Rising to the Challenge

Those of you who are familiar with Higham Piecemakers will know that before we break up at Christmas, we give the ladies a bit of a "Challenge" to be completed by a given date.
There is usually a lot f moaning and groaning about the subject, but not this year.


Everyone was given a fat 1/4 f red fabric, some thread and some beads.
This was this years challenge.
  Your Challenge this year --- Commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the Beginning of the 
1^st World War.  Use some or all of the fabric to make ANY item of your choice with World War 1 in mind. You can purchase more of the fabric if you wish. You do not HAVE to use the beads or thread if you do not want to.  You may keep your finished item or we could donate some items to the British Legion for them to fund-raise for their cause. 

Quite simple - do whatever you like. 

Today was the date.


And the  ladies have definitely risen to the challenge. 

I am just going to let you look at all the lovely projects

a memory album

a covered journal and bookmark and a lovely little keepsake(tobacco?) pouch

a fabric roll for keeping letters safe and another covered jurnal

a fabric clock - They shall not grow old .....

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag.....

service number -- Get the code?

a great assortments of cushions

some personal memories and medals

a framed poem

so many treasures

those crosses are made by crochet, needle-lace and stumpwork

more cushions and frames and a little box

a pair of knitted socks and look a 1915 stamp!

pretty stump-work poppy

a beautiful embroidered card

very poignant

a Red Cross quilt

decorated tote bag

Cushion showing the local war memorials. Higham memorial is so elegant

close up of those cushions

 I will try to get a better shot of this on Wednesday (still need a new camera!!)

a great photo collage

a framed cross stitch

the Belgian War Graves

not quite finished, but will be done by next week

 I will takes more pics on Wednesday and add some of todays items that I have missed here.

We have been talking, and think that this years Challenge needs to be exhibited somewhere. Any ideas ladies? Maybe at the Open Gardens in June? Let the committee know what you think, Or add your comments to the blog.

We will approach the Royal British Legion in Higham Ferrers to see if they would like to use the items  to raise some funds.

A New Skill!!

 On Wednesday .....
Jackie has finished her friends quilt. Its lovely, but Jackie found it really hard to work in colours and fabrics that were not her choice. It was made "quilt as you go" and she has made a great job of it. I am sure that the lady who asked for it to be made will be thrilled with it.

bottom right corner design was taken from a piece of the lady's art work, photocopied and traced out and reverse appliquéd 

 And then we had the start of the Celtic Block workshop -----

 Some had got further than others but everyone seemed to enjoy the evening

Quick Tip!!!

1) Only pin a small amount of the design down and start to sew in place, as the strips are cut on the bias they tend to stretch a bit and so all of your pinning will need to be moved along.

2) if you put your pins in the back of the work, your thread wont keep getting caught around the ends of the pins.

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Barbara was sewing some very small hexagons 

I know how old that blue fabric is!!

 Elizabeth was sewing down the binding on another celebration quilt gift

lots of pass times included

LOVE!

 And Monday's offering......

Well, it might just be me --- but it was so calm and quiet at group this morning!  I had had a very hectic weekend with Miss O staying for a few days. I am looking after her in three weeks whilst Mummy goes on a hen do, and I think she wanted to make sure I was not going to break her beautiful girl.

I didn't.

I get to do it all again soon.  YAY!

But back to Group.  It was just lovely. Some were tracing, some were pinning and some were stitching. There was chat and laughter but either I was in a stupor or it was... serene!

 Not everyone was using a pale background so transferring the pattern was a bit of a problem until some dressmakers carbon paper was produced and used to trace the pattern.

see what I mean about the pins?

 Ellen was getting on really well (swot!)

 And Di was adding fillers to her loops

A whole days work!!!

 I will show you the finished items soon.

Carol came in after her mornings Nordic walk to show us a similar technique, Italian Corded Quilting, which she first tried out a loooooong time ago at school. This was well admired and is in the "project for the future" folder.

And back to the camera problem. RUBBISH photo so I will try that again some other time!

I DO need a new camera.

 The new skill??

You may remember that we had been given an over-locker to add to the group equipment. Well we had it serviced and it sews like a dream.  I managed to un-thread it by accident (every over-lockers nightmare) but with a bit of a wriggle and tweak and with Pat's supervision I managed to re thread it and away we went. 11 pairs of shorts later ---

colourful and fun

Didn't have enough of any one fabric to make a pair, so each of the four pieces is different , and though I say it myself, they are FAB. Thank you to Jayne Smith for donating some of her fabric sampling. These will be sent overseas by St Mary's Church in Rushden via this charity  and if you wanted the pattern (which is so easy to make, especially if you use the over locker!) you can find it here

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I have collected the rest of the LINUS quilts to be passed over this week, and our totaliser shows 171 quilts made this time!!

A BIG WELL DONE AND THANK YOU GIRLS!!

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And for those of you who don't already know Our Carol has her own blog here . I have added it to the reading list, but stop by and say "Hello" .

A weeks round up

 Do you remember this from the  last post

Jackie has been working like a trojan and has got the quilt to this point. She is using a quilt as you go method to put it together.

just the borders to add

One ladies baby quilt. Her FIRST attempt at patchwork

 Lynda is still trying to work out where she has gone wrong on this smocked cushion!

looks good to me!

 Maggie is adding the finishing touches to her stained glass quilt

quite oriental

Eileen is working on another baby quilt

nice panel

Elizabeth is binding a baby quilt

love that lion!

Brenda has come back to her Winding Road quilt. She started this in a workshop at her LQS with Helen Spence.

quite a bit of hand finishing needed

Is it because its SPRING (nearly)??? Another baby quilt being finished

Unisex Farm Yard panel

Ena is making a Host of Angels and this little lady need her wings

why is she blushing???

Ellen however, has sped ahead and has completed four of the little darlings

a quartet of Gloriana

 We have been asked to display an exhibit at the Angel Festival in the Church in November - what do you think to lots of these??


And lots of ladies were tracing the Celtic designs, ready for adding bias tape this Wednesday evening. Monday ladies are doing Celtic next Monday.

this design can have separate fabrics inserted in the loops.

Pauline has made a second scrappy Christmas Quilt. This design would look good in any fabric.

good way to clear out the scrap box

 Bridget is adding some applique and embroidered flowers to her piece

bag or cushion?

 Christine has finished a rather nice cushion. The design comes from this book and there are lots of lovely projects in there

 Christine was also helping Angie appliqué lots of heart blocks that will eventually end up as a quilt from Popular Patchwork magazine. Angie is on a mission to finish projects. Any way she can ...

think the mag is dated 2012

nice fabric choice

 Annette is stitching a lace related piece. I will show you when it is finished

so neat

Carol is preparing the sections for a bag. I don't know why she is using a pattern, she is putting Yo-Yo's where there are buttons and the pocket is being re designed. When its done we will compare pattern with bag.

 The usual corner are trying to look like they are actually doing some work, with needles rather than tongues!

caught in the act

 And yet more Linus quilts have been returned. Next week will be the big count up day.

beautiful batik butterflies

I am sorry but the quality of the pics are not up to standard - am wangling for a new camera for my birthday. Back me up girls!!

Information Overload!!

 Well,  not quite, but with all of the projects coming up,  Carol had lots of information about the prep work. We have a Celtic workshop in March, and your bias tape needs making beforehand. There are several ways to make the tape, using bias bars, a bias tape maker and Shirley has made a template using this template
 If you need more information try - looking HERE


In April we are making a cute "handbag" sewing kit - the card templates need to be cut beforehand, so make sure that you have requested one to be cut for you.

Later in the year, we are having a box making workshop, and again, the card kits need to be collected (this will be done in May) so make sure you have selected your box and ordered a kit asap.

And so to the evening-----

Really?! Christmas Cards!!!  Well I suppose you have to get a head start if you are knitting them, so Gillian is off to a flying start.

I love Christmas Pudding

 Christine is making a selection of cushions to raise money for a Charity that her husband is doing a sponsored cycle ride for.

Maybe she thinks he won't make it?

 Maureen is working on this beautiful flower

I think it may be Trapunto, I will find out for you

 Hayley has started a cross stitch (a bit obscure at the moment) so we will see this in progress

Buildings??

Ann and Rosemary are stitching some redwork designs

Susan is in the process of making a Whirly Gig quilt

clever design

Louse is Hand quilting her Linus contribution.  Some lucky little girl will receive this

dancing teddies

And Jackie  her of the no house work house has yet another commission almost under her belt. This is a bed quilt that she is finishing "quilt as you go" method.

some great blocks here

The Linus quilts are being passed over on Wednesday 19th March, so if the Wednesday ladies could ensure that their contributions are returned to group ON Wednesday 12th March.