And the prize for the silliest face goes to .....

.....  my latest group of Beginners!



This lovely bunch of ladies + 1 gent were a joy to teach, eager to learn, and produced wonderful zippered cushions (not all shown).

Well done everyone!  "Keeeeeeeeeeeeep Sewing!"

(The next 'Machine Sewing for Beginners' course starts on 4th September '13)

And here are a few more class finishes from last week.

Foundation Piecing Techniques - cushions made using this template.

Applique Techniques & Cushion course.  Pattern available here.

A huge well done to everyone, for stepping out of your comfort zone and trying some new techniques!  You have done brilliantly and produced beautiful cushions!

And as for me, I managed little bit of sewing today, but don't get your hopes up!



This is the name badge for my secret swap partner in the Fat Quarterly Retreat Name Badge Swap!  Because this person reads my blog (hint hint!) if I showed you even a teeny bit of the front, she would know who it is for!

Sorry, I'll have to keep you in suspense on this one til the end of June when I post it off!

Thank you for all your kind thoughts for my daughter.  Sadly she has been fitted with a new moulded thumb splint (she is now giving a permanent 'thumbs up'!) which she must wear for a further 2 weeks.  This means the school are allowing her to sit her exams at home when the splint is off (yey!) and she can have a week off school while all her classmates sit their exams (yey!).  But it also means no sport for another 2 weeks (boo!).

Words!

Details of my Valentine's Day Heather Ross giveaway are here.

Bee Blessed met on Saturday, and just look at our cutest new member!

Trying to match some AMH with her cosy coat!

And we were spoiled rotten with some AMAZING home baking - buttermilk scones with jam, cream and fresh strawberries AND lemon and blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting!!!!!!  I so wish I'd taken a photo for you to drool over!  They were divine!  Thank you ladies!

We did actually do some sewing too! 

My uber talented friend, Sarah, and I are working on a man quilt.  This young man broke his back skiing just before Christmas, and is fighting his way back from paralysis in his legs.  He is the son of one of our Bee Blessed members and a determined young man.  So Sarah had the brilliant idea to make him a quilt with inspirational words on it!  If you click here, you will see some quality pieced words that Sarah has already made.

And here is my lowly contribution:

Ahhhh! Check out that blue sky!

We chose the words carefully and meaningfully as they are significant to this young man's journey of recovery.

And here is another group of ladies & their makes who I hope I have inspired, and who in turn have most definitely inspired me!

These are the amazing cushions my 2nd applique class made.  Aren't they fab!!  I love how different they all are!  Well done ladies for tackling some tricky satin stitch and sketchy manoeuvres!

And see that beautiful teacups cushion up there?  Well, if you hop on over here, you can see more pics of this and other beautiful makes by this talented young lady!!

If you fancy having a go at these cushions yourself, the pattern is available in my Etsy shop.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Jxo

Applique Love!

My first Applique course finished last night!

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching this course, and from the smiles and finishes last night, I'd say those attending enjoyed it too!

Well done everyone on trying out some new skills and producing amazing and creative cushions!

The pattern for the LOVE and House/Trees applique cushions (as seen above) is now available in my Etsy shop.

The patterns have full colour, step by step photos and come with shape & letter templates and guides on Satin Stitch and Free Motion (Raw Edge) applique.

Happy Friday!