First indoor meeting!

 In September, we held our first indoor meeting and it was a huge success!  Everyone who came 29 people) felt very safe, and what is more to the point, had a great time. 

People enjoyed getting together, and lots of people had a go at the EPP diamonds project. 

Hexagons are a common EPP project, but diamonds were new to lots of us.  

One of Lynda’s lockdown projects was to use the diamonds to make a quilt, but most people were happy to make a small mat! 

Show and tell was excellent, and it was clear that some people had used lockdown to finish off UFOs - way to go! Here is one of the Piecemakers strippy quilts put together in an imaginative way. 

Great use of drunkards path blocks. 

Some four season churn dash blocks from a Mary Mayne workshop. 

This is a Cowslip designs pattern, but the maker got a bit ‘daisied out’ so did her own thing in the border. 

Vicky made this fabulous quilt for her grandson.  Shows what happens when you give a young person the chance to choose their own pattern! 

Here is another ‘Hope Stars’ quilt.  I love the batik border. 

Another BOM quilt, with a dark background.  Stunning. 

One member was so disappointed not to do Jenny Raiments ‘Scrappy, sappy do’ workshop, that she bought the pattern and made it herself!  

A great use of toning fabrics. 

Another BOM, this time in a 9-patch arrangement.  

Here is another Piecemakers strippy quilt, our of the drawer and finished! 

This is a beautifully balanced medallion quilt.  I love the yellow and blue. 

Gaynor has been working on the EPP apple care quilt for quite a while, and was both delighted and relieved to finally finish it! 

This quilt is a surprisingly simple design which looks fabulous due to fabric selection.

 And last but not least, a reminder that Christmas comes round every year, and it’s never too soon to get ready!  

Our next meeting will be the AGM and 21st birthday party, complete with games and cake!  See you there! 

Latest news

 I don’t have any photos about the August meeting of Piecemakers, because I couldn’t go due to a family meet up.  It looks like that applied to quite a few people, as only a handful of people made it on the day!  This is a clear message that things are starting to open up, and people are more and more willing to meet up, if the situation is safe.  

So, September will see our first indoor meeting of 2021!  The committee are keen to make everything as safe as possible, with social distancing, and mask wearing for those who would like it.  You can come for the social, or there will be an opportunity to try something new, English Paper Piecing diamonds, to make a small mat or coaster.  

You will need to bring two strips of fabric 20” x 2.5” in contrasting colours, your usual sewing kit including some matching thread. The EPP papers will be provided for you. 

You can make either the star or propeller design, both of which make useful mats or decorations for bags etc. Don’t forget your mug, as the refreshments will be available as usual. See you there! 

July meeting

 So far we have been very lucky with the weather for our outdoor meetings as it was yet another hot and sunny day.  We straggled in a line along the hedge where there was shade! 

Julie had brought batiks to sell and I brought my rummage box, or at least, a selection of items from it.  Thank you for your donations to Project Linus. 

Some members are part of another group which is making group pictures.  The idea is that each member chooses a picture, cuts it into six strips (one for each member) and each one must be made in fabric.  At the next meeting the participants bring back their strips and the person who chose the picture gets to join the strips and keep the result.  

Caroline chose the ‘Blue Painting’ by Kandinsky, and this is the result. 

Practically identical!  She’s going to use it to make a backpack. Paula chose a painting of puffins.  I don’t have a copy of the original, but here is the finished item. 

Stunning!  Paula has also finished her BOM quilt. She used lots of colours. 

Caroline also finished a Dresden plate UFO. 

Her colours are fabulous, and her borders and sashing perfect!  It’s going to be a present. 

 

Gaynor has put her apple core quilt together.  It’s been an on going project over papers, and has some very old fabric in it, apparently. 

Strings with white strips. 

Mile a minute bars. 

                                                                            Scrappy pineapple. 

Scrappy strings. 

String waves. 

Scrappy courthouse steps. 

I spent much of this years lockdown beavering through my scrap drawers.  From two drawers full of scraps and strings, I got it down to a quarter of a drawer!  (Unfortunately that quarter of a drawer has been mating, because there’s more in there now, but at least I have some good ideas of how to tame it again! 

It was lovely to have a catch up and see some familiar faces again.  See you again in August! 

June meeting

 I know it was my fault for not attending the June meeting, but I’m quite confused.  I thought the meeting was in the Walcote Memorial Hall grounds, with members of the group in attendance, but everyone is wearing disguises (hats, fancy clothes and dark glasses) and I can’t work out who they are, plus the setting looks more like some Classical Greek monument than the hall!  

See what I mean?!  No, on second look, it’s the skateboard ramp, and no doubt that’s a stunning Bargello made by Gaynor.  Apparently there were about sixteen people there, and everyone seems to have brought plenty of show and tell, so sit back and enjoy! Firstly the committee were delighted to see several completed ‘HopeStars’ quilts.  This was our lockdown 2 BOM, and if you missed out, the instructions are still on this blog. 

They are all so different, and it’s great to see different layouts.  Chris’s blue one is part of this set, even though she fell in love with part one of the BOM and made more blocks the same! 

Here is a set of quilts which look like they’ve been made by the same person (I’m guessing it was Ann S, the queen of EPP!) Several beautiful EPP quilts and some scrappy ones too.  Gorgeous. 

Is this ‘Long Time Gone’ by Jen Kingwell?  Jens quilts are always great fun to do, but quite taxing.  Great use of colour. 

This one is definitely Lynne’s Patchwork of the Crosses’ by Lucy Boston.  I wish I could get a closer look at all that fabulous work. 

Two sew a rows looking good.  See, they get finished eventually! 

More amazing quilts.  The light really enhances the colours! 

Just to show there were also mini quilts, cushions and bags, keeping everyone busy!  

I’m disappointed I couldn’t be there, but glad that so many people were able to get together.  Many thanks to Julie for taking the photos. The next meeting will also be outdoors, and I hope to see everyone then.