P&Q Cruise to Norway

Were you one of the lucky people to go on our first cruise last year to Norway?

 

A great time was had by all by the sound of it! Angela Price, who organised the cruise with Jim West of Sew Many Places, put together a lovely video showing what went on. We also had a report on the cruise in our October issue last year.

 

If you would like to treat yourself, Angela has just emailed me to advise there are still a few places left for this year's cruise which runs from 17 to 25 May!

What could be better? Patchwork and quilting classes as you sail across the North Sea to Norway? Cruising up and down the fjords with inspiration around every corner?

 

This year we are lucky enough to have Judi teaching with us again. She will be teaching her 'Along the Waterfront' workshop which is a pieced and foundation pieced class inspired by the scenic waterfront of Alesund, which is one of the ports of call on the cruise.

Pam Holland from Australia has her Illustrative Quilting class where she will show you how to draw and quilt with a sewing machine!

Linzi Upton's class, 'Northern Lights' is a Nordic-inspired workshop which includes curved piecing and finally we have Stuart Hillard (of Great British Sewing Bee fame) teaching you how to make the Clamshell Accessories Case from Clover.

 

If you would like to find out more you can email Angela at angela.price@traplet.com or telephone Sew Many Places on 02393 880068.

 

So if you want to have a holiday with a difference with like-minded quilting ladies.........what are you waiting for?!

 

Joanna

 

Farewell 2013............Hello 2014!

So, here it is! The last day of 2013!

 

This year has been a difficult one for all of us with the loss of Di Huck in February. Di WAS Patchwork & Quilting magazine. She was the driving force behind it. Although her influence has been sorely missed, life does go on and the magazine has continued to go from strength to strength.

By now many of you should have seen our new look January issue which came out just before Christmas.

 

 

The magazine has a new clean modern look but still has all your favourite articles and features. We are particularly pleased with how the projects are looking; giving you all the information you need to make a particular project on one double page spread.

 

Looking forward to 2014 we have a special celebration later in the year as the November issue will be our 250th issue! Lots of plans are afoot for exciting ways to mark this occasion.

 

A new year is traditionally a time to reassess our lives and to set ourselves resolutions. Quilting resolutions are much more interesting than losing weight, giving up smoking etc. For myself, this past year I have managed to be more productive in my quilty finishes, mainly because I have taught myself to machine quilt. For 2014 I think I would like to try and find the time to make more quilts for me............including finishing one I started over ten years ago!

So what are your New Year Quilting Resolutions? Leave a comment on this post and I'll see if I can find a prize in the offices for one lucky commenter. Closing date will be 12 noon Tuesday 7 January 2014.

 

So from all of us at P&Q, a very happy and peaceful New Year!

Joanna

One week down..........

Wow! Already one week has passed in 2013! The February issue has gone to the printers......which means Judi and I are now full of the joys of spring as we hop, skip and jump headlong into the March issue!

 

From all reports, you have been really inspired to take part in Jacquie Harvey's new block of the month programme that started in the January issue. If you want to practise your hand quilting skills or have ever wanted to know what techniques Jacquie uses to make her award winning quilts, then this is the project for you!

 

 

 

As we start this new year, what are your favourite parts of the magazine? Is there anything you want to see more of? We love to hear from you and see the things you have made both from the magazine and elsewhere. Think you have made a quilt that other readers might like to make? Why not submit a photo to us by emailing pq at traplet dot com and it could be you and your quilt in a future issue!

 

 

So get involved........and get quilting!

 

Joanna

Happy New Year!

It's almost New Year's Day here.
A time to kiss goodbye to 2012 and to welcome in 2013.

 

This last year has been a busy one in the UK what with the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympics, both of which were fantastic examples of what makes Britain great!

It has also been a busy and difficult year for P&Q with Di being unable to work full time on the magazine since the summer, but Judi and I make a great team and we have lots of lovely projects and features in the pipeline for you. Di has said it is quite nice to have the magazine drop through her letterbox each month not knowing what is going to be in it!

The start of a new year is of course a time for reflection and good intentions, aka new year's resolutions. Judi and I have been thinking about what are our quilting resolutions.
Judi's stems from something David Niven said in a tv interview many years ago; to have more fun in the next year than the last. So she plans to have more quilting fun next year than this with places to go, quilts to see, people to be with and........to do just a little, little quilt making just for herself.
For myself, I want to be a bit more productive in my quilt making; to actually FINISH some of my quilts. I make so many quilt tops but rarely get around to quilting them. And this is where my learning to machine quilt comes in. Hopefully once I have mastered this, a lot more of my quilts will get quilted and finished! Like Judi, I too want to try and find a little bit more time to make quilts for me.

And what about our readers? What are your quilting new year's resolutions?

Joanna x