Machine Quilter Retreat

Jackie holding Sally and Peter's giant log cabin quilt top

 The Petwood Hotel is beautifully situated and full of old world charm. The food is fabulous too. But what makes our Retreats so special is the people. We think that great things happen when a few people gather together around a machine quilting frame. 

Ann, Emma, Brenda, Carol, Maggie and Martha around the NEQ 6 foot frame

 Small is beautiful!  So we limit the numbers to 7 or 8 participants and we have at least 2 teachers.

Sally, Jackie, Maggie, Carol and Brenda with Jackie's quilt

It makes for a friendly atmosphere so it's easy to get to know each other and share ideas.

Peter and Martha chuckling over the 8 foot NEQ frame

There's lots of time one to one interaction as we doodle designs. We go from pen and paper to thread and fabric, gaining confidence on familiar designs and learning lots of new ones.

Sally, Maggie, Carol, Brenda and Martha with Sally's quilt

One of my favourite sessions is when we audition various threads on the unfinished quilt tops that people bring. I make sure that there's a good selection of Machine Quilting threads for people to choose. It's so inspiring to see all the gorgeous quilts as we explore machine quilting options.

Ann and Emma looking at the ripple stipple design on Jackie's quilt

This such a good mix of people.We had so much fun! We're already planning a reunion!

New Fantastico Threads!

Disco #5032 a NEW thread from the Fantastico range of Superior Threads

 Last night I discovered lots of new Fantastico threads listed on the State-side Superior Threads website. Fantastico has been my favourite machine quilting thread ever since it came out last year. Fantastico is designed to cope with the high speeds of long arm quilting machines. It's a premium high tenacity trilobal polyseter so it won't fray or break at high speeds. It's a gorgeous variegated thread too that creates a bold and beautiful line of stitching!

But the range of threads was so new that they only offered 20 different threads. Now there's lots more! And fresh new colour combinations!! It was so fun to choose my favourite cones to bring along to our Machine Quilting Retreat next weekend!

Opalescence  #5024 New from the Fantastico range of Superior Threads

These new threads in the Fantastico range are not yet posted on our UK website. But you can follow the link and use the American Superior Threads site as a shop window.  Then email or phone me with your list and we'll order it in for you.We offer Fantastico 2,000 yd cones at the amazing price of £11.99. Strong, Gorgeous and Affordable.

Superior Threads

.

I'm putting the January order 

through to Superior Threads 

in the next few days. 

So let me know if you need any machine quilting threads 

for your New Year's projects.

email: martha@machinequilter.co.uk

ring 01526 378057

January Machine Quilting Retreat

We've hit the ground running in 2014. 

Everyone at Machine Quilter 

would like to wish you 

a very Happy New Year!

We've got a Machine Quilting Retreat just around the corner. The January Retreat is fully booked now and our March Retreat is filling up too. We have a great bunch of quilters signed up. I'm thrilled that Jackie Dickinson is coming to be our guest quilter. 

Jackie was one of the first people to purchase a Super Quilter frame from me back in 2003. Ten years later she upgraded to a New English Quilter/Juki TL98P combination and hasn't looked back. Over the past year Jackie has started her own machine quilting business, grown leaps and bounds and nearly recouped the cost of the frame too. Win win really. Jackie is the perfect person to help our Retreat participants move up to the next level.

Home for Christmas

Emily, Ben, Kate, Ellie, Peter and Rosie all the kids home for Christmas

What fun to have all the kids home for Christmas!

Our Christmas tree 2013

I love Christmas trees and log fires...

trying out a special present that makes  multi-coloured flames

...and family and friends around the table.

a great twin shot of Emily and Ben flanked by Ellie and Rosie

Grateful for Christmas!

Tiger

proper candy canes for £1.00

I found Tiger first on pinterest a few weeks ago. When I clicked through to the Tiger Stores website  I realized that Tiger was a bricks and mortar shop and although you could see some of the products online you had to go to the store to actually buy them. That made me sad until I realized that there was a brand new store in Cambridge and I was going there with Rosie!

wrapping pager 4 meters for £1.00

 This wrapping paper reminded me of Christmas fabric in my stash!

retro heart tree ornaments 8 for £2.00

 I loved these retro heart ornaments. I got some to keep and some to give as gifts.

Christmas napkins 20 for £1.00

 Look at the quilt block pattern on these napkins. What fun. Visiting the real shop was even more impressive than the website. Everything was done well, from the store layout to the tasteful music playing in the background. The shop was full of clever and cute items at amazing low prices. Really it was like Primark met Paperchase! I was able to pick up lots of stocking stuffers and small gifts. Rosie and I went through once and it was so inexpensive that we had to go through again. There were so many great gifts for quilters and kids too. For all these reasons, Tiger is my new favourite non-fabric shop!

Here's the shop details in Cambridge

Cambridge with Rosie

Rosie on the bridge near Clare College in Cambridge

 We went to Cambridge on Tuesday. Rosie had an interview.

punters on the river Cam

 Cambridge is such a beautiful city and it was full of kids being escorted by one of their parents. Everyone either nervous or relieved depending on whether it was before or after the interview.

on the way to Clare College

Rosie had a late morning interview so we had a lovely lunch afterwards and a fun wander about the city.