Well Done Cromwell Quilters

On a rare moment away from the shop (yes we do get them) Julie and I jumped at the chance to visit the Cromwell Quilters "Quilts Unlimited 2011" show on Sunday in St Ives. So after leaving the old fellas settle in their prospective sofas watching the Grand Prix - off we trotted for an afternoon of delights! We were not disappointed! There was a huge range of quilts and I didnt have much space left on my camera so only photographed my favourites - but here is a little taster!

Mariners Garden by Janet Shakespeare

 This was so eye catching with all those lovely colours! So effective!

Angel Delight by Christine Rooks

I thought this was great - full of whimsy and humour and I adored the rather startled looking cats. The embellishments worked perfectly and I thought the choice of plaids as the border was inspired (not just because we have them in the shop) and it really added to the 'homely' feel of the quilt. This lady's granddaughters are VERY lucky girls!

 

Cave by Diana Mackay

 This one got my vote as best in show. The write up in the catalogue said it represented a difficult time in her life and demonstrates how even traumatic events can encourage creativity and this really resonated with me. I could really feel the emotion in this piece and therefore it had to get my vote!

Well I think that is enough for now - I hope you got to attend because it was well worth the trip to see such a huge range of work in one place. Well done Ladies!

Best Wishes

Sarah

A little parcel has arrived!

From a slow start at the beginning when people didn't seem to realise we 'did' wool, the balls are really beginning beginning to fly out the door. So much so that we are now able to introduce a few new ranges (all King Cole) in Aran, Romano chunky and a number of other interesting lines.

So imagine my excitement when this arrived yesterday (sorry about the picture quality - I only had my phone handy!)

Now the only issue is; where do we put it all?

Best wishes

Sarah

Beeing Crafty!

As some of you who came to the opening will know, we gave a bee kit to everyone who stood still long enough to be nabbed! The kit contained 2 pieces of calico, some stuffing and a bee template for our creative guests to decorate in any way that took their fancy. Some Grandmas even took a couple for their grandchildren. The only 'rule' was that each bee had to have the maker's name and the date on it somewhere so that people could identify them once we hung them up in the shop.

Well the first batch have flown their way back to us, and after much 'oooohing' and 'aaahing' between everyone in the shop, I have got around to putting them up on one of our beams. Don't they look great!

People's creativity never ceases to amaze me! 5 more have now flown in so just a few more need to arrive before I get the ladder our again and add to our growing family! If you still have one sitting around at home then we would love to see her!

Well done ladies

Today has been the first day of our beginners quilting class with Anne Statcey. This class will run one Friday a month and aims to teach beginners the fabulous art of quilting through a sampler quilt. Each class will concentrate on 2 squares a session, building up to a 12 square quilt if you choose to do all the classes.

This was the result of the first group today!

Cracking start wasn't it!

And they loved the cupcakes we gave out today!

.... because there is always room for cake on one of our classes!!!

Next beginners workshop takes place on Friday 14th October.



Fun with zips!

Well we have just completed our first month and it has been a great success. This is fantastic when you hear the news and the world seems to be going to hell in a handcart!

Last Saturday was our first class and we kicked off with "Playing with Zips" with the lovely Kathleen Dague. We  learnt how to deal with a centred zip, a concealed zip and a lapped zip! And we even know what to do with 2 more of those strange feet that came with our sewing machines - result! Kathleen provided us with practice zips and calico, as well as detailed written instructions so everyone is pretty sure that they will be able to recreate these zips on their own!

Once everyone had a go with these zips they used 2 fat quarters to put together an adorable cosmetic bag. Here are just some of them

Kathleen was a very patient teacher and everyone produced a very professional looking bag. The ladies on the course had a great time and the Dundee cake went down a storm!

Tomorrow is the first Saturday meeting of our new quilting group the Granary Quilters, and we are very excited to see who comes! The cake for tomorrow is Lemon Drizzle and Jam Filled Biscuits - all expertly made for us by the bakerlicious Anita! Thanks Anita - we can feel our trousers getting tighter by the minute but it is sooo worth it!

Best Wishes

Sarah