Rolled out......

It seems that my "test readers" were able to read the first blog so here goes for this week´s update from the Group.
Take a look at these quilt tops from the Mystery Quilt Project.  Some ready for the appliqué with others needing  further borders adding.  They look so different in all their interesting colour combinations.

Maria, with her centre medallion,  has never tried patchwork before and dived in at the deep end with a project that she didn´t even know what she was making before starting and loves it.  It is certainly a challenge for us both,  with me trying to give her instructions in my poor Spanish, and Maria coping with not only that and a completely new technique but working in inches too!!  We have a good laugh.

Helen has decided against adding appliqué as her fabric is lovely as it is.

Jill intends adding more elephants (you can´t quite see the ones in the centre block from this photo) and embellishing them with "bling".

Jan has added her appliqué and has further borders to add

Cath has altered the layout of her outer border which looks very effective, and intends appliquéing butterflies on the setting triangles and centre block

Ann has started her appliqué with bias shapes

Helen has more borders to add before deciding on her appliqué additions

I thought you might like to see where we work on Tuesday´s.  The hall is much bigger than our previous meeting room and has no stairs to negotiate with heavy sewing machine´s and bags.  Best of all, there are lots of power points and a good electricity supply to cope with all our sewing machines, kettles and heaters!

One end of the room where the general meeting is held 

Looking down the other end where we have the workshops

We welcome two new members Amanda and Yvonne, who joined the Group this week,  and were shown how to crochet by Eleanor.

Jan explained to members how to use some of the templates and rulers which we have just purchased for the Group.  These and various other tools are available for members to borrow for their own projects, along with books and magazines to which the Group subscribes.

Jan brought along  a project she is working on for her Grandson Spencer

and Lesley brought in a picture which she had just been given by her daughter, fellow group member Sarah, which Sarah had worked in cross-stitch.

As it´s the first Tuesday of the month, our meeting next week will be our "Sales Tuesday" when members bring in unwanted fabrics, threads, yarns books, etc, in an attempt to de-clutter.  Trouble is we then go and buy something we just can´t do without but someone else can, and go home with more!!  Oh well .......

New Year....new blog!

Welcome to our first Group blog!  We hope you enjoy this visit and follow us regularly

The new year has brought the VSS Group a new hall, new projects and our new venture... the VSS Blog.  We hope you will find it easier following what we get up to at our weekly meetings by reading this group blog.  Group members´ completed work will  appear as usual in their galleries on our web site www.vinuelasewandsews.eu , along with workshop updates and various other regular items.

 Firstly I´d like to thank Christine and Ian for care-taking the VSS website  for the past year while I caught up with my life, your help was very much appreciated, thankyou.
Secondly, I´d like to extend a very warm welcome to all our new members who have joined the Group since our exhibition in October last year.  We have achieved a long held goal of attracting some local Spanish stitchers, and can now boast three regular Spanish members, Maria, Cristina and Inmaculada! Maria is embarking on her first quilt project and dived in a the deep end by taking part in the Mystery Quilt workshop.  Cristina and Inmaculada are experienced quilters, currently working on applique projects, all done by hand.

The first  meetings of 2013 have been well attended with more than half of our members getting together in the recently refurbished venue, provided by the Town Hall of Viñuela.

 Carole brought along her striking finished  Drunkards Path quilt to show us before posting it off to it´s new owner! 

Some members caught up and stitched industriously by hand,

while others continued working on their Mystery Quilt projects at their sewing machines.

Pam attaching another border

Helen making sure all her points are perfect!

The mystery quilt project has been running a few weeks now and is drawing to its close, with many members putting the last borders on their quilts.  It´s been interesting watching the faces of those taking part as patch by patch  the mystery  is being solved.  As always, it´s amazing too, to see how different each project looks when interpreted in different fabrics and colours.  Having the workshops in the same room and on the same day as a regular meeting appears to work well.  Our initial worries that those taking part may not be able to concentrate so well with a lot of other things going on have proved unfounded, and on the contrary, it gives other group members a chance to see what´s involved in a particular project, and hopefully inspire them to take part in future workshops themselves.

Eleanor putting the final touches to her crochet blanket

Bridget and Carol discussing a future project while Claire works on her quilt

Rozanne concentrating on her new quilt project.  Rozanne makes wonderful traditional quilts with every part of the quilt stitched by hand, from the piecing to the final binding and quilting.

Our newest member Pat chatting to Margaret

As this is our first ever posting, please forgive us if there are errors, do let us know what you think by leaving a comment.  We hope you will enjoy following our weekly meetings.