Sewing with others

I think that after this post I shall be up to date with my photosharing; then shortly I'll have some finishes to upload, like buses they'll be done all at once. Just now I'm piecing a back for my Linus owls quilt and stitching the binding on the paisleys swirls and then on the green U3A quilt. Lots to do while watching television. Meanwhile here are the blocks from the Bonnie quilters' (Mavis in purple, Trish in Repros., me in blues and Fran in b/w)  last get together. I also attended the local Quilters' Guild birthday party where we did a very successful hand sewing project in the morning. I need to be dragged kicking and screaming through anything 3D and/or  folded but Sally guided us very successfully through the various stages of making origami butterfly broaches.

Group photo; it looks like a cabinet drawer has been pulled out.
Mine is bottom right.

Mine is suitable for a (girl) child.
 

Last from the Retreat

Julie's double wedding ring; the lighter centre is inspired.

Julie quilted it herself on her longarm machine

Another project from Julie, all made from scraps

detail

Linus Quilt from Kathy. She kindly gave me a handout on how to make the
dancing squares border.

More from retreaters

Pam's jelly roll quilt; In the background you can see Heather's apple
core units.

As well as Heather my other companions on our set of tables were Pat and Kathy. We all enjoyed our time together. I sat near Pam last year and we like to share a glass of wine together in the evening. In the summer we found ourselves at the Traditional Quilters' Group retreat and were both in the same Jackie Taylor workshop and making the same quilt. Pam finished her top on this  retreat. Mine awaits quilting at home. She also worked on a colourful diamonds quilt from a Kaffe Fassett workshop at Lady Sew and Sew. I'm familiar with this as two of the Usual Suspects have made one from when he taught at FOQ.

  Meanwhile Kathy worked on quite a complicated design using 30's style fabrics; she'd also added to her stock of exquisite Liberty Star Rose hand sewn blocks since I last saw her. Like five others on this retreat she is a professional long armer and had made a lovely quilt with linen sashing which added an interesting texture.

Detail of jelly roll blocks

Kathy's 30's quilt taking shape

Pam's Fassett diamonds in bright jewel tones

Kathy's Star roses made in Liberty fabrics

Kathy's quilt

Detail of Kathy's Christmas quilt
showing linen sashing

Sitting near Heather

Usually on these retreats I sit near Heather and I always enjoy seeing her work. She has an unerring eye for colour and design whatever style she turns her mind to and is always trying out new ideas. This visit was no exception. For more check out her blog (link above and there is a pattern site too) but here's what I photographed this time.

Heather's Modern Logs

Detail

Mandy's quilting on Heather's Oakshot quilt

Heather with "A Walk in the Woods" made with supplied
Oakshot fabrics.
 

Retreat still

Red Riding Hood block

Top done

Detail

Still more from last week's retreat. After completing the little people top minus border I opened up a kit I bought from Quilters' Haven a couple of years ago featuring Aneela Hoey fabrics, rather Scandinavian looking. The mindless sewing I'd hoped for didn't come my way as matching the two way directional pale grey print frames (more or less) proved tricky and there were a few miscuts and wails too but I learnt a lot so it wasn't mindless. I learnt about cutting slanted frames, that a 30 degree angle was involved and just how I needed to consider the direction of stripes when cutting. I needed to align them horizontally for one pair and vertically for the  other. I worked it out only to realise the pattern diagrams showed it if only I'd looked carefully. The blocks finish at 8" so this is a good sized child's quilt. Isla might want it.

Yvette with her completedred and white top

Mandy's huge piece; thank goodness she has a longarm

Detail

Suzy's leaf blocks

Still with the U3A

Wreath shapes applied to wrong side of fabric,
paper side UP, sticky side DOWN.

Betty's pinwheel cut out.



Betty's pinwheels

We are on Week Two of making heart wreath runners based largely on a Jeanne Gentry project published in British Patchwork & Quilting. The members completed pinwheel blocks last week and traced the  heart wreaths (which I redrafted just to check how they worked) onto fusible web at home. Now we cut out the tracings roughly and applied the sticky side to the wrong side of the wreath fabric. We protected the ironing boards with a cloth and the irons with greaseproof paper. Then a teabreak to allow the fused units to cool; these again we cut out roughly and then exactly on the drawn lines, We took especial care with the central star as the cut out piece could also be used to decorate.



Doreen's wreath and discarded paper backing; note
the St John Star in the centre achieved by
placing the outer star points on the pinwheel lines.

Denise's, I think, all done and dusted
and a different star in centre as the inner
star points were placed on the
diagonal seam lines.

Maureen's wreaths ready to apply and the cut out stars can also
be used.

Back with the U3A

Class projects

Miriam with her log cabin quilt top, barn raising arrangement.

Miriam working on her quilt; you can see the vilene squares.

There is more from the Quilt Retreat but I need to catch up with more recent stuff too. I had packed my stuff for the U3A class before setting off last week along with a list of things I needed to add that were in my retreat bags. Pleased to say I didn't forget anything. Students brought in completed coasters and keyrings from the first day and coincidentally as often happens Miriam was assembling a whole log cabin quilt in this way (on gridded vilene) at the retreat. (See my 7th October post for more quilts possibly done this way.) Penny brought in a quilt nearing completion; she wanted to ask about the border. It is just the most super quilt.

Penny's hexagons

Quilt retreat

I am retreating with 14 others in a tranquil rural setting and getting a lot done and enjoying seeing the other projects here. First up I finished my Bonnie blocks stint but the photos do not give a true representation of the colours so I'll take them again. Next up was sashing and assembling owl blocks which I intended for a different quilt but which will now make a very nice Linus or child's quilt. Now I'm assembling Little People swap blocks which I should finish today.


My extra owls

One of Julie's blocks designed by Edyta Sitar

Julie's blocks made in batiks

 

Carrie's Magnum Opus; the fabrics are lovely

Lynda's Seven Sisters tacked for hand quilting

Lynda's scrap log cabin

Blog Catch Up ( more to come)

Bonnie Blocks

The two Bonnie blocks didn't materialise on my last post so here they are. Once I finished my owl Linus top I fished out my Little People from a transatlantic swap organised by http://nancynearphiladelphia.blogspot.co.uk/. I planned the layout at the end of my last retreat so the blocks were all labelled. I just needed to cut out the alternate rectangles and then sew sew sew. I shall give some thought to a choice of border. Black gingham comes to mind but I'll have to try it out. Other retreaters were entranced and chased up the original Kleine Meisje Quilts blog posts dating from February 13th 2012  which give measurements and ideas and embarked on an adventure of their own. Julie and Lynda are planning a group swap similar to the one  organised by Nancy (see above).

My quilt top, detail.

Little People quilt

Julie and Lynda's blocks; the purple dress lifts up and she has gone
"Commando" but her legs are separate from her body. A sad state
of affairs.

More from Julie and Lynda

Twins, one prim and proper, the other racier.

Julie's designer dress.




With heart



Heather's variations