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.

August 2025

 August saw us making zippy purses, these are very useful as gifts for friends and family, the size can often be adjusted to make them bigger (easy) or smaller (not so easy). There were two designs to try, a simple zipped purse and a slightly more challenging pyramid purse. Both are suitable for hand or machine sewing. Instructions.

Both patterns were enthusiastically received with participants choosing to try one of the patterns. Some just cut out and decided to sew at home by machine, others went on to sew by hand.

A selection of zippy purses by MW, DG, AB and SO

A selection of pyramid purses by MM, IM, HM

Other patterns with zips can be found on the 'Patterns and Favorite books' page under 'Fundraising projects', 'Circular zipped box' and 'Inserting a zip' on the same page may also be of interest.

One member continued to stitch some hexagons, an ongoing project with no deadline to finish, some mindful sewing.

AP hexagons

There were some Show and Tell quilts, the first from CE made from the QGBI block 4 patch variation. The shirting checks set off the design very nicely. Instructions here.

Another from AP, very nice green sampler quilt with impressive machine quilting.

Finally two simple Linus quilts from CD. These can be made in a weekend as pieced by machine, backed with fleece and machine quilted in the ditch, what could be easier. Instructions here.

July 2025

 This month sees the last of our QGBI block demos. There were two on offer this month an simple 'Two by Two' block, another one useful for using up scraps,

Two by Two

and a more complicated 'Cabin in the Corner', more suitable for yardage, although if you planned it well it could be made from scraps too. Instructions link.

Cabin in the Corner

Some members decided to carry on with a project from previous months. 

4 patch variation blocks by MW and CE

Framed square variation blocks MM

While others went for the new blocks.

Two by Two blocks by ME, LB and DG

Cabin in the Corner by HM

We had some lovely Show and Tell projects.

Cathedral Window, a striking first attempt by AP

Some blocks made from a bag of scraps and similar coloured fabrics left over from a previous project.

Seaside themed scraps by AD

Two framed square variation quilt tops showing different orientations. 

Framed Square Variation blocks by MW and ME

Two more quilts, one scrappy and one from stash fat quarters.

Scrap quilt HM

'Quilt as you go' from fat quarters AP

Some finished Demo block quilts destined for Project Linus.

4 patch variation, Framed square variation and Logcabin sampler CD

Apologies to IM who also showed her Framed square variation quilt in progress. I thought I had taken a picture but it was not available to download. Hopefully we will get to see it when it is finished.

Lastly the second Fractured logcabin quilt has been completed by CD and is off to Project Linus.

Fractured logcabin group quilt for Linus