Dave, Matt, Valerie and cameras had a really great day on Monday wandering round the Living in the Middle exhibition by members of the Stitch in the Middle textile group. The exhibition will run until Sunday 12th May in the Weavers Gallery in Ledbury, Hereford (a really pretty town too)(fuller information in our Events section).
The exhibition has been organised by Amanda Wright, who is also one of the group, and we were fortunate to meet lots of the other textile artists, including Lesley Brankin,(a regular contributor to the site) Hilary Beattie (who we persuaded to be our guide) and Edwina Mackinnon; we thank them all for their contributions and explanations of their work which you will be able to enjoy here on the site soon.
Today we share with you more of our wanderings at the Great Northern Quilt Show; in this part 2 we enjoy meeting up with traders such as The Stitch Witch and Daisy Chain Designs and see what new projects/patterns they have to tempt us with; plus we enjoy meeting with Susan Briscoe, who is well known for her Japanese books and quilts – she had a lovely supply of them to show us too.
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We also revisit Maggie Davies with her Hot Ribbon Art – which is fusible and therefore very fast and achievable and she has some lovely patterns that she has incorporated with her applique.
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Last week Valerie shared with us the Iron Caddy Tote/Pad as well as suggesting we might like to think about putting thicker threads into the bobbin for a ‘couched’ effect.
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The final section of the series Your First Sampler Quilt is now up on the site – Layer, Quilt, and Bind – so actually applicable to anyone working on any quilt not just those working on the series.
If you like this quilt, there is just ONE sampler kit still available through the shop.
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As a subscribed member you get to enjoy all the above AND this month we have a fantastic offer/giveaway from Aurifil threads; one box called Simply Colour by V & Co;
12 stunning colours, 100% cotton.50wt, 1422 yds each Designed by Vanessa Christenson
To find out more about the threads visit our competition page:
As a subscribed member to enter the prize giveaway all you need to do is send an email to justhandsontvcomp@gmail.com entitled ‘Threads’ and keep your fingers crossed. Closing date is 31st May 2013.
Also closing on 31st May is the delivery date for the charity quilts for the Alzheimer Scotland Awareness appeal; Valerie’s design for this is really quick to make and it is a worthy cause; it would be great if you could spare a few minutes to make a quilt and send it up to Ann Hill – she does need 5,000 after all!
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For all those of you who get this newsletter but have yet to venture onto the website perhaps this will be your inspiration – the film is for charity so it is FREE to view so check out the Free Videos on the site once you are registered.
Our Book of the Month continues to be Simply Fat Quarters by the Sew Emma Creative Team
https://justhands-on.tv/product-category/shop/books/
There are ten patterns and all written with four size options – from crib to king –
in a variety of styles and looks but all using Fat Quarters; suitable for both the seasoned patchworker or the novice.
The girls have taken some traditional patterns and given them a modern twist and also included some lovely ‘modern look’ ideas too; Valerie just couldn’t resist the Carousel (on the front cover) and you can see how she got on in the blog pages too).
It is priced at £14.95 but with FREE P&P in the UK for the month of May
Want to know what might be coming up later in the month? Well check out the Blog pages – Valerie has written up what’s in store – and we have more for the textile artists; Tyvek and Decolourant are two words that spring out!
Happy Sewing
Valerie & Jennie
Update 17th May:
Talking about scraps today’s workshop has Valerie again delving into her scrap bag using up 2 ½” pieces (some purple bits left over from the 40 minute quilt you may be familiar with ) while the display quilt is made from red/pink and white – but would work just as well as a completely mixed colour palette. Use the quick links for jelly rolls for more inspiration.
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Jennie continues with her Superstar medallion quilt: this month we put on the Flying Geese/Triangle border. Jennie works out her border and then makes the quilt fit – how clever is that!!! She has worked with specialist rulers from the E-Z company (and if you purchase both we will refund some of the postage) but you can make these units the more traditional way – quick links flying geese.
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May is a 5-Friday month so we are going to mention what’s up next Friday; we have Dee Paramour showing us a new product range called ‘Decolourant’ and Decolourant Plus; these are safe to use non-toxic products that take the colour out of the fabric (in a similar way to bleach) and then the ‘plus’ is about putting colour back. It is amazing what Dee can produce and she just uses every-day items such as kitchen foil and bubble wrap (better if you haven’t already had a go at popping it though!).
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If you want to know more about what’s planned for this month, just go to the Blog pages:
May 31st is the deadline for you to get your charity quilts up to Ann Hill for Alzheimer Awareness Scotland – if you haven’t checked out the free video – here is the link: click here:
This is just part of quite a lot of free-content on the site – so there’s no excuse for not wandering round!
Another popular choice has been the Bitty Hedgehog pincushion but just how cute is his companion – Bitty Owl.
https://justhands-on.tv/product-category/shop/patterns/