Bunting evening

In June we had an evening making cotton reel bunting for our upcoming exhibition.  This is a great way of using up scraps, and was great fun.

Here are some Blue Peters made by Di and myself.  We have decided to put short pieces of tape on each one, to make it easier to manage.  Then they can be assembled to any length. 

People here working together. 

People worked in pairs or groups. 

Beverley is obviously on quality control in this group!

Here is another example of Indians and Chiefs!  

Of course, lots of people (myself included!) come to Piecemakers to meet friends and chat!  It's always good to have a chance to put the world to rights, although Doreen is a multi-tasker, as she can talk and cut tape lengths at the same time! Thanks, Doreen. 

Show and tell never ceases to inspire.  It's hard to understand that some people are reluctant to come out to the front and show their work. We are always enthusiastic and complimentary about everything - after all, we know exactly how much work has been put into each piece.  The committee took the decision to have the show and tell in one pile, so people could leave their show and tell at the beginning of the meeting, and didn't have to pluck up their courage to stand up later in the meeting if they didn't want to.  That way, you could just acknowledge your work, or give a full speech about it! 

Here is a gorgeous Dresden plate made with 1930s fabrics, plus some pretty appliqué round the edge.  

This beauty is Liz's version of Bonnie Hunter's 'Easy Street'.  Nik challenged her to make it, but she says she would be reluctant to do another mystery quilt, as you don't know whether the fabrics you choose will be right.  She's not head over heels in love with this one, although I can't see why not, personally. It's fabulous. 

I love Bonnie's mysteries, and here is my version of 'Lazy Sunday'.  The only thing I don't like about Bonnie's designs is that they are always huge.  This one has just over half the blocks she suggests, and is still a decent size!  

This is one of Maria's which she made at a workshop using fabrics with large prints.  Close up, it looks even better.  She's going to bind it in the blue. 

Here are two baby quilts made by me from feathered star blocks.  The feathered stars were made for a workshop, and look fine once a couple of borders have bigged them up. 

And last but definitely not least, here is the quilt Gaynor has made for a wedding present.  The bride chose the colours, and initially, Gaynor wasn't impressed.  The tones are pretty similar.  However, as the blocks were assembled, she realised that it is stunning.  Good choices! 

We have also been doing more sewing in schools.  We bought the equipment a couple of years ago with some Waitrose money, so just needed a contribution towards the fabric,  Sherrier School in Lutterworth was our first stop, with 60 ten and eleven year olds taking part. 

Since two children share a sewing machine and an adult tutor, that meant finding thirty people in all - no mean feat!  A few tutors were provided by the school, but mainly by Piecemakers. 

You can see how engaged all the children are -as well as the adults! 

So a special thank you to Maria H, Julie, Gwyneth, Paula, Liz I, Liz D, Jane, Di, Emily and Madelaine for all your hard work.  The looks on the children's faces were reward enough! 

If you think this post is strangely familiar, but not, don't panic, as I had written and published this post a few weeks ago, then inadvertently deleted it! So this is actually 'Cotton reel bunting 2'!