Breast Cancer Awareness Competition with Justhands-on.tv and Janome

Janome UK have been supporting the Breast Cancer Charity for many years, but this year, we went one step further and bought out a Limited Addition Sewing Machine with the pink ribbon logo, and we donated 10K to the charity earlier in the year. This is a charity close to our hearts at Janome, as many of our colleagues have been effected over the years, and this was our way of trying to help a good cause.
The Breast Cancer Charity machine is available for purchase through our Stockists, and is a entry level computer machine with 30 stitches. Ideal as a starter machine, but also a great machine for taking to classes. Janome have teamed up with Justhands-on.tv to promote a Breast Cancer Awareness Competition, where the first prize is the Breast Cancer Charity sewing machine. To enter the competition, please follow this link, http://www.justhands-on.tv/videos/win-a-janome-bcc-30-sewing-machine-or-fabulous-threads-from-madeira/

Justhands-on.tv is the UK's first on-line TV website devoted to patchwork, quilting and mixed media textile arts. Why not click the link below and let Valerie Nesbitt and Jennie Raymond tell you all about it,

http://www.justhands-on.tv/

Lesley Brankin exhibits with Iris threads @ Festival of Quilts

Lesley Brankin is a freelance textile designer and can be seen below at The Festival of Quilts with her Janome Horizon. I've just snapped a photo while she was talking a customer through the features and benefits of the Horizon... and honestly, this photo wasn't set up!
Lesley was working on the Iris thread stand, a new cotton quilting thread, which can be purchased through the website below,
http://www.embroideryandquiltingsupplies.co.uk/
Lesley worked with Janome on the Horizon machine and created this wonderful Lollipop Tree Quilt for us to use on the Horizon leaflet and Horizon advertising. Details of the pattern and instructions of how to make a cushion in the same style, can be found on the Janome website, please see the link below,
http://www.janome.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116:lollipop&catid=5:whats-new&Itemid=10 or the link on the left hand side of this blog.


For more information on Lesley Brankin and her quilts, please go to her website below,
http://www.lesleybrankinquilts.co.uk/

Yvonne Brown @ Festival of Quilts

Yvonne Brown works from her studio in Thetford in Norfolk and loves anything to do with creative textiles.
She runs a full programme of workshops, from beginners to more advanced, either at her own workshop or can travel to your location. She is also happy to visit your group and talk about her life as a textile artist.
She was exhibiting at the Festival of Quilts and I stopped to chat as I spotted our Janome 6600p! Yvonne said she loves this machine, and the large work space and auto thread cutters are very useful! For more information about Yvonne's work, workshops and if you would like her to visit your embroidery or quilt group, see her website link below,
http://www.yvonnebrown.co.uk/

Freestyle Quilting Frame using the Janome 1600p...

I always find it interesting at exhibitions to see who is using our machines, and this years Festival of Quilts was no exception....
Marysia uses the Janome 1600p in her Freestyle Quilting Frame, and loves the extra long sewing space (8.85") and the super fast stitching... 1600 stitches per minute! The Freestyles quilting frames start from £355 and more information can be found on Marysia's website,
http://marysiasquilts.co.uk/

MB4 @ Festival of Quilts 2010

This was the first Festival of Quilts the Janome MB4 had been exhibited at... and what a lot of interest it received!
The MB4 is a four needle automatic embroidery machine and is wonderful addition to any sewing workroom. Many quilters now, are experimenting with automatic embroidery, not with ready made designs, but by designing their own unique designs on Janome Digitizer MB software, and then adding free machine quilting and decorative stitches.
The Mb4 is also, an ideal embroidery machine for hobby embroiderer's, who like to work a little quicker than standard domestic embroidery machines, as the MB4 has four colours, it will trim and change colour automatically!

It's also a fabulous embroidery machine for people who are starting an embroidery business, and working from home.

Stocks Sewing Machines from Leeds were exhibiting the MB4, along with Iris embroidery and cotton quilting thread. They have a wonderful website were you can purchase all your embroidery and quilting supplies.... and of course the Janome MB4!

http://www.embroideryandquiltingsupplies.co.uk/

Festival of Quilts 2010.... best in show....

This fantastic piece won The Miniature Quilt Competition and Best in Show, and to really appreciate the work involved, it has to be seen close up.....

Apparently, it took three months to make working on it everyday!

It's hard to believe, all that detail and it's only about 8" across!

The judges statement was

"Stunning. Precision personified. Wonderful Detail."

Janome Sponsor The Contemporary Quilts Competition at The Festival Of Quilts 2010.... and the winner is C June Barnes

This year the winner of the Contemporary Quilts Competition was C June Barnes, and above you can see the Managing Director of Janome UK presenting the prize at the Gala Prize dinner on Thursday evening, at the Hilton Metropole.


The judges comments for her quilt were,

"A stunning and original twist on a traditional block design, with masterly handling of fabric to achieve great depth. The judges also admired the method of presentation of this piece."


A close look at this quilt allowed you to see the true detail of the work, and the 3d effect is simply amazing.
For more information on C June Barnes, please see her website link below,

http://www.cjunebarnes.co.uk/