Pop-Up finishes

A few of the Mystery Pop-Up quilts have been finished (or nearly finished).

Mouse and Chris (although this had to be finished in time for the class, so we’re cheating a bit here!) have made runners

Meanwhile Margaret C has completed her little quilt top and Chris has put the ‘Blue Peters’ together to complete her top. Neither of them quilted yet – decisions have to be made!

How are yours progressing? Photos of finishes (or nearly-finished) always welcome!

The design was based (somewhat loosely) on one of the local Minton tiled doorsteps. Where do you find inspiration for designs?

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Long ago . . .

back in 2009 to be exact we ran a Chris and Barbara workshop called Stack and Switch where one of the ideas was to make what we called curvy pinwheels. Some of you may have dim recollections of it, some of you may even have made something after the workshop.

In sorting and tidying and general rummaging through cupboards and bags Chris came across the Blue Peters and complete blocks from that workshop. More rummaging produced some fabrics that ‘would do’ as sashing or borders. For some reason there were only three purple blocks but four multi-coloured blocks so finally two tops have been put together – a runner and a small square thingy –

Let’s hope it doesn’t take another thirteen years to quilt them!

Popping up in 2023

Even though 2023 has only just begun we are already looking ahead to our PopUp Mystery day on Saturday 18th March. Lots of office work and admin at C&B Towers and quite a bit of fabric cutting and stitching over at the Rural Office.

It’s going to be interesting to see all the different versions of the Mystery. And still on the topic of things mysterious we are going to respond to popular demand and post a vintage C&B Mystery here beginning in March – sharpen your rotary cutter, check your stash and dust off your sewing machine!

Fab finishes

Our online PopUp class in October was a great success, and there are vague rumours circulating the corridors of C&B Towers that there might be something similar in the spring.  Kate sent us this pic of her finish from the day – we think it’s a stunner!

Myf’s finish was a triumph of calm, muted colours –

 

We particularly liked the addition of top and bottom borders of squares and the pieced binding – super stuff!

 

Super Zoom!

A late report (but better late than never) on our Live Online PopUp class on Saturday 17th October.  This started out as a real class scheduled for March this year, postponed to July, then again to October.  Around September we decided that we would adapt to Zoom rather than keep moving the date and being disappointed. And it worked really well – we had two main demo sessions with a break after each and a short summary at the end when everyone waved blocks around.  Live online classes are the next best thing to the live in person classes that we’ve become so used to over the years, but we appreciate that not everyone wants to make the transition or deal with technology!

Here are Kate & Jane’s first blocks forwarded to us during the class –

And Speedy Helen sent these pics of her FINISHED (as in quilted and bound) quilt on Tuesday –

complete with pieced back!

Thanks to everyone who was with us on screen on Saturday, and particular thanks to our pal Judi Mendelssohn who had been volunteered ( by us ) to help us keep things heading in the right direction.

Happy stitching!

Pop up success!

Whew! What a great day we had on Saturday with our first pop up class – a full house of new and familiar faces and the sweet hum of massed sewing machines plus lots of chatter and laughs.  We had decided to feature the project Chris designed for The Corner Patch Retreat (and a big thank you to Jane Alcock (formerly of The Corner Patch) for helping out and for providing everyone with a little goodie bag) and there were lots of oohs and aahs when it was revealed –

Everyone got straight to work after the demo.

and we were soon admiring the first blocks in all their variety –

Really looking forward to seeing some finished quilt tops in the next few weeks!  It was such a good day with so many requests for more popup classes that we may have to have a high level Board meeting at HQ next week and discuss the possibilities for 2020.

In other news we have updated the EQ Doodles page so do click over and take a look – or download a colouring sheet here – August doodle

This is the week of the BIG quilt show – Festival of Quilts – here in the UK and we’ll be joining thousands of other quilters and enjoying some retail therapy and quilt viewing. Don’t forget to check back here for Scrappy Sunday at the end of the week – see you soon!

Pop up class filled up!

Just a brief bulletin to say that we’ve been totally amazed and overwhelmed by the response to our PopUp class on Saturday 27th July – there’s only one place left!!

We’re really looking forward to the day.  We’ll have all the traditional C&B things like lashings of tea and coffee, biscuits and cake and plenty of laughs to accompany the cutting and stitching. And we’ll have a tempting basket of fabrics from The Corner Patch…

Onwards to Scrappy Sunday!

Breaking news

Official announcement of our first pop up workshop!

Date: Saturday 27th July

Time: 10am – 4pm

Venue: Chairman’s Hall, Walton Community Centre, Stone, Staffs

Cost: £35

Non-refundable deposit:  £15 required with each booking

Print out a booking form   here and return it with your deposit

There was a lot of disappointment that The Corner Patch Retreat had to be cancelled this year, a lot of disappointment that the date clashed with other activities, we were disappointed because we’d designed a sparkling new project.  And so many folk have asked us for another Chris&Barbara Saturday workshop.  So here’s your chance!!

Looking forward to 27th July!

Maybe it’s May …

Welcome to May!  There’s a considerable buzz in the corridors of C&B Towers as preparations get under way for the Corner Patch Retreat in June.  Sounds a long way away but actually only six short weeks to go.  (Perhaps we should count the time in long weeks instead? – Chris.)  We’re really looking forward to doing our teaching double act again for a whole weekend and there’s a lot of “stuff” we need to get ready.  Chris has already made a great start on the main class sample and, at the Overseas Office, Barbara is busy cutting up fabric and making kits and step-by-step samples.

In other news we have refreshed the EQ doodles page and the traditional free download colouring page is here – May Doodle. If you would like templates and instructions to make this block then head over to the Meadowside Designs blog. This month we are featuring a block that we’ve both used several times in Sampler Quilt classes – it’s a Goose Tracks variation (which pieces very quickly if you are a handstitcher) and Barbara is currently working with a further modification to this block which looks like this –

This modification of a variation is going to feature in an upcoming Heritage Quilts pattern (release date scheduled for early autumn).  The original quilt has been in The Cupboard at the Rural Office for more than thirty years and was one of the very first vintage pieces that Barbara acquired.  In its day this was undoubtedly a very handsome quilt.  Sombre colours of furnishing weight fabrics were used and the arrangement of blocks and borders makes it an excellent example of a Frame Quilt (see our two previous posts).

Last month Chris managed to sneak away to the Quilt & Stitch Village show at Uttoxeter for a whole day of quilty fun.  Quilt shows are just as much about meeting up with friends old and new as they are about quilts and retail therapy and Chris was delighted to spend some time chatting to the family of one of our favourite students Maggi Birchenough.  Maggi was a very gifted textile artist in her own right and great fun to be with.  She left detailed instructions for her family as to how she wished her textile work and supplies to be dispersed after her death, and Chris was able to secure some of Maggi’s hand-dyed fabrics so that both of us could have a tangible memento of a very special person.

Very latest and very good news is that our beloved Corner Patch shop has a new owner!  So Janet is taking over the reins from Jane and local quilting life will be uninterrupted. Jane is moving over to The Sewing Quarter tv programme and we wish her the very best in her exciting new post – she has made The Corner Patch a very important “corner” for lots of people and we are all looking forward to supporting Janet as she continues the good work.

 

 

It all starts again

After what seemed like a never-ending winter followed by one of the longest summers we can remember our thoughts are now set on a busy autumn programme of classes and projects.  At C&B Towers renovations to an adjacent property are a noisy disruption to the calm required for creativity (and gardening) – all staff have been given leave of absence so Chris is manning the fort (almost literally) armed with noise-cancelling headphones.  Barbara has taken off, yet again, for the peace and quiet of the Overseas Office.  Maybe what we really need is somewhere that would be a Not-Overseas-C&B Towers, with all the benefits of both locations and none of the drawbacks.

Chris’s classes at The Corner Patch in Eccleshall begin this month, Barbara’s classes are scheduled for October.  Samples and worksheets are being put together even as this page goes to press, new EQ doodles are posted on our Doodles page (you can download a colouring sheet here) and notebooks and lists are being consulted.  It really feels like autumn!!

Mini Star Sampler quilt top for one of Barbara’s Corner Patch classes –

Rick Rack Star block for October –
A Star Sampler from EQ, recently “discovered” in Barbara’s files.  Fabrics might be being selected at this very moment…… just when another project is the last thing you need!

Chris’s next Block of the Month – starting next week – at The Corner Patch is on display on the shop wallRemember Chris’s regular Wandering the Web feature in P&Q magazine, also take a look at the UKQU website and Facebook presence.  Happy stitching!