Tuesday 21 May 2013

New England memories

In May we were lucky to have a tour round New England with quilts!  Claire and Wendy LeMaistre told us all about their New England trip and showed the fabulous quilts this inspired.  They are mother and daughter, and how many people in the group envied their joint passion for quilting (and fabric!)

 
Their quilts were wonderful, bears, eagles, pumpkins, rainbows, they had all of them!  It was a really inspirational show.

 
More inspiration was in the 'Little House' blocks, especially for those of us who are a little behind in this mystery!

 
June is always full of inspiration, and here are her May raffle prizes.  Beautiful floral fabric, tied with pink tulle ribbon and decorated with flowers.  Wonderful!

 
And now for the show and tell.  I am constantly fascinated by scrap quilts, and here are Mile A Minute blocks combined with my other favourite - lime green!

 
More MAM in a different design. 

 
This is a striking double Wedding Ring quilt, which (according to its maker) is 'poor workmanship'.  Everyone can see how gorgeous it is, and the yellow background makes it extra gorgeous.

 
This quilt hasn't responded well to my 'point and click' camera style.  It was originally made for an Olympic theme, but wasn't finished in time.  (How familiar did we all find that strain!)  Still, it's finished now, and absolutely stunning.

 
Piecemakers were lucky to have a workshop taught by Ruth Jarman on Heirloom Quilting, and here are two quilts made by this method.  Debbie has made 20 beautiful blocks and got them assembled.  This quilt repays closer inspection!

 
And Ruth had got completely carried away and made 42 blocks for her fabulous heirloom!  Again, you had to look closely at this quilt to appreciate it.  Beautiful work.

 
Why are people so mdest about their work?  Who is this hiding behind this vibrant quilt?  I love the colours.

 
This is definately Di trying to hide behind this lovely quilt made from various blocks.

 
Di was lucky enough to have this snazzy bag given to her as a birthday present from her brother.  Can you see, it's made from a suit sleeve?  That's the ultimate in recycling.  What a thoughtful present (and from her brother!!)


A wonderful strippy, Chinese coins style.

 
And lastly, a Linus quilt completed by Paula.  Bright and cheerful!

Saturday 11 May 2013

Threads, threads, threads!

In April we had a visit by the Empress Mills team, Christine (pictured in her amazing glassses with built-in reading light!), William and Charles.  They brought an incredible amount of stock with them, and it was eye candy heaven for everyone who was there! 

 
Apart from an extensive array of threads, they had fabrics, haberdashery and all kinds of Vilenes, including one with squares printed on it -which one member had just ordered from America! - and some which laminates fabrics and is ideal for wash bags or anything which would benefit from extra durability. 
 
 
Here is William proving not only that men can iron, but also demonstrating a special Vilene which turns quilted fabric into a version of the fabric found in ruched swimsuits of the 1950s.  Ideal for those who want that kind of effect!

 
Christine's talk was called 'The Evolution of Thread', but turned out to be the fascinating history of Empress Mills, and then an opportunity to learn about (and handle) all the different threads they carry, cotton, silk, linen, poly, slubbed, metallic, thick, fine and fancy.  It was a super evening, which culminated in an opportunity to buy - although there was absolutely no pressure to do so.

 
June's raffle prizes had a sunshine and showers theme, with a rainbow of fabrics, held together with shimmery 'raindrop' ribbon, and decorated by cocktail parasols!  Wonderful!

 
And here are the book wraps waiting for Sarah to collect them.  For a group with over 60 members, I have to say that's not a very impressive number of wraps.  If you feel like making more to raise money for the Quilter's Guild, I know Sarah will be delighted to receive them.

March meeting

I can't believe I am so behind with my blogging - it's already nearly halfway though May and I haven't even written about the March meeting!  Add to this I've got a dodgy internet connection, which means that the photos aren't uploading properly, and you'll understand my frustration!  However, I'll do the best I can.

 
The March meeting was very informative.  We were lucky enough to have Yvonne Orchard with us, and as a very early member of the Quilter's Guild (she has been to every single AGM!) she was able to tell us all about the founding of the guild, it's evolution and news about the guild's museum in York.  (Sorry that she looks rather 'in the pink', but that's the wonders of modern technology for you!) Several people were interested enough to join the guild that evening, which is a very good thing. 

 
We were also lucky to have had Eunice bring lots of goodies from her shop, The Quarter Inch which is in Market Harborough.  Lots of people were pleased to be able to buy fabric (and such lovely fabric!) without having to travel, park etc.  Thank you Eunice for your hard work!
 
 
Another person who works hard is June - she always gives us an imaginative raffle.  This month's theme was 'Spring is here!' and it certainly looks as though it has by these delicious-looking prizes! 
There was the usual excellent show and tell, but I'll post this while I have the chance, so sorry to disappoint readers.  Hopefully I'll have more luck uploading photos in the future.