Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Quilt As You Go Night and Further News


Last Wednesday evening we had a good time and learned a technique for "quilt as you go" that few of us knew how to do before the workshop. Thanks Carole Auden for passing on your expertise. She found it amusing too!!
We all got started on our place mats in order to master the technique and everyone was looking forward to finishing them off at home.


Christmas Show and Tell - Dec 5th

Our last meeting for 2012 is our Christmas Show and Tell - looking forward to seeing some of the beautiful pieces that you have been working on this year. Please bring a little festive food to share.

First Wombourne Quilters meeting in 2013

Our first meeting in the New Year will be on January 16th. We will keep you all informed about the new programme in the near future.

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

November and December Programme News


Christmas ‘Quilt as You Go’ place-mat demo and mini workshop - Nov 21st 2012

As promised, Carole Auden is going to demonstrate a simple but very effective Quilt as You Go technique that we used on the Olympic quilt and that has been used on several Linus quilts, shown to the group recently.

If you want to have a go yourself -
Make a large place-mat sized quilt sandwich with one fabric on the top, wadding, and one fabric on the reverse, and each fabric complementing the other.  Red and gold, red and green - whatever takes your fancy or that matches your Christmas colour scheme - silver/white, pearl and old gold seem popular this year - but what do I know!  

Machine quilt the layers together in a random or orderly fashion with whatever colour threads work with both fabrics chosen.

You will need another piece of fabric, in a colour of your choice, to make the Quilt as You Go bindings - to be cut on the night. And pins.

We are providing a couple of sewing machines, cutting boards etc but if you want to bring your own, please do.


Christmas Show and Tell - Dec 5th

Our last meeting for 2012 is our Christmas Show and Tell - looking forward to seeing some of the beautiful pieces that you have been working on this year. Please bring a little festive food to share.

First Wombourne Quilters meeting in 2013

Our first meeting in the New Year will be on January 16th. We will keep you all informed about the new programme in the near future.

Saturday, 10 November 2012

Wild Women of Wombourne!

Thank you Gill Biel for the most wonderful evening last Wednesday, making Wild Women brooches (from a book by Sarah Lawrence).
We had a fun evening, with lots of charms and beads provided by Gill, making felt brooches of women of gay abandon!
Our alter egos in some cases?











Monday, 17 September 2012

September


Wombourne Quilters                         September 2012

Wednesday 19th September
In our meeting this week, Denise Smith is going to run one of our very enjoyable demos and mini workshops, showing us how to make a felt corsage. She has chosen this pretty little bird design which could also be adapted for a Christmas tree decoration or garland.

Please bring along sewing kit, paper and fabric scissors and something to push the stuffing into the bird. There will be a small cost for the materials provided.

Sedgley Live - Saturday 9th September
We are going to have a stand at ‘Sedgley Live’ and we are putting on a display of quilts made by Wombourne Quilters for Project Linus. If you have any completed quilts or some in progress, please could I borrow them for the show? Bring the quilts to the meeting this week or contact me to let me know when I could collect them. Obviously those of you who have offered to help on the day can bring quilts with you to Sedgley.

Edwina MacKinnon Workshop Saturday 20th October
Most people were interested in the ‘Kaleidoscope Block’ workshop for 20th October and we will be contacting Edwina to let her know. Please confirm that you are going to do this workshop by paying £10 deposit at the next meeting - the total cost will be £25 for the day.
If you have not contacted me yet but would like to do the workshop, there are still places available.

For those who expressed an interest, we will run our own ‘Strip construction quilt - make a top in a day’ workshop at Bardmore and will let you know the date later.

Hoping to see you soon
Kate

Monday, 10 September 2012

IMPORTANT NEWS NEEDING REPLIES PLEASE


AN IMPORTANT NOTE FROM KATE:

There are two events coming up quite soon and I need to know if people are interested in supporting either of them by the end of this week - 14th September.
Contact me on catherine.brierley2@btinternet.com or 01902 711983

Sedgley Live Saturday 
29th Sept 
We would like to take a display of Linus quilts to Sedgley Live. Can you come along to help? We would set up at about 9am and then take down at 4pm. 
Can you help set up about 9am to 10.30am?
Can you come along to sit and sew, perhaps working on a Linus quilt, and/or chat to visitors for a couple of hours - morning or afternoon?
Can you help later to take down, about 3 to 4.30 pm?
Do you have any Project Linus quilts for the display? We would like as many as possible

Please contact me by email or phone by the end of this week

Workshop with Edwina MacKinnon 
October 20th 
We need to decide on the topic for the day.  There are several options to choose from - those who were at her talk last Wednesday will remember the examples Edwina brought with her.

1. Cut and come again.
Create blocks from random pieces of pieced fabric, cut out your block then use the off cuts to add to other pieces of fabric.  The only measuring you do is when cutting your square blocks.

2. Kaleidoscope and colour.
Explore the possibilities of the Kaleidoscope block and play with colour and block placement.

3. Fabric manipulation 
Play with pleating, tucking, fraying.

4. String pieces quilt.
Make dozens of yards of a length of pieced strips of fabric, then strip piece the strips.  Easy.  Quilt top in a day.

Contact me or Carole Auden as soon as possible for further information, if needed, and to tell us which workshop option you would be interested in doing - by the end of this week, 14th September. 

Possible Indigo and dyeing workshop with Edwina
Edwina creates some stunning fabrics from dyeing, discharge and smear dyeing, soya wax, indigo dyeing and so on.  These topics are best undertaken at Ineke's Barn (Little Heath Lane, Lickey End - near Bromsgrove) and Edwina is happy to set up a workshop there for those of us wishing to have a go. We would need about 8 to 10 people to make it worthwhile and it would cost about £35 for the day. 
Please let me know if you want to do this instead of or as well as the workshop in October and we can sort out a date with Edwina.

Hoping to hear from you all soon
Kate

Wednesday, 18 July 2012


Wombourne Quilters Newsletter July 2012


Wednesday 18th July
Our next meeting will be a talk by Lesley Brankin, entitled ‘Inspired By’ which should be an interesting insight into the way Lesley develops her ideas. Just to remind you, we agreed at the AGM that we should make a contribution of £2 when we have a visiting speaker, to help cover costs.

1st August
Our special Linus Evening. An opportunity to bring your Linus quilts to work on or complete and to start something new for Linus. Please bring sewing kits to help layer up or finish off some of the lovely Linus quilts that are in progress or to have a go at a simple kit for a small quilt. If you can bring a rotary cutter, quilters rule and cutting board you can prepare pieces ready to be joined or if you can manage a sewing machine, you can work on chain piecing and quick machine quilting. We have quite a selection of donated fabric but any further pieces are always welcome, as well as wadding offcuts and suitable backing fabric.

We can often see making quilts for Linus as a way to use up fabric and forget the real children who will receive them. Mary Toft donated quilts to the Sutton Coalfield region earlier this year and she showed us a brief but most touching thank-you note she received from one of the children and it reminded us all of why we make these quilts and why we should continue to make them as lovely as possible.

 ‘At last it is finished’ and ‘Work in progress’
At our Summer Show and Tell two themes quickly developed, most people had brought either work in progress or items that they had returned to and completed at last. I started the Show and Tell with work that is a little different for me as they are fused, rather than pieced - and then there was the brightly coloured yellow, orange and pink Linus quilt top in progress.

Carol T brought three quilts for Linus that she is making, using off-cuts from previous quilts, each one slightly smaller than the last but all with a beautiful range of mauves, pinks, blues and turquoise. And then there was an exquisite little book of mini sample quilts.
Gill B brought lots of different blocks including crazy ones of course and told us about her list of things that she wants to finish once she retires this summer - I don’t think ‘retire’ is quite the right word if this list is anything to go by! She also brought an amazing memory quilt top that is a journey through her life and told us how it became too emotional for her to complete in 2010 but she is now hoping to get it finished later this year, when she has retired.......

Mary D brought along pieces that she has, in her words, finished off at last! we have all been there - a bright fresh blue and white hexagonal table center and the wall hanging from the Elizabeth Wall workshop last year, now beautifully framed.
Jane W showed us her stunning ‘quick’ quilt she has made for a friend, using subtle Japanese fabrics set in an off white surround - and then the many, many squares she is making - I cannot remember how many but it was in the hundreds - for another project she is working on - it will be most interesting to see it completed at a later date.

Carole A showed us a selection of ‘quilt as you go’ quilts for Linus (the technique we used on our Olympic quilt) but also a lovely batik one for herself and all the small, delicate journal crazy patches she is doing, one each month. And then there were the Victorian petticoats and bustle! these are reproduction items that Carole is making for a project in Coalbrookdale and several of us fell in love with them as skirts! the petticoats that is, not the bustle!

As well as the touching thank-you note, Mary Toft brought more Linus quilts, this time using one of those quilting gadgets we fall for at shows that allows us to cut and sew perfect blocks but she said she was bored with it now! And then there was the fresh, cheerful large quillow, made from a gift of fabric, which looked distinctly Scandinavian in blue, yellow and white.
Susan T showed us a quilt that she is making for her young grandson, space ships and trains are not her usual style, and another in the Japanese fabric Sue has been working with recently. And then there was the very pale pink immaculate whole cloth, hand quilted piece that had won a prize, more like the Sue we know.

Angie A brought just one quilt but what a quilt! This one was started a while ago and it is finished at long last, all but a little of the binding. It has been worked through some tough times for Angie but now it is complete and will be used on a daily basis, hopefully with a feeling of triumph and with pleasure.
Denise Smith had a lovely selection for us to see, including delicate examples of shadow quilting of birds and a large quilt made for her daughter who is a ‘Sex in the City’ fan. The quilt is called ‘The Big Apple’ reflecting New York and machine quilted with a big apple design of course. And then there was the bold appliqué Olympic quilt showing many different sports in silhouette, in the Olympic colours.

A large piece of brightly coloured painted fabric was spread out for us to see by Carol P, and it will be interesting to see what she will do with it in future as it has the potential for a stunning piece of work. And then there were lots of lovely little crazy blocks that Carol is working on each month, each one has its own distinct character and reflects the different skills and techniques that Carol has acquired.
Janet B had a wealth of items to show, including samples from workshops and the four journal quilts for the first months of this year as well as two framed appliqué pieces that are for a friend’s cottage in France. And then there was the Union flag for the Jubilee that just had to be made, pieced from lots of different red, white and blue fabrics.

Jan F has made quilts and bags for all her family except her youngest daughter. She told us the story of her quilt top that she has now made for Sarah, who did not really know what she wanted but said it should be big enough to cover the sofa, that it should be in warm colours and dark enough not to show the dirt created by her young sons! And the quilt, in rich warm tones of brown and deep red looked just about right.
Maggi Birchenough, our regional Quilters Guild rep came to visit and brought two pieces of her work to show, her final piece for her C&G, based on flower seed heads with stitched detail, and a small piece completed after a workshop which used fusing and plenty of intricate stitching, an embroidery/quilt cross-over.

It was a most enjoyable evening and thank you to all who took part. If I have missed anyone out, my apologies; it is not on purpose but due to memory overload and malfunction. As I also forgot to take a camera, we do not have any pictures but if you have a photo of any of the work you brought to show, please email a copy to me as it would be lovely to have a record on our website.

Kate

Thursday, 28 June 2012

News Updates


We had a lively AGM at the start of May and two interesting mini workshops since then, one with Gill Biel and the other with Kate (me!). 
The Linus day at Bradmore went very well, with several quilts started and thanks to the generous donations from members of the group, we had a marvelous array of fabrics to choose from, with plenty still available to make even more! 
Subscriptions were due in May, if anyone has not renewed but still wishes to do so, please contact me on  01902 711983 or by email catherine.brierley2@btinternet.com
July 4th Summer Strawberries and Cream Show and Tell
Please bring a little food to share and of course anything you want to show us; finished or not, work in progress - it is great to see it all and there will be a raffle too.
If you know of someone who might be interested in joining our group, this is an ideal opportunity to invite them to come along and see some of the beautiful work you all produce.
August 1st  Linus Evening
We have decided to run a special Linus Evening, where everyone can get involved with helping to put some finishing touches to the Linus quilts in progress or take on a kit to make a small quilt suitable for premature babies. 
The quilts can be any size but tiny 18 in x 18 in is a very popular size for premature babies and meter square quilts are ideal for those in wheelchairs.
Visiting speakers
There are several interesting speakers coming to Wombourne Quilters this Summer and Autumn and as agreed at the AGM there will be a small entrance fee of £2 for group members to these events and £5 for visitors. Do invite friends who might be interested.
Wed 18th July Lesley Brankin - "Inspired By"
Wed 5th Sept Edwina McKinnon - "The Story So Far"
Wed 3rd Oct:    Toni Giles "Paper - A Certain Shade of Vintage"
Tea Coffee and Biscuits
After discussion at the AGM, it was agreed that there would be a small charge for tea, coffee and biscuits at meetings. As from July 18th, please make a contribution of 50p when you have your tea or coffee. 
Festival of Quilts Tickets
Carol Thomas has organised tickets for the Festival of Quilts and if bought beforehand, there is a saving of £3, please bring your Guild membership number. 
£10 non-members - £9 Guild members - £13 on the door.
Ann Jermey’s Open Day
Ann is holding an "Open Day" at her house on Thursday 19th July     10 till 12  and 2 till 4
Coffee, tea and biscuits (not homemade!!) Margaret will be on hand to help on the day.
Address:  12 Huntsmans Close, Bridgnorth.
Minerva Quilts Summer Exhibition
Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes SY18 6BY
Exhibition runs from July 9th until September 8th 2012, 10.30am - 4.30pm (closed Sundays) Admission £3.50 Further information 01686 413467 or www.quilt.org.uk
Exhibition at The Weavers Gallery Ledbury
 Tuesday 26th June - Sunday 8th July  10am to 5pm.
"Stuff as Dreams are made of"  An exhibition of Textile Art and engraved glass in association with the Ledbury festival.  Janet Bevan has a piece in the exhibition and several of our local quilters are there as well.  Angie Hughes, Ineke, etc.
Inexpensive Fabrics from Kisko House Leicester
Carole Auden is going to Kisko in a few weeks, cheap fabric galore! She is willing to buy on your behalf but please speak to Carole to make arrangements about any purchases you wish to make. This is their website
Hoping to see you all at the Show and Tell.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

Half Square Triangles and other scraps!

Last night we had a wonderful evening with expert member Ann Jermey. Most of us have made half square triangles is some form or an another in the past but Ann is the ultimate font of all knowledge on the subject.
She's also a super teacher!

She has gazillions of stitched pieces and trillions of triangles and we had fun making as many blocks, patterns and borders by manipulating them.
It began to dawn on us how many borders can be made this way.



She showed us hand piecing and machine methods of construction and encouraged us to find our own patterns.


 The image below shows how one could have light and dark blocks in the middle and unmatched medium tones as a border and it works:
 This is the same piece viewed using a reducing glass (the opposite of a magnifier) which is fabulous for showing up the pattern as seen from a distance:
and...

There was plenty of discussion...
Ann on the left below:

It soon became apparent how we could be using all our scraps up this way to produce intricate quilts from a simple block:

Above is one of Ann's machine pieced quilts and below are other block patterns constructed by manipulating the squares every which way:







And below a beautifully hand stitched and quilted quilt again made by Ann:

Ann gives regular lessons in Bridgnorth, Shropshire at the Quilters Quest Tel: 01746 766632

Also at the above venue Janet Bevan is running a workshop "Freehand Machine Embroidery and Quilting" on May 24th 2012. Call the number above for details.

A reminder that Kate Brierley's group "Eclectica" has a fabulous exhibition in Worcester - please see the Exhibitions page for details.

Subs are due in May - see the last posting for details....bring your cheque book next time!! 16th May is our next meeting which is the AGM. Please bring a plate of food to share!!

Thursday, 19 April 2012

The Naked Blocks

(click the photo to enlarge and view this better!)
Last night was day1 of the crazy block round robin for this year.
Each participating member made a crazy block and put it in a folder. Every month the folder gets passed amongst the stitchers and they will decorate one seam and one patch with embroidery based on this year's theme "A Flower Garden".
Above are the naked blocks before embellishment and in a year's time we will unveil the completed pieces.
The last set of blocks were wonderfully innovative and very beautiful.

Carol Page was even more excited than usual (!) because she has finished a quilt which is a gift for a three year old which she has worked on ever since the child was born. Here she is with the lovely bright quilt which she made by the "quilt as you go method."
Please have a look at our Exhibitions page as Kate's group "Eclectica" has an exhibition at Worcester Cathedral coming up. The group has a very varied output of the highest standard.

Just a reminder: Subs are due in May and are £32 for a year or £18.50 for six months.

Monday, 26 March 2012

Janet Bevan and Olympic News

At our last meeting one of our very active members, Janet Bevan, talked and showed her collection of journal quilts.
Inspired by the Contemporary Quilters' section of The Quilters' Guild, she has, for the past three years, made a stunning collection of quilts. Each month she produces a piece which either reflects something that has happened that month, or acts as a practice piece for a future piece of work using a technique that she might wish to explore.

 I think she has inspired many of us to consider working this way and we are thinking of creating a collection as a group which we can possibly exhibit at our next quilt show in Wombourne in 2013.
Last week Angie went to Olympia to the Stitch Show and saw our Olympic Quilt on display with all the others. A draw was done by Kaffe Fassett to see where all the quilts that the various groups have made will go to. Ours is going to Equatorial Guinea!
Here's the certificate. There is also a beautiful book featuring all the quilts - details from Kate Brierley.
Here is our quilt depicting scenes of Wombourne on display at Olympia.

Two meow people brought finished book wraps from the Annette Emms workshop with them this week:


Apologies for the picture quality - the light was very poor.

Most of us will be travelling to The Uttoxeter Quilt Show (April 13th - 15th) - so hopefully more pictures of that soon.

Our next meeting is on April 4th where Carole Auden is running a workshop called "Making Bias Tape" and if we behave she might also introduce us to silk ribbon embroidery. All welcome!!

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Crazy Block Round Robin Project 2011-2012 results!!

In March 2011 a number of members started this Crazy Quilting project. Each prepared a crazy patch base and each month the pieces were passed on to the next member of the group to embellish a patch and a seam.
Last night the reveal took place.
It was fascinating to see the beautiful work on these samples as we passed them around.




















The project has now begun again - the results will be here in a year!!

Meanwhile Carol is still working on her bookwrap from the Annette Emms workshop recently.


Jill Biel's is finished:

Jane Williams' completed wrap:
more to follow!