Lutterworth Piecemakers

Sashiko

2012-01-19T13:25:00.006Z

What a treat we had this month! Rebecca Ayrton was a wonderful speaker, both amusing and informative, and what's more, she timed her talk so well that she left us all wanting more! She was very informative about the origins of sashiko and had lots of samples which she passed round to underline her words. She is also a fabulous practitioner, and had lots of examples for us to drool over. I particularly liked the way she wasn't precious about her work, saying, 'Handle the quilts all you like, as when these wear out, I'll have all the fun of making more!' A very refreshing perspective! Here she is with a beautiful fusion of paper-pieced hexagons and sashiko. Amazing.

Next month we will be having mini-workshops and here are the samples and the sign-up list. Two of the workshops are already full! We're all eager to learn.

The first quilt up for show and tell had us all gasping in amazement! Eileen's sumptuous Dresden Plate was stunning. Her colour palette makes the most of the rays of the plates.

Rutnh has made a quilt for the forthcoming exhibition at Bletchley Park. It is based on the shapes found in the doorway to the main house. The colours are so reminiscent of old wood and stoneShe was also in a 'using up' mood (as so many people are at the beginning of the year!). She had these log cabin blocks left over from her Manx quilt, and they were perfect for making this bag.

She has also made this beautiful Mile a Minute quilt for Project Linus. She was touched by the stories of the vulnerable teenagers who get support from 'Catch 22' and made this large quilt especially for them!

These blocks were made from fabric won at our exhibition last year! How clever to sash the squares - it gives them another slant. Nik has made this quilt for Project Linus. She is so generous (and prolific!) The white sashng and border give it a very dainty feel.

Here another one of Nik's quilts. The piecing is stunning, but it's a pity we can't see the quilting, as it was done as part of a challenge. Instructions were given out on the internet every hour, and different sections were quilted. Fabulous.

This is a seriously big quilt! Muriel made it at a class and had it quilted by Anna. The secondary designs are absolutely fascinating - and look at all those points! (The binding's clever too!)

And here is another quilt made in the same pattern, but this time in a smaller size. What a class that must have been!

here is a WIP (Work In Progress) made completely by hand from silk ties. It will be a fund-raiser from prostate cancer once it's finished. Don't the colours sing?

At Rocheberie Schoolhouse Quilters, we recently made some autographed blocks. Mine are still in their plastic bag, but Muriel has put hers to good use. She has made a quillow. Here is the pillow (or cushion) part,

and here is the quilt part! The red squares are a genius addition, and make it into a good-sized lap quilt. What clever people there are around! You never know what goodies will be revealed in show and tell!

November meeting

2011-12-22T20:00:00.009Z

The November meeting functions as our Christmas party, as we don't meet in December, and this year's party was very successful. We decided to have a Faith Supper - where everyone brings something to eat, and you have to have faith that not everyone's contribution will be sausage rolls! As you can see, there was a fabulous variety of foods, and lots of choice for everyone. There was a free raffle with lots of beautifully wrapped parcels, and the Christmas theme was continued by Gill, who demonstrated how to make some lovely Christmas decorations. Lots of people made them on the day, and others took the pattern home to make at their leisure. The show and tell was varied. Beth showed this brightly coloured quilt made from strips. Gill had made this ball for a new baby. Di had been on a Mary Mayne workshop and made this winter scene inside a churn dash block. Ruth had also been on a workshop about making coiled fabric bowls. She had really enjoyed it, and made some lovely items.Do you remember the Half Square Challenge we had earlier this year? The resultant HSTs have been used to make Linus quilts, of which this is one. The blocks are Dutchman's Puzzle, and Di put it together and quilted it beautifully. This is a clever arrangement for just 5 blocks. Another way of making a small piece of fabric go further is to frame the blocks. Ruth has made a piece of fabric with cars on it into this wonderful quilt. How clever is that!

Here is another example of clever framing of motifs Only six little blocks plus frames have made a cute little quilt.

Gaynor had been to New Zealand and brought back lots of novelty fabrics with fauna and flora on them. She designed this way of displaying them all, while bringing them together at the same time. The background fabric is perfect for the job! Sometimes a fabric combination calls to you, but when you've made the quilt, you wonder what you're going to do with it? Well, this was true for Chris's quilt. It's stunning, but not a very useful size. It would be perfect for Linus, but the colours aren't very child-friendly. Chris quilted traffic images on the back, and hey presto! it's perfect for Linus. In fact it's already gone to a child in one of the Leicestershire refuges. I'm sure it will be treasured. Another quilt to treasure is this Twisted Log Cabin. What fabulous colours!

Doreen had started this quilt some time ago, but never finished it. Liz kindly offered to finish it for her, and here it is! The quilting is superb, as you can just see in the borders.

Blocks on point always look good, and these cute flower and birdhouse blocks are no exception. The scrappy blocks inbetween look like windmills, don't they. These aren't items from the buffet, but little embroidered truffles made by Gaynor. They're so realistic that one of her grandaughters tried to eat one!
And finally, the Birds Raffle Quilt. It was won by Betty, who, as a talented quilter, really didn't feel she could appreciate it as it deserved. She had heard Nik's Nan saying how gorgeous it was, and generously decided to offer it to her instead. As you can see, Nan is delighted to have the quilt on her bed. A great outcome for all!

November meeting

2011-11-13T17:26:00.004Z

The next meeting of Piecemakers will be the Christmas Party! There won't be any games, balloons or jelly, but there will be food, drink and a little project to get you in the festive spirit.

For the project - Gill Baildon's Christmas decoration - you will need a 12" square of Christmas fabric and usual sewing kit.

If your fabric is a bit more traditional than this fabulous Alexander Henry print, don't worry! It will be fine.

To help the washer uppers, also bring a plate

and a glass.And most importantly, a dish of nibbles, sweet or savoury, to share with everyone.At the meeting all the details of the exhibition will be shared, the finances and the Visitors' Choice results. Don't forget your show and tell, and I'll see you there!

Sew Fabulous!

2011-10-24T19:13:00.008+01:00

Our October meeting was the AGM (28 minutes flat - must be the ideal length for an AGM!) and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'. Members brought items they could recommend (the Good), such as a bias tape maker, using a pipecleaner to clear the fluff out of your machine, Sewer's Aid-a miracle silicon-based liquid, a magnet on an extendable rod for picking pins up, a magnetic bowl for pins and other useful gadgets; things they hated (the Bad) such as a half square triangle sewer, a circle cutter, a handle turner, bias bars and other things so useless I've forgotten them! and the Ugly, some pretty unusual fabrics piled up, although most of them (and the Bads) were left by their owners to go on the sales table at our forthcoming exhibition (and they were all sold!)

Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd October saw our biannual exhibition at Walcote Village Hall. The banner looks good here, but the wind took its toll, and by the end of the weekend, it was sorely in need of repair. We had over 200 visitors over the two days, and all the comments I heard were very positive. One man said that coming into the hall felt like 'a breath of fresh air' compared to the entrance to the Festival of Quilts. I'm not quite sure what he meant, but it must be a compliment!
The hall is spacious, and the lovely wooden floors set off the quilts to perfection.On the right you can see Stephanie's king size quilt - our hangers were amazed at how big it was.The variety of different quilt styles was very pleasing. There were applique, abstract, scrap piecing, curves, traditional blocks, strippies, blocks of the month and original designs. Something for everyone.Some quilts repaid careful close scrutiny, while others looked their best at arm's length.

Some had been hand pieced, such as Sylvia's wonderful Patchwork of the Crosses, made for her grandaughter's wedding, while most had been machine pieced.No British quilt show would be complete without a few hexagons, and Ann's blue and white quilt is simple yet perfect.

We wanted to appeal to people's aesthetic senses, but were aware that some had travelled some distance, and would need sustenance. Refeshments at a quilt show aren't right without an array of tempting home-made cakes. These proved to be very popular amongst all our visitors, old and young alike. The refreshments area gave visitors and stewards a chance for a sit down and a restoring cuppa! Another big draw was the sales table, featuring everything from fabric, kits books and patterns, through home-made items of all descriptions to the unwanted Bads and Uglies from the AGM! And of course, since quilters are such generous people here is our charity corner, showing Quilts for Injured Servicemen, donated to our brave boys and girls at Headley Court, and Project Linus Quilts, for children in need of a hug.

What a great exhibition, and a great weekend. It gave us great pleasure to stage this community event and give entertainment to so many people. Hope you enjoyed it too!

July meeting

2011-09-21T18:28:00.008+01:00

Oh, no! I've just realised that although Liz kindly took photos at the July meeting while I was rehearsing 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', I haven't managed to write the blog! Many apologies, and here it is.Philippa Naylor was our speaker, and I was very disappointed to miss her talk, and look at her lovely quilts. Jane and Jenny seem to be having a lovely chat with her though.

Here is some of her work - fabulous colours!

It was obviously worth a close examination!

The group quilt is now a top! Ruth, Paula and I have arranged and appliqued all the birds ready for a layering and quilting session.

Three lucky grandaughters had a quilt each. One is here and

two, and three are yet to come!

Muriel made this quilt from a jelly roll - I love the cool colours!

This quilt was inspired by New Zealand - you could have guessed that!

Ann's Log Cabin quilt has lots of movement in the blocks.

This design is simple, but so effective.
I have more photos to show, but Blogger is messing me about (plus my husband has needed my help trimming the back of his hair!) and I have run out of time. I will put the rest of the photos on asap. Watch this space!

June meeting

2011-06-22T09:07:00.006+01:00

I wasn't able to get to the June meeting as I was sunning myself in the Aegean! I was sorry to miss the evening, although luckily Liz kindly took photos for us. (She apologised for not having all the details as she was concentrating on getting good shots without things sticking out of people's heads - bit of a change from the usual quality of photos then!)

This quilt looks like one made at a Ferret 'quilt in a day' workshop. What gorgeous bright colours!
This one was made from little pictures, and the off-set frames make it fun and quirky!

Muriel made two quilts, a brown one and a blue one from the same jelly roll. Can you see that the quilts are actually identical, but with different coloured borders? It's the border colour which changes the whole look of the quilt. How clever is that?

Another clever quilt from Muriel. These blocks have dark fabrics behind then which make them look 3D. Very effective.

Chris made this fabulous sampler quilt as a wedding gift for her son. He has married an American, so she chose blocks with names suitable for the occasion.

This pretty appliqued quilt is delicate and fresh.Here is Ann peeping over the top of a charming scrappy Irish Chain quilt. I bet she's hand pieced and quilted this beauty!And last but not least, Liz is holding a quilt she made for her son. She says it was quite taxing to draft, but the results are well worth the head scratching! Keep sewing and I'll hope to make the next meeting myself!

May meeting - workshops galore!

2011-05-21T13:46:00.016+01:00

The May meeting was another busy one, with four different workshops to choose from. I offered needleturned applique, using freezer paper on top, which proved to be popular.

We just tackled some easy hearts, which provided a chance to practise points, both 'inny' and 'outy'. Look how well everyone did! Alison was a bit worried that her heart had a very narrow point (the green one on the bottom row) but she coped with it superbly!

Rebecca showed how to do Sashiko, and brought some of her beautiful work. People on this table were delighted with her easy style and knowledge - I can feel a day workshop coming on! Here is everyone with epuipment ready for the off.

And here they all are, hard at it.

Paula showed a beaded card, which was proclaimed 'very relaxing' as a technique. She was generous (as ever) with her beads so people could make more cards when they went home.

Liz gave people a chance to try free machine quilting, and found herself challenged by the idiosyncracies of other people's machines. Rosemary and Paula, despite having identical machines, bought at the same time, found that only one foot pedal gave them the pace control they needed. Jane produced patterns which were more 'crown of thorns' than 'bunch of flowers' until she tried Liz's machine, which enabled her to make flowing designs! I think some people will be back at the sewing machine shop in the near future! People have obviously been busy in their gardens, as there were only a few items for show and tell. Stephanie had been making jelly roll quilts. This one is a snowball, in lovely freah, folksy colours.

This one is a rail fence variation, again with a lovely colour palette. Doesn't the border set it off well?

She also brought a gorgeous miniature wall hanging which she has made for a present. Great colour choices.

Gaynor is making a set of chair seat covers, and these are the first two. (That's why they're a strange shape!) Liz brought this quilt which gaynor had made and Liz quilted, which will be on its way to Japan (via Malvern). Several members of the group are donating quilts for the earthquake victims in Japan. Ruth brought this Windmill quilt in autumnal colours. This is such a great design for using scraps and leftover strips.Another scrappy one is this positive and negative design. I'm just trying to work out how she made it - it's not 9 patches, is it? Very effective at any rate.Everyone had very much enjoyed the evening, and got a lot out of it, although the workshop leaders are looking forward to the next meeting, when they can sit back and relax!

April meeting

2011-04-22T17:32:00.009+01:00

After all the hard work at the last meeting, it was lovely to sit back and listen to a speaker, especially one so down to earth and amusing as Dawn Cameron-Dick! She had some beautiful stories about many of her quilts, and her tales of her family were at times hilarious, and at times touching.

Dawn brought lots of her quilts, from her very first one, through prize-winning Invisble Machine Applique ones, to her latest designs. Dawn is well known for her beautiful machine quilting (as well as the IMA) and she did not disappoint in this area. Her use of decorative threads and both machine and hand quilting was stunning.

After the talk, lots of people rushed to have a closer look at her work or ask questions - she was so generous at sharing her expertise!

Show and tell was a little disappointing in quantity, although the quality was (as ever) excellent! I had organised a sewing morning with Botcheston WI a few weeks ago, at which they had made lots of Linus cot quilt blocks. I agreed to put them together into 3 quilts. The blocks are all the same, but by using diferent arrangements and different border colours, they look quite disimilar. This one is a diamond pattern, in yellow (or at least, it looks very yellow due to the yellow border). This one is a zig zag in pink. And finally barn raising, bound in blue. All gorgeous, in my opinion.

Jane had brought her very first quilt to show us. She made it for her grandaughter, from flower fairy panels, and it looks fabulous!

She also brought her secoind quilt, a sampler quilt made at the Bramble Patch. Such beautiful blocks and colour choices!

Paula, Chris, Bunty and Stephanie brought, brought the miniature quilts they made at the Sarah Hadfield workshop. The workmanship in these little gems is worth closer examination.

Ruth had bought reproduction fabric at the V&A, and had used it to make this gorgeous bag. It was also very functional, with pockets and zipped compartments inside.Now onto the Linus quilts. This one has been made from Australian fabrics, and the use of dark 'L' shapes behind the blocks makes it look 3-D. many thanks for donating this super quilt.

Stephanie had kindly taken all these windmill blocks from a 'Knit and Stitch' session and made them up. The border adds some extra pizzazz! And look at the backing - a car play mat! This quilt will do double duty for some lucky young man! I hope there will be more sewing before the next meeting, so I can put plenty of show and tell photos next time. Happy sewing!

Competition time!

2011-03-22T17:10:00.007Z

March saw Piecemakers in competitive mood! I had organised a competition for making half square triangles for Project Linus, and the pair who could make the most finished 4.5" blocks in 60 minutes would get a prize. (Vicky and Ann were very keen to win until they found out that the prize wasn't alcoholic, and then slowed down!)

Lots of people had brought their sewing machines and cutting equipment, and were raring to go straight away.

This table seems to have a high ratio of helpers to machines.

Liz seems to be positively steaming along (unless she's having a power surge!)

Some people took the opportunity to relax amongst friends, which, of course, is what it's all about.

And here are the eventual winners, Di and Beth, with the grand total of 78 HSTs made in

60 minutes. Coincidentally, Vicky and Ann also made 78 HSTs, but were pipped at the post with a tie break question. (I learned afterwards, that Di and Beth kindly shared the prize amongst the four of them. That's why I like quilters so much - they're so generous!) In the evening, a phenomenal 483 HSTs were completed, and there were plenty more which hadn't been ironed or squared up too! Many thanks to everyone who took part, and rest assured that the blocks will be made into Linus quilts very soon.To complete the evening, we had a trader from Rothwell, and there were few who managed to escape without being tempted to a little something (at very reasonable prices, I might add). Show and tell was kicked off by this beauty, made from blue hexagons by Ann. I love this slightly unusual lozenge arrangement.Ann also brought this work in progress. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the hexagons are just one inch wide and absolutely gorgeous! I had been wrestling with hexagons too, but they had been donated to Linus as a partly finished top. I squared it off and bordered it, and I think it's quite pretty. This is more my cup of tea though, made from blocks sewn at a 'Knit and Stitch' session in Lutterworth. I love the variety of fabrics and the bright colours.Ann, Beverley and Doreen had been to the Viv Denscombe workshop, and proudly showed the fabulous book covers they made on the day. They were richly embellished.Paula usually manages to bring a Linus quilt to meetings, and this one is her Rocheberie 'Butterfly' quilt. The arrangement is stunning!Di has been diving into her scrap bag, having fun and creating something quirky yet useful for Linus. What fabulous colour choices.Sh's obviously not letting the winter weather influence her colour choices, as witness in this weekend bag. She will certainly get plenty of use out of it now she's retired!This quilt was a fitting finale to the meeting. Red and white are always stunning, but the beautiful star blocks and Irish Chain setting make this one extra special.

Techniques workshop

2011-02-22T17:13:00.003Z

The techniques workshop evening had the hall buzzing! There were lots of people there, and everyone enjoyed having a 'hand-on' experience. Unfortunately, I was so concerned to make sure I had everything I needed for my workshop, I completely forgot my camera! S o no photos of the workshops, and none of the gorgeous show and tell either! Suffice it to say that everyone I spoke to felt they had learned something that evening (I learned that I need to have my camera tied to my person permanently!) and all the workshops were much appreciated. We will repeat this format in May, so look out for a whole new set of opportunities!

The sales table was even better than ever! There were bargains galore, and few were able to completely resist going home with an extra goodie or two.

The March meeting will be a Half Square Triangle Competition.

For this, you need to pair up with a friend. Between you, you will need a sewing machine, neutral thread, small cutting board, rotary cutter, ruler (square if you have one) and soft pencil. The fabric will be supplied, in the form of 5" squares, and the aim will be to produce as many 4.5" half square triangles as possible in 60 minutes! There will be a prize for the winner, so don't miss this meeting!

Technique workshops

2011-02-07T20:09:00.005Z

The February meeting will be a hands-on meeting, with four different workshops on offer. (Of course, if you would just like to come, observe and chat, that's fine!) Each workshop can take up to ten people, and as of today, they all have spaces, if you didn't manage to come to the last meeting and book your place.

Brenda will be offering hand quilting, which should be a treat, as Brenda is a wonderful hand quilter! She will bring some marked sandwiches and you will need thread, a small (quilting)

needle and two thimbles.

Muriel will be showing quilt as you go, for which you will need a sewing machine, some backed, wadded and quilted blocks and a fat quarter of fabric.

Lynda will be showing a foundation pieced spring basket block. For this you will need your sewing machine, a piece of cream or cream on cream fabric 12"x 13", pieces of brown/ochre/rust or your preferred basket colour 6.5"x1.5". You will need 13 altogether, but can swap with others if you don't have a variety of designs. A scrap of brown or toning colour for the basket sides and handle at least 12"x5". Rotary cutter, ruler, mat and a postcard (used or plain!).

Ruth will show a technique for "Dual Image Applique", which was developed by Dilys Fronks. You will need to bring - 3 x 6inch squares of light coloured fabric, 1x 6 inch square of darker fabric, 2 x 6inch squares of thin wadding, 1 x 5 inch square of Bondaweb, a small cutting board, a rotary cutter, small sharp embroidery scissors, scissors for paper, a pencil, machine thread to blend with darker fabric, sewing machine, baking parchment. Ruth has spares of most of these items so only bring what you already have.

If you want to join any workshops, leave a comment on this post or email me. See you there!

January meeting

2011-01-20T15:22:00.008Z

Despite the cold weather (I had to scrape the ice off my car before I left home at 7pm!) there was a good turn out at January's meeting, and people were not disappointed! Sarah Hadfield had an easy style and was quite down to earth, and had brought lots of stunning quilts!

Here she is, with some of her work behind her. She showed slides of some of her quilts, which was certainly easier than trying to see them held up! I must say, it was probably the first time it was easier to see the slides, than the quilts! Most of her quilts were less than 12" square, and some of them were considerably less!
Here are a couple of log cabin quilts. Sarah uses lots of striped borders, as she finds she has lots of tiny scraps which she likes to use up. What a clever -and thrifty- idea!

Everyone enjoyed being able to examine the piecing and quiting in Sarah's work close to.

Then to show and tell. Lots of people seemed to have had some sewing time over the festive period, judging by the numbers of quilts which were shown. This one is mine for Project Linus. It is specifically for an 8 year old girl with cancer, who likes pink and purple. The border has pink and purple mermaids on it, which should go down well.
Beverly had finished this lovely cot quilt for her new grandson. The turquoise and brown fabrics in this quilt look so soft and cuddly.Doreen was making this Japanese folded design for her daughter. The colours are stunning, both front and back! Apparently it's "not big enough", so she will be enlarging it. Good luck with that!Di had bought a charm pack, and was going to make a runner for the bottom of her bed. She made half of it, and decided it wouldn't be nearly big enough, so made it up into a wall-hanging. The colour gradation on this one is lovely.Ruth had been sewing for Linus, since her return from Australia. Here is a simple cot quilt in pastel colours.

And here it is again, with bright 'I-spy' squares. Look at the beautiful machine quilting!This is much the same design in a prem quilt, again with bright and cheerful colours.At a sewing meeting recently, Di bemoaned the fact that she had finished what she had brought with her, and 'had nothing to do'. Lynda gave her a bag of Linus scraps to save her from boredom, and she has made this gorgeous quilt from them! Thank you so much, Di.Stephanie had been to a Ferret workshop, entitled 'Quilt in a Day', and except for sewing the binding on, that's exactly what it turned out to be!

The quilt is completely reversable. Which side do you like best?

Stephanie had aslo made this baby blanket. She had bought a metre of fleece and then appliqued these cute aeroplanes on it. The smoke from the tail spells the baby's name and the date!

This is a blast from the past! It's blocks made at a 'Sizzling strips' workshop I taught a while ago. The blocks have been assembled in a stunning light/dark arrangement. Don't they look lucious?Paula had also been rummaging in the Linus boxes, and taken a set of blue blocks. Look how cleverly she's put them together!Then to cheer herself up on a dreary winter day, she made up this zinger with pink sweetie fabric and lime green! What a combination! Lynda ran a bag workshop last week, and Liz, Jane, Alison and Betty are showing the fruits of their labours. (Betty wasn't actually so industrious that she made two, the other one was made by her daughter, a first time quilter!)

Betty is indeed industrious, and showed three more quilts! This one was to showcase some feature fabrics brought on a trip downunder. What a clever idea.These are hexagons made without papers, a technique she was generous enough to thank Paula for showing her.And last but not least, a stunning Baltimore quilt she assembled using quilt as you go! Fabulous!The next meeting will be a Techniques Workshop, so look out for examples and requirements lists soon.

Christmas meeting

2010-11-25T14:02:00.004Z

Piecemakers rounded off the year nicely with a social evening of demos, gifts, food and drink - perfection! Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but suffice it to say that the demos were very well received. Di showed her cute Santa bottle bag - perfect for making a gift of wine extra special. June had made some gorgeous felt Christmas trees which could be decorated using beads and sequins. Lynda showed an easy gift apron, which could be used for gardening, pegs or craft activities.
The members were provided with a free raffle, and the gift of a mini fabric panel with either Christmas or sewing designs on it. This could be made into a gift card, pin cushion, needle case or whatever their imagination could devise!

Show and tell was appropriately festive, and as people left, to say 'Merry Christmas' to friends you will not see until 2011 seemed a bit strange. Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all readers, a super Christmas and happy new year. And may all your Christmas presents be soft and squishy!

November meeting

2010-11-07T17:08:00.003Z

After a very pleasant day out at the St Ives Lace and Craft Fair, Lynda, Paula, Di and Gill were inspired to buy a little gift for each member of Piecemakers. I won't say what it is, but there will be a kit available at the next meeting, and if you bring along a sewing kit, you'll be able to make something lovely on the night!
A few beads or little buttons might be an idea too!

AGM

2010-10-21T10:54:00.007+01:00

AGMs aren't usually a popular event on the calendar, but this one was a bit special. It was the 10th anniversary of Piecemakers! Piecemakers started in 2000, when Lynda Hill volunteered as part of Lutterworth's millennium celebrations, to set up a patchwork and quilting exhibition with four friends, Beverley Clare, Brenda Lincoln, Sylvia Palmer and Jane Payne. The exhibition in the Town Hall was a success, raising funds for Lutterworth Museum, and there were so many enquiries about a patchwork group, that a meeting was held to determine interest, and Piecemakers was born! Several founder members were invited along, and they all received a gift of a lovely rose plant.

Andrew Carpenter, the photographer from the 'Lutterworth mail' came and took a photo, so look out for it in next week's copy. The AGM itself was ably conducted by Paula, and since there were no contentious issues, was over in a short time. Then it was a chance to eat, drink, look and spend!

Everyone admired the cupcakes and cards which had been made for a raffle. All the cupcakes were different and all looked scrumptious! There was no difficulty finding homes for these delights.

The committee had provided refreshments, including beautiful edible cup cakes and lots of fruit for those of us who like to keep a balanced diet - cupcake in one hand, strawberry in the other : that's a balance, isn't it?Apart from the Linus rummage box and sales table, we were lucky to have local trader Ruth who brught some of her stock with her. She has lots of lovely Christmas and children's fabrics, which most people couldn't resist. Then onto the show and tell.

Di had bought this advent calendar cheaply, as it had a fault on it - would you believe there were two 9s! She was able to remedy this by a bit of creative applique, and now it's perfect!

Di was obviously in Christmas mood, as she had made all these Santas, most of them bottle bags for a charity sale.Bunty was also in Christmas mood, with this attractive hanging with little bells on it. very sophisticated colours there.
And what about this Santa hanging? He's wonderful!Bunty had been to a workshop with Ferret, which was optimistically titled 'quilt in a day'. She managed to make this quilt in the day, only having the binding to sew on at home! And it's fully reversable! Two different looks for the price (and time) of one!Doreen had been tempted by these cute farm motifs, and cleverly used them for a quilt border. How good is that? She was (justifyably) very proud of this little quilt. She calls it 'Man' and is the first completely original design she has ever made. She said it came to her one night when she couldn't sleep. Can you see the one with the heart? He's the one for her!

Beginners' workshop

2010-09-20T10:20:00.007+01:00

The beginners'workshop I lead last Saturday was lovely! Eight people came along (I know there were more people interested, but the date clashed with other things) and they were all very hardworking. We made the components for a quilt from 'Nickel Quilts' by Charlene Speth and Pat Spode, and it was a hard slog. First there was the cutting,

then there was the deciding on colour combinations,

then there was the sewing of a quarter inch seam,

not to mention the times when you forgot what you were doing and had to have a little prompt!

Then there was the puzzling, at why, when you had cut and sewn accurately, the blocks don't fit together. Poor Rosemary discovered that her needle was in the zigzag rather than straight sewing position, and she had been inadvertantly been sewing seams which were three eighths rather than a quarter! I blame the teacher, who should have checked everyone's sewing machine first off! Sorry, Rosemary.

Everyone made some beautiful fabric choices. There was the sophisticated, pastel pink and soft green,

the dynamic, in browns and oranges,

the carefully considered, with green for the fields and blues and browns for the mountains,

the co-ordinated, in pinks and burgundies,

the reproduction, in pinks, browns and creams,

and the scrappy, in 'I need to use up these fabrics'!

I'm sorry, I didn't manage to get a photo of Rosemary or Paula's finished blocks. I can assure you they were gorgeous - especially Paula's, who has created her own wonderful variation on the pattern. We are planning to have another session to learn about layering up, quilting and binding, so look out for details of this!

Margaret Shah

2010-09-16T13:42:00.012+01:00

Despite the poor weather (wind and heavy rain showers) lots of people were keen to get back into routine by attending the September meeting, hear Margaret Shah and most importantly, see her fabulous quilts. Margaret proved to be a very amusing speaker, and was also very honest. She actually confessed to using a black marker pen to disguise the missewn edges of Bondaweb (oh, come on, we've all done it!) She was exactly the kind of speaker we in Piecemakers like best, and her quilts were something else altogether!

Here she is, with a few of her quilts in front of her. She mainly uses silk for her piecing, with the majority of her fabric coming from silk ties which she buys from charity shops. She started piecing over papers, and fussy cuts the fabric to make intricate, tesellating shapes, reminiscent of the kaleidoscopes we all had as children.

Once she had finished speaking, everyone was eager to examine her work more closely. It certainly repaid close scrutiny!

This yellowy quilt made me think of Victorian fireplace tiles. Since the fabrics were all silk, the colours were glorious and jewel-like.

Show and tell wasn't quite up to this standard, but still inspiring. Gwyneth had designed and made this charming quilt for a friend's expected first grandchild. A sampler quilt with a difference.

Di had made this lovely banner as an accompaniment to the story of the creation. Apparently, children today don't know their Bible stories (or fairy tales and nursery rhymes, I'll add!) and Di is part of a group of volunteers going round to schools to remedy this sorry state of affairs. Lots of the shapes are attached by Velcro, so the story can be interactive. What a clever idea.

Gaynor had been to a summer school and come back with lots of lovely things. This mini-quilt was made in some of the V&A fabrics, and while I think it's gorgeous, she thinks it's too busy.

This simple design was made from leftover jelly roll strips. Simple but effective!

One day they were asked to bring a panel or piece of scenis fabric, and then had to design a black frame for it. Gaynor says this is the scene she wishes she could see out of her window!

Her last item was a bag. It was a useful size and she had enjoyed embellishing it with buttons from her collection.

Elaine had also made a bag, hers in batik fabrics. The black always makes batiks sing.

Bags are obviously very popular, as Tilly had brought hers too! This one was also in rectangles, and embellished suitably.Tilly had also made this lovely seaside inspired landscape. She had even added a real pearl caught in a net! Paula has had a busy summer finishing quilts for Project Linus. First this cute cot quilt with cheerful ducks on it. Then she managed to get a couple of panels in a sale.

This one is Dresden Plate, and looks fresh and pretty.This one is Double Wedding Ring, another traditional design. Paula's final quilt had been made from orphan stack and whack blocks, put together with a stunning centrepiece.

The last quilt in the show is another Linus, beautifully made and machine embroidered. A perfect cot quilt for a baby. many thanks for your hard work and imagination, ladies.

Next month will be the AGM and 10th anniversary celebrations. To contribute to the party atmosphere, members are invited to make a cup cake (for inspiration seee below)

or a birthday card. After being admired, the items will be ditributed tombola style, as a momento of the evening. Make sure you have a go, and let your imagination run riot!

July meeting

2010-07-27T16:50:00.010+01:00

I was really sorry to miss this meeting, but luckily Di managed to take some photos of Ferret and her quilts. Apparently, Ferret was like 'a breath of fresh air' as she was so down to earth and full of common sense. My kind of quilter!

Here she is, displaying one of her fabulous quilts (with others in the background!) Don't worry if you think your eyes need testing since the photos look a bit blurred, because the photos are a little fuzzy. Di obviously hasn't got an anti-shake device on her camera! Never mind, at least it gives an idea of the goodies which were on show. (Also, it means that Ferret doesn't have to worry. When Di asked her permission to photo her quilts and put them on the blog, she asked whether it was possible to click on the photos and enlarge them. Di was able to reassure her that I'm not clever enough to have worked out how to do that yet! Ferret was pleased, as apparently some Japanese quilters have been finding her designs on the net, enlarging them and stealing her patterns! I can hardly believe that quilters would stoop so low! Still it's reassuring that not only can you not enlarge these photos, but the details are also fuzzy! Sleep easy, Ferret!)

This is Ferret's latest quilt - absolutely fabulous, and well worth a close scrutiny!

The group quilt is looking splendid, and was presented to the Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance as a fund-raiser. Can you spot your blocks?

Doreen is not only talented, but prolific. Here is a beautiful wall hanging which reminds me of a sunset. (I'd like to see it unfuzzy some time!)

Sue had made her Jennie Rayment tucked and twiddled pieces into lovely cushions.

Elaine showed this bag which has lots of useful pockets.

Last year's theme at Flutterwheels was curves, and Stephanie has made up these striking red, black and white curves into this sophistciated Linus quilt. Thank you Stephanie.

The year before last's theme at Flutterwheels was stars, and Bunty has made an excellent job of assembling these gorgeous Mariner's Compass blocks into a fabulous quilt. The orange background really sets the compasses off to perfection!

Gaynor had made this lovely poppies wall hanging. The blue border sets it off well.

This quilt, made by Liz, was from a pattern in MacCall's Quilting magazine. Liz had seen it and fallen in love with it, and knew it would be perfect for her Dad. It's turned out perfectly, and I'm sure he'll treasure it.

No more meetings now until September, so I wish everyone a good summer, and look forward to the show and tell in the autumn!

Beginners' workshop

2010-07-24T15:56:00.004+01:00

On Saturday September 18th Lynda Hill will be leading a beginners' workshop. This is for complete beginners, although those with some knowledge will be very welcome. It will be at the Village Hall, Walcote from 10-4. Here is the pattern we will be making.

It is called 'Mount Hood' and is from 'Nickel Quilts' by Pat Speth and Charlene Spode.
We will cover all the basic skills, such as rotary cutting, seam allowances, pressing, chain piecing, thread savers, making four-patches, half square triangles, flying geese and hourglass blocks.

You will need to bring your sewing machine (so long as it sews a straight stitch it will be fine) with a quarter inch foot or a small piece of masking tape, scissors, pins, a soft pencil, thread which is either neutral (grey, tan, lilac, khaki) or to tone in with your colour choices, rotary cutter, ruler and mat (if you have them) and a mug.

You will need fabrics which are dark and light, and the more different fabrics the better! The smallest piece must be at least 5” square.

For a lap quilt (61”x68”), you will need 6 fat quarters of different light fabric (a total of 1.5 metres) and 6 fat quarters (a total of 1.5 metres) of different dark fabric plus fabric for borders, backing and binding.

For a small double (75”x99.5”), you will need 12 fat quarters of different light fabric (a total of 3 metres) and 12 fat quarters (a total of 3 metres) of different dark fabric plus fabric for borders, binding and backing.

To choose your fabrics, I suggest you think of a theme, eg a season - spring (creams, yellows, purples and pinks), summer (green, cream, red, yellow), autumn (gold, brown, red, green) or winter (blue, grey, white, red). This quilt would work well in monochrome, shades of blue, green or red or Christmas colours of red and green. Or, of course, you can just bring a mixture of fabrics which you like.

If you have not booked on this class and would like to join it, there are spaces left. Just leave a comment on this blog and I will add you to the list. For members it costs £10 and for non-members £12. This includes tea and coffee all day! Bargain!

Susie Corke

2010-06-20T19:49:00.006+01:00

We were very pleased to welcome Susie Corke, and see her quilts, as she is a traditional quilter, like most of us. Her quilts were all beautiful, and she shared tips on how to achieve accuracy - such as 'measure your borders carefully, and then the quilt will hang flat' - which were very useful.

Here she is in front of her prize winning Sunburst quilt, which was designed, pieced and hand quilted by her. Since the shape is an oval, all the rays are different shapes, and had to be cut individually! It was worth it for such a fabulous result.

She was very generous in allowing people to examine her work after the talk, and give advice.

I particularly liked this triangles quilt, which, with its blue background, looked very 19th century. It was supposed to be a sugar quilt. The blue was blue wrappers for sugar cones, and the top row of every set of triangles was white, to represent the white doily on the edge of the shelf. Lovely.

This quilt is a miniature - hard to believe as the stitching and machine quilting are meticulous.

I think people have been working hard in their gardens lately (or holidaying!) as there were only a few quilts for show and tell. Never mind, what we lacked in quantity, we made up in quality.

Here is one section of the group quilt, all quilted and ready to be joined together.

And here is the rest of the section! It's a 7x7 block arrangement, so is rather large. We'll be putting it together on Wednesday 23rd, and it will be presented to the Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance for them to use in fund raising.

While I was on my feet, I showed this Linus quilt which had been made from blocks donated by Rocheberie Quilters' members. They recently had a games day, where each person was invited to make a 25 patch to use in a bingo game. After the game, people could either take their block home or donate it to charity. Most people donated their blocks, which were divided between Linus and Rose's Alzheimer charity. I divided my blocks into three groups. Ones which were less than the required size of 12.5", brights and pretties. Here are the brights.

And here are the pretties, waiting to be layered and quilted. The smaller blocks have been added to the Linus Orphan box, ready for another project.

I also showed this Linus quilt, made from blocks sewn by Y9 Textiles students at a local school. For more information about this quilt, click here.

Gaynor proudly showed this lovely jacket, made from scraps of flannel - very cosy!

And, it's fully reversable! How clever is that!

Doreen showed this lovely table runner. She loved the subtle greens, but felt it lacked something (don't ask me why!) She's pointing to some painted spirals which echo the fabric design, and add a unifying touch.

Ruth had been busy making a Linus quilt - how sunny and cheery is that!

She had also been busy making maple leaves to take as a present to a relative in Canada, no less! What a fabulous gift!

Stash-busting demos

2010-05-27T19:28:00.007+01:00

This month's meeting with stash-busting demos was really interesting - so interesting that I forgot to take any photos until the demos had been packed away! I showed my scrappy hearts demo, where I had a heart quilt made from a bag of Andrea's left-overs. As she quite rightly says, other people's scraps are much more exciting than your own! I also showed a lovely scrap quilt made by Jane, which was simply 3.5" squares joined randomly to 2" by 3.5" bricks (you can do it using leaders and enders) and made a stunning quilt.

Ruth showed how to use scraps to make book covers, and gorgeous apple pin cushions. Fran and friends showed lots of fabric postcards, several of which had actually been posted! Tilly showed fabric flowers (so cute) which were very realistic.

When it came to show and tell, my camera was at the ready.

Doreen was first up, with the beautiful cushion she had made from the Jennie Rayment workshop at Rocheberie Quilters. It's given me some encouragement to do something with my blocks! She also made a couple of the lovely bags which Jenny Almond showed us. They are quite versatile, and can be used on lots of occasions.Has Gaynor been making attractive bags? No, they're two quillows, to which she has cleverly added carrying handles! A quillow is a quilt which folds up into a cushion (the Americans call cushions 'pillows', hence the name).Both quilts are made from jelly rolls in the same way, and it's hard to imagine that they fold up so neatly! Gaynor had also made this quilt in her favourite pastel colours in a kind of French braid design. This is another stash busting idea for using up fabric!

Stephanie had been to Jennie Rayment's workshop on Textured Landscapes, and had had a great day making this landscape of her own.

She had also made this quilt fpr a present. Apparently it was 'easy', as it was quilt as you go. Well, quilt as you go certainly makes the quilt sandwiches more manageable, but the extensive quilting can't have been all that simple!I showed this baby quilt for a colleague's imminently expected first grandchild. It was a Quiltmaker pattern, and went together very quickly. Fran had been making bags, using left over blocks. They look so different and interesting.We had some visitors from Daintre Quilters, who had thoughtfully brought some show and tell, 'just in case'. Ann said she wasn't a traditional quilter, and when having been given some fabric for a challenge, made this piece which she has decided is a garden! Can you see the path on the left of the quilt?

This quilt was one of a series of quilts inspired by World War 1. You can clearly see the devastated fields and the poppies. Lovely.

Her friend Mo was a more traditional quilter, and had made this stunning whole cloth quilt. I was lucky to get a photo which shows off the quilting designs so well. Thank you ladies for visiting, and we hope to see you again soon!

April meeting - Angela Madden

2010-05-01T19:42:00.009+01:00

This month's meeting was a talk by the well-known quilter Angela Madden. Angela is well known for her fondness for and skill at Celtic patchwork, but I had no idea how talented she was in so many different areas! She was very generous in showing all her beautiful quilts (I wish I'd got some photos of them!) and also in passing them round so we could see her wonderful quilting and excellent workmanship. She is particularly keen to banish stippling as a quilting technique - or at least, open people's eyes to all the other possible quilting designs. She certainly inspired me to try something new on my next quilt!

Here she is in front of some of the quilts she shared with us.

Here you can get a flavour of the variety of her work.

Her quilts made from photos were fabulous, and very worthy of the prizes she has won with them. Sue, Doreen and Ann are examining the quilts in the hope of picking up some tips. They looked just as fabulous close up as they did from a distance. Lots of people were keen to buy her books, which looked clear and easy to follow.

The show and tell was as varied as ever. Eileen had made this little wall hanging as a present for a new baby.

Ruth had been intrigued by the little bags Jenny Almond showed us last month, and had made several different ones. They're addictive!

She had also finished her little wall hangings from last month too, in a positive and negative design. Lovely.

Bunty had made this Chinese Coins quilt from a jelly roll. A perfect choice of sashing and border colour! Ann had used the same jelly roll to make a completely different quilt! Amazing! Chris (she of the 'wall of shame' with photos of UFOs on it) has finished this lovely top for Project Linus. It really looks good!She also completed this charity quilt made from four quarters of the mystery quilt which we did at Rocheberie Quilters last year. It's hard to realise that each quarter was made independently by a different person!

This is another of Chris's UFOs (she really has a lot of them still!). She bulked out the appliqued centre with scrappy fabrics which play nicely together because they are all blue. The border looks wonderful!This cute child's quilt was made by Di from a panel, but so cleverly!

Tilly had been experimenting with Seminole, and had made this lovely lap quilt.

This quilt is rich and autumnal.

This project bag has been made from leftover blocks. What a clever idea!

This quilt is a log cabin variation. The log cabin block is so versatile, and the different values in this quilt exploit the design to perfection!

Unfortunately, some of the activities we have scheduled have not been as popular as we had hoped and have had to be cancelled. The Patchwork Schoolhouse and Ferret's workshop have both been cancelled due to lack of numbers. However, there are places on a Christmas-themed Schoolhouse on July 17th, and anyone who would like to go is urged to contact Sally directly.

Group charity quilt

2010-04-19T19:22:00.005+01:00

All of the 25 people who had signed up for the group quilt had dutifully brought their blocks, so Ruth, Lynda, Di A., Di J. and Jane met to start to assemble the top.

The first job was to arrange the blocks into a pleasing arrangement. Luckily we were able to use Clipston Village Hall's large tables to do this. There was such a variety of block designs and diferent fabrics, but everyone had kept to the stipulated autumn colours, so it wasn't difficult to make them play nicely together. Then we hit the first snag.

Di started to square up the blocks and found one where the maker had thought the measurements were 12" raw edge, rather than 12" finished, and had already cut the block to 12". We scratched our heads, but there was nothing we could do to include it, as if we cut the other blocks to 12" we would cut off all the points! Luckily Gill had sent a spare, so we will use the 12" block for the label!

Ruth, Lynda and Di began to join the blocks into rows, when the next snag was found. There was a hole in one of the blocks. Either it was poor foundation-piecing or heavy handed cutting. To my embarrassment, it was my block! (I was able to find more fabric and make good the block later!) All good things come in threes, and the next snag was a block which had a black felt tip stain on one side. This was found to be Ruth's block, and despite careful washing, the stain couldn't be removed. Luckily, it was right on the edge and once it was sewn into its row, the stain was contained in the seam allowance! Hooray!

We decided to make the top easier to quilt, by dividing it into three sections, and joining them together later. We had worked so hard that there was even time to layer up the sections. Di and Jane were delighted that we had accomplished so much in the time. Thanks to all the block-makers, and we'll have the whole quilt ready soon.

Visit to Trentham

2010-04-16T18:57:00.009+01:00

It was with some misgivings that our group travelled to the 'Quilts in the Garden' exhibition, which, this year, wasn't in the garden! Heavy snow earlier in the year had brought down the marquee at Trentham, so an alternative venue (a conference centre) had been booked. However, nobody need have worried, as all thought the alternative venue offered more space and better facilities and hope it is staged there again. There was a nice caferteria serving reasonably priced food (eat your heart out NEC!) and a lovely room for those who had brought a packed lunch to eat in comfort (again, a little different from the NEC!) There was room for more traders and plenty of space between the quilt stands. Most of the group went on to enjoy Trentham in the afternoon as it was so sunny.

This quilt won the first place in the Heritage category

This is Ruth's entry in same class. It is Manx quilting, a form of log cabin, but traditional to the Isle of Man.
This wall-hanging was rather interesting.

Here is a beautiful example of hand applique & quilting

This quilt took first place in the wallhanging class and was the overall champion.

Bottle Kilns - a visitor choice for many, and a symbol of Staffordshire heritage.

Fantastic workmanship - Hardanger blocks which had been hand pieced immaculately.

This quilt was a group's 25th anniversary celebration quilt - such fun!

Some of the Contemporary Quilt Group's "Thin Blue Line" challenge quilts.

Paula & Di having an energy boost to keep them going all day!

News

2010-03-26T15:59:00.002Z

At the recent committee meeting, various matters were discussed, and here is an update. there are still places on the coach going to 'Quilts in the Garden' and the despite the fact that the exhibition is not now at Trentham Gardens, the coach will be available to take anyone who wants to visit there for the afternoon.
There are also spaces on the Angela Madden workshop. Leave a comment below if you would like to book on either of these events.
Due to poor take-up, the Flower Pounding workshop has been moved to the 4th June 2011. (We think people will be going to Malvern that weekend - well, I will!)
The Quilts in Miniature workshop has also been moved, to Saturday 26th March to make sure as many people as possible can take advantage of it.
What a busy group we are!

March meeting

2010-03-21T22:17:00.011Z

This month's meeting was a relaxed one, making a beautiful, yet simple wall-hanging by Jenny Almond. Jenny is a very experienced teacher, who gives clear and precise instructions in a friendly manner.

Here are her samples of what the finished article will look like.

She was generous in her advice, and even experienced quilters benefited from her tips on mitring corners, and joining binding.

Many people brought machines and fabric to make these designs.

Some just brought cutting equipment,

and others took the opportunity to brouse and chat!

Some people really worked hard, and Jill was one of several who managed to assemble the pieces. What wonderful colour choices!

Moast of the stars for the group quilt had been brought in, and they are looking fabulous! We also had volunteers to help Ruth and Lynda assemble it (thank goodness!)

Andrea had discovered these Mile a Minute blocks in her UFO box, and joined them together for Project Linus. She was surprised how good they looked when they were finished!

Stephanie and Bunty had made these gorgeous scenes in a workshop with Jenny. They are both so different! Nik had made this quilt for Project Linus. I t's actually a masterclass in using scraps. The dark sections are all made from scraps, and the quilt is unified by the lime green and the lighter sections. You can't see it here, but it's also beautifully quilted. Nik, you're a star! Gaynor made this quilt at a retreat. Well, she made most of the blocks, but ran out of the cream fabric before she had got the quilt to the required size. She cleverly added two piano keys borders to add a bit of extra width.

Ruth and Gaynor brought the quilts they had made in Anja Townrow's workshop - Gaynor's suitably pastel and Ruth's suitably bright.Ruth has been fascinated by Manx quilting. On the Isle of man they traditionally made log cabin blocks, but using folded strips. She decided to make a piece for exhibition, called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. On the left is a piece of traditionally made Manx quilting, in the centre a contemporary piece, and on the right, a piece of art quilting. They are cleverly linked together with the three-legged symbol of the island. Good luck, Ruth - we think it's a winner!Ruth has been extra busy recently and completed this quilt for a challenge. The challenge fabric has butterflies on it, hence the wings!Here are two scrap qilts made from left overs in the same colour. A great way to reduce your scrap box!

But of course, you don't need to restrict your scrap quilts to one hue, as the more colours you have, the better! Here's a quilt made a strippy/crazy style, and looking good!This quilt is mine, and was made using the star blocks which I won in a raffle. I was so pleased with them that I designed the Irish Chain block to eke them out and make a double bed quilt. It's on its way to my sister-in-law for her birthday. Hope she likes it. Liz's husband keeps Koi carp, and so she has made this gorgeous quilt for him. The centre is a panel, and she has added borders to make it the right size. The flowers on the black are actually beautifully executed broderie perse. And finally, a chirpy chicken to wish everyone Happy Easter!

Requirements list

2010-03-13T16:08:00.003Z

Next week's meeting is a workshop lead by the very popular Jenny Almond. It will be to make a Heart Tree or Wreath. In case you couldn't come to the last meeting (or have lost your piece of paper) here is what you need.

Half yard background fabric
Quarter yard fabric for hearts
Quarter yard for borders (Jenny used the same fabric for hearts and borders)
11" x 20" piece of wadding
11" x 20" piece of backing (at least this amount)
Thread for quilting round the hearts (this could be gold or the colour of your background).

You can bring your usual kit including a pair of small sharp scissors, and your machine if you wish to complete the wall hanging on the night.
See you there!

Quilts for Heroes

2010-02-18T15:02:00.012Z

This month we had a very inspiring and uplifting evening lead by Brenda Lincoln. She is the driving force behind a local group which calls itself 'Quilts for Injured Servicemen' and makes quilts for those servicemen (and women) who are recuperating at Headley Court Hospital. Her husband, Dave, was a serviceman himself, and benefited from the healing powers of the staff at Headley Court, so this is one way for her to show her appreciation, as well as supporting our forces. She had a fund of funny and heart-rending stories which show the power of the human spirit over adversity, and serve to put our everyday problems into perspective.

Here is Brenda with several quilts she brought to show us. These are utilitarian quilts, made often from shirtings (complete with pockets - for their fags and lighters!), masculine fabrics, including camouflage fabrics, and the obligatory Union Jack!

This one is one which was brought along on the night for Brenda to take.

Here is another one with a very patriotic colourway!

Once she had inspired us, everyone got to work. Here are some members chosing fabrics from the selection Brenda had brought.

Some people had brought sewing machines, while others cut, ironed, advised or supervised!

Every little helped, and Brenda was pleased to take home several completed strips ready to be made up by her group of volunteers.

Some people spent time perusing the goods on the sales table - which grew from one table to three as more and more items arrived. Most of us were tempted to buy a goodie or two, and some of the sellers must have a lot of room in their cupboards now!

The show and tell was varied, as usual. Elaine showed this whimsical wall-hanging which she had made in a workshop. What a clever use of log cabin blocks.

Here is the first completed item from the Anja Townrow workshop we held last month. What a fabulous choice of colours.This is another, different, piece from the workshop - the lime green definitely adds a certain something!

Andrea had made this lovely 'Through the Window' wall hanging at a Jenny Almond workshop. I wish it was the view through my window!

Ann had made this piece as the centre medallion of a quilt, but when her daughter saw it, she thought it would make the perfect wall-hanging for the stairs of their cottage. Guess who won?

Ruth had taken some novelty fabric with boats on it out of the Linus box, and had managed to make two appealing quilts out of it. This one has appliqued boats and quilted waves.

Di had also been inspired by the novelty fabric, and had made two prem quilts, this one with nursery rhyme figures on it.

She had also made this lovely quilt for her great nephew, with tractors and farm animals on it. It's a pity I didn't take a picture of the back, as it was a bright rural scene, which would make the quilt reversable. Last month we challenged the group to make blocks for our group quilt, which will be domnated to the Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance. The blocks were to be 12" stars of any design, in autumnal colours. Here are the first few blocks. I can't wait to see them all!

We have a full programme of workshops and trips. Look at the meetings side bar to find out when they are and make sure you don't miss out!

February meeting

2010-02-09T19:07:00.003Z

This month's meeting will be a charity sewing evening. We will endeavour to make some quilts for the local charity, Help for Heroes. There will be a short introduction by Brenda Lincoln followed by a workshop making quilt tops. Could you try to bring a used man's shirt or sheet or duvet cover or fabric from your stash in masculine colours? Plains, stripes or checked look good.If you can bring along your machine, cutting board, large scissors or rotary cutter as there will be jobs for all. If you have time beforehand ready cut 6 inch squares will mean we can start to sew straight away.

See you there!

Starting the new year with a bang!

2010-01-22T20:20:00.009Z

If anyone was feeling a bit low after Christmas and all the cold weather we've been having recently, this month's speaker was guaranteed to restore your enthusiasm. Anja Townrow has been to Lutterworth before, and is always an inspiring yet remarkably down-to-earth speaker. Her quilts are outstanding, but she's happy to point out the places where she had to add some applique to cover a bodge! It's hard to believe, but very heart warming!

When I asked her permission to take her photo, she said, 'What, with this hair?' I was able to assure her that the hair she had brought with her was indeed what I wanted for the photo, so here she (and it) is.

People were thrilled to be able to see her work at close quarters. It certainly repays careful study.

Anja had done us proud and displayed lots of beautiful quilts for us to admire.

Here is Ann having a rootle in the Project Linus rummage box. Thank you to all who have bought items from the box. This time, I collected £8.30 in donations!

I started off show and tell with my mystery quilt from a pattern by Bonnie Hunter. I started it in August to have it on my son's bed for Christmas.

I also showed another Bonnie Hunter pattern, I spy a 4 patch, which I have made up for Linus. It's a very versatile pattern, and if you want to see Bonnie's free patterns, click here.

Several people seemed to have taken advantage of the awful weather recently to do some sewing for Linus. Di made up two quilts from orphan blocks. Thisa one was sashed in bright pink to give it a very cheerful look.

Paula completed this one which was made up of squares and half square triangles.

Ruth made several quilts, mainly from scraps - my favourite kind! This one was particularly bright and child-friendly. If you would like to see these quilts in close up, click here to go to the Leicestershire Project Linus site.

Andrea had made up two quilts using jelly rolls. They are both the same pattern, although the colours give them quite different feels. This one is sophisticated and masculine.

This one is earthy and warm.

Ann brought her completed 'Sizzling Strips' quilt. It certainly sizzles with her fabulous choice of colours!

The final quilt was one completed after a workshop with Sandie Lush. The workmanship is outstanding, although it doesn't photograph well! The designs were completed individually and then joined to give the impression of a wholecloth quilt.

You can see this clearly from the back!

Piecemakers continues to have a lively programme of workshops and outings. Anja kindly gave us a workshop on the day after her talk. I'll look forward to seeing the fruits of that. Linda Rudkin will be showing us all about Flower Pounding on Saturday 15th May. 'Patchwork Schoolhouse' will take place at Threads and Patches on Saturday 29th May. The cost for this will be £50, which includes 10 mini demonstrations/workshops, instruction sheets/kits, refreshments and a full lunch. This is exclusively for our group, so be sure to book your place quickly. Quilts in the Garden at Trentham will take place on Saturday 10th April. The long awaited "Hidden Histories, Untold Stories" exhibition at the V&A is starting in March, and there will be a trip to visit on Saturday 26th June. A booking sheet for this will be at the February meeting. This is a chance to see quilts which have been stored in the V&A for hundreds of years, and will be a once in a lifetime experience. make sure you don't miss it!

Christmas Social

2009-11-23T19:16:00.007Z

This month's meeting was a nice relaxed way to start the Christmas season. Lots of time to chat and socialise, a free raffle, lovely refreshments and three demonstrations to inspire, and of course, not forgetting show and tell!

Here are the raffle prizes, tantalisingly wrapped. I wonder how many have survived temptation to be put under the tree? I know mine didn't!

Here are people taking the opportunity to catch up with the latest news - or gossip - while sampling the goodies on offer!

Liz was demonstrating some very clever flowers which would look fabulous on bags or as brooches. She had a couple pinned to her coat to show the effect.

'Fairy slippers' was the title of this demo. It was a chance to make some really original Christmas tree decorations, and use up some of your special sparkly bits at the same time.

And here Margot shows how to make a simple wrist pin cushion (she's modelling it too!) for times when you need to have your pins really handy!

Show and tell came round really quickly and was suitably kicked off by Gaynor, showing the fabric crackers she had made. All she needs now are some small gifts to go inside, and a more attractive container! She'd also made two Father Christmas dolls. Although they were identical, their faces seemed to have quite different expressions.
I showed the diagonal strippy quilt I'm making for Linus. It was a technique I showed last month, so I thought people would be interested in how it had turned out. I just need to bind it now.Paula made this bright quilt for a young relative from strips of pictures. It looks really cheery.

Ginnie's rainbow quilt is for her daughter. She had a bit of trouble getting the colours in the correct sequence, but it turned out beautifully.

Many of us have seen Sylvia working on her Patchwork of the Crosses, as it has taken her a long time to complete. It is completely hand sewn over papers (except for the borders) and is destined to be a wedding present for her grandaughter, who will soon become Mrs Cross! Sylvia has wisely decided to have it professionally quilted by Ann.

Bunty has made this charming Christmas wall-hanging at a Jenny Almond workshop,

and this sophisticated brown and turquoise streak of lightning design as well. A bit of a departure for Bunty, colour-wise!

Ruth had made a quilt for soldiers, using some old duvet covers. Very masculine.

She had also had a go at flower ponding. I'm amazed that she managed to find so much colourful material in her garden at this time of the year! She has embellished the designs slightly with embroidery to make this gorgeous cushion cover.

Ruth has also been busy organising more outings for next year. Saturday 10th April we will be going to Quilts in the Garden at Trentham Gardens. Saturday 29th May to the Patchwork School House demonstrations & mini workshops at Threads & Patches. And the one everyone will be loking forward to, the 300 Years of Quilting Exhibition at the V&A in London. Dates will be chosen from March 20th, June 19th or June 26th by members at the January meeting. We are going by coach on all these trips with pick up points at Market Harborough (8.30), North Kilworth (8.45) & Lutterworth (9.00). Put these dates in your diary and sign up for them in January.

Annual General Meeting

2009-11-13T17:38:00.007Z

AGMs aren't usually very well attended - I know some groups who try and tempt people along by offering cheese and wine or other bribes. However, we don't need to do this to get people along to a Piecemakers AGM - they're interested in the group and what's going on!

Di gave us a brief outline of all the things which happened in the last year. We had well-known speakers such as Jenny Almond, Jenny Raiment, Felicity Howatson, Sandie Lush and Linda Rudkin to enthuse us, and several of these also ran workshops for us. We had outings to Redditch Needle Museum, Hemingford Grey and Chilford, which were all meticulously organised by Ruth, well-supported and enjoyed by all. We held the bi-annual exhibition of our work which brought nearly 200 visitors and raised a substantial amount for group and charity funds, apart from raising the profile of patchwork and quilting generally. We made a group quilt, 'Up, Up and Away' which we exhibited at The Festival of Quilts at the NEC and we also raised money for the Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance, apart from supporting other charities, notably Project Linus and Help the Heroes. We were sad to hear that both Di and Stephanie were retiring from the committee, but thanked them very much for their work over the years.

Next year looks to be as interesting. Speakers include Anja Townrow, Angela Madden, Susie Corke, Margaret Shah and Ferret and there will be at least four workshops, one of which will be specifically for beginners. Ruth has the members' wish-list of possible trips, including the Redditch Needle Museum (again!), a museum with old quilts, a National Trust property, the American Museum in Bath and a day workshop at Threads and Patches. She will investigate these and let us know. Membership fees are to remain the same for the next year, and it would be useful if members could bring their £15 in an envelope with their name on to the January meeting, to speed up the payment system. Receipts and membership cards will be given out at the February meeting.

Ruth did a demonstration of Manx log cabin, while I was demonstrating a diagonal strippy technique. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any photos of us, but perhaps that's not such a bad thing! Then on to show and tell.

Muriel showed this lovely chevron quilt in bright colours - shame my photography leaves a lot to be desired!

Nik revealed that she and her husband have been having some difficulties in the bedroom department. Apparently there is some tugging of covers going on, so she made this large quilt to stave off divorce proceedings. We were really impressed with the front,

and then we saw the back! The batik prints are to be found on Milton Keynes market at a bargain price! They are fabulous!

My New Year Resolution was not to make any Suffolk puffs this year, but Doreen's lovely trees are very tempting. And this cheery wreath (which sent her to the charity shop for more buttons!) is a super idea.

Alison had made this sweet cot quilt (and a starry project under her arm).

Gaynor brought the wall hanging she had made in the Jenny Almond workshop in September. It's perfect for the festive season.

Here is another Jenny Almond Christmas table runner with Father Christmases at either end.

I always find it fascinating how the arrangement of even simple blocks can make very different results. Here is a prime example of how straightforward diagonal blocks can be put together to produce very varied blocks.

Sylvia brought a couple of quilts which have been made to give to wounded troops and made by a local group. The fabrics must be plain (or at least, not floral!) but the quilts are far from boring.

This one is made from stripes of chevrons and patches and pockets from shirts! This is the essence of patchwork - nothing is wasted!

Exhibition 2009!

2009-10-14T16:22:00.012+01:00

Last weekend saw our second bi-annual quilt exhibition which was a great success. Not only were the quilts all varied and stunning, the sales table was groaning with goodies, the raffle was extremely popular and the cakes just melted in people's mouths! Over the two days, there were 169 visitors (which is nearly 50% more than our last exhibition's total of 120!), and lots of members lent their support on the door, sales table and raffle, as well as being 'quilt angels' ever ready to chat, advise and hand out white gloves.

Our Piecemakers banner was ready to advertise the show, and another set of quilted bunting added to the festive atmosphere.

Here is the sales table, strangely at this point with more helpers than customers! Lots of items were sold, including one quilt.

There were lots of delicious cakes to tempt people who were ready for a cup of tea and a chat. Even my cake was gone by the end of the show! Some visitors bought extra pieces of cake 'for my husband'. We believe them!

Di just didn't mange to step backwards fast enough (her husband did!) and is caught standing in front of the Christmas display.

The raffle was a novel concept. Members were asked to make a bag and/or cushion and visitors could buy a ticket and then enter a raffle for the bag or cushion they wanted to win. I was a bit concerned that my bag would be left at the end with no takers, but, as you can see, there was a lot of interest in the items, and all were claimed by their delighted owners at the end of the day.

Here is a view of some of the quilts, with Sylvia's coffin quilt in the centre of the picture. This fabulous quilt has been hand appliqued by Sylvia with Hawaiian designs, and has been made to cover her coffin when the time comes, which explains its unusual shape. We're hoping it won't come into use for many years!

And now for the quilts. Visitors were asked to vote for their favourites, which lead to a lot of head-scratching. With such a variety and such a high standard, it was a difficult decision.

Here is Chris's Mystery Quilt, completed at Rocheberie Quilters, and beautifully appliqued, with Chris herself standing in the background.

These two quilts, by Andrea and Bunty, are actually made from the same design! It's the use of value (dark and light fabrics) which has changed their looks completely.

A lovely sampler quilt in the front and Di's cheeky cat quilt at the back.

More cats, this time cross stitched by June, making for a whimsical look at feline life, with my French Roses at the side.

The quilt on the left was made by Tilley for her mother in law's 80th birthday, and has photos of places her mum has lived in the centres of the squares. A beautiful and clever use of photos. Can you recognise me on my family tree which I made for my Mum's 80th birthday. (Hint: I like lime green!) Eileen's quilt behind it was made as a Lucky Dip quilt from a pattern by Rebecca Collins.Some bright and cheerful quilts here, including a sew-a-row and a sizzling strips (in green and yellow). The tulip quilt is especially jaunty.

These quits illustrate perfectly the variety of techniques on display. There is Hawaiian applique, Irish Chain with embroidery, traditional blocks, bargello, improvised piecing (the pink letters) and raw edge applique. Such talented people!
Another set of colourful quilts, including two circles quilts made at the same workshop. These quilts are always fascinating, as they are always quite different in mood because of the different fabrics used. Although there were a lot of quilts to see, the exhibition didn't feel crammed. There was plenty of space to admire the quilts. The only problem was that it wasn't always easy to be certain you had seen them all. When they got home Gwyneth's husband asked her why she hadn't taken the pastels shirt quilt seen here - he'd completely missed it!
The high point of the exhibition for many people was our group quilt. It not only looks fabulous, but epitomises the ethos, not only of our group, but of quilters everywhere. Quilters are very supportive of each other, and celebrate others' efforts, no matter whether they are beginners or experts. We are all devotees of this wonderful craft, and happy to be so! Here's to the next exhibition in 2011!

Stop press!

I have just heard whose quilt was the Visitors' Choice 2009. It was number 35, which was a beautiful autumnal quilt by Liz. I can't believe that I didn't take a decent picture of it, although you can see the whole quilt in the photo under the one with Sylvia's coffin quilt in it, appropriately enough with the explanation about the Visitors' Choice! Luckily Ruth had a better photo of part of it, and here it is.

The block itself isn't complicated, being a stack-and-cut block. It's the fabulous colours and the machine quilted leaves and branches which make this such a stunning quilt. Congratulations, Liz!

Trip to Chilford

2009-09-24T19:36:00.003+01:00

Ruth has kindly organised another trip for us. It is to visit the quilt show at Chilford and is on Saturday 7th November (unfortunately my husband's birthday, so that counts me out!)
Quilt shows are always muh more enjoyable if you go with like-minded people, and if you don't have to drive, it makes for a very enjoyable day!

This is a view of the hall - looks great! There are still a few places left on the coach (and the more people who go, the cheaper it will become) so if you would like to join the party, please leave a comment on the blog, or contact me. The coach costs £15.50 at the moment, with entry to the show as an extra charge. Pick up points will be in Lutterworth and Market Harborough. You could be lucky enough to pick up some Christmas presents - what a great idea!

Evening to dye for!

2009-09-21T19:41:00.006+01:00

September's speaker was Linda Rudkin, an expert in using natural dyes. Now, I have always been very happy with using Dylon dyes for the bit of dyeing I do, but Linda was so inspirational that I wanted to go out into the hedgerows (and supermarkets) straight away and have a go!

Here she is after her talk, giving Chris some advice about using dyes for her forthcoming art foundation course. All the different substances Linda has used, from the ubiquitous onion skins to osage orange bark, have been carefully documented and the results mounted on beautiful boards to display the effect on different fabrics.

I thought that using non-commercial dyes required lots of equipment and chemicals, but apparently you just need a large pan, a spoon or stick, water, alum and then plant material. Good results can be obtained from onion skins and marigold flowers and for those wanting to really go back to basics, she had some packs of woad seeds on sale.

She brought copies of her book as well as other goodies, which were eagerly snapped up on the night.

Show and Tell was as varied as ever. Stephanie showed a quilt she had made for her daughter. the patchwork Irish Chain was quite straightforward, but it was the cross stitch motifs which took her three years to complete! It was well worth it though, as it's a beautiful quilt.

Stepahnie has made her Flutterwheels challenge of curves and circles into a cushion. It looks stunning.

Chris also had a cushion, but this was made from the blocks made with Jenny Raiment. Each one was different, and beautifully embellished with mother of pearl buttons.

Chris, Beverley, Sylvia and some friends have been making quilts for injured servicemen. This one so simple, but striking.

Here is another one - a kind of grown up I-Spy, with novelty fabrics!

Ruth had used some recycled fabrics (shirts and pyjamas) to make this quilt for the charity. It looks very sophisticated.

I spent time in the holidays making this French Roses quilt which is the first time I have used raw edge applique. The results were very attractive.

I also finished a quilt from my UFO box. I made some Elly Sienkevicz Baltimore blocks a few years ago, and have finally layered and quilted them. I quilted feathers all round the borders - all good fun!

Carolyn had made some items for the exhibition sales table. Aren't they cute?

Doreen showed this Sudoku quilt made from squares of fabric. Very effective.

Ann treated us to another showing of this wonderful old hexagon quilt. it had been made in the 1920s but still looked fresh and pretty. The planning of the design is clear and beautifully done.

And, last, but not least is Elaine with her piece made at a Pat Deacon workshop called 'Working with irregular shapes'.

What a masterpiece!

Exhibition!

2009-09-16T15:21:00.004+01:00

The exhibition is coming up fast, and all the arrangements are now in place. The hall will be open to the public between 10 and 4 on Saturday 10th October and Sunday 11th October. Obviously the quilts will have to be put up the day before, and the hall will be open from about 3.45 on Friday for receipt and hanging of quilts. The quilts must have a hanging sleeve of about 4", either sewn or safety-pinned on, ready to hang. You can either bring your quilts to the meeting tonight, bring them to the hall on Friday 9th or to my house in Lutterworth if that's more convenient. E-mail me for the address.

All quilts must have a label, telling the name of the quilt, the maker and a brief description, eg.

Fried Egg by Freda Bloggs.

I made this quilt for my husband's birthday, used lots of yellow as I thought it was sunny and bright and called it 'Sunshine'. He took one look at it, and said, 'All that white and yellow makes it look like a fried egg!' so the name was changed!

Bring the description to the meeting, or email it to me and I'll forward it to the relevant person.

Refreshments will be a popular feature of the weekend, and members are being asked to make cakes to sell. These can be brought to the hall on Friday or on the day.

Bags and cushions can also be brought at the same time, as can the items for the sales table. Make sure your sales items are clearly labelled with a removeable label (can be sticky or pinned) giving your name and the price of the item. 10% of that price will be retained by the group. If you are willing to donate all the proceeds to the group, just write 'DON' on the label instead.
The show will end on Sunday at 4pm, so please come and collect your quilts then or arrage for someone to do it for you.

Get ready for a wonderful show!

No sour grapes

2009-08-20T17:59:00.006+01:00

Today I have been to 'The Festival of Quilts' at the NEC. It's such a fabulous show, and I was realy looking forward to the quilts, the shopping, the demonstrations - and to see how our group quilt fared!

Here I am, standing in front of it, and blending in well with the landscape! It was looking very good, nicely hung in a well-lit position, but had received no accolades from the judges. We didn't really enter the show thinking we would win, but you never know. Well, in fact we did know, because the rules on the qualifications for a 'group quilt' have changed this year. To enter this category the quilt has to be made by at least two people. Yes, TWO! So the three prize-winning quilts (all absolutely lovely and very deserving of merit) had been made by just two people. Here is the winning quilt for you to see.

It's a lovely design and the machine quilting is absolutely stunning, but it's not a group quilt, in my book! While Stephanie and I were discussing this state of affairs, two ladies joined in to agree with us. They had entered a quilt in the traditional category, but because one had pieced and one quilted, they were moved into the group category, where they clearly felt they did not belong! Ruth and I have already commented to the organisers of the show about this situation, and would be grateful if group members could do so as well. If the situation remains the same next year, we will have to think hard and long about whether we enter this unfair competition again.

Visit to Hemmingford Grey and Wimpole Hall

2009-06-30T17:29:00.007+01:00

Last Saturday 25 of us went on a coach trip! Ruth had kindly organised a fabulous day for us, and arranged for fabulous weather too! The day was warm, but not too sunny, and Ruth even scheduled the only shower for while we were on the coach!

Our first stop was for coffee and biscuits at The Cock Inn at Hemmingford Grey (and a toilet break!) which was very welcome, since the Lutterworth and Rugby contingents had left home around 8 am.
Then a short stroll along country lanes to The Manor, former home of famous author, gardener and patchworker Lucy Boston. The house is the oldest continuously inhabited house in the country, the old part dating from the 1100s and the new part from the 1600s. Here are a group of members in front of the house waiting to begin the tour.

The garden was absolutely magnificent, and seemed to go on and on. It was an old fashioned cottage garden, with lots of paths, nooks, crannies, lawns and magnificent herbaceous borders. Here are Muriel and Chris being dwarfed by plants I have no idea of the name of! Incidentally, they haven't just struck out amongst the plants, but are on a path, albeit a narrow one!

Here is Chris, seemingly being left behind by her friends - I'm sure it wasn't quite as it looks!

While everyone enjoyed the garden, it was the patchworks which really interested us. We were not to be disappointed. Diana, Lucy's daughter-in-law, told us that when Lucy had first moved to The Manor with her husband, she had bought a couple of hexagon patchwork quilts which were the perfect size for blocking draughts from the lounge windows. One of the quilts had a label saying 'started in 1801, finished in 1803' and due to their age, the draughts and smoke from the fire, the quilts eventually started to wear. Lucy repaired the quilts and this started her interest in making patchworks of her own. Unfortunately Diana did not want me to take photos of the quilts,

but I have found this picture of her most famous design, The Patchwork of the Crosses. The block is completely made over papers, and consists of lozenges and squares (some on point). Due to Lucy's clever use of value and pattern, no two blocks look alike, and several are almost unrecognisable as being the same design. If you would like to look at some interpretations of this block, look here. Lucy's coverlets were made over papers last century, but retained a vibrancy and modernity which excited us all (especially Sylvia, of which more later!). This quilt was made for The Astronomer Royal, and used lots of celestial motifs. If you would like to find out more about Lucy Boston and Hemmingford Grey, I can recommend a visit, or if all else fails, look at Celia Eddy's wonderful article here. After a very pleasant lunch overlooking the water, it was back on the coach to visit Wimpole Hall, a stately National Trust property.While we enjoyed the house, the gardens and surroundings, it was again the patchwork (this time an exhibition) which had drawn us. No photographs allowed again but we enjoyed looking at others' work, although some pieces were a bit arty for our tastes, and some of the prices were a bit mind boggling! Still, we decided that it was the time which had gone into the pieces (mainly wall-hangings) which was important.

By this time, many of us were taking refreshments in the courtyard. Ann was determined to make the most of her day and was on her way to scan the second hand books! Many thanks to Ruth for organising the day, and we look forward to the next trip!

June meeting

2009-06-24T10:15:00.010+01:00

After the excellent speakers we have had recently, it was lovely to have a more social evening, so people could catch up and have a good chat! The meeting was used to discuss the forthcoming exhibition, explain the format and have a selection of bag patterns available for people to take.

The exhibition will be on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October from 10-4 each day. Volunteers will be needed to help set up on the Friday evening, and to man the exhibition on both days. There will be plenty of different jobs to do, from taking money on the door (£1.50 per person) to serving refreshments - and of course making the cakes which will make up the main part of the refreshments! - serving on the sales table and bag raffle, to generally being welcoming to people, and answering questions. Even if you can only spare an hour, your help will be much appreciated. If you haven't already signed up, you can let Di know or leave a comment on the blog and we'll get back to you. A new idea this year will be a bag and cushion raffle. We are asking members to make either a bag or cushion (or hopefully both!) for the raffle. Each item will be displayed, and people will be able to buy a ticket for the bag or cushion of their choice. Each set of tickets will be placed in a separate container for the cushions and in the bag itself for the bags. At the end of the day, a ticket will be drawn from each container, thus ensuring that every winner will be thrilled to get the item they most wanted! What a clever idea! This means that you won't see the item you've made donated to another raffle next week!

There was much excitement when Ruth unveiled the finished group quilt. Everyone was amazed at how good it looked, as several people secretly confided to me that they had been a bit skeptical when the background and balloon blocks had been first displayed! Apart from the fact the 27 people had taken part, the assembling had been done by Ruth, Lynda, Di and Paula. Many thanks to them for all their hard work. (And also thanks to my talented daughter, who gave us design inspiration when we were all stuck!)

On 26th September, Jenny Almond will be running one of her very popular workshops. She brought along various ideas for us to choose from, all with a Christmas theme. The two most popular ones were two lovely wall-hangings, one with houses and reindeer (above) and the other with four different sections (below).

Jenny will teach both items at the workshop, but needs to know how many people want to do

each one so she can prepare the patterns. If you weren't at the meeting, but would like to do the workshop, please decide which is your favourite and let Ruth know. (I like the reindeer one personally!)

Then it was time for show and tell. Brenda Lincoln (a founder member of Piecemakers) has become involved with 'Quilts For Heroes', an organisation which makes quilts for soldiers who have been wounded on active service. She and a group of friends have made quilts and sent them to a military hospital in Suffolk. Apparently when the first quilts arrived, the sergeant took them into the ward, put them in a corner and just made a general announcement that they were there for anyone to take. Since they were all tough soldiers, he wasn't sure how much takeup there would be. When he next went into the ward, the pile of quilts was gone, and there was a quilt on every bed or chair! No one is too tough not to appreciate a quilt!

Brenda is hoping for donations of fabric in red, white, blue or masculine colours and old shirts.

Chris brought several quilts for us to see.I had looked through the donated Linus fabric, and found a lot of dark plaids, which have been put together beautifully in this quilt. Keep up the good work, ladies!

Stephanie had made some cushion covers which were all made from strips of fabric sewn into squares, then chopped and mixed up. This ensured that they all match, as they are all made from the parts. Stephanie and Sharon had finished their hand quilting which they had started on the Sandie Lush workshop. Beautiful work.

Di had made three different bags for the raffle. One was a tote, one a shopping bag and the other a little purse. I'm sure people will be buying lots of tickets to win those.Last year, Flutterwheels's theme was stars. These were choppy stars, which Chris won. She fell in love with the fresh colours and quirky look of these blocks and has made them into a quilt for herself. Perfect colours for a dreary day, I would say. Nearly every meeting sees Paula presenting me with a quilt for Project Linus! This one is dancing gingerbread men (or star jumping gingerbread men as I prefer to call it!) Many thanks Paula. You're a star!

And finally, here is my Mystery Quilt which I made at Rocheberie Quilters in March. It's totally scrappy, as you can see, and quilted with feathers in all the cream spaces. I love it!

Visit to Forge Mill Needle Museum

2009-06-12T17:34:00.008+01:00

It was on a warm and pleasant summer's day that 6 members had a visit to the Forge Mill Needle Museum. Our main purpose was to view the exhibition 'Quilting Yarns' which comprised some of the quilts owned by Jane Cobbett, ranging from the 1860s to the 1950s. Here we are in front of the museum. Left to right there is Lynda, Alison, Paula, Ruth, Eileen and Ginnie.

The exhibition was very good, and while it wasn't huge (about 20 pieces altogether) it was lovely to have the time to view and discuss them all in detail, with like-minded enthusiasts. Here are photos of some of the quilts.

This one was entitled 'Woollen Comforter' and was made of feedsacks, recycled clothing and dressmaking scraps from the 1920s and 30s. It was made in Pittsford, New York, USA, and was particularly delightful in the motifs embroidered on many of the patches. Some were initials (including, strangely, Ruth's initials of A.R.W) mostly ending with S, some dated and having ages added - one as young as 3 months, so perhaps not done in person! Some were animals, rabbits, chickens, geese etc., and some little scenes, such as a beehive and returning from milking and other motifs including several hands and a guitar. There were some interesting stitches joining the patches together too, mainly feather stitch but with some intriguing variations. The quilt had cotton wadding and a woollen backing, and six people who all wished they could take it home with them!

This is the Pease quilt. It belonged to the Pease family of Darlington UK but was not British, and had probably been brought over from the USA by them. It was made in the 1880s and the block is called The Star of Alabama. We really liked this quilt, but wondered why the maker had included the two very dark star fabrics in the top blocks. Maybe it was all she had, but we also wondered whether all the fabrics had had the same intensity originally, but the rest had faded. This is where we wished we had more knowledge of dyes and their effects on fabric!

This was a small unfinished fragment called Fussycut Stars. It was Scottish and had been made in the late Victorian era. It was all silk, and the fabrics had been meticulously cut and pieced to make beautiful patterns in the centres of the stars. Some of them (on the bottom right for example) looked as if they had been embroidered, but on closer inspection, it was the pattern of the fabric which had been used to full effect. It had probably been shut in a cupboard for years, as the colours were sumptuous.

Here is another quilt made of silks, velvets and other fabrics. This one is not of the same quality, but when you realise that it had been made by a 12 year old girl called Elizabeth Brown as a doll's quilt, you can appreciate it fully. It was made in Barrow upon Humber, UK in 1877. The unusual arrangement of blocks makes the design look rather like flying geese.

Here is another log cabin, his time in the straight furrows arrangement. This quilt had been made of feedsacks in Nebraska in the 1930s. It had been tied with blue wool, and the ties make a pleasing pattern over the surface. Unusually for an American quilt, it had not been bound, but the edges had been folded in and whipstitched.

This is a Welsh quilt, or at least, what was left of it! The date was not known, but it was made in Glamorgan. Both sides had been cut off for some reason, leaving it in a sorry state. Just imagine if that was your quilt, and someone had taken the scissors to it! It's just too awful to contemplate!

This beautiful quilt is a Bow Tie design, made in 1880, with blocks finishing at 4". We spent some time examining this at close quarters, trying to work out if it had been made over papers or not. (We didn't decide!) But when we had moved on and looked at it from further away, we were able to appreciate the soft colouring.

This Redwork quilt was made in Nantucket Island in the 1940s, probably from a commercial kits or pattern. It charmed us, and intrigued us in equal measure. Most of the blocks were cute designs of Sunbonnet Sue-type figures, but in the centre of the quilt (the first complete row in the picture above the bar) there were the initals V and K. We wondered if these were the initials of the maker or recipient. then we spotted another initial, I, in the second row, second block. Why were these letters included? Were they significant, or were they ones supplied with the kit, or ones she felt like making? There were no answers but we loved the freshness of the quilt.

Once we had viewed the exhibition, we went downstairs to see the recreation of a Victorian needle factory. We were amazed to find it took 30 different proceedures to turn a piece of wire into a needle, and the most skilled part, that of pointing the needle earned its workers a guinea (£1 and one shilling) a week, but gave them silicosis of the lungs, meaning that their life expectancy was only 30 years! Some young people had come to show the workings of the factory and were kind enough to let me take their photos. These young men were doing the shaping and stamping of the needles,

these young ladies were filing the edges of the eyes, and the overseer was keeping a stern eye on them! All in all we had a great day out. The museum is well worth a visit, and there was a lovely picnic space with tables and a children's play area with plenty of space to play and run about. The exhibition runs only till the 28th June, so if you would like to see these quilts (and others) in person, then go quickly or you'll miss your chance. If you can't go but would like to see more of the quilts, look on my blog here for the rest of the photos.

Sandie Lush

2009-06-04T19:46:00.006+01:00

I can't believe my bad luck! I've had to miss another Piecemakers meeting, and the speaker was the fabulous Sandie Lush! Sandie is well known for her wonderful hand quilted wholecloth quilts, and while I prefer machine quilting myself, I am full of admiration for anyone who can hand quilt to Sandie's standard.

She brought along what must be one of her most famous quilts - a cricket jumper! She made it for an exhibition at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1999 which was called 'Under the Covers' (rather good cricketing/quilting pun there!). The quilting is used to simulate the aran patterns of the jumper, but seeing this photo, it's hard to realise that the quilt, called 'Slip one, knit one' is big enough to cover a single bed! I think the label is the perfect finishing touch.

The success of this quilt led Sandie to experiment with other knitting designs and fabrics, and she made a whole series of jumpers in this way. Here is 'Twist Four', a quilt in my favourite colour.

Wholecloth quilts are notoriously difficult to photograph, and the next quilt (even though it's beautifully appliqued) is no exception. Apparently it started off as 'Millennium Tuips' but finished up being called '2003 Tulips' and many people will remember seeing it win second prize at the NEC that year. The applique is exquisite, and the handquilting is a delight to see. You can just see the curving feather motifs echoing the applique shapes.

This last quilt was actually made by children at the school where Sandie is a governor. The centres of the squares contain the children's portraits, and you can clearly see the quilting designs on this simple beauty. If it took Sandie 3 years to finish a quilt, Sylvia (and the rest of us!) must be heartened, as I know that she has been working on this Hawaiian applique quilt for a while. It's her 'coffin quilt' as she wants it draped over her coffin when the time comes. It's not too clear here, but the quilt is an unusual shape, as it needs to drape over a long, narrow box!

Andrea brought along this very sophisticated quilt, which she had started a long time ago, found and finished recently. She says it was 'not very exciting' but I think the muted colours make it restful and elegant.

Diane's quilt is Japanese folded patchwork she made at a workshop. The fabric colours and choices emphasise the Japanese feel to it.

Carolyn's quilt is a Sizzling Strips on the other side, and this is the back, made from leftovers! How clever is that!

Since it is summer, we have organised a couple of outings. The first is to the 'Quilting Yarns' exhibition at the Redditch Needle Museum (and a brief stop at the Cotton Patch on the way back!) on Friday 12th June. We will be going by car, so a petrol contribution will be appreciated. Ruth has organised a trip to Hemingford Grey to look at Lucy Boston's quilts, and then the New Horizon's Exhibition at Wimpole Hall on Saturday 27th June. The cost is £13.50 each, and there are still a couple of places left. If you would like to come on either of these days, please ring me or leave a comment, and I'll get back to you.

Felicity Howatson

2009-04-26T10:21:00.005+01:00

I was so disappointed at our April meeting, not that it wasn't up to the usual high standard, but because I had to miss it! With the date falling in the Easter break, my husband had the week off and we went away. We had a good time, but I wanted to see Felicity's talk as well! Fortunately I have heard this talk before, so it wasn't too much of a blow. She tells how she inherited her Victorian grandmother's sewing box, which is not only a beautiful object itself, but is still full of all kinds of beautiful items which would have been essential in the 19th century. Thanks to Ruth for taking the pictures.

You can see the box is gorgeous, and lots of the items, including cotton reel tops of all things, were very decorative and carved from ivory. The two best things about the talk are Felicity herself - she's so amusing and very down to earth, it's a joy to hear her - and the fact that she passes all the items round, so you can not only see them properly, but handle them too. There's nothing like actually touching something which is over 100 years old to give you a real experience of the past.

Show and tell was of the usual high standard and there were several Sizzling Strips quilts. Muriel had put hers together, ad it defintely sizzles! I'm very envious of all that lime green!

Sue had got her Turkish Delight lap quilt together. The browns haven't come out so well here, but when you see it, the colours are just like the Fry's chocolate treat! She has chosen a light/dark arrangement for her blocks. This technique is so versatile and there are hundreds of different ways of arranging the blcoks, all of which look fabulous.

Muriel's quilt is a feathered star. Muriel is a member of Flutterwheels, and each member of the group made one block, and then Muriel 'won' all nine blocks (the nineth one is on the back). It's a great way to try out blocks and see if you like them. the memebers of the group found that making one block was sufficient to cure them of ever wanting to make any more. There are certainly too many little half square triangles to make!

I'm assuming that this is Gaynor's sampler quilt - it's certainly in one of her signature colours, which is blue. (In case you're wondering, the other is pink!). Blue and yellow is always such a wonderful combination, and ties this quilt together with its freshness.

Unfortunately there are no more pictures, as Ruth's camera battery ran out at this point! So if you had a masterpiece at show and tell, bring it again to the next meeting, and we'll see what we can do!

Trentham outing

2009-04-14T19:15:00.003+01:00

Ruth organised a trip to 'Quilts in the Garden' at Trentham Gardens. Unfortunately I couldn't go because we had been invited to a wedding, but those who went had a great day. Here is Ruth's account of the outing.
'A group of members & friends had a delightful day out to Trentham on Saturday. After a reviving coffee we went to the quilt exhibition, which is in a large marquee, to be greeted by the winning Bed Quilt by Anja Townrow - made to use up her Christmas fabric scraps plus a few bought lengths to make up the yardage. Determined not just to seek out other winners but to enjoy the huge variety of inspirations, techniques & fabrics we chatted to each other & complete strangers with a common interest. The well known quilters’ work was amongst that of complete beginners, City & Guilds students & experienced amateurs so hopefully something for everyone.
I was not the only one to find the theme of “Evolution” hard to get inspired by as there were only 17 entries. Next year it is “Our Heritage” which should be easier to interpret.
There were demonstrators & of course retail therapy stands which, by the look of our bags on the coach, were well supported.
The other retail outlets & garden centre on the site attracted our attention but the biggest buy was a piece of furniture that Gaynor struggled to carry back to the coach! Wish I’d had my camera out to catch the look on our driver’s face!'

Here is a photo of the lovely gardens, which are extensive,
and here is a photo of the show, which also looks extensive!

Publicity

2009-04-05T19:20:00.002+01:00

At the last meeting, we had Andrew Carpenter, a local photographer, to take pictures of our presentation of £200 to the Air Ambulance. The photo and write-up duly appeared in the 'Lutterworth Mail'. (Lutterworth is a small town, and has to make the most of whatever news is out there!)

Here is the article, in case anyone missed it!

Great picture, Andrew, shame the copywriter is so corny!

Sizzling Strips!

2009-03-23T18:19:00.006Z

On Saturday I ran a workshop for 12 people based on the techniques Margaret Miller outlines in her book 'Strips That Sizzle!'. Margaret is an inspirational teacher whose main area of interest is colour - a vital part of a successful quilt. The technique involves cutting lots of strips from two colours, making sure you have dark, medium and light in each hue.

June hadn't managed to cut her strips before she came to the workshop (which may be why she is hiding behind her machine!), but quickly cut a selection of green and yellow strips. Betty chose blue and yellow - a classic combination.

Muriel chose purple and green, and had a selection of wonderful green batiks (many of which were lime green and much admired by myself!). Carole's choice was blue and green, which will make for a fabulous shimmer.Carolyn was busy sewing her green and yellow strips together, while Ruth had another set of blue and green.Vicki also chose to use yellow, and was amazed at how many different yellows she actually had in her stash - 'I never use yellow!' she protested. I don't know whether Ann benefited from some of the same yellows, but her selection was gorgeous.Ginny and Alison were quite nervous, as they are both fairly new to quilting. Ginny found it hard to assemble a variety of shades, but people were very generous at sharing their fabrics.

Nik and Sue worked very hard all day, Nik with some lovely African fabrics and Sue being the only one to choose a scheme of red/purple and brown.Here are the fruits of her labours, in a pinwheel arrangement. Nik suggested that it should be called 'Fry's Turkish Delight' as the colours reminded her of the wrapper and contents of this delectable confection!Ginny decided to put her 16 blocks together and intends to border them to make a Linus quilt. They look lovely. Thank you for that.I'm really sorry, but I can't remember who made these next two arrangements. They are both beautiful though and showcase the technique splendidly.I can hardy wait to see the finished quilts which will be coming to show and tell!

March meeting

2009-03-21T18:35:00.009Z

March's meeting was lovely and relaxed. All there was on offer was a mug bag demo, the sales table and a display of the balloons which have been made for the group quilt (apart from show and tell, of course!) However the highlight of the evening was the presentation of a cheque for £200 to the Air Ambulance and a visit from the local press photographer, more of which later. A quiet meeting in comparison with some, but the chance to chat and catch up with the latest happenings -and gossip- were very welcome.

Carolyn showed how to make an attractive yet practical bag to carry your mug to meetings.

Paula was demonstrating too, so that everyone had a chance to see the method easily.

Sylvia manned the sales table, which appears to have been stripped by now, giving her time to joke with Nik.

Everyone taking part in the group quilt had returned their balloons - what a lovely variety there is. (The duck one is Stephanie's - what a clever idea!)

At the beginning of the meeting, we had all been given a slip of paper with the name of a season on it, and before show and tell, Di announced what it was all about. The committee had decided to give a small gift to all the members to say thankyou for all their support over the last year. Everyone was able to take a bundle of four fat quarters and some toning thread! What a lovely idea! And was I pleased that my 'Summer' bundle contained a piece of beautiful lime green fabric! Ruth had a summer bundle too, but chose one without lime green; why would she do that?! Thank you committee.

Show and tell had the usual variety of treats. Three people had completed their Jennie Rayment Sudoku quilts. All very quick workers!

Fran had been on a workshop which needed a Layer Cake as supplies and found this pile of co-ordinating squares made a very attractive quilt.This whimsical Hen House is a Mary Mayne design and make a perfect Easter (or spring) hanging.Paula is tireless in her work for Project Linus. She made two Mile A Minute quilts with cream sashing. They look fresh and clean in this arrangement.One of Nik's friends has had a baby in the ICU and was pictured lying on a quilt. Nik thought it must be a Linus quilt, but now the baby is safely home, the quilt stayed in the hospital. Obviously not a Linus quilt, as they belong to the child, not the institution. So the family didn't feel deprived, Nik made this jaunty sailing boats quilt, and called it 'Your not-Linus quilt'! Fabulous!

Jennie Raiment's 'Sudoku quilt' workshop

2009-03-04T16:44:00.006Z

Some people might think of Lutterworth as a bit of a backwater, but that's not at all true when you find out all the things that go off in the town. Many people would give their eye teeth to attend a workshop by an internationally renowned artist, but that's exactly what lucky Piecemaker members got to do when Jennie Raiment taught her 'Sudoku quilt' class.

When I arrived at the hall, I thought it was the Marie Celeste over again (without the sea, of course!) as the room appeared deserted!

I soon found everyone, clustered round Jennie as she gave them instructions for a Fancy Fandango - this time in English!

Everyone quickly went back to their tables, while the instructions were fresh in their minds. Bunty and Andrea look as if they are expecting me to test them on the blocks so far (and find them wanting) at any moment!

Muriel and Chris were busy, busy, and Carol was obviously enjoying herself immensely!

Jennie was continually checking that everyone was happy and knew what to do - the mark of an excellent teacher.

Here is a bright pink Fancy Fandango under construction,

and here are Chris's blocks so far. Good progress to say it wasn't even lunchtime!

Everyone was happy that the workshop instructions had been clear, the teaching was superb and new techniques had been made very accessible. Now all that remains is to make up the quilts!

Jennie Rayment

2009-02-19T14:32:00.005Z

We were indeed fortunate to secure Jennie as our February speaker, as not only is she an inspiration with her wealth of ideas for adding texture to quilts, she's also a hilarious speaker and very much a character. She has a reputation for being a bit racey, and those who had heard this, were not disappointed!

Here she is, in a pose chosen by herself. In this country she is called the 'Calico Queen' after her fondness for using creamy calico to showcase her folds and tucks, but in the USA she goes by the name of the 'Muslin Mistress': I wonder which describes her best?!

Here is her Sudoku Quilt, where nine different textural techniques are used in place of the nine different numbers usually to be found on sudoku puzzles. Jennie kept us both amused (Beverley said she hadn't laughed so much for ages!) and entertained, while also managing to find time to demonstrate her Dazzling Fandangos (no, that's not another name for nipple tassels, although she showed those as well!) in French, no less. Ooh, la la!

She was going to be a difficult act to follow, but the show and tell was up to the usual standard (al

though strangely lacking in quantity this month).

Several people had been to Jenny Almond's drunkard's path workshop, and showed their finished items. It's always interesting to see how different people make up the same pattern.

Ruth had been given a bag of scraps from the Bramble Patch to send to the charity shop for rags. She was amazed to find large pieces of fabric in the bag, including enough fabric to make half a cot quilt, make the centre of this Linus quilt and a piece of black binding already joined and folded which was long enough to bind the quilt too! Obviously some people have a different idea of what constitutes a scrap!Nik's husband had surprised her by announcing that they would be going to a christening in a couple of week's time, but she still found time to make this lovely cot quilt as a present. Lucky baby!

Ann caused some merriment by producing this beautiful hexagon quilt. Much to Jennie's embarassment, she had earlier made a comment about 'boring hexagon' quilts, which Ann quoted back to her, but no offence had been meant or taken, and Jennie was fulsome in her praise of this stunning quilt. Since show and tell was unusually short, this gave the committee chance to start to prepare the room for Jennie's workshop tomorrow - of which more later!

January meeting

2009-02-14T17:32:00.005Z

I can't believe it's nearly time for the February meeting, and I haven't managed to write about the January events! It's not because it wasn't interesting or enjoyable, it's just that life got in the way! (I imagine you know what I mean.)

Jenny Almond was our speaker, and although she has been our speaker before (once memorably helping us out when another speaker let us down at the last minute for no good reason!) she is always a joy. She is so down to earth and unassuming, yet her work is beautiful and varied.

Here she is, no doubt sharing a clever tip with Beth. She brought lots of quilts to share with us, mainly traditional, of the kind where you think to yourself, 'I could make that,' leaving us all feeling inspired and confident, rather than daunted. Her talk was amusing and gave us all a good laugh. Thanks, Jenny.

Show and Tell was excellent, as ever. It started, appropriately, with a couple of quilts which had been made at one of Jenny's workshops.

Bunty made hers in Christmas colours, as she thought the stars were suitable for Christmas, but didn't mean the quilt had to be put away after the festive season, but could be used all winter. Good idea.It's hard to believe that Andrea used the same pattern, but her colour choices have brought out completely different areas of the design, and making the stars really hard to find!Eileen and Jenny made these stained glass 'windows' in a Gail Lawther workshop, and again, they have turned out very differently. Chris and Muriel have been stripping at the Bramble Patch. No, not that kind of stripping, just using strips (Jelly Rolls, actually) to make quilts. This quilt of Chris's is a log cabin, arranged in a straight furrows set.

Ann prefers to hand piece and hand quilt, and here is her latest quilt, which she has kindly donated to Project Linus. It's simple but very effective, and beautifully quilted.

Here is some more hand work, a fabulous sampler of different applique blocks. The bright colours looked vibrant in actuality.

You may be interested to know that 29 people are taking part in this year's group quilt, and I look forward to seeing their first blocks completed at the next meeting.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-10T15:36:00.003Z

I hope everyone had as good a Christmas and New Year as I did and that you're all ready to get back into the normal routine again! This is just a reminder that the next meeting is on 21st January, and the speaker is the well-known local quilter, Jenny Almond. Jenny is a traditional quilter who is very down to earth, and has a lovely natural style, as well as being an excellent teacher.

Members need to bring two things with them. First is their membership fee of £15 (cheques made payable to 'Piecemakers Quilters' please) in an envelope with your name, address, phone number and email on the front.This will make it easier for fees to be counted and receipted, and also allow Stephanie to update contact details. Secondly, your own mug.

This will mean that you get a larger cuppa, and mean that the refreshment ladies won't have to spend ages gathering cups and washing up.

Apart from Jenny's talk, there will be an opportunity to collect a kit for the first part of the group quilt and sign up for the 2009 workshops.

See you there!

Christmas meeting

2008-11-21T16:21:00.007Z

Although we haven't got to the end of November yet, Christmas will be upon us before we can say, 'tree skirt'! So it was good to have the opportunity to get together and get some nspiration for Christmas presents, makes and goodies.

There is no shortage of talent in Piecemakers, and we had six different demonstrations of things which could be made for Christmas.

June showed how to make little Christmas tree decorations from circles of scrap fabric - a perfect project for in front of the television on a cold night.

Carolyn and Lena showed how to make her gorgeous little children's bags with little pockets for Crayola crayons on the front. Not only an appealing present, but one with the ability to keep a child busy colouring too.

Di showed how to make gorgeous necklaces from a tube of silk or organza and a few beads. I can see these being made to match every outfit over the party season! Gaynor was busy making lovely little Christmas decorations with a circle of fabric and some beads. Ingenious.

Muriel and Chris showed how to make coasters for under wine glasses from a few charm squares. These would take minutes to make, and would make an ideal last minute present.

And I demonstrated my reuseable Christmas gift bags. People did come and look at my demo - honest! I didn't sit there alone all evening!

Ann brought a stall full of lovely handmade items for sale. She's a very creative lady and has lots of items for stocking-fillers.

Of course, lots of people took the opportunity to catch up with the gossip and quiting news,

and then to tuck into the delicious refreshments which had been made by the committee. Thank you ladies.

The committee were in generous mood, as there was a free raffle, with lots of intriguingly wrapped parcels! Sharon is having great difficulty deciding which one to choose!

Then to show and tell.
Nik had made this stunning quilt from blocks made by the memebrs of Flutterwheels. It's a pity I haven't worked out how to get closeups of my photos, as the quilting on this is beautiful.

Muriel and Chris have joined the Bramble Patch's strip club - no, not that kind of stripping, but using the very popular jelly rolls!

There are lots of possibilties for using these precut strips.

Muriel has been very busy 'finishing off' and had finished this lovely Magic Tile quilt for her daughter. What a masterstroke using purple as sashing!

Some organised people had brought things they have made for Christmas. Eileen showed this clever Christmas table mat with Father Christmas and his reindeer flying all round the edge.

Sue made everyone laugh when she explained that this clever little tree decoration had been realy difficult to make, and had taken her ages. To add insult to injury, she had found the pattern in 'Patchwork and Quilting' on the children's page!

Let me take this opportunity to wish every one a very happy Christmas and a healthy and quiltful New Year!

AGM

2008-10-22T09:42:00.006+01:00

AGM's aren't usually the most popular or enjoyable of meetings, but this one managed to be both! The attendance was good (except for Di, who was off enjoying herself elsewhere!) and as usual everyone seemed to have a good time.

The actual business of the meeting was fairly uneventful. Membership is good, funds are good and both meetings and workshops are popular and enjoyed. There were a couple of comments about the provision of half memberships (created because several members live on canal barges and are only in the area for the winter months) and refunds on workshops (only available in exceptional circumstances) which have been noted by the committee for further discussion. Since Di has stepped down as chair, there is a vacancy, which will be filled in the short-term by members of the committee taking it in turns to chair and organise a meeting each. Gill chaired this meeting very effectively. (She would make an excellent chair, hint, hint!) Some little thankyou gifts were given to Bunty and Andrea for organising the Group Quilt, and myself for keeping the blog. (It really is easy and if anyone wants to know how to set one up for photos of grandchildren or family contact etc I'm happy to show them.)

Then to the real events of the meeting. There was a reappearance of the ever-popular sales table. Elaine had had a rush of spring fever and had cleared out lots of fabric she knew she'd never use. Lots of people knew they would use it! Then there was the usual mixture of patterns, books, wool, and other goodies to buy.

There were three demo tables. Sharon showed how to make individual buttons from Fimo. Special buttons are really hard to find and very pricey, so this was a great idea.

Paula showed how to do hand quilting. She marks her fabric with watercolour pencils, which give a clear line, but wash right out.

I showed how to layer quilts the no-crawl way (from an original idea by Sharon Schamber) which people found very clever. It's one of those ideas which are so obvious, you can't work out why you haven't thought it up yourself! I have layered double quilts like this, so it works for any size of quilt.

There was also plenty of chance to catch up with the latest gossip or quilting idea over a cup of tea.Christmas is coming, and in show and tell, both Carolyn and Paula showed Christmas items they have made.

It's never too early to get thinking about the Festive Season!

Ruth had made this little prem quilt for Linus, along with a larger one in the same fabric. Thanks Ruth.Andrea showed this stunning row quilt which had apparently been languishing in her UFO box for quite a while. It seems she went off the colours while she was making it! They look stunning to me, but then, I always like a bit of lime green in a quilt!

At the end of the show and tell, Sylivia presented Bunty and Andrea with a thankyou from all the group for their hard work with the group quilt. She had been delegated to buy two bunches of flowrs, but ever practical, had decided that flowers are very short-lived, while a plant can go on for ever (well, not in this house, but I'm sure these plants will have a long life!) She bought a jasmine plant for each, with the thoughts that it could give pleasure indoors during the winter, and then move outdoors in the summer months. What a great idea!

Charles Rennie Mackintosh evening

2008-09-18T20:40:00.002+01:00

I had been looking forward to hearing this talk by Dora Mack for months, and it all went a bit pear-shaped (for me; I think everyone else had a good time). I arrived at the hall, having realised I was making the teas with only enough time to call at the corner shop for milk and biscuits, to find that I had left the tea box in my garage! Poor Beverley had kindly given me a lift, and so had to take me home to fetch the essentials of the meeting! This meant that we were late back to the hall and Dora was in full flow when we crept in and took our seats.
That was when I realised that I had also forgotten to bring my camera, which means no photos in this post. What a shame. Dorahad brought some lovely books, pamphlets and images to illustrate her fascinating talk, and I was not only unable to photograph them, but also to look at them, as I was busy making teas and coffees! Here is a Google image of the famous Rennie Mackintosh rose as a consolation.

I was lucky that Stephanie took pity on me in the kitchen, and kept the kettles boiling. It would have been a disaster to have had no refreshments!
Then, when all was under control, and caffine had been dispensed, Di dropped her bombshell. She has decided for personal reasons to step down from the chair with immediate effect. We were all so disappointed that nobody stood up to give a vote of thanks or anything. It was perhaps as well, as everyone was feeling a bit emotional, and it could have ended in tears. I would like to say a big thankyou to Di for her work over the last three years as chair, for all her hard work, unfailing good humour and encouragement to us all. All we need now, is for someone to step forward to fill this empty position on our comittee.
As ever, show and tell was inspirational, with a good number of Linus quilts happily scooped up by me. I promise to take my camera to the next meeting, so watch out!

Highly commended!

2008-08-18T10:19:00.007+01:00

Yesterday I went to the Festival of Quilts at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, which is where our quilt 'A Forest of Seasons' was exhibited. I know it must be very difficult to hang so many different quilts and make them all look wonderful, but we were disappointed last year that our 'Cosmic Wonders' quilt didn't seem to be looking its best. So this year I was delighted to see that the quilt was hung prominently on a corner under a spotlight. It looked great!

Then, to my amazement, I noticed a little label on the side, saying 'Highly Commended'! Apparently (according to Mary Mayne, who is one of the judges) they only award a first, second and third in each category, and reserve the highly commended awards for when it has been really close! It was enough to see our quilt at such a huge exhibition, displayed so well, but the icing on the cake was the award.

Here are Andrea, Gaynor, Bunty and Di in front of the masterpiece, looking like the cats that have just got the cream (well, all except Andrea, who seems to be still in a state of shock, quite understandably!)
The quilt was attracting a lot of attention, and lots of people got out their cameras to take a photo of it. The idiosyncrasies of each block fascinated many, and people enjoyed pointing out the birds, animals, catkins, flowers and clever use of buttons, lace and other embellishments. One lady said to her friend, 'Oh, another tree quilt. Well, it's certainly nicer than the other one,' which must be a sort of back-handed compliment!

Although the workmanship and creativity displayed in each and every block is wonderful, I must say that the way that Andrea and Bunty assembled those blocks is outstanding. The way that they have been put together so cleverly, to unite the individual trees, but also to create space between them so that each can be appreciated, is superb. I'm sure that was a major factor in the quilt's overall success.

The quilting is beautiful, and compliments the blocks beautifully. I especially liked the way that the trailing leaf border has the names of the different seasons along the top and bottom borders,

and the names of the participants along the sides. The quilt will be 'raffled' amongst the participants at the next meeting, and I think the winner (and I hope it's me!) will be delighted to take this beauty home. Well done everyone - it's a stunner!

Mile a minute evening

2008-07-18T10:40:00.007+01:00

We like to have a balanced programme of speakers, hands on sessions and demonstrations to stimulate our members. This month's meeting was a hands on session, making Mile a Minute (sometimes called Chaos Crumb) blocks.

Lynda Hill lead this meeting, and showed the lovely sofa quilt she had made for her daughter. She started by showing crumbs (small pieces of fabric) and strings (long strips of fabric) which are the pieces which often end up in the waste bin. She gave a clear demonstration of how to make the blocks, and then people began work.

Well, not everyone was in sewing mood, which is fine. Chris, Rose and Gill used the time to catch up with the latest gossip. Sometimes you need a bit of time with like-minded people to recharge your batteries!

Lots of people got down to work. Paula is a past master at making MAM blocks, but Jenny and Eileen were first timers. They found it hard to have no set pattern, but soon enjoyed the freedom of not having to match or cut very liberating.

A kind of production line was organised at the other end of the room (maybe their proximity to the tea bar and the caffeine fumes inspired them!) with some people sewing, some cutting and some ironing. Excellent.

This doesn't mean they didn't make time to chat. Bunty had previously confessed that she found the scrappiness of these blocks too stressful for her precise mind, and although she had made several blocks which she donated to Project Linus, she really couldn't make any more. She went round encouraging and helping out other people - or nattering with Gaynor!

Some people wished they had brought along their ironing basket, as it would have been a good opportunity to reduce it slightly, in between ironing the strips!

Most of the people who had been on the Mary Mayne workshop had brought along finished quilts or tops for Show and Tell. Here are the Rainforests, (sorry the photo is a bit dark - I suppose it's quite authentic, though!)

and here are the Spring hangings. It's always so wonderful to see different interpretations of the same thing. Even though the two projects demanded similar colors, the results are quite varied.

Bunty had done a class on the internet, called 'Daisy Days' and hsd made this charming hanging.

Stephanie makes a quilt for any member of her family who is getting married - what an undertaking! The latest couple wanted a cream quilt! Stephanie has very cleverly used two shades of cream to make this stunning quilt.

Gaynor deserted her usual pinks and blues to make this colourful quilt, called 'Peep-bo!' It will delight any small child.

There will be no meeting of the group in August, so I hope everyong has a great summer, and I look forward to more activities in September.

Mary Mayne workshop

2008-06-25T10:28:00.004+01:00

Last Thursday Mary led a workshop for us. there were two choices of projects, one was a spring wall-hanging (based on her gorgeous winter one, which some people have already made) and a rainforest quilt. Unfortunately I had to work that day, so was spared the agony of having to decide which one to do, but meant that I couldn't share in the fun.

As usual, there were plenty of takers for the workshop, although the hall is big enough to give everyone plenty of working space.

I'm guessing that this is Mary's rainforest sample - unless someone was extremely speedy (and talented!) on the day. The batik fabrics are perfect for this lush environment.

Jill looks a little bemused in this photo, but the strips in her hand show that her spring scene is progressing well.

It's always good to stop for lunch - not only does it refuel the body, but refreshes the mind as well. However, I hope Mary, Paula, Jill and June didn't eat all of June's delicious Rose Petal cake by themselves! They would have slept through the rest of the day!

Here are the spring scenes all ready to have their foliage put on,

and the rainforests ready for their final embellishments. Mary proved to be a patient and inspiring teacher, and we are already talking about inviting her back!

Mary Mayne

2008-06-21T15:34:00.006+01:00

We had been looking forward to hearing Mary Mayne talk about her quilts last year, but unfortunately her daughter was ill, and she had to cancel. We were pleased to hear that her daughter is now much better, and that the talk was well worth waiting for.

Mary is a quilter very much to our tastes. She is a traditional quilter, with self-taught beginnings and an excellent sense of humour.

Here she is, with a huge pile of quilts behind her. She started patchwork by making hexagons over papers (a common introduction to the craft), but when she came to join them together, found they were actually octagons, and wouldn't tessellate at all! She quickly moved on to machine piecing, and has never looked back.

Here is a quilt which she made from a pattern she bought in America. The original pattern was for a very large quilt and Mary scaled it down (with the designer's permission) to make it more manageable.

This small quilt was inspired when she had to move her son's trainers from the middle of the floor - why do they all do this?- and discovered the lovely pattern on the sole. She used the trainers as a stamp to print on fabric, and took pictures which were the basis for the centre design. Many people have seen (and made) this fabulous Christmas quilt, which Mary designed. It's a mixture of patchwork (Ohio stars and log cabin blocks) and applique (snowmen, angels, reindeer etc), with borders of trees and stars. It's great fun to make, and Mary can supply the pattern on application.Here is the quilt many people were keen to see, as it was the basis for one of the quilts Mary was to be teaching at the workshop the next day. It was inspired by the Australian Rainforest.

After Mary had finished her talk, people were very keen to see the quilts close to, and admire them in greater detail.

Others had their minds set on taking home a bargain from either the Project Linus Rummage table or this sales table where the donations go towards our charity of the Air Ambulance.

After a lovely cup of coffee it was time for the show and tell. Sylvia showed the quilt she has made for her grandaughter Sian. It's a masterpiece of scraps!

Andrea had brought this gorgeous stack-and-whack quilt, and I heard several people round me say, 'I've always wanted to do a stack-and-whack quilt myself!' It would have been interesting to see the original fabric.

Bunty must have been meticulous in her piecing to complete this sizzling interlocked chain quilt. It practically shimmers!

Beverley is expecting two grandchildren very shortly, and has obviously had to make them both a welcome quilt. This one with teddies on it must have been great fun to make.

Sue likes to be ready early for Christmas. This was a mystery quilt which she started last year, but didn't get finished in time for the festive season. Never mind, that's the beauty of Christmas, it comes round every December without fail!

Carolyn had taken some pink Linus blocks, and alternated them with some lovely blocks with dogs on them. This will delight a dog-loving little girl. There were several other small quilts donated to Project Linus for the neo-natal unit. Thank you to everyone.

Jane Davies - textile artist

2008-05-23T14:28:00.004+01:00

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to have Jane Davies as our speaker. She was pleased to come, as she only lives in Rugby, so it was very local for her! Here she is in full flow.

Jane is a textile artist and talked to us about "Fantastic Fabrics - Textiles from Many Lands". She started by showing some slides (just the right number!) of some fabulous examples of textiles from around the world, China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was lovely to see people wearing beautifully decorated textiles, obviously some of them everyday wear, as was evident by one little Chinese girl's rather grubby embroidered blouse!

She had brought along examples of embroidered, pieced and appliqued fabrics for us to drool over and to inspire us. The workmanship in these pieces was awe-inspiring, and the colours fabulous.

Then Jane showed us some pieces of her own which her interest in ethnic textiles had inspired. A pieced fabric can be easily enhanced by decorative stitching, embroidery or applique.

Jane had a sales table as well with lots of very tempting goodies. This attracted lots of attention, so much so that I couldn't get a photo of the wares!

However, I couldn't resist temptation myself (well, it's calorie free!) and bought two 'Mini Adventure Kits', one for myself (the green of course) and the other for a friend. Can't wait to get started!

I found her talk not only interesting but really inspiring - she's not just an embroiderer and she made us realise that some embellishment - beading, embroidery etc, can really add another dimension and interest to your patchwork.

It was disappointing at show and tell to only see three of the curved flying geese panels which had been made at Pat Deacon's workshop, but no doubt the others will appear in due course.

Vicky and Ann had made these table runners at a class at Quorn Country Crafts in Loughborough. The varying colour schemes make the pattern look quite different.

Gaynor showed her calendar quilt, made from a pattern in 'Quiltmaker'. Mine is still in my UFO box, but I love the way she has outlined each block with navy to unify the quilt. Perhaps that would work for me.

Paula made this beautiful cushion at a class with Sandie Lush.

These lively chickens, which are a Mary Mayne pattern, lead us nicely into next month's speaker, which will be Mary herself!

Curved flying geese workshop

2008-04-26T09:59:00.004+01:00

On Thursday 15 happy people gathered at the hall for a day workshop with Pat Deacon. Pat had already wowed us with her fabulous quilts and we were ready to find out how she managed to piece such complicated geometric shapes and sweeping curves and still have a quilt which hangs flat at the end of it all! (I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done some fancy piecing, only to end up with one of Madonna's bra cups, instead of the quilt block I had been expecting!)

Here is Pat, all ready to start us off. She was an excellent teacher, breaking all the work down into easily achievable steps and being very encouraging and inspirational all day.

She started us off with a mini workshop on foundation piecing curved shapes. We each drew a small teardrop shape and used her fantastic no-fail freezer paper foundation method for making it in fabric. That was the easy bit!

Next we had to draw our own patterns onto freezer paper (a choice of an easy one and a harder one), cut them into parts and then piece them.

Pat gave us some useful workshop advice. No matter what fabric you take to a workshop, the person sitting next to you has much nicer colours than you, and is producing better work. But remember, she is also thinking the same about you! It certainly is interesting looking at people's colour choices - all of which were fabulous.

Here is June proudly showing her first pieced goose, and her choice of fabrics - black and white! This is going to be stunning, especially if she follows her plan of adding a few red accents.

The first few geese were a bit tricky, but everyone persevered (although several people were glad they had brought their unpickers!) and gradually it all became much easier.

And then, as we became more confident, mistakes crept in. Jill was not the only person to carefully sew another goose, flip, press and then cut it right off! Some people thought it might make a design feature, but no, after a good laugh, off it came.

By the time four o'clock came, we were all well on the way to finishing our pieces.

Pat showed us a way of putting the parts together using 'invisible' tape, which certainly eliminates the distortion which pins can sometimes introduce.

The only question now is, will they actually sew together to make a flat block, or will it be another pop star's undergarment?

Group quilt revealed!

2008-04-18T19:47:00.004+01:00

After all our hard work designing the blocks for the group quilt, Andrea has put in even more hard work in assembling the blocks. They look fabulous, and the free quilted border she has added (which unfortunately you can't see in the photo!) is first rate! I'm sure this is a winner, but in any event we have had great fun making it.

You may notice the posh stand which the quilt is hanging on. It is actually a photographic stand, but is so light, stores well and collapses easily that we decided to buy two for the group. This will make displaying quilts so much easier at meetings.

This month's meeting was very informal and enjoyable. Apart from the group quilt's unveiling, we had Jeanne and Vicky from Chaos Traders to tempt us with their merchandise and to stimulate us with two demos.

Jeanne was demonstrating an easy way to make accurate prairie points, for the edge or embellishment of a quilt. She had plenty of paper so people could practise.

Vicky was demonstrating Thangles, a way of making accurate half square triangles. They are foundation pieced, but mean you never have to trim a half square triangle again, as they are all perfectly formed! The downside is that each packet has only one size, but you can't have everything!

Their stall attracted a lot of attention, and I don't think anyone went home without something gorgeous tucked away in their bag, whether it was fabric, threads, needles, rulers or one of a myriad of other quilting 'essentials'.

Lots of people were tempted by the fabric (myself included), while Ruth was happy to be snapped looking for needles. Incidentally, where do needles go? I buy packets and packets, but rarely throw one away!

Sharon was perusing the excellent selection of rulers and templates. I wonder if she actually purchased anything?

This time I made sure I got photos of the show and tell. This was an example of holiday photos printed onto fabric and made into a beautiful wall hanging. What a special way to remember a holiday.Carolyn had made this attractive quilt which was made from a very simple four patch block. I have made a note of this pattern for future reference.

Jane made yet another Mile a Minute variation, with alternate white and coloured rounds. It looks fresh and vibrant. I never cease to be amazed at the versatility of this block.

Stephanie showed this lovely flower quilt in some of her trademark colours.

It's a shame this photo is a bit blurred, but you can get the general idea of this gorgeous quilt which Bunty made at a workshop with Jenny Almond. I think it's the fabulous red fabric she choose which really makes this quilt zing.

Mary Mayne workshop

2008-04-13T15:51:00.002+01:00

Mary Mayne has sent some images of the kinds of things people will be making with her when she holds her workshop in June.
There will be a variation of the beautiful snow scene which several people in the group have already made, called spring. If anyone feels adventurous, they could make Rainforest, which is the same basic technique, but obviously more exotic!
If you want to book a place on this workshop, please speak to any member of the committee.

Group quilt evening

2008-03-20T11:47:00.004Z

Bunty and Andrea were waiting with some trepidation to see how many people had managed to complete their blocks for the group quilt which will be displayed at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August. 25 people had taken kits (which would make a lovely 5x5 block quilt) so they were hoping for 25 blocks back - or at the least 24, no less! They need not have worried, all the blocks bar one returned (and that one is promised asap) and they were magnificent!

Every one was individual, with applique, beads, sequins, embroidery, embellishments, buttons and lots of other clever ideas too. It was easy to identify each season, even if you couldn't spot the labels, as eveyone had worked so hard at interpreting their theme. Now Bunty and Andrea have the difficult job of putting them together. They haven't exactly decided how to do this, and there will be a lot of playing, rearranging and auditioning of sashing fabrics to be done before they make a final decision.

They have decided to put them together using 'quilt as you go'. This is a great method for those not confident enough to machine quilt a whole quilt, as each section is quilted individually and then the blocks are joined together afterwards, making the whole process much simpler - especially if it's Bunty and Andrea who are doing it!

Andrea gave a demonstration for those who didn't know the technique, or those like me, who had forgotten how to do it!

There were two more demonstrations. Jill showed how to do trapunto, a method which stuffs extra wadding into certain areas, to give them an extra defined look. Why did it look so easy when she showed us how to do it?

Sharon showed easy crazy pieceing. She used a piece of fabric as a foundation, and sewed the scraps onto the backing. What a clever idea! It makes the whole block easy to handle, and ensures that it lies flat when completed. She brought some beautifully embellished examples for all to drool over.

A very popular feature of this meeting was the sales table (or tables). This photo shows one of the tables after the mass had descended! There were lots of goodies for all - fabric, books, patterns, kits, gadgets, bags, bowls, notebooks and for those who could really smell a bargain, I had brought a rummage box of bits and bobs, hoping to get donations for Project Linus.

Paula, Jill and I were so busy with the sales table that I completely forgot to take any photos of the show and tell (which was fantastic as usual and included all the beautiful boxes and stunning Tiny Treasures). When we came to count up the money, and then had taken off 10% for our charity, the Air Ambulance, we found that we didn't have enough money to pay everyone, never mind have anything over for the charity! Back to the drawing board, and much scratching of heads, as we recalculated all the sales labels. Hooray! We found a mistake. We owed Bunty another £1, which made the situation even worse! We were beginning to despair, and Paula even took her shoes and socks off to help with the mathematics, when we discovered a £20 note which had managed to hide itself under the chair. Phew, the relief was palpable! That meant that everyone got their money, and we made 17.60 for the charity. The Project Linus box made £10. 35, so everyone, buyers and sellers, went home happy!

Tiny Treasures Workshop

2008-03-16T10:19:00.005Z

On National Quilting Day, March 15th, what better thing to do than spend the day with friends learning new quilting and embroidery techniques? Jenny Rolfe led a workshop with 16 participants making 'Tiny Treasures'. These were exquisite little embroidered and embellished panels which could be used to make book covers, boxes, cards or just enjoyed in their own right.

Here is Jenny cutting some wire for June to use to decorate her work.

Bunty and Andrea looked very serious, but it was the strain of trying to dodge the camera rather than any problems which the workshop posed them which has resulted in such worried faces!

Jill looks a bit happier - maybe it's because she has chosen such beautiful, rich colours for her design.

Paula is very sociable (and tidy - look at her lovely uncluttered workspace!)

Beverley was having a little trouble with her machine. I thought we were pretty good friends, so was a bit surprised when she managed to get the end of her shuttle to shoot me on the cheek. Good shot, Bev! Sylvia had chosen the other design (ie. not the one nearly everyone else was doing). What a surprise, as she is not known for her independent mind!

Stephanie takes a moment to ponder the next step.

Ann and Sue are struggling a bit with invisible thread. It's nearly impossible to see!

Merleen is another one doing the alternative shape - another free thinker! Both she and Doreen are engrossed in the task.

Sharon and Eunice were concentrating so hard, they didn't even realise I was taking their photo!

Everyone was really enjoying the workshop, and fully absorbed in the task. Most people had arrived at the embellishing stage (the best bit!) well before 3 o'clock, so we look forward to seeing the fruits of their labours at the next meeting.

Box Day

2008-02-27T09:44:00.004Z

On Saturday 23rd February, we held one of our popular workshops. Seventeen people gathered to make a beautiful box under Di's excellent tutelage. Di is an excellent teacher, well-organised, methodical, encouraging and patient. Here she is checking that all is well.

We are lucky that the hall at Walcote has plenty of room for all to have the space to work comfortably yet companionably.

All the participants worked really hard all day, as you can see, to try and get their boxes finished. The drying time of the glue was a major irritation. Why does it take so long, even when you have used the whole contents of your peg bag to hold the fabric layers together and help it along?

The variety of fabrics which people choose for their projects is always interesting, and if Freud were there, he would have a field day, identifying characters and the inner workings of the mind. Some people chose beautiful fabric with sewing items on (a safe and suitable choice), some fabrics which were chosen for their colours (the arty choice), floral fabrics (the feminine choice), a stunning black and white fabric (the discerning choice) and some fabric with tea bags on it (the divergent thinker's choice!).

You can see how many pegs were needed to hold the layers together while they dried.

Here, Paula concentrates on the task in hand while Jenny has a break and a natter.
Di shows how the finished box base will look when it has been assembled. Unfortunately none of the boxes were actually completed on the day, despite all the hard work. However, the participants assured Di that they will complete them all for show and tell at the next meeting. We'll look out for them all.

Friday 22nd February 2008

2008-02-22T19:06:00.004Z

At our February meeting we were lucky enough to have a talk by Jenny Rolfe. She is a member of the Midlands group of five quilters, TextileARTS, which was set up in order to exhibit their work. While still thinking of herself as a quilter, she is currently working with fabrics, which may be dyed or painted to give them a contemporary feel, but always with dense machine stitching.

She started the evening by showing us a selection of gorgeous quilts, many of which she was generous enough to pass round for us to inspect more closely. Her work is meticulous, beautifully quilted and embellished. Most of her quilts were designed to be wall-hangings, and we recognised several which we had seen in national exhibitions or in patchwork magazines.

Some people felt the need to admire her work very closely! It was certainly very inspirational.

After her talk, Jenny set up her machine and gave a tutorial on machine embroidery. She made it seem very easy! I think it's one of those skills which has a certain mystique about it, but actually demands lots of practice. There is no secret about how to machine quilt or embroider, just the willingness to put in the hours of stitching and practising which are required.

Since Jenny is running a workshop for us on 15th March, she had brought along some samples of the kinds of things could be achieved on that day for all to admire.

Gill had had a bout of spring-cleaning fever, and had had a clear out of quilting books and magazines. This attracted a lot of attention from those deluding themselves that they needed more quilting patterns and tips! There was also a rummage bag of fabric for those poor souls who have no supplies at home. Quilters are always happy to adopt stray pieces of material which will 'definitely come in' one day!

Bunty and Andrea unveiled their ideas for a group quilt to be displayed at the NEC in August. Twenty five people have agreed to make a block for this, on the theme of The Seasons. Each block will have a foundation pieced background and a Bondawebbed tree and then each participant will have free rein to embellish their block in any way they desire, in order to depict their designated season. All blocks must be returned by the next meeting to give Bunty and Andrea time to join them together for the exhibition.

The evening ended with 'Show and Tell'. Here is Bunty's stunning 'Stack and Whack' quilt.

Gaynor showed her lovely 'Card Trick Variation' quilt which has turned out so big that she had had to unpick and modify it to make it fit her bed!

Lynda thanked all those who had bought the 'Green Book' as it had raised £140 for Macmillan. She also reminded us that National Quilting day is on March 15th, so get your needles ready!

Scrap quilts explained.

2008-01-17T21:07:00.000Z

To start the year off with lots of inspiration, we were lucky enough to hear a talk by Margaret Torrance entitled 'Scrap Quilts'. Margaret is a well-known local quilter, and until recently had a shop in Leicester, where many of us used to go for fabric, advice and inspiration. Her talk showed many different ways of using scraps, from simple four and nine-patches, to snowballs, pineapples and snail's trail. She also gave us tips along the way, such as making sure that every quilt had plenty of dark, medium and light fabrics in it, that yellows must be used with caution and that putting scraps in a carrier bag and shaking them about is a sure way of getting a good mix of fabrics and colours in every block.

Here are some of her quilts, handily draped over a table tennis table! The beautiful courthouse steps is actually made from animal prints. You can also see another courthouse steps quilt with a scrappy piano keys border, a cot quilt in pastel colours made from nine-patches on point and some pineapple quilts on the table. Margaret was very generous in letting people examine and touch her quilts. That's often the best part of the evening, when you can see the quilts close up.

I don't know what has made Ann laugh so much, but I'm guessing it's something Stephanie has said, rather than one of Margaret's hilarious quilts!

It was also good to be able to chat to Margaret (on the left) after her talk, ask questions and clarify a few things, or just catch up with her news and family gossip.

Jenny Rolfe came and brought some examples of the kinds of things which will be produced in her 'Tiny Works of Art' class on 15th March. It is always a change for quilters to work in a small scale and make something which can be completed in a day. Quilts are usually a bit more time-consuming than that! This class is now full, although names can be put on a waiting list.

It was wonderful to see so many people had turned out in the cold and dark to hear Margaret's talk, and lovely to have quite a few visitors as well. I got so excited when I heard there were over 50 people in the hall, that I couldn't keep the camera still! Either that, or Beth and Chris were serving more than just coffee!

The evening finished, as usual, with show and tell. Quilters always like to see others' work, whether it is extravagant or simple. We were all beginners once, and remember clearly how proud we once were (and still are) of quilts which we now would regard as pretty basic. Paula showed some Linus 'Dancing Gingerbread Men' quilts she had made from scraps.

Quilters are very generous people and often use their fabric and time to make quilts for others less fortunate than themselves. This quilt is for one of the many babies born in prison. It is no fault of theirs that they end up in that harsh environment and sadly they have to leave their mothers behind when they are 18 months old, and either go to relatives or into care until their mum's release. Hopefully their quilt will act as a momento of their mother until they are reunited.
Our next meeting will be when Jenny Rolfe will demonstrate machine quilting. Unfortunately it won't be possible for everyone to have a go, but if you are very keen to take advantage of jenny's advice, you can put yur sewing machine in the car, and we will do our best to accommodate you. Either way, it will be an interesting and informative evening.

Christmas Extravaganza!

2007-11-28T14:47:00.000Z

Our November meeting was a chance to see some ideas for Christmas decorations and presents. We had six different demonstrations, free refreshments - including my first mince pie of the season!- a free raffle and of course, lots of show and tell.

Paula showed some lovely little Christmas stockings, which could be used as tree or room decorations or even hold small gifts. A string of these along a mantlepiece would look very traditional!

June had made these cute Father Christmas serviette holders. These were easy to make and would enhance any festive table.

Stephanie demonstrated a Christmas angel which had been featured in 'Patchwork and Quilting' magazine. It's much better to see something than just try and work it out for yourself with the instructions. Stephanie gave lots of tips on how to adapt the method so it was even simpler, and didn't need such hard to find components.

Lynda showed her Easy Advent Calendar. There was some skepticism when she said there was time to make it before December 1st, but after seeing the method, most people agreed it was indeed very easy and very quick!

Di showed how to make those gorgeous Christmas trees made of triangles. They look fiddly, but so delicate and attractive when complete. They give an ideal opportunity to use up all those beads and sequins which seemed so necessary when bought, but somehow lurk at the bottom of your work box unused.Gill gave patterns for some lovely foundation-pieced Christmas motifs, which could be used for cards, labels, bags, table mats or even together in a mini-quilt. Many people fight shy of foundation piecing as it seems so complicated ( not to say ridiculous - putting your fabric on the back where you can't see it and then sewing it to a piece of paper!) but the accuracy it brings and the chance to sew very complex shapes makes it a firm favourite for many projects.

Once they had visited all the demo tables and had refreshments, some people took the opportunity to chat (and sew the binding of their show and tell!)

Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to talk to friends old and new, and wish all a happy Christmas and a healthy new year!

Workshops for 2008

2007-11-21T10:09:00.001Z

We are busy organising our calendar for next year and have alreay firmed up three workshops.

The first one is on Saturday 23rd February and will be a 'Hexagon Box Day' run by Di Alderman. This will be an ideal opportunity to make something lovely for yourself or a present for someone else.

On Saturday 15th March Jenny Rolfe wiil show us how to make 'Tiny Works of Art'. This will be a stimulating and creative day, playing with fabric, thread and embellishments.

We were all very impressed with the talk by Pat Deacon in September, and are delighted that she will come and show us how to make her 'Curved Flying Geese' on Thursday 24th April. (All those who work on Thursdays will have to see if you can take a day's holiday!)

In the pipeline is a day looking at old quilts, guided by a member of the Quilter's Guild of the British Isles. This will hopefully be in May and will be an opportunity to look in detail at old and antique quilts brought along by local quilters.
Here is a quilt which was brought along to our exhibition by a local lady who was hoping to have it repaired. Unfortunately it is in a very poor state, but we have undertaken to find out as much as we can about the quilt for her. Any information gratefully recieved!

October's Linus Evening (and AGM)

2007-10-21T10:10:00.000+01:00

October is the month when we hold our annual AGM - a necessary part of any group's calendar, but not one we intended to protract!

The highlights of the evening were the Treasurer's report - delivered in Stephanie's absence - and Chairman's report. The group's funds were shown to be in a very healthy state, and have allowed us to buy some ironing boards, irons and extension leads for future use. We will be able to book some well-known (and thus expensive!) speakers for next year. Di gave a round-up of the year, and it was amazing to hear what we had packed in, from a visit to see some of Birmingham's old quilts to our own exhibition. Our workshops had been very popular, and we are already planning some for next year. Andrea and Bunty gave a report on the exhibition, which was a great success. We had 120 visitors over the weekend, and have more than covered our costs as well as giving a lot of people (including ourselves) a lot of pleasure. The Visitors' Choice labels were won by Andrea for 'Country Sampler' and Bunty for 'Back to the Henhouse'. This aspect of the show proved very popular, with 38 out of the 73 quilts being chosen as someone's personal favourite.

Di agreed to stay on in the chair, and Andrea, Bunty, Gill and Paula also agreed to continue as committee members. Lynda had decided that after 7 years on the committee, it was time to let others with fresh ideas take her place. The committee gave her a beautiful bunch of yellow roses and some gift vouchers as a thankyou for all her hard work.

Next, sewing machines were fetched and the Linus boxes were raided for kits of blocks , wadding and backing. Margot decided to put some gingerbread men blocks together, sashing them with yellow.

Chris helped with the arrangement and pressing of the blocks.

Jackie and Eileen won the prize for the fastest team, managing not only to complete a top, but wad and tack it ready for quilting too!

Elaine was doing a bit of un-sewing (some blocks that had been sewn together incorrectly at another time) and Di was giving her some moral support.

Ruth had become intrigued by the Mile a Minute block, and had chosen pretty pink, purple and blue fabrics to have a go at this technique. Lots of people were interested in watching her progress, and she had soon assembled a large team of cutters, pressers and general advisers to help her!

On the night we completed two tops (Jackie and Eileen's and Margaret put together a t-shirt top as well) and started several others, which will be completed for the next meeting. Those people who hadn't brought their machines were able to help the sewers and have a look at some of the possible simple quilts which can be made for this worthy cause.

Exhibition success!

2007-10-16T17:25:00.000+01:00

This weekend has been our exhibition and it was a great success.

The committee had several meetings to plan it and have thrashed out such weighty matters as where to put the refreshment tables, who has got the white gloves, who can make an 'A' board and how much to charge for teas and coffees! Seriously, the planning beforehand made the whole setting up of the exhibition, not exactly stress-free, but well organised. Unfortunately, we couldn't set up until 9pm on the Friday night before the event, so people were hard at work till midnight, erecting quilt stands and hoisting quilts, then back at 9am the next morning to add the last few quilts, put the finishing touches to the sales table and add to the other displays. Luckily, we had plenty of helpers, and all was ready for the chairman of Harborough District Council to cut the ribbon and declare the exhibition open at 11 o'clock, bang on schedule!

Here is the banner in place, to welcome people to the hall (and reassure them that they were in the right place, as some had difficulty finding the hall, despite our 'A' board on the main road, and lots of other signs.)

Lots of visitors came to look at the quilts (and have a natter).

We even had some male visitors - I think they really came for the cake!

I hope that lady isn't touching the quilts, as there were plenty of notices to warn, and white gloves in case you felt the need!

At the back of the hall we had a display of cushions, bags, Christmas decorations and small wall-hangings, in fact, all the things which were left over!

Quillows from the recent quillow workshop were much admired, and we were kept busy showing how to fold them away and get them out again. Challenging stuff!

There was a lot of interest in the sales table, as quilters never visit an exhibition without taking their cheque books - just in case!

Final stop for most people was the refreshments room, where teas, coffees, squash and a wide selection of home-made cakes were available. (I was amazed to find that my cake sold out on Saturday! It's usually still hanging around at the end, and then I have to bring it home - and eat it myself!)

By 4pm on Sunday we had had over 120 visitors, all of whom enjoyed their visit. There were many positive comments in the Visitors' Book, and we look forward to welcoming more quilting enthusiasts next time.

Exhibition excitement!

2007-10-07T10:06:00.000+01:00

We are getting ready for our exhibition on Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th October from 11-4 in the Walcote Memorial Hall, and trying hard to get everything right! We have had exhibitions before, but they have mainly been as part of Artsfeast - a celebration of the arts in Lutterworth during its annual Feast Week in August. There were lots of advantages of being part of a larger event (not least the fact that we had free publicity and no venue charges) but there were disadvantages too. St Mary's Church is a spectacular setting for quilts, but it was very difficult to hang quilts safely. Also the timing of Feast Week (in the middle of August) meant that people were often away on holiday, making manning the exhibition problematic.

So, we have decided to go it alone! We have hired the hall for the weekend and will be hanging quilts on Friday night. Although I haven't seen all the quilts, I know from show-and-tell that visitors are in for a treat! There will be a sales table - so make sure you bring your purse - and refreshments (including home-made cakes).

Here is a glimpse of some of the items I am gathering together to take with me on Friday. Looking forward to a great weekend!

Painting and stamping on fabric

2007-09-26T17:47:00.000+01:00

On 19th September Chris MacLean treated us to a demonstration of how to paint and stamp patterns on fabric, by using commercial stamps or those made at home. It all looked very easy and the opportunities for creativity are endless.

Here she is, showing some commercial stencils which can be used to decorate fabric.

Here she and her daughter, Jenny, are showing a quilt Chris has made using painted fabrics. The colours are fabulous and painting allows you to have small (or large) quantities of any colour or shade that you need, without having to buy yardage.

Then came the best bit - having a go! Chris allowed us free rein of all her supplies, which gave a fantastic taste of the posibilities that using paint on fabric can bring.

Some people painted with gusto (and not a little success) while others took the chance to catch up with friends and hear their news.

Then came the best part of the evening - show and tell! We had our first glimpse of our new banner, which will be hung outside the hall for our exhibition in October. Members have made individual letters, which Di joined together. (There is an 'e' in Lutterworth, but it's swung up for some reason!)

Here are some of the beautiful quilts which have been made by members recently, including a panel made for displaying round the altar in Saint Mary's church.

Getting quilts out of boxes

2007-09-13T20:20:00.000+01:00

It is our aim to get some of the antique quilts currently languishing in archival boxes, wrapped in acid-free tissue paper into the fresh air for us all to appreciate. Quilts were made as functional and beautiful articles, and while we understand that museums cannot begin to dispay all their treasures, we feel that quilts have been hidden away for too long. On a recent visit to Birmingham City Museum's Store, the curator freely admitted that in the five years since she had been in post, she had not even looked inside some of the boxes containing quilts!

Here is one we saw at Birmingham, a stunning use of hexagons as a border for an amazing Mariners Compass centre. It was apparently designed by the donor's father and made by the mother in about 1875-1882. It is made of silk, which means the colours are wonderful (also because they've been in a box for years!) and set off by the use of black. The whole quilt measures 61x59 and the hexagons have a side of a half an inch!

Cosmic Wonders

2007-09-10T21:46:00.000+01:00

This year, Piecemakers' members decided to enter a group quilt into 'The Festival of Quilts' at the NEC in Birmingham. Bunty and Andrea bravely volunteered to organise it, and came up with the theme of 'cosmic wonders'. Members were invited to participate, and 24 of us received a pack of fabrics and embellishments and a sub-theme of rays, planets, Milky Way or comets to inspire us. The brief was to make a small quilt (8" finished, and bagged, so there were no bulky bindings) which were to be joined together in some way. On the due date, all 24 small quilts were returned to Bunty and Andrea, who had the task of displaying them to their advantage, and in a way which would work at the NEC. As you can see, they have made a great job of putting the very different quilts together to form a whole.

We were disappointed not to win anything, but pleased to have entered the competition, and seen our work hanging in such illustrious halls.