Branching out ...again

Since arriving here in Cornwall I have discovered that there are lots and lots of quilting and patchwork groups, but very few have websites and they don't tend to publicise themselves. Occasionally there will be an advert in a local paper, or on a lamp post  or shop window about such and such a group holding an exhibition in a village hall, but trying to find out about groups near me, and then finding out if I could join has not been easy. What has struck me is how little interest there is in the Quilter's Guild down here and sad to say it seems that the Guild itself doesn't really seem all that interested in us. However, a friend recommended South West Quilters and on Saturday they held a meeting  nearby so I went along.

It was a very lively meeting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So  much so, that I decided to join. It's cheaper than the QGBI, they also produce a nice magazine and they hold regular workshops at a very modest cost.  So, I sent off my cheque and today I received my new member's pack and membership card.

After all the terrible rain and wind we have had here, there isn't much chance of long cliff walks, so a nice quilting project will fit the bill nicely. To that end, I've used my legacy from my DH's Aunt to buy a new toy and here it is!

It is a Juki TL98P. No fancy stitches, not even a zig zag stitch, but it is fabulous for free machine quilting and it's really robust. Not suitable for taking to workshops, but I'll soon have my new Horn quilting cabinet for it to sit in and away I go!!!

Tomorrow I'm off on a trip around various quilting shops with the Trevithick Quilters, floods permitting to stock up with essentials! I anticipate that fabric will find it's way into my shopping bag, but I must try and be careful not to get overloaded. I think the stash is beginning to resemble a small mountain and there's real doubt that I will ever be able to use it all!