Wednesday Classes

Haven't added anything for Wednesday classes, as I haven't taken many photo´s, but here are a few that I took. In no particular order.

We have had a couple of new ladies, who have been making the Rail Fence tablerunner. I never get tired of seeing what comes out based on the fabrics choosen, no two are alike. As far as I know, anyway.

Classes

Last week at Patchmania, I had a group of lovely ladies who came and made the following purse, using a pinwheel method.

And also on our regular Monday group Ana made it as well.

And here is Cristina's cathedral window alternative, that she hopes she keeps for herself!!

Will try, but no guarantee's to take more photos in class.

I am still here!

There aren't any pictures to show, as I have forgotten to take my camera to class!! Still in the holiday mood.
But I can assure you that I am busy down in my "cave" coming up with ideas for forthcoming workshops bearing in mind, dare I say it, Christmas is coming up. So there will be some gift /Xmas decoration ideas to inpsire you. Sorry but no pictures of these yet, you will have to come and see them in class!!!

You may wonder where I have been!?

I haven't blogged for some weeks (well over a month then), reason being I took a rather long holiday to ........ Tanzania!! Sara and I this year have spent our holiday's with my husband who is currently working in Dar es Salaam. This was the view from the veranda every day. The boats are called Dhow.

I did get around to doing some reading and managed to read all the Steig Larsson millenium collection. Hardly any quilting has been done other than I did do one of the blocks of stitchery from "Busy Little Christmas Elves" by Gail Pan. And also started a cross stitch on a christmas theme!

This years holiday's was all about relaxing and doing nothing other than spending some quality time with my DH and DD.
Sara and I would relax by the pool during the week and at weekends when my DH wasn't working we went to Zanzibar, a few island to relax on some lovely sandy beaches and also we couldn't go to Tanzania without going on a safari, which I will not forget so easily. This trip was definately a trip of a life time.

This is a very small selection of photos that were taken!! So now it is back to the reality of housework, cooking and thinking about future quilt projects and classes. Which is going to take a while to get back into the swing of things, i.e a normal life, whatever that is!!!

Wednesday's Class

We only had a few people for class, the warmer weather had arrived and the holiday season is starting, for some. I didn't take the camera this week so hence no photos. Madalena was making a matching make-up purse and a wallet. Adelaide was continuing with the project we started two weeks ago and Manuela couldn't quite remember how to make the flexi purse, so she made another again. In the afternoon Madalena and Adelaide decided to stay on and continue with their work and we were joined by Ana who was making a bag. Everyone wants to make bags at the momen!
Anyway next week is the last of the current lessons, as I will be taking a long vacation. So classes will only restart again in September. So you may find that not much blogging will be done, not that I have recently be doing much of that. I am planning to spend my time in the holiday's catching up with me own personal projects, mainly hand sewing! I hope to share some photo's with you.
So Wednesday 29th June is the last lesson at Arco Iris A Metro and there will only be a morning class.
DON'T FORGET THAT THIS SATURDAY, 25TH JUNE, STARTS THE ANNUAL FEIRA INTERNACIONAL DO ARTESANATO, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Classes

I am still in the land of living, but nothing posted for the past couple of weeks, well since I attened Jenny Bowker workshop! The ladies have been learning about Tumbling Blocks either English Paper Piecing or strip piecing.

Also we have had the first part of the bag workshop making the wavy block which will then be added to a bag this week, I hope!! I didn't have any pictures for the first part, so hopefully this week we will have some to show.

And we are continuing with the Row by Row, no picture of these at the moment, though.

I have been doing some of my own little projects, like a document holder, a cover for my latest notebook and another pouch all involving linen and red fabrics. Going through a phase of doing redwork stitchiers! I have a pattern by Gail Pan that I bought two christmas's ago, which I am starting to work on. I am hoping to spend this summer doing some of my own personal projects which are mainly hand sewing!

JENNY BOWKER WORKSHOP

I attended a workshop by Jenny Bowker on "Image in Applique" on Friday and Saturday. It was really a worthwhile class and Jenny made it look so easy. I had already attended her workshop on Free Motion Quilt here in Portugal a couple of years ago.
On this particular workshop we had to take along a photo of our own taking and from that we had to reproduce it into a quilt. I choose a flower, but can't say much more as I hope to surprise someone with it. We learnt how to choose colours, which at times, when you looked at your photo and thought it was one colour, in actual fact it was something completely different. Also learnt that with stitching, you can bring depth to your applique. I could go on and on.......
Jenny is one of those teachers that is ready to help and answer questions on any aspect of patchwork, not just on the workshop in hand. I even learnt something on binding, that I didn' realise.
She brought along just a couple of quilts, because she didn't want to exceed her luggage allowance, which unfortunately these days you are allowed less and less, unless you want to pay the excess which is exorbitant. But she had brought her husband along as well to help with the luggage allowance.

She managed to bring her quilt called "Sandstorm over the White Desert", which I had seem in the "Australian Patchwork & Quilting" Magazine and all I could say was wow. Here is the extract from the magazine and a close up of what I took at the class.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed the workshop. Thanks Jenny.

Patch-mania

I have been giving workshops at Patch-mania for a while now and thought I would share with you just a few of the things the ladies have been doing.

So, if you are interested in attending any of the workshops, please contact Ines at Patch-mania, for more information. This coming Friday the workshop is on this Quilt as You Go Purse.

Few photos

I have still been teaching classes and here are some photos of what has been happening.  Firstly we had the Bargello workshop.

Maria Carmo choose pinks and brown, it is starting to look really lovely. I was saying yesterday to someone, that a few years ago you would never think of putting pinks and browns together, well I wouldn't have!

And Mariya choose blues, as it will go in her new house that is currently being built. She isn't sure whether it will be a tablerunner or whether she will hang it on the wall.

Aldora choose browns

which is going to be hung on a wall and is already on to her second Bargello!

Hermina choose these greens and blues, but decided to change it a bit.

And these are the colours Gertrudos (sorry about the spelling) choose, but didn't get any more pictures, hopefully we will get to see the finished project.

And finally this is Maria Carmo, we have two ladies of the same name in class.

I am still here!

It has been a few weeks since I last blogged. Been rather busy making a small quilt with a lot of applique and hence the spare time I have had has been spent on this order. And finally last week I handed it in. Here a couple of photos.

There was Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, mushrooms, basically a lot of work was involved to complete this order, so I hence no blogging.

BARGELLO WORKSHOP

Just to let you all know that next Wednesday 27th April, there will be a full day workshop at Arco Iris Ao Metro, on making a Bargello Tablerunner. Here is mine.

For those interested in attending, it is a full day workshop, 10.00 to 18.00, with a break for lunch. It is for people with a skill level of intermediate . For more information and reserving your place, please contact Paula/Manuela at Arco Iris Ao Metro. Until next time.

WEDNESDAY CLASS

As the ladies had been asking about Free Motion Quilting, I decided that we would have a lesson on just the very basics of this art of quilting. I had attended a lesson of Jenny Bowker's a few years ago and she is back this year again in Portugal. Anybody interested in learning Free Motion Quilting, by a professional, should make contact with your local quilt shop in Portugal for more details. One place is, Patchmania.
Here are a few of the samples from the class

Mariya also brought in two of her purses that she has made as gifts.And Manuela brought in her Drunkard Path to show how far she had managed to get. Now is the quilting.

Tomorrow we have the Row by Row class.