Patchwork & Quilting UK – August 2019

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FEATURE // introducing

Having guest speakers, which we like to follow up the next
day with a workshop, is a popular activity. Recent teachers
have included Gail Lawther, Anja Townrow, Stuart Hillard and
Philippa Naylor and each month we also have two separate full
day sewing sessions in a local village hall. These are self help
days, where members bring along projects they are working
on and have a chance to pick the brains of others, catch up on
their work in progress and enjoy each other’s company.

An annual coach trip to Festival of Quilts at the NEC is
organized (any excuse to buy more fabric!), and every year
a week long sewing retreat is organized to Parcevall Hall in
the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. This is a blissful chance to just
sew and not worry about cooking, cleaning and washing up. It
includes a field trip to Skipton for yet another chance to buy
more fabric in The Fent Shop. There is also an opportunity
to learn something new as members take it in turns to give a
presentation on a skill or topic in which they have a particular

interest be it design, quilt history or technique. The scenery

and gardens at Parcevall Hall are picturesque with lovely

walking routes, it is such a wonderful week and we all go

home truly refreshed.

Every other year we hold a quilt show at the spa complex in

Scarborough in support of local charities including, in recent

years: Air Ambulance, Air Sea Rescue, Scarborough Lifeboat,

Scarborough Hospital, Martin House Hospice, Springhead

Special School, Cystic Fibrosis, Legs for Angel, Alzheimer’s,

Rainbow Centre and in 2017 we raised over £4,000.

This year the show charities were Scarborough Hospital and

Scarborough Sight Support. At the quilt exhibition, we always

have a number of challenges for members to enter and

prizes are awarded. The challenges for 2019 were bed sized

quilt - Log Cabin with a Twist, quilt for a child (to be passed

on to a local charity), a river or seascape wall hanging and a

lap sized quilt interpreting a much loved song. We also always

have a 3D challenge – bags, cushions, boxes – you name it!

At the show we also have a selection of traders to tempt you

• more shopping opportunities, a sales table of members
  work, a fabulous tombola of items made and donated by
  our members, a raffle with a quilt made by or donated by
  members and other prizes including a smaller quilt, cushions
  and baskets containing sewing notions, again donated by our
  very generous members.

As we recover from this year's exhibition which was held on

5 - 7 July, planning has already started for our next one in

2021. Maybe we'll see you there?

Above: Heirloom Quilters’ Christmas Lunch

Left: 'Baltimore Quilt', Ann Hudson