Everybody loves a raffle!

I've been lucky to quilt three raffle quilts just recently for three local quilters guilds....details of  each show or exhibition is shown under each section, please bear in mind these photographs were taken before binding.

Solway Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Solway Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Solway Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Above... Stars and Chains for the Solway Quilters. This is a big quilt, it goes right to the floor, 96" x 96", just what I like, in green, tan and dusky burgundy on a cream background with a green backing. Quilted with cream matching thread and an all over design named Green Tea Leaves. 

Solway Quilters, Exhibition by Dumfies and Galloway Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers, Solway Quilters and Dumfies and Distrct Embroiderers Guild exhibition, Dumfries. 18th Apr 2015 to 16th May 2015. Entitled ' Fabric, Fibre and Thread' Textile Triennial, This exhibition will be held at the Gracefields Art Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road Dumfries DG1 1JQ . Open Tues-Sat 2-5pm, entry free, cafe and disabled access.  Contact Jo Cockerill for information 01387 780 220

Oxnam Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Oxnam Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Above... Cathy Crozier is the organiser for Oxnam Quilters, this is a small country quilt group. The Oxnam Quilter raffle quilt is in this rusty brick red with aqua and yellow colours and cream backing fabric quilted with an edge to edge design named Surf.  The quilt measures 68x 85inches.

The Oxnam Quilters biennial show will be held on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May at Oxnam Village Hall out in the Cheviot Hills above Jeburgh in the Scottish Borders.  This is a wonderful little show, well worth a country car ride, tea and cakes will be available.

Milton Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Milton Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Milton Quilters Raffle Quilt 2015

Above...  Milton Quilters af Portobello, Edinburgh chose blues and pinks in fabrics that have an oriental feel with cherry blossom scattered throughout. The design is a traditional log cabin block with red chimneys.  This quilt is square and measures 77 x 77 inches, I quilted a Wildflower edge to edge design in a Silver grey thread. 

Milton Quilters will be holding there quilt show at on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May   10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m.   Admission £3.00 to include refreshments

Venue:   Portobello Old Parish Church Halls, Bellfield Street, Portobello, Edinburgh EH15 2BR

Quilt Raffle in aid of Poppy Scotland.    

Sales table, cushion raffle, trader

I'm sure that you would all be made very welcome at any of these quilt shows, I'm sure all will have sales tables with fabric and quilting supplies......

Miscellaneous ....

Busy, busy!

We had a trip up to Dunblane last week, staying at the Double Tree Hilton Hydro.

Our Grandson was nominated and received the winners award for Rural Skills for Schools,  Learner of the Year Award. Kyle received his award from Nick Nairn, TV Chef, Celebrity and Chef at the Dunblane Hydo.

The Kelpies...

There is alwasy lots to catch up on here at home, if it's not farm related, it's quilt related, there's always something going on.

Then there are quilts to be quilted....

Margaret had pieced this quilt as a gift for her Daughter, a rail fence with pinwheel corners. It's different with an unusual colour scheme as requested, I love the deer fussy cut corner blocks. Margaret chose Bushberries an edge to edge design.

Jane pieced this quilt as a block of the month and although not her usual colour, I think it works very well, I quilted it with Green Tea Leaves an edge to edge design.

Don't you just love a piles of quilts?

And my two quilts have already left the building and are on their way to Paducah, Kentucky, hope they are not too crushed when they get there.

1930's Dresden revisited!

I had a heartfelt request to help my Client make this labour of love into a quilt.

Carole's Grandmother sewed the Dresden Plates with original 1930's fabrics, Carole appliqued the plates onto blocks and set them with alternate plain calico blocks and this lovely restful green sashing.

I used a mixture of freemotion quilting, my own digitised quilting designs and commercial quilting designs.

All of the blocks were stitched in the ditch first to stabilise the quilt, then the plates were outline, I didn't want to overpower the plates with quilting, the quilting in the dresden plates is freemotion, handguided.

I digitised the ghosted dresden plates to mimic the appliqued blocks and also digitised my own radiant corner frames.

 I love the way the radiant corners create that star accent at the junctions of the sashings.

I picked out a commercial flowery border design to mimic the flowers in some of the fabrics. Carole added borders to grow the quilt, when borders are added like this there is a tendency for the borders to be wavy with too much fabric. I was pleased that Carole had already chosen a piano key border, piano keys are a the perfect treatment for full borders. I traded that up to a beadboard border so that I had minimal travelling in the cream fabric and all of that fullness disappeared.

Carole and her DH kindly sent me photos of the quilt all bound and finished at last in it's new home....that's around sixty or seventy years in the making...., it looks fabulous Carole, thank you!