Beginner Workshop

Another successful beginners workshop... 

3 new quilters welcomed over to the dark side!! ha ha ha

Silly Me, Only Trying To Help.

Merrily was 'merrily' hand stitching her project... 
It's a tiny bag from a Japanese project book. 
It has tiny applique detail... that's the bit Merrily was stitching... 

I was looking over her shoulder, and I thought,

"What a lovely neat job, but it must be very tricky to get tiny stitches with such a large needle..." 

I mentioned my thought to Merrily... and she said 

"I probably wouldn't be able to sew with a smaller needle than this one"... 

At which point she turned to me to continue the conversation.

In doing so, she pulled the project from under the magnifying lens, which  I had been looking through!!! 

What a twit I am, the needle was very tiny!

I always try to help... 

Sometimes, just sometimes, I look rather daft! ha ha ha

Stitching News

Gail finished all of the quilting and tied off all the ends so it was binding time... stitched by machine on the front and hand stitching for the back, the traditional way. Most of us enjoy hand stitching the binding, but we can please our very own selves how we do it.

Christabelle is doing a lot of quilting on this beautiful and fabulously bright project... It takes a lot of patience to tie off all of those threads but sometimes we just have to do it, to get the fantastic results we desire, if we desire them that is.

New Sue started a new project. It's a Two Block quilt from one of her many Jelly Roll books. She experimented with a few different methods to achieve the same end result and chose her favourite way... now to repeat this block a few times.

Princess Jackie is delighted to have finished her Table Runner, just the top. As you know she prefers applique! The little units are only 2 inches each so she's had to use her 'noggin' to get them spot on... it worked, so it's sandwich time.

Stitching News

Enid is designing her very own table topper... She had an amazing selection of leftover fabrics that were cut up into squares to make the background. The flowers have been Fussy Cut from a beautiful Batik fabric she had too... All fabrics were originally purchased from my very own shop... so I feel I have helped a lot, ha!

Farmer Lynda purchased a new book last week. She chose the first project she wanted to make and once the fabrics had been chosen (from my very own shop) she couldn't wait to get started. Lots of progress has been made... she was sewing and pressing until well after midnight without even noticing the time!

All Day Di is having a baby... it's not her very own self that's having a baby, but it's a close enough kind of baby... the excitement is high! This baby will have more quilts than you can dream about. Baby is probably only the size of a lemon and these two quilts are almost ready!

Fiona Too had been gifted this selection of fabrics and she's decided to make a Quilt-As-You-Go project. With a straight setting, the blocks will be joined with sashing, apartment-ly. They will look woven... very clever... Inspired by Kate's quilt I posted about a few weeks ago.

Lynda's Strippy Tote Workshop

I think it's fair to say, I know it really, that everyone enjoyed a fabulous workshop with Lynda... 

The first half hour was a bit manic, as it always with everyone arriving jolly and chatty, if not a little frazzled and unpacking all their sewing paraphernalia, you know... we take less for a two week holiday!!! 

There was such a lovely calm atmosphere... even though the classroom sounded like a bit like a sweatshop once everyone was stripping at the very same time!!! 

Here are the fruits of the day, there are handles too and they will be stitched on at home, there was no-one prepared to do a little racing/ rushing to get them stitched on just for my photos for my very own blog!!! I only have my my very  own shop to make my blog more interesting for you, ha ha ha

This one belongs to Miss Lynda, she made it to inspire!

Stitching News

Just Edna doesn't shy away from a little bit of tricky piecing... she actually embraces the challenge. There are many ways to piece a Hunters Star block and we have covered a few in workshops in the past. Edna is making hers with the assistance of a Die Cutting machine. Each block, when completed, was exactly the right size! But there's a lot of fabric that could be wasted, I say 'could' because 'we' never waste!!

Norma is still enjoying making her blocks. A sampler quilt is a great way to learn lots about cutting accurately, or not. Pressing gently, or not. Piecing accurately, or not. Using pins, or not... and sewing straight lines, or not, bless her!

Jean Bean would like you all to know that she's getting ahead for Sewing Prevention Season 2020. She stitched the binding on her new Festive Table Runner and started the hand stitching, so it will be finished in good time. Have you seen the film, Pinocchio?

Annbacan is working her way through her Annie Downs pattern. Every little detail is so cute. Sometimes Ann makes up a unit then decides it's not quite right so starts it again... There may well be a second quilt made with the orphan units, at very least they will be stitched in the backing.

I took delivery of these Peter Rabbit fabrics last week... definitely not the norm for my very own shop but I have a couple of customers that pestered just enough for me to give in! ha... They are budget base cotton but extremely cute.

A Place For Everything

Everyone had a good day on Saturday. It's the best fun, sewing in the company of like minded folk.

There are lots of components and new skills needed to making the A Place For Everything case. Right from the cutting out of all the pieces it can be tricky... That's what we think, it's all pretty simple, once you know how... just for a fear of doing it wrong really... everyone managed to make good progress, with the help of Our Carol. 

We have a few ladies who have already attended a couple of workshops and a few that just started out on Saturday... whatever speed you want to work at, Carol accommodates.

Here are pictures of progress, it's interesting to see all the different fabric and colour choices too.

Chef Chris sent the menu for Sunday Funday Sewday 26th January...

Beef Chilli, served with Rice and Sour Cream
followed by
Orange and Cardamon Sponge with Custard.

Have you booked?

Checking In...

Wow.... what a start...
Happy New Year....
My shop opened up on Monday, just as I said it would.
Customers have missed it being open, which is wonderful.
They are so relieved to be back, especially those who come to class to enjoy time for their very own selves, happily busying away on their stitchy projects.

The delivery man already arrived with huge and heavy boxes of fabrics, bright and inspiring contents they are too!! More is on it's way!

Sunday Funday Sewday, at Checkley Village Hall, bookings for 26th January 9:30 - 4:30pm are open so you need to get your very own self organised if you want to join us for that.
I'll post the menu as soon as chef sends it to me.

British Stitch Village.... Uttoxeter Quilt Show to us, is advertising that it's time for your quilt show entries to be sorted. I do hope you will enter something this year.
My shop will be organising the Quilt Angels again for 2020 and we will be having a demonstration table with inspiration for using up your scraps, left over and 'ugly' fabrics.

Boom... we're off... looks like 2020 has given you all new batteries!!!
Pictures will be taken, soon!