The Quilt Room

Hever - Upheaval - Home!

 

You don't get many chances to park right outside such a beautiful castle. Here is our little van ready to be unloaded. Hever Castle was the family home of Anne Boleyn and as you can see it is extremely beautiful.

The Quilter's Guild Area 2 have held their area day in this gorgeous venue for twenty years and I am pleased to say that The Quilt Room has attended every one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nor should I say do you normally get customers such as this at a quilting show!  He was very interested in everything!

And this quote was given to me by Jenny at the show which I thought I must remember it is so good:

Question: When is the only time housework comes before quilting?

Answer: In the dictionary.

Okay I can hear you groaning now..... sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we definitely must be mad as after the show on Saturday night we stripped out the central unit in the front of the shop and replaced it with these two new units. They look so good and it was definitely worth all the hard work. Yes we did have some help - Nicky's husband Rob came over, Mike my son was there and we also roped in our cleaner who was invaluable as he was the only one with any tools!

Now I am back in Cornwall working on a couple of quite exciting projects - but another day for those!

Delilah is Back!

 

Delilah has got to be one of our best sellers this year. It sold out so fast and we have been waiting patiently for another shipment.  We are extremely pleased to say that it has arrived back in (all except two bolts which are due in shortly). Our very patient customers will be pleased to learn that all back orders will be shipped out this week - so sorry for the delay.

This is the range we have used for our Celebration Block of the Month so if you haven't signed up yet then maybe now is the time to do so!

 

 

 

You may have seen this photo as Nicky posted it on Facebook on Friday. The buttons hide ..... yes you've guessed ... the winning Challenge quilts. Last week was absolutely manic with everyone at The Quilt Room working flat out to help us get them longarm quilted and then bound. We chose lots of lovely backings - some a bit wild - so we hope the winners like our choice. They look absolutely stunning.

They are now being sent back to the publishers for photography. In the book there will be a flat shot and a styled shot of each of the winning quilts plus there will be a flat shot of our variation. Once photography is finished, the top prize winning quilts will then be sent to America to be displayed at Quilt Market in Houston. All so exciting.......

P.S. I spoke to the man who delivered our Challenge quilt parcels last week and told him he was on our blog being viewed by many. He apologised for not having shaved!!!!

Challenge Quilts Arrive!!

 
I had asked Chris to take a photo of the Challenge quilts arriving at The Quilt Room and yes the chap thought she was absolutely mad!! I know you won't think we are quite so mad  as it is amazing that in those insignificant brown boxes there are twelve beautiful quilt tops from all over the world ready to be longarm quilted. We are so excited and I can't wait to get up to Dorking to have a look at them.

Don't forget that label!

Okay I know you are not supposed to be putting on the label just before they are being collected by the courier but sometimes life is like that!

The Challenge quilts are all arriving at The Quilt Room today which is exciting enough and here I am down in Cornwall putting on labels to two of the quilts which are going in our Antique to Heirloom Jelly Roll Quilt book due out next year. They are off to the publishers today as they are needed for photography for the advance material.

 

 

 

When it comes to labels everyone has their own preference but please do put on a label. Only one of our antique quilts featured in the new book has a label which is such a shame. We would like to know much more about the makers of our cherished antique quilts and just think about it..... our quilts will be antiques one day!

Here is our very basic label but at least future generations of quilters will know who we were and why our quilt was made. We print out our labels on to a Miracle Fabric sheet which feeds into our printer and prints out just like paper. You then peel the calico off and sew it to the quilt. Simple but it does the job.

Festival of Quilts - a few more photos!

 Well it is now just gone 6pm on the last Sunday of Festival of Quilts and I am already back home in Cornwall. Yes sometimes it is great having a daughter and Nicky was very happy for me to leave early to get back home as she had Susan left to help her. Maybe I shouldn't say VERY HAPPY but yes I was allowed home early.

Unless you have had to do it yourself you do not know what a bonus it is not to have to break down a show. It is such hard work especially on top of five days on your feet. So a big thank you to Nicky and Susan and yes my lovely husband had a gin and tonic waiting for me!

 

 

Just another photo of Tina, Claire and Angelika with Nicky and me. We also met Chris from the Jelly Roll Quilters site who had flown in for the day from Germany and Titi who came on Sunday. I do have a photo of Titi - just let me see if I can find it...... oh yes here it is. Sorry Chris we forgot to get a photo of you.

 

 

 

 

 

Just to say it was lovely meeting everyone at the show. What a great show it was. If you have never been you really ought to get yourself organised for next year. You come away feeling totally inspired. Nicky took some photos of the winning quilts but we just have to check copyright to see if we are allowed to put them on the blog.

A Trip Down Memory Lane!

 

Who remembers this quilt?

Back in 1993 Pam went on Woman's Hour with Jenni Murray and invited listeners to make a block commemorating 75 years of votes for women. There was such a mixture of  blocks which Pam, Sharon and Pam Anstey from The Quilt Room put together with sashing and borders in the suffragettes' colours of purple and green. 

The quilt was hung in the House of Commons as the main attraction in the Women in Politics Exhibition organised by Teresa Gorman. Although Teresa Gorman had wanted it on permanent display in the House of Commons it went to the Victoria & Albert Museum where it still remains today.

 

 

And how about this photo taken back in 1985. Pam is on the right with Rosemary who was a partner at The Quilt Room for nearly 15 years.

This photo was featured in Pins & Needles magazine - a copy of which was very kindly sent to me by a customer - and also was used in this article here published in the Dorking Advertiser.

Can it really be 26 years ago?????

It makes me want to dig out more photos from the early days.

Enough it makes me feel quite tearful -  no more nostalgia for the moment.

  

New Book - More Jelly Roll Layer Cake & Charm Quilts

 

 

 

Do we ever sleep you ask?

We hadn't expected this title to be available until October but our speedy publishers have managed to make it available for the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August. It hasn't arrived yet but fingers crossed we will have it at the NEC.

So if you want a copy which is really hot off the press then head to our stand which is in the same place as usual - in the centre at G25.

We are so excited about this book - we think we have some really lovely patterns in it and we hope you are going to like it. The quilt on the front cover is made from just one layer cake and is very quick to make - such a fun quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes this looks like a party and these two ladies are Kath Bock and Vivian de Lang who have been such a great help to us in making quilts for our books.

The party is at our publishers David & Charles who have opened a new shop in their premises at Newton Abbot, Devon. Kath and Viv joined us at the party to celebrate the opening.

...... now what were we doing BEFORE the party?

Yes we were.... we were actually delivering our variations of the twelve winning quilts. How about that - very very exciting! I was still binding quilts at 10pm the night before but we did get them all done.

So all you have to do now is wait for news from David & Charles. They will be contacting the winners within the next week or so to ask that the quilts are sent in to us for quilting. In fact they will be contacting everyone who entered as you all have to be thanked so much even if your quilt didn't make it into the book. Keep a look out for that postman!

Dream Challenge is Challenging - for the Judges as Well!!!

Well I can't show you what I am working on - it is of course totally secret so I am showing a photo of what I got up to when I stepped away from the sewing machine for an afternoon. Yes it's that time of year again and the sheep were relieved of their very heavy coats. Our very capable sheep shearer Keith Jasper arrived to do the job on Monday and by the end of the day they were all a lot lighter. They look more like goats now than sheep.

Okay - just some clues regarding the Jelly Roll Dream Challenge. We have seven definites for the book and of course we have no idea who they are. We have been told by the publishers - who are keeping everything very close to their chests - that the seven so far chosen span FOUR countries. It is quite amazing.

Three variations have already been made - yes I really am living in my sewing room at the moment and I am testing another favourite today. This one is a bit tricky and I am thinking we are going to have to say in the book whether they are simple, intermediate or advanced. This one is a bit testing but it is looking good.

 

 

Our Workshop Programme for September - December 2011 is being finalised and will be available in a week or so.  Here is a sneek preview of a couple of them.

This lovely Bull's Eye quilt is made from just one layer cake - even the binding. This workshop is by Liz Lynch on Thursday, 22nd September. If you want to do it in the same fabrics as Liz - yes you can - we have reserved some of the Antique Fair layer cakes for the workshop. And just look at the dinky little bag made with the offcuts - definitely one not to be missed.

 

 

 

And if it's bags you are after just look at this stunner from Susan Briscoe. It is a cross between her Bollywood Bag and her Quilter's Suitcase. Wow - we love it. The date for this one is Saturday, 17th September. So.... lots to look forward to.

Nicky is at Sandown this week - do go and say hello to her. I shall now just go back to my sewing machine and my testing pattern!

Just One Week to Finish your Jelly Roll Dream Challenge Quilt!

 

Sorry to remind you but there is only one week left if you are busy finishing off your entry to the Jelly Roll Dream Challenge - no don't panic I'm sure you will get it finished in time!

Nicky and I are getting so excited about seeing the entries. The publishers have told us that there are some amazing designs already in. I think we are going to have a very hard job ahead of us.

And to calm you down here is a picture I took this morning of this naughty Greater Spotted Woodpecker. This feeder is not meant for her but she seems to manage pretty well. She must have young to feed as she has been back and forth all day. She does look pretty amazing with those fantastic flashes of red.

Home from Malvern Show - Phew!!

 

 

We launched our new book Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts and it was incredibly well received - everyone seemed to really like it. The concept is different from our other jelly roll books and should take you one step further on your jelly roll path. We hope you like the sampler quilts we have made and we hope it will inspire you to make quilts from your own choice of blocks.

All the sampler quilts from our new book were being exhibited at the show plus all the quilts from Two from One Jelly Roll Quilts. It was great seeing them all together. 

 

 

 

 

 

The show at Malvern was brilliant as always.
Everyone seems so happy and relaxed - it really is such a nice venue. Here is Liz chatting away to a customer. Liz used to be the manageress at The Quilt Room but left when she moved to Cornwall. Happily we live only an hour from each other now and when Nicky can't make a show Liz steps in and helps.

 

 

 

 

No one can say we don't treat ourselves!

When you are at a show and there are only two of you it is very difficult grabbing something to eat. Here is the lunch we had every day and not exactly served on a silver platter.

I have to tell you that it was delicious and finished off with home made biscuits which Liz provided it was fantastic. Liz gave me the recipe and I must give it to you as they were delicious. I know she won't mind and she assured me it was very easy:

1 cup each of demerera sugar, self-raising flour, porridge oats and desicatted coconut
4oz margarine
1½ tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda mixed with 2 teaspoons of hot water

Melt margarine and syrup, mix into dry ingredients and bicarb of soda. Put teaspoons of mixture on to a greased baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes at Oven No. 4 (170/180 degrees). Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

 

 

 

 

 

... and not to forget we are celebrating our 30th anniversay at The Quilt Room. Here are our calico bags and it was so nice to see lots of people at the show using them.

We also have our 30th anniversary rulers which are so handy. They are 2½in by 6½in - yes very jelly roll friendly. We are getting a bit low on them so do grab one at the next show if you want one. I think they are for sale on the web site as well but I  had better check on that.

Now I am having a very leisurely day back in my lovely garden. Nick has mown all the lawns, my veggies are growing nicely and surprisingly I have one extra - very unexpected - Manx lamb bringing the number to...... 27.