Author: Cat Nichol

At November's meeting we had an update on our presence at the Mencap sewing event in the Kennet Centre and welcomed two new members who had heard about us there. Publicity for the event was better this year but there were still some issues to resolve. The next event is due to take place in February but we have decided not to have a presence at this one. We managed to raise over £50 for Mencap.

Rita demonstrated how to make a Christmas Angel - photo below.

This month there were some beautiful items in Show and Tell.

Our AGM was held in October so we did not have a Show and Tell. 27 members attended. All the present members of the committee are continuing in post and Jane S is joining the committee, a very welcome addition.

In January, a new list of members and committee list will be issued, along with the programme for 2024. If you are interested in joining us, come to a meeting, or, for further details please email us on [email protected].

The remainder of the meeting was taken up by a talk entitled "The Sewing Room" given by Heather, a suitable spooky tale for Halloween.

A well attended meeting with lots to show and tell after last month's social.

Jenny Rayment Workshop - places are still available at the workshop with Jenny on Saturday 14th October from 10am at Woolhampton Village Hall. We will be guided to make a "Scrappy Zappy Do" quilt top. The cost is £30. If you would like to go, please contact us via the email address marketsquarequilters.co.uk or contact Sue Cuff or Teresa Clark directly.

The Christmas Challenge was launched at the meeting. This year's challenge is to make covers for the ideas spiral bound hard backed notebooks which were given out at the meeting. Here are some ideas of what to do with the cover:

Some of those who had attended the make your own jacket workshop also showed their final efforts. Very stylish and well fitted.

Here is some of the work shown in Show and Tell

Here you can find details about some of the Textile Treasures in the Quilters' Guild suitcase which were shown at the meeting: Textile Treasures. You can see our photographs of a few of them below.

At our recent meeting, some lovely work was shown. There are more details about some of the items in our quarterly newsletter which can be found using the link above. There are also some useful links as well as information about future events.

Our recent meeting was a little different from usual. After the business and the raffles, we were treated to a very interesting talk by Janet Clare, acclaimed quilter , designer and teacher, ably assisted by her husband Tony, her business partner.

The title of the talk - "She believed she could so she did" - illustrates Janet's approach which is summed up by "you can do anything if you put your mind to it". Wearing her signature Artisan Apron (a bestseller), Janet took us through the journey of her quilting business, from finding time to work whilst running a busy household through to writing books and designing fabric for Moda. Every aspect of the talk was illustrated by a beautiful quilt, photos of some of which can be seen below.

The accompanying stall gave us an opportunity to browse Janet's patterns, books and fabrics designed for Moda. The colour palette was in the blues/creams/grays spectrum, the colours with which she designs for Moda, other designers having their own colour ranges. Many of us took the chance to treat ourselves!

Thank you to Janet for a very enjoyable evening! We can now look forward to a workshop tutored by her next March.

Some MSQ business: The newsletter will now be produced 4 times a year instead of the current 12. We now have photos of quilts from Show and Tell on the website so this will avoid repetition and lessen the burden on Caroline, who does such a splendid job producing our newsletter.

The NEC trip on August 4th is going ahead because we have paired up with Basingstoke Creative Stitchers to make it viable. Pick up with be in Chieveley.

At our recent meeting we had a discussion about our next exhibition. This is likely to be in 2027, although no final decision has been made. We agreed that we will revisit the idea next year - more details in our newsletter, link above.

The workshop on June 3rd mainly devoted to padded jackets was a great day enjoyed by all. We look forward to seeing the finished articles in due course.

Our next meeting on June 28th will be a talk "She Believed She Could so She Did" by popular quilter Janet Clare - no Show and Tell this month. Non-members are welcome for a payment of £10. There will be a sales table too.

August 4th Festival of Quilts - places still available. Please sign up as soon as possible to ensure the trip is financially viable. Open to non-members.

Geraldine gave a very interesting talk and demonstration of Log Cabin quilts.

Here is some of the work shown at the May Meeting.

At our April meeting we listened to a very interesting talk by Lillian King, the Berkshire co-ordinator from Project Linus. More information about Linus Quilts with photos of some of the quilts Lillian brought along can be found in our newsletter. Access this by clicking on the link in the Newsletters tab above. Project Linus has a website where you can access even more details about the charitable organisation.

If you want to donate a quilt, please contact Lillian or let us know via our email address, marketsquarequilters.co.uk

It was announced that August's meeting on the 23rd in addition to being our summer social would also be an opportunity to Bring and Buy.

The Coronation Quilt project led by Caroline is taking shape. Some lovely redwork crown blocks were handed in at the meeting. Members were also able to take kits, prepared by Caroline, in order to make the complementary blocks. More details in the newsletter.

Here are some of the quilts shown at the meeting:

At the March meeting, members showed the work they had done at the recent Seminole Patchwork Workshop at Chieveley Village Hall. We look forward to seeing some finished pieces in due course.

You can read about the workshop and see some photographs of work in progress in our latest newsletter. Follow the link above to the Newsletter.

At the meeting, members began the Coronation Quilt, a joint project led by Caroline, to commemorate the King's Coronation in May.

Here is some of the work shown at the meeting.

Back in St Francis' Hall, 32 members enjoyed an evening of inspirational work, tea and a talk by Jan Honey, of which more below. You can also find our latest newsletter using the link in the Newsletters tab above.

In the newsletter you can read about our meetings, workshops and outings to the Malverns' Quily show in May and the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August. There is also a full report of Jan Honey's talk on Shashiko, Kantha and Boro.

Here is some of the inspirational work shown at the meeting.

Jan gave a very interesting and well prepared talk on Shasiko, Kantha and Boro. You can read about her talk in the newsletter, but below you will find some photos of some of the samples she showed us. It is hard to believe that she only began to explore these techniques in October last year. She is becoming a real expert!