Redoubt North School Programme

This year I have been back at Redoubt North School to teach the Year 7 and 8 Students

to make their own single bed quilts.

This is my third year of doing this programme.

These students are 11 or 12 years old and they make the same quilt as 

our shop Easy Retro Beginners Adult Quilt Class.

I couldn't do this programme without the support of the 24 customers who

purchase the quilt top fabrics for their sponsored student. Or my wonderful suppliers

who help with batting, backing fabrics and threads.


Step one - making the blocks



Twelve boys and twelve girls are participating.



Step two - arranging the blocks to make the quilt top.

Step Three - sewing the top together.



Step four  and five - quilting and binding and they do it all on their own quilts.



Twenty four finished quilts . . . . . . 



. . . . .  ready to go home to be loved and keep them warm and cozy for the rest of winter.

These students have worked so hard and learnt so much over the six week programme.
It has been an honour to work with them and watch them gather new skills.
Thanks you to everyone who participated to make this special event happen for these
wonderful young people.

Katrina's Retreat Day Three

Day Three is the last day and nobody wants to go home.

So it is heads down and into lots of stitching in this lovely light classroom.

The final group photo before we say our sad goodbyes until next time!

Katrina has been an amazing tutor - we have learnt so much and 

have loved every minute of our Three Day Retreat.

Car loaded up to go home.

Our final event was "An Evening with Katrina" where she showed 

her collection of quilts to people who were unable to be at 

the Retreat, Despite a wet evening everyone manged to come

along and enjoy Katrina's quilts and the stories behind them.

Thank you Katrina for a great few days on Auckland.

Katrina Day Two

Our Katrina Hadjimichael Retreat was such a huge success.

These are some rather delayed photos from Day Two.

Today we were up to some serious "fussy cutting".

It is so effective in our quilts but you end up with fabric looking like

Swiss cheese. But of course Cindy can do more "fussy cutting" 

using the spaces and a different motif. 

So the fabric doesn't actually get wasted.

These are my "fussy cut" scallops around my Pemberton centrepiece.

And Karen's.

And Cindy's Lambton Centrepiece.

And Ann's

That evening we had a group Show and Tell and wow did we see some 

stunning quilts. These two quilts were from the two classes that Katrina

took at our Last National Symposium in Palmerston North.

Sally's and Linda's below.

Back soon with Day Three.

Katrina Hajimichael Retreat

We are just finishing our first full day with Katrina.

Last night we had her Show and Tell and were totally inspired all over 

again by her work.

Then we had time to sit and stitch on a project we brought with us or do 

some planning for the next day's class.

Then up bright and early this morning for breakfast and some serious stitching.

The day has been magnificent stitching with a lovely group of woman .......

and a view to die for.

Katrina demonstrating.

Some of our day one work - mine and Carolyn's.

     

Now it is time of a glass of wine and then some more sewing - maybe we will 

make it to midnight tonight.

Back tomorrow with progress and some photos of the other project some ladies are doing.

1800s Mini Quilt Display

This is a little display in my hall at home.

It has been in the planning stages since 2010.

The display was inspired by the cover of Kathleen Tracey's book.

I made several of the schoolgirl quilts from this book starting with the one on the cover.

The first little quilt was started in 2010 and the last was made a year or so ago.

Now they are all form being on display at the shop so I can

set up my dreamed of display.

There are eight quilts in the pile mostly based on quilts by American 

Schoolgirls in the 1800s.

This is an apprentice mini chest of drawers. Young cabinetmakers often made 

these chests to demonstrate the skills they had mastered.

I am not sure how old this one but I fell in love with it about 20 years ago 

and it just had to come home from the antique shop with me.

The machine has a similar history but I have probably owned it for longer.

It does a chain stitch.

The shoes are the newest addition to the collection. I found them in an Antique 

Mall just outside Houston just a couple of years ago.

Maybe this could all feature in our next window display so you can see it real life.

Back soon from our Katrina Hadjimichael Retreat that starts tomorrow.

Mrs Holder Moves On

My Mrs Holder Quilt is making good progress - it is so nice to sit and stitch on 

at night as it relaxing and a bit of a no-brainer.

This is the next brown row - row number 17.

This brown row uses a variety of fabrics in this repeat pattern with the centre 

stretched hexie changing every second time.

Now another blue and cream row is started.

The top cream and blue row alternated blue and cream with a variety of fabrics.

The lower cream and blue row uses almost the same fabrics but has a 

different pattern - three creams followed by two blues and this repeats 

all around but with a varied collection of fabrics.

But in one spot I had to have three blues so I could make the top 

and bottom points could be symmetrical.

The lower row has this stripey fabric added in.

Back soon, Robyn