Postcard Swap

One week after the last posting date, we're still awaiting 7 postcards from our swap with Marsh Quilters. Let's hope they turn up soon and have not gone AWOL in the postal system.

Anyway,  here are those that had arrived by our meeting on Wednesday.

Getting back to normal

The exhibition is now pretty much done and dusted, and put away until next time. It was a hugely successful event and everyone involved should give themselves a big pat on the back. We were delighted with the number of visitors, many of whom gave the group some lovely positive feedback. And, how lucky were we with the weather? Despite a breeze on the Friday morning that necessitated a move of the group challenge exhibits, the sun shone both days.

Since the exhibition, the focus has been our own group Secret Santa (a postcard and a tree decoration swap) and a 'normal' postcard swap with Marsh Quilters. More on these next time.

5th Anniversary Exhibition

We've not blogged much over the summer holidays because we've been busy preparing for our forthcoming exhibition. 

Planning meetings have become more frequent, cataloguing, photographing and labelling of the 170+ exhibits is well underway, items have been made, labelled and priced for the sales table, the raffle has been sorted out, the signage, bunting and banners are all made, the exhibition guides are printed and there is now a rota in place for all those jobs that need doing on the day.

And most importantly, the baking has been sorted out - there will be plenty of cake!!

We're also delighted that The Log Cabin will be trading at our exhibition. 

Entries in the group's '5 Challenge' have exceeded expectations with many of our very new members also participating and making their entry in next to no time (given every one else has had a good 18 months to make theirs). The entries are all very different and will bring a smile to many faces. We are asking visitors to the exhibition to vote for their favourite quilt in the '5 Challenge'.

Do come along if you can, and mention it your your friends.

Two bags and a pineapple

Actually, the sum of our 2018 weekend retreat at High Leigh, Friday morning to mid-afternoon Monday, theme 'bags', was:

• 20 people, 7 or whom were first time retreaters
• 20 machines, plus spares and one emergency delivery from home
• 4 ironing boards and irons
• 60 breakfasts
• 80 morning tea/coffee breaks with biscuits
• 80 lunches
• 60 afternoon tea/coffee break with cake
• 60 dinners
• a guess the baby quilter competition - "how hard was that?"
• a how many buttons in the jar competition
• 2 weekender bags - "how many layers?"
• 3 bionic bags - "never again!"
• several holdall/tote style bags
• quite a few small bags
• several quilts and wallhangings
• some items for our exhibition sales table
• City & Guilds' homework/technique samples
• 1 pineapple doorstop
• 2 Linus Quilts - see more below
• 3 Little Dresses for Africa - see more below
• 3 visitors
• fab, fab, fab weather.

Many thanks to Sarah for volunteering to organise the entertainment, with prizes too. To make it fairer - our younger members were asked to bring their baby/toddler photo in B&W rather than colour.

Guess the Baby Quilter
 (apologies for the photo quality)

And here are the projects:

Big bags:

Little bags:

   

     

 Quilts:

Little Dresses for Africa:

The group supports two charities, this one and Project Linus (see below). Many thanks, again, to Pat for making these lovely dresses over the weekend.

Why does the stash not go down though? Because we see lots of lovely new fabric and we top up the stash with fabric that's 'just right' for dresses and shorts!

Linus Quilts:

Prior to the retreat, we decided that everyone should make and bring one log cabin block with them, red centre, blue 'logs', no obviously 'girly' prints, 12 1/2" unfinished. Several people made more than one block. There were 32 blocks in all, enough blocks to make 2 Linus Quilts suitable for teenagers, in particular, teenage lads. Thankyou ladies for your generosity and time making the blocks and to Pat for volunteering to put the blocks together and make up the quilts.

And still the stash remains the same because we buy fabric that's 'just right' for a Linus quilt!

Sewing Accessories #2

Today, we held the second of our weekend workshops making sewing accessories, the agenda being one or more of :

• a large storage bag with eyelets
• a collapsible thread catcher 
• a continuous threaded needle case.

If you recall, sewing accessories #1 was all about a cutting mat and/or ruler bag.

In practice workshop #1 included a bit of today's agenda, and vice versa depending on who was able to come to which workshop. So here's what happened today:

Collapsible thread catchers,

large storage bags (finished),

large storage bags (almost finished),

sewing mat & ruler bag,

continuous threaded needle cases, 

and a baby quilt.

Fabric Flowers

Having had their arms twisted last year, Anne and Carol led a mini tutorial at our April 18th meeting, the topic being fabric flowers.

Now, there is a direct correlation between the the amount of chatting and giggling that evening and the number of finished flowers. There were 21 people attending, and just 7 finishes.

Having said that, it was a fabulous evening that was enjoyed by all, with the added bonus of two new members taking us to capacity again.

Show & Tell

We've not posted for a while, so here are a few photos from yesterday's show & tell.


The backgrounds the first two pieces were created during our dabble day workshop last year. Free machine quilting/embroidery has now been added.

A fabulous first attempt at placing a different FMQ design in each different space.

Another first attempt, this time using Westalee rulers.

The design on a tea towel has been cut out and appliquéd onto a tote bag.

And lastly, we love a workshop with Helen Howes. This one may be an entry in our '5' challenge to celebrate the group's fifth anniversary.

A fabulous and varied range of work on show this month.