North Somerset Quilters and other things

Last Friday I went to Backwell having been asked by North Somerset Quilters if we would be interested in taking a trade table.  Debby was still recovering from her operation and so my husband offered to come with me - at least he drove, helped me unload and then went on to Clevedon for a walk and then a pint watching the sun go down.  No alcohol for me, I was busy working!  The speaker that night was Gwenfai Rees Griffiths, and yes she was Welsh.  I was made to feel very welcome and it surprised me how many people I recognised.  Gwenfai was an excellent speaker, she told her life story through her quilts.  She was very amusing and didn`t mind making fun of herself.  Her quilts were absolutely stunning and just took my breath away.  She was remarkably laid back about people touching the quilts, in fact she positively encouraged people to do that.  She has won lots of competitions not only in the UK, but also in America.  I didn`t  have a chance to take any photographs because by the time I had finished selling and packed up, she too had packed the quilts away.  My favourites were her wholecloth Welsh Quilts, the work that had gone into them was just amazing.  I particularly liked the fact that the design of one of them was taken from images in the church she had married in and had her children christened in, it was just lovely.

Debby and I love to buy quilting books, we use the fact that we have a shop as an excuse, but we would buy them anyway.  I have two new ones which I am loving and thought I would share them with you. The first is The Modern Quilting Bee Block Party by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks.  It is about 12 women who met online and each month they decided they would sew one quilt.  Every month one person would be the host and would be responsible for organising  that month`s quilt by chosing the fabrics and the block.  They would then all make a block each and send them back to the organiser who would then make the quilt up.  At the end there were 12.  If you like bright contemporary fabrics then you will love this book, if you are more into traditional quilts then you might not like it so much.  Of course as usual I want to make all, or at least most of them.  The one above is, if not my favourite, then one of my favourites

This quilt is based on a wonky Log Cabin made from old (they actually refer to them in the book as upcycled!) shirts.  The completed blocks are different sizes, but when completed are turned into four quarters, and then all stitched together.  I love the make do and mend ethos of this one, although you would have to cut  up a lot of your husband`s shirts to make it!  I remember going to Oxfam once in Hampstead and the shirts were all fantastic and about £15.00 each so I gave that idea up straight away.

This modern dresden plate block is fantastic, I just love the colours, and the wonky blocks.  I wasn`t too sure about the way they tell you how to put the circle in the centre, but I would just do that my way!

The other book is Flower Power Patchwork by Anne-Pia Godske Rasmussen who if you haven`t guessed already is Scandinavian.  I can`t show any photographs because I have had huge problems posting this blog today, I lost it once and had to start again, and now it doesn`t want to show any more photographs, and I am so scared that I will lose it all again that I have decided not to try any more!  I am sure it isn`t me because I keep reading of similar things happening to other bloggers.  Anyway back to the book.  It is full of small projects, no quilts, but they are all beautiful.  Everyone who has looked at it has loved it and gone away inspired, and guess what the projects are based on flowers!

I have had this week off, and I am afraid to say it has not been a good week as far as stitching is concerned.  I have finished the quilting on the quilt I showed you last week, I just have to bind it, but I just can`t get into anything else.  I think this is because I need to make some sample cushions based on flowers.  I was really looking forward to making them, but you know what, I just can`t seem to get going, nothing I do looks right.  I will have to put them away for a few days and come back to them I think.  I also made a big mistake this week because I went to the library and came back with a pile of novels, and of course I started one and then just couldn`t put it down.  Every time I go back to the sewing I keep thinking of the book and then find an excuse to have another cup of tea, or think I will just read for another 15 minutes, and before I know it, it is lunchtime and I`ve wasted another morning!  My house by the way, is a tip!

Debby is off to Sardinia on Sunday morning.  If I go away, I like to have everything booked weeks in advance.  Last Saturday she told me she thought she ought to get her accomodation booked!  If that was me I would be having a nervous breakdown.  She announced yesterday that she really needed to get her legs waxed before she went, talk about cutting it fine - she is in the shop every day this week.  She did however manage to get an appointment at 5.15pm today.  I too was in the shop today.  We had just driven down the road when I remembered I had left something in the shop - actually it was tea.  She did tell me that if she didn`t get there in time she would never forgive me, but turned round and took me back.  We then took ages to get out of Wellington as all the lights were against us.  We made it to the motorway in record time and then had a white knuckle drive back to my house.  I do hope she got there in time, but I am scared to ring her in case she didn`t!

Happy sewing.

In sample mode

I have had a fairly uneventful couple of weeks.  We all got through Easter and now feel about a stone heavier!
Debby was working last week, although I did go into the shop on Friday while she was doing a workshop with a seaside theme.  No photographs I am afraid, but she is bringing in the samples to go in the window, so I will take some then as I thought they were great.  I did go to Wellington on Saturday morning to do some shopping.  It was very nice being a customer instead of a shop assistant!  I went with my friend Jenny who does not stitch and I think she thinks I am rather peculiar at times although she does say if anyone is going to encourage her to sew it would be me - I have seen her sewing basket and trust me it`s never going to happen.  We both managed to find some new clothes to spend our money on, and paid a visit to the Old Sale Rooms which have re-opened as a vintage/antique shop along with a very nice tea room.  It was good to see so many people in there.

Back to the shop for me this week.  We have now sent out details of our new workshops and so there is now the panice to start making the samples.

 I started last week by putting together a very bright quilt made in strips.  This is for my first Beginner`s Workshop.  I decided to use some of the brighter fabrics we have, but am now thinking perhaps it is too bright and that it might put some people off, so  have now cut out a blue one with narrower strips which are much more subdued.  I still prefer the bright one.  I have started to quilt it by hand with perle threads, but there is a long way to go yet.

   I won`t cut up the strips like I did in the other one, and they are half the width.  I have only got as far as cutting, but hope to start putting the top together later in the week.

Yesterday I decided we needed to have a Jubilee window so set to work on making some bunting and a couple of cushions.  I showed you some of the fabric we have a couple of weeks ago, but it`s no good having fabric for the jubilee and olympics and putting it in the window when its all happening and too late!

I was quite pleased with the union jack cushion, but  I have a confession to make, I appliqued it rather than foundation pieced it.  The big heart in the middle is to hide a mistake I made, but I decided afterwards that it finishes it off rather nicely.  Anne Baxter is doing a workshop for us tomorrow on a shabby chic union jack cushion and its beautiful.  Mine would not compare very well I am afraid, but it does look good in the window.  We have been lent a lovely old singer sewing machine which is also part of our window display.

Last week when I was off I felt like doing some dressmaking and made up this dress and matching bag to go in the other window.  I was rather pleased with it.

It`s a little halter neck dress with a full skirt and I finished it off with some suffolk puffs with buttons in the centre

Finally I made a little bag to go with it again finished off with the suffolk puffs.

 I now have to start thinking about the rest of the workshops.  I have bags to make and I am also doing a gift day which should be interesting!  Debby is going to be making a quilt based on court steps and she is also doing a dollies and houses workshop, to name but a few - watch this space.

Happy stitching

Westpoint

Debby working hard at Westpoint

           

Well we survived Westpoint.  We were obviously more organised than I thought in the last blog, as we did get everything in the two cars, and didn`t forget anything!  Westpoint was definately quieter than last year.  The weather was lovely the whole weekend, and I don`t think the petrol situation helped.  In fact we tried to get petrol before we left on Friday, but couldn`t and of course the red light went on on the motorway.  Debby went into panic mode having once run out of petrol in the dark in the middle of nowhere.  We managed to get some at Exeter, so the panic was over, but it was a worry.  Despite all this we had a good show, and it was lovely to see so many customers old and new.  You never know what you are going to sell, on the first day we sold so many jelly rolls and layer cakes we were worried we were going to run out, so took more back on Saturday, and guess what, we hardly sold any!  I managed to have a look at the quilts and photographed some for you to see.  Unfortunately I didn`t have time to take any details, so you will just have to enjoy them.

The first one right at the top of the page was made of lots of tiny pieces, I think the maker said there were over 4,000, that really is a labour of love!  I loved the colours of the yellowy one immediately above and it was beautifully pieced.

 Again another beautifully pieced quilt, the photgraph doesn`t really do it any justice.  I have nothing but admiration for people who attempt this kind of piecing and make such a good job of it!

Finally I photographed this one - not very well - simply because I liked the colours.

I drew the short straw this week, because it was my turn to work in the shop and therefore put everything away!  Chris, Debby`s husband had dropped most of it off for us, and put it all at the back, and it really didn`t take me very long at all, I am quite impressed at just how organised we are getting.  I was surprised to see Debby in the shop later in the day, she had popped over to drop a couple of things off, but kept coming back to show me what she had bought!  A little gallery has been open for the week next to us in an empty shop, and Debby bought a really lovely little piece, it`s hard to describe, because it was partly photograph, but mixed in with mixed media on glass.  Chris was debating whether to buy a picture of some birds which was quite expensive and Debby was trying to persuade him not to, which I thought was a bit mean as she had just bought one she liked!  She later came back with a gorgeous top from a new clothes shop that has opened called Snob.  They have some great stock, and eventually when I am not in the shop I will pop over, because every time I walk past I drool over the window display.  Unfortunately their hours are the same as ours so it makes it rather difficult.  There are two new clothes shops in Wellington and they both seem to be rather good, and another one is opening later this month.   The fish shop closed this week which is a great shame, although they are continuing to trade at the Farm Shop at Rumwell.  The Mary Portas bid has gone in, but there is such a lot of competition.  We get quite frustrated that more people don`t realise what a lovely little place it is to come and shop.

Happy stitching

Getting ready for Westpoint

Debby and I have spent the last two weeks getting ready for the quilt show at Westpoint.  It is quite problematic because our storeroom is quite small, and Debby doesn`t like mess!  I don`t either really, but somehow or other I seem to cope with it better.  Anyway we have both been cutting fat quarters as if our lives depended upon it - in fact we could probably do it in our sleep now.  There is always a debate about how many we cut, if we cut too many we have to find a home for those that we don`t sell when we get back and if we don`t cut enough will we run out.  Luckily Exeter is so close that we can pop into the shop on the way back and cut up some more if necessary.  We were going to leave the shop an hour earlier to set up today, but as usual things conspired against us so we left the usual time along with Chris Debby`s husband with his estate car, I must just add it is a Mercedes, so rather posh!  We were a little disconcerted to find that everything went in his car, apart from two small tables and a shelf unit which were still in my garage. When we went to Malvern last Autumn we hired a van! I`m not sure if we are just getting better at this, or we have left loads of things in the shop without realising.  We will find out tomorrow!  We do need to leave early tomorrow to do the tweaking, but hopefully as they say it will be alright on the day.

I ran a Layer Cake Workshop on Saturday which I thoroughly enjoyed, I just hope everyone else did!  It was interesting in that most of the class had very bright layer cakes, and only a couple had more traditional fabrics.  Barbara brought a bag of Sanderson linen prints which she had bought for 20p each and cut into squares.  She made a really unusual but lovely quilt top.  Anne brought a very bright layer cake with lots of red, with a lime green contrast which certainly had the wow factor.  The picture above shows Rhian`s turquoise and reds with a touch of pink.  She brought the completed squares to the Thursday morning class today and they were looking really good .

Trudy busy cuttting her pieces into squares, another red and turquoise fabric, it looked brilliant.  Trudy came to a Beginner`s Workshop a few weeks ago and is now well and truly hooked.  She is turning out pieces like there is no tomorrow!  She came with her lovely mother in law Anne - a different Anne than I mentioned earlier - who went for a stunning red and white mix of fabric.  There was certainly a lot of red last Saturday, my favourite colour!

Mary working away on her machine.  I had never met Mary before, but it didn`t take me long to realise that she could probably have taught me!  She belongs to Apple County Quilters one of our local quilt groups.

One interesting point about this smashing group, I always take biscuits to go with the tea and coffee to a workshop, but usually come away with most of them still in the packet.  I am sure they won`t mind me telling you that I had about three left and I took two packets!

I expect you have all heard of Mary Portas.  The government has provided some money to help several British High Streets, and she is going to decide which towns will be chosen, and advise on how best to use the money.  Wellington has put in a bid, along with lots of other towns, and the bid goes in tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed for Wellington, it would be so fantastic if they were chosen, but there`s a lot of competition out there.  We have had a new clothes shop open in the last couple of weeks, it`s called Snob and has some great stock.  Another clothes shop has re-opened where Diva used to be and now stocks one or two of my favourite labels.  It would be fantastic if you come over to Wellington if you paid them a visit, I`m sure you wont be disappointed!

We will let you know how Westpoint goes when it`s all over. 

It hardly seems possible that another week has gone by and its time for another post.  Debby is off having a well deserved rest, although she has still kept busy sorting out a few last queries on the new wesbsite which is nearly there.  It`s been a long time in the process, but it will be worth it when it`s ready.

We have had some great new fabrics this week.  Above are some of my favourite - Cool Britannia by Benartex.  We have already sold quite a bit, the most popular seems to be the crowns, but personally I love the pale blue with the buses and guards, etc. on it.  Customers are buying it for bunting and cushions, but I quite fancy a couple of bags - watch this space.

  This great fabric is again by Benartex and is called House and Home.  I just love the little houses.  For some time now I have fancied making a school house quilt, and this makes me want to make one even more.  Thats another one to go on the `to do list`.

  This last selection is once more by Benartex, and is called Olivia by Michele D`Amore.  A different kind of feel altogether.  When it arrived I knew I just had to do something with it, and as the window was due for a change I decided this was just the excuse I needed.  I loved the look of it with the linen, so decided to make two cushions and then a bag, but I had some scraps left over so made this little drawstring bag and a few hearts.  The fabric also comes in blue.

We have started to get ready for the Quilt Show at Wespoint next week, but it is always a problem about where to put everything.  We have a small stockroom at the back of the shop, but space is at a premium.  I have already warned Debby when she comes in that she will probably trip or fall over the boxes which seem to be everywhere.  It hasn`t helped that last Saturday when I had just sat down to eat my lunch I heard a dripping coming from the stockroom.  On investigation I discovered water was coming through the ceiling!  I rushed next door to tell Helen and Jim or landlords, but when I got back it wasn`t just dripping it was gushing.  I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to move things, but getting rather wet in the process.  They switched the water off straight away and called the plumber, but it took a while for all the water to come through the system.  I decided to leave everything just in case there were further problems.  When I went in on Monday morning I had to put it all back, but why is it that it never goes back in the same way, and you seem to end up with more stuff than you started with!

I have been meaning to say for ages now, that last year at Malvern we met a very lovely lady called Sue Phillips from Newport in Wales.  She is a longarm quilter and Debby sent a quilt to her. A few weeks ago she brought it back down to us and it is beautifully done.  We were really impressed, and we thought her rates were very reasonable, so if you are looking for somewhere to send your quilt tops, then her email address is school.house@btinternet.com.  If you are passing by the quilt is hanging up in the shop.

 The magazine Somerset Life has done a feature on Wellington this month, and did a little interview with us.  There is the usual awful photograph of us, but the whole article is good, and amongst other things gives an explanation about how the Duke of Wellington got his name.

Finally Wellington this week is buzzing with the news that Mary Portas came to town!  Wellington has put in a bid for the High Street project which she is involved with.  Lots of people say she was here, one person even said that she had been into our shop, but I think Debby would have told me, and I certainly didn`t see her!  However until today I hadn`t met anyone who had actually seen her, in fact the person I spoke to hadn`t seen her either but her friend had!  Apparently she was looking outside the old Woolworths store - who knows!!  



  

This week seems to have gone by very quickly, not quite sure why as I seem to have spent a lot of time not doing very much, but thinking I should.  I had my little op and was very impressed with my treatment.  I felt like a teenager when I got there as most of the others were quite a bit older than me - one man was 95!  There was one person younger than me and she said she felt like a baby - she was.  We were the only ones to have a general!  The consultant did tell me later that the younger you are the harder the eyeball and therefore the more difficult the operation is, so  she prefers to do generals in those cases.  (I am no spring chicken I might add!) I felt a little better, but not a lot!  Having had it done I now realise how bad my eyesight is in the other eye, but I have to wait a while to get that one done. 

Enough about my eyes.  I did manage to complete a top for a layer cake workshop I am doing in a week or so`s time.  The colours aren`t my favourite, but I think it`s good to work in colours other than your favourites. I quite like the contrast between dark and light. I think the layer cake is called blueberry crumble.  I have made two more for the workshop which I have hand quilted, but I will endeavour to machine this one, although I prefer to quilt by hand. 

I also completed a small quilt and matching cushions to go in the window.  No picture, but the quilt was made for a baby  from a panel and the cushions from matching fabrics.  Debby and I work had to change the shop windows and aim to do them about once a fortnight.  It can be quite a challenge at times because rather than just putting fabric in the window we like to show people what you can make with the fabric, but we don`t alway have time to make the things that we want to. We get lots of very positive comments, so that puts even more pressure on us!  I have brought home some fabric to make into children`s garments, as I don`t think a lot of people realise that the fabric we sell is ideal for making clothes.  I also have some denim and a range of Moda Feedsacks fabrics which go really well together, but somehow I am not feeling that inspired, I expect it will come in the end - hopefully for them to be completed in two weeks time!

I think most of you know that I follow a blog called Stitcherydo.  Last week Shirley from Stitcherydo did a book review on a new book called Utility Quilting by Carolyn Foster, I then saw it mentioned on several other blogs, so of course had to order it.  It hasn`t come yet, but as soon as it does I will tell you all about it.  I also ordered another book called Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt.  I discovered this when a customer came in the shop with it.  This lady had seen the article about us in Sew Hip and had made a special journey to see us.  There are some really lovely bags in it, the patterns are included and lots of excellent instructions.  Hopefully I will show you a completed bag soon.  That has just reminded me that when I was in the North one of my cousins who lives in France, but was over to see her mum had a fantastic bag which she had made from a French pattern.  I am going to France in June, and what am I looking forward to the most - to buy some magazines, how sad am I.

Whilst talking to Shirley a while ago she said she thought solids were going to be big news this year, and  I have noticed they are creeping in all over the place.  She sent me an email earlier this week to say have a look at a blog called Sew Create It.  The blogger who I think is called Sarah has challenged people to make a quilt using solids.  She gives lots of hints and tips about using solids and the whole thing is positively inspiring.  I dug out this quilt that I made years ago using solids.  I made it originally for when my son went to university, but then didn`t think he would look after if so said I would give it to him when he finished.  He then went off to work in the Far East and somehow or other he never got it and it`s beens stuck in a drawer ever since. I nearly sold it a couple of years ago, but couldn`t quite do it but I got it out to have a look at today, and thought you might be interested. 

I am back in the shop tomorrow for the next 10 days or so.  Debby will be on her knees, and in fact when I have finished my class tomorrow morning she is not hanging around, but leaving the county immediately, she`s probably worried that I will find another reason to keep her there!

We received an email yesterday about a quilt exhibition at the South West Craft Centre, Church Lane, Tavistock.  The quilts are all made by a lady called Margrette Munro, and is open until 24th March.  Tavistock is a great little town on the edge of Dartmoor - my husband and I alway used to say we would like to retire there!  If you get a change go and have a look.

Sew Hip

Time for another post, I am back from the frozen north as my husband calls it, but actually it was really warm for a change!  It was so nice to come back and see Sew Hip in the shop window with our cushions, and to read all about ourselves inside.  Its even better to walk into the newsagents and see it on the shelves!  We have to brag a bit, so above is a photograph of the front of the magazine and below a picture of the `posh pants` bag also featured.  I have been making these bags for years, and they have always been popular.

Back to last week Debby must be worn out, although it was her week for working last week, she had a workshop to run, the evening class on Wednesday and my class on Thursday morning.  I have had a workshop today so she has been in again, and then on Thursday I am having a cataract removed from my eye, and being the coward that I am, I am having a general aenesthetic (don`t think I`ve spelt that right!).  I really cannot bear the thought of someone messing around with my eyes, and I know I wouldn`t keep still.  That`s another couple of days when I won`t be around.  I think she is still speaking to me, but if any of you come in the shop and see her in a huddle on the floor, it`s probably because she is so exhausted that she has fallen asleep.

Today we have had an applique workshop called Farmyard Heaven.  I think we all enjoyed ourselves, I certainly did.  Although none of the work was completed everyone was well on the way.  Everyone appliqued the pieces by hand, and by the end of the day were ready to put their borders on and start quilting. 

It was a small class as a couple of people had to drop out at the last minute, but we decided it was cosy!  I love the colours, it never ceases to amaze me how different they can all look. 

Debby and I are now working out dates and themes for our next workshops from May onwards, it`s never easy trying to think of themes that will appeal to people, but we have a  few ideas up our sleeves.  Then of course we have to make the samples, there never seem to be enough hours in the day.

Last Friday I went over to Radstock with Shirley from Stitcherydo, we went to see a quilt exhibition at the museum.  We took ages to get to the museum  as once we got to Radstock it felt like they were digging up the entire town and the queues were terrible.  When we finally got to the museum we discovered it was only open in the afternoons.  We decided to go over to Frome which was only about 10 miles away.  For those of you that don`t know Frome has turned into quite a trendy shopping centre, particularly if you are into vintage.  There is a little street called St. Catherine`s Hill, and the shops are great.  I spent a small fortune in a lovely wool shop called Marmalade Yarns, and then Shirley spent some too. If you get the chance I would thoroughly recommend a visit.  We had a nice lunch and then went back to Radstock which took some time.  The traders must be going mad.  The exhibition was very enjoyable and as usual very inspiring.  I particularly loved the older quilts on show.  The museum itself is a good place to visit, and the staff, all volunteers are very helpful.  It is a charity so there is a charge, but well worth it.

Thats it for another week, so happy stitching!
































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