Pouch Problem?

Is an addiction to zippy pouches a recognised condition?!  If so I think I better get some help as I can't stop making them!

I've been talking about my Tendrils Technique in my last few posts.  The pouch above was the first one I tried with this technique, using Dashwood Studio 'Paper Meadow' fabric. I sold this the other day with funds going towards the Makers for Grenfell fund.

These next three were all made with leftovers from my Shangri la farm Sherbet Quilt, with the one at the back using the panels I made in my FOQ Aurifil stand demo.

Talking about Aurifil, my new thread collection got a proper launch on the Aurifil blog on Sunday. You can read the post here which includes an interview with me and a giveaway to win a box (which has one day left to run - so don't hang around before entering!). 

I should get my stock of thread boxes very soon and I'll be sure to let you know when they are ready to sell!

Back to the pouches. This narrow pouch (without a gusset) was made from the bottom part of my aborted attempt to make a new laptop case (documented in this post).

I put this one up for sale on the Makers for Grenfell site but it didn't sell (I am going to use it for  a giveaway soon instead!). But I did sell the other pouch I made from the rest of my failed laptop case.

So that's four pouches sold and a total of £135 raised! A huge thanks to all four buyers!

Here's a close up of the finished pouch made with my Tendril Technique demo sample. I'm holding on to this one as a class sample. This is going to be a new myBearpaw Craft Class next term and also one of my Thread House workshops for our 2018 Retreat. 

We announced all our Thread House workshops yesterday. Here's a wee look at them...

We are so excited about the 2018 retreat classes! I wish I could do them all! Take a look at our website here for details.

As we are unlikely to have enough time to make a scrappy improv panel AND a zippy pouch in a class session I thought I would try the tendrils technique over a plain quilted panel. So I broke into my hoarded stash or the amazing Outback Wife fabric by Cathy of Gertrude Made fame. This is a beautiful bark cloth and the slightly heavier feel works so well here.

I also experimented with a more rounded leaf shape, which is a little bit tricky but probably worth it.

And here's the finished pouch. I call these large gusseted pouches 'Project Pouches' as they are large enough to carry around your current craft project. They measure approx 10in high by 12in wide and 2in deep and the base.

We'll have the new myBearpaw classes for sale at some stage new week including the Tendrils Project Pouch. Meanwhile we have plenty of space on some of our current classes. Check them all out here.

Now, I think it's time to make another pouch! Oh dear!

Festival of Quilts 2017 Report

The Festival of Quilts is a four day event and the largest quilt show in Europe with thousands of quilts to see, and way too much to buy! Plus you get to catch up with all your quilty friends! Basically it is four days of bliss and excitement, where you feel completely 'amongst your people'!

If you remember in my last post I was just finishing my Shangri La Farm Sherbert Quilt for the Aurifil stand. You can see it behind me in the shot above as I happily clutch my new Aurifil Thread Collection box 'Sherbert Dip' for the first time!

I spent some time on the Aurifil stand on Friday afternoon and gave a demo to the gathered crowd which was filmed by the lovely Jenni for Aurifil's Facebook page. You can view it here. Things didn't go completely to plan and there were a few electrical issues (!!) which just made it all the more fun and entertaining. 

The demo is for my Tendrils Technique which you can see on that lovely panel above, it's a clever and quick way to machine applique leaves and stems without any raw edges.

I had a couple of quilts in the exhibition, and here are the obligatory photos of me standing in front of them (taken by my helpful cousin Julie who I met for lunch with my sister on Saturday - quilting being quite a family affair for us!). This is my Almost Black quilt which was in the Modern Quilt category.

And here is Hot Water Microbes which I made with Tatyana Duffie for the two person category.

I think the quilts in the competition this year were the best ever, it was quite overwhelming. I took quite a few photos and shared some on Instagram, and could fill this whole post with incredible quilts, but I am just going to share two. 

My favourite in the Traditional category (which got 3rd prize, though IMHO it should have won!) is by Janette Chilver and is simply epic!

My favourite in the Modern category is 'The World is Your Oyster' by  my friend Tatyana, the quilting is just sublime and I love the colours and design. You can see some more detailed shots and read about this quilt in this post.

Apart from the competition quilts there were also the most amazing quilts and textile art at all the galleries, including some stunning quilts from Victoria Findlay Wolfe, who was there in the flesh - what a charming lady!

If you want to check out a lot more quilts from the whole festival try this excellent blogpost by Zephyre Skies.

On Thursday afternoon I taught an Academy classes for my Patchwork Portraits technique.

Gill was this class's over achiever by managing to create her daughter at her recent graduation, complete with gown and mortar board and tiny red heels!! Brilliant stuff Gill! And her daughter liked it too.

Jane brought along a piece of fabric to match her blouse (the exact same fabric!) and managed to create a pretty accurate portrait of herself!

Love the glasses! If only Jane had a lime green spotty hat...

Julia finished her 'Ascot lady' at home and kindly sent me a photo. 

Love her matching accessories Julia!

On Friday I taught another Academy class for my 3D improv Dresden Plates.

Sue was the star pupil this session, managing to almost finish during the 3 hour class (this one just needs it's centre).

Some of the other students finished at home and sent me photos. This is by Elizabeth Ann who won one of the FOQ tickets on my Instagram giveaway!

This one is by Rhonda, she got the 3D effect spot on, love it!

And Ruth made a beautiful version and then made a 'wonder cushion' with the scraps. I hadn't encountered these before but now really want to make one for my wonder clips too!!

Thanks so much to all my lovely students, you were all a pleasure to teach!

I had one more quilt on show at FOQ and it was keeping really good company! Here is the first photo I've shared of my Tendrils quilt which is on the cover of the latest Today's Quilter (expect a post about this in a few days!), with Karen Lewis's gorgeous 'Outback Wife' quilt from Love Patchwork and Quilting to the left and Lynne Goldsworthy's stunning log cabin from a recent TQ supplement above!

It's a Thread House triple whammy!!

I was very prudent with my cash and bought just one pattern and one packet of needles (too busy chatting to shop!). The pattern was for this Bubble Pod by the very talented Beth Studley. I had been admiring it for the last couple of years, wondering if I could make one on my own. But this year I took the plunge and bought it. I made it as soon as I got home on Monday (I needed some fun sewing to ease myself back to work). It is an excellent pattern which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

I am delighted with it and am using it for my stash of Aurifil 80wt!

Stitch Gathering 2017 workshops and news round up!

Our workshops for this year's Stitch Gathering Retreat have just been announced and I thought I would share my two new class samples with you.

As you can see from the mosaic above there is a fabulous selection of classes on offer this year from our new guest tutors, Mandy Munroe, Lucy Brennan and Sarah Ashford, as well as returning regulars Trudi Wood, Fiona Calvert and Julie Rutter. You can read all about our teachers here.

Every year I find it harder to come up with a new class to teach. This will be our fifth event and I have taught at least 2 classes every year. In the end I decided to do just a little more improv this year!

It turns out this will be the fourth year in a row that I have taught an improv technique for the morning class - so far we have had Freehand New York Beauty, Patchwork Portraits, 3D Improv Dresden Plate and now this year - Improv Flowers!

This will be a condensed version (very condensed!) of the 8 week evening class I sometimes teach for my Improv Meadow Quilt. Initially this quilt was begun in a workshop with Anna Maria Horner a few years back and is very much inspired by her work.

In this 3 hour Stitch Gathering class I will be showing students a couple of different improv flower and leaf blocks and also how to make bias stems. We won't have time to applique and leaves but...

...in the afternoon I will be teaching Appliqueing Leaves and Circles, so some people might want to spend the whole day with me!

Or just come along to the afternoon class and make a start on this cute panel (which I will turn into a zippy pouch as soon as I get hold of a zip!). This is a version of the applique class I taught at the Thread House Retreat where I show students clever ways to prepare fabric shapes for applique. You can read about all this year's workshops here.

The Stitch Gathering  is now fully booked but we usually get a few cancellations every year so if you would like to join the waiting list then email me through the SG website.

Speaking of the Thread House Retreat, we have just announced the launch date for next year's retreat tickets! You will be able to book from 2pm on Friday 23rd June (2 weeks today!).
Check out all the info here.

I've recently been making another quilt with gorgeous Kaffe Fassett Spring Collective fabric for Today's Quilter magazine (you'll be able to see it in August). I made this matchstick quilted zippy pouch with some of the scraps. But I still had quite a bit of fabric leftover and as I like to share the love I am currently giving away 14 Fat Quarters PLUS this zippy pouch on my instagram account! So if you have an IG account why not pop on over and enter, giveaway closes on Monday night, just search for @mybearpaw.

I promise to balance things up with a blog giveaway soon too!

Lastly I wanted to share a letter with you that I received from Acorns Hospice.

Do you remember the Words Quilt that was made from all the amazing 'ticket words' that were brought to the Stitch Gathering 2016? You can read about them here. They were made into two quilts one of which was donated to this wonderful place. The other quilt is still being hand quilted by the amazine Lynsey. I would apppeal again for any suggestions for a permanent home for this last quilt when it is finished. Please leave a comment below or email me.

Thanks so much to everyone who took part in the ticket project that year!

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!

The Thread House PATTERN SALE!!

It is our first birthday this weekend and to celebrate we are having a pattern sale!! Hooray!

Get 30% off all our Thread House patterns at our Payhip Store! That's all patterns for £3.50 each!

Sale ends Monday night!

The Thread House Retreat Report!

A week or so after the event and I finally feel recovered enough to post my Thread House Retreat Report!

This was our first residential retreat, held at Folly Farm near Bristol two weekends ago. Speaking for myself, Karen and Lynne we are happy to pronounce it a resounding success! And as far as the feedback we have had from the attendees so far they seem to agree.

I shared quite a few photos on Instagram over the weekend but have since found a few more on my phone and have also collected up some finished project photos to share here.

The weekend started at lunchtime on Friday with registration and the nametag swap, followed by a delicious lunch of soup and sandwiches.

And of course everyone got their amazing goody bags!! They really were awesome, thank you to all our wonderful sponsors!

Then we were straight into the afternoon classes. I was teaching my Patchwork Portrait workshop and my, what a creative and ambitious group of ladies!! The portrait above is by Philippa, and the one below is by a very proud looking Rachel (with added shrubbery!)!

A very stylish lady by Michelle - love how coordinated she is!

Here's Dawn, one of a few over-achievers in the class (in a good way!), with her Egyptian God and his dog!! Just wow Dawn!!

I would love a top in the same fabric as Sue's gorgeous lady (note the curved jaw line - brilliant detail Sue!).

At the end of the class we had a show and tell. Of course not everyone had finished so I became a kind of mobile Design Wall for display purposes!

And here's that lady finished. This is Helen's and I love how naturally she is standing - such fantastic movement!

Another one finished at home, this is Ruth's lovely lady.

And lastly, Irene not only added a face (!) but made her's into a cutting mat pouch! What a great idea!



There is actually one more I wanted to share but haven't managed to get hold of a photo yet. I did say that students could bring in a photo of themselves or someone else for us to re-create. Well Laura brought along a picture of Darwin... with a monkey! And yes, we managed to work out how to do it together and instead of a handbag Darwin is carrying a wee monkey!!

Friday evening was a bit of a blur. We had the pouch swap and a lovely dinner, then got stuck into the 'honesty bar'!

We awoke to a fabulous day and this incredible view!

Saturday morning was my 'free session' which meant I was being classroom assistant. Which turned out to be totally unnecessary in the uber prepared workshops of Karen and Lynne. Apart from when I was called in to Lynne's class for some 'emergency drawing' - somebody needed to applique a bird over some smudged fabric and nobody else could draw one!

This is Lynne's Scrappy Tiling class. The machine classes were all held in this lovely converted barn with fabulous natural light.

Here are the amazing results from Lynne's class!

Meanwhile the lovely Anna of Eternal Maker had arrived and was setting up her pop-up shop. Here she is purveying her work in a shaft of sunlight. The shop was a HUGE success!

Karen was teaching screen printing in the morning...

...and lino printing in the afternoon. I absolutely love this shot of the lino stamps!

And here are more results from the lino print classes (she did two), which are just incredible! What an immensely talented bunch of artists!

On Saturday afternoon I taught the first of my two applique classes. Originally I had planned this large flower bowl as a class project, but then thought better of it as I got closer to the class. Applique isn't for everyone and some people may be put off by such a large project.

So I took some of the flower elements from the large pattern and designed this mini version. However all the students also got the pattern for the large bowl in the hope they will move on to it at home.

Only one person finished the piece in the class but she cheated a little and scaled down the pattern! Of course I am talking about Nicky, and here she is with her finished mini mini applique panel!



But finished pieces are now popping up on Instagram. Here is Sue's - lovely fabrics Sue!

And Philippa's with added embroidery!

And Philippa really got into the applique and has now finished the large flower bowl! Absolutely stunning Philippa!!

I think we cracked open the honesty bar a little earlier on the Saturday night!

After dinner we had an exciting lucky dip with some epic prizes and a thrilling Fat Quarter swap! Then it was time for show and tell.

Here is Nicky (again!) with her amazing Nordic Quilt.

Lynne put together a great mosaic from the show and tell - such fantastic quilts!

 While I was teaching on Sunday morning Lynne taught this lovely FPP block.

And then, all too soon it was time to say goodbye! Here we are giving everyone a clap (and looking just a bit 'special'!).

I think it's safe to say that this won't be the only TTH retreat (we are already planning the next one!). It really was a blast - a wonderful friendly vibe, great classes and teachers (even if I say so myself!), and a very cool venue. It really felt like a proper 'retreat' in that we were cut off from the rest of the world and just enveloped in a lovely fabric filled cloud of fun!!

For a wonderful (and less biased!) review of the retreat check out this post by Very Kerry Berry. And if you think you might like to come along to future events, head to our website and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with news when we have it!

A huge thanks to everyone who came along and took a chance on this first retreat! And of course to my two quilty BFF's Karen and Lynne!