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

 

 

Lumina Update

I've managed to have a bit more of a play with these new Lumina fabrics from Robert Kaufman.

 

So far I have kept the main panel as one piece and used the swirl print as a thin inner border. This print would make a create binding too, or really cool bias strips for applique.

I fussy cut the Kaleidoscope fabric by ironing a metre of fusible web to one pattern repeat - cool that they are the same width - and then fused the pieces on a wider black border.

 

I now can't decide whether to leave the quilt like this

 

 

Or to add another border using the Kaleidoscope fabric

 

 

 

Decisions decisions!

 

Lumina from Robert Kaufman

These fabrics have just arrived in stock and are available on the website. There are three colours to choose from: peacock, jewel and dawn. Haven't decided which is my favourite yet!

The main print is a panel which measures approx. 24" and runs across the width of the fabric

 

The panel is just so yummy and exciting! You could use it on its own as a wall hanging or make it the centre of a larger quilt.

 

The other prints I've ordered are this great swirl print

 

 

And then this kaleidoscope print which will be sold by the pattern repeat which is approx. 18".

 

Other prints like the Sunstreaks and Radiance, also from Robert Kaufman, work with this collection too.

I've been playing around with the fabrics over the weekend (perks of the job and all that!) and will post a pic shortly of what I've been up to. Just need to get ready for this darned Christmas first........and get the website ready for the sale which will start on 1 January

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? 

Anbo Textiles Open House

One of my favourite days of the year today, a visit to Anbo Textiles on one of their open house days with the chance to see the latest fabrics from Robert Kaufman, Blend Fabrics, Marcus Brothers amongst others.

 

I was very restrained this time but finally got around to ordering fabrics from the Lumina collection from Robert Kaufman. Otto (the boss) very kindly gave me a bundle of fabrics of the Jewel colourway.

 

 

So I have some to play with..........lucky me!

 

I haven't ordered all the fabrics from the collection but here are a couple of the exciting ones.

 

 

The top fabric is actually a panel runs across the width of the fabric. This is going to make a great centre of a wall hanging or bed quilt..............really excited about using it!

 

The fabrics are due for delivery in January and there are three colours altogether; jewel, dawn and peacock.

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.