Inspiration

 Several people have confessed to me that they have lost their sewing mo-jo and are feeling rather lethargic.  I feel their pain, as even though I love sewing and it has traditionally been my go to activity in tough times, I too am feeling rather demotivated.  I think not being able to visit quilt shops or see show and tell is having an impact on quilt production.  So, I have decided to share a couple of simple quilt ideas which you can sew from your stash, which might inspire you to produce a Project Linus quilt or two. 

Here is a straightforward log cabin design, using lots of dark and light scraps.  Here are the instructions. 

I find it easier to cut the 1.5” strips into the correct sizes before I start, but you may just cut 1.5” strips and go for it!  Just be aware that it’s a good idea to keep checking for accuracy if you do that. 

Here is another log cabin variation, with a curve. I have done it with all the darks in blue scraps, but it would be great in any other colour, or just multicoloured darks.  

Here is the pattern for this. 

This makes a stunning block. 

Happy sewing till we can meet again. 

Definitely the last delivery of the year!

 Earlier in the autumn I had put out feelers to some organisations which I thought might like quilts.  They hadn’t got back to me, so I didn’t badger them.  It’s a tough time for charities and other organisations at the moment.  Then suddenly I had a phone call from Homestart in Market Harborough, to say they would love some quilts for their youngsters.  Their office is a bit tricky to find, but as Paula and I had been before, I had a good idea where to go.  

They just needed ten quilts and this gorgeous tumbler quilt was much admired.  

So far this year I have delivered 215 quilts, which, in the middle of a pandemic, is a great total!  Thank you to everyone who sewed or donated.  Looking forward to an actual meet up soon. 

Happy New Year to all! 

Last delivery of the year?

 Unfortunately we have had to cancel our Knit and Stitch meetings, and it’s not looking likely that we will be able to meet up till well into the new year.  I’ll keep everyone posted.  

Since I recently donated quilts to Asha, I don’t have very many in store.  (I’m sure they will arrive thick and fast once lockdown is over!) however, I was thinking about what a tough time children have had recently, every child, not merely those who are going through troubles, and wondered if I could find some local children who might like an extra hug, especially at this time of the year.  I thought about children whose family are using the local food bank.  I imagine Christmas presents will be short in supply in their homes, so contacted the local Foodbank.  They were quick to reply and take up the offer, so I bagged up some quilts and took them over to their warehouse. 

I had fun trying to find enough large plastic bags, but managed it in the end! 

Here are the quilts at the warehouse.  The staff there were very warm and appreciative, although I was not envious of them working in an industrial unit at this time of year!  

Venue for November meeting

i have booked a venue for the November and December meetings, and we will all be delighted that it has walls and a roof! no longer will we be at the mercy of the weather, frizbees or footballs! on 5th November and 3rd December we will be meeting at the Covid secure venue of the Wycliffe Rooms in Lutterworth from 2-4 pm. bring your show and tell and a mask. all welcome. be careful where you park. Morrisons and Waitrose are free for 2 hours, but they have cameras, so be careful or you will get a fine! love to see you there.

Meeting in the park

We have continued to have socially distanced Knit and Stitch meetings in the park, and the weather has mainly been kind to us. it has been lovely to meet up and have a quilty chat, and the show and tell was excellent, as usual! Here we are, with Martha showing the quilt top she has assembled from some of the blocks donated from the late Sylvia Palmer's stash. She has made a great job of them. We actually had two meetings, one with me, Martha, Fiona, Naomi, Heather and Anne-Marie, and then a separate one with Paula, Maria and Julie. Currently we are in the age of 'the rule of six' so didnt want to fall foul of the law!

I havent been accepting quilts recently, as I have had so many that my cupboard would barely close! But then I have been able to donate some, so can build up the stocks again.

Firstly i was able to donate quilts to Baby Basics, a charity which provides equipment for new Mums in need. unfortunately Laura had had to pop out, but we left them in her porch. Next i went over to Andrea's to take quilts for Looked After Children. sorry she's a bit out of focus! Then I had a visit from Asha, who is a health visitor in the Saffron Lane area of Leicester. She took 80 quilts for needy children in that area! Way to go! I am hoping to book an inside venue for our meeting in November, then we can dodge the weather and flying footballs! Contact me if you want to come along.

Knit and Stitch meeting July

Apparently, when it became possible to meet up outside (socially distanced of course) a few of the knitter members of Knit and Stitch took their chairs onto Lutterworth Rec and had a meet up.  I don't think any knitting actually took place, but a good time was had by all!  At the end of June I notified some of the quilting group members that the meeting was going ahead in July, so on July 2nd eight of us congregated round a seat at the top end of the rec, with umbrellas and raincoats.  It was actually raining lightly, but it soon stopped. 

Some people had brought quilts for me, Sue brought one she called Pigs and teddies - always a good combination!- and Martha brought seven quilts, including the one with kites on, which is her own design.

At one point, we were alerted to the presence of a helicopter in the sky above us.  Was it the police checking whether we were social distancing and whether we exceeded the numbers for an outside gathering (we did!) but realised it was the air ambulance.  Bad news for someone.  Martha also brought goodies to share (individually wrapped little packs of biscuits, yummy) and we have decided to meet up again in August, if the hall isn't open.  So, on August 6th come along to Lutterworth Rec, bring your own chair or cushion and some show and tell.  There is a free car park on Coventry Road, and if you walk along the right hand side of the grass towards the other end, you'll find us.  Looking forward to seeing you. 

News at last!

Oh, dear.  I have been very remiss at posting this year, for which I can only apologise.  Blogger is very temperamental, and often won't load, making posts impossible.  Anyway, I'm in business now, and keen to share what has been going on.

Apart from General sewing, the first event of note was Knit and Stitch's 9th birthday!  We had cake and singing, and a good turnout of members.  In the photo you can see me and Sue Turner, who has been in charge of the knitters from the beginning.  Sue has decided to move away from Lutterworth, nearer to family, and we have been looking for someone to replace her.  (We quilters were planning to  rebrand ourselves and carry on in a smaller room if no one came forward.). Luckily it didn't come to that, and our future as a group is secure!  We'll miss Sue though. 

Next I had a visit from a quilter who was reducing their stash.  I was overwhelmed by her generosity, and by the number of large pieces of bright and cheery fabric!   These will all go to good use! 

Amongst the goodies was this piece of  William and Kate commemorative fabric.  I had no idea there was such a thing produced.  I'll try and sell it on eBay if I can, as I'm sure someone will treasure it. 

Then, I was delighted to have a visit from Julie.  Last year, the Cotton Craft Company had sent us some scraps and off cuts of their fabrics.  There were some beauties amongst them, including some Frozen off cuts, which Maria made into a lovely couple of quilts.  Julie sent photos of the results as a thank you, and the company asked if we would like more fabric.  Well, of course we would!  However we were unprepared for this generosity.  As you can see, there is a box full of fabric.  Some yardage, some packs of a metre of five coordinating fabrics and some fat quarter bundles, plus a few off cuts!  Wonderful!  We will certainly enjoy using these quality fabrics, and let them have more photos of the results.  

It didn't take long for us to make some inroads into this treasure chest, as we had been invited up to Shepshed again, for a seeing day.  Unfortunately, I was full of cold, but managed to keep myself dosed up.  There were lots of the Quilting Together ladies and Maria, Paula, Caroling, Julie and I had a great day.  

This group usually have a lot of quilts for me, but I'll pick them up at a later date. 

Next came our annual visit to the Barwell U3A craft group.  This group of crafters make Linus blocks every year.  Sometimes they sew by hand, but sometimes I take sewing machines.  This time we made Charm Drop, a Jenny Doan pattern.  The blocks themselves are very easy, but the arrangement of them can be a bit trying. 

Still, the finished result is worth all the head scratching! 

The final news is that Piecemakers held their annual Linus sewing evening too!  They made Delectable Mountain blocks using green and neutral fabrics from the Linus stash, and here is one of the quilts made from the blocks.  Gorgeous! 

Then, lockdown.  Everything has been cancelled since the middle of March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  This doesn't mean that things have stopped.  I have had several visits of Linus Quilter's to pick up fabric and supplies (all suitably socially distanced and not invited in for tea!) and I have also delivered supplies to one or two local people.  I'm sure there will be plenty of quilts arriving once things settle down.  

So, keep safe, happy sewing and I'll look forward to seeing you soon.