Stitching News

This is one of Jean Beans lovely, and quite quirky, little applique houses. She's making them to take to the Festival Of Quilts on the 9th August for the Linus collection. I wonder whether you can see anything not quite right with this picture? Answers on a postcard!! Oh the good old days when we sent postcards... of course, an email will do. It's a lovely house though eh...

No I Clare was ever so happy to have made her lap quilt sandwich. Two of the afternoon class ladies had to leave a little early and that left just the right size space for Clare to take advantage. Just how chic does her quilt look with those solid gold pins!!!!

Oh My Goodness... more cuteness from Anbacan. She's making this delightful table runner for her festive decorating this year. It's almost all stitched with blanket stitch edges, Ann loves it and... we love it too!

No I Clare has almost finished this quilt. The binding needs to be stitched but we won't be able to see it again, it will be gifted. The quilt has been made with clothes... can you see the jean legs at the top and bottom? Clare has had fun embroidering with the fancy stitches on her shiny new sewing machine.

Lady Judith worked all morning on her latest quilt blocks but in the afternoon she made a Bendy Bag... I love this fabric... doesn't it look great with a red zip and red topstitching!!! Toot toot toot Lady Judith, it's a small but fabulous finish!

Quilty Quarters, With Fudge!

 I had very few Sunday chores to do... 
Lick-etty-split washing and other stuff on the short chores list was finished... mind you, I had been up since 5am, that could have helped...
So, I treated my very own self to a Solo Sunday Sewing Retreat...
Applique on this stocking had been planned for the 'proper retreat' last weekend but it only managed to see the light of day for 5 minutes as I wasn't in the 'mood' for applique stitching.
Now though, it is all done.
It took all, all, all day mind you... to stitch round all the fiddly little bits, changing threads and bobbins as I went, I made a great, but fun, mess in Quilty Quarters... then I saw on the pattern that I 'should have' used one thread throughout, I do now wish I had noticed that as this is a shop sample! And then I had to do a little PMS fudging as I had cut the back of the stocking a bit short, thank goodness for rotary cutters!... oh, and the fudging continues... the binding should have been cut on the Bias, darn it... why didn't I read that properly or at least figured it for my very own self... it was way past my bedtime so I left it as you see it here... I might try to manage with the straight cut binding... PMS (Pleasing My Self!!) if it looks rubbish when it's stitched on, I will do it properly!!
You know, it's such a long time since I did any applique work... I found it to be fun!
Even done the fudging way!!

Today's Workshop Results

It was a fun day, as usual!
And while they were busying their very own selves making their Christmas Card Holders with our Jenny Barlaston, I was in charge of shop duties...
I love those kind of days...
In between serving my lovely customers, I made another Bendy Bag... the bike fabric will be perfect for the person I'm gifting it to. I also made those little pouch purses and the mug coasters with the leftover Bendy Bag triangles... if you've made a Bendy Bag, you will know what I mean.
New stock of Bendy Bag patterns should be here on  Monday... Wow have they been popular!!

Stitching News

Peggy finished another quilt and, as it is most definitely fabulous, we shall give a fanfare toot toot toot. Peggy makes most of her quilts to give to the folk at the Donna Louise Trust This quilt was made with older kids in mind, I'm sure this quilt will be loved.

Brenda Barbara had one block left over... never to be wasted though... here's a fabulous and finished cushion to co-ordinate beautifully with Brenda's latest quilt 

Even the last few bits of fabric were used to make to flap over the zip on the back of Brenda's cushion... every bit used up... Fabulous, finished and rather thrifty!!

Barbara BEW finished her 'not so quick' table topper Toot toot toot, it is fabulous... and quite luxurious in those lovely Batik fabrics. See the star in the centre there... that's what took a little extra time... love it!

This is also Barbara BEW's. She purchased the Lazy Girl bag pattern and fabric last time she was in my shop... oh my goodness I have bag envy!!!
The elephant fabric is an Art Gallery beauty... as is the lining... toot toot toot... oh, and 'trump-etty-trump-trump!!!

Fiona Too had done her homework so the borders were done and finished. A little time was spent choosing backing fabric then a sandwich was made... Sister Sue made a sandwich too, but the camera missed that.
Both ladies started quilting before the day was done.

That's all the photos for this week... I can promise you though... there are many more projects and stitching things I should be sharing with you... If only I could remember to take the blooming pictures! ha ha ha

Bendy Bags

A few ladies made Bendy Bags already...
Here's Jean Beans, made with Art Gallery fabric
With a bonus... a zipped pouch made with the cut out bits!
Nothing gets wasted here!!

Stitching News

Rose purchased two Moda Charm packs to make this quilt top. The red flange and border fabrics, obviously, were extra yardage... it's a great size and is ready to be given the sandwich treatment... such lovely, rich colours.

This is a project that New Sue was working on during our retreat. The tiny blocks are used to make a cushion from the new Jen Kingwell book Quilt Lovely

This is one of the quilt tops that Rose made during our quilt retreat... she did more work than anyone it seems!... and she chatted away like the rest of us... she must be able to multi-task!!

This is another of Rose's accomplishments... isn't this lovely. No surprise when I tell you that it's another Jen Kingwell pattern. I have ordered more as everyone wanted the pattern when they heard about this quilt Rose made, I sold out!

Early Crafty Sue made this quilt top back when Noah was a lad...
and now, finally... it's being quilted! I think Sue found her mojo!

Giggly Gillian sandwiched one quarter of her gifting quilt. Each quarter will be quilted separately then they will be joined together with sashing, Apartmently!

Princess Jackie, our first prize winning applique-er, has decided to piece.. she wanted to make sure that she didn't lose her patchworking skills, she hasn't! There will be applique added soon enough. How lovely and bright!

Gail persevered with the tiny details until every Santa was holding hands... It was a fiddle but, I think you will agree, that it was all worth it... how cute are those Santas!!!

Christabelle's daughter had been gifted this face towel/flannel from Japan. She didn't want to use it as such and spoil it so Chris added a little Art Gallery fabric and made it into a cushion... what a great idea!

These are Christmas Card holders,
There's a workshop on Saturday 11th with Jenny Barlaston and we have space now, due to a cancellation...
Where do you put your cards... I bet you could use such a great idea...

Our Quilting Retreat

We had a great time on our weekend quilting retreat to Westhope Craft College ... 11 of us went... the time woo-oo-ooshed by so quickly it was quite unbelievabubble. We arrived at 4pm on Friday and we were all stitching at our machines by 5pm!! Not a moment was wasted... well, we had to stop top eat our meals... all prepared for us! We stitched until 10:15pm...

 Up again on Saturday morning, we were back at the machines by 8:30am and, apart from the 'foody breaks', we stitched right up to midnight!.. at least some of us did... some pooped out at 10pm... Sunday was more of the same, stitching and chatting and laughing and all, until 3pm when we sadly had to start packing up... it was all over, Lick-etty Split....
We will go again next year, we are planning on an extra day too...
If you are wondering, yes I did take too many projects. No I didn't get to do them all, though I stitched a little on most of them... but I did make another Bendy Bag... 6 of us made a Bendy Bag actually.
So here we are at home and back to normal...
I have a little 'weekend away lag'... it's a good job we only went two hours away...
I am soooo tired! ha ha ha

Preparation? Preparation... Preparation!

It's been a little bit hectic this week... not all shop stuff... though that's been a bit of a marathon too... home stuff got a little bit action packed... Tell me... why is it that Mothers always pick up the slack? so, this poor blog had to suffer the lack of time! It's only a blog though eh... Now then,

This coming weekend, starting today, is a special one... I hope. It's our three day quilting retreat! wooohooo. I can't decide what to take to stitch... I have probably prepared way too many projects... This box has my long term scrappy project, Ocean Waves A La Bonnie Hunter and a Christmas Stocking applique... so that's why there are so many threads and bobbins...

This pile of 1 1/2" stips will be made into a Pineapple Blossom block or two, hopefully... it's another from the fabulously generous Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville I wanted to make it with smaller blocks this time... I have made several Pineapple Blossom quilts!!! Let's hope my math-emisms are correct because it is all cut and 'kitted' up!

Then there are the absolute funnest little bags to be made... Bendy Bags... I want to make at least 4 with these fabrics... then I have selected four more to take in my bag!!
The 10 ladies coming with me want to make them too so it might be like a little Bendy Bag factory for an hour or two! Of course I am taking my camera!!

Some ladies said that they would be taking hand sewing and knitting for the evenings, and wine, gin and tonic!!! I shall wrap more cord for making pots... no more hats!!! It's a good little time filler that doesn't need any concentrating... just a glue stick, which I have remembered to pack along with a couple of refills...

There are threads to take for My Mum Gwynneth's applique project... oh, and another applique project for a cushion that I've planned to start... how long are we going for??? Do you think I might have packed too many things, too many projects maybe... Hang on... there's more...

This project is half done on my design wall...
so I will take this too, ha ha ha
I would rather take too many things, a choice of projects is easier...
oh yes, then there are the two bag patterns... I could take the fabric for those as well!!!
Obviously I will be too busy... waaaaaay too busy to blog so...
I will be back... when I am back to normal... though that might be next Wednesday!!


The fabulous Jenny Barlaston is keeping everything ticking over in my little, yet fabulous and very well stocked, quilt shop... so we are open as normal...
It might be quieter that usual... without me there chattering away!!
I wonder whether anyone will miss me?
Oooo-errrr I hope so!