Big week ahead

Well it's finally time for the celebrations to start.. Severn Valley Quilters will celebrate 25 years this coming week, with not one but 2 celebrations, tomorrow 23 members are attending a workshop to be held at the local Golf club (the room we are booked into has stunning views across the course!) with the lovely Clare Kingslake who will be teaching us how to appliqué in her own Folk Art style, most of us including me will be making a 'sheep' wall hanging/picture which looks like great fun, others will be working on one of her 'basket' projects, while 1 or 2 will be working on their own projects. The day kicks off at 9.30 with coffee before the workshop, a buffet lunch is too be served at around 12.15 pm then we will sew again till 4pm. when tea and cupcakes (made by the lovely Anne) will be served, after tea we can sew for a bit longer if we fancy it, or just chill out in the bar before a 3 course evening dinner at 7 pm.
Next on 25th (our usual meeting night) we are hosting a Members Past and Present social evening with light refreshments (YES! including cake!!) quite a few past members are joining us which includes a few founder members. There will be a display of work by the current members plus the unveiling of the entries for the 'Silver Challenge' set by me in January, our photographic archive will also be on show. Following this all the committee will collapse in a big heap to regain our breath before we hold our Exhibition in February 2014.

I have assembled my requirements for the project, it was good fun finding some 'woolly' fabrics plus some sky and grass fabric as you can see my sheep will be varied including a proverbial 'black sheep' or maybe a brown one.

 I'm not sure yet which 'sky' fabric I shall use but will decide when I get there! I have also included some embroidery threads to work some embellishment in the form of flowers/birds etc.

Over the past few evenings I have been busy working on the Victorian Crazy piece I started at WPQ last week (see previous post) and this is what I've done so far

General view

narrow ribbon couched down 

Wider ribbon held in place with Fly stitch and Herringbone stitch

Narrow ribbon threaded through the braid which is held down by 2 styles of buttonhole stitch

I now have to decide how to attach the old narrow lace (top right in first picture) I found in the drawer and which stitches to use on the rest of the seams, but so far I'm quite pleased with it and as French knots are a particular favourite of mine I'll throw a few of those in somewhere too. Now all I have left to do tonight is finish packing and make sure I have all I need to take with me, and get a good nights sleep (as long as the anticipation doesn't get to me first)
So its goodbye from me as I head off of to pack my bag(s)!!!Whooo Hooo!
L

Another day, another finish!!!

Yes folks, I seem to be churning em out of late! perhaps the 'sewing drought' is over. You may remember I was making a needle case from a freebie download  over at Flossies Teacakes well she's all done, I put the final few stitches in on Tuesday so what do you think

Matrosyska Doll needle-case

and inside!

all ready for a few pins and needles, I may give her away as a gift then make some more. I'm now busy trying to get the Victorian Crazy pin cushion done which was started at Westbury park quilter's meeting on Monday, the tutor was very good and showed the members how to piece Victorian Crazy Ptachwork in the Traditional way, I usually use the stitch & flip method round a central 5 sided piece (sort of log cabin style) but this was sooo much fun I may do more of this method, as its all hand sewn and would be easy to carry around.

Now for some embroidery!

Saturday - Back again!
Clock Tower Quilters today, so.... I determined to cut out the dressing gown to which I pinned the pattern last month ... DONE then it was on with the alphabet wall-hanging for Little H. I bought the pattern at Malvern when she was 'still a bump' the fabrics were bought in New England in 2011 and to date I have only done 7 of the blocks which I am very pleased with so far except for the letter G which I bonded BEFORE I worked out where the letter would go so it don't fit Oh damn!!! still with a bit more careful planning I could possibly put the tail of the 'G' down into the sashing as long as I remember to do the same on a couple of other letters to balance it out - probably the 'Q' & 'Y'.So this is where I am at so far

There will be quite a bit of detail to be added and they will all need blanket stitching round the edges but I think I will do that during the evenings. Anyhow the plan is to give it too her at Christmas (but I'm not saying which one with my track record LOL)

Other projects finished by our members today are these beauties

Carol has been working on this bag for ages but it's done at last

Mollie's Flying Geese lap quilt.

Ably shown by Laura as poor Mollie broke her shoulder during the summer and still does not have the full movement back in the joint.

Well it's off for tea and perhaps a spot of sewing.

See you all soon

Lxx

The Show is Over...

and what a day we had! Heather, and I arrived at the show ground (or rather the field where the show is held!) around 10a.m. I hot footed it off to enter my 3 exhibits... while Heather went off to find out where we were to mount our display. That done and joined by Carys we set about planning what would go where... we had taken a groundsheet (which proved invaluable as it had rained overnight) and folding table, plus the organisers had supplied one large and one smaller table. We quickly decided how we would arrange these along with our quilt stand in the corner of the marquee allocated to us and got too work...a couple of hours later we had a lovely display all set up ready for opening at 2pm.

We had one slightly worrying thought and that was, that we had been able to set this display up using only a small selection of  work from only 3 people (apart from 2 charity quilts). However we did have a lovely time chatting to interested people who seemed very keen to have a go and promising to come to our meetings. plus lots of lovely comments on the impact of our display. So all in all a good day rounded off by the fact that I won two 3rd prizes, one for my Snowman Redwork embroidery and one for the knitted Baby blanket (see posts on 29th & 31st Aug respectively) Whooo Hooo! I always say I enter to support the show but it's nice to bring home a prize too don't you think? I won the princely sum of £1.00 ...now what to spend it on????

Tonight is Westbury Park Quilters meeting and we shall be having a workshop on making a Victorian Crazy patchwork pin cushion which I am really looking forward to as it's a favourite technique of mine, so more on that later, as I'm off to assemble the requirements before lunch, then I plan to sit in the conservatory and sew all afternoon while it still warm enough to do so.

See you again soon

Lorraine.

PS. My darling DH has agreed I can paint the workroom white (it hasn't been decorated since DD was about 11 yrs old (and she's now considerably older than that) and that he will HELP!!!! Yee haa!!! hopefully nice white wall will reflect more light so no more shady corners.L

Coaster Swap Reveal

A few days ago I heard from my swap partner Irene that she has received the coasters I made during the swap, so now I can share them with you and not spoil the surprise so here they are!

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the backs, which had to be pieced and even though I claim that  'I do't do small piecing' I must say they came out OK.

Then yesterday the postman knocked and I received my parcel from Irene...whoo hoo! inside the envelope was this pretty card from the Norfolk Broads (she lives near Great Yarmouth) some Quilt Labels fabric...

and my set of coasters which look like this.....

all beautifully hand embroidered and REALLY pretty colours, this time I have taken a picture of the backs too so you will have some idea of the type of thing I did.

aren't they great? I ask who would want to stand their coffee on them, they may get spoiled? :-(

Well time is going on and tomorrow I have to be at the local Flowers Show to A) enter my exhibits and B) help set up a small display for SVQ, I shall then spend the afternoon talking to nice people and demonstrating my 'skills' LOL. so I best go and find a few things for the display plus something to sew and pray for good weather as our stand is in a Marquee, so too hot and I'll swelter or raining and cold - I could get damp or freeze. 

Be back soon!

L