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Christine Hutchins recommended the post Perfect? Or not? 7 years, 8 months ago
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Vendulka Battais wrote a new post, How one thing leads to another 7 years, 9 months ago
Do you ever wonder how do people develop a body of work for an exhibition? How they come up with the idea in the first place?? I’m now working on a series of quilts for an exhibition which will travel with G…

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What lovely examples of your design process. Really great to see how designs can develop from a single idea and a common process.
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Fabulous work and great to hear how the theme developed over time. Thanks for sharing your lovely work.
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I’ve loved your work since I attended a short workshop at Harrogate earlier this year and will definitely look out for your exhibit in Harrogate!
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I saw your miniature at FOQ. Astounding. I could not make out whether it was the tinyesy applique or paint, it was so small.
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Stunning, wow
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, The responsibility of quilting – finishing it off for family and friends 7 years, 9 months ago
I love our hobby. I love taking pieces of fabric, cutting them up, and sewing them together again. I enjoy combining colours and shapes, and creating original pieces of work. I find it very satisfying to sew in…

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Ok – you have done it. After reading this, I MUST get the quilting done on the quilt for my daughter made out of her late dad’s rugby shirts. (it was meant to be her birthday present a year ago, and a Christmas present before that…..) Hoping it can be a Christmas present this year. Thank you. xx
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Thank you – or sorry, or perhaps well done for making the decision – and good luck with getting it finished! Make sure you show us the final result…
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, International Left Handers Day – 13th August 7 years, 10 months ago
13th August was International Left Handers Day, so I thought a bit of a blog about it would be good. As I have said before, I am left-handed. My mum learned to knit left handed in an attempt to teach me to knit – I w…

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Vendulka Battais wrote a new post, How to trace a design onto difficult fabric 7 years, 11 months ago
Did you ever wanted to stitch something onto your work, but needed the guidance of a drawn line and didn’t know how to get the lines onto a fabric?
There are lots of tools and pens which you can use to mark your…
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Great idea working freom the back! never thought of that. Have tried the tissue paper and it worked well, but a bit of a fag tearing it away after. Will definitely try working from the back – Thanks Vendulka x
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Yes, it’s tedious getting the paper out, but sometimes it’s better than risking the lines coming back. Glad my tip is helpful!
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I found working from the back really helpful in thread drawing
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Fab ideas, Vendulka – I really must get more inventive with my quilting!
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Great, simple ideas, thanks.
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thank you!
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Thank you
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, Parkham Patchers Quilt Group Exhibition 7 years, 11 months ago
Parkham Patchers Quilting Group are holding a Patchwork and Craft Exhibition at Parkham Methodist Chapel, Parkham, Devon EX39 5PG, Friday 6th July and Saturday 7th July from 10am – 5pm, and on Sunday 8th July 12pm –…

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Vendulka Battais wrote a new post, Ball or Pin-cushion 7 years, 11 months ago
This is a wonderful project – following the same instructions you can make either a ball for a child or very pretty pincushion for your friend.
The ball is wonderful for children from very early age, as it’s…
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, A Crafting Life For Me! 7 years, 12 months ago
I’m a quilter, a knitter, a sewer (that is a sewing person, not the thing that carries sewage away), a quilter, a crocheter, a pianist, a flautist, a wife, a step-mother, a foster carer, a grandmother (I prefer b…

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Haha, Christine, you sound like me! I have so many crafts I have dabbled in/with too. Currently making Luna Lapins, soooo fiddly. Thankds for thre interesting Blog.
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Thank you Sue – I remember my flute teacher saying ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ – and that may have a ring of truth about it, but what if I haven’t yet found the craft / job / activity that I can truly master? I’ll just have to try them to find out!
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Me too, but it is fun trying them all out!!
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Christine Hutchins recommended the post Spring clean and the UFOs, WIPs and PIGs 8 years ago
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Christine Hutchins recommended the post Labels, labels, labels 8 years ago
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, My Quilting Year Book 8 years, 1 month ago
In my blog last month, I let you into one of my obsessions – stationery, and the need to write things down. My plan for this month is to let you know about my progress on The Quilter’s Year Book. It really just goe…

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This book sounds brilliant. Have looked on Amazon but they don’t have it. Where can I buy it? Please xx
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I do hope your hubby is fully recovered now, that must have been an awful experience for both of you on Christmas morning x
The book looks a lot of fun, and your description of using it does too – thank you for the entertaining blog on it x
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I’ve never heard of the Quilters YearBook but I want one, it seems like just the thing to push me along on my quilting journey. I’d like to know where I can buy it too.
I also have an obsessive need to write things down, thank you for sharing.P.S. I hope your husband feels much better now and I wish him the best health.
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, Write It Down! 8 years, 1 month ago
I can easily see how this post is a carry-on from my February post, which boiled down to ‘Use It Up’. Not only am I a ‘Fabriholic’, but I am a ‘Stationery Addict’ too – and have been for as long as I’ve been sew…

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I enjoyed reading this Christine but, I should confess, my pleasure came (at least in part) from an increasing feeling that I might be relatively ‘normal’ 😉
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This makes me feel better Ingrid – as it means that I also may be relatively ‘normal’ – although some may beg to differ!
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Having just moved house and had to give away a lot of unused stationery, I think I could say I was a stationery addict too. I’ve recorded most of the things I have ever made for sale (patterns, making instructions, time taken, materials used, costs), but your blog has made me realise that there is so much more I could be doing with quilting notes. Thank you.
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Thank you Corinne – good luck with the notes!
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Vendulka Battais and
Fiona Garth are now friends 8 years, 1 month ago -
Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, Gravity and Chocolatier BOMs from purple stitches 8 years, 1 month ago
Chocolatier BOM
Gravity BOMI blame UKQU for me joining these two BOM – somebody posted a picture of the Chocolatier quilt on one of the UKQU facebook pages, and it called to me instantly. Then I saw the G…

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Christine Hutchins joined the group
UKQU BOOK CLUB 8 years, 2 months ago -
Vendulka Battais wrote a new post, Spring clean and the UFOs, WIPs and PIGs 8 years, 2 months ago
Let’s hope the spring is finally here (no more snow please!) It’s so nice to open the doors and windows in the house for more than just 5 minutes to get some fresh air and new energy in. Before we dive into…

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Good idea Vendulka, tomorrow’s job
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Oh how I wish…! I have a sewing room and a crafting room. My crafting room is more planned than the sewing room, but one of my stepsons came back to live with us last year, and I said he could use the crafting room for storage short term…obviously we have different ideas about what short term actually is. I have been trying to finish off WIPs and PHDs recently, including getting projects hung in the home, and I finished a quilt top 3 weeks ago that I’ve been working on, on and off, for 6 years. Problem now is finding the time to quilt it! I’d love to get going in my sewing room today, but alas, work calls!
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Christine Hutchins and
Kathryn Harding are now friends 8 years, 2 months ago
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Vendulka Battais recommended the post Let’s make a patchwork jacket 8 years, 2 months ago
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Christine Hutchins wrote a new post, Quilting As Therapy 8 years, 2 months ago
WARNING: Some people may find one of the pieces pictured a little disturbing – but don’t let that stop you from reading the blog and the explanation of the work!
Like many people, I have suffered with dep…

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I found this very interesting because I believe that quilting (or any other craft for that matter) is therapy, but maybe for slightly different reasons than yours.
I too have suffered from depression several times over my life. When my husband was suffering with cancer I was a beadworker (still am on occasion – I had not discovered quilting then!) and had been attending a regular class. When he was well enough, my husband would almost push me out of the door to go to my class – simply because he could see that the two hours I spent there took my mind away from what we were living through. When I thought it through, I came to the conclusion that, if you are concentrating on making something, you cannot be concentrating on your troubles, whatever they are. Crafting kept me sane after he died.
I know that I am not good at sitting doing nothing – indeed it can make anxiety set in. If I get to that stage (as I did the other week – I had been trying to set up the craft room and had been telling myself I didn’t have room for sewing) I MUST sew. It doesn’t matter what it is – hand or machine, patchwork or wholecloth – but I need to do something. So I set up a folding table in my lounge (I live on my own so don’t have to worry about getting in anyone else’s way!) and pieced a throw together. I just need to quilt it now!
We all do what we need to do. Happy quilting and thank you for sharing. xx-
You are absolutely right Cheryl – any type of crafting can be a form of therapy. I know that if I am not feeling great, time spent in my sewing room can help to make me feel better, and it doesn’t matter what I am making. I am lucky, in that I can spend time more evenings doing some form of crafting – be it quilting, embroidery or crocheting. Crafting is therapy by itself. The two quilts I’ve showed have been specific responses to specific times – but my quilts don’t always take this sort of form. It just so happens that my experiences prompted a very personal and creative response, in an attempt to deal with what I was experiencing – trying to make sense of it all. Thank you for sharing your story – I know that getting out to my quilting group is essential – as it gives me a chance to meet up with friends, and get away from it all.
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