Munkee Creations - Patchwork & Quilting in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire

Sharon opened her fabulous shop, Munkee Creations, last summer. Based in the small town of Long Eaton, about half way between Nottingham and Derby, this shop is a heaven for patchwork and craft sewers.
With a huge range of patchwork fabrics, you can't help but fall in love with some of them! Sharon has lots of personal experience within sewing and quilting and runs her own workshops in the shop. (of course on Janome machines!)While I was visiting the shop a couple of months ago, just to say hello and take a few photographs for my blog... I signed up for a workshop! I have made various small sample quilts, but never attempted anything full size. Munkee Creations is only 10 minutes away from home, and with my need for nesting (you may not know this, but I am expecting our first baby in June!) I just couldn't help myself!
So a couple of weeks later... I was back.. and ready to sew!!! Firstly, I had to choose from the gorgeous range of Moda and Freedom patchwork fabrics.
I decided on a colourful mix of blues, greens, pinks and reds in a Jelly Roll. (Jelly Rolls are a quick way of quilting... which I'll explain as we carry on). First I had to sew all the strips into sets of five.. the Janome 1600p is perfect for this job, at 1600 stitches per minute, I was finished in no time!
As Jelly Rolls are designs especially with quilting in mind, all the strips are cut ready for you to start sewing. (you buy them when they look like circular rolls of fabric.. see a few photographs up). Once they were stitched into sets of five, the cutting starts. (I can't tell you all the secrets, you'll have to go one one of Sharon's workshops for that!)
But, after a couple of hours, my patchwork blocks are starting to come together! Don't the colours look so retro! I then took my blocks home, and finished on the quilt in my own time....
With my Janome Horizon 7700QCP, I had to embellish my blocks with some fancy embroidery stitches. I haven't done every seam... just most of them!
Then the blocks are stitched together, and the huge space on my Horizon makes this so easy. It took me a few evenings to do the quilting and binding and then .............dad dar................
my first finished patchwork quilt! This is my first item I have made for the new baby nursery.. I'm just so excited to make lots more!

Thank you so much to Sharon for her wonderful Jelly Roll workshop, and teaching me some fabulous patchwork secrets!

For more information on Munkee Creations, please check out their website and facebook page.
Janome Machines are available locally from Ilkeston Sewing Centre.