Sew Sociable

We had a busy week, as on Friday we went over to Sew Sociable's monthly meeting in Leicester.  We were delighted to be invited back for some Linus sewing, and a big thank you to Debbie, Emily, Julie and Liz who came along and helped out. 

The group meets in Saint Martin's cafe in Leicester, and it's a very comfortable venue.  The group started as a free event, but unfortunately they now have to pay for the venue, which means they have to charge a £3 fee.  They also have traders to help out with funds, but that's always a bonus as far as most people are concerned!  And before you ask, yes, I did buy some fabric!  Couldn't resist! 

Despite the charges, the event seemed very popular, and there were over 40 people there, of all ages and both sexes.  

The person in the green dress is Julia, one of the organisers.  She is lovely and a delight to chat to.  

This month's project was to make a simple rail fence block from three strips of fabric.  You only needed to be able to do a small running stitch to be successful.

I took my trusty design wall aka fleece backed plastic tablecloth, and as the blocks were completed, put them up for people to see. 

And here is the completed design.  Rainbow stripes! There were 113 blocks made in total, which will easily make a couple of Linus quilts, and has used up lots of scraps and strings.  Thank you to all the people at Sew Sociable for your hard work, and we'll hope to see you soon! 

Hospital visiting

Last Monday, Paula and I went to visit Ward 10 of the Leicester Royal Infirmary's Children's Hospital to deliver some quilts.  They were keen to take as many as possible, as, this being a surgical ward, there is a fairly rapid turnover of patients.  We took 50 quilts, which is quite a lot to carry!  We were lucky enough to be allowed to use one of those big cages which the porters use (you can see it in the photo)  and despite the fact that it was a difficult to steer, made the whole job much easier.  

When we arrived on the ward, the duty nurse said, "You must be the blanket ladies!  we've been looking forward to seeing you!"  Pip, the ward housekeeper came in from her break and oohed and ached over the quilts.  She said that the quilts are really appreciated by children and parents, as they are so snugly, and give comfort in a tough situation.  

The photo says it all!