Sir Thomas More

While waiting for the bus to Faversham we popped in St Dunstan's Church, Canterbury. Sir Thomas More's daughter married  one of the Roper family who are buried here and the remains of whose house stand opposite. After her father was executed Margaret retrieved his head from the stake and had it interred here in the side chapel. A window celebrates his life and a quilt hung on the wall. As it happens we could have lingered much longer as the bus only three stops away from the bus station was 20 minutes late. This is the last day of going by bus for some time as we spent 1 hour 5 minutes waiting for three delayed buses plus the time we waited before they were due. Not good enough. It was from St Dunstan's that Henry II set off clothed in sackcloth and ashes to flail himself on the route to the Cathedral to do penance for the murder of Thomas Becket.

Too clever by half

Project Linus Quilt

I am currently in the habit of using up the leftovers after completing a quilt top and this is my attempt. However if you think this looks unexpectedly odd the reason is that I glanced at the first page of Dorothy's "Just my size" instructions from her Pocketful of Mysteries site and thought I could see where it was going and read no further. Too clever by half as the blocks couldn't be set alternately because of how  I had made them so this row setting will have to do. Dorothy used a nifty construction method, one I shall return to. I now have one 10.5" block leftover and minimal scraps. Now I have to piece some leftover batting. . .

 

Autumn's here and the quilt's on the bed.

Stack & Whack Squares 3: top done

I added the remaining orange strips and the feature fabric borders today. Tomorrow I'll sew the back.


Taken sitting on the spare bedroom window sill.

Stack & Whack Squares 2

 I originally planned to set the blocks together without sashing but in the event decided to half frame them in alternate mauve and turquoise fabric.

Blocks set side by side

Half frames cut out

I sewed the mauve ones first.

Alternating colours

Stack & Whack Squares 1

Like many other patchworkers I'm not just given to cutting up fabric and putting it back together again but have been fascinated by the possibilities of fussy cutting. When I made my first quilt, hexagon rosettes, early rosettes were cut anyhow but later,  like many others before and since, I found myself manipulating motifs and stripes to fan outwards or circle around. I noticed how in Jinny Beyer's block books (Her Quilter's album of blocks and borders is a wonderful resource) she used repetitive elements in border prints designs. Later I read a magazine article by Rebecca Collins where she cut up six identical cushion panels and joined identical pieces in a kaleidoscope effect. However the phenonomen really took off with the publication of  Bethany Reynolds' Magic Stack'n'Whack book though my favourite is the Stack'n'Whackipedia which uses fewer simpler shapes. This quilt was made from that book and started in a class with Bethany in Paducah.

I saw her demonstrate blocks with four identical patches but my efforts really took off after a class with Judy Johnson  in Sisters, Oregon. She really was a wonderful teacher, strong on design as well as technique. The floral quilt was started in her workshop. Making this I learnt not to try to make all the blocks stars - some odder arrangements are good for the mix, a lesson I tried to apply to my current project.


Quilt started in Judy's class. Note that two of the blocks are not pieced.
The border develops an idea from Bethany Reynolds.

Now I've started on a new project with a different look. I wanted lots of background space. The repeat is 24" which permits more variety and I bought 5+ repeats. Four sections are stacked up aligning identical elements (Judy showed clever ways to do this) and strips cut and then subcut into squares. Mine were 4 5/8" to make maximum use of fabric. Then the four patch fun starts - you can have four rotational arrangements, arrange mirror image or all the same way.

The fabric

Arrangement 1

Arrangement 2

Arrangement 3

Arrangement 4



Arrangement 5



Arrangement 6

Making progress

I took Bryn's completed quilt into Quay Quilters for Show & Tell. I just love it. The batting is washed 80/20 and is soft and drapable and the cut up shirts provide a variety of textures and  the backing is a warm feeling seersucker fabric. It's homely but just right. The blue turquoise border matches the colour of his bedroom walls.

We were issued with another charity block to do and I completed mine today so I don't have to think about it till the next evening meeting. We were given the centre square and then added our own fabrics.

Charity block

Patchwork Party

Bonnie Quilters met today having completed the centre block of the medallion quilt we are all making.

Mine in the foreground and clockwise Fran's, Mavis's and Trish's.

Quilt Show Weekend II

On Sunday we went to Herne Bay and a show by a quilt and craft group in a super1908 church built on an expansive scale with more than a hint of Arts & Crafts.

Fascinating pattern

Modern & fresh fabrics

I must work out how to do this

First attempt at machine quilting - very impressive

Spiderweb

I liked the applique superimposed on logcabin

Fellow Quay Quilter Hilary's quilt.

Quilt Show Weekend 1

I have been to a couple of small local quilt shows this weekend. The first one was in Sheerness on the island of Sheppey, a place we rarely visit so the event was a chance to explore. We saw the show, enjoyed lunch out with a view overlooking the Thames estuary  across to Southend. It was a lovely clear day and as a succession of ships made their way in and out of the river occasional cries of "I wish I'd bought my binoculars" could be heard from Alan. We had a good walk along the shore and I enjoyed reading all the dedications on the benches and working out how old the loved ones were when they died. Lots had fresh flowers attached to them. Not quite as good as a graveyard . . . On another note we saw wedding photos being taken on the shore and later when we went to look at Minster Abbey with a C12th tomb of the local baron in the reign of Edward I we saw the wedding party now man and wife in the churchyard.
Anyway my favourite quilt in the show was a redwork paean to crafts with little samples of work attached to the blocks.

Holy Trinity Church, Sheerness,  with quilts over the pews

Redwork with embellishments



I love the little kntting sample in the corner

Tiny thimbles

Quilt using up retired husband's ties

Sewing Day

The Crab & Winkles gathered for a day's sewing together. I attached the binding to Bryn's quilt and started to sew it, Marion attached binding to the curvy edges of her apple core quilt which Maggie had quilted with apples and caterpillars and Maggie worked on a couple of tops.

Bed of roses - Maggie

Top by Maggie

Marion's apple core quilt

Day out

The Usual Suspects and guest had a lovely day lunching and sewing in a local village hall. Lots of space for all for us. Various long term special projects are nearing completion.

Quilt stand for Judi with Marigold's A4 piece on it.

Top by Tracy

Marigold's applique

Tracy's work in progress

Table all set



Belinda's magnificent Quilt Show BOM

Valerie's stupendous stars

Lovely Jelly Roll quilt

Judi's Fig Tree work in progress