Quilts UK and Sewing Quarter

I am back from this year's Quilts UK in Malvern. This four-day show is set in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside in Malvern and is the second largest quilt show in the UK after the Festival of Quilts. My week started with a four-hour drive on my tod across the country, this is the furthest I had driven on my own ever, so I was pretty pleased with myself when I finally got there!  Then I had to set up the stand, I was really close to my old employers, Doughty's - most of the time they were laughing at me, but they did help when it was needed. 

Doing Quilts UK also means I get to return to Hereford where I stay with Ruth, Mrs Doughty, over the show. It's always lovely to catch up and we have a good old chat, she also knew the short cuts on the way back to Malvern the following morning. On Friday, I had help on the stand from the lovely Sarah, another former Doughty worker who just comes for a laugh, and then Justin arrived Friday night, so thankfully I didn't have to drive home!

I had a lot of fun meeting so many familiar faces, including many fellow Sewing Quarter presenters. I also had some lovely viewers come up to tell me how much they enjoy my shows, which was really sweet of them, it's great to know the nerves don't show and my demos make sense haha! 

Now I'm back home, I feel pretty shattered, it's weird, it's like I'm jet lagged, hopefully a few days off next week will sort me out. Before then however, I'm back on Sewing Quarter on Bank Holiday Monday where I will be demoing this foundation-pieced Garden Paths quilt by Linda Clements, and then my own Wonky Squares wall hanging using jelly roll strips and some quick and easy cutting.

Wishing you all a happy and creative week, linking up with Midweek Makers and Needle & Thread Thursday

Relaxing EPP and Quilts UK

There's little else I find as relaxing as hand sewing, in particular some good old English paper piecing. I became slightly, well very, addicted to EPP hexagons and diamonds a while ago and have been known to sew at airports and on trains while listening to a gripping audible book.

Many visitors have caught me stitching up a new cushion design while on the stand at quilt shows - this new diamond cushion was half made at last week's event in Harrogate, and will no doubt be finished at Malvern this weekend.

And it seems I'm not alone, talking to fellow quilters and show visitors, there are so many of us moving towards this quieter, more contemplative type of sewing.

Great to do in front of the tele, but also to take on holiday or on long drives, or just to sit quietly curled up in a favourite armchair. Don't get me wrong, I still love knocking up a quilt on my Janome, and adore machine quilting, but I feel that EPP slows me down, relaxes me and turns off the outside world for just a while. In conversation at shows you may have heard me say this is my free therapy, and it's true! I have also heard people say "they don't have the patience for hand sewing", which makes me sad. I have actually found that it gives me patience, I have to slow down and take one stitch at a time, which really can't be a bad thing!

So why not have a go yourself? My EPP Diamond and Hexy Cushion Kits are designed to be small undaunting projects that you may actually finish ;) Each kit contains all the fabric you need to complete the top, including binding and wadding, plus a Sewline glue pen, thread, paper templates and full instructions. What's more, if you subscribe to my Newsletter before the end of May, you can get 20% off each kit, just in time for those summer holidays.

This week we're off to Quilts UK at the Three Counties Showground in the beautiful town of Malvern. This four-day event is the UK"s second largest quilt show of the year, and fingers crossed, promises to be a great weekend. The shows runs from Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st May, 10am - 5pm (4.30pm on Sunday). If you're in or around the area, it would be great to see you.

Linking up with Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers & Needle & Thread Thursday