Corris Uchaf, Wales
Quilting at Corris
Patchwork and Quilting work shop at Corris Craft Centre, Mid Wales
MALDWYN QUILTERS
Jul 30th
What a fantastic weekend.
To all you people of Carno and to the Maldwyn Quilters.
BRILLIANT
Brilliant location and venue, brilliant demos and workshops, brilliant hospitality, food and drink, brilliant needlework, design and craft.
An astonishing demonstration of fabric, colour, texture and technique in such diverse combinations. You should all be very proud of yourselves for your organisation and your skills.
We had an outstanding weekend, we enjoyed every minute in your company and that of all your visitors.
Diolch yn Fawr
MALDWYN QUILTERS @ Carno
Jul 27th
MALDWYN QUILTERS
Annual Exhibition
CARNO Community Centre
CARNO – Powys
Saturday 29th July 2006
&
Sunday 30th July 2006
10 am – 4pm
ADMISSION FREE
Workshops & Demonstrations
This threatens to be an outstanding event.
If you are in the area of Carno (the village on the main road between Newtown and Machynlleth, Powys) on 29th or 30th July 2006 and you have an interest in Patchwork, Quilting and textiles then this is one NOT to be missed. If you just want to have an enjoyable day with interesting people, then still be there!
Meet up with old friends and make new ones. Join in the workshops, watch the demos, and marvel at the design and craft of the exhibits.
Bumble Bee Quilting will have a stall with a range of our quilting fabrics on both days.
We look forward to seeing you there…..
Linda in Canada
Jul 25th
To Linda in Canada
I know this has been a long process – all emails to you have been rejected.
We have put a design here (EDIT – Link removed as its old now)Â for you.
We hope you get this, and enjoy the patchwork
LoL
Jane and Simon
Hwyl Fawr
Jul 24th
Good Bye Mandy as you return to Colorado (USA).
The canteen at the craft centre and our little village will miss your card games and sunny disposition
We’ve been creative….
Jul 23rd
With what?
We have designed a new range of cushions. So what, says you.
One is based on our Welsh flag and the other is based on Owain Glyndwr’s emblem. We have taken some poetic and artistic licence with them, but saying that both of these new ranges are original and are our own work.
Bumble Bee Quilting remains at the forefront of Welsh patchwork and quilting both as an art and also as a skill.
Neither are replicas or copies, but both of our new designs demonstrate a portrail of two similar themes. Actually we are quite pleased with them and we look forward to you viewing them at our shop in Corris.
We are trying to put something back into rural Wales and its peoples, heritage and, although in an original form, to Welsh textiles and Welsh art even though we are just two individuals.
Our basic quilts continue their processes by machine and by hand. These works in progress can also be viewed at out Corris Craft Workshop. You might be in time to see stiching and quilting in action here if you hurry.
‘n ddedwydd ben-blwydd (not Corris Welsh, sorry)
To Alex Jones – Bumble Bee Quilting extends a heartfelt Birthday Greeting and we wish you and all your family much cheer and love.
Where have I been?
Jul 19th
Its been a long old time since an update on Bumble Bee Quilting. So what’s been going on?
Lazyness, exhaustion, world cup or what?
Well, our workshop at the craft centre is still going, we have had some interesting and interested visitors, we are still quilting and making our own patchworks; and, this being mid Wales, the sun still shines.
We have nearly completed our latest two quilts, and have finished our new Celtic wallhanging, emblazoned with celtic knotwork and dragons. Pretty cool wallhanging as well if we can say so ourselves.
We are looking after 2 rats at home called Gormless and Stupid (who on a good day live up to their names and on a bad day live down to them). They are dogs really but no-one’s ever told them that and they “think” of themselves as rats (not that either is capable of a thought) and will answer to rat.
Sadly Jemma’s 7 year old grey cat Dylan (Bobby or Mr D) secumbed to an unknown poisoning, and has been cremated. He was returned in a very smart wooden urn. The kids took it well, but his new kitten friend Sammy (Gizmo) is still finding memories and looks out for him.
We have also had some visitors at home, Sally and Alan stayed with us for 5 days and shared some of their photos of their epic visit to the Pitcairn and Galapagos Islands as well as a spot of unsuccessfull fishing on the Tal-Y-Llyn.
We also had great meal at the Railway Inn at Abergynolwyn and were greeted as usual by a sorrowful pair of hungry eyes belonging to Winston, the pub’s dog, who still thinks he is wasting away and has never eaten a chip in his life. Actually he is a bit on the heavy side of large so we think he is wallowing in some underserved self-pity here, but he does look so sorry for himself.
Ginny, Andy, Jessie, Maggie and Bob were making their annual visit to Aberdyfi and popped in to say howdey; as were Lesley and Tony with their two lads.
Great to see them all. Living in such a remote area really makes us appreciate old friends and family.
The Wednesday market at Machynlleth continues, generating interest and sales in our fabrics and quilts.
And loh and behold, we won a game of dominoes beating the team from the Bowling Club (don’t sing your usual song here JB). A close game, keenly fought in a friendly fashion. Great opponents who beat us handsomely last time on their turf. This was on the back of two away deafeats to the Forresters and the Glyndwr. Always fun to play you guys and girls. Diolch yn Fawr.
So we soldier on – and don’t forget your squares for the Teresa Anna Quilt.
Some issues resolved
Jun 24th
At the end of last week we were rather in a state of limbo.
Our Landlord’s marketing person had totally put a damper on our privately funded marketing efforts.
We now learn that this was all a fabrication. External funders have confirmed that they have absolutely no quibble with these efforts, hence our leaflets can be issued with impunity and our crafers website is back online (EDIT – Website removed fur to cost).
Yesterday saw the Grand Opening of the new units. Well, what an amateurish effort it was too, full of false platitudes and no interest shown in the crafters or their business at all. A total and complete letdown. Shame that the press release was just plain wrong also.
But, we have had some great visitors to our workshop in the craft centre and to our Wednesday market stall in Machynlleth.
A much needed boost – Thank you one and all – please come again.
We are also starting to receive back some squares for the Teresa Anna Quilt, some outstanding designs and work have gone into them too.
A topsy turvy week
Jun 17th
Its been a funny old week.
Quiet on the customer/sales side of things, but we have got on and made some things we hope you’ll like.
Similarly, the Wednesday maket at Mach (Machynlleth) was also quiet. But we had some very pleasant fellow marketeers next to us this week, oh what a change from the vile venomous woman of last week, who advised us to jazz our stall up to entice people to notice us and peruse our wares. We thought it looked ok, but as newbies in this business we shall take this well intended advice and do some window dressing to improve our visibility. Thanks very much for the prompt – appreciate it.
Otherwise, our landlord’s Marketing Guru dropped a bombshell on us. We have produced a new leaflet for our centre and added a new community website for each local crafter to have a bit of a place on the web.
We have funded both ourselves, privately.
Well, this marketing boffin rings us up and says that some who funded our landlord’s recent building works have complained that we make no acknowledgement to them.
Why, we asked. We have had no funding – ZERO – we have no agreement with anyone to say that we have and why have we not been approached directly when we initiated, funded and produced the new brochure and community website?
We have taken our communinty website down (here), do we now have to withdraw all our brochures distributed far and wide in Wales and reprint them? And at what cost? This could close our 10 community businesses as we already run on tiny margins, which would in turn make the rebuilding and its funding rather superfluous.
Well, one of our number has some gumption. He phoned one of the allegedly complaining funders and asked what was going on. Although he cannot speak to the chief until Monday, the response from the appropriate office was basically what are you talking about. They (this particular funder) has no issue with the brochure or the crafters’ community website.
So what is going on here – something very sinister and not at all pleasant. But we shall have to wait until Moday for the authoritative voice of the funder to be heard, and hopefully also put in writing.
Watch this space.


