The Quilt Room

One Happy Cat!

 Now this looks like one very happy cat. Laura Paulu from Germany has just sent us this lovely picture of her cat now curled up cosily on her gorgeous quilt.

Laura is one of the winners of the Jelly Roll Challenge and her quilt is featured in the book Jelly Roll Inspirations. She was really pleased to have just received her quilt back from the publishers (beautifully quilted by us of course) and obviously her cat was in total agreement that it was indeed purrrr...fect to have the quilt back.

Nicky is busy, busy, busy at the moment getting the quilts for our new book beautifully quilted. I on the other hand have had a day off and have collected Go West who is our Manx Loaghtan ram who is now on holiday with us for a couple of months and is enjoying the company of our gorgeous girls! I did have to put up with Nick playing the Pet Shop Boys 'Go West' continuously this morning before I left and I fear I shall be hearing that song much more over the next few weeks!

Jelly Roll Challenge Winners!!

We have just got back from a very tiring Festival of Quilts but what excitement we had. We were announcing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners of the Jelly Roll Challenge and here is the winning quilt.

It is Be My Valentine by Helen Allison and is a worthy winner. Here I am not doing a very good job at displaying it but the next time you will see it will be on the front cover of the book Jelly Roll Inspirations which is due for publication in October. Helen received a very substantial cheque donated by Moda Fabrics plus a superb sewing machine donated by Singer. Our thanks go to them for being so generous. Thanks also go to the UK distributor of Moda, Winbourne Fabrics for their support and kindly supplying goodies for all the winners plus giving a retailer's prize.

The prize giving was such fun for everyone except Nicky who valiently kept the stand under control. She managed to take a few photographs but mainly of my back so these photographs are courtesy of our second prize winner.... Jenny Hutchison who very kindly sent them to me.

Here is Jenny's quilt Beach Huts with Jenny to the right. A stunning quilt. Jenny also received a very nice cheque.

The third prize went to Annie Harris for her lovely Birthday Gift quilt and here is a picture of me trying to hold it up for photography. Annie couldn't make it to the prize giving as she was in France but her friends were there and I am sure they will have told her by now. Her cheque will be winging its way to her so what a nice welcome when she returns from holiday.

Well done to all the twelve winners and special congratulations to our first, second and third prize winners. So many talented quilters out there.

The Challenge was such a success that we'll give everyone a breather but look out for another maybe in a year or so!!! Thanks so much to everyone who took part.

We shall be at Hever Castle in just over a week so look forward to seeing you there. If you have never been to the Hever Castle show it is well worth a visit - not quite on the same scale as the NEC but a very friendly show in a gorgeous venue.

Jelly Roll Challenge!

  Now this wasn't the image with which I had planned to start this post. It was meant to be a picture of Nicky and I at the publishers sitting with the editors surrounded by the variations of the quilts we have made from the winning entries for Jelly Roll Challenge. Yes - it has been an extremely busy time but the quilts have now been judged and the twelve winners chosen. Nicky and I have made variations of all the quilts to check that the patterns work.... and they do. They are brilliant - it is all so exciting and you are all so clever.

Now the reason you have a picture of these beautiful eggs is twofold but firstly you have to appreciate the eggs. Look at the variety of colours - white, brown and the beautiful green ones...... and then just look at the size of that one in the front! My chickens are being especially productive at the moment - they obviously like the warmer weather.

Now, going back to the photo that we didn't take. Firstly, it was all so exciting that we have to admit that we totally forgot even though we had taken two cameras with us. Secondly, even if we had remembered, it might have given too much away. The publishers however will be contacting all the winners within the next few weeks and asking you all to send in your quilts for Nicky and I to quilt. The top three winners won't be announced until nearer the publication of the book. So in the meantime, please admire my eggs!

Deadline Approaching!

  Now it really is time to put the finishing touches on your jelly roll quilt if you are going  to enter it for the Jelly Roll Challenge. All quilts have to be in by 14th February and we know there are still some of you trying to get yours finished in time.

Just remember that so long as you get your photo in by 14th February, the instructions can be improved upon if your quilt is selected. Don't get too hung up about getting all your diagrams perfect. David & Charles are brilliant at making sure everything reads correctly and making sure that the diagrams show everything. So come on - only a few weeks left and that prize money and new sewing machine could be yours!

 Layer Cake, Jelly Roll & Charm Quilts is going into its final stages and we are getting very excited. Jelly Roll Quilts has been so popular that we didn't know if we could produce such a good selection of quilts again. Not being of the modest persuasion!!!!, I really think we have got an even greater selection in this book - seventeen quilts and all with variations showing how the quilts look in different colourways!  

The book contains lots more jelly roll quilt designs and some great quilts using layer cakes and charm squares. Having the layer cake and charm squares has really given us lots more design options and we are very pleased with the results. We do hope you agree - we only have to wait a few more months. It will be launched both at Spring Market in Pittsburgh for the American market and at Quilts UK at Malvern for the UK. Nicky and I were in American for the launch of Jelly Roll Quilts but for this book we will be at Malvern signing copies and we will have all the quilts from the book there for you to see.

Jelly Roll Challenge

Nicky and I were just about to put our feet up when something else is about to begin ...... and it is very exciting! We should now have a roll of the drums and a big fanfare but I will leave it to your imagination - it is the world's first JELLY ROLL CHALLENGE. This is open to any individual or any group so if you like to work as a group then that is fine - you will just have to fight over the winnings!

If you love making quilts with jelly rolls - and we know there are lots of you out there - then this Challenge is for you. You don't have to be a design wizard - we are just looking for clever ways of using us those gorgeous jelly rolls. You can create your own original block or you can have a new twist to a traditional block. You don't have to add any additional fabric to your jelly roll strips but you can use up to 3 yards of additional fabric if necessary. Sounds easy - it is - and it is fun. You don't know how creative you can be until you give it a try.

I haven't yet mentioned the prizes - WOW. Moda, David & Charles and Singer have all donated very generously and the first prize is $2,000 in cash (sterling equivalent) plus an all singing and dancing Singer sewing machine valued at $1,000! Not to mention the fact that the winning quilt will feature on the front cover of a new book due out in October 2009 - something to really impress the family and friends! Twelve quilts in all will be featured in the book and Nicky and I will be making variations of them all to show them off in different fabrics. You don't even have to quilt your top as Nicky and I will be doing that for all the 12 winning quilts.

If I have managed to inspire you to have a go then click on to www.jellyrollchallenge.com where you will find all the information and rules and regulations. Go on - have a go!

I should mention that our quilts for our next book Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts are now all finished and off to be photographed next week. This is due out in May and will be launched at the Malvern Show in UK and Spring Market in the USA. We are really happy with the quilts we have made and hope you are going to like them.

Another Jelly Roll Quilt

  Yet another jelly roll quilt nearly ready to go on the machine to be quilted. Here Nicky is putting on the borders of one of our variations which really turned out well. It uses our new black and white jelly roll with the addition of some red and grey fat quarters.

We have been working flat out and are feeling a little bit buried under a mountain of quilts - I suppose there are worse feelings! Anyway, the end is in sight and we have one more main quilt to make and three more variations. We are due in a delivery from the States from Moda next week and I know they have slipped in some of their brand new jelly rolls for us to use. They are so supportive in everything we do.

All the new Fig & Plum fabrics are coming in and the Portobello Market range. We have been waiting anxiously for them to arrive as two of our new blocks of the month use those fabrics. We had thought they were due in last month (I got that wrong) and I know there are lots of people waiting for their first blocks to arrive. I promise they will be arriving very very soon!

Gorgeous Version of Twin Stars

How about this for a stunning version of the pattern Twin Stars which was in Jelly Roll Quilts. The photograph shows Jean Wilkinson, the clever lady who made it, and just look at those beautiful leaves in the border. It just goes to show how individual we can make our quilts even though we may be using the same pattern.

This quilt was hanging at the Hever Castle show which was as usual a great show. Nicky had Chris to help her as I was away at a wedding in Prague. The weather on setting up day (Thursday) was terrible and Nicky got the van stuck in the field and had to be towed out. She and Chris then had to park at the bottom of the hill and carry the stock up. I felt very guilt when I heard all this. Luckily the weather improved for the show days and all was well.

The next show for us is at Malvern and all the quilts from Jelly Roll Quilts are going to be on display there. On our stand we will have a few of the quilts for the new book ... but we can't give too much away!

New Book for Next Year!

Yes, there is a new book due for next year - all very exciting. Jelly Roll Quilts has excelled all expectations and went into a second reprint after only a few weeks.

Nicky and I have been working madly on our follow up book which will be entitled Jelly Roll, Layer Cake and Charm Quilts. It will have lots of new patterns for jelly rolls plus some great patterns for the latest idea from Moda called layer cakes. These are bundles of forty 10in squares which have been great fun to use as it opens up many more design possibilities.

So apologies for not managing to blog more often but life has been a bit hectic. Publication date is May 2009 which seems a long way off but we have to get everything to the publishers by December. We want the book to be as packed full of quilts as the last one so we are aiming to made 16 or 17 quilts with variations so we are flat out sewing.

I do have my friend Lally staying at the moment with her daughter Elly and Lally is the photographer here. As you can see from these photos, I have the most beautiful view from my sewing room so I never complain when I'm confined there.

You do actually have a sneak preview here of one of the quilts - you can't see a lot but we were really happy with this design and I hope you will be too.

Apart from the book, Festival of Quilts is looming on the horizon - we have lots to get organised for that as it is a really busy show. Looking forward to seeing you there - I know lots of people are going up for more than one day. It is a great show and there is so much to see. Do come and say hello - it's always nice to meet our customers and friends even though it is sometimes a bit manic, especially on the first day.

Our new catalogue is due back from the printers tomorrow. We are doing all we can to get it out to you by the end of the week and everyone is working flat out. It is just one of those busy times but much better that way - I can't imagine kicking my heels and wondering what to do with myself.

See you at the NEC!

On return from Portland Spring Market

We have just come back from Portland Spring Market. Quilt Market is a huge American trade show, twice yearly, where we go to find inspiration for new ideas and have sneak previews of all the new fabric lines that will be due in the coming months. We do a lot of our buying for the shop and catalogue there so it really is an important trip. We saw masses of new and exciting patchwork and quilting 'stuff' which is one of the main reasons for starting up this blog. Once we thought of that then we realised that actually we could share lots more bits and pieces with everyone, for example, sneak previews of fabric ranges, freebie patterns, introducing all the girls that work for us.......the list goes on....... We would like our blog to be interactive with all our customers so if you have any information that you'd like us to feature or possibly write about then please feel free to email us at sales@quiltroom.co.uk

This market was especially important to us as we were launching our book 'Jelly Roll Quilts' there. The picture below was taken at the end of our trip where we're drinking some very well earned cocktails!!

Mandy Shaw (pictured on the far left) has also brought out a great new book 'Quilt Yourself Gorgeous'. If anyone knows Mandy, you'll know that she has a highly infectious and bubbly enthusiasm for all things gorgeous and her book is GREAT with loads of fun projects.