Nearly done...

My mystery quilter has done some more quilting!  She has stitched in the ditch on some pieces and a little way from the edge on others.  And has put the first part of the binding on.......

........next lesson will be sewing the binding!


In case you were wondering -Well Travelled was completed last night (after FIVE hours of hand sewing!) and delivered to Harrogate this afternoon for the show, which is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  This photo is a bit folded - all will be revealed on Sunday when I take a photo of it hanging at Harrogate....

Minnie Quilters....

Two little friends came to visit on Friday for a quilting day..... check out the fabulous quilts they both made.  We found them on this web site www.pippawardman.weebly.com .  Pippa is the young quilters rep for the Quilters' Guild and she has set up this site for young quilters; check it out - there are some lovely things to make on it!  Unfortunately I didn't have any time at all to find a gecko button, but I'm sure I'll be seeing Magi's African fabric stall in the not too distant future.

H is 13 and is quite an experienced machinist now.  She cut out most of her pieces and sewed them all together without any help at all.  And pressed it all herself.  Well done H.

R is 9 and has never used a sewing machine before Friday.   We took the foot pedal off, because her feet didn't quite reach the floor, but after only a couple of demonstrations, she remembered exactly how to start and stop and feed the fabric through the machine.  I cut out a Gecko from felt for R to sew on to her quilt.  Well done R. 

And.... in case you were wondering - here is a corner of Well Travelled - I have finished quilting the four borders and just need to trim to shape and bind..... ha ha - another day's work!!

Here's some quilting on one of the squares.

...and some quilting on another block.

If you are visiting Harrogate Quilt Show next weekend look out for my quilt in the Group section.  I'll be there on the Sunday if you want to say hi!

Guess who?????

.... is learning to quilt?????

Still no idea?

Look what my secret quilting student has achieved after her first quilting lesson - and the FIRST time she has used a sewing machine too might I add!

Look how perfectly matched these corners are!

And just a quick update on the quilt for the Harrogate show - I have almost finished quilting the fourth square (out of nine).  I am not sure what to do on the sashing, but I may leave it in such a way that if I run out of time I don't need to do anything at all!

Ready for quilting....

... and in reply to the comment on the last post -  I bought the red and white safety pin fabric from Intown Quilters in Decatur, GA.  I also bought it in black and white too.

Green quilt centre bottom row is my little quilt hanging at the museum for our regional display of rainbow quilts.

This is the circular seagull quilt all sewn together and layered up ready for quilting - and yes it's got to be ready to take to Harrogate on Tuesday 30th August!!!

With a bit of additional piecing I made the backing big enough to fit

I started making this ages ago for the children's hospice that our quilting group is donating quilts to.  It is now layered up and ready to quilt.

My little friend H started this at school and finished it last week.

It's a double faced monster this is the smiley side - the previous photo showed the broken hearted side.

Ready for the fourth of July two thousand and twelve!!

This little pillow was started on my American Sewing Day on 3 July 2011 and it's still July, so I'm doing well and it is now finished!!

This is the front, the heart is applique and the rest pieced.  Piping around the edge - I don't have a piping foot for my machine, so will have to try and get one to see if it works better than a zipper foot.

The back is pieced from random rectangles of fabric used for the border on the front.

Decisions Decisions....

Trying to find an interesting layout for my well travelled blocks for the circular seagull quilt that is going to be on display at the Harrogate Quilt Show.

And while I was visiting Northampton, as the weather was far too wet to do anything else - we just had to visit Bramble Patch and have a coffee and of course buy lots of fabric.....

A nice collection to add to my stash (and of course someone elses!!) Now I wonder who the lucky recipient could be.

After a weekend away (which wasn't exactly as planned), I actually got some sewing done on Sunday afternoon and finished this little pillow......

Remember this - I started it on my American Sewing Day on 3 July!

With a little bit of help from a friend......

Who found it altogether far too tiring (or maybe too boring!!)

The Birthday Girl was 86!...

... and she received a peg bag

Nice light fabric for the inside.

Travel Sewing Kit

If you have been reading on Apple Tree Crafts you will know that I received a yummy parcel from my son and daughter in law this week. 

This fabulous book by Rashida Coleman-Hale was something I saw when I was at Intown Quilters in Decatur.  And I am now the proud owner of a SIGNED COPY!! (with a few six inch squares too)  Thanks J - a lovely gift.

Look at all they yummy fabrics... the robots and the yellow on yellow cog wheels are designed by Rashida from her new iheart range.

This is what I made from the book using the hello kitty fabric that J sent me.

Open it up to reveal a little needle case with pincushion, needle holder and pocket - which I turned a different way from the book just so nothing would fall out.

Happy Fourth of July

Working today - but yesterday I spent the day having an American Sewing Day.  I started making a couple of little ''American Style'' Pillows.

I bought the pattern to make this pillow and some other little 'American' things while in Atlanta from a shop called Little Quilts (somewhere I have a photo of me sitting outside the shop, in the sunshine on their rocking chair).  This one needs piping around the edge I feel.

I used some fabric I had bought in Atlanta and some that my son and Daughter-in-law had bought me in the border of this little pillow - a lovely reminder of a great holiday!

As usual they both still need finishing off.  But here follows a quilt I have FINISHED - I did start it at a workshop many years ago....

My Bison quilt is a 'through the garden gate' technique.  Can't remember who was running the workshop, but I think it was at Festival of Quilts a few years ago.  I added a little flashing before the binding just to highlight the sand that the Bison are standing on.

SURPRISE PARCEL!!

Thanks, Jackie (Charndon Quilting) for the yummy parcel I received this morning.....

How cute is this little bag!!! Complete with instructions too.

I love this little felt button.

And Jackie has sewn a little buttonhole loop to fasten the bag pockets.