Out & About

5_jh106-05-meet-lady-sew-and-sew Last week we met Lady Sew & Sew, who have a new warehouse location in Henley on Thames which is open to visitors/coach parties by appointment.   They run lectures and workshops there too and have Amy Butler visiting later in August as well as Tracey Chevalier– author of The Last Runaway – in September.

5_jh111-01-bramble-patch-tourAnd today we get a tour of The Bramble Patch – a quilt shop of some 27 years standing in Weedon Northants.

Anne Wilcox takes us round and we find out that they design their own patterns and kits, run a long arm quilting service as well as having free Friday demos on useful subjects such as binding.   Several of their kits and patterns are just a click away in the shop!

Click here for Kits and click here for Patterns

Quilts in Cae Hir Gardens exhibition is being  held  this weekend (1st 2nd and 3rd August)  in the beautiful RHS Partner Garden in West Wales. Check out the videos of our visit last year (it was a little wet in the garden but that didn’t deter us!)   Valerie sent in a quilt which she hopes will stay dry!

Workshops

We hope you are enjoying revisiting the Circle Slice Ruler with Angela Madden as well as Twiddling Tucks with Jennie – oldies but goodies (the workshops, not the quilters!!!)

5_jh109-09-monoprinting-workshop And Janet Clare shows us how she makes a simple monoprint which was the basis of her drawings for her Hearty Good Wishes fabric – a great idea for the children to work on.

 

All the above folk  (along with many of our other contributors, hundreds of other stall holders and textile artists) will be at the Festival of Quilts in the NEC Birmingham, this coming week – Angela and Jennie in the QIA section, Janet Clare can be found at G4, The Bramble Patch (N4) and Lady Sew & Sew  (E9 and F11) are in the main hall and Valerie will be helping out on the Creative Quilting stand  (H17)   The show runs from Thurs 7th Aug – Sunday 10th Aug :  for tickets and/or more information you can visit www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk

Blogging

5_4_benjamin-shine-tull-pics Valerie has been busy in the Blog this month with an eclectic mix of comments that  we hope you find interesting:  for instance there’s one about Hampden Park in Glasgow, which was once covered in quilts, but is now hosting the athletics; another about quilters taking up the poppy challenge;  feedback on the Water Water exhibition organised by Kate Findlay and an item about tulle pleating with the quilt artist Benjamin Shine.

Book of the Month

August’s Book of the Month is Quilters Diary for 2015 with free p&p in the UK for the month of August; it will not only keep you organised but has lots of lovely full page illustrations from a wide range of well known patchwork artists.

Site Upgrade

5_devices_diversity2 We hope you will have noticed that we have now made the website more user friendly for all our users and especially for those on iPads and Tablets (you can now use your normal Safari and Internet browsers);   For more specific information click here.

Subscription

5_subscribe-now-outlineOnce you’ve tested the new layout on your iPad or tablet, to subscribe to the full workshops – not just the tasters and tips – then it’s really very easy to do;  there is no long term contract;  the minimum payment is just £6 for one month and this is all handled by Paypal. If you would prefer a short term fixed membership then why not try us for 3 months – only £18 and again just a click away.

Midsummer Quilt Mystery Gallery

5_mmq-plain1 - Juliet Coffer - julietThe Mystery Gallery is now up on the website and available for subscribed  members to enjoy – You’ll find a link to it in the workshop notes of Part 10.   Thanks to all of you who took part and shared – and the workshops are still on the site so it’s not too late to join in and send us your pics!

Final  thought:

Reasons to Buy fabric:  Reason 8:
It is not immoral illegal or fattening;  it calms the nerves, gratifies the soul and makes you feel good.

Do you think the more you buy the better you feel?!?!?

Happy Sewing

Valerie & Jennie

www.justhands-on.tv

New this month


Out and about
Meet Lady Sew & Sew
the quilt shop in Henley on Thames which has the claim of being the UK’s largest craft fabric warehouse

Workshops
Twiddling Tucks with Jennie Rayment
Make tucks and twist for intriguing patterns – Jennie shares her simple construction techniques with us.

Workshops
Modern Quilts with Valerie Nesbitt
Simple and effective modern quilts showcase the fabric beautifully.

Tips and techniques
How to deal with the curved edge of petals with Jennie Rayment
Super little tip to help you get lovely curves on your edges.

Out and about
Water Water Exhibition – Part 3
The final section of quilts with our hostess Kate Findlay

Tips and techniques
Blanket Stitch Applique by Machine with Valerie Nesbitt
This is a simple stitch over the fused applique shape and less intense that the traditional satin stitch.