Between Friends

Mair and Carol sharing an 8 foot NEQ2 frame

Mair and Carol are best friends with lots in common. They met years ago at the local surgery when their children were babes. Now, their love for quilting keeps them close even though the kids are grown. 

Mair and Carol were at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham this summer when they saw our New English Quilting frames. They got the brilliant idea to share a frame. Sharing made the frame affordable and they thought it would be fun to learn how to use it together. So they rang me up after the show and ordered an 8 foot frame and Nifty Grips to replace the foot pedal on their sewing machine. They decided to get a table too. Carol and Mair opted to come and collect their New English Quilter frame and get a free workshop. 

Choosing threads from various Superior Threads ranges

It's a bit of a drive coming up from Gloucestershire, so Carol and Mair spent the night in the lovely Stables Studio B&B across the street.That meant that we could have a relaxing time setting up the frame, learning how to load a quilt and playing around with lots of new line designs. We had time to go through my stack of quilts and get lots of ideas for beginning projects. Shopping for threads was fun too. I really enjoyed getting to know Carol and Mair. Sharing their New English Quilter means they'll have half the trouble and twice the fun! 

a parting shot before heading home

Collection and Free Workshop

Ann with a machine embroidery sample

Ann came for a free demo 4 weeks ago.  Today she and her husband Dave came back to collect her new 6 foot New English Quilter frame and get a free workshop. I asked Ann to bring some of her projects.

Ann with her quilt and her husband Dave

Ann's been a seamstress since she was very young and she makes just about anything from wedding gowns to waistcoats, cushions to quilts. Ann noticed our New English Quilting frame just as she was leaving the Festival of Quilts this summer. So she rang to arrange a personal demonstration. Ann was excited about the kind of projects she would be able to complete with a machine quilting frame

A detail of Ann's machine embroidery

She already had a suitable sewing machine so all she really needed was the frame and a set of Nifty Grips to fit. Ann's husband is handy so he was able to adapt a table to be just the right height for Ann to quilt in comfort.

1950s pre-printed fabric perfect for a FMQ practice piece on the quilting frame

 Being a seamstress gives Ann quite a head-start as a beginning quilter. Ann's already sewing machine savvy, with years of experience and expertise that will get her get quickly up and running with her new frame.

Ann and her husband Dave - what a handsome couple 

I really enjoy it when people come to collect their frames. We had fun talking about kids and movies, places in our past and projects for the future. I can't wait to see the kind of projects that Ann will accomplish with her new machine quilting frame.

They still have the same smile!

 This final shot is to show just how easily everything fits in the car. Ann can't wait to get started!

6 foot New English Quilter frame and Nifty Grips easily fits in the boot.

Happy Birthday Terri!

Terri with the New English Quilter frame

Terri's been waiting a long time to get her hands on a New English Quilter! She found us while she was searching for quilting frames on the internet. Terri's a relatively new quilter who loves fresh modern quilts and is currently taking her City and Guilds for Patchwork and Quilting. Terri's also a founding member of the Brighton and Hove Modern Quilt Guild.

Terri and Jackie having a fun day out

Terri's been wanting a frame for a couple of years. Several months ago Terri told me that this was going to be her year - the 'Year of the Frame'. She ordered a copy of our La Mer DVD back in October of last year. She loved it! The DVD gave Terri the opportunity to see the frame in action. She knew that our New English Quilter would enable her to accomplish all that she was dreaming about. Yesterday was Terri's birthday so she arranged to come for a free demo with her best friend Jackie.

Terri choosing threads to go with her fresh modern quilt

We had a lovely afternoon visit with tea and flapjacks.There was plenty of time for Terri and Jackie to ask all the questions they could think of. We took the frame apart and put it back together. We showed how to load the various layers of the quilt sandwich on the frame. Terri and Jackie stitched lots of different patterns and line designs on our practice piece with lots of different threads.Terri was delighted! She decided to order an 8 foot frame, table and a set of speed control handles called Nifty Grips to fit her sewing machine.

Magnifico for the top and Bottom Line for the bobbin thread

We put together a special 'Birthday' Goodie Bag for Terri with 100/16 Titanium coated Topstitch needles, several cones of threads designed for machine quilting from the various Superior Threads ranges, Real Thread Colour Cards to make it easy to order threads that perfectly match Terri's projects and a New English Quilter Handbook Disc. The NEQ Handbook disc is a computer friendly Green version of our original handbook, full of photos and clear directions and tips to get your machine quilting on a frame off to a successful start. The Goodie Bag comes free with the NEQ Frame. We want our customers to get off to a good start with the right information and materials. We like to make the Goodie Bags personal too so Terri choose some cones from various thread ranges in her favourite colours.

When it came time to put down the deposit, Terri whipped out this gorgeous little red bag that she's been using to keep her money that she's been saving up. She paid cash! Terri and Jackie will come to collect her NEQ frame,Table and Nifty Grips when it's ready next month  so they can take advantage of the free workshop that we offer to people who come to collect their frames. We'll have another lovely session and Terri will go home confident and inspired and ready to roll! Happy Birthday Terri!! It's going to be a great year!