Beth Studley Workshop

Beth's quilt made using her own fabric line

I went to the Oast workshop on Sunday.We were doing Beth Studley's All Sorts quilt from her pattern of that name. It was quite time consuming. Judi and I only managed a block each (Judi kindly sewed for me as well as hostessing and other stuff) but now I've done one I can see how one can cut sets of strips ready to go. Once the U3A has finished I intend to buckle down to my own projects.

Several participants' blocks laid out.

Nikki's blocks were very
lovely.

My untrimmed block very
unlovely. I shall sort the
corners methodology next  time.

My block at left, Judi's at right. She kindly pointed out her cup was straight, mine crooked. Equally kindly I pointed out blocks were turned in the quilt and hers would end up upside down! I was grateful though!

A Special Day at Oast Quilters

This quilt adorns the cover of her her book showing the quilts she has made for family and friends.

Founder member Rosemary Marozzi's quilts were the focus of the January meeting of Oast Quilters. She is very unwell but her group helped gather 20 plus of the 50 or 60 in her possession and coordinated with Justin her son and Rosemary herself. Justin provided the family stories and memories of his mother's sewing while Rosemary described what went into the making of the quilts and members of her group held up quilts and ran round to point out which of the hanging quilts was being referred to. Rosemary described how she had undergone a "totally unexpected conversion"  and how her quilts became infused with her religious faith and an act of praise and thanksgiving. Many of her family members were there which made the day all the more special.
These pictures were taken by the Oast chairperson and have been downloaded from our (closed) Facebook site. I forgot my camera!

This Flower Fairies quilt made for a very lucky granddaughter is one of Rosemary's favourites.

A wonderful centrepiece

A very large quilt which took two and a half years to make even with help from group members.

Depicting scenes from one of the gospels, I think St Luke's.

Linus Quilts

Oast Quilters today and a chance to hand in a couple of quilts for Linus. They are big enough for a teenager which is useful.

This one is called Codebreaker and uses pieces leftover from another quilt in improvised blocks which look like code but don't mean anything.

Called Red & Black this one reverses the normal arrangement of disappearing nine patch with white background in the feature squares.

Ardingly 20

Jane Turvey's Farmers Wife, one of many versions at the Show.

Judi and I had a lovely day at the first Grosvenor Show of the year, Ardingly. I had my camera on the wrong setting for the first few photos but here are the rest.

This touch of red challenge
piece turned out to be by Gillian
a fellow member of my
Siblings Together bee.

The lines of machine
stitching alternated with
lovely hand quilted lines
on this challenge piece.

Rosemary Muntus' boro piece for the challenge

Smithereens by Helen Lynch inspired by rock fissures.

A Bed of Roses by Carol
Ward using ice dyed fabrics.

Detail of effective block unit.

Sewing Room Makeover

On the door a wonderful postcard sent by a  Siblings Together Bee member. It has a "do not enter" aspect to it!

I took advantage of the quiet 12 Days of Christmas to thoroughly clean my sewing room which involved tidying and moving furniture so I did one of my periodic rearrangements. Every time I do this I think "this is it" only to change round again as stuff silts up. This time though I'm finding it lovely to work in.
I was reluctant to have my back to the window but it means the up down switches on my table are readily accessible in order to change from sewing to cutting mode. The iron is handily behind and if I have it at a lower height I just have to swivel round for repeated bits of ironing and then I get to see through the window and give my eyes a break. The bookshelves are still a bit untidy but that's a job for another day.

The  Picture is a print of one by Hans
Heysen showing his wife at her sewing
machine. The machine and window are
still there but the woman is no more.

Untidy shelves. If only I didn't keep files
of stuff. The tall thin wardrobe is packed
with UFO's. EEK.

Rulers kept in Seminole pouch

Table rises and falls at press of  two
buttons. Ironing board in front of the window.
I have a Sewezi Grande machine table.
I got rid of my Horn Cabinet as too bulky.

Fabric folded over a piece of card cut to fit shelf proportions. This saves space and I can ore easily see what I have. I pull out the card 8" by 14" once the piece is folded. FQs folded smaller and in drawers.

Entrance: the hamper came from my son as a Christmas present and holds my Jan Hassard project which I am enjoying. The sheep hanging is  by Gail Lawther.

First trip of 2020

The usual combination of three set off for Farnham on the Sunday 12th arriving at 1pm to take advantage of the late entrance fee. I spent more time shopping than usual but to good effect and enjoyed going round more or less together. Judi was buying for the Oast Quilters' raffle and combined good priced FQ's very thoughtfully.

The red fabric is 108" wide and was only £10 a metre. It's the same as on my "Amish" ninepatches quilt from over 15 years ago and I've been looking for more ever since. I wish I'd found it in time to go on the back of my Joseph's Coat quilt. The blue is a heavier weight bought from the same stall. The cacti pots fabric was in the £3 metre pile under another table. I bought the rest of the bolt. It's lovely  quality and I can back a quilt with it and give the surplus to Belinda who has the whole collection.

So I had less time for the quilts and demonstrations and for photos than usual, only two!

This is Penny Mitchell's Sewers Quilt" made from sewing themed fat eighths bought "blind" by her husband on the internet.

This is by Brigitte Gillespie, "The Super Star Quilt in a day"
which she is going to teach at the Farnham Maltings. 

U3A mystery finale

U3A patchwork group with their mystery quilt projects

Jane has made a bag from
last year's hexagon log cabin
 star poject.

There were lots of finished tops to Show & Tell on Monday. It was lovely to see all the different fabric choices laying emphasis on different aspects of the pattern. I produced mine as well (all with mitred borders). The leafy one was not made mysteriously but I drew out the pattern to enlarge it and constructed the central square in rows. These were not as straightforward as one might have supposed as the background squares are framed by fabric 1 and by fabric 3 and the strip squares are arranged asymmetrically. We agreed the shapes were simple but the pattern was more complicated than first appeared.

79" square leafy quilt to be long arm quilted by friend Maggie

The bright back

Orange and Black Mystery 54" X 72"
This will be given to Linus at Oast on Saturday.

Backing for
Flowery Mystery

Flowery Mystery 58" X 75"

Borders 05: pieced

Fabrics cut right sides together

Strips sewn together and sub cut into two patches which are
joined to make four patches and in turn to make borders the required length.

There are lots of options for pieced borders. I chose to make pieced squares. First I cut 2" strips and sewed them together, then subcut into two patches and then sewed these together into four patches. I followed the same alignment so that when I snipped the surplus stitches at the centre seam crossing of the four patches I could make the seams turn the same way so that they all nested together when I joined them to form the borders. See illustration HERE, at the end of my blog post for Monday October 1st 2018.
I needed 4 four patches for the first border, 5 for the second and third and 6 for the final one, 20 in all.

First 12" finished size border added
with five 4-patches ready to join for the
second border,

Last two borders  to attach.

Completed

Borders 04: corner posts

If you don't have enough fabric to extend beyond the edges of the top or it is tricky to make a pieced border pattern go round the corners, corner stones can be the solution. 
Cut four pieces the length of the top and add squares of the same width at the corners as shown.

Pieces laid out

 First two sides attached

All done

Border Matters 03: mitres

If I have sufficient fabric I like to make a mitred border. You need the length of the side of the quilt plus two border widths for each one. I add a little bit extra. 

Here illustrated with my quilt.

First I mark the seam lines at the corners on the reverse side of the quilt top. Where they cross is the starting and stopping point of the seam stitching.

Reverse of top piece

Then match the centre of the border strip to the middle of the edge of the quilt  and pin. 

Centre fold of border strip matched
to top piece centre.

Pinned

The rest of the pinning is done with the back of  the quilt top uppermost and right sides together.














Sew all four border strips stopping and starting where the seams cross. I do two opposite sides and then the remaining two.

 

First two sides. Note stop and start points.

Last two sides pinned at the centre ready to turn over and
sew on the reverse.

Now draw or press a 45 degree line from the marked point to the outer edge of the border strip, using the lines on your ruler or a set square.

Using a set square. note side of the
set square is aligned with the edge of
the border trip.

Using a ruler.

Place the two adjacent strips alongside each other and pin.
Sew along your marked line either back stitching or using a smaller stitch before you reach the point.

Ready to sew: borders pinned together and sides aligned.

Open out and press. 

You see the excess length I cut
poking out

Trim away excess fabric.

Be careful!