Welcome

Hello everyone

So here's my new home - with a new title.

I hope you'll find lots of interesting new posts.

I'll be back very soon.

xx

Hello all,

Apologies to you for the gap between posts.  I've been a little preoccupied with getting our bathroom sorted. It's amazing how you can have work done in one room of the house and the rest of the house turns into absolute chaos. And why has everything started to break, microwave, washing machine, kettle... 

Anyway - as I keep being reminded it has to get worse before it gets better!

Our little kittens are growing fast - they are quite leggy now and still very fast. I'll try to get a photo of them. It will have to be when they're asleep.

On the sewing front I'm still working on my NYB swap. I'm making progress but the deadline is a little nearer than I'd like.

Tomorrow I hope to be able to make some more progress with the NYB without my little helpers.

An exciting development has also been happening. I've been teaching at Coles in Nottingham. They have a really well laid out spacious first floor room for classes.  It has a lift so anyone with mobility issues or a heavy bit of kit can access classes. I've had a really lovely couple of Thursdays covering for a friend who was off on a course and I met some really lovely ladies. I hope to be asked back again in the future.

Take care all.

Oh - I almost forgot to explain the photo! I managed to get interviewed inn one and wrote an article for the following edition of Region  Quilters Guild magazine Cobwebs. I hope those of you who receive it enjoyed reading them.

Stamping and printing with me at Quilteez

Hello all,

For those of you who I met at the Market Bosworth Quilt Show in June you'll know that I was hoping to sort out a class to teach stamping and printing - well we've got there. The class will be on Saturday 18th November in Ratby organised by Quilteez.

I hope those of you who expressed an interest will be able to come - I'm really excited about meeting you all.

In addition, this Saturday 9th September I'll be demonstrating at the Region 10 Area Day in Gotham. Here are some details for you:

Venue - Gotham Memorial Hall - it has lots of parking

10 - 4

Faith lunch

Speaker: Gail Lawther

Me demonstrating

Sales - Quilteez 

I'll also be bringing along my quilt 'Postcodes' that was exhibited at Festival of Quilts in the 'In the Spotlight' exhibition. And I'll have some samples made during the process.

Hope to see you soon.

Festival of Quilts 2017

Hello. Well, I survived 4 days at Festival of Quilts.

I had a great time, met lots of lovely people and am really inspired to crack on.

I was particularly excited this year as I'd been selected to represent Region 10 of the Quilters Guild in the 'In the Spotlight' exhibition. The theme was 'No place like home'. I decided to use the postcodes of all the places I'd lived.

Although I was really pleased with my quilt, I was a little nervous about it being exhibited and how it would look next to the others.

I must say I was very impressed with how it was displayed.

 Also exhibiting in the same gallery representing Region 14 was my friend Sarah Humphreys. She chose to use house numbers to illustrate the theme of 'No place like home'. Another really great example of a modern quilt and as ever amazing machine quilting.

 As well as participating in the 'In the Spotlight' exhibition Sarah Humphreys also managed to make another amazing quilt that she entered into the Modern category and won third prize.

 Rachel Care entered her work into the Art Quilt category. The attention to detail was breathtaking in the piece. 

Hilary Jackson entered a beautiful quilt into the Modern category. I love the continuation of the design in the negative space.

 My photographs really don't do any of the quilts justice as they were taken on my phone. They do show their impact, but not the detail.

I feel very fortunate that these artists are my friends and that they inspire me to push myself further with my work. Thank you xx

Where does the time go! It's August already.

Not much sewing done as Millie and Pebbles provide all the entertainment at the mo.

Yesterday I received my catalogue and show guide for FoQ 2017.

Getting the catalogue early means I can find my friends competition quilts and also read about all the specialist galleries.

I'm looking forward to seeing all my textile friends during the 4 days I'm there.

Have fun

 Hello all,

Apologies for yet another delay in posting on my blog - but as you can see I've been a little distracted with Pebbles (Silver tabby) and Millie (brown tabby). 

They arrived last week and they've wrecked my sewing room but are absolutely hilarious. So no sewing done for a few days.

Flo is unsure about her new energetic friends and we hope to get the together very soon. She does know they have arrived and has enjoyed sniffing where they have been. 

But I would like to let you know that I have a quilt being exhibited at the Festival of Quilts - I'm in the 'In the Spotlight' exhibition. If you follow the link there's a photo of my work in progress on the webpage. It's the first photo - grey improv pieced. 

I'm very excited about seeing it on display as I haven't been able to take a decent photo of it.

I'll be there for all 4 days so hope to bump into you during that time. 

I'll be stewarding on the 'In the Spotlight' on Thursday 11 - 12 and Sunday 11.30 to 12 so feel free to pop along to say hi. 

I hope it looks OK now I've told you all about it.

Market Bosworth Festival 2017

Hello all,

I had a lovely weekend sewing, talking, drinking tea and eating cake. What more could you ask for!

I saw lots of friends and met lots of new people too.

I'm also hoping to teach later in the year - making your own fabric with fabric paint, stamps and screens. Keep your eyes open and I'll post details as soon as I have them.

It would be lovely to hear from you if you visisted.

A gentle reminder...

Hi All,

Just a gentle reminder that I'll be demonstrating this Saturday and Sunday at the Parish Hall in Market Bosworth.

I'll also have work on display and samples and work in progress for you to look at.

I hope to see you there.

Long time, no hear

Hello all,

It's been far too long. 

I hope you're all OK and that you'll have time to pop along to my blog to my blog to see what I'm up to. I have some exciting things coming up.

The next exciting event is taking place in our village and I'll be there on the demo stand, free motion quilting. I'll also be able to show you all some samples of free motion quilting I'll be using in classes. So please do pop along to say 'hi'.

I'll be posting more soon so keep your eye out...

Jean Littlejohn class

The Lutterworth Embroiderers Guild were very fortunate to have Jean Littlejohn teaching.

I think most of the class managed to finish their morning piece - which was a small stitched picture that we then embellished.  For me it was a first with an embellisher and Jean generously let us use her machine. 

The second piece was stitched with a more open weave fabric than many of us were used to sewing with. Jean generously provided this fabric that was dyed and she also provided a size 14 Chenille needle - again much larger than we were used to, but the big eye enabled us to use a thinker thread to fill the space. We then bond webbed and foiled over the stitches, 

So - a great class.

Here are some photos from the day:

      

I'll post more photos as the work progresses.  

More stuff

Hello all.

Where has the year gone? How come it's July already? And apologies for not having posted for some time. I've been very busy so hope you'll like some of the photos I have to share.

So, I was very fortunate to attend a class with Jean Littlejohn with the Lutterworth Embroiders Guild.

Here is my work in progress:

  

  

 And here are the pieces at the end of the day

  And here is a piece I finished from my last class with Jean:

I had a fab time last weekend.  It was the village arts festival and I was asked by the Market Bosworth Quilters to demo FMQ on the Saturday. Well - sitting sewing, drinking tea (which was brought around by the lovely Andy) and talking - it was a no brainer.  I had a lovely time.

I also had a quilt on show.  A little blue Disappearing Nine Patch that I hand quilted. I do love hand quilting - but it's a little too warm at the moment to have a big quilt on your knee.

I also attended the West Midlands Embroiderers Guild Regional Day that the Leamington branch organised.  It was a great day. The location, North Leamington School was great - all one level, lots of parking and a great lecture theatre.  The talks were given by Professor Giorgio Riello of Warwick University, titled "Decorating Textiles" and Nicola Jarvis, talk titled 'all that glisters'. Please do look at their blog as it has some great photos.

I also attended a presentation by The History Wardrobe on 'Women and the Great War'. As ever they were amazing and I leant so many things about the war, womens role in the war and, of course, textiles.

So you can see - I have been rather busy.  But the days are less packed and hopefully I should get some of my own work done.

Are you all ready for the Festival of Quilts. Not long to go now!