December 2025

 This is our last meeting for 2025, as we have done for many years we have some Christmas nibbles and show our challenge blocks along with anything else we may have been, or are still, working on. The challenge was very well supported with some excellent seaside themed blocks. There are a few more to come from members who were not available to attend today.

Seaside challenge blocks

This was a fun challenge and demonstrates our members creativity in choosing fabrics and designs for a theme. They are destined to become a Linus quilt or two.

Next are some WIP and some finished projects.

'Cabin in the Corner' blocks SO

 

Woodland blocks making up by quilt as you go method MW

Foundation pieced Christmas tree nearly complete MD

Angel decorations TD

Foundation pieced trees and a hooped picture IM

Knitting is also popular with our members.

Prem baby cardigan JN

Two tiny prem baby cardigans AP

Dressing gown for a well dressed mouse AD 

A couple of members were working on embroidery projects.

An interesting sashiko style panel, the pattern is tiny holes rather than drawn. It makes for very neat stitching. A

A French hen from the 12 days of Christmas MM

We had some very nice Table runners, quilts and tree skirts to look at too.

Table runners, made as presents for friends AP

Memory quilt from grand child's clothes HM

Flying geese quilt being hand quilted HM

A lantern and two woodland quilts for Linus CD

A couple of festive tree skirts, one a gift and for personal use AP

An finally two personal projects,

 

A tree decoration for a grandchild 

One of a series of pinwheel blocks DG

 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

November 2025

This month saw us making Christmas stockings large and small. The large ones are big enough to hang for gifts with the small ones useful as an Advent calendar or as tree decorations with the ability to add a gift card or small gift. Instructions.

Large stockings

Small/Advent stockings

A smaller project for adding embellishment to large stockings or gift wrap is this felt poinsettia flower, also included with instructions for stockings.

The small/Advent stockings were the most popular  to start at the meeting, here are some in progress, and some finished before going home. The stockings with letters will be gift card holders for grandchildren, gold letters for boys and silver ones for girls.

MW (not all done this afternoon), DG, AB, JN

TD - WIP and finished, KP finished.

One participant decided to make a start on a crazy patchwork stocking, the picture is of the very early stage. ME managed to get most of the patches done before leaving, unfortunately I did not get a picture so hopefully we will see it finished next month.

Crazy patchwork stocking ME

We had some WIP and finished projects from October. The stitched pictures are particularly nice.

CE stitched picture Winter scene

AD stitched picture seaside scene

Foundation pieced Christmas trees.

MD, AP, JN

We also had some Christmas items made by AB's mum and herself.

This lovely cross stitch picture of bullfinches by CE.

A quilt in progress by HM of flying geese blocks, some left over from a previous quilt of African fabrics with some complimentary additions.

This impressive foundation pieced horses head, made by AP as a present for a friend. A said she has become quite fond of him and will be sad to see him go.

Lastly two quilts from CD destined for Project Linus.

October 2025

 October sees us making textured pictures for mounting in an embroidery hoop or on an artists block.

Here are some ideas for the pictures which are useful for using up scraps. They can be hand or machine stitched with added embellishments as required.

Fields MW

Seascape MW

  We hope to see some finished pictures at the next meeting.

There was also a smaller foundation pieced project suitable for use as a Christmas card.

September 2025 AGM

 September is the month we have our AGM, members are encouraged to bring along some hand work to do while listening to the reports from the Chairperson and Treasurer. It was a fairly short affair, where we put forward next years programme and discussed trying to increase our numbers a bit. We currently have 15 paid up members, a few more may allow us to start having a workshop or two throughout the year. We have managed to recruit several new members this year  and I hope we have given them a warm welcome and they will sign up for next year too.

After the meeting we had a Show and Tell of finished work. A wonderful African quilt from HM, the back as lovely as the front, hand sewn blocks put together by machine and hand quilted.

Front and back of African quilt HM

Then 4 projects from AP all machine sewn as her preferred way of making quilts.

Bargello quilt AP

Cathedral window quilt AP

Jelly roll leftovers AP

Bargello table runner AP

Some zippy purses had been finished.

Zippy purses AB

Zippy purses IM

Zippy purse DG

There were a variety of projects being worked on during the meeting, a strip of flying geese left over from the African quilt HM, hand sewn.

Some pin wheel blocks also hand sewn DG.

Some more hexagons AP.

And lastly a cute little teddy bear, who is having an extensive wardrobe knitted, as his new owner likes to dress him up, SO.