Jennie Rayment

 It was a very blustery evening, but the thoughts of hearing a speaker of the calibre of Jennie Rayment and seeing her fabulous work was enough to tempt us out!  And, as ever, she did not disappoint on either front!  She started by telling us that when she checked into the Lutterworth Travelodge she realised she had forgotten her overnight bag!  The receptionist was helpful in directing her to Aldi, just across the road.  She managed to buy what she needed there, including pyjamas - you never know if there’s a fire drill or even fire in the hotel.  And if the fire brigade should attend, they would be delighted to see her in her lovely, new Mickey Mouse pyjamas! 

Here she is with one of her tucked circles.  Stunning! 

She brought lots of quilts and bags to show, as well as hats and some other items.  A feast for the eyes, and stimulus for the imagination. 

Julie brought her fabric stall to encourage us. 

 

Caroline hid the raffle prizes in recycled bags.  

There was lots of show and tell, most of it related to our inspiration challenge.  Here is a plastic lined wash bed with zip.  Lots of challenges there. 

Nik used a new technique to make this lovely doll.  Love the shorts. 

She also made this bag with chenille panel. 

This beautiful quilt was a block of the week made during lockdown.  Simple blocks look so good in monochrome, and the triangle border really sets it off. 

Chris made this fun elephant quilt from a free pattern on the internet.  It’s a gift for a baby. 

Chris was so inspired by a visit to Istanbul that when she got home she designed and made this stunning quilt.  The colours and designs are all based on traditional Turkish designs. 

Gaynor made this hold-all as a present for a friend. 

Paula finished this Celtic Connections wall hanging as something purple. 

This cute penguin was made by Jan as a present for a child.  The lantern should have been on a pole, but she decided it would be safer to omit the pole as a safety feature. 

This roomy bag was counted in for the challenge.  Nice and roomy. 

Paula also completed this quilt for a child.  Such gorgeous toning colours. 

This quilt is for a new baby.  All the birds are needleturned applique.  Any baby would be happy to be sick on this! 

This is a roomy toy bag.  

This quilt was made from designs in one of Jennie’s books!  It was great to see it in this gorgeous colour way. 

Edith made this fantastic quilt from a Cowslip Designs pattern.  It’s a shame the quilt holders up weren’t a foot taller, as you can’t see all the beautiful applique in the top and bottom borders.  

Di made two small messenger bags. 

Jacquie is part way through this BOM as her embroidery challenge.  There are three different blocks each month, so there are quite a few more to complete! 

I’m so glad that lots of people have signed up for this challenge, and are obviously enjoying it. 

The next meeting will be a Linus sewing evening.  Bring along your sewing machine and cutting equipment, and any strips or strings which are more than 4” long, of any width from 1” upwards.  We will be making scrappy piano keys strips and I’ll bring some ideas for using them up. 

Jennie ran a workshop the next day which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!  I love seeing all the different colour combinations!  Thank you Jennie and well done everyone!  

Here’s to 2022!

 It was good to get together again in January.  The regulations seem to differ every month (or every week!) but they don’t deter us from getting together.  I forgot to take any photos, which is a shame, but 20 odd of us came together and shared a temptation of snacks and a lot of laughter!  

Several people have told me how they seem to have lost their sewing mojo, so the committee have decided to encourage members by running an Inspiration Challenge.  The idea is that you are given a card with twelve sewing suggestions, and if you manage to complete six items and bring them for us to admire in Show and Tell, then you will get a prize at the November meeting. 

Here is the card, so you can see there are lots of ideas.  Someone asked if you could bring a bag which is a present, has purple fabric and embroidery, has curved shapes and is from a pattern, could you cross off six squares at one go?  Nice try!  

Next month we have the entertaining Jenny Raiment, and a workshop.  There are still places left on the workshop, and you ca enrol at the next meeting. 

A Speaker - at last!

 At our November meeting we were delighted to welcome Pat Archibald as our speaker!  Her visit had been planned so long ago, and it felt good to see her. 

She brought some of her fabulous quilts for us to see, and used slides for her talk, which was about finding inspiration.  After the last couple of years we could all do with some motivation! 

Here is a selection of her work. 

She was all set for a workshop the next day, which was inspired by Celtic knot work. Meanwhile, the show and tell was plentiful. 

Here is an amazing applique quilt.  I don’t know the story of it, but wish I did! 

This scrappy pink quilt is perfectly complimented by the flowery border. 

Pink and brown go together so well. 

I know this is Gwyneth’s work.  She is making a Harry Potter themed quilt for each of her granddaughters and this is part of the Hermione one.  

The diagonal bars on this quilt add a great sense of movement. 

A beautiful fairytale quilt.  

Elephants for a new baby. 

More pink and brown in a very pleasing design. (as I always say, any quilt can be enhanced by a bit of lime green!) 

This is great use of a feature fabric which has been framed to make it enough for a quilt. 

This is Gwyneth’s other Harry Potter quilt, it’s the hero in the centre.  Stunning. 

And the final quilt, another pretty pink one!  There will be no meeting in December, so I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a healthy New Year!  See you in 2022! 

Getting back to it!

 We are all being cautious, but are keen to see friends and participate in the skill we all enjoy.  While physical health is paramount, mental health also has to be considered! 

So in October we got together for our AGM and 21st birthday party!  Some new members were surprised at how quickly we dealt with the AGM.  Twenty minutes is enough for a review of recent meetings and activities, looking at the finances, considering next year and a chance for members to have their say!  Then on to the celebrations.  Chris T had tracked down some amazing cupcakes decorated with sewing implements! Beautiful and delicious! 

Chris H had prepared two quizzes and a guess the block. Here are some of the blocks she had prepared.  She donated them to Linus after we had finished. 

Here we are, nicely spaced out. 

Everyone went home with a prize, so that was good. Caroline has volunteered to organise the raffle, and her first offering was these witches’ hats.  

The show and tell was as impressive as ever. 

An attractive quilt made from squares. 

A scrap quilt made from 2.5”;squares, but in a great arrangement. 

This golden quilt is beautifully embroidered. 

A very useful runner. 

Medallion quilts are some of my favourites. 

Another golden beauty. 

This was made up from Linus hexagon hedgehog kits made by various people.  A fun quilt. 

Is this an orphan quilt?  If so, it’s been beautifully organised. 

Another scrap quilt.  I love the green! 

Is this Magic Tile?  If so, it looks great made with various cheerful fabrics. 

Pink cats.  This will delight a cat lover! 

This is a pastel masterpiece.  The pink cornerstones really add plenty of interest. 

The November  meeting will be a talk from talented quilter, Pat Archibald.  I’m looking forward to it!