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.

Sashiko

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

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!