Anne has got engaged to Richard! You may remember Anne who started working for us here at The Cloth Shop way back when she was in Form 3 (or Year 9 as it is now known). Two years ago she left us to start her university study at Massey in Wellington.
Today Kathy came into the shop to buy some thread so she can finish the quilt she is making for her little friend called Lily - Lily comes from Germany and will be staying with Kathy over New Year. She made the quilt using The Cloth Shop "Quilt in a Day" pattern and Kiwiana fabrics from Nutex. Christine, who is our Nutex rep was in the shop at the same time as Kathy and was thrilled to see what Kathy had done with "her" fabric. "But it is not even finished" - were Kathuy's words when w took the photo but in a few days it will be - and it will be ready and waiting for Lily when she arrives! 
"Help!" This is what Jenny said when she came to The Cloth Shop this morning - she is making "Pacific Petals" for her daughter and ran into trouble with the machine quilting. Jenny has done a marvellous job with this quilt, it is large - about 80" x 80" and the only thing she had made before she started it three months ago was a Quilt in the Day quilt - it has lots of applique and piecing. Her machine does not do a blanket stitch so when she came to "Wednesdays are for Quilting" she used one of our lovely Husqvarna's (which do fabulous blanket stitch) She has now moved on to quilting her masterpiece, and today we showed her how to do free motion quilting around her flowers - so much easier than doing it with her walking foot! When she went home this afternoon she had quilted around all the flowers in the centre and the first border - she was thrilled! 
This is Margaret - she called in today to show us the bag she made after seeing our demo at SaturdayStrippers. Doesn't it look great! (Pssssst Someone is going to be very happy when they receive this bag on Christmas Day!) Margaret was a real star when she came to Saturday Strippers - she brought along some retro oven cloths that she has made using her mother's pattern- they were such a hit that she went home and drew us out a diagram so that we could share - and her quilt and patterns are featured in the New Zealand quilter that came out this week - it is called Will's Quilt - take a look.
This is the bag we made at Saturday Strippers - It is called "The Miss Benson" - Amiee sew part of it during out demo and finished it later in the day. We made the gorgeous tassle from Madiera Rayon thread and it is luscious!
And this is the bag we made before the demo - this is the one that we say - "I made this earlier" This one also has a luscious tassel and each of the strips has been stitched with a decorative stitch on the machine using a variagated thread.
This is another bag we have made - Liz sewed this using a pattern called. It's a big roomy bag
A Close up of the flowers and the buttons!
Isn't this a fabulous Wedding Present. Gillian called in to show us the quilt she made for her friends who got married yesterday - in the Rose Garden - so of course the quilt features - roses!! It is hard to see in the photo - she has done koru quilting in the border. koru - the symbol for strength and new beginnings - a great way to start a marriage.
At The Cloth Shop we have been making flowers using the new pattern from BunnyTales called Jelly Roses. We have adapted the pattern to our taste by extending the wire we use for the stem, curling it so it looks soft and springy and adding a vintage button on top. Sometimes we decorate the button with a crystal which we attach with the bejeweler. This is Debbie with her rose.
Lois and Ruby with their gorgeous roses!
At Saturday Strippers we did a demo on how to make the roses and then we did a lucky draw. Everyone's name went in to a basket -Rae was the lucky winner - here she is with her bunch!
It has been a sewing frenzy at "Wednesdays are for Quilting" the last couple of weeks as gifts are being made for Christmas - Dot is making an apron and we just love the co - ordinating glasses and fabric! Yesterday she was making Oven mits and she was wearing blue glasses to match the fabric she was using - we are wondering what she will be wearing next week!
Molly the Matriach! and our role model!! Molly has just turned 80 and has just bought ther fabric to make another "This is a Great Bag"
Sonja went to Sheryl Anicich's class and made this quilt. She has used lots of sparly threads and fabric to make the flowers which are appliqued to the quilt after the background has been quilted. 
" At last - I've got something finished!!" Helen's words when we hung this on the wall after Jacqui's Landscape class . The class was in November and Jacqui held a finishing day recently at The Cloth Shop.
A close up of Helen's rocks and sea foam - the rocks are made using xpanda paint and sand and the foam is made with stitching metallic thread on washaway fabric. The background was a piece of calico which has been painted with several sheades of blue paint and dashes a expanda paint. 
Rachel and Jill and Maggie - she is wondering what on earth they are going to do to her next
This is the first doll that Nicki has made and she looked amazing - she dressed in her dark purple and black and she had black spiky hair - Agnes dressed hers in soft pretty pink with blonde curly hair 
Today some of the girls who made dolls are having a lunch where there will be a show and tell of their dolls - Robyn comes to "Wednesdays are for Quilting" and she is going to amaze them all when she shows them the bag she finished last night!! Good Job, Robyn - the hot pink grommets look great after you plucked up courage to cut big holes into your lovely bag!
We have had three classes with Jill Maas at The Cloth Shop over the last week - this time she was teaching Maggie. Jill's classes are a lot of fun and the really good thing is that everyone goes home with a doll! finished! Jill is a generous tutor -she adds a tweak and a stitch there and potential problems are very quickly sorted -and this time she gave everyone who attended the classes a free pattern for this smart little mouse. This is her little Maggie who thinks he is rather gorgeous............
and Anne's Maggie looks a little worried to see a mouse so close......
This is Shirley's Maggie in her little black body suit - Jill said we were welcome to enlarge the pattern and make a body suit for ourselves, but no one took up the offer(so far!)
This week we had a special visit from a very popular quilt artist, McKenna Ryan! And wasn't she fabulous!! Three quilt shops in New Zealand got together to bring her out from Australia, where she was doing a series of talks, and we were lucky to have her in store for a brilliant talk on Tuesday night, and then on Wednesday for a class. We had as many students as space allowed, and it was a very busy and fun packed couple of days!
Pam
Lynne
At the end of the day we all had lots of fun, learned lots, saw new patterns and remembered favourite old ones.
Thanks Liz for keeping the jug boiling, and the mugs clean!
Meet Heather. She was having so much fun at The Cloth Shop that when she went to pour her coffee, she poured it into the milk jug instead of her mug!!
