Announcements Galore!

I've been meaning to publish a newsy post for ages and now my 'news bag' is full to bursting! So I am going to get everything out there in one big announcement splurge! 

Did you know it is World Craft Week this week?! 

Check out the Facebook page to find out how to get involved with this year's challenge:

"Share your craft crush and take part in World Craft Week's inspiring challenge!

To celebrate all things crafty, we're challenging you to post a photo, or share a short crafting video, of something you've made on our Facebook page. Tag someone or something that inspires you and your craft, encouraging them to take up the World Craft Week challenge as well. Remember to use the hashtag #worldcraftweek when you share your craft crush with us"

Plus there is still time to sign up for more info and get a free digital magazine with 25 craft projects!

That lovely little 'yarn bee' above is the logo for the Indie Burgh Yarn Crawl, brain child of Jessica from Ginger Twist Studio. In previous year's this has been a yarn shop crawl around Edinburgh, but this year it's expanded to include all sorts of fabric and craft shops too, and myBearpaw is taking part (plus we do sell yarn!).

It takes place on Saturday 17 June 2017 and is a great way to support local craft shops and get involved with the crafting community. Each shop validation on your 'Craft Passport' counts as a raffle entry. Check out the Facebook page for more info. Passports will be available from myBearpaw and other participating shops soon, plus look out for some special offers and other excitements that we have planned for the day!

This year's Thread House Retreat was such a great success that we are repeating the event at the same time and at the same place next year! This is a residential weekend retreat hosted by myself, Karen Lewis and Lynne Goldsworthy for around 40 participants, held at Folly Farm near Bristol. Take a look at the retreat page on our website for more info about last year's event and sign up for news about the next one. We'll be releasing tickets sometime in June, more details soon!         

And speaking of Retreats... 

Get ready everyone! Stitch Gathering 2017 tickets will be released on Friday at 1pm. This will be our 5th event and takes place on Sunday 8th October at Napier University's Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh. As in previous years we won't release details about workshops, teachers, ticket projects or swaps until the summer. If you are new to the event and would like to know what all the fuss is about check out my report blog post from last year, and this page featuring last year's classes from our Stitch Gathering website. Tickets will cost £120. 

The second Knitting and Stitching Show Edinburgh is coming up soon! 

It's at the Royal Highland Show Ground, just by the airport on 27th - 30th April. Last year's event was a huge success and this year there is even more reason to come - our Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild have our own Gallery Space and will be exhibiting a number of our member's quilts!

Plus I will be teaching a class every day to make this Patchwork Storage Caddy. You can buy tickets for the workshops here. I will also be demoing twice a day in both Origami bags and Log Cabin Tote Bags - all demos are free!

If you haven't already bought a ticket to the K & S show then you can get £2 off each ticket (£1 off concessions) by quoting code DISC3 at checkout .

If you can't make it to Edinburgh then perhaps I will see you at the Festival of Quilts in August! 

I am teaching there again this year - my Patchwork Portraits Workshop and my 3D Improv Dresden Workshop. Tickets and booking is available already to Quilter's Guild members with general public release very imminent. Check out all the details here.

Plus don't forget to enter a quilt this year! I will be entering a few including one to the new Modern Quilt Category that launched last year. The quilt exhibition is not juried so if you enter your quilt it will be hung!

We have some new fabric which I actually managed to list online! This is Denyse Schmidt's Winter Walk and Joel Dewberry's Modernist. We have it available it FQs, yardage and bundles! Check out our website here.

Lastly a huge thank you to whoever voted for me in the British Craft Awards! I came third in best Quilt Designer of the year and second in Best Quilting Blog of the year!! The last one makes me especially pleased as I guess it means some of you really like to read my ramblings over here. 

Thank you so much, that means such a lot to me :)

P.S. If you haven't had enough of me yet then why not read an interview with me on Judith Hollies blog, part of her Meet the Maker series. It was published a month but March went by in such a blur that I only just got a chance to read it!

Sunshine Applique

We've had some funny old weather in the UK these past few weeks, even for us! Today it's sunshine and showers all the way.

So hears a nice 'sunshine' slogan and a fun project! 

Last year I made a small wall hanging to go with this House Quilt for Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine. It said Home Sweet Home, the letters of HOME were appliqued and SWEET was embroidered.

Alice, the LPQ editor, asked me to do something similar but weather themed. I searched for various weather related slogans that could work and decided on 'Some days you just have to make your own sunshine'. I like an uplifting slogan!

The project is in the latest issue of the mag, number 34 which was out last week.

Usually I take some photos of my finished items before they get sent off, but as it was made during a VERY dark January all I have are some sneak peeks I took for instagram.

This project really inspired my new class Text Embroidery (still places left on this!). I've re-discovered my love of adding writing to things I make, it's a double whammy of communication and story telling!

Regular readers will know how much I love hand applique and also how much I love using up my class samples!

I've just finished four days of workshops at the first Knitting and Stitching Show in Edinburgh! I had such a lovely time re-connecting with old pals and meeting new ones! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello to me!

I taught a workshop to make these mini yo-yo flower hoops.

I now have 6 of these. I've decided to take them out of the hoops, sew them together and make them into class samples for my Zippy Pouch class this Saturday (also places left on this one!!)!

I'm doing the same with samples from my Scrappy Improv workshop a week ago.

And I  am sure that there are more than a few of you out there that understand how happy it makes me to turn samples from one class into samples for another!!

Jo on Tour 2016!

Tickets and workshops are now ready for booking at the Festival of Quilts 2016 website!!

And this year I am one of the tutors!!

Yes, I am teaching a 3 hour workshop as part of the Quilt Academy programme on the Thursday (11th August), and as it is my first time it would be lovely to have some friendly faces in my class!

I will be teaching Biscornu with embroidery...

You can book a place here.

And in other news - There will finally be a Modern Quilt category at the FOQ this year!! So start thinking about which quilt you are going to enter or start planning to make one!!

Last year I did quite a bit of 'travelling teaching', even going as far as Sweden! This year I am staying a bit further to home and my only other 'gig' will be in Jersey this June!

I am teaching a workshop for the newly formed Jersey MQG, and then a one-off workshop for my Feathers Quilt at the Harbour Gallery, St Brelade on Sunday 26th June. You can buy a ticket direct from our website here.

I am taking my best friend Liz to Jersey with me and after the weekend of teaching (luckily Liz also quilts!) we are having a few days holiday to celebrate our joint big birthdays - can't wait!!

But before that we have the excitement of the Knitting and Stitching Show in Edinburgh!! So if you are more local to me then don't forget to book one of the amazing workshops, check them all out here.

I will be teaching this cute yo-yo flower hoop in a workshop every day, learn how to make yo-yos, and how to needle-turn applique in this easy and fun class. I will also be demoing Biscornus ever day in the Creative Living Theatre.

And if you haven't bought tickets for the event yet then you can get a £2 discount by quoting MODERN when you buy them!!

Hopefully I will get to see some of you while 'on tour' this year!

Knitting and Stitching Show Edinburgh ticket GIVEAWAY!

A month from now I will be getting ready for the first Scottish Knitting and Stitching Show! And to celebrate I have 4 tickets to give away!! 

You can read more about the event  (28th April - 1st May) here.

While you are waiting to win your ticket you could book a place on my 'Yo-yo Flower Hoop' workshop, or one of the other Learning Curve workshops available during the event. If you don't win a ticket you can book one and get a £2 discount by using the code MODERN at checkout.

I do hope you make it one way or another and if so why not stop by the Creative Living theatre and watch me demonstrate how to make a Biscornu...

Here are the times for my demo:

Thursday 3 - 3.30pm

Friday 3.45 - 4.15pm

Saturday 4.30 - 5pm

Sunday 2.15 - 2.45pm

Check out all the other daily demos here.

Or why not check out our Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild members who will be demonstrating at the Crafters in Action area! Please come along and say hi to us!!

To win one of the four tickets just leave a comment below telling me what you are most interested in seeing or doing at the event! I will pick a winner on Sunday 3rd April. International entries welcome!

Good luck!

The Knitting and Stitching Show is coming to Edinburgh!

I am so delighted that the Knitting and Stitching Show will be holding it's first ever Scottish event this Spring!!

We really have a dearth of decent craft shows north of the border and so I am truly excited that this top-rated event will be just a stone's through from my house/shop!

It is taking place 28th April - 1st May at the Royal Highland Centre (just next to Edinburgh Airport).

There is so much to do and see (and buy!) at this event! A HUGE choice of Learning Curve and Dressmaking Studio workshops, loads of free demos, amazing galleries (like the Quilter's Guild exhibition of Turkey Red quilts including this beauty below), Crafters in Action space, and of course a fabulous amount of knitting and stitching goodies to buy!

I have become very involved with this event! Our shop will have a stand, I am teaching workshops every day (the yo-yo flower hoop below), I am demonstrating how to make Biscornus in the theatre and I am organising the rota for our Edinburgh Modern Quilter's in the Crafters in Action space! So if you see me there I will be just a blur!

Head over to the Knitting and Stitching Show website to buy tickets and nab a place at a workshop (don't hang about they go fast!). I really hope you are as excited as I am about this first show in Edinburgh - let's give them a big Scottish welcome so they come back every year!!