Summer is here!!!

Given Joan a week off from the blog so don't worry if this makes no sense.

Decided to change the window last week in the hope that Summer may make an appearance although whilst doing the window the heavens had opened and it was torrential rain outside.  I was quite pleased with the final design even though originally it was just a mish mash idea in my head.  A large amount of wire was used to make everything stays in place, particularly the flowers in the window but as soon as the door opens they all turn the wrong way round.

Also had a delivery of small prints last week, all deliveries cause a major problem now as we have to find yet more space.  When the postman arrived I did tell him that I used to look forward to his visits but now he just sends me into a panic - not sure he knew what to say to that.  So made a decision to clear out everything under the button table (which I just haphazardly placed out in our tiny store room) and replaced it with the new bolts of fabric. Poor Joan came back into work last week to be greeted by this huge mess which you had to jump over to get to the sink or the loo.  I called in on Monday morning and it was all sorted out and organised - thank goodness. Sorry Joan.

Thought I would show you a very simple jelly roll quilt which has been greatly improved by the long arm quilting 

Quilting was done by Sue at School House Quilting in Newport and has really given it some texture.  The quilt design is from the Jelly Roll Inspiration book by Pam Lintott and the fabric range is Oasis  from Moda.

This week I have had a few days off and have been a passenger in a Corvette Stingray which was noisy, bumpy and even though I don't want to admit it also slightly exciting.  I had booked the car as a present for my husband for his birthday but it has taken over a year to find a time when we could actually use it. 

He was absolutely in his element and when young lads were shouting to him "love your car mate" he was chuffed to bits (small things). Not so good for both of our knees, particularly when getting in and out, after three days I practically rolled out of the car rather than struggle to get out elegantly which I had been trying to do.Unfortunately I have now created a further problem as he is now searching on ebay for one that he can afford (he can't afford one) but I suppose this will keep him occupied for a while.

Our new website is now live but the pricing structure is not quite right, the designers are in the process of changing this section so hopefully it will be completely finished by the end of next week.  Feedback on the site so far is quite good, would be nice to know what you think. Down side is that I now need to use Twitter which I find quite difficult, love to follow people but can never find much to actually say so please excuse any inane comments as I am still learning.

Debby

Torch, Jubilee, Bags and More

In my last post, I said I was off the the County Cricket ground here in Somerset to see the torch arrive.  It was a lovely evening, we sat in one of the stands in the sun and watched the proceedings eating chips and drinking cider - well we do live in Somerset.  It was quite good fun, but I am not sure we had quite the atmosphere that was out in the street, although there were 6,000 people there.  The best bit was when the torch arrived, mainly because there was a fanfare from the Royal Marines!

I have finally got all my bags together, and am now ready to run the workshop, and hopefully everyone will like them.  The two above are the same pattern, but look very different.  I have shown the linen bag with the hearts before, but decided to include it because it has been so popular, the stiped bag is exactly the same pattern.  These are very simple bags to make, but they are good for someone who has not done much sewing, as it includes all the basics, such as handles and lining.

This one is another simple shape and great for using up all your scraps.  I partcularly liked this one.  It`s very quick to put together but looks good.

This bag is a little more structured, again it is simple to make, but includes some more techniques, including pockets, and binding.

 Again this one is more structured and the most difficult one to make.  There is a patch pocket on the back  in the same fabric as the pockets on the sides.  I used pellon rather wadding, and it certainly makes a difference to the structure of the bag.  Once I actually got into making them, I quite enjoyed myself!  The next lot of samples I have to make are Gifts, but luckily I have until July to make them.

I also said in the last post that I had made a camera strap that was featured in the last issue of Modern Quilting and that I would take a photograph of it, so here it is.  It`s very exciting to see your own work featured in a magazine, especially when your work stands alongside so many excellent quilters whose work you have admired in the past.  It is such a shame the company went into administration after only two issues, but I understand they have been bought out, so hopefully we will see the magazine again fairly soon.

A couple of weeks ago Shirley from Stitcherydo came in and was telling me that she had seen on another blog how to make pinwheels quickly.  I thought I would have a go, and was really impressed with the result.  I thought I would share it with you, so have taken photographs so you can see how easy it is -

Believe it or not, this is 2 x 5" squares with right sides together, and then stitched all the way round with a 1/4" seam.

You then cut the pieces as indicated in the first photograph above.  You then open out and press as shown above, how clever is that!

Finally turn them to make your pinwheels and stitch together.  Apologies if you already know this technique.  I have been surprised that quite a few people knew it, but a lot didn`t.

This is what I have made using the technnique.  I have used a charm pack from the new Moda Cabbages and Roses Athill range.  I have been slightly irritated with the darker red bits, and am even more so now I have taken the photograph, although the photograph does make it look much darker than it is in reality.  I am now hand quilting it, and will put it up in the shop when it is finished.

We have been doing a roaring trade with jubilee fabric the last week or so. Everyone seems to want to celebrate.  I am off to London after I close the shop tonight, and intend to go to the Water Pageant, it`s a shame about the weather forecast, but hopefully the rain will stop for a while.   We also intend to go to the procession on Tuesday before we come home. Debby is also going to be in the South East - her mum is holding a tea party.  Hope you all have a good long weekend.

This and That

It`s been my week in the shop again this last week after a busy time at home last weekend.  My husband John had a birthday with a 0 on the end, and was determined to celebrate it in style!  On his actual birthday 9th May, we went to a restaurant called the Wild Garlic which is owned by someone called Matt Follet(I think thats his name!) who about 3 years ago won Master Chef.   The restaurant is in Beaminster in Dorset.  It was a horrible day, it rained all the time, which put paid to our visit to the coast afterwards.  However, we had a fantastic meal, and I can thoroughly recommend it, particularly the pudding for sharing!  At the weekend he had a party for family and friends on the Saturday, and then on the Sunday we had about 15 people for lunch - I was glad to get back to work for a rest.  I still can`t reconcile myself to the fact that I am married to a man who is 60 - I married an older man you know!  Actually he is not that much older than me, but I am not yet eligible for concessions, and he is!

Debby came back from Sardinia looking slightly tanned and very relaxed, and is now off galivanting in Oxford this weekend, but it is her turn in the shop this coming week.  We have had an up and down sort of week in the shop, some days have been quiet and others busy.  It is of course Malvern this week, and that probably explains the quiet end of the week, but there is no rhyme or reason to busy and quiet times we have discovered.

This week I have a cushion workshop with a floral theme, so have been busy organising myself for that.  I love tulips, they are my favourite fabrics, so just had to do something with that shape. 

This one I have made with a large flap all the way round.  You only need a small cushion pad, but it makes more of a statement.  I told Debby a while ago that we ought to have some soft denim as I thought it would look good with some of our fabrics.  We duly got some, and then I struggled to know what to do with it!  These fabrics are from the Moda Feedsack range, which I love. 

Finally this one again has a flap, but smaller this time and all made from the same fabric.  I tried  to make each actual cushion  slightly different to ring the changes.  The students will also have the option of an envelope back or a zip.  Most opt for the envelope.  I have got some linen cut out, but just can`t seem to get going with it, I have patchworker`s block at the moment I think.  In my head I know what I want, but in reality it just doesn`t seem right.  I may have it completed for Wednesday, or I may not.

I have been pootling along trying to get some projects finished, and trying to make up my mind what to do next.  I have a bag workshop coming up in a few weeks time, so have been trying to get some samples made which I am happy with.  You would think with a shop full of fabric it wouldn`t be difficult to find what you want, but may be there is just too much choice.  Anyway I need to talk to Debby she always seems to get it right.  I had a customer in the shop a couple of weeks ago who told me in no uncertain terms that Debby is much better at putting fabrics together than I am, and I have to agree, she is right, though it grieves me to say it!

We have had a small delivery of fabric in this week, which is rather nice, and I might even use some of it for one of my bags

These are from Free Spirit and are called happiness.  We weren`t too sure about them when they arrived, but have sold quite a bit of the two middles pieces.  One person bought 3 metres of the green second from the left to make a dress.

These ones aren`t so bright, but I quite like them.  They are from Red Rooster Fabrics and are called Heartstings.  Hearts and anything with text on is always popular

I had another of my projects in a magazine this week, the new Modern Quilting.  I didn`t take any photographs, because rather disappointingly we were told the publishing company, which has a lot of other magazines titles had gone into administration.  However, we have now received a copy of the magazine, it has appeared in the shops, and I have been reading on other blogs that subscribers have received their copies.  I have left the magazine in the shop hence no photograph.  I don`t know if that will be the last one, it would be a shame if it is because it was quite a good magazine, very contemporary, filled a hole in the market, and of course it was British.  My project was - wait for it - a camera strap!  I have to confess when I was asked to do it I was a little taken aback, I`d never seen one, nor felt I needed one, but I gamely looked on the internet, and there were hundreds.  The next challenge was to make something a little different, which I think I did with a little help from my friend Rosalind who suggested I tried to make it look like a reel of film.  Next week I will post a picture of it and you can see what you think.  I still wouldn`t use one - it wouldn`t be a lot of use for my little digital camera!The magazine also did a little write up on the shop.  Debby  has been completing a really nice bag for another magazine  - not in the same publishing company - this one is for August, so we will keep you posted on that.

Well that`s it for another week.  I am off to see the Olympic torch arrive in Taunton tomorrow, we have got tickets for a celebration at the County Cricket ground - not quite sure what the celebration entails, but will let you know!

Soldiering on

I am feeling rather envious this week as Debby has flown off to Sardinia - I certainly hope she is having better weather than we are. I don`t need to tell you all that we had lots of rain on Sunday which went on all night and carried on the next day for quite some time.  I caught the bus on Monday morning and  I had heard that Bradford-on-Tone had flooding, mostly because I saw it on the National Breakfast News, but was still rather surprised to see it had reached the hedge by the side of the A38, and in fact parts of the road were flooded.  We got a little further along the road and came to a halt.  I thought we would never get going again, and the bus was freezing!  We kept creeping a bit further, and a bit further, and of course most of the road was flooded, with only just enough room for one lane of traffic to get through.  By the time I went home in the evening it was all gone!

The shop was rather quiet needless to say, so I managed to get quite a bit of sewing done, including 30 metres of bunting for a wedding.  Lots of people are making bunting at the moment, especially with a jubilee theme.

Yesterday a delivery came, it was one box and I was quite relieved when I saw this.  Debby and I have been expecting a delivery from Moda of the new Cabbages and Roses collection, and we couldn`t remember whether we had ordered the whole range or just part of it.  Not very business like but it was ordered last October.  The reason I was relieved was because I didn`t know where it would go.  When I opened the box I discovered it wasn`t the Moda delivery at all, but one from another supplier!  I`ve shown a little bit of it above, there are some lovely reds and greens that also go with it, but I decided to show these colours because we are often asked for them and they are quite difficult to find.  These are Verona from Riley Blake Designs

I just had to show these I meant to photograph them a couple of weeks ago, but forgot.  I just love them, especially the sheep.  They are all from Stoff and from a range called Play with Me which I love, apart from the pink fabric with flowers which is called Flower Shop.  They have been selling really well.  The little elephants at the top also come in blue.

Today I went into the shop full of resolve.  I unpacked the box of fabrics, did lots of re-arranging and cutting and managed to get the fabric on the shelves.  Guess what - I had just finished all this when the delivery van drew up outside the shop, and I saw two large boxes and needless to say they were brought into the shop!
I just didn`t know what to do with them.  I finally opened the boxes and they were the Cabbages and Roses Collection from Moda, called Athill.  I took each bolt out of the boxes, cut some fat quarters and then put them back in the boxes!  I really just don`t know where to put them.  Debby and I need to have some serious re-arranging, but I don`t want to do it until I have spoken to her - really I am hoping she will come up with a plan, because I haven`t got one!  Whilst I am going through all this angst (not sure if that is spelt right, I`m sure there should be an h in there somewhere) and woe, Debby is sunning herself in Sardinia, and probably hasn`t thought of me once!

I can`t show you the whole range, so have photographed the free pattern.  If anyone wants one, please pop into the shop and pick one up.  The fabric is rather lovely, it`s very shabby chic in some lovely soft colours.

Tomorrow I have to go to the probate office in Exeter with my sister - can you imagine, they have a new John Lewis, and the probate office is quite near, but I won`t have time to go there, I can`t believe it!

Finally in case you think all I have done is show you fabric in this post, I thought I would show you this piece of work.  It`s at a funny angle because it`s hanging on the wall and I can`t get far enough away from it.  If you come into the shop you may have seen it, but I thought I would show it anyway.  I made it with my friend Rosalind last year and we sent it to the NEC for the Quilt Show.  We didn`t win anything with it, and didn`t really expect to, but had some nice comments from the judges.  It is all hand appliqued and quilted.  The only machining was to put the border and the binding on.  It is based on a little water colour picture I have from Shanghai, and I loved making it.  It`s good to have a project to share sometimes, and hopefully we will do something together again soon.

Finally a few weeks ago a lady called Michelle Keefe came into the shop, she is from Hampshire and runs Workshops I said I would mention her, and of course in my usual efficient way I kept forgetting.  Her website is www.heirloomquilting.co.uk..
 

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