Stitching News

Unfortunately, for one reason and another, our May retreat had to be postponed. It was disappointing to all that were going, obviously, but I'm happy to report that most of the ladies were able to book up mini breaks elsewhere.
Carol had a small brainwave and asked about the possibility of retreating in my very own shop? You know I love to give excellent customer service! I decided we could have a 'Cheat Retreat'.
Coming to class one morning, sew all day and a bit extra, with obligatory nattering and giggles. In the early evening, leaving all sewing paraphernalia in situ, we could go to a local restaurant for dinner then head home, happy. Come back the next day for another lovely, long sewing day. Two whole days of sewing with no need to cart your overnight bag full of clean knickers and no need to worry about the things you may have forgotten because we would be in my very own, lovely quilt shop, super handy!!
We did it, just a few of us, we actually had a lovely few days.
So now It's a thing, A Cheat Retreat will definitely be repeated.
A Repeat Cheat Retreat Treat... ha ha, it gets worse!

We had a normal class on Saturday, lots of projects are coming along nicely. Backings were stitched in preparation for Sandwich making, which are booked in for next Saturday because they are huge quilts and will likely need all the tables.

Deb stitched her binding on, both sides by machine, which more folk are tending to do these days, lack of time, sore fingers etc and it's so much more accept-a-bubble than it used to be now that we ignore the quilt police ha! We need those trumpets please. Deb's fabulous and finished quilt needs a Toot toot toot fanfare.

Cheryl had been gifted a pile of Kaffe fabrics. Mostly the same design in lots of colourways. She wasn't sure how to use them so we had a bit of a brainstorm thing and then, lick-etty-split, a new project was started. Eventually, other fabrics invited themselves to the Kaffe Churndash party and it's all looking very exciting.

Deb made this dog/puppy using her Elizabeth Hartman pattern. She wanted to make one block before committing to a larger quilt, a very sensible idea me thinks. Deb used fabrics to make it look like her very own pooch. Once it's quilted it will be made into a rather cute cushion with an invisibubble zip!

Quilty Quarters

I have another fabulous and finished quilt to show you.
Do you remember this beautiful quilt top? 

I made it at the sewing retreat at the end of November last year. 

I recently made a sandwich of it.

This is the Quilt Norma made and had had it professionally quilted by Amanda In Stone. I was very interested to see it had been quilted in Wavy Lines top to bottom. (though on a long arm machine I think they have to do it from side to side) I hadn't thought to do that design, genius? Super easy more like!

My quilting done. Crusts trimmed off, and it wasn't raining!

Obviously my wavy lines are much more organic than the computer driven ones, but that's absolutely fine by me. Done, as they say, is much better than perfect! It took 3 bobbins of thread and only a few hours to quilt. My sandwich had been very well pinned so I was able to quilt top to bottom, so I didn't even have any ends to tie off nor thread in, winner!

I rooted for a binding fabric, luckily I found one then decided to stitch it on by machine. Usually I hand stitch binding to the back but since acquiring the Juki UX8, I love doing it by machine with the zipper foot and the walking thing. I was a bit miffed to have to make a new bobbin just to sew this two inch bit. I prefer to win the Thread Chicken game!

By the time I had the quilt finished, and ready to snap pictures of it, the wind had picked up and started to play at silly things, flipping the quilt over at the last minute. 

It must have wanted you to see the backing!

The wind did this too, perfectly staged! Clever wind.

I'll take the quilt to my shop later, you can to pop in to see it. 

The colours are really lovely in real life.

Toot toot toot for me!

Stitching News

I hope you all had a good Bank Holiday weekend. My shop is open as normal now, until the next Bank Holiday at the end of May. My shop will be closed on Tuesday 28th May making a good long weekend for my very good self, just so you can plan ahead! My shop is closed on Monday's and Wednesdays anyway so it's only 1 extra day.

Julie made a sandwich. She had to make it twice actually as I cut the first wadding a bit too small! Shocking customer service really but we soon had it rectified when I cut a larger piece. We didn't notice it was a bit short as the first sandwich was made on smaller table space so it was hanging over the edge! 

Mary finished her Table Topper. With all the zebras standing up the right way which makes her very happy. Toot toot toot Mary, another fabulous and finished masterpiece.

Stitching News

I broke my run on blogging. It is, what it is!

I spent Monday afternoon in my shop, waiting for the Smart Meter guys to come to fit, yet another! smart meter. Did they rock up? Blooming no!!! I have stronger words but I won't shock you with those, ha!
While I was waiting, I cleaned stuff, nooks and crannies- fabric is a very dusty business. I stopped worrying about the dust a long time ago. I try hard to keep on top of it but it is truly impossi-bubble. I never charge extra for the fuzzie layer though! Seriously, I really try hard to keep on top of dust. I even cleaned the windows, thank goodness for Henry, bless him, he helps me a lot! 

I changed the quilts on display which always makes my shop look lovely. Fresh and floral this time.

Once all the cleaning and tidying in my shop had reached it's interesting-ness capacity, I decided to get this beautiful quilt top sandwiched. It took time a plenty, it's a large one! The photo was taken while I was up a ladder, had you guessed? It will be quilted soon.

Meanwhile, in class, I didn't get much opportunity to take photos. Shopping customers come into my lovely shop and I get distracted! The ladies in class pack up at the end of their day and all photo taking opportunities are missed/forgotten by my very good self. We have a lovely time all day and it's not until blog writing time that I see what I didn't do...Take pictures!

Luckily, I took one photo at the start of the day. 

This top belongs to Julie. She started it on Saturday with two Tilda Charm Packs from her fabric stash, there was another round of border strips added after the photo but, the top is finished! Julie has chosen her backing fabric already so there very well might be a Tilda Sandwich making session very soon.

Quilty Quarters

An excellent start to yesterday. A bit more Quilty water falling from the clouds that put pay to any outside chores and gardening. Quilty Quarters provided a few hours entertainment.  I love sewing with an audio book talking to me, such a relaxing way to spend time. Especially time I thought I would be 'choring'. So here you go.

 One more finished and rather fabulous Lap Quilt, sofa throw or wall hanging. It's just a display quilt for me. Hopefully to inspire folk. I changed threads for each colour as I quilted and, I hope you can see, I ran the coloured threads through the wide borders too. Originally I had decided that I would hand quilt with Big Stitch Quilting with number 8 Perle Cotton, in between the machine stitching, and I still might do that but I've already started something else now so that very well may not happen for a while. I am going to please my very own self on that one. For now though, with fabulous Faux Piped Binding, it is ready for tooting. 

I changed the bobbin thread colours so I have this rather splendid woven design on the back too. I am rather chuffed with the result and I will "WILL" be making a larger version in the future.

Once again The Libby Quilt pattern link

I made the Baby size and added the wide borders.

There is a typo in the cutting chart but it's just that you need to cut 3 squares to cut into 6 background triangles, no-one can make 6 triangles from 2 squares.  

Apart from that, it all went together very easily.

I'm getting my Juki Over Locker out today, I say fleetingly!!! I have a job to do for the little man's new bed.

Also there's a plan to pop over to my shop later on so that I can sandwich the retreat quilt. The backing has a very successful invisible seam/join and more quilty water will be falling from the clouds so I still can't garden chore.

Stitching News

I started the day with high expectations of snapping photos for my blog. There were many interesting quilts being worked on in class and lovely shopping customers brought their work to show and to get help with. But... they all came rolling in so fast, one or two in then two or three out, like a conveyor belt. Everyone gets excellent customer service, I might have mentioned that once or twice and before I knew it, class ladies had all packed up as it was way past closing time for my very own shop.
Deb, very kindly, unpacked her quilt so I could have at least one picture.

Deb actually pieced this quilt a long time ago. I love the borders. Neither of us can remember how we decided to make them like this. We both remember faffing about with the colours of the fabrics though. The centre is a 1 metre piece of Art Gallery Fabric that Deb wanted to keep whole. She'd been practicing her Free Motion Quilting on the hearts all day and was very satisfied with her improvement.

I found another picture in my phone. On Friday I chose the backing for my October 2023 retreat quilt The colours in this Art Gallery fabric are fabulous and co-ordinate perfectly with those I used for the top. I decided to pattern match the two x 2 metre pieces needed to get the size and yes, I know... all those blooming little triangles! It's all pinned ready for stitching, fingers crossed it all lines up today.

Stitching News

There's a bit of a Bunny thing going on in these here parts. Elizabeth Hartman Bunnies to be precise. Maybe it's true about how bunnies multiply, even if they are not real bunnies? The pattern has a few different sized creatures.

Meet Farmer Lynda, in her Sunday best! 

Lynda is making small bunny quilts, to be used as chair backs, she talks to her bunnies.

Meet Farmer Philip, I'm sure we heard Lynda talking to him. 

What a smart couple they are. I think They've been sandwiched by now, only in the quilting world can we get away with that statement!

Believe it or not, those little Saw Tooth Stars are only 4 inch blocks. Teeny-tiny for Di and look how accurate they are, pointy-points and all.

Di goes very dark when she's tackling a triangle, it's just fear! The star on the left is 16" square. Made on a recent retreat. There will also be a third block and it too will be made into a cushion, can you guess the design, Di is already shaking in her boots, ha!

Gail came to make a quick Teddy sandwich. We need it to rain now to keep Gail at the Juki getting the quilting done, not in the garden getting mucky! Baby is waiting for his gift me thinks.

Fabulous And Finished

 We need your trumpets today folks. Both Di and Bev finished their Gaming Quilts.

This one is Bev's. She purchased the pattern from Etsy after one of those Rabbit Hole days I was talking about, she was so happy to find the pattern, it's an absolutely perfect gift for a Gamer. It's fabulous and finished and, I think, it has been gifted now, it has a very cool label! Toot toot toot Bev.

When Di saw Bev working on her new project on day 1, she immediately chose fabrics to make one for her very own self, for gifting of course. Di chose slightly different colours, I'm sure you have noticed that! Toot toot toot Di, a fabulous finish too.

A brief post, but still a post, I'm on a roll!!!
I'm of to open my lovely, very well stocked, little shop now.