cracking on with her Green Tea & Sweet Beans project. She's learning a lot about different methods of piecing, some she loves and others she'll be happy to forget!

Christabelle made this quilt top. It's got to be finished Lick-etty-Split so it will be ready in good time for gifting. This top was finished in one week. Chris did a lot of stripping!

Pam has decided to make a sampler quilt. She's going to make lots of nine inch blocks using up more of her home stash, these are the first two. She's been studying the Block Party book and choosing carefully. I believe she now has a good long 'to-do' list

Christabelle is almost finished with this quilt top. She has done some absolutely beautiful stitcheries on each block. Some made up by her very own self to complement the pattern instructions. I'll take a few close up pictures when we get to the tooting part.

The coach for Our Pilgrimage to Festival Of Quilts is filling up nicely. If you reserved a seat to join us, it's time to pay please. £40.00 includes your return journey and entrance ticket to the Quilt Show. I still have plenty of spaces too. Picking up in Leek, Cheadle and Uttoxeter en-route

Picture is from T'Interweb. 

Our coach will be a very chic, rich red and, hopefully, a tad more modern!!

 

Quilty Quarters

Whoops, I won't be appliqueing my Clam Bake cushion on the upcoming retreat after all!!

I couldn't resist and I finished it all ha ha ha! So many thread colour changes too. I was in the zone (with an audio book) so it didn't bother me at all, I just got on with it. Each day I entered Quilt Quarters I did an hour or so. Then most of yesterday afternoon to keep out of the sun. Very pleased with it.

I've still got quite a few bits of the fabrics left so I'm now playing with the back for the cushion. Half Rectangle Triangles. A little tricky, Half Square Triangles are sooooo much easier to get pointy points and accurate sizes. 

The cushion will look great, front and back! I hope you've noticed my 'bit free' design wall? It had so many threads stuck to it before. I kept picking the larger bits off but, who knew I just needed to get Henry to help me, he is a gem! And the Angel is still waiting for binding.

Today I MUST start sorting out which projects I want to be playing with on the retreat. I am very aware that I'm running out of time. I'll finish my cushion first, ha ha ha!

Quilty Quarters

Has anyone tried to make this Clam Bake cushion from the Quilt Lovely book? It's written as a hand piecing project, which would be much easier I guess, more control etc. 

My hands don't get on well with hand piecing really, not to mention my brain! I prefer sewing machine stitching and it does state in the book that that should be easy enough. Well, I got a bit fed up of piecing all the tiny curved bits and unpicking to re-sew, so I decided to do applique, because I can please my very own self!

I just love "Sticky Stuff" applique!

I have no idea how piecing from one corner and up diagonally (as the book says) will work. I couldn't get my brain around that with the Clam Shell shapes all needing to be placed over each other? So, I pleased my very own self again and started at the top with a piece of Art Gallery fabric so I didn't need to make perfect shapes at the top. I'm rather chuffed with it so far. I will do the applique stitching on the next retreat, I think! I can't wait to get it done so, maybe I'll just make another!

All the quilting and embellishing is finished on my Angel Wall hanging. Trimmed up and waiting for me to decide on the binding fabric. I might save that for my next retreat.

She is cute!!

Please remember that my shop will be closed for a whole week at the end of May.

The last day my shop will be open for you is Saturday 23rd May then I will be away until Tuesday 2nd of June.

It's time to pay for your place on the coach trip Pilgrimage on Sunday 2nd August please.

After the Quilt Show my shop will be closed until Tuesday 11th August. 

I have so much fun planned during 2026. 

Even more for 2027! 

I'm practicing for retirement!

Stitching News

 As I have a little time, there is news to share...

Norma fetched her quilt back from the Long Arm Quilting lady, Amanda in Stone. She's very pleased with it. We were wondering how Amanda made the quilt larger though. Norma is sure it wasn't this large when she took it in, ha ha ha. During her class, Norma made the binding and got it stitched on ready for hand sewing at home. It's not quite Toot ready but I doubt we will see this quilt again. Well done Norma, it's fabulous and almost finished!

Gail decided that she really didn't want to make any more pieced 'daizies' for her quilt borders. I had received a new fabric delivery just a few days earlier and one was perfect, little daisies in pinks and peachy colours, exactly fitting the brief for this gifting quilt. I must have known Gail would need it!

Christabelle has been very busy with her embellishing stitchery. There are so many tiny details on this project, little seed stitches and french knots and lots of tiny running stitches. They are the only stitch names I know!! It is a beautiful design.

Bev had purchased this Tilda Windflower Quilt Kit during the Covid Lock-down, as so many people did. It says the difficulty level is 3, their maximum. Bev thought to herself, how hard can it be? Now she knows, it is VERY tricky, especially as she had never tried any patchwork piecing,ever! After making a few easier projects, she tackled it. She's done really well too, as you can see. The pattern says to trim off the excess units to make a level edge but Bev didn't want to, so we are working on an alternative finish for the borders, which will look great.

During a quilting retreat back in February, we were each given a Fat Quarter and were challenged to make something with it or, at least to use some of it, for the next retreat. I know some people will like this boot fabric, but I DO NOT.  It's not easy for me to think of something to make with fabric I really don't like, knowing I am not going to use the 'thing' afterwards. I decided to make a sewing machine foot control (pedal) bag!!! It's all about the feet! I'll be gifting this back to the retreat organizer and he will have to use it as it's a gift it would be rude not to, ha! That'll teach him to give me ugly fabric, ha ha ha

My Angel wall hanging is coming along nicely. I've done all the hand stitchery. The face, legs, some stringy bits for the baubles and a few stars, nothing too fancy, etc and started on the quilting. I'm hoping the long bank holiday weekend will be enough to get this finished.

The coach for Our Pilgrimage to Festival Of Quilts is filling up nicely. If you reserved a seat to join us, it's time to pay please. £40.00 includes your return journey and entrance ticket to the Quilt Show. I still have plenty of spaces too. Picking up in Leek, Cheadle and Uttoxeter en-route

Picture is from T'Interweb. 

Our coach will be a very chic, rich red and, hopefully, a tad more modern!!

Sandwich Saturday

On a Saturday!!! Just like the old days, sandwiching on an actual Saturday!
All four of these sandwiched (on a Saturday) quilts belong to Merlot. She's on a mission to catch up with all of her ongoing quilt tops, while trying to keep up with the baby gifting quilts, which she is producing at quite a speedy rate trying to keep up with Mother Nature!

This one made a long time ago using a William Morris Layer Cake. 

So long ago that Louise barely remembers making it.

This is the same design Louise has made a few times, this is the medium size. Previously she made the large size using photos printed on fabric. In my last post there was a picture of the smallest size made with left overs from this one.

Very colourful scrappy design. No further info at the moment as

I didn't get chance to ask about this one.

Using just two fabrics! How lovely this looks. 

This quilt needs to be finished Lick-etty-Split. 

It's special gifting day is looming! 

Stitching News

Hello! I think things will settle down for a while now. More sewing retreats are booked but, for a short while, my shop will be open for normal days and hours. The classroom is busy and projects are coming together very nicely

Merlot has been very productive making baby sized quilts. This is a design she has made before but this time with lots of little fussy cut squares. It's sandwiched and ready for quilting. Nothing too dense as Merlot wants a lovely soft quilt.

Mrs. Lou Lou is so happy to have finished all of her quilting on this huge quilt. The binding is on and just needs to be hand stitched over to the back, not her favourite job, which she might just have mentioned once or ten times! It's almost ready for a toot toot toot fanfare. The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman, no surprise there.

With trumpets up, This quilt is fabulous and finished! 

Toot toot toot for Christabelle. She was able to dedicate a chunk of her sewing retreat time to the quilting while chatting away with the like minded lot of us! This lovely Winnie The Pooh Quilt will be gifted to a tiny person very soon.

Another Elizabeth Hartman pattern made by Merlot. She's actually made many of her designs and enjoys all the intricate piecing. It's a very lovely gifting project and the dinosaurs look very friendly in all the bright colours. 

My I Spy Pre-Cut Six Packs are just the ticket when a gifting quilt is needed with very little time to spare. The pink sashing Louise chose for this one gives a small clue to the colour of the baby! A pink one! Just the binding needed now.

This is one of my retreat projects. The centre was appliqued during my February retreat by the sea, the stars were stitched in Shrewsbury! It's going to be a well traveled wall hanging!

Stitching News

I'm back from another sewing retreat and getting ready for 'back to normal' day tomorrow. I found photos from before my shop closed for the holiday, here goes.

Gail had been stitching more and more daizies, so we laid them out to get a good mix up of the fabrics. This is just the main centre of the quilt. There will be hundreds more daizies around the borders. It's possible I might have exaggerated but Gail feels like is will be hundreds!

Josie used an apron pattern from an Art To Heart book to make this cushion. A very happy cushion and perfect for this time of year. Toot toot toot Josie, a fabulous and finished happy cushion.

Josie's wall hanging. She purchased a kit online which included the Liberty fabrics, which she loves to work with. Next time we see this project it will be finished and ready for tooting. At least that's what she declared at the end of her last class.

Christabelle came to make her Pooh sandwich. The plan was to get it quilted during our retreat. I can confirm that she succeeded! I saw it with my very own retreat eyes!

This sandwich belongs to Sarah. 

She said it's her favourite quilt design so far. 

I'm sure she says that about all of them, ha ha ha

Lorna is enjoying stitching again. She had lost her sewjo for a while but she's definitely finding it now. This top was made using a William Morris Layer Cake purchased many years ago. Now it's sandwiched and ready, it will be quilted.

This it a tooting moment. Lorna only made the sandwich a couple of weeks ago and here it is finished! She is very pleased with it, and rightly so.

You can see very well all of the quilting from the back. Flight lines and big birds. Fabulous, and finished! Toot toot toot Lorna.

And a complementary cushion with the one that got away. 

You have to love a matching cushion don't you!

We can all start planning for the October sewing retreat now. It seems ages away, but you know how time flies!!! 
The October retreat is fully booked at the moment. This is great news. I have a waiting list of eager stitchers and should you want to be added to that list, just let me know.

There will be another Merry Quiltmas Sewing retreat over Sewing Prevention Season. 24th - 27th December. I know I have mentioned it before, and I will mention it again!!!

Last but not least. Our annual pilgrimage to The Festival Of Quilts.
I've now started to collect your payments for the trip. It's £40.00 per person which includes your show entrance ticket. You can pay by cash or by bank transfer, just email me and I can send you the details.

Enjoy your day folks x