Olympia & Olympic quilts

Olympia here we come.  Today saw myself and HW off to Olympia for the Stitch and Craft Show 2012.  Quilting on the top floor (along with Knitting), Cross Stitch on the middle floor and then Crafts on the lower floor.

A show, that contained everything! Quilting, Knitting, Crafts and Cross Stitch  Also a chance to see some quilts produced for the Olympics. 

The quilts came in two sections - small quilts - being given to each country participating in the games. 

And small pendants - given to each athlete competing in the games.

Neither I or HW had contributed to either of these quilting gifts - if only we didn't work full time!
Top floor was most definitely the better floor for us - quilts and wool.  After a very quick lunch we moved down to the lower floor - however - the use of the word Crafts was not really as we expected.... the whole floor dedicated to card making - not really our thing but certainly by the number of people on that floor there was a large interest in that hobby.

And who could fail to be enchanted by the knitted village !! - including a knitted quilt shop Squuueeeeelllll we're in heaven!!

The second floor offered a little bit more for us.  Lots of cross stitch items - HW had certainly indulged in more than a few bits 'n' bobs before today, but not on this occasion.  We both enjoyed the bead stands - both coming away with beads to finish projects started earlier this year.

Late afternoon we settled into our course we had booked - Make and Mend: Button Jewellery - as the button - real odds - were handed round we did both wonder if we would be able to produce anything wearable but it came as a surprised as we hunted through - and a surprise at all the other wonderful necklaces that were made!!

A good day - the show I, personally,  think missed many opportunities to offer something different.  The wool on offer was nice but not a large choice - and we had both gone with the intention of splashing out on some thread for our new (ish) crochet love but it was not to be - ah well enough pennies left for a cup of tea before heading home.

Ps.  CD also attended, but as we had not organised ourselves better we completely missed her - a real shame - note to self - next time phone to check!

Quirky Scrappy Zappy do do do do do

The Quirkies have been looking forward to Saturday 25th February for quite some time now... in fact ever since 2 of us enjoyed a whole weekend with Jennie Rayment in the Cotswolds last November we've been dy(e?)ing to get tweaky with some more fabric under Jennie's watchful eye.
Imagine our delight when the opportunity to take a workshop to make "Scrappy Zappy Do" presented itself through our "local" quilt shop, Creative Quilting.

It was as well we arrived early at Our lady of Lourdes church hall where the workshop was being held as there were a number of miniature Chelsea players being dropped off for Saturday morning footie at the school field next door, so competition for car parking space was high......it would not have made good headlines "Quilters disrupt junior league in rotary cutter fight for parking".  Somehow we all squished in, unloaded cars and set about setting up workstations.

Step one was easy, simply fold your precut triangle of coloured fabric in half, put the fold on the right and then arrange your triangles into a mountain range that pleases your eye and number them 1 - 20....

Then tack, jump and tack again and reduce the bulk of all those triangles piled high by trimming her petticoat, not her dress or her legs but the petticoat , by this time we were wondering where Jennie gets her inspiration for all these little remembering rhymes...

Then following Jennie's secret number sequence repeat 9 times more, and make matching pairs and if you are really organised you can string piece them and decorate your machine with some really interesting bunting for a little while

Then the two are partnered with 2 more to make a square and then squares make friends with their neighbours and its amazing how quickly it all comes together in a twisty whirly kind of way....

Then, tummies rumbling we ignored the fabulous sunshine outside and stopped for lunch kindly organised by Val of Justhands-on.tv. We had a fabulous lunch of quiche & salad, fruit & yoghurt - have I mentioned before that quilters NEVER go hungry?

The afternoon was a delightful giggle of putting blocks together and piecing interesting borders..always with the ever watchful Jennie appearing with just the right advice at the right moment or stepping in and solving a problem before it gets any worse...

With additional hot cross bun, tea and Werther originals for sustenance final borders were added and workstations tidied

Thankyou to Jennie & Val for a wonderful day
Now then Quirkies - who will have their wall hanging finished for next meeting's show and tell?

January Meeting

Our first meeting of 2012 took place on Saturday 21st January. We met at HW's house and we all had hand sewing projects to work on.

CB brought along some crochet that she was having trouble with, the problem was solved quickly with HW's help. CB was then ready to get on with her wholecloth quilt.

AB finished her hand quilting project from a workshop she attended last year, and started a small project making a 'space' for a banner to hang at an exhibition for the quilting group she goes to on a Monday evening.

EL was working on a hand quilted cushion to go with a quilt she has made for her sofa, using a lovely batik fabric.

HT was hemming a pair of curtains for a bedroom.

HT brought along the pretty baby quilt she had been working on last year to show us.

CD was hand quilting a wall hanging (for the same exhibition as AB's 'space'). It is for the Myths and legends category and shows a Griffin. The fabric is hand dyed and printed from a series of workshops she is taking following on from her City and Guilds course.

HW was working on a long term project of hand appliqued 20 inch blocks, this will be a stunning quilt when finished and well worth taking time over.

Throughout the day we drank quite a lot of tea and tried not to overdo the eating as it was so soon after the excesses of Christmas. We had HW's delicious beef and Guiness soup with CD's homemade bread followed by fresh fruit.

 Despite the absence of cake we had another brilliant day sewing, chatting and eating. Thank you HW and family for your hospitality. 

Saturday Quilting - December

Well our last quilting meeting for 2011 - and it really does only seem like five minutes since we last met!!!  Another fun filled day of laughter, eating and of course a bit of sewing!


All the QQ where in attendance for our last quilting meet - CB had put the Christmas decorations up to get everyone in the Christmas spirit - now don't tell anyone but the decorations where put up at the end of November!!!  Well we all know when you work full time and have a time consuming hobby  - when you have an hour free you need to utilise that hour to full capacity - no one will ever know that that hour was a November hour and not a December hour!!!


                                                      



















Chatting, quilting and signing along to our Christmas CD's were in abundance today ....

CB working on a Christmas Gift for In-laws

AB working on Christmas Dec's

CD working on a banner for the town twinning exhibition meeting http://sutton-town-twinning-quilters.blogspot.com/

HT continuing with a baby quilt started at the last meeting

EL working on hand quilting

HW continuing with some hand applique

                                    
               
A large lunch was consumed - even though we had vowed to cut down our consumption at lunch time!

                               Homemade Bread                            Chicken, winter veg and barley soup

  

                            

                           Homemade Christmas Pudding         Homemade Key lime Cheesecake

With dates set for all our 2012 meetings and shows we skipped off home happy for another week.  One more meeting before Christmas but a non quilting evening - watch this space to see what else we get up too.....