Two very different quilts

Two very different quilts have just been finished.

First, Rachael's sampler quilt - her first quilt. The colours are lovely, they positively glow, the picture doesn't do them justice.

And second, Jenny's quilt.
She wanted to make a quilt using her husband's old ties plus some pieces of tie silk that I had acquired. She didn't want to cut the pieces from the ties square, but wanted to keep the shape of the ties, so she pieced everything together very freely. That and the slipperiness of the silk gave us a few problems, but she persevered. She quilted it by machine using diagonal lines, and it's turned out much better that we thought it would.

The start of a new term

All the classes started last week, and it was lovely to see everyone after the summer break. Lots of talking at the beginning of the classes as people caught up!
Some lovely things completed over the summer:

Sandie's beautiful quilt, which she started last September when she started coming to class. This photo doesn't do it justice!

Thelma's machine embroidered cushion, beautifully finished.

Rene's counted thread work panel, made over the summer.

Lovely work everyone.

And now a sneak preview of one of the Christmas projects which we'll be starting in November.

Classes start again next week!

And I'm really looking forward to seeing what everybody has been doing during the summer - must remember to take my camera!

Classes all take place at Ditton Community Centre, in Kent:

• Patchwork & quilting - Monday 1pm - 3pm
• Patchwork and quilting and/or embroidery - Wednesday 7pm - 9pm
• Embroidery - Thursday 1pm - 3pm

Here are some of the samples I have been working on over the summer and which give an idea of what we will be doing this term.

Some counted thread work and some goldwork.....

... some white work - well cream and indigo....

.... and an Indian inspired panel and for the quilters, some trapunto, although many of them are continuing with their quilts.

These are just some of the many projects available, ranging from quite straightforward to more skilled. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, please contact me at sheilaf1947@gmail.com

A little display

Just before we stop for the summer, all the classes have the opportunity to come to a "stitch and chat" day, and we put on a display of the work we've done over the past year or so.

Here are a few individual pieces, picked at random:

Firstly, Marjorie's bayeux stitch pieces, which are part of a diptych she is making.

Pat's quilt - her first. It started of as a small sampler quilt and grew and grew until she had made 36 blocks!

Thelma's fuchsias - layers of organza laid on and then stitched down

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And finally, Heather's circle, started at a workshop I ran a couple of months ago, and richly embellished with stitching.

We had a few visitors, including one lady who said she had a few old samplers we might like to see. She very kindly let me photograph them. Unfortunately none of them are dated, although two of them have names. The middle one has the name Ann Beckett (at the bottom), and the last one has the name Harriet Stevens and her age.

We advised her to take them to Maidstone Museum to get them checked out.

Welcome to Acorn Stitchers, a blog set up to showcase the work of the ladies who belong to my three groups at Ditton Community Centre:

• Monday afternoon - patchwork and quilting
• Wednesday evening - a mixed group, embroidery and patchwork and quilting
• Thursday aternoon - embroidery

The groups have been going for nearly three years now, I really don't know why I have only just decided to do a blog! There's been lots of lovely work done over that period.

Here's the Monday group hard at work.....

...... and here's a quilt  made by some of the group  - Anne, Linda, Bobbie, Claire, Rachael, Liz, Pat and me, (I hope I haven't forgotten anyone) and entered into the Group category at the National Quilt Championship at Sandown.

This is a piece by Anne-Marie using Bayeaux stitch. It's the first of four pieces she is doing. She plans to make it into a standing piece. I'm loving the colours!