Bletchley Park

Last Saturday Ruth organised another of her fantastic trips, this time to Bletchley Park, home of the WW2 code-breaking Enigma machine, and for two days only, to a super quilt exhibition.
The weather was gorgeous (if you sat in the sun) and there was lots to see if (heaven forbid) you hadn't been attracted by the quilt show! So, while various husbands were well catered for, we were all able to enjoy the quilts.

There was a big competition about codes, and we were delighted to see that our own Sarah had a 'Highly Commended' sticker on her quilt! Way to go Sarah! It's a shame that the venue wasn't altogether suitable for displaying quilts, and this one was right next to a big pillar, making it almost impossible to photograph (which explains the image below) but I'm sure we'll have a chance to see it closer at the next meeting. If you can't wait till then look on Sarah's blog (a link is on the sidebar to the right).

I spent much of my day in the documentation room, looking at old quilts (look here if you'd like to find out about the quilts I took) but here are some of Ruth's photos.

Here is another amazing quilt.

This one was in the codes competition with lots of lovely applique.

And compare this one with the photo at the top of this post. Amazing!

Thank you very much for giving us all a lovely day, and a chance to visit an important historic building.

February workshop evening

This month we had one of our very popular 'hands-on' sessions. Over 40 people came out on a cold inter's night to learn something new! Excellent! My workshop was probably the least popular, with just 4 students, but since it was a complete beginners 4-patch session, that was only to be expected. Liz kindly lent a hand and I think everyone enjoyed it, well, they all had beautiful 4-patches to show at the end of the session, so that's good.

Jenny showed a curved piecing technique which would make a lovely table runner. You can just see the sample on the back of the chair next to Doreen. Despite their hard work, nobody completed one in the time!

Jane showed Piece-lique, which is a technique half piecing and half applique, suitable for accurate curves. Everyone managed this one. Is it Jane's clear teaching style?

This workshop was for 3D flying geese. (Why is Gill hiding hers? Have they flown away?)

The chenille workshop was very successful, and I'm looking forward to seeing the pieces when they've been washed. They will be stunning.

Ruth had the clever idea of buying a roll of Bondaweb and one of wadding for people to buy at a discount. The wadding was so popular that 15 metres were sold that evening. Di was kept very busy cutting it into lengths.

In the autumn, we will be having a two day workshop for beginners or people who haven't managed to make a full-sized quilt. The pattern is Jacob's Ladder, and here is Ruth's take on it. Her colour choices are gorgeous. Any colour scheme would look great, so long as there is a good contrast between the darks and lights. Show and tell was as varied as ever. Paula kicked it off with this Linus quilt. She had taken a bag of 4" blocks and squares and put her own stamp on them. That pastel green sashing and border is a perfect foil.
I'm sorry, but I can't remember who had made this can-can dollies quilt, as it's super! The bright colours add an extra layer of fun to the quilt.
Di has just had her first grandchild - how lovely! So, of course, a quilt was needed, and a cloth book was a fun project too.

Stephanie had made this cot quilt from a strip of those little squares. They have been framed and look lovely.

She also used an alphabet and number panel to great advantage. How creative!

My New Year's Resolution is to finish a UFO every month, and so far so good. Here is my February quilt. It was made from a set of calendar baskets I made in 2005, and I'm really pleased with the setting - it gives the blocks plenty of movement.

Four years ago a lady brought an old quilt to our exhibition. She wanted to know how to repair it, but was quite phlegmatic when we told her that it was beyond help. She let me keep it, and I wanted to repay her kindness by giving her another quilt.

Here, finally, is the quilt I have made. The design is similar to the old quilt, and I hope she likes it.

Di has made this lovely bag with cute little sheep on it. Can you see that one is actually knitting?!

She had also made these penguin wall hanging as presents to take on a forth-coming foreign trip. What fabulous gifts!

Liz always has something gorgeous to show. This quilt is made from 4-patches, but the colours make it even more stunning.

She has also made this Scrappy Bargello. It's a Bonnie Hunter pattern and never fails to delight.

Here is a variation of the design which has been made for Linus. It's Scrappy Trip Around the World. Beautiful.

Sue had made this bright Linus quilt from fabrics ahe as given many years ago and struggled to use. Lucky Linus!

However, this Linus quilt takes the prize for BRIGHT! Hooray!

We always love seeing your show and tell, so please bring it along to the next meeting.