Japanese bags with metal frames

This summer I have been making bags with metal frames and recently my Japanese friend Ai-chan gave me more fabric with Japanese motifs. She makes little sweet decorations and they are so beautiful.

Yesterday I taught how to make this little cute purse at Ines´s shop in Oeiras.

Another little evening purse with great patterns. This is just for me.

This little black one is for my mobile, a little small for iphone, if I get one of them in the future I will have to make a bigger case.

Photos and text Javhlan

Quilty Quarters from Angela's blog

Do we remember some of these blocks??????????????????????????

This is from Angie's Quilt Blog

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Quilty Quarters

I quite like this border, it could even be better than my original plan of adding more 9" blocks... as it is, all but two of the centre blocks were gifted to me, so it's keeping it special....plus it would have made a rather large sofa throw.... I decided to add in a few squares of the pale yellow fabric on the 9-patches, with there being yellow in the main blocks, it works well... don't you think?
and it means that the blocks I had already done for plan 'A' can be made into another quilt. I didn't get any red, white and blue blocks made... I actually got rather engrossed in this project and ran out of time... Brenda/Barbara e-mailed to say that she'd made 3 blocks, so I better get cracking, it's Uttoxeter Quilt Class today though, I wish I hadn't left these blocks to the last minute now!!!

text and photos by Angela
posted by Ursula

Irene was very busy this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Irene was working at Leanne's House Block of the Month Quilt. The result is fabulous! The colours and patterns are perfect. Irene: congratulations!



photo: Irene (from Facebook)

Jutta sent photos

It was already in June, that Jutta sent photos of her recent works. She is happily quilting now in Germany and created a small quilting group. The results with table runners and pillows are very good!


Jutta's table runners
Already before Jutta moved back to Germany, she started with this huge quilt. Now she found the missing fabrics to finish the quilt. The sailing boats are very nice blocks and the lighthouse and fish are appliqué. Now the quilt will be hand quilted. A big task. But I know that Jutta loves handquilting.



text Ursula
photos Jutta

Mongolian quilters

From a tourist leaflet I found Mongolian Quilters shop.

This is what they do here some Mongolian women.

This is Davaahuu's work. She is making a Mongolian map wih mountains, ger - a Mongolian tent, camel.

In the shop they use a very old Chinese Butterfly sewing machines.

The shop was first organised with an Amrican woman's help.

This is a very Mongolian quilt with its traditional pattern.

Thank you Vicki

Quilt Camp on July 15th and 16th

While having holiday in Portugal, Vicki decided to meet her old quilting buddies to have a quilt camp. For two days the quilt bar was full of busy bees and laughters. Back in the States Vicki learned how to make hexagonal spiral quilts from precut kit by John Flynn. She brought for us ready laser cut kits to do during the camp. It was great that we did not need to stand for ages with cutters and rulers.

The first day of the camp nine of us were spinning a lot because quilt's name is a spiral.

After spinning for couple of hours and just managing the centres of our quilts, it was time for lunch. Before moving back to the States Vicki loved having potluck lunches during camps and we decided to follow the tradition. I think everyone loves having potluck lunches anyway. We had on the table Arabic, English, German and Portuguese food. Everything was delicious.
Lunching, from left Anabela, Ann, Helen, Vicki, Alda, Ursula, Therese, Patricia and Javhlan behind the camera.

Alda's famour arroz doce - rice pudding. Maybe three years ago she brought her pudding to one of the quilt camps and we all loved it. When she comes she is always asked to bring it. We like to be selfish.

Ann made this chocolate cake from maiones

After lunch almost everyone picked up her picker and unpicked some seams. I gues we had too much too good food and lost our brain in our tummies. Personally, I have to pick one row in my seven circles. Alda at one point said that we need "unpicking machine". She wanted to call Mário, our Bernina dealer, to get one for us. I think no one yet made such a machine. Especially, when you pick all stitches from your twenty blocks, like Ursula did once.
If something similar is invented we might be first customers.

Ursula brought her "embroidery project" that she started at Doris Teixeira's workshop in Caldas da Rainha. It is nearly finished, only the binding is missing.

The second day we started to learn a new method of paper piercing. I did not do it but it was easier than the old method. It was strip paper piecing of a star, following a pattern of Peggy Martin.

Second day lunch, from left Anabela, Ann, Alda, Vicki, Ursula, Therese, Patricia, Cinzia. Javhlan is taking the photo.
Theres had been our mummy for two days serving our dishes. And a big thank you to her for washing up afterwards too.
Therese was also working on her spiral quilt.

After lunch Patricia, Ursula, Alda and after many frustrations Anabela finished their first block. All of them looked great and I liked all their fabric choices.

Patricia and her star. She bought the fabrics in Edinburgh.

Alda's star

Anabela's star

Ursula's star


text: Javhlan and Ursula
photos: Javhlan

Vicki's visit

After many hours of delayed planes at American and French airports Vicki arrived back to Portugal. She will be here for a month and spending first week with her friend Pam, who is her quilting buddy too. It was a very nice to see Vicki after two years.

Ursula showed her work for us, which she started making at Doris Teixeira's workshop in Caldas da Rainha. As she said that she was lost at the workshop but looking at her work she is making really good progress.


Today we had a show case. As we know that Americans lead the world with its patchwork and quilting inventions. Vicki brought for us to experiment a magic fabric.

Between magic fabric and cotton fabric she put batting. You can follow fabric pattern or just use straight or fancy stitch to sew. After sewing she used steam iron but did not touch the fabric.

It all shrunk about 30% and made a magical texture and it could be used for anything and everything.

Another great tip from her. A simple tape measure from hardware store can save you lot of money if you make bags. It has to be good quality and quite wide. If you make a big bag just double them.

While cutting a tape measure please careful, cut edges round and duck tape them in order to not to cut your bag. You bag is ready to be used and nobody will know that you used your broken tape measure or raided your husband's one.

Here is another tip from her. Ann asked how to make different binding. Measure your quilt and leave plenty of extra fabric on edges, leave 1/4" from edges and stitch binding to a quilt. Match seams and draw a line.

Sew over the line.

Open it and you will see your nice frame.

After all tips we lunched. Ann brought chicken salad with an Asian touch, Ursula cooked chicken pasta on her slow cooker, Alda made arroz doce - rice pudding. All was delicious and we had a great time on this July day.