The Quilt Room

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 Update!

I'm finding it quite difficult to find images to put on the blog at present as I am spending all my time working on the Dream Challenge quilts and of course I can't show anyone what I am working on. I don't want to give anything away.

I have just come back from a very very busy time in Dorking. I drove up late Wednesday night and then worked a 14 hour day on Thursday and a 12 hour day on Friday.... and then decided I wanted to be back home in Cornwall so drove 4 hours home. I think I drove everyone mad in the shop as I was a bit manic but we got so much done.  Is it worth living in Cornwall with the shop in Dorking? Absolutely....... I just love Cornwall and I love where I live.

This is my supper tonight. Sea trout which Nick caught from our little piece of river while I was up in Dorking, courgettes picked today from my vegetable garden and gooseberry and rhubarb pie also picked today - yes I know a pretty wierd combination but it was good. We also had carrots and potatoes from the veggie patch.

 

Now back to the Dream Challenge which is what you all want to know about...... Nicky and I have a meeting with the publishers next week and fingers crossed and with no last minute changing our minds we hope to present them with the twelve winners then. Once David & Charles have our decision they will then put the wheels in motion to let everyone know.  You will definitely be advised by the end of the month - so not long now. We have read and re-read the patterns over and over again making sure we have not missed anything and we have tested nearly twenty of the designs. Can we really be getting near that final decision - WOW!!!

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.

Jelly Roll Block of the Month

Well we did promise you a gorgeous quilt using Tanya Whelan's Delilah range of fabrics and here it is. We absolutely love it and we have called it Celebration.

It is a six month Jelly Roll Block of the Month to celebrate our 30th anniversary at The Quilt Room.... can it really be 30th years - I don't think I'm old enough!!!

We will have the quilt on display at the Malvern Show next week and we will be starting the programme then. It will be £15.95 per month for six months - you will also be able to sign up on line by next week. It is so exciting. We will send the strips each month to you ready cut so there will be no need to cut your own strips nor will you have to do any sorting - sounds too good to be true!

It is certainly a busy time at the moment. Lots of new fabrics are arriving and we are trying to get everything cut and bundled for the Malvern show. Here is the brand new Mrs. March Collection from Lecien and we are trying to get jelly rolls ready for Malvern - so much cutting to do.

I'm sure I have mentioned it but 28 of our quilts from our books Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts and our brand new Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts are being exhibited. Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts is being launched at Malvern and has just been delivered to us. We are really pleased with it - we love the front cover and one of my lambs has crept into one of the photographs as well.

 

 

 

We've also got some new quilt kits from our Antique to Heirloom range which we are getting ready for Malvern. Here are Nicky and Chris pondering on how to quilt a lovely log cabin made up in the Lilac Hill range - should it be purple or green thread - big decision - purple thread won in the end and it looks fabulous.

Look forward to seeing you all at Malvern next week - come and see all the new quilts.

Happy Easter!

 Happy Easter to everyone. The weather couldn't have been better and I hope you all had a lovely holiday.

We have had one of those rare holidays when all the family managed to get together. Our sons Robert and Mike managed to get down plus Jack a family friend who is studying in Plymouth.

Nicky, Rob and Freddie came down with Wendy a good friend of Nicky's now living in Australia.   Nicky didn't know Wendy was arriving as Rob had planned it as a big surprise.We had such a lovely time.

 

Nicky managed to get just a few quiet moments to herself to sit and read her book - notice the book and bottle of beer on the ground!

It was a glorious weekend and we still have another long weekend to look forward to with the royal wedding next Friday.

Delilah Jelly Roll has Arrived!

My Delilah jelly roll arrived from the shop and I knew I would be inspired.

I have a gorgeous Welsh medallion quilt in my collection which I want to use in our Antique to Heirloom series of patterns. I have been waiting for just the right fabric and Delilah is going to be perfect.

I couldn't wait to get started and I had my strips sorted about half an hour after the parcel arrived. Here is the centre of my medallion quilt. The original had only one star but I have adapted the design to make it more jelly roll friendly.

I will try and get it finished quickly as it would make a super Block of the Month - having a different border each month using different techniques. I will try.........

Just to keep you up to date with the lambing. We now have ten lambs - one of the Hebs born today is very tiny and born to a very young ewe who doesn't seem to know what on earth is going on. He seems to be feeding all right though and can just about totter around so I'm pretty optimistic.

Why Why Why Delilah!

 

 

 

Yes I am breaking into song and it is just as well you can't hear me! We have just received the full range of Delilah designed by Tanya Whelan for Free Spirit.

If you are reading this Tanya - it is absolutely gorgeous and we all just love it.

The girls in the shop are already cutting meterage so we can make up a jelly roll and I can't wait to get my hands on one. I've got one of our Antique to Heirloom patterns ready to make up and I intend to use Delilah for it..... yes the moment it is finished I will post a photo but it is going to take a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I did promise you another photograph of the lambs and here are Bella and Blossom who are incredibly friendly.  We have also had another set of twins born who are both doing well but that is all for the moment.

 

Lambing Live!

 

 

 

As if on cue when Lambing Live starts on television our girls suddenly realise it definitely is time.

Vitalia is the first this year - one of our friendliest Hebrideans. She has given birth to twin girls Bella and Blossom. Mother and babies are doing well and I will try and get some better photographs.