Retreating 01

Colette's Jewel Box made from vibrant South African hand dyes.

  I am on an annual autumn retreat enjoying stunning weather. On Tuesday I completed the first row of Westminster blocks but have yet to take a photo and today I have been working on my and Maggie's joint quilt for a friend which is under wraps. I should have finished my stint on this but still have more to do as my new very expensive machine is giving me problems, mainly tension. There are a number of very knowledgeable people here but after struggling to solve these issues the consensus seems to be the machine should go back. Thank goodness I have a spare machine which I'll get out of the car tomorrow. I have come to bed having tension problems myself! 
Anyway here are projects from fellow retreaters.

Jackie's subtle crosses from her workshop

Progress

I'm now sewing down the binding on my Bonnie Blues quilt but soon I am off on Quilt retreat for 5 nights so the remaining length will have to wait till I got back. I finally machine sewed down the facing on my Safari DNP. When I came to do the label I'd forgotten I'd called it that and put down "Disappearing Elephants". When I turned it over I could only see Rhinos but on closer inspection I could see elephants And here they are with the rhyme I included on the label.

Gathering work for the retreat I had rush of blood to the head and cut out a fresh new quilt, from Kaffe Fasset's Quilts in Provence though I am trying to use a more summery palette.  The sashing will be a lot of work! I've wanted to do this pattern and had this in mind since I saw the original at FOQ (Festival of Quilts). Since then I used Westminster fabrics in two workshops but didn't progress beyond the days as I wanted  to complete this one first and then see what I had left.

Blocks and frames laid out

The picture in the book

This and That

At Show and Tell at Oast Quilters the last weekend in September there was a modern hexagon quilt made in Judi Kirk's workshop: all the results from this have been super. And Judi herself had a finished quilt to show. 

Hexagons from Judi's workshop

Judi's quilt

Now she is teaching (and judging) in Virginia Beach, USA. How impressive is that!!

Judi's classroom

Last night as I hand quilted the border  of Bonnie Blues I had that Channel Tunnel moment of reaching my starting point. I had stayed up late to do so watching "the Reluctant Fundamentalist". I had read the book with my book group and was pleased the film followed it closely. As the border was marked with Berol felt pen I washed it in the machine today. I wanted to hang it from the backing and wadding edge but my clothes poles aren't tall enough. When nearly dry, I'll lay it out flat and (Ssssshhh) iron it. It must have needed a wash anyway after so long in the making and trailing while being quilted.

Bonnie Blues awaiting binding

And at our sewing day yesterday another Judy, Judy O, showed a delightful quilt she has made as a gift.

Judy O's sailing ships

Mrs October: Double Pinwheel

Two mirror imaged sets of 4 double pinwheel blocks, 8.75" unfinished, 8.25" finished size.

I have signed up for a charity quilting bee and each month one of us requests a block to be sent to them which will then be combined into a quilt for a young people's camp where they are reunited with siblings separated from them by the care system. Each child gets a quilt which should be of a good size. Anyway this month it's my turn to chose a block and colours and as so many of us make girly quilts this one will be for the boys with strong colour contrast between blues/navies and reds/oranges, mainly tone on tones, no flowers!
The block is one I used many years (16) ago to make a quilt for my baby grandson and I learnt it from an Eleanor Burns episode on Simply Quilts. Now she has a video on YouTube showing the many colour strategies you can use including a three colour version. 
I chose to cut 2.75" strips as they are fat quarter friendly but as big as possible, 8.75" unfinished, 8.25" finished.
The method results in two mirror imaged blocks either to make two separate quilts or one set as a border.

1. Cut 2 red/orange strips 2.75" wide and 20+" long and 
and 2 blue/navy. They can be the same or different fabrics.

2. Sew in pairs and press towards the blue

3. Cut into four 5." squares

4. Place the strip sets on top of each other right sides together with the blue navy on top of the red orange and vice versa as shown.
With the blue "on top" draw a diagonal line from top left corner to bottom right consistently

5. Sew quarter inch on either side of the drawn line, cut apart on the drawn line
 and press towards the larger blue piece. 

6. This results in 2 sets of four
mirror imaged triangle umits.

7, Sew into counter changed pairs, pressing
towards the larger blue piece and then
combine the pairs but don't press yet.

8. This shows the centre of the block where
 the seams cross.

9. Unpick the stitches in the seam
 allowance on both sides of  the block.

10. Now you can press the seams in an
anti-clockwise direction on the back and clockwise on the
front so all the seams will nest when the blocks are sewn
together. The centre will also lie flatter.

There is no reason why you can't introduce a third or fourth colour as long as you keep to the same colour groups.

  Here I used two different orange/red strips making three colours. Yet to do four .

Sewing at the seaside

Just had a lovely weekend with friends by the sea for 3+ days of sewing, film viewing, walking and enjoying each others' company.  While others worked on major personal projects, I used my time to do "jobs": swap block instructions for October (will post tomorrow)and star log cabin prep. for a star log cabin session with the U3A in November (will post at the time). Also a lovely day making stars for Maggie's and my joint quilt for our fellow Queen Beez member though I was a bit dispirited by how much more Maggie got done. But the weekend is also for relaxing too though I am slower than most. Lots more companionable sewing in the next two weeks and then perhaps more time "getting on" at home.

 My stars, not good colour representation.

So far. The pattern is in one of Tilda's books Quilting from the Heart (?) by Tone Finnanger and the fabrics include many "Tilda's".

Cheers!
I'm on the right in grey.

Alsace 09: Out and about

Work of Sonia Delauney in the
textile museum

Taking coffee and time to sew in the textile museum

Poster to publicise exhibition 
of animals on wallpaper

Image greeting us at the entrance to the wallpaper exhibition: 
no photos permitted of the examples

Clamshell tiles in Colmar

Formed into patterns

For the remaining to days of our visit we were tourists visiting Colmar including the Hansi Museum and on Tuesday the Printed Textiles Museum in Mulhouse and the wallpaper museum in Rixheim. Lots of colour and design inspiration.

Hansi Museum in Colmar

Alsace 08: Grand Finale; Amish Quilts

I wanted my last go round to be of the superb Amish quilts, these from the collections of Hans Zogg in a church and Jacques Legeret in the theatre.

Utterly gorgeous with a very contemporary feel.
However it's a late C19th piece.

This is a Lancaster County Amish quilt made 1953-4 for
Susie Lapp's wedding by her mother. 

Mennonite Starburst made c.1875

Detail of Mennonite Straight Furrows log cabin made in Western Pennsylvania 1890-1900

Loved this one though the photo isn't very good. Ohio Crazy from late C19th

Alsace 07; Finishing up in St Marie aux Mines

On my own in St Marie I revisited some exhibitions and caught up on one or two I hadn't got round to. 

This charming piece was by Liz Maidment a British sticher based in France,

This is a Cathedral Arch at
Glendalough by Denise Labadie

And this is Norvegan Wall by
Rineke van Zeeberg one of Denise's students

And this is the whole piece

Most of her pieces were cutting edge "dresses" with a point to make but I was drawn to this  charming piece on the wall.

Alsace 06 More from Sainte Croix des Mines

Rhapsody in Sitzen by Henk van Kooten an elderly Dutch quiltmaker
who makes pieces in various styles. He is happy to let go his work and sell it.

Detail

The man himself

Cheeky cats were displayed in a small church and there was laughter as viewers made their way up the aisles. Here are Gato Argentino by Isabelle Benne-Perez  and Yellow Cat by Armand Catherine. The one I laughed at most was a red and black ragamuffin called Stendhal. I guess I must be a literary type!!

Impracticality by Angela Walters

Detail

Katherine Roumanoff: La Larme Bleu
These were art pieces first and foremost roughly but
effectively collaged. I liked this one.

The view from the car park