The Fat Quarter Quilters

My friends are Fat Quarter Quilters. And now I am one, too.

But, I would like to ask this question: why would a group of women self-name themselves with the word 'fat' in the title???

Now, if you quilt, you understand the term "fat quarter" and you don't think twice about it. Because "fat quarter" is a quilting term. It describes a cut of fabric.

A quick lesson for you non-quilters: fabric is sold by the yard. One can buy a yard (but who are we kidding? Who really only buys ONE yard of fabric??)

Anyway, quilting fabric is usually 45" wide and is sold by the yard. If you buy a quarter of a yard, it would be 9" by 45" (the WOF - width of fabric).

But sometimes you need more width and less length, so some clever person figured out that the fabric could be cut a different way and still get a quarter of a yard. If you cut the yard in half and then open up the fabric and cut it in half again the other direction, you get a piece of fabric that is now 18" x 22."
It is a very handy way to buy fabric.

The reason I mention fat quarters is because the local quilting group has called themselves "The Fat Quarter Quilters." And they are a lovely group of women. They are friendly, inclusive, generous, encouraging and creative. I found them immediately upon arriving in Thurso and was quilting happily with them within 2 weeks of arriving here.

The FQQ meet at Murkle Hall in Murkle, which is a "town" (?) (about 2 miles outside of Thurso. I say "town?" because it is really just a high spot on the road. It is a building next to a house, which is surrounded by fields of sheep and cows.

The building is used for multiple purposes, one of which is indoor bowling through the winter.

But seriously, this is a really great space. It has everything we need - space to spread out, enough tables for each quilter to have their own, a kitchen (important for serving tea) and bathrooms (which I am thankful for, but are really really cold - because there is no heat in the bathrooms!!)

Hand work at West Church

There are about a dozen regular members of the FQQ and they meet every second week of the month on Wed and Thurs to quilt. Pretty much like we do at West Side Church about quarterly. But this monthly idea is one I will be taking home with me. And actually, they also meet on the 4th Wed of each month at at the West Church here in Thurso to do handwork. Love that idea, too.

Joining this quilting group was meant to be.

Within days of arriving in Thurso, I met Liz Bamber, who used to own the filling station across the street from where I live. (She and her husband have since sold it and retired, which simply means she is busier than ever.)

I knew we were going to be fast friends when, within days of meeting her, she showed up at my door with a sewing machine for me to borrow. A week after that, I was sewing with the FQQ at Murkle and a week after that, I was taking a one-day class by Pat Archibald, who is a well-known Scottish quilter from Edinburgh.

The class was a stretch for me. 1. The project was not something I would normally be interested in doing. 2. I was using someone else's machine. 3. I had none of my own fabric to use, so I used batik fabrics that Julianna offered to me, bought a yard of fabric from another quilter for the backing, and even used thread that belonged to someone else.

To make a longer story shorter, this was a stressful class for me. Out of my comfort zone on many levels. But, I did it. And I am so happy that I did. I have a finished project I am happy with and will remind me of Thurso every time I look at it. It is a picture of St. Peter's Kirk, which is a 5 minute walk from my house.

In addition to the regular monthly meetings, we also had a lovely week's retreat at the Lyth Arts Center (another building in the middle of fields and nowhere on the road to Wick).

The challenge fabric was Japanese - hence, the Japanese theme and of many of the challenge projects

The ladies were all participating in a fabric challenge. The challenge was this: everyone was given a half-metre of the same fabric and challenged to use it in a project. They started that in January and invited me into it in July. Again, not a thing I would normally choose to do - come up with something creative all by myself. I like more direction than that. But to my own surprise, I again said yes.

notice the fish wind sock in the right corner....you can't see the dorsal fin made from the challenge fabric

tea at Lyth - the quilting retreat

A very fun thing about this group is that they drink tea. I know that some of you are saying, "Well, of course. They are Brits or Scots, and therefore, they drink tea." And that would be tend to be true. But it is funny because it is true.

Nothing happens without tea. For instance, the quilt retreat started each day at 9 am. Some ladies would show up around 10, drop off their stuff and immediately start the kettle to boil. Everyone would then stop to have tea and 'biscuits' (cookies, ladies. We're talking about cookies.)(This is the part I can definitely get behind.) Lunch about 12:30, then more tea at 3. I found I have easily warmed to the idea of stopping everything for a spot of tea and a wee cookie. I think this is another habit I will adopt and bring home with me.

the tea room at the quilt exhibition

Well, once a year - in mid- November - the FQQ also put on a Quilt Exhibition (quilt show) and everyone in the group gets to put in things they have made this year, including UFO's (UnFinished Objects) if they want.

Admission to the exhibition includes tea and cakes as well. Surprise!

I love that this is a highlight of the quilters' year and that the public comes to admire our work.

I also love that I got to be here and submit my own entries into the exhibition:

the silhouette and sunset picture,

the challenge fabric project, which I turned into a 4 patch kaleidoscope table runner,

and a lap-sized string quilt I made with the scraps I brought in a suitcase.

I know many of you know about the fabric I brought over with me, but maybe some of you don't. Our household goods were sent in 2 shipments and would arrive many months after we arrived in Thurso.

Mike, packing fabric in those suctioned bags

I anticipated being here knowing no one, having nothing to do, and nothing but time on my hands. So, because Mike wants me to be happy, (and he knows how much sewing makes me happy), he encouraged me (allowed) me to bring fabric in a suitcase.

A large suitcase.

Full.

Of fabric.

😀

I have been collecting (read that as not throwing away perfectly good fabric!!) fabric strips for years with the intent of using them. But I never seemed to actually get around to using them.

There was always a new pattern I wanted to make.

But really, I just didn't know what to do with them. So, I brought the strips with me so that it would force me to use them while I waited for my 'real' fabric to arrive.

So, after perusing Pinterest (what a GREAT invention, btw!) I made "string quilts. Day after day after day I sewed scrappy strips of fabrics together.

They are not meant to be pretty. But quirky. And functional.

I made 6 different lap-sized quilts and I had enough strips left over to still make another 2. But I got tired of making them and wanted to start something new.

And that is when I started the 365 Day Challenge. Another project I am surprised to have a desire to do. More on that another time.

So, Daisy (my long arm machine) arrived in time for me to quilt my table runner and my favorite of the lap quilts so that I could show them in the exhibition.

This is Lyn in the background. She buys a handful of blendable fabrics and batting by the bolt and sells to us. Her table was set up at the show.

And there was a table of items being sold.

The exhibit was not exhaustive. Many things have been made by the ladies over the year and given away, so they were not here to be shown. But what is here is amazing. I am especially amazed at the variety of challenge fabric projects. And I was amazed at how easily and eagerly they all jumped into the silhouette projects.

Now, meet my friends - The Fat Quarter Quilters - each one pictured with one of their projects.
(I apologize for Blogger - it is a wonderful and free blog site, but it is not always so user-friendly. Sometimes it will let me put pictures side by side, but more often it won't. And I often cannot control the spacing within it.)

I hope you will scroll through and say 'hello' to each of my friends and admire their creations.