The Sewing Space Quilt Show 2

Jane Elvin: Moda Jelly Roll quilt made
in a Sewing Space class taught by Tracy Aplin

Carol Goodson: My First Log Cabin Quilt 
made from a Jelly Roll in a Sewing Space Class

Janet Anstiss's first attempt ar Eco-Dyeing following 
a WI Denham at Home talk on Zoom

Janet Anstiss's first attempt at making a quilt using Aboringinal fabric
brought back from Australia following a disappearing ninepatch pattern.

 This is Karen Swaffer's Scrappy Steps quilt the first one she made by herself inspired by a magazine and confidence building from Angie with whom she started her quilting journey.

The Sewing Space Quilt Show

 was held the day after the retreat. As it was the Oast Quilters' AGM in the afternoon I visited the Show in the morning.It was a last hurrah for Angie who owned the lovely Sewing Space in Hythe and the quilts were made by her students including many beginners, the theme being "My First . . " Through her teaching she will have touched many lives introducing her students to a new and absorbing creative activity and new friendships.  The good news is that while Angie has returned to her native USA Claire has taken over the shop and whose impressive quilts are pictured here.

Meanwhile the Show was held in the Tin Tabernacle a most interesting builing erected as a "temporary" measure in 1893. The last service was in 2011 when it was no longer needed as an adjunct to the main parish church.

First Quilt by Claire Cullen

Disco Diva made by new Sewing Space owner, Claire, her first BOM designed by Jo Westford @TheCraftyNomad

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Another BOM by Angie made by Liz Metcalf

Kath Pichawski: Web of Stars

Detail - pattern from a magazine

Claire Cullen's first block quilt with fabrics cut by Sewing Space Debbie
and helped by other staff. 

Nicola Wood's version of Regent Street Union Jacks pattern by Amy Smart

Liz Metcalf Angie's lockdown BOM

Little Miss Sawtooth, another lockdown BOM made by Wendy
Watkins. This was my Visitors' Choice though I did love the blue one too.

My retreat activities

 My first job was to  set myself up for some hand sewing by binding the quilt Maggie had just long armed.

Binding pressed away from quilt

Triangle squares completed in inner border

Then a friend has requested a companion quilt to the one her husband bought from me and in similar colours. I am doing another fabric fusion quilt using Brandon Mably fish in similar colours to the contour fabric used on the first one and a similar alternate setting.

Here is the original "Map Quilt"

and contour fabric:

and here  are the fish and setting blocks:

This was my original setting block, far too plain and with too much blue.  But I will finish and join them as I have all the cut out pieces. Perhaps for the back?

Now I'm using this one.

O a similar note I'm making a further quilt using very different fabric. She can choose the one she prefers. Her sofa is in a similar green to this one.

When I got home I found a thank you card from the little girl and her mother for whom I made a picture play quilt. They were sorry not to see me at home so we'll try to fix a date for tea soon.

A rather lurid photo of Picture Play 51x59

PP Back with facing and triangle corners

A nice gesture

Local retreat

 Six of us stayed in all of the six large comfortable bedrooms in a local pub and  spent five happy weekdays sewing in the spacious function room. Three were all or mainly hand sewing while Maggie and I got to work on our machines, expert Maggie being incredibly skilled and productive. Here is some of her handiwork:

Here is the Fabric Fusion quilt she did after seeing mine. She used two fabrics with alternating blocks, an idea I'd like to try in my turn. She added the wide borders while we there.

These fussy cut flowers are framed so that the blocks are self sashing. Wonderful use of black and white.

More wide extravagant borders

Maggie's strippy quarter square spiderwebs will be added to later. Strips are organised into their own separate bags.

I liked how the blocks
combined to form a double
Irish Chain pattern,

More flamboyant borders.

Wartime Comforts

 

I was very taken by this elongated hexagons pattern.

Knowing I'm a quiltmaker a neighbour asked me over for coffee and to look over her family quilts made during the war by now very elderly or late relatives. I was able to tell her they were hand sewn over papers with tiny invisble stitches. A real fabric resource and by people who really knew how to sew.The border on one was mitred and backing and front edges turned in. Technically they are coverlets as typically of this variety of patchwork they have no wadding or quilting.

Detail of pink bordered one indicating mitred corners

This was a smaller one made for a child and these corners weren't mitred.

As the origin of quilts gets lost over the years I suggested she make a record of the makers and dates. One aunt had said it was a very calmng activity in time of war.

Detail of fabrics

Green Tea and Sweet Beans

is the rather unusual title of this this quilt pattern by Jen Kingwell who owns the Amitie Quilt shop  in Australia but whose patterns, fabrics and templates have been part of a worldwide hand sewing revival especially among younger quilters. 

My basket of initial fabrics from varied designers and manufacturers

 

Cover of pattern booklet

My first blocks: we are using our own drafted templates but machine sewing by and large. However the bottom larger block was a pain to machine so Trish and I will attempt hand piecing instead.

I am using mostly the same Tula print as background  to try and bring a bit more focus to my quilt. I am a bit obsessed with it and it was the background in my Fib quilt.

Picture Play and Rumble in the Jungle

 

I have been making a picture play quilt for a little refugee girl who with her mother lives round the corner. I hope she's still there when it is finished but if not the host family may know how to pass it on. I just have facing to do which I hope to add today.

I'll use the backing trimmings to make the facings.

I'll use the backing trimmings to make the facings.

Last night I finished Rumble in the Jungle using Laurel Burch fabrics and Kona black with some of the blocks made by members of the 37NL swap group hosted by Blogging Near Philadelphia. 

Having made an earlier quilt I made several more "Boys' Nonsense" blocks to bring it up to 55.5" x 62".

Boys' Nonsense block

A less obvious version

To quilt it it Maggie used variegated thread and included monkeys!

Chartham Hatch

 

At our sewing day for six I took my now quilted by Maggie Laurel Burch jungly quilt with bright binding attached but not stitched down, a job for evenings in front of the TV. Coming thick and fast I handed over my corrected Tilda top for quilting. 

Maggie had bordered and quilted her bright fishes quilt started in 2019.

Oops

 I made a mistake on my Tilda top. I managed to press the block, the row and the quilt only noticing it at the photoshoot. An unpicking session in front of evening TV followed and today I'm going to replace it ready for Maggie to quilt tomorrow.

Last week she returned a Laurel Burch swap blocks quilt for me to bind. A long ago UFO.

Just the top on the bed