So tidy

At Usual Suspects this week Valerie and I followed Tracy's very clear instructions for an armchair tidy and I've finished mine. Very effective and very easy and now I won't be sticking pins in the chair arm and feeling around for lost scissors. I may make the deep pocket version for the remotes. These would go on my husband's chair!

Group Life

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I've met up with all three house groups I belong to in the past five days. First Bonnie Quilters had a fun time dividing up a roll of wadding between us. Buying it like this makes for much fewer creases than in packet form.
Next was Crab & Winkle where I didn't take any photos as we'd just had our show so not much new to see. Today was the Usual Suspects at Tracy's and this was a nice spot to drink our morning coffee and tea. Later, though, two of us started on armchair cosies under Tracy's direction. But we were one person missing. We should all get together next Friday, though, to go to the National Patchwork Championships at Sandown.

Time for elevenses

Carol's quilt

To Faversham today to help Carol with her quilts. Her first top was on the bed. She's very good with colours and when this comes back from the longarmer it should be a really good first effort. We spent the rest of our time cutting strips for the next project - twins and double Trips Around the World with super fabrics bought in New York.

On going

Bryn's blocks

I've made 35 blocks for Bryn's quilt - very subdued and masculine. I intend to add small brighter triangles to the corners but haven't auditioned the fabric choices for these yet.

Cherrywood Blocks

As I'm meeting up with the Usual Suspects on Tuesday and our charity group project is dragging on a bit. I thought I should make a concerted effort to move it along. It's constructed quilt as you go so I'm about to sit down and catch down the back joining pieces.
On another note we went to the Turner Gallery in Margate today and saw the Tracy Emin exhibition and for two days only a huge image of the queen made up of lots of smaller images, a technique I've seen used for quilts. This had attracted masses of visitors and even coach parties but the crowd parted briefly so I took my snap.

Her Majesty

Turner Gallery, Margate with Oympic Festival logo.

Dresden Plate

Four of us decided to give the Dresden plate pattern a go. I drafted my circles using a  compass and the wedges with a protractor then a pin tin lid for the the outer curves. I made templates from heat resistant templar, used them to cut the sections with a seam allowance  and then  pressed the top and bottom curves over the templar. I machined the straight seams and appliqued the curves. Much easier than I thought and it's just right for my rocking chair. The wedge fabrics were poached from 6" squares which were part of a Civil War swap.

Hand quilted

Start Up

I've put the Quilt Show stuff away and I'm now embarking on my grandson's quilt, a more grown up one as he'll be entering secondary school this year. It's going to be strips cut from shirtings. I've more to do and in this picturethey don't look too promising but I hope the sum is greater than the parts.

Quilt Show

The show was a great success and much enjoyed by the group - I'll include more photos from time to time now the excitement has calmed down. Here are the Visitors' choices: Maggie's medieval alphabet based on the book by Eileen Campbell came top both days but on the second day tied with Melanie's "Hearts & Flowers" quilt seen here draped on a chair so Maggie ceded the voucher to her.

General view

Through the window - cricket.

Quilts for sale

Maggie's Medieval Alphabet Quilt

Melanie's "Hearts & Flowers" quilt.

Crab & Winkle Line Quilt Show

We've been setting up our quilt today - all six of us but we wouldn't have managed so well without  "the boys". They were great and one of them is mine!