Farnham

Four of us made the trip to Farnham today but later than usual and having lunch at a pub just outside the town before making our way to the venue and taking advantage of early arrivals leaving parking spaces vacant and the cheaper afternoon entry rate. None of us bought hugely and I enjoyed meeting up with old friends, checking out the demonstrations and looking at the quilt displays as all the local groups mount a presence though the main reason for the event is quilt shops selling off surplus stock more cheaply.
I took a few picures of quilts that caught my eye:

I love the simplicity of this.

General view

Angela Fitzgerald: Scrappy Wild Flowers
I saw an old quilt of this pattern  in a display
of Patricia Cox's collection. The pattern
is included in a book she wrote.

Detail

Red White and Blue by Elizabeth Hoad. I like
the simplicity.

Detail of Sue Goad's MQ Sampler, a pattern I like.

Untitled by Anne Gallagher. This piece uses Janet Clare fabrics to great effect.

Ruth French: Strawberries and Cream

Photo Session

This camera always brightens the reds

A better representation of the scarlet block.

The back and striped continuous bias binding.

Last night watching Spin a fascinating French political thriller on More Four I finished my hexagon fragments, rosettes and hexagons left over from my first quilt made for my daughter started in 1983 and finished in 1995. The leftovers took over another decade to complete. It has been a go to resource when all other hand sewing was done. Now I need another such long term intermittent project. . . .I found a very pleasing vintage fabric in my stash for the back. Just now I also took another photo of the Thimbleberries 9-patches. Don't check out the seam matching!

A better picture, I hope.

Detail

Sewing Day

Queen Beez met for a delicious curry lunch followed by fruit salad and I made gingernuts and butterscotch and walnut cake oh and we did some sewing too. I pieced my Thimbleberries 9 patches from a long time ago, part of my clearing out old projects and sewing fragments about the place. I'll try and take a better picture tomorrow and of my hexagon fragments which I completed this evening. When I got home I also chose a border for the Thimbleberries - from my stash of course.

Last night at Quay Quilters

I took a few Show and Tell pictures. Last term Trish demonstrated the Carpenters Wheel block by three different methods. Bid showed hers as did Vanessa but I was slow getting my camera out. Bid also showed another completed quilt. Melinda is a Fine Cell Work volunteer. Fine Cell Work  runs quilting and stitching groups in prisons, all by hand. The meditative aspect of the occupation helps prisoners channel frustrations and pass long periods confined to cells especially over Christmas. Items are sold and the proportion of money earned gives the inmate a starting point on leaving. She showed a completed item which will appear on the Sale section of the website soon and a top made by a very withdrawn man for whom quilting is his only outlet. The hand blanket stitch is exquisite. Check out their website .

Bid's Quilt

A completed Fine Cell quilt

Fine Cell hand appliqued top

Bid's Carpenter's Wheel cushion.

First top done

I've finished piecing the Log Jam blocks started in a Sisters class with Jackie Erickson into a top and since the photo was taken I've sandwiched it ready to quilt. Making the blocks from a kit of pretty strings supplied from the Stitchin' Post was utterly compulsive. I didn't want to set them with regular sashing though and opted for unequal frames around each one. The class was on Wednesday 9th July 2015 and there are pictures on my blog for that day.

Mainly Valori Wells Fabrics

Tidy Up

I had to move my sewing cabinet so my husband could do some minor decorating. This in turn prompted a major

Better now

clean up and a reorganisation. I plan to do more as my fabrics are spilling over and recent purchases are piled higgledy piggledy and don't see the light of day. It's much better now but I have more areas to tackle.

Back in the U3A

It's the second term and the first meet of the New Year and some members had managed some sewing during the break

Janet's striking Honey Bee

Bid's lovely quilt in super fabrics.

Rosemary's "tulip" destined to be a cushion.

Maureen's building blocks.

Grace's triangles and Honey Bee blocks

The main focus is Margaret's project for this term, strippy quilt as you go quilts assembled quilt as you go, all very enjoyable and very useful for the beginners. Most of us including me seem raring to go (but I must finish my current aubergine top first). Margaret showed lots of examples to follow or as jumping off points. So this week we are making strip sets.

Add caption

This is the one I shall make using part of a Jen Kingswell Layer Cake(Gardenvale)

Looking back, looking forward

I was somewhat dismayed to see how few quilts I made last year seeing how much time I spend sewing but then realised I hadn't updated my finishes list which I've now rectified. I'll leave it till I have my first finish of 2016. I have several items nearing completion and lots of sewn components. I intend  not to  leave any 2016 start ups unfinished.
Currently I'm sewing the binding of my Bonnies feathered star quit and I've framed log jam blocks from a Sisters workshop in an offset fashion and am currently sewing and joining rows.

Two block versions

Blocks laid out

The workshop involved improv. log cabin blocks from a bag of scraps - we had various options including plains and batiks but I opted for these bright modern fabrics, mostly Valori Wells. The sewing was quite compulsive. I didn't want a straight line sashing so like this higgledy piggledly setting. I also made myself use some long (10 years +) hoarded aubergine tone on tone for the frames.