MAKING OUR MONTH
8 http://www.quiltnow.co.ukEx erimentin
with Paula Steel
Regular Quilt Now contributor,
Sarah has been busy passing on the
quilty love, teaching with new luxury
retreat company Crafty Monkies. It
off ers high-end luxury retreats with
amazing teachers like Sarah, Jennie
Rayment, Janet Clare and series
two Sewing Bee winner Heather
Jacks to name but a few. Each
retreat is hosted by TV presenter
and business owner Rachel Pierman
at personally-selected hotels and
spa locations around the UK. You
are sure to be spoilt with amazing
food, accommodation, teachers and fully kitted
workshops whilst having fun and making plenty
of new friends. With more accomplished teachers
and top-quality locations being added to the
website all the time (www.craftymonkies.com),
it is worth checking out the page, and planning
your next opportunity to spoil yourself!Grea minds
Keep your needles close to
hand with these adorable
needle minders by Caterpillar
Crosstitch. There is a range of
designs available (the pumpkin
being our personal favourite)
each boasting a glossy, enamel
fi nish and super-strong magnets
to keep your needles safe.
Pick one up for £8.99 from
http://www.woolwarehouse.co.ukHello, I hope you are all well and
managing to keep busy. With the extra
time we now have for sewing I thought I
would give you a look at what I’ve been
up to. I decided that I would give some
time to non-purposeful quilting, by which
I mean I’m just playing and practicing, and
the outcome is not too important. Here’s
some things you could try:1
Find a ruler you have but haven’t used
yet. I used my Dresden ruler from a
previous issue of Quilt Now.2
Play around with the fancy stitches on
your machine, I know I never really use
them so it was fun to have a play.3
Practice the thing that scares you.
For me this is free-motion quilting. I
practiced on some scraps for a bit and
then actually used some on my mini
quilt, which felt great.My fi rst go at this was my rainbow
Dresden mini quilt and I love how it turned
out. I might now do a series of rainbow
minis using techniques I usually avoid.
Good luck keeping yourselves busy and
remember the Quilt Now Facebook group
is there if you need some quilting talk.Re-treat yourself
S IC N WI H O
Pinning and stitching tiny pieces of fabric
can be really fi ddly so we were thrilled
to discover this new basting glue from
Sew Easy. It works a treat on quilting,
appliqués and other craft projects and
gives a temporary bond, which remains
repositionable for up to three minutes!
The adhesive is also non-toxic, dries
clear and washes out so you don’t have
to worry about any residue on your
projects. The Sew Easy Basting Glue
is priced at RRP £5.30 and available
nationwide from craft, hobby and sewing
suppliers. For stockist information email
[email protected]quilty love, teaching with new luxury
Re-treat yourself
fi nish and super-strong magnets
of new friends. With more accomplished teachers
WI
on page
82!© Photos: Jake Whiteley