Stitch gathering 2017

It all started so innocently ... with a Prosecco party  😊 lovely new addition to the Stitch gathering festivities! 

 

Look at Robins face, says it all! The now traditional pre gathering meal at Jamies Italian. Sitting across from me were these two lovelies, Lucy and Sandra, much laughter.

My name tag from lovely Jenny @patchworkmummy, it even had a cute wee needle minder in it, liberty capel as well! Cant beat liberty capel.

 

 

My lovely postcard from Catherine @knottedcotton poor Catherine was unwell and didnt manage on the day, hope youre feeling better now, i love my postcard.

 

 All of the postcards were amazing.

 

 

 My morning class, sewing mat with Julie Rutter @blackisleyarns

 

Lunchtime my minis from @bettistitches had a meet up with the lovely George Clooney pig who loves with @cat_haggart

Afternoon class with the ever fabulous Trudi Wood

 

And the best bit?? Meeting up with this gorgeous lady @lovenatalieuk as gorgeous in person as she is on instagram 😊 

Lastly but not least a HUGE shout out to the sponsors who always make this the goody bag capital of sewing retreats.

Thank you SO much - Aurifil, Nairns oatcakes, Dear Stella, Todays Quilt and Love patchwork, DMC, Duck egg threads, Michael Miller, Cloud 9 fabric, Blend fabric, Free spirit fabric, Lewis and Irene fabric, sewing quarter, and Dashwood studio. But most of all thank you Jo Avery - Mybearpaw, the stitch gathering is always the highlight of my quilty calendar.

 

Stitchgathering 2017 - lanyard

I never know if it is better or worse to know someone you are making a swap for! For the lanyard for the Stitchgathering 2017 i was given the lovely Heather @sewtoescape. What to do! Plus my hand embroidery is not that great any more for name stitching ..... Fortunately inspiration struck in the form of my newly acquired selvedge addition.

This is the front, can you see the selvedge in the middle? Heather Ross :-) i bought some alphabet beads and voila! We have a name badge!

Some scissors ribbon for lanyard, few more selvedges for the back. And we are done!!!

Stitch gathering 2017 - fabric postcard

Its that time of year again! Ive been going to the stitchgathering since it started. Love it and what it has become. Love the fun and the friendships that have grown from it. This year the ticket was a fabric postcard, i got the fabulous Sheila Donnachie (@bluepatchquilter) as my partner. EEEKKKKKK no pressure there then.  My first thought was to make some aurifil spools, Sheila sells aurifil, i did make some but didnt think they were "enough" if you know what i mean, so i thought i would use them on the back. Then @quietplay had a sale on and i bought the pattern for the mini geo sewing machine, perfect!! It had to be in blue!

I wasnt sure how to put the stamp and the message on the back so i sewed them into the binding and left them loose so you can see the aurifil spools.

       

This is the message i stamped in it, i love it since we are both called Sheila!

 

Proposed finishes for Q4 FAL 2027

And we are out of the starters blocks and raring to got for Q4!! Q4eh? Blimey 2017 you are fair ramping on. This time I will remember to number my list! Make it easier ...  Number 1 Farmers wife, I am way further ahead than I thought, almost halfway! No excuse now, keep chipping away at it

 

Number 2

I had just the most fabulous time at a workshop by Jenny Haynes - @pappersaxsten learning curves, the blocks are made just need to be put together for a linus quilt

Number 3

I made a mini one of these for the stichgathering postcard swap, loved it so much i want to make a mini one for myself in Liberty.

 

 

 

Number 4

These are left over from the Petra Prins quilt I made last quarter I think they would look fab in this charm square pattern and I think I have enough fabric for it too!

Number 5

I was charmed into buying a fabric marbling kit at the knitting and stitching show this year. This is the sample the man let me keep. I so want to make a flying geese lap quilt like the one he had on display, I have done most of the prep to marble the fabric, just need to find the time to get down to it!

Number 6

 Sligthly more ambitous is finishing off this mahoosive liberty medallion quilt .... i have a few retreats coming up so you never know!!!!

 

Number 7

I seem to have aquired a rather unhealthy amount of charm packs .... Some of these are over three years old! I will not buy any new ones till I clear out some old ones, this will make a nice little lap quilt.

 

T

Number 8

My local church is always looking for sale items so these next charm packs will become table runners for them

Number 9

Table runners for the church sale

Number 10

Table runners for the church sale.

Number 11

Right now this is also ambitious but hey in for a penny ... i have done all the blocks from the todays quilter BOM with Jo Avery, now to put them together possibly for siblings together? 

Number 12

Just coz i dont like odd numbers i will add in another this is destined to make at the Katy Cameron Littlest thistle retreat in November, layer cake from Zen chic whats not to love!

 

 

   

 

   

   

   

Oh snap!

Hah! Its not often im first in line, but waking up early on a sunday morning and having all my FAL list done and dusted means im first to link up. Quietly chuffed at that 😀

Another FAL2017Q3 finish!

Oh my giddy aunt! Another finish????? Yep this is number 3 from my list of proposed finishes for Q3

I dont really do improv or wonky so this is my best effort! I had these batiks left over and really loved them so wanted to use them to  make a mosaic type block or quilt. I wanted to remind myself of our holiday in Barcelona and all of the Gaudi gorgeousness!

So then the guild proposed an improv mini challenge and this was born. The pattern is Mod mosaic quilt blocks by Elizabeth Hartman. This is about as wonky as this very linear librarian can get :-)

 

Sewing day

I made a backpack!!!! Pandas natch, c'mon, it had to be. Pattern - Keepsake ring back pack by Sew Sweetness. I used up ALL the panda fabric ... well no of course not! I still may have some panda fabric left .... i wanted a small more handbag sized backpack i can use when i dont want my full work backpack.

But you know the best thing? The BEST thing ever? I now have a new sewing group. A laid back chilled, no agendas no bee blocks just rock up and do your own thing sewing group.

Im just so happy, when i moved down here in 2000 i had no network down here, just split upmy marriage, late 30s, concentrating on work and rebuilding my life. Sometimes now i look back and see how far i have come.

I dont make chums easily, im a friendly person but i am your classic introverted extrovert, or vice versa 😊 So i take my time getting to know folks, its just the way i am and im happy with it. Plus working 60 miles away from where i stay and also not having children means the normal routes to making connections are not there. So i have struggled at times to rebuild a network of chums.

So thats why i love instagram and twitter, random conversations end up with a fabulous sewing day! Kim - @kmj_creations suggested booking a village hall in Killearn which is 45 mins from me. A few more conversations later and 12 of us rock up, sew a storm, eat cake and generally have a laugh!

Even better? We now have two more days booked.