Keep on Sewing!

If you read about our visit to the Forge Needle Museum you may have just been wondering what on earth we were doing in Worcestershire.  In fact we were teaching at a residential sewing retreat based at Hillscourt, Crofton Hackett.  Organised by Pam Neave, Keep on Sewing retreats are a long established and hugely successful with many of the stitchers coming time after time! 

We had two different classes on offer, Terry was introducing her class to the basics of free motion quilting whilst my group were taking the technique several steps further.  Unfortunately not many pictures due to someone ( who, I have assured Terry, will remain nameless so no one will 

know it's her...)  not only leaving her phone in the room but also not switching off my camera resulting in a flat battery.

However I did manage to take a few with my phone ( once I'd unearthed it from under a pile of quilts)  

The 'taking it further' group were making a series of identical small quilts using different techniques to see how they compared and what effects were achieved.

Based on my 'Afternoon Tea' series, everyone chose their own style of teapot and cup and used fabrics from their own stash.  See Karen's beautiful red china in the photograph above?  That's because she'd already been shopping at the InStitches sales table!  Great choice Karen!

Betty added extra detail to her tea set using a free motion stitched deign of her own, 

whilst Jean used some batik fabrics she had bought from Hannah's Room on the first morning.   

Take another look at Karen's picture,  see the white quilting gloves she's wearing? They're 'Machingers' and I too treated myself to a pair from Hannah's Room, www.hannahsroom.co.uk .Just brilliant for the FMQ job, giving you fingertip control without being cumbersome or bulky.  Easy to put on and take off they can be machine washed and I highly recommend them; they're going to be great when it comes to quilting my quilts for Festival of Quilts this year!

I did manage to photograph a couple of pieces of work by Sue, who'd been in Terry's group.  Inspired by the patterns she had learned Sue bought a couple of our kits and got busy after dinner one evening. That's the beauty of a sewing retreat....someone else does the cooking and washing up, leaving you all that lovely time free for sewing!  Here's Sue's sari silk scarf she made

and while she was waiting for it to dry she whizzed up three sari silk brooches too!

If you like the look of them then come along to our stand at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC, Birmingham this August ( more about that in future blogs, when we know more details) as we shall have both kits on sale.

I managed a little project of my own as well one evening

Based on the 'Sweetpea pods' pattern by Joan Hawley and measuring 4"x6" this clever little bag showcases my free motion quilting pattern and is useful too!  I am hoping we shall have some for sale at Festival too as well as some kits for you to try out yourselves.