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!

Stitch Gathering Words Quilt #1

At the Stitch Gathering 2015 we sent attendees fabric and asked them to embellish it with their favourite word. This would then be their ticket. We asked for words to be positive and life affirming.

You can read more about the ticket words project inception here.

Our amazing retreaters brought along fabulous works of art using so many different techniques! They were all displayed on the day.

Prior to last year's event I made two quilt tops from the words and basted them. At Stitch Gathering 2016 we had a group hand quilting session in the afternoon and the quilting was started!

Of course it was only started at the event, and I had planned to machine quilt the remainder of the tops at home (as hand quilting is a bit of a no-no to me these days - with my dodgy hand!). But then my lovely assistant Lynsey, offered to hand quilt the WHOLE of one of the quilts!!

Lynsey handed the quilt back to me just before Christmas and I finally bound it a few days ago.

So now it needs to be donated to somewhere suitable - like a hospice or other institution where it can inspire and spread love through stitches. I have had a few suggestions already which I will be chasing up (in case they can't take it for some reason like space or sterility) and I hope to compile a shortlist which can then be voted on by everyone that had a hand in making it.

But I would love a few more suggestions, bearing in mind there will be another quilt coming along! If you have any ideas, please email me. Anywhere in the UK would be fine.

And what about that other quilt? Well the totally amazing and generous Lynsey is now hand quilting that too!! Talk about a quilt hero!! 

And speaking of quilt heroes, I happen to know another one! 

At last year's Stitch Gathering the ticket project was to make your 'dream house' block. At the end of the event four people took away 20 blocks each to make into quilts for Siblings Together. The amazing Sheila (@budsmam on IG) finished this quilt a few weeks back - thank you so much Sheila!

 Lynsey also took away 20 blocks to finish a quilt, however as she is doing all this heroic hand quilting she doesn't think she can also finish the house quilt. So, would anybody like to volunteer themselves to finish a quilt? The blocks are complete, they need sewing together (perhaps with sashing like the quilt below, but not necessarily) and then basting, quilting (anyway you like - it's a great way to practice FMQ) and binding. 

If you feel like being a quilt hero too then please let me know in an email - hello@mybearpaw.co.uk

One more thing - our store won runner up in the Best Independent Store, Scotland, in the British Sewing  Awards yesterday! Thank you to everyone who voted for us! We will display our badge with pride!!