Beginners

Yesterday was week 3 and the last week of the beginners course that I Have been teaching at my LQS, Stitchcraft Studio in Grantham.

So this was what they've been working on ...

and I also ran up a working runner for demo purposes

oh, and the spool block I turned into a quilted sampler for demo'ing how to add binding

and this is just how awesome my group of ladies were!

Thank you to all the ladies, it was great fun, and I can't wait to see your finished runners and follow your progress on your quilting journey!

If you're interested in a Beginners Class, I am repeating this class again

Saturday 18, 25 January and 1 February 2014

and 

Saturday 22, 29 March and 5 April 2014

contact the Shop if you are interested in booking a place.

oh ... and speaking of gifts

Recently Nicky came to visit, 

well, her husband was visiting family in the area, 

in fact so close, it was almost the back garden!

and way back in the summer, we both agreed to a personal swap, 

each making a cushion ...

and Nicky brought hers with her ... I was completely taken aback!

isn't it beautiful!  hand applique'd and everything,

she confessed to have stalked my flickr faves and quite frankly 

she got it spot on!

the detail on the back is stunning as is the free motion quilting!

and there is a little label inside under the zip cover too

(but i didn't get a photo, and its dark!)

honestly Nicky, I feel ashamed I have not fulfilled my end of the bargain, 

I need to rectify this!

whilst she was here, as well as inspecting the studio and the fabric pantry,

a serious inspection of the quilts was made, 

sadly we ran out of time to look at them all, 

I think that's a damn good excuse for another visit!

(I counted them as I folded them up again, 54!)

Catching up on Birthdays

I have been busy, but just not blogged, so I thought I better get some blog posts written, 

first up were some birthdays for the Kitchen Guild ladies, 

(if you've been on IG, you may already have seen some of this)

first up is our hostess with the mostest Lynne 

now, she's a tough cookie to make for!

It is all about the piecing for Lynne so I had to find something that was challenging, yet traditional, with that real traditional red white and blue feel to it.

enter the Lone Star - challenging, and traditional

The star fabrics are from French General, and the background fabric is from , Etchings by 3 Sisters for Moda, a Parisian architectural print, all very personal to Lynne

and of course, you know I don't do straight line quilting,

but for this project it was the right thing to do :) 

I used Aurifil 50 Wt colour #2123 (a lovely yellowy cream)

the back, zipper inserted in the Sew Mama Sew way

I'm really pleased with the finished result, the piecing came out almost perfectly, 

the quilting (although I nearly went mad) was just right

and best of all Lynne loves it!

Secondly, was Brioni 

now, for this one it was all about the quilting and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, 

and whilst I cannot explain where the inspiration came from, 

lets just say, it's very personal for Brioni!

and the back

Plain White Kona I got from Justine at Simply Solids, and the background was quilted with Aurifil 50 wt colour # 2021, my go to piecing thread!  The colour wheel was a mix of all sorts that is in my thread stash...

(yes I have one of those!)

sometimes, it all just comes together!

and even I was a little gobsmacked I managed to pull off these two gifts,

 for two very special talented  ladies

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!

Finish Along = The final Quarter 2013

I need to get this is fast!

and perhaps you won't notice that I've gone for blind panic, and the more the merrier slant,

well, what's the worst that can happen, I don't finish any of them!

so here goes:

#1.  Siblings Together - carried over from last month, this is a top that now needs to be quilted and bound.

#2  12th Street - another top, (pattern testing) and just needs quilting and binding

#3  Merry Go Round Quilt - yes, another top that just needs quilting and binding, this one is now a class sample so I better pull my skates on!

#4  Patch Fabrics project - I need to finish piecing the project and produce the finished article and write a blog post/tutorial

#5  Chevron Quilt -  I have quite some way to go on this one, piecing to finish off, quilted and bound

#6   Christmas quilt -  carried over from earlier in the year, piecing to finish, quilt and bind

#7  Kaleidoscope quilt -I have half  blocks, so again piecing, quilting and binding

#8  Black and White 2 for one - piecing started, so finish piecing, quilt and bind. 

hmm, ambitious, yes, but hey, nothing like a challenge eh?

and of course the theme ... 'just needs ....'  lol

Linking this up with Leanne for the final quarter of this years FAL

Phew!

DailyCraft TV

I was approached by the very nice man at Fons and Porter to review one of their DailyCraftTV classes  

There are a wide selection of classes available, and as an experience quilter I found it quite hard to decide which one I would get the most out of, so in the end I opted for something completely different!

well you would wouldn't you, given the chance!

What? oh yes, Hawaiian Style Quilting, 2 for 1 Hula with Stacy Michelle,

The presentation is about 40 minutes long, and once you get past (what felt to me) the hard sell for the patterns and fabrics, the class is very informative with some interesting tips on fusing particularly on large pieces of fabric.  All very detailed and precise.  There is a downloadable document that gives you all the instructions to carry out the technique, which are clear and easy to follow.  My only disappointment was that a pattern was not included so you can try the technique, even just on a small scale, if you have the materials to hand.  Not living in the USA, postage for patterns and supplies can be rather excessive, and something I try and avoid unless absolutely essential.  So to only be given the option of going through the presenters web site was the one thing that I felt let this class down for me.

Overall a good class, and had I paid $9.99 I may have felt just a little let down by the supporting document.
Thank you to Fons and Porter for allowing me to review one of their online classes.

A Finish and a FAL Report

I finished this quilt last weekend, but just didn't have the weather to get a good pic of it ...

so this morning with the sun shining I finally got it out there

This is my Overs and Unders quilt, a pattern from Scrap Basket Sensations by Kim Brackett

and I am thrilled with how it turned out! 

it has a few grubby finger prints on it, but that's ok, it will wash no problem!

so this was on my Qtr3 FAL list, so I'm hoping to have snuck this one i under the wire!

Speaking of which, I need to declare my finishes for the Quarter ..

so I declared I would finish 4 things 

#1 Siblings Together Quilt ...  I made progress this is now a completed top, but sadly not finished.

#2 Overs and Unders ....  Woohoooo! We have finished it!  Success!

#3  Table Runner  ...  Yep, another finish, blogged here

and I was teaching with it yesterday!

#4 Swoon Quilt ... nothing has happened with this, it still remains a top that requires quilting and finishing, so a Fail on the swoon front!

so that makes a 50% success rate!

not bad as I have been mega busy, teaching, quilting, making and harvesting

so I am going to link this up with Leanne for Qtr 3 FAL

and better start thinking about my Qtr 4.

(shocking we are that far through the year already!)