Tuesday Quilters Boston Spa

Block Challenge!

2012-01-26T13:34:00.001Z

In preparation for our Quilt Exhibition on April 14th at Clifford Village Hall we're challenging our members to make blocks for a raffle quilt. The block instructions and videos to help you to sew them are on the free Craftsy Block of the Month. The block above is the Asterisk block which Janet Bottomley taught us to sew in October last year. There is a second block available on Craftsy's January BOM:

Let's see what everyone comes up with!

November Show 'n' Tell

2011-11-29T15:02:00.000Z

We've Been Liberated!

2011-10-09T17:12:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we were very fortunate to have Janet Bottomley teach a workshop on Liberated Piecing. Janet recently inspired us with a talk on the subject and we couldn't wait to get started. The liberated star blocks above show just one of the three blocks we all made on the day. Read on to see more!

Janet had brought lots of her blocks and quilts to show us:

Janet loves bright colours! She encourage us to use scraps and that wasn't a problem as some of us had brought along huge bags of fabric remnants! We weren't allowed to spend too long choosing colours but all the finished blocks looked lovely. First we made square in a square - liberated of course:

then 'wonky'stars

We were very impressed with Muriel's liberated star!

The third block was the asterisk

This was great fun to sew and was a good way to use up thin (1") strips of fabric.

We all had a wonderfully day of sewing and some even had time to make extra blocks or use up some 'crumbs' with truly liberated piecing:

Finally here are a few more of Janet's beautiful quilts:

And she brought her very first quilt to show us:

If you'd like to learn more about liberated piecing look out for Gwen Marsten's book:

and visit Bonnie Hunter's blog http://quiltville.com/

Liberated Piecing

2011-07-27T10:59:00.000+01:00

This month we were very fortunate to have Janet Bottomley as our guest speaker explaining all about liberated piecing. Janet entertained us with a slide show and display of her own quilts and blocks, and also some antique quilts she bought in the USA. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed her talk and had lots of questions about the quilts. Here are a few photos of Janet's antique quilts:

This one has a scrappy but regular design on the front but really Janet bought it because she liked what's on the reverse:

A fabulous scrappy liberated quilt! You can see a close up at the top of this post.

This Lone Star was made using an array of fabrics and it seems the maker added the colours quite randomly! The whole quilt was tied with green and yellow wool:

The pineapple quilt top above was completely hand pieced and we wondered if the single black block, which seemed to be made of a synthetic dress fabric, had a particular significance to the maker.

You can see Janet's quilts and more about her recent visit to the US on her blog: A Quilter's Journal.

Also at this month's meeting we had some lovely items in our Show-n-Tell:

Pippa has made these cute cupcakes for the Young Quilters group she organises for the Quilters Guild. She has a new website called Quilt and Stitch for the group where you can find step by step photo tutorials for this and other projects.

Ann brought along two of her works in progress:

A beautiful foundation pieced quilt

Quilt started at our recent workshop with Carolyn Gibbs

Mandy had brought along her finished table runner made at a workshop with Sandra Morgan earlier this month:

Finally Sue Abrey showed us her fantastic new book 'Pick Four':

You can see more about this and watch out for a book blog hop with giveaway prizes on Sue's blog Quilt Times. Although the book hasn't been officially published in this country yet it is available now from the Book Depository.

Thank you Janet and everyone who participated in this month's meeting - it was very enjoyable and inspirational!

Reindeer Runner

2011-07-15T18:48:00.000+01:00

Our members had a very enjoyable workshop on Saturday 9th July with Sandra Morgan of Plain Navy Quilting Supplies. The photo above shows the finished table runners which feature appliqued lively reindeer. Here are more photos from the day:

Thank you Sandra!

June Postcard Project

2011-06-23T18:16:00.000+01:00

This month we'll be doing a practical project in our Tuesday meeting - making fabric postcards using wax crayons to colour the pictures. It's a quick and easy make and ideal for our 2 hour get together. Here are a few samples to show some possible pictures. Below are more designs from a previous workshop using this technique:

See our latest newsletter on the left or click on the 'Newsletters' tab above,for more information and a summary of our forthcoming events

Jack-in-a-Box Workshop

2011-05-21T09:56:00.000+01:00

On May 14th we were delighted to have Carolyn Gibbs teach a workshop on this 'Jack-in-a-Box' block. Carolyn is an expert in pressing to achieve perfect points and as you can see from June's block her methods really work!

Thirteen of our members had a brilliant day and produced some lovely blocks:

Here is Carolyn demonstrating to the group:

And here is everyone working hard:

We can't wait to see the finished quilts!

Spring Quilts

2011-05-03T10:13:00.001+01:00

At the April meeting we had a display of the results of the Spring Challenge: make a quilt maximum size 24" on the theme of 'Spring'. We then voted with pennies to see which 3 quilts would win a prize of a quilting book. The bag above made by Jackie was the most popular. It is a very clever play on the word spring with a beautifully made picture of Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout! Well done Jackie!

The other two winners were:

Pippa's daffodils blowing in the wind features lovely machine stitching which adds the movement to the flowers and leaves, and a hand quilted background. Pippa drew the picture herself.

Mandy's tulip quilt has a beautiful country look and the hand applique and quilting is perfect!

Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all the entrants who took the time to make a quilt and share it with us.

March Meeting

2011-03-24T23:36:00.000Z

Our March meeting is on March 29th at Deepdale, Boston Spa from 7pm when June will be demonstrating how to make a landscape quilt.

You can view our latest newsletter by clicking on the it on the right of this page or click on the Newsletters tab above. The daffodil block below can be foundation pieced and you can download or print the pattern by clicking here.

February Fun!

2011-02-24T05:30:00.001Z

Our February meeting started with 'Show-n-tell' including this fabulous log cabin which Mandy made with scaps.It is stunning!

Delaine made this lovely wedding ring quilt for her daughter Mandy's wedding anniversary. What a beautiful gift.

Janet has finished this pretty mystery quilt in lovely shades of lilac and yellow. The pattern for our mystery quilt was based on a '54-40' block quilt from MCalls Quilting. Click here to download the pattern.

Muriel used a selection of green fabrics to make this striking design:

The theme this evening was 'quilt as you go'. Jean demonstrated how she made her quick and easy bags from strips of fabric.

We hope she will do a workshop on these soon so that we can all have one!

Joan also showed us some quilt as you go blocks. She learned the technique of joining the blocks from this book by Carolyn Foster.

For more details of the book or to order a copy click here

Show n Tell

2011-02-18T19:35:00.000Z

Sorry it's taken me so long to upload these photos from our January meeting! The first shows what can be done with hand-dyed fabrics. These were dyed in one of our workshops last year. We have another dyeing workshop coming up on March 5th.

Here are more photos from our show and tell:

The last three photos are 'Mystery Quilts' which we started in the Autumn lasdt year. Well done ladies for finishing them! It's surprising how different they look made up with different fabrics.

Our January meeting was our Christmas party. Here's everyone working on our Christmas decorations and the finished results:

This month's meeting is on 'Quilt as You Go'. Stop by soon to see what we got up to!

Christmas In January!

2011-01-25T11:17:00.001Z

We had to cancel out Christmas Party in December because of snow and ice so in January's meeting we'll be getting in the festive spirit again! Read the newsletter for more information.

2011 Jan Newsletter

Saturday Sew In

2011-01-07T11:34:00.001Z

Just a reminder that our Saturday Sew-In tomorrow (January 8th) will be held at Boston Spa Village Hall starting at 10am. Non-members are welcome to join us!

Hazel

Coffee Morning

2010-11-12T05:40:00.001Z

On the 6th Novembe we held our Coffee Morning and Quilt Display in Wetherby Town Hall. Our members brought beautiful quilts to hang on the walls:

We had a home made cake stall:

We raffled a quilt and sold our wares:

Oh and there was plenty of coffee, tea and freshly baked scones to refresh the shoppers who called in to see us. Thank you to all our fantastic helpers who did a marvelous job and helped us raise a very tidy sum! Thank you also to TempoFM our local radion station which helped to advertise our event and called in to have a chat live on air! You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

If you 'd like more information on our group click here to contact us.

Sew-In Cancelled

2010-11-08T18:04:00.003Z

I am sorry to have to report that Deepdale Community Centre suffered a break-in at the weekend and was very badly vandalised. Unfortunately the centre will be closed until further notice so we have been forced to cancel the sew-in this coming Saturday 13th November.

If you 'd like more information on our group click here to contact us.

October Show and Tell

2010-10-30T17:53:00.000+01:00

Here are a selection of quilts brought to our October meeting. We have some very talented members!

If you 'd like more information on our group click here to contact us.

Coffee Morning and Quilt Display

2010-10-21T16:28:00.003+01:00

Coffee Morning

September Show n Tell

2010-10-02T18:35:00.000+01:00

Our September meeting was well attended despite some competition from another nearby quillt group! As usual we had a lovely show and tell session with our talented quilters showing off their skills! Sue had finished this gorgeous cream and brown quilt which she had hand quilted beautifully

. These two quilts were started at a recent workshop. It's very interesting to see how the different colours make such a huge difference to the look of the finished quilt.

Janet is a prolific quilter and is very clever at choosing lovely colour combinations. This design is a simple but stunning.

Jeni has tackled a McKenna Ryan pattern - no mean feat as there are such tiny pieces in this applique design. The finished panel is gorgeous. Here is a close up:

Mandy used strips of scrap fabrics to create a beautiful Monet-like seascape. Her quilting adds real texture and detail. She also brought a small wallhanging, started at a workshop, to which she'd added hanging decorations made from leftovers from the elephant panel:

Jean has been making these bags from Jelly Roll and Honey Bun strips. She's going to demonstrate how to make these at our December meeting which will be about 'Quilt as You Go' techniques. She has made 5 bags so far! Here's another she finished at our last sew-in:

After show and tell June demonstrated how to sew the drunkards path block and showed us a wide range of designs which can be made from the block including an owl, a cat, a turtle,a bird and a butterfly!

Our next event is a 'Miniature Quilt' workshop on October 9th. If you'd like to see more of our quilts please come along to our coffee morning in Wetherby Town Hall on Saturday 6th November where we'll also be selling small gift and other quilting goodies!

Tockwith Show

2010-08-07T14:49:00.000+01:00

Today we're at the Tockwith Show with a display of quilts made by group members. We've drawn quite a lot of interest and compliments on our skills! Norma is pictured at our stand where we also had information leaflets for visitors. We've been encouraging people to come along to our group meetings and also to join us on our trip to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham on 22nd August.

Here are some more photos of the quilts on display:

The highlight of the morning was Norma being interviewed live on air on the local radio station 'Tempo FM'. She did a grand job of answering questions about what we do and managed to give a plug for our coach trip too - brilliant!!

Group Photo!

2010-07-27T22:41:00.001+01:00

Here we are!I say 'we' but someone had to operate the camera so I managed to stay out of the frame! Unfortunately lots of members are on holiday this month so we look to be a small group - we usually have many more attending. We'll have to have another group picture later in the year.

Still, we had fun with our news and show and tell around one large table. Here are some of the quilts we shared:

Jean finished her circles quilt from the workshop earlier this month - it's beautiful! She added extra small circles and arranged the half square triangles to make diagonal stripes in the background.

Heather made this stunning landscape inspired by a trip to Scotland. She hasn't been quilting long but produces amazing work. Click on the picture to see her lovely free motion quilting.

Another landscape made by Freda. Doesn't it make you just want to step into the picture?

Joan brought this gorgeous Magnolia applique from a workshop by Claire Tinsley of Hannah's Room.
She also showed us this fantastic miniature sampler quilt:

The blocks are 3" square! We're having a miniature quilt workshop on October 9th. Please contact us if you'd like to come along.

Finally today here's Pam's latest work in progress. Pam has injured her arm and is feeling very frustrated as the quilt is layered and pinned but she can't quilt it until she recovers.

We did talk about Christmas quilts and gifts too - more on that another time!

Hazel

Festival of Quilts

2010-07-21T17:10:00.004+01:00

We're going to the Festival of Quilts! Would you like to come too?

We've organised a coach to take us on Sunday 22nd August picking up from Tadcaster and Boston Spa. The cost of the trip is only £21 including admission to the show and Quilters Guild members get a £1 discount! Anyone is welcome to join us on this trip so if you're interested please click here to contact us.

Going Round in Circles!

2010-07-10T16:20:00.000+01:00

Today Tuesday Quilters had a workshop taught by Janet Crossley. We worked on a 'Circles and Triangles' quilt of easy and quick blocks made by piecing half square triangles in contrasting colours and then fusing circle on top. I chose a dark purple and white fro the triangles and a multicoloured batik for the circles. Janet brought some samples to show us:

Everyone worked very hard and we got loads of blocks finished! I love workshops like this because it's fascinating to see which colours everyone has chosen. I always think they have made better choices than me!
Here are just a few:

Norma chose lovely warm colours.

Jean had gorgeous oriental fabrics.

Janet chose creamy yellow and raspberry to tone with her focus fabric.

Sue's green and black triangle were a perfect background for this beautiful floral.

Mandy chose vibrant batiks in purple and lime.

I found a multocolour batik to go with my purple and white.

As you can see it was lots of fun! I'm really looking forward to seeing some finished quilts - will they be ready for show and tell at the next meeting?

Happy Quilting!

Hazel

Tessellated Tuesday!

2010-05-26T22:07:00.002+01:00

Our May theme was 'Tessellations' and June gave us a fantastic demonstration of how to put together the quilt shown above, helped by her lovely assisstant Norma. Thank you both for patiently showing this 3 times so everyone good see!

We had a show and tell as usual so here is a gallery of some of the quilts:

Eileen's scrap quilt. Her clever use of colour has created diamonds in light medium and dark shades.

June's Linus quilt has lovely nine patch blocks and freemotion quilting in the sashing.

Who made this lovely quilt? Can you see that the background is made from hexagons?

Hazel's little quilt is a tessellation of leaf shapes.

Tumbling blocks -a really easy quilt especially if you cut the shapes on a Go!

Next month our them will be Log Cabins so please bring along any examples you have - any size, shape and colour as well as your latest projects fro show and tell.

Welcome

2010-05-09T16:10:00.000+01:00

Welcome to Tuesday Quilters blog. We already have a website at www.tuesdayquilters.ik.com but will use this blog to post news and our members' work.