Changing the bed

Changed the bed today and for the first time this year was able to dry everything on the line and put it back on. It will smell lovely and fresh tonight. The summer duvet has gone on too and this 1998 quilt which is still a favourite, designed by Sara Nephew.

Finishing up

Delicious!

We enjoyed a very tasty barbecue at my daughter's today. She manages to do chicken which is cooked through but not burnt and tender and soft inside not hard . We always have quite a wait though and made sure we had coffee and cake for elevenses before setting out so I was glad to have sewing with me. I finished stitching down the binding on my sewing machine tidy (the keyboard doubles for the machine in my photo). I started this more than a year ago. I also sewed down the binding on bag number three. I've already handed over number two minus photo - I'll try and take one at the show. And when I got home in time to watch another Swedish show with a lugubrious hero I finally finished hand quilting V's block as well as my own so it was a finishing up bits and pieces day.

Quay Quilters' group quilt blocks

Bag number 3, my favourite

Sewing tidy

Our show looms

This was the cake we shared at the last Crab& Winkle meeting before we set up our Quilt Show next Friday. It was my birthday and this followed a lovely lunch and country sorti with my husband. Lunch with my children to morrow and the weather continues sunny and bright so this is a good time.

Lunch was at the Marquis in the village of Alkham between Canterbury and Dover and the sweet was creme brulee with Hazelnut ice cream.




At our meeting we saw the latest quilt Maggie has quilted on her Gammill - this one is for her.

I added a zipped pocket and covered the seams.

For myself on retreat I got out a strippy quilt I took the last time but on laying it out it became clear that it needed some work - some of the strips were puffy. I went to bed very demoralised that night the more so as the others were doing such beautiful work but Judi very kindly did a long line of unpicking for me. I shall do more and think a steady speed using the Pfaff plus some measuring might be the answer. I shall definitely persevere as the parts are good and the unlikely combination of fabrics works well. Now I know why I choose not to join more than one seam from side to side of my quilts but sew blocks into bigger blocks. No pictures yet nor of the workshop tulip quilt I made a start on. Since coming home I've finished the bag I had started while away and I also completed the Patchwork in Perspective cushion taught by Lynne Edwards in 2002! This was quite fiddly but the colours will look good on my sofa.

Patchwork in perspective cushion top.

Retreating

I and eight others have been on a quilt retreat. It turned out well. I knew everyone and those who hadn't met before forged new independent friendships and connections and we're going again next year. Visits to local quilt shops helped as did being catered for.

Belinda's quilt show BOM taking shape

Isabel's project

Valerie's bag with lots of pockets

Maggie's quilt in the making

Another day

General view

The stage

My mystery pattern made by Ros Martin

another quilt show. . .












I was very pleased to see a mystery quilt I patterned some years ago in different sizes. This is the smallest one made by Ros Martin.

My "Visitor's Choice" was hexagons started many years ago by Joyce Ovenden and finished recently by Jean Higgins. It's scrappy and it works!

Tulips

The hexagons have been made in a relatively short period of time by Mavis. She is copying the complex layout of a large antique quilt and has completed this centre section. This one is for her own bed.

On a smaller scale these are two blocks for Quay Quilters' charity quilt next year. I've hand quilted mine on the right and have just embarked on quilting Vanessa's on the left. Vanessa does superb machine quilting but is not happy tackling it by hand.

Tweet! Tweet!

I have been posting so much work made by others lately I need to point out I have managed a finish - a quilt started in a workshop with Bethany Reynolds, Paducah 2009. It's a kaleidoscope stack and whack. Although the fabric has large shapes the repeat is only 6" so there isn't much variation. It was fun to do though.

I was going to call the quilt Tweet! Tweet! but it's now "April Rise" after the poem of that name by Laurie Lee and the label includes a line from it about the swishing of birds' wings in the branches.

Lunch date

Those of us going on quilt retreat next week met at my house for lunch. We showed and told. I have to make a label for Judi's baby quilt: "Made with love by an Uvulati quilter". Nancy of  http://nancynearphiladelphia.blogspot.co.uk/ pointed out I hadn't included my membership of this transatlantic group on my sidebar, an omission I speedily rectified. Belinda is getting on well with her projects and actually finished the binding on her white stars quilt that day.

Finished on the day

Judi's challenge A4 piece

Judi's charity quilt

The spiderwebs have a lovely border

Dear Jane Day

Sally with a small quilt

Today I attended a "Dear Jane" workshop where we learnt techniques to aid us in making the 4.5" blocks that originate in a 1863 quilt made "in time of war" by Jane Stickle. We tackled some complex piecing and techniques new to many of us. Sally brought her own wonderful version of the quilt but also lots of vintage blocks and other items to show us - very in depth in terms of information and techniques. I asked if I could post pictures on my blog.
It was good to hand piece for a change but we still managed to take up lots of space even though we didn't have our machines with us.

Sally Stott's "Dear Jane"

Vintage blocks

One of our projects

Another project for the day

The first task of the day

Class work

C&W

Crab and Winkle met last night and Marion asked for help with pricing sales table quilts. It's always hard to balance what a quilt is really worth and what people are prepared to pay. Other quilts came out to view too. Maggie is getting on amazingly well with her longarm machine.

Mary 's quilt longarmed by Maggie

Maggie's quilt for her daughter

On the bed

Isla's quilt is installed on her bed and she put her hand on the appliqued version of it..

I is for Isla

Quilt on Bryn's bed

Finished binding the quilt while on babysitting duty. Alan took a photograph. Also while there I saw an old friend on my grandson's bed.


It was a busy day as I went to Quay Quilters in the evening where Bid showed the quilt top she's made while attending our classes and Jane showed the top she's made to showcase fabric from her Australian trip.

Bid's sampler quilt

Jane's travels downunder

Isla's Quilt

I was baby sitting today and took the quilt I have been binding with me. Two family members laid claim - which one is it for?