Jean Duffy - we shall miss her

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of Jean Duffy, Sally's Mum. Jean worked at Threads and Patches from day one in 2001, even before it was a shop (cold, windy days on a market stall in Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard and Ampthill), she helped with the opening of the shop in August 2001 and worked most days untill 2004/5 when she felt it was time to 'retire' at the age of 77. She did stop working every day but never stopped supporting and made her mark on our 'Special Days Out' program with her homemade cakes (courgette and apple were firm favourites). Jean was known by many of our customers and was considered a slightly quirky fixture, who was always entertaining and interested in everything that was going on. We shall all miss her terribly. The funneral will be at Crownhill Crematorium on Thurs 9th Feb 2012 at 3.30pm.

Stitching Samples

I have been very busy making samples for some up and coming workshops, mainly hand work so it is a bit slower than usual.
Here is an update on my English Paper Pieced Hexagon Quilt - I am really please with it, not quite done, still a few more patches to add and then the quilting, it should be hand quilted really but I think it will end up under my machine! This class runs on Sat 21st April

I have also been embroidering samples for my beginners hand embroidery class on Fri 27th Jan

If you would like to join either of these classes go to our Workshop Pages

Quilted Car Project 3rd Jan 2012

The first day of the project - didn't know how many helpers I would have - as it turned out just one - Chris (Thank you!) Who arrived with enthusiasm, fabric blocks and ideas. I had several donated blocks, plus samples I had made over time. We made great progress putting together the roof section

and the start of one side section

Bending our brains to the maths of all these different sized blocks was a challenge but fun.

A huge thanks to Chris for getting me 'kicked off'!

Customer Quilts

Fab quilts made by some of my students!

MK MEGS Quilt Exhibition Sat 3rd Dec 2011

MEGS is the 'Machine Embroidery Group', who have been meeting once a month for a while now to make a machine embroidered quilt each. Saturday saw the culmination of that work in a truely stunning quilt display. I had said, (ages ago), that I would make a quilt to go in the display, I remembered this sometime around the beginning of November and so got cracking on 'Jacobean Blues', this is machine embroidered motifs, then it is hand pieced hexagons (current passion) and quilted on the embroidery machine, it took a week to make

The event raised over £1000 for Willen Hospice  - tremendous! Leanne from Willen came and opened the event, here Marie Baker who did much of the organising is introducing her (plus you get a peak at one of the lovely quilts behind)

Leanne and Marie

Well done to everyone, it was a very successful event

Workshop Passport Goes on Sale!

The queue to buy our workshop passport was longer than ever with a very friendly crowd waiting patiently and helping themselves to tea and coffee while they waited. We opened the doors at 10.00am and some classes had sold out by 11am!
There are still plenty of spaces left though! So if you want to join a class for next term get in touch soon!

Cellar Discoveries

We have been clearing up the cellar and have found loads of quilt tops I made ages ago, so now I have no excuse but to get them finished,. This is a colourful Fossil Fern one  - I think I might sort this out for a workshop in the summer term!

This is a 'pointless Stars' Pattern I made ages ago, I had forgotten what a fun quilt it was - so may be another workshop on the way?

This is a little sheep quilt - again made a long time ago and rediscovered in the cellar, So today I added the blue and yellow check border and began quilting, it is really cute and will be coming to a patchwork class nearby soon!

As well as Cellar finds, today I worked on some of the quilts that have been recently quilted by Sandra Foley of Loose Ends Quilting I stitched on the bindings of the following 2 quilts, now I just need to slip stitch them to the back  and they will be finished!

This is 'Superscrappy-Fabricholic-Expialidocious' Quilt. Quilted beautifully by Sandra - see detail below

I also added binding to my American Block Swap Quilt - blocks sent by friends across the pond and one by Dee from the Thursday Patchwork Club (the House in the middle)