Monday 29 June 2015

Coiled Fabric Pot?... Fun

The Coiled Fabric Pot workshop went ever so well on Saturday. It's one of my favourite workshops actually and we will be doing another one in the Autumn. As almost always happens, someone said that their pot looked like a hat... and they do... see what I spent my time doing yesterday!



Friday 26 June 2015

They Made Bendy Bags!

It was a quiet day in my lovely little, but extremely well stocked, quilt shop. It was a very quiet day in my very own classroom too...
It was a great opportunity for me to teach a few ladies how to make the fabulous Bendy Bags...

Start by choosing two Fat Quarters, one for the inside and one for the main, outside.
Then purchase one of my very expensive (NOT, at 40 pence!!) zips to co-ordinate, a Fat Quarter of fusible wadding and some matching thread... that's it...
Licketty-Split, now three more ladies love making Bendy Bags too!

10% Off Bolt Ends, Thank You!

Thank you to all of you who came to  help me make space on my shelves!! 
I couldn't have done it without you... 
10% off fabric that finished a bolt was a brilliant idea, wasn't it?
Almost all of the trolleys have been emptied so I am duty bound to end the offer 
BUT... just in case you planned a visit this weekend, to take good advantage of my predicament (too much fabric?), I will end the offer at close of shop on Saturday, that's the 27th June.  
So... for two more whole days you can empty a bolt and take 10% of the cost of that piece of fabric.
Remember also... there are two more days left to purchase Christmas themed fabrics at 10 % discount... this is for cuts from bolts only... 
Finish a Christmas theme fabric bolt with 10% discount and take off a further 10%... 
Oh yes... a fabulous offer!!
See you later?

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Stitching News

PM Pam was supposed to be making this project whilst on our upcoming quilt retreat... she was having so much fun choosing the fabrics and with the preparation... hmmm, it looks like this quilt top will be finished before we go to our retreat! ha ha
These strippy Hexagons are popular... They are very easy to make and, now that Christabelle and my very good self got our heads together to make it even easier... I'm guessing even more will have a go... these are Chris's made from a Moda Jelly Roll

Annbacan had this great idea to use up the Crumbs and Mile-A-Minute blocks she made on our recent workshop... the blocks have been adhered to a strong, lidded box... oh look what's happened there... now we need to purchase new shoes!!

Christabelle's made another round table place mat using the Dresden Ruler. It's fabulous and finished too so... toot toot toot. I have raised these closer to the top of my 'To Do' list, in yummy Festive fabrics... might even be today!!

Denise came back for more!! ha ha. She came to play last week and we must have passed the test... she says she's had lovely days so will be changing her diary to fit more classes in... these are some of Denise's Churndash blocks...  quite lovely!

Jean Bean came to play with all good intentions...  she's to make hundreds of Flying Geese with this No Waste method... but we still have the "Empty a bolt for 10% discount" promotion running so she was kept very busy folding fabrics in my little, yet very well stocked, shop so not much was achieved... ooops

Giggly Gillian continued making 9-Patch blocks. These are sort of 'filler' blocks for the quilt top with the Economy Patch and Ohio Star blocks scattered throughout... not many left to make now so next time they might be stitched together.
Fanfare time... another fabulous and finished quilt made by Princess Jackie... our top prize winning quilter! Jackie's own design too. Between you and I now, shhhhhh.... This beautiful quilt had a little face lift surgery last week... but you would never have known eh... don't let on that I told you... our little secret! ha ha, toot toot toot

Monday 22 June 2015

Bendy Bags, My New Love...

Oh my goodness...
I have a new obsession...
Bendy Bags!
I've made loads...
One hour each now...
not that I was rushing...
that's all the time they take...
Really... One Hour!
The pattern recommends no quilting, I have no idea why and soon I will make at least one with quilting, well.... if only to discover why they advise us not to quilt! ha I love quilted things so, why would't I try it?
The pattern has us finishing the inside seams with zig-zag stitching... I tried that and I don't really like the way it looks so I am covering my seams... doesn't take any longer really. I have also started to add a little light interfacing... PMS... Pleasing My Self!!!



Saturday 20 June 2015

Fabric Covered Books Workshop... The Results

Another relaxed, happy and creative day with our Jenny Barlaston. The ladies were shown two different ways to cover their books with all the mathemism skills needed to make covers for any size of book, even for folders! A fabulous and very useful workshop... here's the results from today...






I Remembered... Stitching news!

Jeannette Dilly cut out another 80 or so pieces for another Jen Kingwell block, it took almost all day!... this lady has some stamina... but it will be worth it... now she can sew, sew sew... 
Sheila made a fabulous new apron... I love aprons... This one made from a Moda Charm Pack of Little Black Dress 2. It's not quite finished as there's a little pressing and top stitching to do. Ooooops, I forgot to crop my picture, that's a shame... 
NOT, you can see a lovely view of my very own shop!!!
This is the back of a cushion that Sheila completed last week... I am very selfish... this is my favourite side so I neglected to take a picture of the other side, the front! Still, the cushion is visiting my shop for a week or so... I'll take another photo, hopefully today!
Don't you love that Art Gallery floral!!!
Fiona Too started a new project... she cut out 6" squares ready to make a kiddy play mat... you know the routine by now... looks like a quilt, could even be a quilt!... these are great colours for not 'sexing up' your project... boys and girls will love these fabrics
Steph... a new lady, made a great start on her cushion patchwork. She's learning lots, not just because I say so... she said it, out loud!! ha ha ha... good basic skills, that's all you need... oh, and time... and a great quilt shop with fabulous beginner classes!
Brenda Barbara finished her free motion quilting... she has muscles like Popeye! She's changed to the walking foot now to add a little more definition to her blocks... and her muscles it seems! ha ha ha

Thursday 18 June 2015

Stitching News, Downhill?...

My goodness, this is late stitching news... the first two of these pictures were taken during last Tuesday's class, last week I mean, not the last Tuesday!!... It's a bit tricky for me to remember to get the camera out just lately... if I knew why, I would feel better about it!!! There's so much going on in this little head of mine. I think it's since those orders of fabric arrived... who ordered all that stock anyway?? The trolleys are everywhere and I think that my shop looks disorganised... so my head says "Tidy it up, they are all in the way"... My eyes say "Where on earth will I put it?... "My time management minx says "How?" and the ladies in class say " Can you help me", just like in a real class, ha ha ha... and my little Molly says... "don't stay too late in your lovely shop... I need my walk!" just like dogs do. So... the easiest thing is to keep it all in my head... which I do, but then it seem to hide my remember-all space!! hey ho... late news is better than no news eh... and it is only a blog!
Gail is making great progress with her Kiddy Play Mat...
Art Gallery fabrics make her Churndash blocks, each one 6" finished...
This project will very much look like a quilt!!
That dog/puppy fabric will be used on the back, fun eh!
New Sue says she's having so much fun making up these blocks for her Jen Kingwell pattern 'Green Tea And Sweet Beans'... Sue is using a lot of PMS with the methods... Pleasing her very own self and using 'sticky stuff and blanket stitch' applique instead of needle turn! We spread out Sue's blocks last, last Tuesday... Don't they look wonderful!... this could be the biggest wall hanging in the world!
Aha... a this, this week Tuesday picture!!!
Princess Jackie was choosing the layout for her Hexagon quilt so, as we usually do, we took pictures of each layout... it does help as a picture will show up things our eyes don't notice.. like too many darks together... luckily, I found them still in my camera!!
So... this thing about me having no shelf space....
I will have to continue for a bit longer with the Take it all sale... finish a bolt and take a further 10% off that fabric... not for much longer though... It's upsetting watching my lovely fabric bolts emptying!! ha ha ha
I think we should have a 10% off Christmas theme fabric sale too I have lots of trolleys full of those... It is time to crack on with the festive making you know... so... consider it done... for one week, so until the end of Saturday 27th of June... (I am rubbish at math eh.. that's much more than one week) I declare that we shall discount 10% from your Christmas Themed fabric purchases... empty the bolt and take a further 10% off... oh dear... that is a very good offer...

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Fabulous And Finished

Morning Josie finished her lovely applique Poppy cushion so the fabulous and finished fanfares should begin... toot toot toot. I have the most wonderful moda Linen mix fabric in stock and it makes the most luxurious cushions, of course you can make other projects with it too... but you know I love a new cushion!!! Linen and Batik... all topped off with beaded embellishment Josie?... fabulous!!!
This is Jean Bean's fabulous and finished quilt... toot toot toot
It's called Alfie's Bunny and is Jean's very own design... she made it to enter into this year's Uttoxeter Quilt Show... hours of accurate piecing for the Log Cabin background... did you notice that? Bunny is so cute that you may not have you see...
Oh... and looky-look at the back... it was ever so tricky getting Alfie's Bunny in the exact and perfect position to match his front... and that little ball of softness stitched there for the tail is very touchy-touchable! A truly fabulous finish indeed!
Christabelle finished her fabulous Winnie The Pooh quilt...
Another beautiful quilt for gifting and, I have to say... this one was made Licketty-Split... not because there was a hurry but because Chris loved working on it...
Just as well because baby did come early!!

Sunday 14 June 2015

Sue's Sewing Bee, Part 1

The results...









I've had a full report about the workshop... seems everyone had a great day, as always. 
I wasn't there as I took a table top shop to the Ipstones Quilt Show... which was a great way to spend two days.... I stitched the binding all the way around on one of my Tango-ed quilts... chatted to very enthusiastic visitors and sold a few Fat Quarters!!

Upcoming workshops...
Sue's Sewing Bee 2 will be Saturday 18th July
Luxurious organisation for your sewing notions
Jenny's Fabric Covered Books is next weeked
Saturday 20th June... what great gifts!!!