Quilt Squad - speed patchwork!

Members of the Quilt Squad - a group of particularly interested local volunteers - got together to start the process of creating pieces to add to the beginning of the cheer quilt project, and to sew in company to make something as a group.

Their task for this first night was to create the biggest ‘quilt top’ (a patchwork panel) that they could as a group with just two hours of time. Biscuits, teas, coffees and even soup were supplied to keep the needleworkers going, and by just after 8pm they had created a 2m x 1m panel ready to be ironed and quilted at a future session. The attendees used scraps from the studio to cut strips and squares before sewing them together by hand and then one member - Pam - speedily stitched them together on the sewing machine while the rest of the group arranged the design to hand to her.

Without too much planning and with only a bag of fabric scraps and some biscuits, it was exciting to see everyone working together on one big piece, intuitively placing together while we talked and shared stories of past experiences with sewing and life in general.

It’s not yet known what we are going to make with our first quilt top, there was talk of fabric collars, big skirts, and strange padded art-shapes. It might yet be over-dyed, embroidered, chopped up and re-sewn, but it was a great experience to make it together.