MIMRAM QUILTERS

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Something educational from Wendy!
This is a 30 minute video about the sewing machine to make you laugh. The comentator says “In the earliest days of teadle machines they were first generally thought to be unladylike and harmful to ankles.”
You can watch the video here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lwI4TSKM3Y

Need a break from stitching?
Here is a link to the jigidi website for Viv’s favourite jig saw puzzle setter, totovader. She normally does mosaic puzzles of fabrics, occasionally rug patterns, so they always have something nice to look at. The designs normally have 100 or 225 pieces.
Handy Hint: there is a minus and plus sign at the top right, and you need to minimise the pieces a bit to make the puzzle fit your screen. The three dots are where the image is, so you can refer to it if you want. Don't take too much notice of the times posted - it always takes me at least twice as long, but then I am enjoying the designs and not hurrying. Viv.

QUIZ UPDATE

We’ve had a few requests for the answers to the emoji quiz we did in our December meeting. You can Click here to try this quiz. When you’ve had enough of trying to work them all out you can check the answers here.

Fabric shopping: Stitch and Knit is in Brookman’s Park. If you haven’t been there yet, it is thoroughly recommended. Great choice of fabric and other essentials. Julia is so helpful. (There is more information about the shop on the Links section of our News page.)

Book Reviews:

1. You can’t go wrong with any of the Lynne Edwards books. Her instructions are clear, easy to follow and include lots of good diagrams. She has written the definitive book on Sampler Quilts and a lovely one on hand appliqué. My pansy quilt I made from it is included in it - I was very honoured to be asked.

Another book which I have found really handy is Barbara Chainey’s book on hand quilting designs. She takes lots of patterns, say the Ohio Star, and gives you interesting ways that the final quilt could be quilted. I’ve gone back to this book many times.
Details:The sampler quilt book and The new sampler quilt book. Lynne Edwards D&C 1996 & 2000 Blanket stitch quilts Lynne Edwards D&C 2012
Quilt it Barbara Chainey, That Patchwork Place 1999
Michele

2. Where to start? One of my favourite books, depending on my mood, is Modern Triangle Quilts by Rebecca Bryan. ISBN-13: 978-1-61745-313-7
Pub: stashbooks 2017

I love the use of colour in this book and the fact that there are no hard and fast rules to making these modern sampler quilts. The finished design is up to you but based on equilateral triangles, right angles triangles or isosceles triangles. There are lots of tips on suitable colour palettes.

To date, I have made one quilt from this book but in my imagination, I have made many more!

Christmas projects: Just in case you haven’t had enough inspiration/ideas from Penny’s newsletters, the website www.allpeoplequilt.com currently has loads of free patterns for Christmas quilts and ornaments.

Raffle quilt: Just thought you would like to see the completed raffle quilt for our Exhibition. Each block has been hand quilted by various members and the quilt itself was designed and put together by Michele. Thank you to everyone who contributed and thank you Michele for all your work and patience. (More information on the tree block raffle quilt coming soon!)

Thread Storage: This is my storage for sewing threads. It's a 9L really useful box four trays inside allowing you to store a huge number of threads. I bought this on Amazon years ago as a set (using my birthday money I was so excited by it!) but I can't see it now. However if you go to the Really Useful Box Company website you can buy the box and the trays separately.

I use the "really useful clear box storage" for my threads. The 4Litre is the perfect height for most threads and I put them in colour groups and stack them. Also good size for A4 paper. £5.50 from Hobbycraft... probably cheaper elsewhere! Wendy

I have two YLI wooden peg stands where I put all my machine sewing threads in colour order, and I then have 9(!) Sainsbury’s lunch boxes for all my hand quilting threads. Far too many but I never have just the right colour, a bit like those pesky fabrics! Michele.

Mardi Gras: Here are some of the entries for our June 2020 Challenge. This was for a project for October 2021 when it was Mimram’s birthday. Mimram was started by a group of our members who are still known as Mardis Gras Girls.

Penny challenged us and here are our postcards.

A suggestion from Sarah
The pattern for this pincushion is available from https://www.tildasworld.com/free-patterns/. A fun make!There are some Easter bunnies too.

From Lily
I just wanted to let you know of an exciting website, www.gathered.how
It's owned by immediate media, who publish today's quilter, and other sewing and crafting magazines as well as the 'Sewing Quarter' channel (now defunct). They have lots of projects, free sewing patterns, free epp templates, free quilt patterns, crochet, soft toys by Jo Crater, etc. The thing though is, that they keep changing the contents, perhaps  every day, so you have to keep looking.

Free patterns
An Amy Smart fabric basket and a Kantha Japanese knot bag.

A bit of Humour and Inspiration to Crochet
Lots of stuff popping up on Etsy. This is a crocheted rattle by Tahani Baakdhah of Purple Lilac

FREE PATTERNS
This web page has a huge number of free quilt pattern links - https://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/p/free-pattern-archive.html

MICHELE
Michele has been working on stuff for the sales table and peg bag raffle for our exhibition.The cushion was bought as 4 blocks made by Sally R and bought in her sale, before the great lock down. Michele added a border and made it into an item which really looks nice in her lounge. The squares are 1/4 of a quilt for her Granddaughter, Trip Round the World, a new perspective.