Our special event today at patch'n'chat, at Borderland Fabrics, was a Jelly Roll Race (I'll explain in a minute what that is). Annette, the owner and Cathy, her right hand woman, thought we ought to have a fun day, and asked us all to dress up as if going to a day at the races - hats were obligatory!
here we are at the start of the morning - Annette is front right, and Cathy front left
we had to pick a jelly roll each (without looking), and I was delighted with the one I picked
ok, so what is a jelly roll race. First you join all the strips to make one very long strip
after doing that we had to have a short break for refreshments
before we resumed sewing, these three handsome chaps from Footeprint, the business next door, came in to judge the "best dressed filly". They chose Margaret, who had decorated her hat with rosettes and a riding crop, and also had binoculars, so she really looked the part - she could have joined the Queen in the Royal Box at Ascot!
back to the sewing! The next stage was to fold that very long strip in half and stitch along one side, cutting through the fold at the end
then the process is repeated
oh my, where had the morning gone, it was time to have lunch
having eaten two kinds of quiche, salad and one of Cathy's delicious puff pastry and potato rolls, I decided to forego the trifle and chocolate cheesecake ...... as I would have fallen asleep at the machine if I had eaten any more!
So, back to more sewing, continuing with the folding in half and stitching together continuing ......
until ta-da, I had produced a fabulous (because of the fabrics, not my sewing!) quilt top
later in the afternoon we had a break for some very silly fun ....... a hobby horse egg and spoon race! I was in the first heat, so Maureen took charge of my camera ....... and good friend that she is, she captured the moment I dropped my egg!!
this is the second heat - Maureen is second from the left (not counting Pam and Annette in the background)
several more tops were finished by the end of the afternoon
just before I left, Maria finished her top
we were all given a medal for participating
and as it was a jelly roll race, that means there was a winner, the first to finish ......... and woohoo, it was me!! I was absolutely delighted to be given a jelly roll for my prize - thank you very much Annette!! And Annette also deserves a very big thank you for laying on the day, providing the jelly rolls, the drink and the food. Although we all paid a modest sum for joining in, Annette definitely subsidised our fun. But it is all for a very good cause. When the quilts are finished, they are being donated to the Margaret Kerr Unit, which is the Borders only Palliative Care Unit. How much nicer to snuggle under a lovingly made quilt, rather than a hospital blanket, when spending time in the Unit.
To finish ....... Margaret didn't join in the race, as she prefers to hand sew, so she was working on her latest magnificent creation. Not the best of photos, as I had to take it at a funny angle!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend ....... weather permitting we will be on the beach! Love Anne