I already have a waiting list for another Beginners Course in Patchwork and Quilting – twelve sessions to be held on alternate weeks. If you were disappointed to miss the Course which started on 10th September 2009 and would like to do a Beginners Course contact me. The cost is £120.00. As soon as I have enough people I will start another Course. Currently there are 28 Beginners – 15 come to the day class and 13 to the evening sessions. During the first workshop we made log cabin blocks, and we have just finished the second workshop covering half square triangles, so the sampler quilts are already well on the way. Intermediate group members spent their first week learning to draw feathers, wreaths, hearts etc in preparation for beginning their Wholecloth quilts. The second session was dedicated to designwork. There are already some very interesting and individual designs appearing. Ring me on 01248 716316 or 07941102185 or email me for further information and to put your name down. Dorothy 4th October 2009

Would you like to join my one day Machine Quilting Workshop? On Monday 21st I’ll be in Gaerwen teaching a one day workshop on Machine Quilting – so if you feel like developing skills in this method, there are a few places left – the cost for the day (10:00 – 4:00) is £15.00 This workshop requires a sewing machine on which the feed dogs drop and you need to be competent with your machine. Ring me on 01248 716316 or 07941102185. My New Beginners and Intermediate Quilt classes start Thursday (10th Sept) my new Beginners Quilt Workshop Series began with Log Cabin blocks for twenty six new students. Having spoken or ’email chatted’ with them it was lovely to meet everyone ‘in the flesh’ and get down to work. I’m sure looking at their choices of fabric, and the way they got on at the first session, we’re going to be showing some lovely quilts on this website by Easter. On Thursday 17th the Intermediate Group will start preparation for their wholecloth quilts before moving on to designing their own individual quilts – I’m really looking forward to seeing the results from both projects – watch this space! Dorothy. 13th September 2009

What excitement – a brief answer-phone message from Grosvenor Exhibitions congratulated me on winning the Sue Belton Cup today. Tomorrow I’ll be on the bus with friends, heading for Harrogate to see the Show and it’ll be even more fun than usual. I don’t know a great deal about Sue Belton except that she was a founder member of both The Quilters’ Guild and Garstang Patchers and, I gather, did some work with Rebecca Collins. I’ve been having a brilliant time recently talking to new quilters who are joining my Quilt Workshop Series and this is like the icing on the cake. The quilt is based on information from the book ‘The Celtic Wisdom of Trees’ written by Jane Gifford, which gives fascinating facts about trees as they relate to people’s birthdays – the colours, words, deities, healing properties etc associated with them. My tree is the elder, one I have always loved for it’s flowers and berries in particular, so it was easy to use it as inspiration for a quilt. Some of the fabrics are dyed with berries or bark, using different mordants and black and dark green are the colours associated with elder. The leaves and flowers appear as appliqué as well as in the quilting. Dorothy. 3rd September 2009  

Another Festival of Quilts has come and gone. For four days the NEC at Birmingham was home to one of the biggest quilt shows in Europe and the sound bite was definitely international. It must be so easy to fly into Birmingham International, stay in one of the Centre’s hotels, hop onto one of the courtesy coaches and arrive at the Hall to gaze on the array of quilts and be astounded by the skill of the winners. This year the overall winner was a bed quilt by two sisters from America and the skills which went into its making drew fascinated groups who studied it in awe. The individual exhibitions were, as ever, full of ideas with lovely work to satisfy most tastes. I can’t pick out a favourite – that would be most unfair as they all contribute their own particular values to create a whole. The demonstrations by professionals are always inspiring and then, of course there are all the stall holders, touting their wares to appreciative shoppers. Goodness knows how much money changed hands over the four days! The Contemporary Quilters can be justifiably proud of the £9,700 they took in their Little Gems tombola – money which will be gratefully received by the Quilters’ Guild at their headquarters at St Anthony’s Hall in York. I’m sure we’ll all be back for more next year. Dorothy. 25th August 2009

Llandegai Patchers Quilt Show in Menai Bridge has now completed its second day and we’re all enjoying the warm glow of complements from our visitors. The homemade cakes are getting a very positive mention along with the quilts in our Visitors’ Book and we’re meeting/greeting and enjoying the company of everyone who comes through the door. For a moment I thought our furthest travelled visitors would be from somewhere in England but they have all been surpassed today by four young men from Portugal who saw the sign and paused on their round Britain tour (in original Minis) to take in our exhibition before heading east to Conwy Castle then on to Liverpool. Some members of my Intermediate group have visited the exhibition and it has been lovely to meet a few members of my next Beginners group, as well as ‘sign up’ some new ladies. With three more days to go I hope to chat to several more visitors – look out for me near the lecturn where I will be sitting doing a little hand quilting or a bit of beading in front of my Beginners Workshop quilt.By the end of the week we should all be ‘tired but happy’ with the Show just a whispy memory – until the next time. Dorothy. 5th August 2009  

Our Pot Luck Supper on Thursday 16th July was great fun. The food everyone brought made a real feast – not only can we all quilt, we can also cook to a very high standard. We had a Show and Tell, with everyone’s quilts and Daf took photos of nearly every one as you can see (one or two escaped!).

 

The sound level was fairly high with lots of socialising (chatting). This really is a lovely group and it has been my pleasure and privileged to teach them. I’m beginning to worry that they can’t be matched but I’m sure I’m being silly. Come along to my next workshop series in September and reassure me. I was given a lovely card (which I couldn’t read as I got too emotional) and a voucher for Amazon, for which a big ‘thank you’ to everyone. When I decide what to buy, I’ll get everyone to sign it! I definitely think there should be a Pot Luck Supper at the end of every Workshop Series – that’s Easter sorted then! Dorothy. 19th July 2009

There’s an Exhibition of Quilts by Llandegai Patchers at the English Presbyterian Church in Menai Bridge, Anglesey: there will be lots of pieces on show, including a couple of mine, stalls selling fabrics, and tea, coffee and homemade cakes available – a fun couple of hours for all. Entry is £1, children free and money goes to charity. As for other exhibitions, I have entered one quilt into Festival of Quilts at the NEC, one to the Great Northern Quilt Show at Harrogate and as part of ‘Cauldron’ one into the Group Quilts section at FoQ. They’re all finished and ready to pack and send, which is always a relief, so now I can concentrate on another piece of work which I’m currently machine quilting. The Pot Luck Supper with my ‘recently Beginner/about to be Intermediate’ quilt group was great fun. The food was very good and Daf and I are still ‘tidying up the leftovers’! It was lovely to be able to meet socially, relax and chat. I’m looking forward to September when not only do we get together again as the Intermediate Course but I’ll also meet my new Beginners Course members for the first time. Dorothy. 3rd July 2009

Some members of my ‘Beginners’ Workshop Group and I had a lovely day at Oriel (gallery) Ynys Môn today, celebrating the first Annual Quilt Day, as advocated by The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. I must stop calling them ‘beginners’ because they’re a long way from that now. Our quilts are at the hand-quilting stage – perfect for taking out to work on and show to ‘the public’. We stitched, chatted, put the World to rights and welcomed anyone who wanted to share in the experience. Quilters love to share their (our!) obsession! The Oriel is a wonderful facility with no entry charge and we on Anglesey are very proud of it. The work on display is of a superb standard and the new Sir Kyffin Williams Gallery attracts many visitors. I managed to make a little time to have a quick look round before leaving – the oil paintings and sketches of quarry workers by Ifor Pritchard were masterful and filled with character. As a perfect end to a wonderful day, Daphne, Abigail and I also had a hug from Rolf Harris – yes, ‘the’ Rolf Harris!

I’m now half way through the twelve session quilting course I’m teaching to a group of new quilters and I’m enjoying it hugely. They are all lovely; they’re getting on really well both with their work and with each other – and they want to carry on after this course -; which is brilliant. I hope lots of the quilts will be ready for the Llandygai Patchers' Exhibition in Menai Bridge in August this year. I also offer patchwork/quilting lessons to guests staying at Coed y Berclas Holiday Cottage but recently I had a request to teach a lady staying elsewhere on Anglesey – I hadn’t previously thought of offering quilt days to visitors other than those staying with us, but why not – so if you live on Anglesey or in North Wales or are visiting the area – wherever you’re staying – and you would like to enjoy a few hours of Patchwork and Quilting tuition, beginner or improver, give me a call or send an email. In September I will be starting another twelve session Beginners Quilting Course too – contact me for information and to put your name down.