Birthday Quilt Blocks

If you know who came this Thursday you can just look at below quilt calendarn and try to guess. A printing companies make calendars for all sorts of areas of human interests. Here is the one for quilters. Looking at these images Irene's birthday really matched her work interest.

Regina brought her wedding present. This is the bedsheet embroidery with her and her husband's initials, all handmade with nuns using silk threads. The work was perfect, even better than machine embroidery. A piece of art, which could be in a museum.

Now she is standing with her night dress, hand sewn. Again perfect work, like machine work.

Ursula enjoying her late morning coffee with her tiny doll. She finished binding her baby quilt.

Happy Susan with her bag wallhanging. It will be send to far-far-away land to her friend.

Inspired by her bags Susan started another little quilt with shoes and bags. Shoes were paper-pierced and she made bags smaller.

We had a new keen learner. Fatima came to make a cushion. This is her ver first patchwork cushion and at the end of the meeting she made two. Sewing was in her blood, her mother used to sew clothes for living, even bridal dresses.

I forgotten to take Irene's work. She was there yesterday, handstitching her quilt.

My work not always here because I do concentrate more about other members work. While teaching Fatima to make cushion I sewed binding for my bag wallhanging.

More birthday presents

These are my birthday presents. Dutch Irene's presents were very appropriate that I straight put my needles in a very cute needle holder. It was easy with Ursula's chocolate, we ate them all straight away. Yummy! But I will decide later what I will make with golden coin fabric.
Ladies were very colour coordinated with my bright blue cushions. They are having coffee, cakes and chocolate.

Irene brought her make it row quilt. She is making with Helen in Arco-Iris.

Some of her quilters were very creative. Here is the row with button flowers.

Here is someone painted chickens.

Regina worked hard and did washing up as too. Thank you, Regina.

Irene was busy with her small, no tiny projects.

Ursula brought her bag wallhanging to show us.

This is the back of the wallhanging with her name written. Mine is still not yet finished.

She made for her friend notebook cover with her friend's design.

I cannot remember what I did last Thursday. I definetely, remember eating chocolates. Still eating... Different ones.

Surprise! Surprise!

Look who came to the meeting on last Thursday! After long winter months staying at home Regina, finally got out of the house and visited us. She was blossoming like plum trees. This is the time where you can see tiny white flowers in plum trees. Thank you Ursula for bringing her. Ann, Regina and Ursula are sitting in front of my kimono quilt. Sorry, have to mention my quilt.

Ursula was talking and picking threads from her finished wall hanging. She was very happy that this project was so quick and easy. Tah tah and finished!

I worked with Ann on her spiral quilt. We managed to put together some corners of the quilt. I was a little bit to put off to continue working with my spiral quilt because of complications. Never mind, one day I will have inspiration to continue until then the quilt has to wait.

Making wall hanging

Ursula and I started making patchwork wall hangings using an applique method. It is a quite time consuming process: coping patterns, cutting, ironing and finally start sewing. After two hours work we had this result. Ursula started with this two cute bag appliques. Today on Facebook she already put almost finished wall hanging.

I made a wall hanging with three bags using my Japanese fabrics. Compared to Ursula I have not touched it since last Thursday.

Susan attached sashing to her wall hanging and it is ready to be sandwiched and quilted.

At the beginning of the morning Ann was struggling with her spiral quilt edges but finally she was on the truck and happy with the result.

Thursday, 3 February

Ursula was back from Germany with her baby quilt. These little animals all appliqued and Ursula used asew as you quilt method. Plenty of animal names to learn for babies.

This is the quilt's back. You can clearly see all animals from the back.

These beautiful bags made of Ann's book by Susan. Lovely fabrics and she used her decorative stitches around bags. I really would like to make this one.

In the afternoon Anabela came to show us what she learnt from Houston quilt show. Sashiko is my favourite stitches. This made in a special sashiko machine, and it has only one ending. Lovely, I will be very happy is Anabela teaches me sashiko. I know all techinques because I read some books on sashiko but still happy to be taught by someone.

This is another method of sew as you quilt or quilt as you sew. Looks complicated but Anabela said it is so easy.

Batik, these beauties arrived last week at Anabela's shop.

Clutch

I have been making more and more bags. This time a clutch. I love this fabric, bought from patch-mania. Next time if I use this fabric I will have just black strap.

Spiral quilt

When I returned from England just after Christmas I saw a huge Christmas tree at the Lisbon airport. A busy traveller was texting on his mobile just under the tree.

The Portuguese capital, usually during Christmas time has plenty of decorations but this year Lisbon and other cities decided not to put much decorations. However, my family managed to go at Lisbon centre to see decorations and take photos. This was in the square at Restauradores.

I do like to take photos of Sao Jorge castle from the Santa Justa elevador.

Christmas and New Year's celebrations are finished for another year. Lunar New Year celebration will start at the beginning of February in Asia. Anyway, back to quilting.

Last Thursday was our first meeting of the New Year. Cinzia and Ann came to share their holiday news and work. Cinzia went to Italy, her home country, in their family car. While her husband was driving she did her arroiolos, Portuguese carpet. It took her two days to drive from Portugal to Italy and she did lot of work in that time.

Ann finished her spiral quilt and have to make an important decision which fabric to use to continue.

Here is my fabric shopping in Tunbridge Wells, England, unfortunately, I did not do other shopping. Good for my husband's wallet. I do like collecting fabric with Japanese prints and there were several in a shop but I bought only two types. I loved this Matreoshka print and made a little purse with a metal frame. I will teach this purse at Ines' shop in February. Check her schedule for the next month.

The red fabric I bought to finish my spiral quilt. I wanted different fabric but the shop did not have what I was looking for.