UK Quilters
About 3 years ago a very good friend gave me a birthday gift wrapped in a piece of beautiful cotton fabric instead of paper. I was over the moon with the fabric and the thoughtfulness of it and little did I realise at the time that this is known as the traditional Japanese art of…
When I was young I made most of my own clothes and I loved making things from scratch (for quilters that is probably a familiar tale). I left home at the age of 18 years to train as an Occupational Therapist (OT), and when people found out what I did they would always make a…
‘Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring. Bound by wild desire, I fell into a ring of fire.’ (Johnny Cash) I love this song and we regularly blast it out in our Ukulele Group. Great piece of music and please feel free to play and sing along as you make this row! (Find chords…
What is more important the quilt or the quilter? When I was little I once pulled and pushed my arm around my neck and back as far as it would go and then, as I showed my mother what I could do, I told her it hurt when I did it. Her advice was, of…
If you are reading this I guess you are a patchwork and quilter! So I wonder how you keep your skills fresh, what you use to update your knowledge and if you constantly challenge yourself to try different things? Life long learning is something I had drummed into me all through my working life but…
Blackberry Ripple. Mini Quilt Swap UKQU 2018 I love joining in the UKQU Mini Swap and this year it was no different. It was my third swap and I was just as anxious as my first! I do enjoy staking the swapee and this lady gave me very clear directions on her initial form. I…
A flat-back cabochon is a gem stone that has been shaped and polished, usually convex with a flat back. Techniques for attaching cabachons apply to other round or oval objects such as shell, glass and coins etc. These cabachons can be used to embellish mini quilts, quilted bags and other hand stitched items. The simplest…
The Congleton Bear Town Patchwork & Quilters organised their usual jaunt to the 4 day Malvern Quilts Spring Show, hosted by The Grosvenor Show, on Sunday 20th June 2018. I was on the coach clutching my ticket at 8.10 am on a warm sunny morning alongside 50+ other excited women! We arrived at 10 am…
My intention was to take a piece of cloth and just bead ’one stitch at a time’ as described by Robin Atkins in Bead Magic. A time to reflect and relax in thought surrounded by peace and quiet and no preconceived ideas of where and how the design would develop and grow. In my stash…
Work-in-Progress. Alms Giving Banner When I joined my quilting group 18 months or so ago I was approached by a couple of ladies who were looking for volunteers to help at a church banner group. The aim of the group was to (surprisingly) make banners for their church. As I was fairly new to the…
What a great tool to review! This 45 mm Rotary Cutter with Comfort Grip (SSN45CUT) is a Sew Simple product which is distributed by EQS. The rotary cutter is an essential item for any quilter and this one is said to be suitable for right or left handed users without the need to turn the blade / fittings.…
Beads make beautiful edging for all sorts of things in the patchwork and quilting world and they are so easy to do. Something I have been doing for some years is edging gift bags which can make that ‘little something’ even more special. These are cheap and easy to make, particularly if you make the…
