Snow Day

View from the sewing room

It should have been the U3A class this morning but we are all snowed in.
I'm finishing up a project which is for practical charitable use. The point is to make it as large as possible with the aid of  a nice probably new duvet cover from a charity shop. I messed up the first cutting up of border pieces so have more or less wasted the back by chopping it up. Anyway I was able to label my last row of pieced blocks by using very handy "labels" from friend Judi  will save lots of rewriting.

My safety pin label "e".

To break up handquilting my heavy sampler quilt I sewed a little sleeve onto the back of this A4 quilt made for the Little Gems tombola at the FOQ a few years ago which I won. It's made by Carol Mowat and I like it very much. I can't find a blog or link in her name. The stand was made by Eric another friend's husband and wonderful woodworker.

Spooling

On Saturday I attended an Oast Quilters Spools workshop taught by Carolyn Forster. It's my second class with her and once again it was a lovely day. One of the  best things is seeing  the beautiful quilts she brings along to show us, Spools quilts of course but as we were using jelly rolls to make our spools she later brought out the  quilts from her Jelly Rolls book .

Carolyn and quilt

It was fun seeing all the different "looks" according to fabric choices. My humble aim was to make a cushion cover and I finished my quota of blocks on the day, having learned minutely how to tackle inset seams, a transferable skill.

My cushion cover made from Cherrywoods

Another participant's blocks

Tracy's, using 1930's reproductions.

Quay Quilters

Ruby's Cut and sew inspired by Marla Alexander

There were quite a lot of  Show & Tell items at Quay Quilters when we met on the 9th for the first meeting of the New Year.

Gillian has made a replacement for her son's quilt which is now getting worn.

Jane's work in progress

I think this may be Jane's too but not sure.

Vanessa used a gift of vintage blocks to make this.

Pippa's wallhanging, with binding still to finish.

Beginning Blocks 1b

 

The units and sewing order

Next block up, this time a 4-patch, is "Magic Box variation", the variation being the square in a square in the middle. This is not a block name I am familiar with. This time the grid is 4 by 4 squares although not all the lines are drawn in so the oblong unit is 3" x 6" finished and you need to cut two 2" by 6.5" strips to make it. This we chose to strip piece with long strips and sub-cut. To complete the block we made templates for the 3" HST's and the square in a square. Although technically the square in a square has bias edges we chose to cut it on the straight.


The first completed block using four fabrics.




The second version using only three fabrics.

Beginning blocks 1a

Drafted block

Churn Dash or Double Monkey Wrench

At the U3A the newish quilters are having a back to the beginning term, six sessions and two blocks a session. We are looking at the common shapes in block patchwork, the square, half square triangle, quarter square triangle, oblong and combinations such as the square in a square and flying geese. We are starting with templates but moving on to other techniques involving rotary cutting and also foundation piecing. However I think learning to draft and template making helps one to analyse patterns and become more independent as a quiltmaker. Also once having grasped the concept of templates and pattern making one can go on to use these techniques in very creative ways - many art quilters begin with a "cartoon" that is cut up into the individual shapes.





Anyway we begin by testing the accuracy of our 1/4" by sewing two 2" squares together (2x3.5'') and adding a 2x3.5'' strip to result in a 3.5" square.



We then went on to draft the block on 12'' graph paper dividing it into 4'' squares as Churn Dash is a 9-Patch block. There are three different shapes - square, half square triangle and oblong - and on a second piece of graph paper students drew each one using the original diagram as a guide. Each piece was cut round roughly and glued to card; we used cereal boxes. It's best to glue the paper shape onto the printed shiny side of the box so the rougher matte surface will cling to the fabric at the final stage. Each template was labelled with its shape, finished size and a minus sign to show the seam allowance hadn't been added. The little brass wheel is a wonderful gadget known as a Wonder Wheel or Quilters' Quarter wheel.
We used it to add seam allowances by sticking a pencil in the central hole and then moving it round the card to make unfinished size templates. In the picture the left hand which would normally be on the template to hold it steady is missing because it was holding the camera.

 

You can use either template to draw the shape onto the reverse side of the fabric. Here I've used the finished size template to draw the sewing line, useful if hand piecing.

When we drafted the block we started with the major lines and filled them in; when sewing it's the opposite - we sew the square units then join them first into rows then the block.

STAGE ONE - set out shapes and sew units

Stage TWO - sew rows

Stage THREE - sew block

Here I've used three fabrics but in the first version I used two.
 

U3A Show & Tell

The U3A met for the first meeting of 2013 and we showed and told though some had had to lay their sewing aside during the Christmas festivities.

Last  term's project made by Barbara

Margaret's quilt, her own design.



The other side of Barbara's bag.

And another

The reverse side

Lesley's quilt, not much left to do.

Sheila's Trip Around the World finished but a fuzzy photo.

Helen's little bag, another fuzzy photo!

New Year, New Start

I've deleted all my 2012 finishes and hope to add more in 2013. I plan to continue with UFO's and lots of Fabric Fusion quilts but otherwise try to loosen up and play. We shall see.
The grandchildren are visiting and we went to the Turner Contemporary at Margate where there is a wonderful installation they enjoyed interacting with and Isla did a little drop in workshop with me. We set our paper decorations on the Wishing Tree.
On a short walk round the Old Town I spotted this old (50's?) quilt in a junk shop window.

 

This little wall hanging was made by a dear friend. I love the Suffolk Puffs as we call them in the UK and these are made special by a lovely selection of buttons, some rather unusual.

 

Quilt of the season

Braid "filler".



Wonky piecing round centre square.



Asymmetric star

On the bed

My "Silent Stars" quilt went on the bed on Christmas Eve. From a 2003 pattern by Gwenfai Rees Griffiths in British Patchwork and Quilting magazine, it contained several inventive blocks; it was wonderful to make and will always be one of my favourites.

Final finish

This is my last finish of 2012, another "Just my Size" project.
I made it using a technique used for one of Dorothy's mysteries on her "Pocketful of Mysteries" lists and patterns for past mysteries can be purchased from her.

Christmas cushions

These make an appearance every year. A lady in Quay Quilters, Doreen, led a workshop when I made the one on the right. I liked the technique so much I made another. Because of the shape I had to make the cushion pads too.
I have slowed down down. My machine is packed away and I am pottering, on holiday from retirement routines! My family descend in batches after Christmas so I'm enjoying the pause.

Memories of childhood

Earlier in the year  I took part in a jolly block swap with transatlantic quilters. We made little people inspired by Kleine Meisje Quilts and for many of us these little people took on lives of their own. I had made some extras and when I remembered our Christmas challenge was memories of childhood I decided to make more little girls wearing old Lancashire cotton apron prints from my late mother's stash. It took one whole day of my quilt retreat. When I got home I pieced them in rows, quilted simply then added writing round the edge including the title "fabric of childhood". Then I gave each a name using my machine's alphabet facility, names common in the classrooms of my childhood but seldom seen now. Motley buttons completed the look

.

It was good to see the other challenges and realise a couple of members had an African childhood more common in the days of "Empire". A very clever one, a many sided ball with each side a faded black and white photo was very tactile; it got picked up quite a lot. But on this never to be repeated occasion my piece won; I was utterly delighted especially as my prize was a Christmas cake  made by excellent cook Vanessa. Alan was pleased too when I got home. We've already broached it and it's delicious.

Sister Santa

The Usual suspects is a group that swaps presents at Christmas - each buys something for one of the others. I am so thrilled with mine. It's a pincushion armchair though whether I can ever bring myself to stick pins in it is a moot point. If I do Judi gave me some lovely fine ones ready to hand plus some marker pins just right for me as I am always arranging and labelling blocks.
Meanwhile the Christmas Elf fancies some R&R.

The seat conceals a secret compartment.

Christmas Elf keeping an eye on the presents in comfort