Thursday, 5th December
Our final meeting of 2013 and the Christmas Social promised to be a good one with members arriving in good time laden with all manner of things to decorate their crackers, items for the Show and Tell and some with delicious looking food for the buffet table.
Janet got us under way, first welcoming Sally-Ann back after her long convalescence, then following up with a few items of news and outlining the running order for the evening.
First of all was the Christmas cracker-making competition - almost everyone was quickly hard at work putting together the card, snap, hat and joke supplied together with whatever took their fancy as decoration. Have a look at the results - aren't they good?
Our final meeting of 2013 and the Christmas Social promised to be a good one with members arriving in good time laden with all manner of things to decorate their crackers, items for the Show and Tell and some with delicious looking food for the buffet table.
Janet got us under way, first welcoming Sally-Ann back after her long convalescence, then following up with a few items of news and outlining the running order for the evening.
First of all was the Christmas cracker-making competition - almost everyone was quickly hard at work putting together the card, snap, hat and joke supplied together with whatever took their fancy as decoration. Have a look at the results - aren't they good?
Joan Hunt judged the crackers while everyone was getting their choice of tea or coffee, served up by Pearl Lewis and Bailey Curtis, and selection of food from the buffet table.
Next came the Show and Tell. Some items are obviously "work-in-progress". Sit back and enjoy the following .....
Finally, everyone picked a parcel from Janet's basket of mug rugs which, when unwrapped, were laid out together for a photo shoot .....
So ended another quilting year for all of us MQ-ers. The next meeting is on 16th January 2014 when Jenny Balchin will be bringing along her collection of minature quilts. See you then!
In the meantime a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to all of our members.
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
In the meantime a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to all of our members.
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Thursday, 21st November
With all the tables and chairs set out ready for evening of "Sit and Sew" it didn't take long to get the meeting started.
Janet told us that Sally-Ann expects to be back with us for the Chirstmas Social - we'll all look forward to having you back with us, Sally-Ann!
Janet, showing us a piece of cut-out, ready to fold card, said we would each be given one of these at the Christmas Social together with a snap, joke and hat so that we could each make and decorate a Christmas cracker. We are to bring along whatever we have, paper, fabric, ribbons, etc to decorate the cracker. Joan Hunt as our eldest member will judge the finished crackers and there will be a prize for the winner.
Janet told us that Sally-Ann expects to be back with us for the Chirstmas Social - we'll all look forward to having you back with us, Sally-Ann!
Janet, showing us a piece of cut-out, ready to fold card, said we would each be given one of these at the Christmas Social together with a snap, joke and hat so that we could each make and decorate a Christmas cracker. We are to bring along whatever we have, paper, fabric, ribbons, etc to decorate the cracker. Joan Hunt as our eldest member will judge the finished crackers and there will be a prize for the winner.
An anonymous and very generous donation of Christmas fabric had been set out on a table for everyone to help themselves and Angie Chappell had also brought along some off cuts of furnishing fabric.
Thank you to Joyce Richards who gave us a very enjoyable trip down "memory lane", showing us samples she had produced as teaching aids throughout her long career. The following slide-show shows some of these.
As always with our "sit and sews" there was rather more socialising than sewing going on, although some were working on various items, sewing, knitting and in a couple of cases industriously glueing little Christmassy trinket boxes. There was a mini Christmas "show and tell" as some had brought along projects they had made for Christmases past, were currently working on or still planned to make for this year's Christmas.
Julia showed us an ingenious and easily made wine glass coaster "for those that entertain" which would serve the dual purpose of protecting the host's furniture and make each glass easily identifiable.
Jane Grendon and Hazel Harris-Hurley were busily serving up tea and coffee along with shortbread fingers and Hazel's delicious home-made biscuits.
There were some terrific prizes to be won in the raffle: Sally-Ann had generously donated a packet of fabulous silk embroidery threads from Mulberry Silks www.mulberrysilks.net which produced many a wistful glance throughout the evening, and was won by Angie Chappell - happy embroidering Angie!
The second prize of a £10 gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting
www.goosechasequilting.co.uk was won by Vanessa Reynolds and the third prize of one of Anne Underhill's lovely pincushions together with Alicia Merret's book "Darling Alicia" was won by Joan Hedworth.
Don't forget to bring along some things to decorate your Christmas cracker to our final meeting of this year, our Christmas Social on 5th December. See you there!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Jane Grendon and Hazel Harris-Hurley were busily serving up tea and coffee along with shortbread fingers and Hazel's delicious home-made biscuits.
There were some terrific prizes to be won in the raffle: Sally-Ann had generously donated a packet of fabulous silk embroidery threads from Mulberry Silks www.mulberrysilks.net which produced many a wistful glance throughout the evening, and was won by Angie Chappell - happy embroidering Angie!
The second prize of a £10 gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting
www.goosechasequilting.co.uk was won by Vanessa Reynolds and the third prize of one of Anne Underhill's lovely pincushions together with Alicia Merret's book "Darling Alicia" was won by Joan Hedworth.
Don't forget to bring along some things to decorate your Christmas cracker to our final meeting of this year, our Christmas Social on 5th December. See you there!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Thursday, 7th November
What a happy buzz of anticipation went on the meeting room prior to Janet getting the meeting started by welcoming two new members, taking advantage of our Special Offer Membership, Angela Chappell, who had visited once before and liked us enough to come again and bring her friend, Liz Warner. Janet had a few notices for us and a reminder about making a mug rug for the Christmas Social on 5th December.
Janet told us that she had visited, and taken flowers from MQ to, Sally-Ann who is now happily back in Cheltenham after her long stay in hospital. Welcome home, Sally-Ann, we've missed you!
Janet also told us that an invitation had been extended to us from The Embroiderers' Guild www.stitchcotswold.realpagess.co.uk to join them at their Christmas Social on 14th December at The Reddings, from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm, when they will be hosting a talk by JJ Needles www.jjneedles.com amongst other treats.
Julia Oakshott told us of the upcoming sale at Oakshott Fabrics on 6th and 7th December - further details can be found on their website: oakshottfabrics.com
The main event of the evening was a talk "My Quilting Obsession" by Lesley Conning. A big thank you to Lesley for stepping in at short notice and giving us such an entertaining tour of your amazing body of work.
I am not going to write more but will just let Lesley's quilts, many of which have been exhibited and either won or earned a mention, speak for themselves in the following gallery of photos.
A big thank you Louise for taking the photos and to Pearl for holding them up.
Our thanks go to Anne Underhill and Sue Berry for patiently keeping the kettles boiling and supplying us all with tea and coffee. Anne your home made biscuits were just yummy!
Maryke Phillips has emailed to say that she has put Maggie Lowthian's finished book on her website - and isn't it a beauty! Follow this link to have a look http://www.batiksnbeads.co.uk/news%20pg%201.html
Next meeting, on 21st November, is a Sit and Sew so bring along whatever you are making, particularly anything you have with a Christmassy theme - especially if you have patterns or ideas for gifts to make. See you then!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Maryke Phillips has emailed to say that she has put Maggie Lowthian's finished book on her website - and isn't it a beauty! Follow this link to have a look http://www.batiksnbeads.co.uk/news%20pg%201.html
Next meeting, on 21st November, is a Sit and Sew so bring along whatever you are making, particularly anything you have with a Christmassy theme - especially if you have patterns or ideas for gifts to make. See you then!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Thursday, 17th October
Although some might think a Sit and Sew evening sounds a bit dull we could tell right away that that certainly wasn't going to be the case on Thursday when Janet outlined all the things we were to do during the evening.
First of all Janet welcomed our three new members: Gloria Jarvis, who had already visited twice before, and Fiona Liebenburg, who had brought along her friend Janet Whitehouse - both were unable to resist our fantastic special offer of membership for the rest of the year for only £5! Janet also welcomed along Ann Broekman, back for a second visit.
Janet had a handful of fliers to hand out to everyone detailing the Mug Rugs we will each be making for Christmas presents to be swapped at the Christmas Social on 5th December. If you weren't at the meeting you can still get the details directly from Janet.
This second smaller piece from Anne is woven with raw edges - isn't it beatiful? Lovely use of colour! |
Anne Underhill and Gloria Jarvis had been making a mess in the kitchen cooking up something wonderful with dyeing techniques. Anne said the technique was easy but Gloria said it really wasn't as easy as Anne was telling us as she had only managed to get her effort half finished. Have a close look at that quilting - stunning work Anne, as usual.
|
Janet had brought along a quilt that had been sandwiched at a meeting a few weeks ago and offered anyone the opportunity to come and have a try at hand quilting.
Janet had asked us to bring along any UFOs or piece of work we would like advice on. Margaret Beaton was the only one to bring anything but said it's most definitely a Work in Progress and not a UFO. Thank you all for your helpful advice it's much appreciated and also a big thank to Brenda Litchfield for offering to advise on how best to finish my "pot of petunias" project.
Janet had asked us to bring along any UFOs or piece of work we would like advice on. Margaret Beaton was the only one to bring anything but said it's most definitely a Work in Progress and not a UFO. Thank you all for your helpful advice it's much appreciated and also a big thank to Brenda Litchfield for offering to advise on how best to finish my "pot of petunias" project.
After that came the refreshments break: Pauline Reddings and Rachel Curtis were working hard in the kitchen serving tea and coffee together with Rachel's delicious home-made Blackberry and Apple Cake and some cookie favourites. Excellent job, girls!
There was plenty of socialising going on at this point as several members had brought along their own sewing which was all much admired.
When the raffle was drawn Brenda Litchfield's ticket was first out of the bag but Brenda's such a generous soul she said to draw it again as she had already won twice before. So the First Prize of a £10 voucher for Goose Chase Quilting went to Rachel Curtis. Sue Berry won the second prize, one of Anne Underhill's popular pincushions. Third prize of a small bundle of fabric went to Joan Hodgson and the fourth prize of a small scissor case went to Kate Elgood.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening!
Don't forget at the next meeting, on 7th November, we have Lesley Conning coming to show us some lovely quilts and talk about her "Quilting Obsession".
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Thursday, 3rd October
Could it be that news of the warm and friendly atmosphere of our meetings was becoming widely known that brought 6 visitors to our door on Thursday or was it that our speaker for the evening was Anne Griffiths, well known Textile Artist and former tutor at Gloscat, that everyone had come to see? Whichever it was, there were 33 of us to enjoy the evening.
Janet got us underway with some items of news and thanked the several members who had been working with the Brownies prior to our meeting, helping them to finish their nine-patch needlecases.
Janet welcomed along our 6 visitors: Angela Chapel, Gloria Jarvis, Judy Mitchell, Diane Harwood (making her second visit) and Peggy Readings and Charlotte Christou both former members.
Anne Griffiths needed hardly any introduction to a large number of the audience as they had been her students back in the Gloscat days but all were ready to get a close-up look at the large body of work Anne had brought along.
Anne told of her fascination for an illuminated piece that hung in her childhood home which had inspired her interest in playing with words and their structure in her designs.
Anne moved on to tell us of her work designing her large wall-hangings, taking the original illustrations by John Tenniel for "Alice in Wonderland" as her source, and explaining the techniques she used to create them.
A big thank you to Louise for taking the following photographs and thank you also to Anne Underhill and Gloria Jarvis who ably assisted.
Janet got us underway with some items of news and thanked the several members who had been working with the Brownies prior to our meeting, helping them to finish their nine-patch needlecases.
Janet welcomed along our 6 visitors: Angela Chapel, Gloria Jarvis, Judy Mitchell, Diane Harwood (making her second visit) and Peggy Readings and Charlotte Christou both former members.
Anne Griffiths needed hardly any introduction to a large number of the audience as they had been her students back in the Gloscat days but all were ready to get a close-up look at the large body of work Anne had brought along.
Anne told of her fascination for an illuminated piece that hung in her childhood home which had inspired her interest in playing with words and their structure in her designs.
Anne moved on to tell us of her work designing her large wall-hangings, taking the original illustrations by John Tenniel for "Alice in Wonderland" as her source, and explaining the techniques she used to create them.
A big thank you to Louise for taking the following photographs and thank you also to Anne Underhill and Gloria Jarvis who ably assisted.
You can see more of Anne's work by visiting her website www.pocketmouse.co.uk where you can also subscribe to her always interesting monthly newletter.
After Anne's talk it was time for coffee. Kate Elgood and Julia Oakshott were on kitchen duty and, after a short pause while we found some sockets that actually worked, we all tucked in to Kate's ever popular "not brownies but a Scandinavian recipe" and some of Sheila's delicious home-made birthday cake.
There was, as usual, plenty to read on the Notice Board and a table was set out for everyone to inspect the "work in progress" being made by students of Maryke Phillips's workshop last Saturday.
We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Sheila Bryant who had celebrated her 50th the day before. Sheila told told us that she is exhibiting a painting at an Exhibition being held in the Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral. It will be shown for the next two weeks - try to go along and see it, Sheila is very talented. She also told us that she will be holding
future raffles at alternate meetings.
The next raffle will be at our meeting on 17th October so make sure you come along and buy a ticket because Sheila has just been handed a bagful of Anne Underhill's much coveted needlecushions and Anne says this is positively the last batch she will make! Thank you for your hard work in producing them Anne - I'm sure future winners will be as appreciative of your lovely cushions as past lucky winners have been.
This final paragraph is not so much what we have done as what we will be doing. There are two changes to the programme for the rest of the year. Owing to illness, Susi Bancroft is unable to come and show us the work of Brunel Broderers on 7th November but we hope to be able to invite Susi at a future date. Meantime Lesley Conning, who is the Chair of Ledbury Quilters, has very kindly agreed to come and tell us about her "Quilting Obsession" and show us some of her quilts.
As you are all aware Sally-Ann will also be unable to show us how to make Carol Douglass' Pretty Drawstring Bag on 21st November. A substitute item will be announced soon.
Our next meeting is on 17th October when we will be checking on progress of this year's charity quilt and possibly getting a glimpse of the two quilts being made by small groups of members who are making the quilts to be raffled at our Exhibition next year - plenty of opportunity to drink tea and chat!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
After Anne's talk it was time for coffee. Kate Elgood and Julia Oakshott were on kitchen duty and, after a short pause while we found some sockets that actually worked, we all tucked in to Kate's ever popular "not brownies but a Scandinavian recipe" and some of Sheila's delicious home-made birthday cake.
There was, as usual, plenty to read on the Notice Board and a table was set out for everyone to inspect the "work in progress" being made by students of Maryke Phillips's workshop last Saturday.
We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Sheila Bryant who had celebrated her 50th the day before. Sheila told told us that she is exhibiting a painting at an Exhibition being held in the Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral. It will be shown for the next two weeks - try to go along and see it, Sheila is very talented. She also told us that she will be holding
future raffles at alternate meetings.
The next raffle will be at our meeting on 17th October so make sure you come along and buy a ticket because Sheila has just been handed a bagful of Anne Underhill's much coveted needlecushions and Anne says this is positively the last batch she will make! Thank you for your hard work in producing them Anne - I'm sure future winners will be as appreciative of your lovely cushions as past lucky winners have been.
This final paragraph is not so much what we have done as what we will be doing. There are two changes to the programme for the rest of the year. Owing to illness, Susi Bancroft is unable to come and show us the work of Brunel Broderers on 7th November but we hope to be able to invite Susi at a future date. Meantime Lesley Conning, who is the Chair of Ledbury Quilters, has very kindly agreed to come and tell us about her "Quilting Obsession" and show us some of her quilts.
As you are all aware Sally-Ann will also be unable to show us how to make Carol Douglass' Pretty Drawstring Bag on 21st November. A substitute item will be announced soon.
Our next meeting is on 17th October when we will be checking on progress of this year's charity quilt and possibly getting a glimpse of the two quilts being made by small groups of members who are making the quilts to be raffled at our Exhibition next year - plenty of opportunity to drink tea and chat!
You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ
Thursday 19th September
There was such a buzz of conversation going on with everyone catching up on their news after the summer break and admiring and discussing the Summer Challenge entries that it took a while for Janet to get everyone's attention and get the evening started with a few news items.
We had two visitors on the evening: Anne Broekman and Wendy Venebles, we hope they both enjoyed their evening and will come back and visit us again soon.
There were a splendid 14 entries for the Summer Challenge competition which would be voted on during the coffee break but first came Jane Grendon's talk "Further Adventure in Mongolia".
If you weren't there you missed a real treat as, Jane, an experienced speaker, took us on a journey to the other side of the world to a fascinating country and a culture vastly different from our own, amply illustrating her talk with slides, quilts, embroideries and other items, some of which were handed around for a closer look.
We had two visitors on the evening: Anne Broekman and Wendy Venebles, we hope they both enjoyed their evening and will come back and visit us again soon.
There were a splendid 14 entries for the Summer Challenge competition which would be voted on during the coffee break but first came Jane Grendon's talk "Further Adventure in Mongolia".
If you weren't there you missed a real treat as, Jane, an experienced speaker, took us on a journey to the other side of the world to a fascinating country and a culture vastly different from our own, amply illustrating her talk with slides, quilts, embroideries and other items, some of which were handed around for a closer look.
Jane told how she and her sister Lesley, by teaching patchwork and quilting skills to Mongolian women and raising funds, both from the sale of items they produced and holding coffee mornings, and have raised an amazing £10,000! At the same time Maggie Bell of Dragonfly Quilts in America was also fund-raising on behalf of the Mongolian women and raised a staggering $80,000 which was sufficient to take them from working with very basic equipment in a damp basement workshop to a light and airy workshop with more space, equipment and even a shop where they can sell their items directly to tourists. Their shop even has a mention in the Lonely Planet Guide so that tourists know where to find them.
Here are a few photos of the work Jane brought along to show us and some of the items she had for sale.
Some members may recognise the block in the last photo as having been designed by one of our co-founders, Rity Humphrys.
A big thank you, Jane, for a very inspiring talk.
Next came the coffee break: Hazel and Joyce were working hard in the kitchen keeping us supplied with tea/coffee and biscuits, and everyone had chance to make their purchases from Jane's stall and also to vote for their three favourite entries for the Summer Challenge.
The theme this year was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to be interpreted in any medium and any size.
A big thank you, Jane, for a very inspiring talk.
Next came the coffee break: Hazel and Joyce were working hard in the kitchen keeping us supplied with tea/coffee and biscuits, and everyone had chance to make their purchases from Jane's stall and also to vote for their three favourite entries for the Summer Challenge.
The theme this year was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to be interpreted in any medium and any size.
Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who took part. Well done, everyone!
The coins we used for voting totalled £14.50 and a cheque has already been sent to "The Children's Society".
A busy and enjoyable evening thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
Don't forget at the next meeting on 3rd October we shall have Anne Griffiths, Textile Artist, giving her talk "Texts and Textiles". See you there!
(You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ.)
The coins we used for voting totalled £14.50 and a cheque has already been sent to "The Children's Society".
A busy and enjoyable evening thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
Don't forget at the next meeting on 3rd October we shall have Anne Griffiths, Textile Artist, giving her talk "Texts and Textiles". See you there!
(You can now get a tweet whenever the website is updated - our address is: montpellier quilters @MontpellierQ.)
Saturday, 27th July
Here's a photo of the prizes we are competing for in this year's Summer Challenge - I think you will all agree they are worth making an effort for, so get your sewing kits out and your thinking caps on. Let's see if we can produce even more entries than last year!
As you can see the prizes are all from Batiks n Beads and Maryke's done a fabulous job of coordinating the packs for us. Don't you just want one?
Thursday, 4th July
Guest blogger: Louise
Our meeting this time was the Summer Social and we were treated to a rare evening indeed as the sun came out for us! It was a lovely evening, in all senses, as we were out in the garden at Chairperson Janet’s house; Sheila made a delicious punch and the committee all provided a large variety of deliciously tempting nibbles.
Janet announced the Summer Challenge "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and gave everyone a notice with the details.
Our meeting this time was the Summer Social and we were treated to a rare evening indeed as the sun came out for us! It was a lovely evening, in all senses, as we were out in the garden at Chairperson Janet’s house; Sheila made a delicious punch and the committee all provided a large variety of deliciously tempting nibbles.
Janet announced the Summer Challenge "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and gave everyone a notice with the details.
The photos show the wonderful projects that our members brought for the Show & Tell (what a talented bunch!) including the owls that were finished following Gill’s recent great fun corners evening. And Sally-Ann’s cut-offs, made since our last meeting when she bought the material from Margaret Steventon as part of her stash clear out.
Click on photos for a larger image. In some instances my very able assistant is holding items.
Click on photos for a larger image. In some instances my very able assistant is holding items.
We had a bigger than normal raffle with 6 lovely prizes and Gill updated us that her previous raffle winnings went towards a 16” square ruler, which is getting lots of use as she is making a quilt based on 16” blocks for her son. Sheila’s daughter had made some artistically elegant signs for the prizes and the lucky winners were: First prize of a Goose Chase Quilting Gift Voucher and a bottle of Bucks Fizz, Jane Grendon; second prize of a Goose Chase Quilting Gift Voucher and a book entitled “Mythical Creatures” (which might prove a useful source of inspiration for the Summer Challenge) went to Joyce Richards; third prize of a lovely pink rope bowl made by Anne Underhill together with a fat quarter went to Brenda Litchfield; fourth prize of a fat quarter and a box of Maltesers went to Gill Hewlett; fifth prize of a fat quarter went to Vanessa Reynolds and the 6th prize of a jar of redcurrant jelly made and donated by Janet White went to Hazel Harris-Hurley.
Unfortunately we eventually had to give up and go home as the light and sun faded and a few of us had forgotten to bring a sweater...
Thanks for having us Janet and good luck all with the summer challenge. See you in September folks!
Unfortunately we eventually had to give up and go home as the light and sun faded and a few of us had forgotten to bring a sweater...
Thanks for having us Janet and good luck all with the summer challenge. See you in September folks!
Thursday, 20th June
Guest Blogger: Louise
After a few notices from our Chair, Janet White, Bailey told us about the textile bazaar at Hellens Manor, on 3rd & 4th July, which includes a lecture and mini workshops. More information is available from Bailey: [email protected]
Gill Hewlett took over as our teacher and, with an infectious enthusiasm, guided us through the method for our project for the evening; Little Beanie Owls (with kind permission from, and designed by, Sadie Yeomans of Cornerhouse Crafts). As Gill was keen to point out, these are really simple to make and can be made in any size, so they could be made as doorstops or pincushions (this blogger thinks they might be a bit too cute for sticking pins into!) and would also make great presents.
As Gill provided us with patterns, a bag of rice for the stuffing, and very generously shared her stash, button boxes and also had her sewing machine set up and ready to go, we all dived in and made a start.
Gill Hewlett took over as our teacher and, with an infectious enthusiasm, guided us through the method for our project for the evening; Little Beanie Owls (with kind permission from, and designed by, Sadie Yeomans of Cornerhouse Crafts). As Gill was keen to point out, these are really simple to make and can be made in any size, so they could be made as doorstops or pincushions (this blogger thinks they might be a bit too cute for sticking pins into!) and would also make great presents.
As Gill provided us with patterns, a bag of rice for the stuffing, and very generously shared her stash, button boxes and also had her sewing machine set up and ready to go, we all dived in and made a start.
Some were a little distracted by having a good rummage through the two boxes of materials Margaret Steventon had brought along to sell off. This went down a storm with the group, as everyone had lots of projects on the go and it seems were all looking for a little something to add to whatever we were working on. (The sale of Margaret's fabrics raised £31.20 on the evening.)
Janet was beavering away in the other corner to Gill, setting her quilt using the large frame together with what looked like the help of several volunteers.
It was a very sociable evening as we queued for the machine and compared the materials we had brought in to make our owls - lots of interesting representations of feathers and lots who had gone away from “owl colours” completely and had beautifully coordinated non-owl colours. Lots of conversations popped up suggesting what the owls could be used for, including holiday projects for crafty kids and presents for teachers.
Janet was beavering away in the other corner to Gill, setting her quilt using the large frame together with what looked like the help of several volunteers.
It was a very sociable evening as we queued for the machine and compared the materials we had brought in to make our owls - lots of interesting representations of feathers and lots who had gone away from “owl colours” completely and had beautifully coordinated non-owl colours. Lots of conversations popped up suggesting what the owls could be used for, including holiday projects for crafty kids and presents for teachers.
In our corner there were also discussions of great places for a day out, since we had a rare sighting of summer this week. Funny how they all seemed to feature patchwork shops and nice places to eat...
Joan Hodgson and Carol Gardner provided us with a much needed cup of tea and some delicious homemade biscuits, made with ground almonds, together with some lovely chocolate biscuits.
Joan Hodgson and Carol Gardner provided us with a much needed cup of tea and some delicious homemade biscuits, made with ground almonds, together with some lovely chocolate biscuits.
Joyce Richards had brought along her ipad to show us pictures of a quilt she had seen during her recent trip to Christchurch in New Zealand. Joyce had visited a memorial to the terrible earthquake of 2011 in which 185 people died, she told us of her visit to the memorial, where she saw the quilt, which is called 'Re-emergence' and was made by Sue Spigel, Textile Artist, in rememberance of that terrible time, and passed on some of the stories that the witnesses were sharing. The stories were deeply moving and I think I can safely say that we would all be keen to hear more about your visit and the stories you were told, please, Joyce!
Sandra and Sheila seemed to be the first finished with their owls and they really do look cute.
Sheila called our attention for the important business of drawing the raffle. Brenda Litchfield won the 1st prize of a gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting and was extremely disappointed not to have won, instead, the second prize of the last of Anne Underhill's much coveted pincushions. Gill won the pincushion and, as she had previously won one, to the great amusement of everyone and a spontaneous burst of applause Brenda and Gill swapped prizes. The third prize of a fat quarter went to Joyce.
With some surprise we realised that we were at the end of our evening – already!
The next meeting is our Summer Social with a Show and Tell so, if you have finished your owl since last Thursday, bring it along and we'll have a photo shoot.
Sheila called our attention for the important business of drawing the raffle. Brenda Litchfield won the 1st prize of a gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting and was extremely disappointed not to have won, instead, the second prize of the last of Anne Underhill's much coveted pincushions. Gill won the pincushion and, as she had previously won one, to the great amusement of everyone and a spontaneous burst of applause Brenda and Gill swapped prizes. The third prize of a fat quarter went to Joyce.
With some surprise we realised that we were at the end of our evening – already!
The next meeting is our Summer Social with a Show and Tell so, if you have finished your owl since last Thursday, bring it along and we'll have a photo shoot.
Thursday, 6th June
Maryke Phillips and her husband had already set up their shop "Batiks n Beads" by the time everyone arrived which gave us all plenty to look at and talk about until the evening got under way.
Click on photos for larger image.
Click on photos for larger image.
Janet brought our attention to a few items and Gill showed us the cute little owl (designed by Sadie Yeomans of Cornerhouse Crafts) that she is going to demonstrate at the next meeting - it's so cute, we all want one!
Janet then introduced Maryke who was to tell us about her "Quilting Obsession" and show us her beautiful quilts.
Maryke's fabric journey started with dressmaking which led to wondering what to do with the leftover bits she had accumulated. She started putting together quilts with four and a half inch squares which, having been cut out with scissors, were not necessarily accurate!
It wasn't until Maryke went to a quilt show and saw a "real" quilt that she realised there was a whold world of quilts out there she hadn;t known about. To find out more she enrolled in a City and Guilds course.
Janet then introduced Maryke who was to tell us about her "Quilting Obsession" and show us her beautiful quilts.
Maryke's fabric journey started with dressmaking which led to wondering what to do with the leftover bits she had accumulated. She started putting together quilts with four and a half inch squares which, having been cut out with scissors, were not necessarily accurate!
It wasn't until Maryke went to a quilt show and saw a "real" quilt that she realised there was a whold world of quilts out there she hadn;t known about. To find out more she enrolled in a City and Guilds course.
As Maryke uses up the fabrics and bocks she doesn't use on the front of her quilts, the quilt backs are equally colourful.
Maryke's new love - stitched books. After Maryke's talk, on a show of hands, members voted for Maryke to teach this workshop when she returns in September.
After her talk there was plenty of time to have a closer look at Maryke's work while she patiently answered the many questions members had.
Elaine Keytes and Rachel Curtis were working hard in the kitchen - Elaine had brought along some home-baking which proved very popular and there was plenty of time for socialising and shopping.
Elaine Keytes and Rachel Curtis were working hard in the kitchen - Elaine had brought along some home-baking which proved very popular and there was plenty of time for socialising and shopping.
Sheila called our attention to the draw for the raffle prizes. Janet White won first the prize of a £10 Gift Voucher for Goose Chase Quilting. Second prize of another of Anne Underhill's lovely pincushions was received with delight by Elaine Keytes and third prize of a fat quarter went to Sandra Albert.
A very enjoyable evening for everyone.
A very enjoyable evening for everyone.
Thursday, 16th May
Getting the meeting under way Janet reminded everyone that Bailey's studio is now open and anyone interested should contact Bailey directly.
Reminding everyone of the microphone that had been borrowed for Alicia's talk Janet asked if members thought it would be a good idea for the group to invest in a microphone of our own for the future use of visiting speakers. Such a microphone would cost about £170 and would need to be stored by someone and brought along to meetings. After a short discussion, with no real decision being reached, Janet asked everyone to think about the idea.
Janet recommended Alicia Merrett's book of love letters, a new addition to the library, as a very good read.
Janet then asked Gill how things had gone with the first workshop Gill and her aides had held with the Brownies prior to the evening's meeting. Gill was obviously delighted to say the Brownies had loved it! There had been plenty of choice for them all with the packs that had been made up by members but, Gill thought, perhaps the 1" squares for the 9-patch block were a little too much of a challenge for such tiny fingers! Brown Owl has taken photos of the session and will be sending them on for us all to see. The Brownies presented Gill and each of her helpers with a bunch of tulips as a "thank you" and Gill will be arranging a further workshop with Brown Owl.
For the main business of the evening: Joan Hodgson demonstrated several different ways to bind a finished quilt and Julia Oakshott demonstrated 3 different things: a different way to applique heart shapes, her design for autumn leaves and a wonky log cabin.
Joan and Julia each did their demonstrations twice so that, dividing into two smaller groups, everyone could get a good view.
These are photos of Julia's demonstration - Julia very kindly allowed everyone to take a freezer paper template of the hearts and leaves.
|
The wonky log cabin is taken from Janice Gunner's book "Liberating Log Cabin: Exploring Contemporary Textile Techniques".
Joan demonstrated a turned and stitched edge for a hand quilted quit; a single fold binding and a double fold binding with mitred corners. Apologies for the lack of photos of Joan's demonstration but Joan has very kindly sent everyone her comprehensive notes of the different techniques shown in the demonstration.
Time for a break: Anne Underhill and Jane Grendon were working hard in the kitchen, doing a sterling job of keeping everyone supplied with coffee/tea and biscuits and we had plenty of time to circulate. Julia had brought along some more magazines for everyone to help themselves. There were library books to be looked at and the notice board table held lots to interest.
Joan Hunt had generously brought along a pile of material for everyone to help themselves.
Sheila managed to get everyone's attention for the raffle draw: Margaret Steventon won the first prize of a £10 voucher for Goose Chase Quilting, Gill Hewlett won the lovely pin cushion donated by Anne Underhill and Joan Hedworth won a Poppy Ribbon Kit.
We're all looking forward to the next meeting on 6th June when Maryke Phillips will be giving a talk "My Quilting Obsession" and bringing along a selection of her lovely batiks for us all to buy - so don't forget to bring your purses, ladies!
Joan demonstrated a turned and stitched edge for a hand quilted quit; a single fold binding and a double fold binding with mitred corners. Apologies for the lack of photos of Joan's demonstration but Joan has very kindly sent everyone her comprehensive notes of the different techniques shown in the demonstration.
Time for a break: Anne Underhill and Jane Grendon were working hard in the kitchen, doing a sterling job of keeping everyone supplied with coffee/tea and biscuits and we had plenty of time to circulate. Julia had brought along some more magazines for everyone to help themselves. There were library books to be looked at and the notice board table held lots to interest.
Joan Hunt had generously brought along a pile of material for everyone to help themselves.
Sheila managed to get everyone's attention for the raffle draw: Margaret Steventon won the first prize of a £10 voucher for Goose Chase Quilting, Gill Hewlett won the lovely pin cushion donated by Anne Underhill and Joan Hedworth won a Poppy Ribbon Kit.
We're all looking forward to the next meeting on 6th June when Maryke Phillips will be giving a talk "My Quilting Obsession" and bringing along a selection of her lovely batiks for us all to buy - so don't forget to bring your purses, ladies!
Thursday, 2nd May
As our usual venue at The Reddings Community Centre had been taken over for the day for use as a polling station, our meeting took place in the Raikes Room at The Pavilion. This was a delightful airy, bright room and was very welcoming with the early evening sunshine pouring in through the windows.
The Charity Quilt for this year is making such good progress that it was ready for "sandwiching". Sue Plummer, Kate Elgood, Maggie Lowthian and others were busy setting up the frame ready to demonstrate this procedure as we arrived.
Julia Oakshott had brought along some magazines for everyone to help themselves - these proved very popular and members were soon busy leafing through them.
Janet reassured members that the committee would not again arrange Friday evening meetings as, judging by the low attendance at the last meeting, members were busy with other things then.
After bringing us up to date with a couple of other items, Janet handed over to Margaret and Julia. Margaret explained that she was thinking of inviting Lynne Quinn, who teaches City and Guilds at Bristol University, to teach a workshop for us next year but wasn't sure if there would be enough interest amongst our members to make the bag that Julia was about to demonstrate.
Anne Underhill had very kindly sent along the "workshop bag" she had recently made at a workshop taught by Lynne for Churchdown Patchwork and Quilting so that we could see what we would make at such a workshop. The bag is made up of detatchable pockets - all held together by velcro - with room in each pocket for the necessary tools and sewing equipment you would take along to a workshop. The outside of each of the pockets is decorated with Seminole patchwork and the inside has clear plastic so that the contents can be easily seen.
The Charity Quilt for this year is making such good progress that it was ready for "sandwiching". Sue Plummer, Kate Elgood, Maggie Lowthian and others were busy setting up the frame ready to demonstrate this procedure as we arrived.
Julia Oakshott had brought along some magazines for everyone to help themselves - these proved very popular and members were soon busy leafing through them.
Janet reassured members that the committee would not again arrange Friday evening meetings as, judging by the low attendance at the last meeting, members were busy with other things then.
After bringing us up to date with a couple of other items, Janet handed over to Margaret and Julia. Margaret explained that she was thinking of inviting Lynne Quinn, who teaches City and Guilds at Bristol University, to teach a workshop for us next year but wasn't sure if there would be enough interest amongst our members to make the bag that Julia was about to demonstrate.
Anne Underhill had very kindly sent along the "workshop bag" she had recently made at a workshop taught by Lynne for Churchdown Patchwork and Quilting so that we could see what we would make at such a workshop. The bag is made up of detatchable pockets - all held together by velcro - with room in each pocket for the necessary tools and sewing equipment you would take along to a workshop. The outside of each of the pockets is decorated with Seminole patchwork and the inside has clear plastic so that the contents can be easily seen.
Comment was made that it wasn't absolutely necessary to use Seminole patchwork as the bag could be personalised in any number of ways, eg with applique, embroidery or by using plain colours.
Next Gill thanked everyone for making up the all the different packs of materials for the Brownies, which would offer plenty of choice for them. and brought us up to date with her plans for the Brownies' patchworking evenings.
Gill also showed off a new book she had purchased for the library: Japanese Quilting piece by piece by Yoko Saito, encouraged everyone to have a look at it and asked for whoever borrowed it to write a short review for the website.
Next Gill thanked everyone for making up the all the different packs of materials for the Brownies, which would offer plenty of choice for them. and brought us up to date with her plans for the Brownies' patchworking evenings.
Gill also showed off a new book she had purchased for the library: Japanese Quilting piece by piece by Yoko Saito, encouraged everyone to have a look at it and asked for whoever borrowed it to write a short review for the website.
By this time the group sandwiching the quilt had pinned the backing "taut as a drum" to the frame and were busy smoothing the wadding onto it - being careful to mind all the pins around the edges. Next came the quilt top - our first chance to see all the colourful blocks joined together. |
Once stretched taut on the frame, the three layers were safety-pinned together and removed from the frame. A sewing machine was quickly set up and quilting got underway. |
After a day spent sewing heart cushions with Pearl, Margaret and Louise, Vanessa had asked to keep the leftover scraps and other samples of shirting material to see what she could "come up with". The following photos of several small quilts and a bag show how adept she is - they are beautiful, Vanessa.
Thanks to Jane Grendon for these photos and the ones of the Charity Quilt.
Thanks to Jane Grendon for these photos and the ones of the Charity Quilt.
The only drawback to the meeting room was the lack of kitchen facilites which meant there would be no refreshments but this didn't stop everyone circulating and enjoying a good chat.
Sheila managed to get our attention long enough to draw the raffle: Elaine Keytes was the lucky winner of the £10 first prize, Margaret Beaton won the lovely pincushion donated by Anne Underhill and Judith Thomson won the third prize of a fat quarter.
Sheila managed to get our attention long enough to draw the raffle: Elaine Keytes was the lucky winner of the £10 first prize, Margaret Beaton won the lovely pincushion donated by Anne Underhill and Judith Thomson won the third prize of a fat quarter.
At our next meeting on16th May, when we will be back at The Reddings Community Centre, Julia Oakshott and Joan Hodgson will each be demonstrating a technique.
Friday, 19th April
We made a small but cosy group when we met in the main hall on Friday evening.
Janet started the evening by welcoming along our three guests for the evening; Pat Howarth visiting from Theoc Quilters in Tewkesbury, Diane Harwood and Sheila Moon, back for a second visit with us.
There were a few notices. First to the relief of the committee, Sue Plummer has agreed to become our Secretary - well done, Sue!
Vanessa Reynolds has requested that, as she and her husband Mike have become involved with the Butterfly Garden www.thebutterflygarden.org, anyone with threads, materials or even an old sewing machine please pass them along as they can all be put to good use in this very worthwhile cause.
Janet's husband, John, had very generously given up his evening to run the power point presentation requested by our speaker for the evening, Alicia Merrett - so a big thank you to John.
As Alicia illustrated her talk "My Journey as a Quilter" with photographs of work she has produced these photos show only the pieces Alicia had brought along.
(Apologies for the poor quality of the photos - the photgrapher, who some days shouldn't be in charge of a pencil,
forgot to check that the flash was working - so some of the colours may not be as they should.)
Janet started the evening by welcoming along our three guests for the evening; Pat Howarth visiting from Theoc Quilters in Tewkesbury, Diane Harwood and Sheila Moon, back for a second visit with us.
There were a few notices. First to the relief of the committee, Sue Plummer has agreed to become our Secretary - well done, Sue!
Vanessa Reynolds has requested that, as she and her husband Mike have become involved with the Butterfly Garden www.thebutterflygarden.org, anyone with threads, materials or even an old sewing machine please pass them along as they can all be put to good use in this very worthwhile cause.
Janet's husband, John, had very generously given up his evening to run the power point presentation requested by our speaker for the evening, Alicia Merrett - so a big thank you to John.
As Alicia illustrated her talk "My Journey as a Quilter" with photographs of work she has produced these photos show only the pieces Alicia had brought along.
(Apologies for the poor quality of the photos - the photgrapher, who some days shouldn't be in charge of a pencil,
forgot to check that the flash was working - so some of the colours may not be as they should.)
Alicia moved to London from Argentina in the late 1960s. Although she has always been interested in sewing and crafting it wasn't until 1993 that she started making quilts. Prior to that her main interest had been in teddy-bear and doll making and has published several books on these subjects. She had also studied photography and now uses photographs, manipulated on her computer, in some of her pieces. |
It was when on a trip to San Francisco to a doll convention she came across quilters for the first time. Visiting an
exhibition of contemporary American quilts Alicia was very impressed and while still in the States went to a few classes. Returning to the UK she started studying for City and Guilds but did not finish because they were aspects of the course that taught techniques that didn't interest her. Instead she travelled widely taking classes with whoever she felt would supply the instruction she needed until she developed her own recognisable style. Alicia has won quilting competitions and sells a lot of her work at exhibitions.
|
After Alicia's talk, which finished later than usual, there was time to have a closer look at pieces she had brought along and to ask questions.
Joan Hodgson and Sheila Bryant were kept busy in the kitchen serving tea, coffee and biscuits, no photo - it didn't come out well due to the lack of flash.
After that Sheila drew the raffle: Pearl won the first prize of £10, Elaine got second prize of one of Gill Hewlett's covered notebooks and Janet took the third prize of a fat quarter and some ribbon embellishments. There was also a re-draw for the lovely fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott which weren't claimed from the last raffle - Rachel was the lucky winner of these.
Don't forget everyone that, due to the local elections, our next meeting on 2nd May will be at The Pavilion and not at The Reddings. As Sandra tells me that we only have a two hour slot, 7.15 to 9.15pm at The Pavilion and the man will be waiting to lock up after we leave, please be prompt. See you then.
Joan Hodgson and Sheila Bryant were kept busy in the kitchen serving tea, coffee and biscuits, no photo - it didn't come out well due to the lack of flash.
After that Sheila drew the raffle: Pearl won the first prize of £10, Elaine got second prize of one of Gill Hewlett's covered notebooks and Janet took the third prize of a fat quarter and some ribbon embellishments. There was also a re-draw for the lovely fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott which weren't claimed from the last raffle - Rachel was the lucky winner of these.
Don't forget everyone that, due to the local elections, our next meeting on 2nd May will be at The Pavilion and not at The Reddings. As Sandra tells me that we only have a two hour slot, 7.15 to 9.15pm at The Pavilion and the man will be waiting to lock up after we leave, please be prompt. See you then.
Thursday, 21st March
Another cold, wet evening hadn't daunted members from coming to hear our speaker for the evening: Maggie Davies. Maggie was already setting out a tantalising array of beautiful things as members arrived and it wasn't long before we settled in for the evening's entertainment.
As usual our Chair, Janet, got the meeting started with a few notices. We had two welcome visitors Jill Lister and Sheila Moon and we hope they had such a good time they will come and visit us again. Also we had an even more welcome new member, Sophie Starkey, although Sophie tells us she had previously been a member some time ago.
Janet then made a heartfelt plea for a member to volunteer to become the Secretary for the group. Please, ladies, we have a great committee, who are working well together and doing good things for the group but we really need a secretary to keep us in order. We don't have many committee meetings - email is the tool of the day - and Sandra is keen to show a volunteer the ropes.
Gill Hewlett wanted to tell us her arrangements for teaching the Brownies how to patchwork. Gill had produced a contents list, photograph and instructions for the needlecase the Brownies would make and requested that members take the instructions, provide the listed materials, and place it all in the polybag she had also supplied.
With the evening's business done and dusted, Janet wasted no time in introducing Maggie Davies who was going to show us "A Little Bit of Everything" as she took us through the journey of her quilting life and the all the varied techniques she had studied and taught over the years.
Maggie began her quilting career when she and her husband moved to Munich in 1987 and Maggie was invited by a friend to come to an American Quilting Bee. It was when they allowed her to sit in and put in a few stitches that Maggie realised she had found what was missing from her life. Telling her husband "I'm going to make a quilt for us and save us some money" she started on her amazing career.
Click on photos for larger a larger image.
As usual our Chair, Janet, got the meeting started with a few notices. We had two welcome visitors Jill Lister and Sheila Moon and we hope they had such a good time they will come and visit us again. Also we had an even more welcome new member, Sophie Starkey, although Sophie tells us she had previously been a member some time ago.
Janet then made a heartfelt plea for a member to volunteer to become the Secretary for the group. Please, ladies, we have a great committee, who are working well together and doing good things for the group but we really need a secretary to keep us in order. We don't have many committee meetings - email is the tool of the day - and Sandra is keen to show a volunteer the ropes.
Gill Hewlett wanted to tell us her arrangements for teaching the Brownies how to patchwork. Gill had produced a contents list, photograph and instructions for the needlecase the Brownies would make and requested that members take the instructions, provide the listed materials, and place it all in the polybag she had also supplied.
With the evening's business done and dusted, Janet wasted no time in introducing Maggie Davies who was going to show us "A Little Bit of Everything" as she took us through the journey of her quilting life and the all the varied techniques she had studied and taught over the years.
Maggie began her quilting career when she and her husband moved to Munich in 1987 and Maggie was invited by a friend to come to an American Quilting Bee. It was when they allowed her to sit in and put in a few stitches that Maggie realised she had found what was missing from her life. Telling her husband "I'm going to make a quilt for us and save us some money" she started on her amazing career.
Click on photos for larger a larger image.
Maggie welcomed the frequent questions put by members and was extremely generous in sharing her knowledge, offering tips and recommendations on techniques, tools and materials.
Maggie's patterns and her book are available on application to her at www.maggiedavies.com
A big thank you to Maggie for coming along to show us such a huge volume of work covering so many different techniques and for so generously granting permission for all the photos.
After Maggie's talk Julia Oakshott wanted to show us the quilt that she was about to send off to her very lucky grandson, who loves fishing. Julia had previously shown us the material - which she had been saving for years and was now determined to use before her patchworking days were over as she was quite determined nobody else was going to get to use it! - and had demonstrated the variation on a nine-patch block she was going to use.
Julia has named her quilt "Rippling Waters".
After Maggie's talk Julia Oakshott wanted to show us the quilt that she was about to send off to her very lucky grandson, who loves fishing. Julia had previously shown us the material - which she had been saving for years and was now determined to use before her patchworking days were over as she was quite determined nobody else was going to get to use it! - and had demonstrated the variation on a nine-patch block she was going to use.
Julia has named her quilt "Rippling Waters".
After this it was time for refreshments and, doing a great job in the kitchen with the tea pots and kettles, were newly retired committee members Christine Robertson and Sandra Albert.
Everyone had plenty of time to have a close look at Maggie's work and purchase some of the patterns Maggie had brought along.
This was also the time to have a look at the heart cushion table and admire the very many cushions and bags members had made during the month. (Have a look in the Gallery > Charity Quilts > Heart Cushions and Bags - where (I hope!) there will be photos and an ongoing tally of the number of bags and cushions we donate.)
Sheila Bryant has very kindly consented to take over organising the material, patterns and collection of cushions and bags in future.
Last of all came the draw for the raffle. Unable to remember who won the first prize of a £10 Gift Voucher for Goose Chase Quilting, my trusty assistant wasn't much help as, when asked, she said, "Well ....... she had grey hair"! Can anyone tell me who .....?
The second prize of a luscious pack of fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott wasn't claimed - some members had had to leave early so, if anyone has ticket number 242, claim your prize at the next meeting, please. If the prize is not claimed it will be re-raffled at a future time.
The third prize of a very attractive small bag, anonomously donated, went to Sandra Albert. Congratulations to the lucky winners!
Sheila will also be taking over running the raffle.
The circulating library is now under way and Gill Hewlett will be adding more books soon. (Have a look at the Book Review page and see what Pam Bloomfield had to say about "Threadplay" by Libby Lehman.)
Don't forget the next meeting will be on Friday, 19th April when we will be meeting in the Main Hall at The Reddings.
Happy Easter everyone!
Everyone had plenty of time to have a close look at Maggie's work and purchase some of the patterns Maggie had brought along.
This was also the time to have a look at the heart cushion table and admire the very many cushions and bags members had made during the month. (Have a look in the Gallery > Charity Quilts > Heart Cushions and Bags - where (I hope!) there will be photos and an ongoing tally of the number of bags and cushions we donate.)
Sheila Bryant has very kindly consented to take over organising the material, patterns and collection of cushions and bags in future.
Last of all came the draw for the raffle. Unable to remember who won the first prize of a £10 Gift Voucher for Goose Chase Quilting, my trusty assistant wasn't much help as, when asked, she said, "Well ....... she had grey hair"! Can anyone tell me who .....?
The second prize of a luscious pack of fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott wasn't claimed - some members had had to leave early so, if anyone has ticket number 242, claim your prize at the next meeting, please. If the prize is not claimed it will be re-raffled at a future time.
The third prize of a very attractive small bag, anonomously donated, went to Sandra Albert. Congratulations to the lucky winners!
Sheila will also be taking over running the raffle.
The circulating library is now under way and Gill Hewlett will be adding more books soon. (Have a look at the Book Review page and see what Pam Bloomfield had to say about "Threadplay" by Libby Lehman.)
Don't forget the next meeting will be on Friday, 19th April when we will be meeting in the Main Hall at The Reddings.
Happy Easter everyone!
Thursday, 7th March 2013. Guest blogger: Louise
It was good to see so many members had made it to the meeting room for the AGM in spite of the downpour and the overcrowded carpark. Once arrived there was a warm welcome with drinks and nibbles on hand to get us all in the mood for the serious business of the evening.
Chairperson Janet White opened the meeting, welcomed us all and started off the official AGM business with the Secretary’s report from Sandra Albert.
Sandra started by saying we currently have 36 paid up members, with one still to update her membership. She then gave us a brief overview of what she quite rightly stated had been a busy year! She encouraged a volunteer to come forward to take over as Secretary as she was now stepping down.
Next, Treasurer Chris Robertson, ran through the accounts. These were considered to be quite straightforward although a few couple of questions were asked regarding sundry items and the costs of printing.
Janet then asked if members wished for the minutes of last year’s minutes to be read, judging by the fairly unanimous groan this met with, she then asked for any questions arising from last year’s AGM minutes. As there were none the minutes were taken as a true record.
Chris and Sandra have both come to the end of their three year term on the committee and will therefore be stepping down following the AGM. As a thank you for all their hard work and commitment they were both presented with quilting books.
The serious business of the evening was completed by 7.50pm and Janet moved us on to regular business. In 2014 Montpellier Quilters will be 30 years old. This will also be an exhibition year for us and Joan Hodgson has agreed to chair the exhibition committee once again.
The committee is hoping to organise a Doughty’s Roadshow but have hit a slight snag in that Doughty’s require 23 trestle tables to display their materials. As the Reddings does not own that number of tables Janet asked if anyone knew of a venue which did. Evidently Churchdown P&Q do as they will be hosting a Doughty’s Roadshow at Churchdown Community Centre on 20th April.
Gill Hewlett advised us that the library is now up and running, and showed us the register she had drawn up and made a very smart cover for. Many thanks to Helen Lammiman for donating the first book to be loaned, Thread Play by Libby Lehmann. Library books can be borrowed between one meeting and the next for 50p. Once everyone who wishes to has borrowed the book, it will be donated to the raffle.
Gill showed us the needlecase that she intends to use as the basis for the soon to be arranged workshop with the Brownies. Volunteers are still needed to assist with the workshop. The group were asked if they would all help with making up the individual kits. Gill will be providing bags and requirements lists next meeting.
Bailey told us about the workshops she will be part of in Stroud and that anyone interested should contact her directly.
As Eleanor Marsden’s talk was so well received at the last meeting the committee thought members might look forward to Eleanor teaching a workshop as part of next year’s programme. Janet set out a list of Eleanor’s workshops and asked everyone interested to vote for the one they would most like Eleanor to teach. After Eleanor’s talk and the display of quilts she brought to the last meeting there was a lot of enthusiasm for this and the votes quickly added up.
A number of members have already been busy working on Heart cushions and bags for the oncology unit and had brought these along. Margaret will be bringing more fabric, stuffing and patterns next meeting so we can keep stitching them.
Brenda, Vanessa and Margaret S provided us with tea, coffee and biscuits at this point and it provided a great chance for much socialising.
It was good to see so many members had made it to the meeting room for the AGM in spite of the downpour and the overcrowded carpark. Once arrived there was a warm welcome with drinks and nibbles on hand to get us all in the mood for the serious business of the evening.
Chairperson Janet White opened the meeting, welcomed us all and started off the official AGM business with the Secretary’s report from Sandra Albert.
Sandra started by saying we currently have 36 paid up members, with one still to update her membership. She then gave us a brief overview of what she quite rightly stated had been a busy year! She encouraged a volunteer to come forward to take over as Secretary as she was now stepping down.
Next, Treasurer Chris Robertson, ran through the accounts. These were considered to be quite straightforward although a few couple of questions were asked regarding sundry items and the costs of printing.
Janet then asked if members wished for the minutes of last year’s minutes to be read, judging by the fairly unanimous groan this met with, she then asked for any questions arising from last year’s AGM minutes. As there were none the minutes were taken as a true record.
Chris and Sandra have both come to the end of their three year term on the committee and will therefore be stepping down following the AGM. As a thank you for all their hard work and commitment they were both presented with quilting books.
The serious business of the evening was completed by 7.50pm and Janet moved us on to regular business. In 2014 Montpellier Quilters will be 30 years old. This will also be an exhibition year for us and Joan Hodgson has agreed to chair the exhibition committee once again.
The committee is hoping to organise a Doughty’s Roadshow but have hit a slight snag in that Doughty’s require 23 trestle tables to display their materials. As the Reddings does not own that number of tables Janet asked if anyone knew of a venue which did. Evidently Churchdown P&Q do as they will be hosting a Doughty’s Roadshow at Churchdown Community Centre on 20th April.
Gill Hewlett advised us that the library is now up and running, and showed us the register she had drawn up and made a very smart cover for. Many thanks to Helen Lammiman for donating the first book to be loaned, Thread Play by Libby Lehmann. Library books can be borrowed between one meeting and the next for 50p. Once everyone who wishes to has borrowed the book, it will be donated to the raffle.
Gill showed us the needlecase that she intends to use as the basis for the soon to be arranged workshop with the Brownies. Volunteers are still needed to assist with the workshop. The group were asked if they would all help with making up the individual kits. Gill will be providing bags and requirements lists next meeting.
Bailey told us about the workshops she will be part of in Stroud and that anyone interested should contact her directly.
As Eleanor Marsden’s talk was so well received at the last meeting the committee thought members might look forward to Eleanor teaching a workshop as part of next year’s programme. Janet set out a list of Eleanor’s workshops and asked everyone interested to vote for the one they would most like Eleanor to teach. After Eleanor’s talk and the display of quilts she brought to the last meeting there was a lot of enthusiasm for this and the votes quickly added up.
A number of members have already been busy working on Heart cushions and bags for the oncology unit and had brought these along. Margaret will be bringing more fabric, stuffing and patterns next meeting so we can keep stitching them.
Brenda, Vanessa and Margaret S provided us with tea, coffee and biscuits at this point and it provided a great chance for much socialising.
Julia Oakshott had very kindly brought along a pile of magazines for everyone to help themselves – there was plenty of browsing and discussion going on around this table, the magazines have gone to good homes and a number of projects have already been added to member’s project lists!
The fabric swap table also raised a great deal of interest and discussion. Margaret gathered up the several pieces of material that were left for future use for the heart cushions. |
Due to the parking issue, the meeting ended shortly after 9pm and off we went full of ideas and new materials for forthcoming projects...
Thursday, 21st February. Guest blogger: Louise
As we all arrived for last night’s session, our speaker, Eleanor Marsden had already put four of her quilts out on display. They were so eye catching one of the Brownies from next door persuaded her mum to let her come in and have a look.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Click on photos to enlarge.
The first, and possibly the most popular item of the evening, was a shoulder bag, sashed in black faux suede (which is also washable) with one side made up of one inch squares and the other the “Over The Hills” design Eleanor has previously used for a full sized quilt. Both sides of the bag were in rainbow colours (of course!).
The rest of the quilts varied from stained glass pieces, inspired by cathedral windows, to multi-part quilts and firework displays. The latter beaded with more than 3000 beads, each hand sewn on. This was on display as we arrived and the many beads and sequins caught the light and made the piece come alive with movement. It was inspired by the annual London New Year’s firework display and was another much admired item of the evening. The photos show the range of rainbow items, but unfortunately could never do justice to seeing them in the flesh, as the colours are so vivid.
These photos show just some of the beautiful quilts Eleanor brought.
These photos show just some of the beautiful quilts Eleanor brought.
Eleanor was extremely generous with her time and was happy to answer our many questions, and provided some great advice as well as recommendations for books that have inspired her. Tips and anecdotes on jelly rolls and bias binding entertained and informed and has given us all much to look out for at our next show visits. Best of all was Eleanor’s willingness to let us all have a good examination of her work up close and ask questions – quilters love details!
After a quick cup of tea (thanks to our capable tea monitors for the evening) the raffle was drawn with Rachel Curtis winning the Goose Chase Gift voucher, Kate Elgood won the fat quarters donated by Gill Hewlett and Sue Berry the won the pretty covered notebook donated by Janet White.
A table containing patterns, material and stuffing for heart cushions for the oncology unit was set out for members who were willing to make either a cushion or a bag to help themselves. These will be available once a month as MQ are now sponsoring the project.
Lastly came a reminder about the AGM next meeting, which will include a fabric swap, and the evening came to a close. After such an inspiring evening it will be interesting to see how many rainbow quilts feature at the next show and tell...
A table containing patterns, material and stuffing for heart cushions for the oncology unit was set out for members who were willing to make either a cushion or a bag to help themselves. These will be available once a month as MQ are now sponsoring the project.
Lastly came a reminder about the AGM next meeting, which will include a fabric swap, and the evening came to a close. After such an inspiring evening it will be interesting to see how many rainbow quilts feature at the next show and tell...
Thursday, 7th February
Janet got the meeting started promptly at 7.30pm, admired the new badges now on sale to members and thanked Margaret for organising their purchase. She went on to outline the evening's programme and then handed over to Gill Hewlett for some important announcements.
Gill told us that she had arranged for a group of us to have two sessions with the Brownies, at their pack meetings, to teach them a little bit about patchworking and asked for volunteers.
Gill then told us about a clever plan she has devised so that we can have a library. We are all aware that there is a storage problem at The Reddings and Gill's plan neatly circumvents this.
As Librarian Gill would buy books recommended by members, using proceeds from the raffle. The books would be circulated between members at 50p a time, the book to be returned at the following meeting. When everyone interested had borrowed the book it would be raffled. Initially we would start with one book to see how the system worked and, if it proves popular and as funds become available (both from the raffle and the proceeds of the loan system), more books would be added ensuring a regular turnover of new books. You have to admit, ladies, this sounds a great plan - well done, Gill!
Janet told us we were expecting Linda Simmons to come and give us a talk about Heart Cushions but, as she hadn't arrived, we would make a start on the charity quilt.
Sue Plummer and Maggie Lowthian are organising the charity quilt this year. Sue introduced us to the block we would be making - Boxed Square - showed us a small section she had already put together and explained how the block should be sewn together. Sue then handed out pre-cut blocks to everyone and we soon got to work putting them together so that the members who had brought their sewing machines could stitch them together.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Gill told us that she had arranged for a group of us to have two sessions with the Brownies, at their pack meetings, to teach them a little bit about patchworking and asked for volunteers.
Gill then told us about a clever plan she has devised so that we can have a library. We are all aware that there is a storage problem at The Reddings and Gill's plan neatly circumvents this.
As Librarian Gill would buy books recommended by members, using proceeds from the raffle. The books would be circulated between members at 50p a time, the book to be returned at the following meeting. When everyone interested had borrowed the book it would be raffled. Initially we would start with one book to see how the system worked and, if it proves popular and as funds become available (both from the raffle and the proceeds of the loan system), more books would be added ensuring a regular turnover of new books. You have to admit, ladies, this sounds a great plan - well done, Gill!
Janet told us we were expecting Linda Simmons to come and give us a talk about Heart Cushions but, as she hadn't arrived, we would make a start on the charity quilt.
Sue Plummer and Maggie Lowthian are organising the charity quilt this year. Sue introduced us to the block we would be making - Boxed Square - showed us a small section she had already put together and explained how the block should be sewn together. Sue then handed out pre-cut blocks to everyone and we soon got to work putting them together so that the members who had brought their sewing machines could stitch them together.
Click on photos to enlarge.
We had just got this far when Linda Simmons and her husband arrived, they had been delayed by the weather. Linda explained the ongoing need for Heart Cushions for patients on Snowshill Ward - the Oncology Unit at Cheltenham Hospital. The cushions (which are heart-shaped) are very useful to post-mastectomy patients to put under their arm to prevent the under arm and chest rubbing against each other. For each patient a bag is also needed for carrying the bottles that drain fluid immediately after an operation.
This is important work and something we can all get involved in which supports other women. The Committee have agreed that MQ will puchase stuffing and have this, together with a supply of shirting material, available at meetings for any member that would like to make either a bag or a cushion.
|
Patients come from a very wide area: the Oxford border, Hereford and Worcester so a steady supply of cushions and bags is needed. Linda has now managed to get several groups around the area interested in producing the cushions and bags and she urged us to make a few of each every month so that between all the groups a steady supply would be going to the hospital.
Patterns for the cushions will be available at the next meeting. Margaret Beaton has agreed to coordinate this so please bring your bag or cushion to meetings so that they can be collected and taken to the hospital. |
And so, back to the charity quilt and a flurry of activity; piecing, sewing and pressing.
Back to the charity quilt and much discussion about placement of the blocks.
Volunteers were called for to sew the rows together and, once that was organised, it was time to clear everything away at the end of another enjoyable evening.
Thursday, 17th January
In spite of the warnings of bad weather coming our way it was good to see so many members for our first meeting of the year.
Janet welcomed us back, wishing everyone a happy New Year, reminding us that the dates for this year's Festival of Quilts at the NEC on the programme were incorrect. (The correct dates can be found on the Programme page.)
Janet then introduced our speaker for the evening, our own Anne Underhill, who was to show us her collection of rope bags, pots and baskets.
These were set out in a colourful array creating a real buzz of anticipation for Anne's talk.
(Click on the photos for a larger image.)
Many thanks to co-photographer Jane Grendon.
Janet welcomed us back, wishing everyone a happy New Year, reminding us that the dates for this year's Festival of Quilts at the NEC on the programme were incorrect. (The correct dates can be found on the Programme page.)
Janet then introduced our speaker for the evening, our own Anne Underhill, who was to show us her collection of rope bags, pots and baskets.
These were set out in a colourful array creating a real buzz of anticipation for Anne's talk.
(Click on the photos for a larger image.)
Many thanks to co-photographer Jane Grendon.
Anne had obviously spent a lot of time preparing for her talk with many of the bags having a piece of the original materials attached so that we could see the kind of effect obtained by using different types of fabric.
Anne had brought along her sewing machine to demonstrate exactly how to stitch the wrapped rope and patiently fielded many questions of the "how do you ....." variety.
|
Anne explained the various different types of rope that could be used, the benefits of one type over another and snags that might be encountered working with them.
A big thank you to Anne for a very entertaining and successful talk and demonstration. |
After refreshments and a short time to chat and do some all important catching up, Lin Morgan, who had recently been to Cornwall for a week of sewing with Di Wells, showed us all the of lovely items she had made and told us about her stay. Apologies for the lack of photos here - I forgot - too busy looking to see what Lin had made!
Lastly came the draw for the raffle: Lin Morgan had the winning ticket for the gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting. Jane Grendon won the delicious little pack of fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott - don't forget to show us what you make with them Jane! - and Sandra Albert won the small bag made and donated by Gill Hewlett.
What was a very busy, successful and enjoyable first meeting of the year finished early because of the threatening bad weather.
Lastly came the draw for the raffle: Lin Morgan had the winning ticket for the gift voucher for Goose Chase Quilting. Jane Grendon won the delicious little pack of fat eighths donated by Julia Oakshott - don't forget to show us what you make with them Jane! - and Sandra Albert won the small bag made and donated by Gill Hewlett.
What was a very busy, successful and enjoyable first meeting of the year finished early because of the threatening bad weather.