Linda Chevell

 In April, we were delighted to welcome Linda Chevell as our speaker.  She is relatively local, and some of us met her at Market Bosworth, last year.  She’s a committed Modern Quilter, and it was lovely to see her work. 

This quilt is stunning! (Can you see the duck in the centre?). The quilting on it is amazing. 

Linda will be holding a workshop to teach how to make this portholes quilt.  It’s a great technique, which can be developed into different designs.  The workshop is fully booked and eagerly anticipated. 

Vicki and I had participated in a Mystery Improv Challenge which Linda led.  It was a steep learning curve for both of us, but a very different way of working. 

 As you can see, Vicki climbed further up the curve than me, but I learned a lot.  

Caroline made this clever design for a relative who wanted something art deco.  I’m sure they will be thrilled.

Lesley thoroughly enjoyed the recent workshop with Vendulka Battais, and made her work into this pair of cushions. 

Janet made this lovely Patchwork of the Crosses quilt.  She said she would have liked to have made it bigger, but tired of all the EPP! 

Di made this colourful scrappy quilt for an old lady suffering from dementia.  I’m sure it will be a ray of sunshine for her. 

Vicki used up some orphan drunkard’s path blocks to make this great bag. 

The bag is beautifully quilted.  

This beautiful Lone Star quilt was made by a new quilter.  She was very brave to choose the plain yellow for the centre, as plain colours can be unforgiving if the centre matches aren’t exact.  Great result though. 

Vendulka Battais

Our speaker for March was Vendulka Battais, a talented quilter from Romania.  She started her sewing journey by making clothes with her mum, but once she discovered patchwork, she was hooked! She talked about how she picked her quilts, and how her husband drew on the back, and that was where she quilted from. After the quilting was finished, she painted them.  Absolutely fascinating and so inspiring. She brought plenty of quilts to inspire us, including her best of show from the Festival of Quilts. 

Here is her beautiful mandala style quilt. 

The next day she held a workshop, showing how to create curves in patchwork.  People could make a cushion or book cover with their piece. 

There was a lovely atmosphere at the meeting, and several people who had braved the dark and winter weather were delighted they had come! 

Starting 2024 in style!

 Our first meeting of 2024 was excellent!  It was lovely to see old and new members on a wet and miserable night to see Mark Francis.  He was a contestant on the Great British Sewing Bee in 2019, and the experience altered his career plan - for the better!  He brought along his husband Clive, who is also a sewer, and several of the items he made on the programme.  He kindly said that we could try them on, and I was hoping someone would try the outfit made from hi-vis garments, sequins and all, but no takers!  Mark kept us enthralled by his talk, and we look forward to seeing him at the FOQ and other events in the future. 

Here he is on his promotional stand, with the garments he brought with him ready to display.

And here he is with Clive (in the Boys Sew Too t-shirt, with his arm round Julie’s sister Lynne, who came along as a visitor. 

Despite the fact that we haven’t met since November the show and tell was modest -at least in quantity. 

Chris made this stunning quilt, which is a Philippa Naylor design.  She said it has been 3 years in the making, having spent most of that period in time-out in a cupboard!  We’re so glad she persevered with it. 

 

This beautiful Hawaiian applique cushion was made at our recent workshop evening.  The maker wasn’t very keen on hand sewing, but thought she’d give this technique a try.  She was delighted to find she loved it, and now has a new skill. 

This is another completed workshop design.  It’s Flower Garden, and brings hope of blooms to come. 

This beauty was made by EPP from Liberty fabrics.  Delightful. 

Paula made this quilt at a local class.  Her fabric choices are fabulous, and reflect the quilt’s name, which is Dazzle! 

Di made this charming scrap quilt for Project Linus.  The colours are great, and I love the zigzag quilting. 

Don’t forget your show and tell next month, as we welcome Vendulka Battais as our speaker and workshop leader.