Celebrate!

Hi there again folks - especially hello to those people who have looked at my blog for the first time today. I must start this entry by saying a big thank you to Jennifer Trollope, who did the Twisted Tiffany boxes today at Step by Step. I have had a look at the explanation I gave in my last entry - and I hope that I haven't given too much detail about the technique - I think it is reasonable but not too much! I'm sure you will let me know Jennifer if it is too much.

Today was great - I got to show off the pieces that featured in the previous entry - and Jennifer even said that my kimonos were as good as hers! What more can a gal ask for? We were all looking for the Jacobean Garden fabric panels - but to no avail. It just goes to show that you have to buy the fabric when you see it.

I used a piece of Erté inspired fabric from Woodrow Studios, in the red / yellow / orange / purple colourway for the box today. However - as the design is quite intricate, and I wanted a lot of different coloured threads on the piece, I haven't got anywhere near finishing it yet. It will not remain unfinished for long, and it certainly will not be a UFO. What I do need to do is find somewhere where I can get more shot organza - apparently there is a shop in Barnstaple - on the ring road bit. I shall have to go and investigate!

So - this post - entitled Celebrate! What is the quilt about? Let me show you a photo to start with:

This quilt is based on a pattern in the Patchwork and Quilting magazine, August (I think) 2008. The fabric is mostly pastel colours - pale green, blue, pink and cream. The pattern shows cakes, chocolates - and glasses of champagne. The photo shows the whole quilt spread out on our bed. I've said that the quilt is based on a pattern, as I have adapted the pattern to make it bigger; I used four panels in the centre, rather than one, and then I included an extra border of flying geese units.

I really enjoyed the the fabrics, and once I had seen the pattern in Patchwork and Quilting, I knew that I wanted to make the quilt. However, the pattern in the magazine was really for a lap quilt, and I wanted a bigger quilt - I have a number of lap quilts already. That is why I decided to make the quilt bigger. I also pieced the back of the quilt. However - the back of the quilt is a very random affair, without any measurements at all. I used my quilting frame to quilt the piece - I forget which wadding I used. However - I used pastel YLI threads, and also pastel Coats Star Magic cotton (the Star Magic cotton is not readily available in the UK, but some USA websites supply it at a very good price) to quilt the piece. I free-motion quilted it with hearts and stars on a 'ribbon' - I suppose the hearts could look a little like ivy leaves on a vine. The stars are five pointed stars, with the lines crossing each other.

I really can't explain the delight I have in this quilt! It is so good to have it on the bed, and to be able to snuggle up under it. I can also take it down to my sewing room, and wrap myself up in it - something I haven't been able to do with any of my other quilts - which have been lap sized quilts. I shall let you into a secret now - when I took the photo, the quilt was not finished. There were a few threads left to tie / sew in, and I hadn't added the label either. However, the quilt is finished now - including the label.

So, that is all for this post. New visitors - remember, you can leave comments . I can also moderate the comments. But just to finish this post, I shall show you the remaining Jacobean Garden panels - I suspect that quite a few people will be searching for them high and low for some time to come!

Revelation Burning

I've been 'told off' (!) for not adding to my blog recently - so here I am trying to add something (or two or three things) now! Of course - it's easy to add things to a blog when you are not working on any projects, but when you are eager to get on with things, it is not so simple.

Anyway - the weekend before the start of the summer term, I attended a workshop held at Step-by-Step at South Molton, held by Jennifer Trollope - http://www.jennifertrollope.com/ . It was great! We used a kimono panel, acrylic felt, acrylic shot organza (two layers), a soldering iron, some cotton, cotton thread, and wadding. Having layered the felt, organza and panel, we then decided which elements to emphasize and satin stitched around them. Once happy with the design being created, we burned out the enclosed sections - creating a unique piece of work, from a pre-printed panel. Here is the first of the kimonos I have created:

This is the piece that I started during the workshop. I have another workshop this weekend, at the same place, also run by Jennifer Trollope. This weekend is Twisted Tiffany Boxes.

After the last workshop, I bought a number of other kimono panels, and have almost finished the second panel. However, after the workshop I also looked for other fabric that I could use the revelation burning technique on. I found some other panels - and here they are:

Stockings!

I've got back from another workshop at Step by Step Patchwork Centre at South Molton. Today's workshop was called Boxes of Delight - and the tutor was Jan Tillett. The very first post on this blog shows a piece of work I did at another of her workshops - that was Stitched Herbaceous Borders. I shall update this blog later (might be later today, later this week, later this month - you'll just have to wait to find out!).

Today's posting is about the Christmas stockings I made for Christmas 2008. Three stockings were for youngsters (babies / toddlers), the others were for adults - the children in this house!

The first stocking shown was for Karla - Mathew's girlfriend. I embellished the Christmas tree with threads and beads. I used embroidery threads for the name, date, my initials and the hand embroidery, and rayon threads for the satin stitch around the appliqued pieces.

The next stocking shows the one I made for Mathew. Those of you who know Mathew will understand the significance of the appliqued pieces - and those who don't know Mathew will be able to guess at the significance! I didn't embellish the Christmas tree to the same extent, but I did include some bead work on the guitar - for the tuning pegs and the frets. The strange shapes - in case you are wondering, are guitar picks - plectrums - or is it plectra in the plural?! Mathew is the guitarist in the family - although Nathan also plays.

Nathan's stocking is the next one up: no prizes for guessing which instrument he plays! I used bright musical fabric for both the guitar and the drum kit - fabric that has guitars on, and musical notes. Nathan has a bit of a thing for candles, so he has a candle. I tried to make the drum kit like his - but as his drum kit is HUGE - I didn't try too hard to replicate it - it wouldn't have all fitted on! As a total deviation from the subject of this blog, why is it that the past tense of fit is fitted, and yet the past tense of sit is sat? I like the idea of saying that something wouldn't have fat on!

Anyway - that's a whole different subject, a whole different topic for a blog.

Back to Nathan's stocking. I included a treble clef and a quaver (note) on the stocking - continuing the music theme, and used music fabric for it. The cat is included as Joey (big black cat) has a thing for going into Nathan's room. Joey lets us ALL know that he wants to go into Nathan's room. Problem is, Joey is getting a bit old, and has earned himself the name of 'bone bonce'; this is because Joey will miouw and scrape at Nathan's door when Nathan isn't there! Still, you have to excuse him, he is in his latter years.

How to I get the patterns? I've used clipart and done internet image searches (I used Google) to find pictures. The treble clef has been adapted slightly, to make it work well as an appliqued shape. The cat I drew myself, as I did the star and the candle. The drumkit was a little different, in that I found a picture of 'Nathan's' drumkit - the same brand as his kit, and then tried to identify the key shapes of the kit. I took these key shapes, and applied them. It doesn't really stand up to close inspection, but the shapes are enough to make the image clear.

I've used shapes from childrens books previously - Dick Bruna's 'B is for Bear'. I've had the book for a very long time, and mum used the pictures first for the stockings she made for us back in 1978. I've continued the tradition - I must have made between 15 and 20 stockings now. I don't sell the stockings. I have offered to make them for family and friends. I have taken orders for them at church; I have not taken any money for them - I have asked for a donation for the church funds. The donations go straight to the church - I have donated my time and fabrics.

I have found the internet fantastic for developing my talents - especially my talent of drawing! I'm useless at drawing, but the images on the web allow me to reproduce shapes to a decent standard. There are so many images that can be used to help the production of a quilt - either quilting patterns, applique patterns, or ideas for quilts. It's for this reason I have Dali pictures and optical illusions on my blog.

Until the next time...

Musical Blues

Yes, another post! I thought that I would add another edition - and show you another entry that I made, for a different competition. This quilt is called Musical Blues - it was made for a competition of the same name - for the Spring Quilt festival. By entering the competition, I got a ticket to the show as well - and we attended it at Westpoint, Exeter. Keith and I went along, and I didn't get a prize, but at least my work was shown! I had decided a couple of years ago that I was going to make a quilt using musical fabrics. The problem was the pattern. I doodled during a meeting, and came up with an idea. I decided to use colours and bias binding / satin ribbon to show certain symbols. You can see the piano keys, and next to it is a block to show the sharp symbol. Next to that is a block showing 2/4 time. Under that I have tried to show bars, with an angelina fibres to show a crotchet rest. On the very left is a block to show 2/2 time - the triangles. Under that is a block - 5/4 time, and then a natural sign. The block next to it shows crescendo and diminuendo signs - interlocked. At right angles to that is a stave with an angelina treble clef, and a double sharp sign. The bottom row shows wavy stave with a quaver, and my attempt at a bass clef sign. Next to that is a block with 3 colours - to show 3/8 times.

I quilted it using free motion quilting, and quilting the names of different colours of blue together with names of dance rhythms. I also quilted musical terms into the piece as well. I used sequins to dot the 'i's in the piece. The name of the challenge was 'Rhythm and Blues'.

Catch 22

Hi there!

Today, as I'm off school due to a viral infection, I thought that I would put a bit more on this blog. I've chosen one of my 'darker' pieces today - Catch 22. I did this as an entry for the Quilting Arts calendar competition 2008 - so was making it is 2007. I really quite like it, although I suppose it looks fairly freaky. Here it is to show you what I mean:

if you've never read Catch 22, I suggest that you do so - I've read it many times - it was a set text for A Level English. I shall now explain the quilt to you. The face is a yellowish shade, that is always just short of being jaundice. One of the yes is a black eye, and this ties in with the feathers in the cap. One of the officers was obsessed with black eyes and feathers in his cap - everything was either good for him or not. The red pennants are for another officer who was obsessed with marching, and desired to win them at the Sunday parade every week. The foot is the one from the Monty Python cartoons - I consider Catch 22 and Monty Python to be alike in the zany-ness. The toes, and the gums are painted purple - because that was the cure for all ills in the camp - to paint toes and gums with gentian violet solution. One of the characters wanted apple cheeks - so my quilt has apple cheeks. There are reels of Egyptian cotton, as Milo Minderbinder was buying and selling Egyptian cotton - the cotton is from the King Tut collection. The m&m packet (image printed on treated cotton) signifies m&m enterprises (Milo Minderbinder again). The letter with all the words blanked out shows the letters that Yossarian censored while he was in hospital. The mouth is dark inside, because of a description of someone in the hospital - the description goes: "The colonel was gorgeous. He had a cavernous mouth, cavernous cheeks, cavernous, sad, mildewed eyes." It was the best way to show the cavernous mouth. One of the officers who sorted out rooms for the soldiers on leave - and he lost an eye by someone throwing flowers during a parade. The cat is sleeping on someone's face - Huple's cat sleeps on Hungry Joe's face. There is a sack of potatoes with the 'Dove' soap in there, for the time the squadron was poisoned when cakes of soap were mashed in to the potatoes. The flies are there in the eyes for the flies in Appleby's eyes, which Appleby can't see, because he's got flies in his eyes. How can you see the flies in your eyes, if you've got flies in your eyes??

The eyes are wobbly ones and on zany spirals, because that is the effect Catch 22 has on your head! Finally, the 'person' cut in half is Kid Sampson, who was cut in half by McWatt - who decided to fly low - as usual.

All of the items in the quilt are my lasting memories of that book. It didn't get any where with the challenge - and I suppose it is not so surprising as it is rather gruesome. However, it was conceived and made at a time when I was suffering with depression - quite severely.

Why did I stick with it, and why have I shown it to you? All the quilts are a part of me, and this one used many new techniques - Angelina film, printing on fabric, using Heat 'n' Bond to create moulded flowers, and fabric painting. I did quite enjoy making it, and I think it shows some of the lighter side of the book, the grim nature of it, and the zany-ness of it too! Not bad, for a quilt 24 inches square.

I almost forgot!

Just a very quick note - Tuesday is a special day - mum and Caro fly off to Singapore and then New Zealand - and I get my quilter's cupboard - I ordered it in July - and it's arriving - and that means that I've got to sort out my sewing room to make sure that there is room for it! I really must go and cook tea now - thai style vegetables this evening, with quorn. And then some sewing - or cutting out fabric at the very least!

Happy in my room!

Happy in my sewing room - a place where I can get creative - and for those of you who haven't looked at the Westdene Changes site, here it is again. It looks a bit different now, as I have the quilting frame at the end where the TV is in the photo. Yes, this is a room just for me, where I can indluge myself in fabric - and frequently do!

Sew (I like that - sometimes I think I'm so clever!), you want to know what I've been up to recently. Well, I've spent an obscene amount of time over the past two days looking at facebook. But in the mean time, I have made a quilt for my cousin's baby, I've finished a bag - one that I started in February - did a course at Step by Step - it was a course called Strip and Flip. I've also made placemats and a table runner, and have started cutting pieces for advent calendars, and looked for the fabric to make Christmas stockings. This photo shows the quilt I made for Thomas - my cousin's baby. I pieced it while we were still in the flat, and decided on pastel colours as I didn't have any other fabric in the flat that I thought was suitable. The pattern is probably one that people will recognise, as I have made several other quilts in the same pattern. I had a couple of charm packs in the falt with me, so I used them for the quilt. I had a jelly roll that I used, and I just had to cut the strips to the right size - decided by the size of the inner blocks. I made it more or less an 'I Spy' quilt - one to help learning. Oh dear - that must be the teacher coming out in me. I quilted the quilt using the quilting frame, which was great fun. I've got several others that need to be quilted, but I feel that I must dye the backing fabric first. I will have to take some more photos of other projects so that I can show them off as well. That will be all for the moment - I have to cook tea, and get some sewing done too.