It's Christmas ...

... well it nearly is, and yesterday we had our Christmas party.

There were about 20 of us, and Liz decided we needed a Christmas tree, so she brought her own, which she decorated with very appropriate baubles.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see what I mean.

In order to have room for everyone, this meeting was declared a sewing-machine-free zone and Hazel provided a super handsewing project for us all. We all made little key-fobs, and here you can see some of the finished ones.

This was a great project, which also allowed plenty of time for chat - always good at a party. They are very addictive, and I can see more of these in my future for sure. Thanks Hazel for doing this for us.

Of course, a party wouldn't be a party without food, and boy was there food. There was mock-mulled wine too, which Sue provided (and I have to say, in all modesty that it was lovely) with not a drop of alcohol in it, so all drivers were able to enjoy it too.  I was going to show a photo of some of the food, but it seems I was too busy eating to remember to take any photos of it, sorry.  Take my word for it though, it was all yummy.

After lunch we had our show and tell.

Anne had made a lovely cushion cover.  I loved the back just as much as the front, and a great pair of flanelette Christmas lounging trousers.  She also made a great table runner, but I'm not showing that cos my photo did not show her best side, and trust me, she would not be happy with me if she saw it!

 Muriel showed us her hexagon quilt and, as always with Muriel, the back was as wonderful as the front, and she also brought along her finished Christmas stocking which she started at the last meeting.

Drew brought along his quilt, and told us that he made all the bias bindings himself, and hand appliqued the whole thing.  He has marked it for quilting and plans to hand quilt a one inch diamond grid on it.

He also brought along a stunning quilt with something over 100 blocks in it, but I seem to have lost the photo of that one, sorry Drew.  Anyway, the photo below shows what he is doing with the left over bits from that quilt.

I also had a quilt to show, but, since I was showing and telling, I didn't take a photo of it!  So, moving swiftly on, a couple of months ago Helen suggested we did a name badge Secret Santa swap, which she organised for us and here are some of the badges. I love how different they all are. 

We had a little party game too.  I scrambled up the names of 20 quilt blocks, and people tried to unscramble them.  Some were easy, some were not! The winning team was Lis, Pauline and Drew.

The Secret Santa swap was so popular that it was suggested we had another group activity.  Someone who shall remain nameless (ie, me) suggested we made quilted postcards on the theme of Spring, so come on YMQG members, get your thinking caps on and start sewing.  The plan is to display them all anonymously in March, and I think we may even vote (also anonymously) for our favourites, and who knows, there might be a prize involved too.

Finally, as we were clearing up, Hazel announced that she had bags of scraps that she did not want to take home.  I couldn't resist this photo - they're going to kill me!

Firstly, I must apologise for the lack of posts here for the past few weeks due to circumstances beyond my control, as they say on TV when something goes wrong!  Now here is a brief summary of both our October and November meetings.

During the October meeting Anne showed us all how to make Christmas stockings with a Seminole border at the top, like this one

and afterwards many members had a go at doing their own version.  Thanks Anne, I think everyone enjoyed making them, and found the technique was fun.  We also had our usual show and tell session at lunch time and here is the slide show of everything members have been up to.

This slideshow design generated with Smilebox During our November meeting Janet showed us a great way to make a journal cover and I think I know what many people will now be finding in their Christmas stocking this year.  Now, here's another slide show of members' creations during this month.

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox Next month is our Christmas party, so don't forget to bring your mystery badge along.

and the winner is ...

Oh hang on, just let me explain first how I chose the winner of this e-book.  The review was posted on this blog, and also on my blog here.  All the comments on my own blog are numbered, but those here are not (yes, I know I said I would get that sorted, but I forgot!).  So all I did was allocate numbers to the comments here running straight on from those over there.  That gave a total of 64 for Mr Random.org to chose from, and the number he chose was comment number 53

and number 53 is Pauline, who said

Congratulations Pauline and thanks to everyone who entered.  Don't forget to keep an eye on both blogs as there will be another giveaway soon.

Giveaway ...

(This book is published by Martingale Publications, and all the photography shown is by Brent Kane.)

Simply Modern Christmas by Cindy Lammon, has some great patterns which will allow you to dress your house for Christmas.  It includes 14 projects ranging from bed quilts and wall hangings, to Christmas Stockings and a table runner and a tree skirt. 

Although most of the patterns are shown in traditional Christmas colours, ie red and green, I think they would all work in other colours for other times of the year.  Imagine this one, for example, 

 made up with that  special fabric you can't bear to cut up, and this one, with its many pieces, would make a fantastic I-spy quilt for children.

As I would expect from any book published by Martingale, the instructions are very clear and each pattern has many diagrams. I also enjoyed the photography in this book.  Each quilt is shown in a styled shot (I love the Christmas tree they used on the front cover too) and as a full-face shot so you can see exactly what you are getting into before you start. 

My favourite project?  This Christmas Tree skirt, which I might just have to make before I put my tree up this year.

Now, I think I may have mentioned a giveaway in the title of this post?  Well, Martingale Publications are offering an e-book version of this book to one of you. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what colours you use to decorate for Christmas.

The giveaway small print:

1.     This giveaway is open to everybody, wherever you live, BUT please remember to make sure I can contact you if you are the winner.

2.     If you are a no-reply person, you will not be entered unless you leave an email address in your comment as I will not be able to get in touch with you.  (Note, if you are a Google+ person, you will be no-reply).

3.     This giveaway will also be available on my blog at Quilt Times.
4. If you are a member of Yorkshire Modern Quilters, leave a separate comment telling me so for an extra entry.

4.     The giveaway will close next Saturday, 25 October.

5.     The winner will be selected using Mr Random Generator.

Woww ...

Take some soluble fabric, thread and a sewing machine, and see what you get:

Absolutely fantastic sculptures.

Eye Candy from Germany

(Editor's note: this post has come from Sheila, who has recently returned from holiday. Thank you so much Sheila for thinking of us and taking the time to write this post.)

Hello everyone.

Been on my hols to friends in Augsburg and found out via the German Quilters Association that there was a quilt exhibition a short distance away, in Kösching , a small  town (about the size of Boston Spa). So off we went.

It was held in buildings which had previously been a convent and are now for civic use. Beautiful rooms , very light ,  with oak floors . 

The Diamond Quilters seem to have a nucleus of about 18 quilters ,who have a broad range of talent and interest. They also make “exceedingly good cakes “.

I was impressed by the level of skill and also by the  gorgeous fabrics ,  mostly supplied by Angelica , who has a quilt shop in the village. 

Age range about the same as our group. As with all quilters , a very friendly lot .

Hilmar , our friend’s husband was really impressed and even my  other half (who never goes near a quilt show )  said he’d enjoyed it !

To the ladies of the Diamond Quilters ,  Kösching ,who are going to look in to our blog       "Vielen Dank fuer eine schoene Austellung . Wir hoffen dass Sie ein  erfolgreiches Wochenende hatten. “

Slideshow made with Smilebox

In the Spotlight ...

... today is Janet.  Janet was the co-founder of our group along with Hazel, who was in the spotlight last month.  (You can go here to learn all about Hazel.) So read on to learn more about Janet.

Who/what inspired you to start quilting?  

I saw some fabric scraps in The Skep in Farsley in 2000 and thought to myself ‘I think I’ll make a quilt – how hard can it be?’

What do you love most about quilting? 

Piecing without a doubt. I love to get lost in the process and forget about everything else except sewing. I love to experiment with improvised piecing and scrap piecing and I love to use up the scraps from a finished quilt in another improvised piece.

What is your least favourite part? 

Layering and tacking my quilts together. I like the result when quilts are tacked rather than pinned or spray basted but find the process cumbersome.

What is your favourite technique, ie hand or machine sewing, appliqué, quilting, etc? 

At the moment it is quilting using the walking foot.

What new techniques do you hope to conquer in the future? 

I would like to develop my skills in the area of quilt design.

Do you use patterns or make it up as you go along? 

I often start with a pattern or a photo of a quilt I admire, but never usually end up with a quilt that looks like the original.

When you’re starting a new project, do you have the design all worked out (on computer/paper/in your mind) before you start? 

No – this is not always a good strategy and has led to a few headaches!

Do you buy/gather all the fabrics for a project before you start? 

Not usually – I try to use fabrics from my stash!

Do you like using pre-cuts such as FQ bundles, jelly rolls, layer cakes or charm packs? 

I don’t buy a lot of these but Moda scrap bags are my downfall!

Do you have any advice for someone just starting out on their quilting adventure? 

Just go for it – don’t worry about making mistakes, don’t worry if your points don’t match, enjoy the process.

In the quilt world, who do you find is a real inspiration to you? 

Gwen Marston, the quilters of Gee’s Bend. Anna Williams, Bonnie Hunter, Elizabeth Hartman, Karen Griska and Jacquie Gering.

Below are photos of some of Janet's quilts.

                                        

                               

Teenage Angst was made for Janet's oldest son when he went to Uni, Paintbox Crumbs won 2nd place in the Cot Quilt category at the Great Northern Quilt Show in 2010 and the Modern Sampler was made in 2013.

I hope to see some of you tomorrow where we'll be learning another method of reverse applique.

Great Northern Quilt Show

Edited to add photos of two more quilts that I missed.  Thanks to Margaret for sending them to me.

Sorry I'm late with this post - I can't believe how quiet having a bad foot made me.

Anyway, I, along with a lot of other people, went off to the Great Northern Quilt Show a couple of weeks ago.  I was pleased to see how busy it was, as that must help to ensure its future.

Our group was quite well represented as the following photos show.

Liz's Wheels quilt won two awards, which is absolutely fantastic, but probably didn't surprise any of us who have seen the quilt before. Since Liz also won the book giveaway from my last post, it was obviously her lucky week, and I hope she bought some tickets for the lottery that week too.

Here are the other quilts that our members submitted.  I think I (with a little help from Hazel) found them all, but if I missed anyone, I apologise and blame it on my bad foot.  (Wonder how long I can keep blaming that foot for things?)

 

I wonder how many quilts we can have in the show next year?

Don't forget to come back next week to see who's In the Spotlight this time.

The winner ...

... of this great book

Well, before I tell you the name of the lucky person who will receive a copy of this e-book, I want to explain how I chose someone.  This review was posted on this blog, and also on my blog, here.  All the comments on my own blog are numbered, but those on this one are not - hmm, must get that sorted out before the next review.  So all I did was allocate numbers to the comments on here running straight on from those on QuiltTimes.  That gave a total of 49 for Mr Random.org to chose from, and the number he chose was

and no.45 is Harrysmum, who said

I will send Harrysmum an email, but congratulations to her and thank you everyone who took the time to enter.  I will have another book review and giveaway in a couple of weeks, so do keep coming back and checking to see what you could win next time.

Book Review and a giveaway

I'm sorry, this giveaway is now closed.  You can see who won here

(This book is published by Martingale Publications, and all the photography shown is by Brent Kane.)

As its title suggests, this book contains quilts designed by well known bloggers from around the world.  There are 19 stunning quilts included, all with very clear instructions, plenty of diagrams and templates where necessary.

The book starts off by stating the main rule about modern quilting, which is that “there are no rules”.  So, anything goes really in terms of shapes, colours, designs and quilting, and this is certainly borne out by the quilts which vary from minimalist, such as Petal Pod to quite the opposite, like Scattered and from a modern take on a traditional quilt such as Rainbow Stashbuster to improv piecing seen in Improv Color Blocks.

When I read the book, I loved the tips that are often included such as how to sew a smooth curve.  I also like the fact that many of the quilts also show suggestions for optional, pieced backings.  This is not something I’ve ever done before, but I can definitely see myself trying them in the future.

You will also learn something about each of the contributors, as they have all written a little about themselves and you can visit their blogs to see more of their work.

Which are my favourite quilts?  That’s not easy to answer as I really love Trees, which I could see in all sorts of Christmas prints and Starflower, which I think would look great in plain colours.  Then there’s Petal Pods which I’d love to make in shades of orange and raspberry, and Knots, which is calling (actually it’s shouting) out to me to make it in aquas and blues.

Now all I need is a magic wand to make my days longer so I can make them all.

As a reward for reading all this, Martingale Publications are offering an e-book version of this book to one of you. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what colours you would choose to make one of the quilts from this book. If you are a member of the Yorkshire Modern Quilt Group, leave another comment telling me so for an additional entry into the giveaway.

The giveaway small print:
1.     This giveaway is open to everybody, wherever you live, BUT please remember to make sure I can contact you if you are the winner.
2.     If you are a no-reply person, you will not be entered unless you leave an email address in your comment as I will not be able to get in touch with you.  (Note, if you are a Google+ person, you will be no-reply).
3.     This giveaway will also be available on my blog QuiltTimes
4.     The giveaway will close next Saturday, 30 August.
5.     The winner will be selected using Mr Random Generator.

Sit & Sew, Saturday 16 August

There was a full house for our meeting, and lots of chat, fun and laughter.  Oh yes, there was some sewing going on too.

Sheila did a superb demonstration on reverse applique, and afterwards quite a few members had a go at it.  I am ashamed to admit that I did not get any photos of Sheila's examples (I specially loved her book covers) and nor did I take photos of some great work done afterwards by some of the group.  I am sorry about that, and if anyone has any photos and would like to share them, please just leave a comment below this post, and I'll get back to you.

We also had our usual show and tell session, so grab yourself a coffee/tea/wine/whatever and sit back and enjoy the show.
 

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