A Taste of Africa

Yesterday I went to my  group meeting at Tuesday Quilters for a talk entitiled 'The Road to Patchwork' by Magie Relph. It was fascinating! Magie lived in Africa for a while and now has a small business selling fabrics produced there. She showed us some of her collection of different fabrics and explained how they are made. Many were wax prints which originally developed from Indonesian batiks - they are VERY colourful and have large patterns on them as they are used for clothing in Africa. Magie is a great speaker!

Of course I had to buy some fabric - it would have been rude not to! Here's my collection. I chose screen printed fabric,a half yard of discharge fabric and a trial pack of hand woven cottons, in a variety of weights, for dyeing. I also bought a piece of barkcloth which you can see in the background. It has a very interesting texture and I thought it would be good for my City and Guilds work. I don't know what I'll use it for yet!

Here is another photo of one of the printed cottons - don't you just love the little elephants?!

Pippa, a fellow member, told me the theme for next year's Harrogate quilt show is Africa so I'll have to start thinking how I could use these fabrics for a quilt to enter - any ideas?

Visit Magie's website and online shop by clicking here.

New Blog!

I copied my friend Janet's idea and made a new blog to chart my progress on my college course. It has the functional but rather uninspired title of 'City and Guilds 7113'! Above is a photo of some work I did at the weekend on using automatic machine embroidery stitches on card coloured with wax crayon. I can see some of my friends throwing their hands up in horror at the thought of stitching wierd stuff! Don't worry - I'm not abandoning real cuddly fabric quilts  and I will continue to add news of my non-college quilty projects here on this blog.

P.S. Welcome to my new followers Janet, Anthea and Tracey. Thanks for joining - I'll be following your fab blogs too!

Back to College

Today was my first day on a new course at college - City and Guilds 7113 Creative Techniques. It was great to meet up with everyone again. I'm really going for the social networking and the stimulus to get on and make new things which comes from working alongside like-minded creative people. 'Two blogs Janet' of A Quilter's Journal fame has started a new blog to show us her progress on this new course. I'm thinking I may do the same. Not today tho - I am a bit tired and in need of a good curry and a glass of cider! See you all tomorrow my course mates.

Friendship Bag Finished

 Here it is - completed! I'll be parcelling it up this week to go to a secret destination in Europe.

The finished size is about 13" by 12" by 3" deep. I decided to try out some of my sewing machine's embroidery stitiches along the edges of the stripes and did free motion stitching on the centre panel. The centre panel was cut 4 1/2" wide and the strips were 2" by 10 1/2". The base was 6" by 16". I sewed the lining into the bag using Kim's method for her charmed gift bag. I haven't got enough of all the fabrics to make another exactly the same but I'm thinking of making a similar one for myself!

Blackberries

Yesterday Mr Photographer came home from his afternoon walk with the dogs clutching a plastic bag. 'Open it' he said. Well these particular bags don't usually contain anything pleasant if you get my drift! Anyway, open it I did and there were some lovely shiny blackberries. Today he came back to tell me he had found a hedge laden with fruit so I dropped him off as I drove to the shop then came back to help with the picking. We came home with 2 1/2 pounds of juicy berries for half an hour's work. Not bad going. Tomorrow we will be making jam!

I did sew today but just need a little more time to finish my friendship swap bag so tomorrow I should have a photo  of the finished item. Drop by again soon!

Tail Feathers - Taking Flight!

Ta Da! One Tail feathers block. It's taken time and some reverse stitching but I got there! I've even made a good start on the next one too. I used to do quite a lot of cross stitch before I got into quilting but I hadn't really tried other stitches until this. Back stitch isn't too bad (not always as neat as I would like) and buttonhole stitch but I find the satin stitch a bit tricky. I am finding it relaxing tho - just right after an exhausting day at work, sitting in front of the tele. I'm afraid I'm not doing so much quilting at the moment as going back to work after the lovely summer break has been hectic.

This week was also Mr Photographer's birthday and the offspring came over in the evening so we went to our favourite curry house - delicious!  He had some of photo related pressies plus some newly remastered Beatles CDs and a Wallace and Gromit airfix kit! I'd ordered some greetings cards with his photos on the front which I am impressed with. They come from Moo (I love the name) and you can have a different picture on every card in a pack. Perhaps I could have some with my quilts on the front.

Friendship Bag Swap Progress

 

 I have to admit to being tired after yesterday's workshop so didn't feel like doing much today. I have made a start on my bag for the Friendship Bag Swap and I'm pleased with it so far. Now I have to decide how to quilt it and choose a lining - wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow!

Dyeing Day Satisfaction

 

My dyeing day was great fun and the 11 ladies seemed very satisfied with the results. Each went home with a stash of dyed fabrics to be washed. Here are mine drying on the line. We all made a 12 step colour wheel (above), a 4 step graduation:

     

...some tie dyed beauties:

....and random pieces dyed in a tray:

I can't wait to see their fabrics and quilts they make with them!Come on girls - send me photos! (Click on My Profile to email me)

Harrogate Quilt Show

 

Here's a little something I made at a one hour workshop at the Great Northern Quilt Show - it's a needlecase made with hand painted silk and dyed flowers and lace. I know it's not a quilt but still I'm pleased with it. The talented embroiderer running the workshop was Josie Storey. She makes gorgeous book covers, little bags etc and she's local. She runs classes in Wetherby and York which I'd love to join now I have rediscovered hand stitching but don't think I have the time - sigh!

Anyway the quilt show was lovely. The quilts on display were very inspiring. I was pleased to see a larger proprtion of  traditional patchwork quilts in contrast to The Festival of quilts. Really this show seems far more representative of the quilts which the vast majority of quilters are making. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy seeing what the professionals and international quilters produce and I think there is room for both shows. It's just a pity they are so close together in the calendar and that the Northern Show is not better promoted. It doesn't even have a proper website!

There is a problem with me showing you the quilts I'm afraid. There were notices everywhere warning that the quilts were for personal enjoyment only and not for publication. Hmmm does a blog constitute a publication? If someone enters a quilt for display in a public show do they really expect quilters not to share photos of those quilts with their friends - for their personal pleasure? Let me know what you think!

Here is one I can show you as, while I was admiring it, a voice beside me said 'That's mine!' I was delighted to chat with Sue about her quilt and she gave me permission to put photos on my blog.

 

Inch by Inch by Sue Horder

This wonderful quilt is made of one inch squares hand piced over papers. Such patience! The colours were beautiful - much better than the photo suggests. Here's the label and a close-up:

Hand Dye Quilt

My dyeing class is fast approaching and I want to have a quilt made up with my hand-dyes to show the participants. So today I spent a happy couple of hours making nine patch blocks from half a dozen colours and solid white.

 

Then I held my breath and cut each block into quarters. Phew! that wasn't too bad. Now I just have to arrange them. Here are half of the blocks. I think it's going to take a bit of fiddling til I'm satisfied!

                                      

Daylight

It beginning to feel a little autumnal here in Yorkshire. Although it was bright this morning there was a strong wind and it felt colder as we walked around Harrogate. The evenings are drawing in too. I've been spending some time this week hand stitching my 'Tail Feathers' block and I really can't manage now without our daylight lamp. I even turn it on during the day sometimes too!

The ladies at Knuston Hall were discussing the demise of the 100w light bulb and I tried to explain what a difference daylight bulbs make but I don't think they believed me! The light they give off is lovely and clear - perfect for seeing colours as if you are in bright daylight. I started with a folding 'portable'lamp then Mr Photographer decided we should have a larger lamp for reading etc so we bought a 'floor lamp' to sit between the armchair and the sofa. This has a magnifier attached but I've found I really don't need that because the light makes all the difference. Click here to see details of the type of lamp we bought.

Clarice Cliffe Quilt

I have actually been doing some City and Guilds work today - I can't put it off any longer! I have finished the sewing but to complete the course there is a lot of paperwork to do. I have to put the finishing touches to my quilt history section, and complete a book for each of my final pieces on how they were developed. You are  really supposed to document the development first then make the item. I found I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do and resented having to draw, paint and write about my ideas. I just wanted to get on with the making!

The above quilt measures 12" square which was the maximum size allowed for one of the pieces.The starting point for this was a Clarice Cliffe jug with brightly coloured geometric designs. I drew blocks in EQ6 the played with different arrangements and colours.  I'm happy with the design but not with the execution. I decided to make it with my hand dyed silk as the colours were so bright. It was paper pieced on dissolvable paper. Unfortunately when I removed the paper the patches all shifted and skewed and I couldn't get it to press very neatly. The quilting was a nightmare! I have no intention of ever again making anything so complex in miniature size. I would like to make it again in a decent size and using cotton fabric!

Lost and Found

One thing I hate about getting a bit older is the failure of my memory. I got an email from Buttonberry to tell me the next installment of the Tail Feathers BOM is on it's way. I realised I hadn't touched this project since before Jen the vet came to stay and I had to transform my sewing room back to a bedroom. I had that slightly panicky feeling -where on earth had I put it?

I did find it in one of my storage unit drawers but not before a rummage had brought to light this little quilt I had forgotten about. It measures about 30" square and was made from a moda charm square pack which came in a pretty little tin with a pattern. I loved the colours so much I went and bought loads of these fabrics to make a larger quilt. Where is that you might well ask - it's not lost, just sitting in the pile of UFOs!! In the meantime the little quilt is going back on display on the dining table where it belongs.

Shopping and Fabric Samples

 My kit contained beautiful hand dyes fabric and tthe pattern

I did a little shopping at the festival of quilts - I was very retrained really! I bought an art quilt kit from the 'Chicago School of Fusing', pictured above. I love Laura Wasilowski and Frieda Anderson's quilts and their stand was stunning. Their hand dyed fabrics and threads are to die for - to go to the Artfabric store for Laura's patterns click here. For Frieda's patterns click here.

I treated myself to one book by Ineke Berlyn which has loads of photos from her sketchbooks and the resulting quilts.I love the idea of having a sketchbook but I'm afraid I've never developed the habit of drawing and painting for inspiration.

 

Just two of the fabric sample cards I received.

I also bought 3 lengths of fabric. One of these was from Oakshott Fabrics who make gorgeous fine shot cotton in a huge range of colours. I've visited their website before but I'm wary of ordering without seeing samples of the fabric because colours on the internet are so difficult to match. I had a word with the man on the stall and he took my name and address and said he'd send me samples. Well he did! I got a large envelope with several large cards containing the samples neatly arranged and labelled - fantastic. I'll definitely be ordering this fabric regularly.