The Wendover Remembers Quilt - Progress Report

Oh dear, it's been such a busy few months that this site has been a little bit neglected - but that doesn't mean that we've been slacking with our sewing! The Bee has been packed to the rafters all spring and we have so many wonderful willing volunteers for our Wendover Remembers project that we're sewing up a storm on this!

Here are some pics of the latest progress as we got the fabric ready for the session making poppies in school this month...join us on the 7th July for the last Bee before the summer and to see more of the finished blocks. xx

Wendover Remembers Quilt

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with our Wendover Remembers Quilt at The Feb Bee. We are really excited about bringing this quilt idea to life. If you missed the last Bee don't worry, we still have spaces for helpers.

Remember we will be collecting green, red and brown/black quilt weight fabric at the March Bee  pieces approx 7 x 7 inches square please.

Put the Hoover Away and Do Some Sewing x

Nov and Dec Evening Bees at PlainStitch

We've decided to host the next 2 evening Sewing Bees at The PlainStitch Workroom for Nov and Dec as it's so nice and cosy on a winters evening. Do drop us a line if you're planning to come along. We are in Back Street, Wendover behind Christopher Pallet Estate Agents - just through the back gate and ring the bell at our shiny blue front door.

See you there for some indulgent sewing before the demands of the festive season take over!!

I think we can all relate to this

Pop Up Pin Cushion Class at the evening Bee Tues 23rd Sept

We love coming up with fun new quick projects for our series of Pop Up Classes, and it seems you love them too as they always sell out in a flash. Lots of our lovely PlainStitchers who work full time have been patiently asking for a while for more evening Pop Up Classes. We'd love to oblige but this autumn our class schedule is choc a bloc so we have decided to offer our most popular pop ups at the evening Bee's .

We'll be kicking off this week with Pin Cushions - we'll be showing you a quick and failsafe method to make super cute mini pin cushions in no time at all, even if you have no patchwork experience. You'll love them - perfect pressies for on the Christmas tree - in fact they'd make perfect sewing themed Christmas tree decorations too!

If you'd like to take part, bring your sewing machine and a selection of scraps and we'll supply the rest...drop us an e mail to let us know you'd like to join in deb@plainstitch.co.uk  and we'll see you on Tuesday evening.

If you want to get on with your own projects the rest of the Bee will be running as usual - so bring your project and enjoy a nice cup of tea and a chat while you sew with Hels.

We'll be offering our sell out Infinity Scarf Class at the November Bee...more details to come

Simple Sampler Reunion 7th Oct at The Bee

My favourite, favourite class to teach at PlainStitch is Simple Sampler. Each term I get to encourage and initiate a whole new graduate entry of patchworkers into our wonderful world of fabric and texture.  Every term I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful job!

Simple Sampler is a little bit special and magical. Every term curiously, but with slight trepidation, a new class begins. I LOVE to talk about quilt making, I love to impress on my new students just what deep roots this craft has. In a throwaway world where we're supposed to consume our lives in smaller and smaller more distracted, bite sized chunks delivered by screens in front of us every second of the day, I love to reveal another world. A world where sitting, and sewing, is actually soul food. Where slow sewing is enjoyed, revelled in, such a treat. Where after half an hour of stolen sewing time you feel fuller, more alive, rather than a little bit dazed and drained after 30mins online.

Even craft can feel a bit fast forward these days. Kits stuck on the front of magazines to make in 5 mins flat, new this and new that, make a quilt in a day, a dress in an evening.  It's so interesting that Slow Sewing is starting to be talked about in the sewing community. I've always been an advocate of it. I don't want to make a quilt in a day. I want to enjoy the process, I want to feel like i've earnt the feeling of pride that completion of a project brings. I don't want to just move on to the next thing.

Simple Sampler is about Slow Sewing. It's a hand made quilt. It's traditional. It uses block patterns whose origins are lost in the mists of quilt history. We choose lovely modern fabrics. Who can't fail to be beguiled by the latest lovely fabrics, a small indulgence in a demanding life. But we sew by hand. We look at the work as we make it - mindful, lost in the simple repetition of a running stitch. It's not rocket science but it holds powerful secrets to well being. It's not an accident that our graduates are evangelical about their sewing. It makes you feel much better about...well everything!

Our Simple Sampler classes always sell out, so do let us know early if you'd like to join us next term. If you feel like you'd like to step off the merry go round for a few hours every week or so, come and sew!

Our next Wendover Sewing Bee is given over to a celebration of the Simple Sampler. Everyone is welcome, graduates of the class, current students and interested visitors. Come along and see a gathering of students past and present with their Simple Sampler Quilts and their current work. There will be cake and tea and lots of fabricy chat, it should be a lovely gathering - 7th Oct 9.30am - 12pm at St Anne's Hall, Aylesbury Road, Wendover. Do pop in, you'll be very welcome!