Thursday 30 June 2016

Cathedral Windows In Quilty Quarters

 There's going to be a workshop for Cathedral Windows soon, so I am making up samples... well... when I say samples... that's what it started off as... but now I decided to make a cushion for my very own self!!
It'd a bit of a fiddly-faff doing Cathedral Windows by machine, it was always a great hand piecing project... and the workshop will teach both ways but...
Here's a closer shot.. I love playing with my sewing machine so I am persevering! I am quite pleased with the result so far... I've used a Moda Bella Solid for the base fabric and one of my most favourite ever Art Gallery prints for the little squares.
Do you like it?
I love it... even though it remains a time consuming, fiddly-faff! ha ha ha
My newest Miranda Bag... 
I used In R Form instead of wadding, that's why it looks so sturdy...
It co-ordinates perfectly with my favourite coat... which I am still wearing, every day, even though it will be July on Friday!!
Who stole the sunshine???

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Stitching News

Princess Jackie is on another amazing quilt making roll
Seems everyone in her life is producing babies! ha ha ha. Jackie purchased this pattern online but she's changed a few things, to make it just right... isn't it fabulous!!

 
PM Pam added the border strips and declared her sampler quilt top finished... made while learning lots of things as Pam used her 'noggin'. The back will be pieced from any leftover batik fabrics... plus a little extra... The beautiful Batik fabrics play together so well together.

New Sue finished all the Pinwheel blocks she needed to get the right sized quilt and is in the process of making the side setting triangles, also using the Stack-n-Whack method... it's going to be lovey!

Jean Bean played free-motion embroidery...
 doodling all day long... look how lovely she made the Wisteria...
Look how lovely my Moda Linen blend fabric look as walls!

and here are all of Jean's house pieces ready to be built... Actually I think there will be more stitching done before the builders are needed... she loves playing!!
This will be a Housey Housey door stop, one day!
We will be programming another Housey Housey Doorstop workshop in the Autumn as so many people have told me that they want to play too! I'll let you know when I know because Sue needs to know first!

Gail is also making a sampler quilt using the Jelly Roll Sampler book... she says she didn't want to use her 'noggin' she's doing it my the book! 7 lovely pieced blocks here all from a Moda Jelly Roll... there was one other block... hiding in Gail's box!
This is Gail's fabulous and finished, very accurately pieced, gifting cushion... complete with covered zip in the back. Lovely bright fabrics from Makower... this is sure to be a winner! It's Toot toot toot time.... 

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Fabulous And Finished

Carol finished her Bed Scarf/ Runner... Toot toot toot... it is fab-u-lous!
Most of the fabrics are from our Tilda selection and, let me to tell you... they are very strokie-scrumptious... The patchwork top has been finished for a few weeks but Carol had put it on one side until she made a firm decision how she wanted to quilt it...
You can see the chosen quilting design better from the back...
Oh boy, more scrumptious fabric... French General from Moda...
Carol spotted this in my Temptation Trolleys when she started the project and knew back then that it would be perfect... and it is.

Sunday 26 June 2016

Housey Housey Workshop

We should have called this workshop Housey Housey Play Day!!
What fun the ladies had designing, choosing, snipping, gluing and stitching...






The beauty of me having my very own classroom is that we can, and we will, have another day to finish off the door-stops...
The creation of bespoke designs took longer than we expected!!

Friday 24 June 2016

Stitching News

Di Butterfly decided to stay with a sunny theme...
She's quilting Ice Cream Cones in her borders...
what a great idea...
I wonder what flavour they are... I do love an ice cream in a cone.
Another sunny and summery theme...
Josie's cushion covers 
with big stitch hand quilting... 
Ready for toot toot tooting as they are fabulous and finished 
Margaret's Noah's Ark quilt is probable more on theme for our summer...
It has been rather wet so far in these here parts!
The binding will be stitched as homework
Boom!!!!
Brenda Barbara is starting Christmas stitching!!!
It's time you know...
 If you want to gift your very own stitched projects ...
you probably need to get cracking!!! 

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Free Motion Quilting

There are loads of ways to learn how to do free motion quilting... Classes, workshops, books, videos and tutorials... 
We had a free motion quilting morning on Tuesday... 
These are some of the fun results




Personally, I like to teach with exercises... just like we did when we learned to write... you get good basic how to's ... get used to dabling, get your machine and you 'in sync' then get on to the fun stuff... if you still want to that is... free motion quilting... .it's not compulsory.

It's Time To Book...

It's time to book your seat on our coach for the annual pilgrimage to The Festival Of Quilts. Angie's Patchwork and Quilting Shop organises this trip every year... and boy do we have a great day... We love it!! £25.00 in total gets you there, including your entrance ticket. We will be going on Sunday 14th August. A £15.00 deposit will be required when you book. Picking you up in either Meir, Cheadle, Tean and Uttoxeter.


Monday 20 June 2016

Hanging Pods

Aren't they a wonderful idea... they look so lovely hanging three in a row... like in the picture.
But I made only one... you see, it took me soooo many hours to complete... I might very well not make three to hang in a row!...
Not the size I made anyway...
I decided I needed my 'Pod' to be taller, to hold the Baking Paper we use to iron our applique sticky stuff in my classroom, to keep it from escaping from the ironing station, like the poor meatball! ha ha ha
Making it taller... and using In R Form instead of wadding to keep it standing to attention, made it rather fiddly... so... Actually, I might well make three to hang in a row... if only I could only stick to the original pattern!
But I do love the taller one I made with my beautiful Batik fabric. Have you made a Hanging Pod? Was it  from this magazine... Sew, Style & Home

Saturday 18 June 2016

Block Of The Month 2

I know I always say this but... some of the workshops we have are so much like a day at a spa!!! The ladies have such a wonderful relaxing day!! 
Some choose to stitch my hand, others by machine... some daring folk mix up the two methods!!... Whichever method is used, it only makes a difference to how much is achieved in the one day but, as Teacher Miss Angela says... 
"It's a block of the MONTH, not a block in a day!!!"
 A few pictures from our workshop today...






Special Delivery...

I couldn't resist...
I have cracked...
Having taken delivery of the beautiful Scarlet Brick Art Gallery Denim a few weeks ago... and having used it and sewn with it and stroked it... A LOT... I now have more colours and more of their wonderful Denim fabrics... in my very own shop
Take a looky here for more information about Art Gallery Denim...
Then you could pop along to my very own shop to stroke it!!

Friday 17 June 2016

Stitching News

A moment with clear tables was spotted so Our Sheila was able to get a super sandwich made... Almost all, and I really do mean almost all, of these fabrics were left over from a huge quilt-as-you-go project Sheila finished recently. She asked me for an idea of what she could make with so many different sized strips...
Looky what we came up with!!! I love it.
Di Butterfly encouraged the hand sewers to tidy their table so that she too could make a little sandwich with her lovely, 'About A Girl' panel quilt. We are mostly very obliging... if we can fit a sandwich in during class, we do it but then... if it's not really possible, I do offer the very convenient, Sandwich Saturdays for you. 
And Margaret finished quilting her Noah's Ark quilt... doesn't it look fabulous!
Margaret made the binding, lots of binding because this quilt is larger than it looks,
but she ran out of time to get it stitched on...
 I'm sure the sewing machine would be coming out at home!

Thursday 16 June 2016

I Made A New Kate Tunic

I know I said I would never make another Kate Tunic with blooming stretchy fabric... but as I already had purchased several lengths of the stuff... I have no choice but to be a trooper, keeping calm and carry on making them.... It's a beautiful, soft and luxurious knit from Art Gallery Fabrics... the problem is not the fabric, I can promise you that... the problem is that I am a quilter and I only work with 100 % cotton fabric... there can't be a fabric easier to work with than 100% cotton... so I am just not used to tricky stuff. I absolutely love the Kate Tunics... I will be wearing this one in my very own shop today... and tomorrow if I manage to keep it clean! ha ha ha
Do you like it?

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Secret Sewing?

Not so long ago I mentioned here, some secret sewing activity, Do you remember that? Anyone that came to my shop to enquire about it was given a sneaky preview but I couldn't put any pictures here for you for fear that our very lovely and most generous Fran Cupcake would see what we were making to gift to her for her very own birthday. We made a Fran Quilt. Everything on it pertains to Our Fran Cupcake.... see? She keeps chickens, loves everything nature. Loves Americana, Makes Jams and chutneys, deals in honey, carries a lovely basket, loves flowers, makes amazing bunting and has taught workshops for you to make some for your very own self she has a cat etc etc... this is a very Fran Cupcake quilt and we were absolutely thrilled to have had so much fun sneaking around, planning and plotting.... We made it for Our Fran, and she had no idea!! Of course she loves it, says it is the very best gift she ever, ever received... A perfect result!!

Stitching News And Retirement

Fran Cupcake has her Vintage Journal quilt top together. woooohooo. We changed the original pattern method a bit as Fran really didn't want to do the paper pieced sashing... it would have needed a lot of paper copies! There's quite often an easier way to make up the 'in a magazine' quilts, at least that's what we have found just lately. Fran's going to make border decisions next

New Sue spent a bit of her day making up Kaleidoscope blocks... she started them at the Stack-n-Whack workshop in March... don't they look fabulous with that leafy fabric! Note the absolutely perfect piecing too!

At the very same time, New Sue is working on this Christmas sampler, oh boy is it cute!! She purchased the pattern on a recent USA trip but is refusing to say which Christmas she is making it for... a very wise lady eh. She's also ready to sandwich a double sided giant Churndash quilt, but I forgot to get a photo of that.
 There were so many picture taking opportunities... I really have failed you... but I had such a lovely day!... And now... on the subject of retirement... did it make you panic?


My old telephone has now been retired. Broken and unable to continue it's work. I have a newer model, and I can work it, and it takes much better photos, so I can post stuff, probably to Facebook... as it happens... if I remeber that is, and I most often do not remember! These new and Beautiful Batik fabrics were delivered on Monday afternoon and the new phone took the picture, all by it's very own self!

Saturday 11 June 2016

Coiled Fabric Pot Workshop







Stitching News

Barbara BEW finished the piecing for her lovely little quilt made with Art Gallery Fabrics and Alison Glass fabric for her background, looking very modern! I love how it's turned out. As it's only a small project, Barbara was able to make a sandwich and start her quilting during class.
Brenda Barbara started a lovely new project with hand embroidery, using one of her Art to Heart books, my goodness they are full of wonderful projects... have you ever flicked through an Art To Heart book? They make you want to sew!
Art To Heart books again... Sister Susie and Fiona Too are both making these Birthday banners from the book Count On It they are great little projects.

PM Pam's been making a plethora of blocks ready to make a quilt to co-ordinate with her lovely new Dresden cushions... Pam is working through a sampler book and learning how to use her 'noggin'...

Fran Cupcake finished the tricky piecing on her lovely Vintage Journal quilt, made with a free pattern from Makower... I think Fran would happily advise that this pattern might not be great for the faint hearted!!!

This quilt was made using one of our Eye Spy quilt packs... 30 x 6 inch squares cut for you to stitch together, every fabric is different... you make it individual and unique, and any size you like, when you choose your border and backing fabrics.

Barbie arrived for class with a pile of untrimmed Pinwheel blocks in a little bit of a panic... she thought this quilt would be gifted next weekend,18th, but in July... turns out she is a month out... this quilt needs to be finished for next weekend... this one, in June!!! There're applique borders to do yet! Go Barbie!!!

Morning Judith spied a few empty tables and was able to make her quilt sandwich...
that's the best thing about smaller quilts...
they make smaller sandwiches!!