End of Term Report - 2014

So, another year has just zoomed by! More than a dozen quilt shows and group visits all over the country from Ardingly in West Sussex to Northumberland, Llangollen in Wales and Edinburgh in Scotland! It's been great seeing so many familiar faces throughout the year too.

 

There have been some really wonderful fabrics delivered this year; my fave being Terra Australis direct from Australia. I'm still the only shop stocking it in the UK, available by the metre or in fat quarter bundles.

 

 

Outback                                      Eucalyptus

 

And just delivered this week are the latest Bali pre-cuts from Hoffman. Super yummy as usual; my fave is Cockatiel I think

 

 


I have these as 2.5" Pops, 10" Crackers and 5" Snaps and they are already on the website.

 

Another pre-cut collection was released at Quilt Market in Houston featuring the 1895 collection of batiks in lovely colour combos. I may just have to order these.........

 

Looking forward to next year, I have some big plans that I am working on. Having dithered about them all this year I think 2015 is the year to be decisive and do them, so keep an eye out for news on this!

 

Joanna

 

 

The Layer Cake Sampler Quiltalong

Have you heard about this on twitter or instagram?

 

It sounded like fun so I am joining in too!

 

You can find the instructions for making the blocks on the Material Girl Quilts blog. The quiltalong started a couple of weeks ago but its never too late to join in too.
All you need is a layer cake, cracker or other 10" square pack and a background fabric. You could even raid your stash and cut yourself forty 10" squares if you don't have a layer cake.

 

The basic instructions for making the HSTs can be found here together with details for making the first two blocks.

Details for making the next two blocks are released each Friday.

 

So what fabrics am I using?

 

I couldn't resist the Splash Cracker pack from Hoffman and I thought I would be a little different and use two fabrics for my background, just to make it a little bit more interesting.....

 

 

And here are my first four blocks!

 

Want to play along with me?

 

Joanna

Ardingly Quilt Show

Finally found a bit of time to report on the first quilt show proper of the year at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex. It's always a great feeling getting back out there and meeting customers again!

This show is also a difficult one though because the access for traders on setting up day and breakdown after the show is via about eight steps, especially for me as I don't feel I am strong or tall enough to try and push or pull a laden trolley down them! So this means carrying things down the stairs which all adds to the time it takes to unload and load again.

 

However it's a great show and there were some great quilts on display. I particularly loved this year's journal quilts with the theme 'Little Landscapes'. Some of them are truly wonderful!

 

 

The show was as successful as usual and I'll be back next year. The Bali pre-cuts were especially popular (well they are lovely colours) but I think it helped having the quilts hanging behind the stand.

 

Also excited to tell you the Peacock colour way of the Lumina Ribbon panel arrived in stock this week.............and its super yummy!



 

The other two colours almost sold out at the show, so get them while you can!

 

Joanna

Chiltern Quilters

I spent a lovely day today visiting Chiltern Quilters in Buckinghamshire. They meet six times a year in the village hall in Widmer End, near Hazlemere.
Today it was a UFO/Sewing day with a pot luck lunch..........can't beat a pot luck lunch! Quilters are excellent cooks as well as being pretty nifty with a needle.

 

 

I meant to take a photo of the lovely food........but left it too late!

 

I'm happy to say my wares managed to tempt them a little, with my threads

 

 

 

And fabrics, particularly the Hoffman precuts.

 

 

 

Tom and I usually work on our Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks when we go to quilt groups. He managed to finish his block today and the chair of the committee, Maureen, very kindly showed it to all the other ladies in their Show and Tell after lunch. His is on the left, I finished mine (on the right) this evening.

 

 

He always loves to tell people about what he is working on.

 

So all in all a great day!

If you would like me to bring my fabrics to your group, then please get in touch. I'm usually happy to travel within a 50 miles / hour's radius of North Herts.

Joanna

 

 

Disappearing 9 Patch Mini Quilt Tutorial

Here's a quick tutorial for this traditional pattern.

 

All you need is a Hoffman Snap pack and 50cm of a zinging
co-ordinate fabric and it makes a quilt 29" x 36".

 

 

I've used the brown Caramel Snap pack for mine and a hot orange. You can buy the Snaps here.

First up...........open the packet! Its always the hardest thing for me to do.

1. Split the pack up into five sets of eight squares. Ensure you have a mix of light and dark colours in each set.
2. Cut one, 5" strip from your zinger fabric and sub cut five, 5" squares from it.
3. Take one set of eight squares and arrange them around one zinger square.

4. Join the squares into three rows of three. Press seams for each row in alternate directions. Join the rows together to make a nine patch block with the zinger square in the centre.
5. Press the block and then cut it into quarters.

6. Repeat with each set of squares to make a total of twenty quarter squares.
7. Lay the quarter squares out into five rows of four squares. Rotate them as desired until you like the arrangement.
8. Join the squares into rows and then join the rows together to make the quilt top.
9. Cut four, 2 1/2" strips from the zinger co-ordinate for your border and add to your quilt top, opposite sides first and then top and bottom edges.
10. Quilt as desired. I quilted mine in spirals and my favourite wave wiggle which is really easy to master and is great for filling pre-cut strips.

11. Double bind the edges. I use 2 1/4" strips.
12. Add a hanging sleeve.

A quick and easy quilt in twelve steps!

Make it in pink or blue for a cosy cot quilt or how about the Liquorice  colour with a zingy red? 

The New Bali Pre-cuts are Here!

They actually arrived last week and the only way I have managed to find the time to get them uploaded to the website is to get up early this morning!

Things have been so hectic the last few weeks what with attending a local group exhibition at Wye Valley Quilters, the Open European Quilt Championships in Holland and the last couple of Autumn Quilt Festivals at Malvern last weekend and Duxford this coming weekend. In fact I only had the chance to take a look at these new pre-cuts properly at the show in Malvern.

 

And what can I say? They are as yummy as always! And as usual, I'm torn between which ones are my favourites.

First we have Pacific, lots of lovely blues

 

 

Next up its River Rock; subtle browns and blues

 

 

Then we have Seaholly which seems to have been the most popular so far

 

 

Not far behind in popularity is Tidepool

 

 

The brightest one in the group is Splash

 

 

And finally we have Volcano

 

 

As before each of the colours is available in 2 1/2" strips (Pops), 10" squares (Crackers) and 5" squares (Snaps).

 

So which is your favourite? Comment on this post telling me which is your favourite and why for the chance to win a Bali Snap pack. Don't forget to leave your email address otherwise I can't contact you!
Closing date is 6pm GMT Tuesday 5 November

  

New Fabrics..............at last!

It feels like ages since I had a delivery of new fabrics. The last big delivery was the wonderful Fusions Textures collection from Robert Kaufman. I've just used one of the red prints from this range to make a rather yummy binding to a red white quilt I've made.

 

I was hoping to take a photo of the binding but the cat's current sleeping place is a quilt which is on top of the red and white one, so it will have to wait for another time.

 

Back to this week's delivery, the fabrics are ideal for kids or baby quilts. First up is Alphabet Soup from Henry Glass fabrics. There's a great alphabet panel which measures approx. 36" x 42".

 

 

Use this on its own or why not add some of the great letter or number coordinates?

 

 

And then there are some great dots and a useful stripe which will make a great binding or inset border.

The other fabrics are from a new to us fabric company called Suzybee. Each of the collections features a cot size panel, various coordinates and a height chart!
Lewe the Ewe is a cute sheep collection. Who doesn't love a sheep print?

And then there is Flip the Pig. Again who doesn't love a cute little piggy?

The next collection of Hoffman Bali Pops is due this month too. Can't wait for these new colours!

 

All the fabrics are of course on the website.