From Joan Steel

Jenny Rayment, “The Calico Queen”, named her talk on patchwork and quilting as All Tucked Up and Twiddled”. Jenny travelled throughout America and round the world doing lectures on fabrics, judging quilting shows and taking teachers workshops. We were shown the wonderful collection of quilts that Jenny had made using every quilting and patchwork techniques with amazing skill. She had so many good and original ideas that she wrote a book entitled “Tucks Textures and Pleats”. Jenny used calico to start with, because it is relatively inexpensive and plain fabric with tucks and pleats show off the texture well. Panels of pleats folded in different ways were very effective. Dozens of other fabrics in colours and black and white used in different ways eg sculptured spheres, hexagons, circles, flowers, fans and some showing the art of sewing on three layers of fabric to give a very textured effect were all included in Jenny’s quilt collection. In her workshops Jenny shows nine different designs and also does creative crafts making toys felt hats bags etc.

Amazingly, this talk was the most entertaining and humorous we have ever had at Valley Wives because during showing us examples of her wonderful skills and techniques in quilting, Jenny told us many hilarious accounts of her life experiences and tales of very amusing situations she encountered on her travels. The talk ended with everyone overcome with laughter when after a story about a Royal waitresses, Jenny “morphed” into a Bunny Girl waitress (complete with her outfit including tray crockery etc all skilfully made of fabric). Susan gave the vote of thanks for a most entertaining, humorous and interesting talk.

Our January meeting was a most enjoyable games evening arranged by Jill and Doreen, ending with refreshments and a chance to chat and exchange news of Christmas and New Year festivities.