Just in case you hadn't heard ....

one of the reasons I have been absent, is that the quilting business has been really busy. 

I was thrilled to be asked way back in the summer to put some time aside for my lovely friend Katy for some secret stuff.  

Turns out it was quite a big deal, and I am so proud to have done my bit to help her take her new line of fabrics Priory Square for Art Gallery Fabrics to Quilt Market! 

So I just did the quilting, and the brief as always, was just a simple all over.

But this was for Market!  Really, the world and his wife was going to be there! 

So, this is what I did ...

the big quilt, well, it was all about the fabrics, so they never got quilted, but I made sure the quilting made them stand out with really tight little feather swirls in the background. 

I stuck with the theme, I know Katy loves feathers, and when this one arrived...

I just knew that a big feather heart would be perfect!

It was so much more visible from the back, and I am thrilled that it is also visible in the Look Book too!

There was also a small baby quilt ...

and the Voile in the center ....  oh so very soft!

The other news I had was there was to be a thread collection with Aurifil too! 

So I rustled up a cushion to go with the big quilt.

Thanks to Jacqui at Hantex for sending me fabrics so I could finish it off!

I also was asked by Jacqui to do a banner of some sort for Katy's booth

I was sent the marketing images to go from. 

So in true last minute style I decided to go big or go home, 

I printed the main image out onto fabric sheets, but poster size, instead of the A4 image I had 

joined up the sheets

loaded her up and quilted the heck out of her!

its hard to see, but those really are tiny little feather swirls

I put an invisible binding on the quilt to finish it off right at the edge of the print

This was a total surprise for Katy she had no idea I was doing this, and I have to say, I was the proudest person in the world to see photos of my little piece of Priory Square showing up on Instagram during Market.  

Another of those moments where you know you stepped up and did good! 

you can read all about Katy's Market experience here and here

If you don't have any Priory Square yet, you really do need some in your life.  its now available in the UK shops, Simply Solids, The Village Haberdashery, Plush Addict to name but a few!

I hope its on your Christmas list!

This is not a sponsored blog post, it is purely me, loving what my friend does, and happy to be a small part of it :)

October gone in a flash

Its been so long since I did a summary blog post, its about time don't you think!

So whilst I've not been around much, I have been busy

I managed 5 customer quilts, 3 of which were custom quilted

then there was a little bit of secret sewing, now known as Market prep for Katy

there was a cushion too, but I will do a separate post about this lot, I think its fair to say Priory Square is very special and deserves a little more attention.

and of course I finished one of my own quilts

Which I already blogged about

and a small teachers gift at the special request of the teenager

So, whilst you may have got the impression I was ignoring you all, 

I was indeed a tad busy!

So, I am going to link this up with Lynne at Lillys Quilts for  Fresh sewing day, 

See you there!

And Exhale!

Phew!  I am so pleased my copy of Love Patchwork and Quilting finally arrived, 

it was killing me seeing everyone get theirs, knowing some of my quilting was in this issue

another of Katy's masterpieces!

so in order to mull it over for a while, whilst I did other quilts, 

I hung it in my studio where we could eye each other up, and get acquainted

Especially when the brief is a quick all over!

You see, sometimes quilts just don't want to be given the simple all over treatment,

they call out for something else, something more!

this was the first sneak peak I sent to Katy to let her know I'd gone a bit off piste again!

and then I just went for it!

I do like to take a little inspiration from the designs in the fabrics, 

and this was no exception

Fabrics used in this quilt were Safari Moon by Frances Newcombe for Art Gallery Fabrics, 

I loved them so much I had to go out and buy myself some straight away!

In fact, I've told Katy millions of times, I love this quilt!

so now the dilemma, do I make my own version of this quilt?

back to work

So after the short interlude and the disruption of the delivery

Its back to work

so, I've been teaching a beginners course at Stitchcraft Studio in Grantham

and my students have made great progress

this is from a class I taught last July

and a Take Twenty Class

Sandra was on my first beginners course and has finished her runner and has been used all through Christmas, she has also gone on to make plenty of other things too! 

and these are some of the fabrics being used on the Contraflow class

and if you are interested, there's a new page with where you can find me, teaching, talking that sort of thing.  If you're interested in me coming to do a class for your quilting group or a talk, please let me know. 

In addition, it was back to the customer quilts

and what a difference!

I managed to get this one basted, using a water soluble thread on top and Superior Bottom Line in the bobbin, though the 4 oz poyester wadding was a nightmare, not something I will repeat

and there were 2 of these beuaties

all over feathers on both, with Superior So Fine in white, and off white bottom line in the bobbin.  

and then I loaded this pretty

I used Superior Rainbows thread in Bubble Gum Pink, 

such a perfect description of a colour!

so I'm back in the saddle, and loving every minute of it!

There have been a few more, but I'll save the ones I can show you for another day!

Space dust

Way back in the summer at the Fat Quarterly retreat, Kelly asked me to quilt her Tula Pink Spacedust quilt. 

The brief ... do whatever you think on it! 

so it sat, for a while, and I quilted others ahead of it,

and I hung it in the studio for a while so it could inspire me ...

and I knew what I was going to do in the background, 

and then I started quilting it ...

and it just sort of happened, 

and the back

Kelly has a done a beautiful post about her quilt here, so please go take a read,

if you are ever not sure about a quilt, sometimes taking a leap ... and handing over the reigns to someone else can be just the ticket to bring your focus back to why you loved it in the first place.  

Thank you Kelly for placing your trust in me.  

Catching up ...

Its been a while since I showed you some of the customer quilts I've been working ...

this one for Carol is massive!  But oh the piecing!

and all of these Hexi's were hand pieced, including all the background and borders

 are individual hexi's too!

these birdhouse were great fun to do

and then there has been some secret stuff, and I can finally tell you about this one 

if you haven't seen it already, I quilted this Cotton Reels Quilt for Katy, and it is in the new issue of Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

Katy has a giveaway on her blog if you are interested, better get over there quick I'm not sure when she is drawing the winner!

and thank you very much to Lynne for sending me a spare copy 

and its good!

I feel a few more quilts may be started, when I should be finishing some!

a little more quilting ....

so I've been busy with customer quilts 

both these were made by the same lady

and it was a challenging shape to load ...

but the sweetener was the magazine the pattern came from ...

from 2006! 

and I did a little of my own quilting too!

but for now, this is all I can show you :)