It is a month now since the Flowerpatch Exhibition and if you missed it I thought you might like to see some of the quilts that were on display. There is always a huge diversity of quilts, cushions, bags, wall hangings, etc.
The following are just a few of the entries.
These are bed quilts by Elizabeth S., Ellen, Wendy and Jennie
And bed quilts by Melody, Jennie, Ellen and Pippa
Two more bed quilts by Sue M. and Jennifer - apologies that I couldn't get the whole of the quilts in the photos.
These 3 wall hangings are by Joy, Pippa and Liz B.
And small quilts both by Mary
I'm sure you can see what I mean by the diversity. I could never get bored with doing patchwork - but it's just so hard to decide what to do next. That's why quilters always have so much WIP and so many UFOs!!!!
I'm looking forward to our meeting next Thursday 8th September, when Valeri Bennett of Farne Designs is giving a talk - "Through the Years in Quilts".
Happy Sewing - Anita
Just a very quick post this time - I got a bit excited this morning when I randomly laid out all the big hexagons that I have made since I wrote about making donuts in March.
They're looking really interesting ... or do I mean weird! Some still don't have their centres.
This is how the big hexagons are made by sewing diamonds to the donuts.
I'm hoping to make enough for a quillow after the success of the one in my last post. That means I've probably done a third of them, but there's no rush as this is the project I pick up when there's nothing more pressing to sew.
Happy Stitching - Anita x
Each year Flowerpatch Quilters make a charity quilt and this year's was raffled to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The lucky winner was Leanne from Lifton.
All my measurements below don't include the ¼" seam allowance.
We called it the "Cornish Cottages" Quilt because of the 12" x 8" blocks containing the terraces of cottages.
Other blocks were:
12" squares
8" squares
and 4" squares
Each square started with a small 2" x 2" square and borders of varying width were sewn around these to the desired size.
These are links to the terrace cottage designs and the overall quilt plan that we used.
I do love scrap quilts like these when you can get started straightaway making the blocks, adding in new fabrics as you go, and stopping when you run out of steam so you end up with a double or single quilt, lap quilt, cot quilt or maybe just a cushion!!!
We always make extra blocks and sew these up into something which is raffled between the members who helped with the quilt in any way - almost all 50 of us! This year we've made a quillow.
You can see the back of the cushion front to the right of the right-hand picture.
The quilt has been big stitch quilted with concentric circles and this is a handy guide by Karen of "Faeries and Fibres" on how to mark them out ...... which unfortunately I didn't read until they were done! We resorted to a quilting hoop, a tray, plate, bowl and jar lid; and even an absolutely enormous colander that Monica B. found in the kitchen of our exhibition venue!
A terrace of cottages adorns the front of the cushion part.
Already next year's charity quilt is in the planning stage - I can't wait to see the design and the chosen fabrics, at our 8th September meeting.
Valeri Bennett of Farne Designs is our speaker for the evening with her talk - "Through the Years in Quilts".
Another Flowerpatch year begins - lovely .......Anita x
PS. River Camel Quilters have their 2016 exhibition from Tues 30th August to Sunday 4th September, 10 to 5 each day. The venue is St Petrocs Church, Church Street, Padstow, PL28 8BG.
Yet another absolutely super exhibition by Flowerpatch Quilters recently and I just have to show you some of the lovely quilts, wall hangings, cushions, .... etc.
Firstly the smallest wall hangings, all 26 of them!, which are our Little Harbours. These are A5 size (approx 6" x 8"). We started making them at our April meeting and there is a bit of a tutorial here, and also a printer friendly instruction sheet.
Everyone has added their own ideas such as sheep in the fields, lovely fabrics for sea and sky, tiny white buttons with red thread for the lifebelts, a night scene with lighted windows, etc.
And these final two by Chrissie, the same A5 size, show how the idea can be taken and used for all kinds of scenes - gorgeous!
Some of us were so excited by how our efforts turned out that we made more than one, and someone even made six!! ............. me, of course - they looked soooo... cute I couldn't stop!
More about the exhibition next time - Anita x
After an exhibition preview evening at Flowerpatch Quilters last Thursday I am feeling so excited about our forthcoming quilt exhibition. Lots of members had brought along their entries to show and to tell us a little bit about each one. I am going to tantalize you with just a few photos of what we have in store - a sprinkle of quilting delights!
Modern and traditional quilts in piecing, applique and redwork
A host of animals as below, but also including butterflies, bees, owls and even pink elephants!
Some fruity loveliness
and Christmas comes early!
Exhibition entries have to be taken to Liz's on the Saturday morning 30th July so they are all ready to hang on the Monday morning.
The exhibition is on from 2nd to 6th August, 10 am to 4 pm each day and is at Central Methodist Church Hall in Launceston, PL15 8BA. Refreshments are available all day and we have a sales table of fabric, magazines and books, etc. which is always very popular. This year we are raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and have made a double size quilt to raffle - the "Cornish Cottages Quilt".
Tickets for this raffle will also be available to buy at Cowslip Summer Fair on 22nd and 23rd July, and also at the Launceston Show on Thursday 28th July.
Still frantically sewing - Anita xx
I have been patchworking for years and years, but still when it comes to the finishing off I'm so reluctant to get on with the binding. It goes back to my schooldays when I was always in trouble in the needlework class for my poor workmanship and was forever having to unpick. My best friend, Jackie finished off most of my projects for me - she can't quite believe that I'm so into sewing now! As for the sewing machines - they terrified me ....... still do a bit :).
Well the weather has been pretty awful even though it's supposed to be Summer time, and the exhibition is looming so I thought I would finish a few things off using different methods to hone my meagre skills. I'm going to list some of these with links to tutorials that I've found really useful.
Simple zigzag edge
I thought that this would look OK for some of the little harbours that we did at Flowerpatch as they are raw edge applique, but even this idea left me in a bit of a quandary. For the first one I marked the edge where I wanted to sew, did the zigging and zagging, and then trimmed off the spare fabric as close as I could to the stitches .... scary! The second I tried cutting to size first and then doing the zigzag ....... what a chewed up mess, so I decided the first method was best.
Bringing the backing to the front
If quilting by hand and you can trim the front and wadding without cutting into the backing, or if you're adding an extra backing to a small quilt, you can trim the backing to ¾" larger on each side than the finished quilt, fold it over, then over again to cover the quilt edge, and slip stitch in place. The corners can be finished simply as I have, or mitred....... if you're cleverer!
Binding with simple corners
The binding is sewn to two opposite edges of the quilt and finished off by slip stitching to the back, trimming the ends to be flush with the quilt edge. Then binding is sewn to the other two edges being sure to leave approx 1" of binding beyond the corners of the quilt. This is folded in and manipulated to neaten the corners - not too bad if your binding fabric isn't too thick.
Binding with mitred corners
This is the method that I have used most often and have written a tutorial about............ but I have now discovered another way which I think gives neater and more consistently good results:
This is the No Tails Binding Tutorial by Flourishing Palms
Non-binding binding
This is the one to use when you want your patchwork to extend right to the edges of your quilt with no visible binding .... and it's easy. This is Victoria's Super-duper easy way to face a quilt tutorial. I really like the way Victoria sews across the corner before she trims it. On my little harbour above I added a line of machine top stitching close to the edge.
Well that's quite enough difficult stuff for a while ... I think I'll get back to hand sewing a few hexagons together! - Anita x
It was exactly 5 years to the very day since Jeanette Orr came to Flowerpatch Quilters to talk about her life of sewing and patchwork, and we were absolutely delighted to welcome her back as in those 5 years she has achieved so much with her needlecraft skills.
Having been born in Bude and gone to Plymouth College to study sewing and design, the bright lights of London were an attraction where she made dresses for, among others, debutantes and TV performers. She brought along some of the clothes that she had made for herself at that time, for special events that she attended. They were all lovely and it was delightful to be taken back to the fashion of swinging London. Even then patchwork crept into her designs.
After moving to Australia and working for Janome, machine embroidery, patchwork and quilting really came to the fore and on returning to England her interest in both has not waned a jot. She can do sewing with her Bernina and Janome that you wouldn't have thought possible. This is just a taste of some of her work:
So many precise points
Wonderful stitched feathers
Little Kimonos
Ribbons - with all the ribbon shading beautifully stitched
"Dance as if no one were watching......."
And I think this is probably my favourite of all
Jeanette enters most of her quilts into exhibitions and has been awarded many rosettes. As she herself says - although it's very nice to win, the point is that if we don't enter our quilts into the exhibitions there will be none to go and see to excite and inspire us, and I wholeheartedly agree. You can see more quilts on Jeanette's blog
Thank you, Jeanette, for a wonderful evening yet again. - I can't wait to see what your next quilt will be.
Next time 14th July, we have a bit of a preview show and tell of the quilts, etc. in this year's exhibition which starts on 2nd August. Not long now and we're all sewing feverishly! - Anita x
