Bloggers Quilt Festival - Market Flashes

I was hunting something or another in the randomness that is my workroom and found this hanging, I had in my mind it was elsewhere - out of the house elsewhere so it was a pleasure to find it.  

It is made of 2 fronts, and to be hung over an internal window, the quilting is by hand and wool batting.

I made it way back in 2003 for a challenge that was being held by City Quilter in New York - it was also exhibited in Istanbul, perhaps that year or the year later I was living in Scotland at the time - it is well travelled. 

I never hung it in the window it was intended and now have moved. I do plan to hang it now it has re-emerged! The challenge fabric was a kind of Asian market scene. 15.5 by 16 inches.

I have misses a few of the quilt fests - Thank you to Amy once again for this twice yearly Herculean effort. Link to the Quilt festival here.

Stunningly Ugly

When I lived in a previous life. I bought this quilt - I bought 2 quilts, the 'better' one never made it to New York - mysteriously eaten by the USPS on it's way from Florida - this one had a lot of promise.

Kind of funky and bright in a Gees Bend type of way - slightly pre-dating Gees Bend too.... I waited for this baby to arrive with great anticipation. Like many things in life it looked fantastic, had a great review but was a total let down. I have honoured it by using it in the garden for tents, sunbathing and being a pic-nik blanket. This is a great honour believe me - it in turn has turned out to be indestructible.

I am not quite sure what 'cotton' it's made from - but there seems to be both a lot of polyester in it or jersey - though I guess the stretch terry might struggle to make it to 50% cotton...... The bat is made from tapioca - it's lumpy and non-descript. I do quite like tapioca but that's what this beauty looks like from the back. It's self bound, in a fashion - a regular shape might have been achievable - but it didn't happen.

I do slightly like the corner in the detail. Whilst none of the corners seem to meet, there is a profusion of cobbling (as in cobbling together) it's various block sizes add to the chaos..... I often wonder if there was a plan involved in this quilt - or if it just happened.

For some strange reason, each time I get it out I want to make a copy - not an exact copy - I do some strange things but that would be over the limit - but a kind of 'in the spirit of' type.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Once again a big thank-you to Amy for organising the bloggers quilt festival.
This piece is in the style of kantha - the Indian technique - whilst using other techniques - this type of heavy stitching is soothing to me - it eats fabric like small children eat chocolate - and has a fabulous tactile quality. It is unfinished - it could be stitched to death - but I am unsure about it's destination so it remains in this kind of limbo - I will decide at some point..... I love the way the Caran D'Ache crayons melt - how the colours flood into each other in a slightly unpredicatable way. I don't claim this technique - but adore it's unpredictability.
This was a FAT Follow me blind challenge, the instructions were posted to the group. The piece started around 1 inches square, but has shrunk massively with the stitching. it's around 10 by 12 now.
Now what to do with it? not sure - it's decorative at the moment - I would prefer for it to become functional..... watch this space!

The rest of my blog - click here!


The start was a piece of plain cotton, which was coloured using Caran D'Ache Neo-colour II crayons, sprit with water. This is my beloved technique - the results are unpredictable and rich.

Writing followed then FME, finally intense hand stitching - using the FME as a border of kinds. There is a second piece of muslin behind (US Calico), but no wadding.

Writing followed then FME, finally intense hand stitching - using the FME as a border of kinds. There is a second piece of muslin behind (US Calico), but no wadding. The text is snippets from the Beatles, Golden Slumbers.... Which suited my mood a lot at that time.....

My local quilter

I've been trying to catch my local quilter when he was open and when there was a parking slot, for a while - like 4 years.... I finally managed it. Aydogan is from the black sea area, but has been making quilts for 45 years, he had a shop in the covered bazaar but moved out of there. Turkish quilts are whole cloth, quite thick, backed with cotton, filled with either wool or cotton. The top layer is usually satin, silk is his preferred fabric, though cotton satin is good. He doesn't like to use either polyester filling or polyester satin, but the customer is king bringing these fabrics to him. He usually supplies the filling.
These quilts are re-made from time to time, washing them makes them lumpy. So you take them to the quilter, open them up, wash the layers separately and he re-stitches them.
The technique is different to 'American quilting' he makes a 'bag' of the two layers, open at one end. He then fills it with the 'stuffing' which then gets whacked with a bamboo stick till it is even and compressed. He then sews the 3 layers together. The stitches are large, the thread thick and the needle huge. He 'draws' the patterns using bamboo sticks again which he stitches along. then infills them building up the design. The low level stage is where all this happens.
This chap was very friendly, I went in with T1 who asked a gazillion questions - he answered each one with grace and care saying that the only way for children to learn is to be told the correct answer. He had a huge folder of 'show' quilts that he'd done for exhibitions and the like, quite stunning stuff. the ones hanging here were waiting for their owners to come and collect them. Each one took a day to do.

Baskets-a-go-go

Earlier this year I took part in the bloggers quilt festival, it was great, over 250 visitors to my blog, I visited more than 200 blogs, found some great ones that I wouldn't have stumbled across before. This is my entry for the Autumn Festival..... A big cheer for Amy - great idea!

I made this quilt forever ago, but I love it. It was for the Show that Empire Quilters in New York, had in 2002, it won a ribbon. I then entered it into the 'Transforming Traditions' (juried) show at Dean Clough with the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, again 2002. 63 by 86 cm, 25 by 34 inches.
It was the beginning of a really productive time for me.

Plain cotton, fused, fused binding, machine quilted.

Inspired by Karen Stone's technique.

The rest of my blog http://www.pieceintheworld.blogspot.com/

I spied

I spied this glittery shimmery creation - it would make a great Halloween tablecloth.... alas it's designed as a quilt. Sometimes I get surprised. Othertimes ....

BQL Calender Challenge - May

I did start this in May - though got the call to go to the hospital and it didn't get finished, I'd already put the III in - using scrap wadding and cutting away the excess. I'd only ever done trapunto the old way - with wool and teasing open the fabric - this was easy and fast, though a little scary trimming so close to the stitching/top fabric. The challenge called for quilting akin to McTavishing - aka - death by quilting. Some of the curls are a bit fat, and I need to add a line of stitching to make them skinny - there is a lot of quilting here, thanks to T1 making a hundred cat pictures and baby napping I got it done over lunch time. Maybe this month I'll start early - haha! how many times have I said that.... T1 recovering....

Postage stamp quilt

I got the perle thread last week, in the paler blue, and have spent time - sporadically - taking out my flat daisy pins and replacing them with safety pins so that I can avoid getting stabbed by this monster whilst working on it - I decided to go for a free-form wavy line, there are many disadvantages to a straight line in this case, the biggest one is knowing where to put it - so have gone with an intentional wobble. I hope to finish it in fewer years less than it's taken to get to this point......

Cake

I solved the butter dilemma, I called my neighbour at 7.45am and she brought a 250g block to the street when we put our kids on the school bus - perfect. It was suitably soft too. The cake was made in double quick time, I hadn't read the exact instructions, just scanned the ingredients. It needed 1 1/4 hours of cooking, but took longer, it was warm when our first guests arrived, and so cracked when I cut it - but it was delicious warm.... we sat outside, the littles played, wandered in and out - a good morning.

I put most of the binding on T2's quilt, I need to trim it (it's got a 1 inch wide double french binding so I trim it once it's attached - I find it's more accurate) T1 has yet to decide which additional colour she wants on the binding, she keeps saying orange, but I KNOW she is a pink girl and am waiting for her to change her mind, because - I know she will.... I had 2 littles 'helping' me by holding the binding.... is it finished yet? will mine be finished first? I want mine first? you know the questions, or can guess them..... nearly 5 year olds are not the best sewing companions, unless they are asleep.....

Lazy day?

Thank goodness for Skype - today was busy doing 'nothing', calling friends, waiting for calls back(still!), catching up on email (or not!) tidying up the stray bits that get scattered during the week - I got all the quilting finished on the I spy quilts, just the last few threads to bury and then to bind them both, the binding is ready... waiting... it will get done. Then I discovered we had NO BUTTER in the house, it was 9.1o, I was poised for cake baking - the local supermarket closed at 9pm, I need to make a cake for 10am tomorrow..... the supermarket opens at 9am..... so it's either find a coconut cake made with sunflower oil (I detest margarine - won't have it in the house!) or make a mad dash at 9 for butter .... unless I get distracted by something else... 3 days of 29 degrees, the heating is off, the jeans and long sleeves have been put away - it makes me SO happy...

Decisions

So, lighter blue floss, dark blue, cream, white or red, I roughly stitched these, to try out the colour, I'm erring towards the lighter blue (the top) it's not so harsh, the cream looks dirty on the white, the white looks white on the cream and they both fade into the background - the red is too hard, not so sure about the dark blue. I have mail to take to my PO tomorrow and the shop that sells the floss is opposite there, this is No 8 Perle, not being able to get either cotton a broder or sashiko thread at a instant.....

T2's quilt is nearly quilted, just need to bury the threads, and then find the bits missing quilting and really finish quilting it, the binding is ready and waiting, so that will happen quickly, though I need to get them finished at roughly the same time to avoid war.... So lighter blue or dark blue??

Basting in the sun

I put this out on the front to baste it - I had 3 half used cans of 505, my favourite spray baste but after doing both twin's quilts there wasn't enough left, so it was regular pins, then I lifted it up, I'll put safety pins in it now - I may end up basting it by hand to release some of the pins. Going anywhere near it is like a DIY course of acupuncture, and I need the pins!

How to quilt it? - plus there is a massive pleat in it that needs some attention - I'm thinking of unpicking a couple of seams then slip stitching it down - this isn't going to the festival of quilts after all...... and toying with the idea of some sashiko style stitching - machine quilting it will highlight the way it will not lay flat....

Memory

Many, many, moons ago I worked for a high end shirt manufacturer in the UK, I salvaged a lot of the old salesmen's sample books, from these and some sample lengths of shirting I made this monster - it's 2.55m by 3m, (about 100x 120 inches) it's big, the center postage stamp bit, the pieces are about inch 'square', alas nothing is square, it was started WAY before I ever had a rotary cutter, it was chain pieced with random seam allowances, there are a couple of pleats in the backing - which is also pieced (the 9 patches). But..... it's not as bad as I remembered.

So when t2 has allowed me or No3 to get near this quilt today - he played 'sausage rolls' or 'pigs in blankets' depending on which side of the water you are from. No3 just snuggled down in it and pretended she was asleep - I snipped off the buttons and started unpicking the quilting, there doesn't seem too much but given the size there is more than I imagined. So on a day where it was 24 degrees in the shade I sat with a huge quilt over most of me!

I plan not to harvest the batting (it's warm and natural) but to spray baste it when I do the I spy quilts and just lightly quilt it, using a wonky line and the walking foot - anything else will be torture. It needs a good hot wash, some stray cat hair on it - I can't remember working on it for at least 5 years..... still I hope a lot of the 'character' quilts out - who knows, I'm sure there will still be pleats! I'll keep it for in the garden and when the nights get cool and the bugs start attacking - and of course snuggling and playing sausage rolls!

I Spy - WIP

T1's quilt top is finished, due to a lack friends to chat to tonight - everyone is either in bed or out.... so the top got finished. I have a massive quilt I started as a 'naive' postage stamp quilt, but got bored with the slow speed and other things, so added some big squares, pieced the back and decided it really didn't work, it's partially quilted with small spirals of hand quilting and shirt buttons - I've not worked on it for years .... anyway my next task is to cull the monster and harvest the batting to use for t1's and t2's quilts (it is huge, perhaps 3m square) I have to find it first... guess it's something to do on Sunday...

I spy - more WIP

T2's quilt is growing - not exactly how I imagined this quilt to look, but I guess when you let a nearly 5 year old decide what he wants, this is what you get. He's thrilled, but just can't understand why it's taking SO much time. He's insisting it's a quilt blanket still... grrr... T1's quilt hasn't grown at all in the last 24 hours. Thank goodness No3 can't ask!

Mommy must spend less time chatting with friends at night and more time making quilts! haha!

I Spy - WIP

Are we there yet? Is it finished yet?

Persuading T1 she needed to choose more squares was hard work - she wanted a tinsy teeny tiny quilt - then I reminded her she wouldn't fit under a tinsy teeny tiny quilt - she shaped up and chose some more - T2 on the other hand has no problems choosing - he loves them all.... T1's on the left, T2 on the right - this is the centre, they'll be similar but different from now on.... unless there is a rebellion then they will be the same design... and... it's another holiday tomorrow..... every time I get them back to school they get a day off!

BQL Calender Challenge - April

I did the foundation piecing earlier in the month - but just had to sew down the handles, I've just finished it.... when I bind/sash it I will ditch/top stitch all the bags, just to make them pop a little more. I did take some liberties with the original design... and just chose one bag body and the 2 different handles - background was FME'd before slip stitching the handles down.
On a good note - last night's house wobbling session was due to a lorry since there was no mention of any real earth moving on the earthquake log....
I also managed to get 4 patches sewn for T2's quilt and some charms pinned for T1's - a good day - and the sun was shining!

I spy....

Quilting has it's own 'fashions' when it was 'in' to collect I spy charms I collected a rather large shoe box full - I had planned on making an I spy quilt.... now 3 littles down the line - if I don't make them now they'll be too big to use them. SO I got out all the charms and 'scattered' the piles around the floor, I gave them a small shoe box each and told them to pick the ones they liked. T1 selected with great care. T2 liked them all - they then got to choose 12 fq's which are of larger prints mainly - and I'll cut these into larger pieces.... these won't be a works of art but 2 every day small bed quilts (they never got their baby quilts from me.... they are in half completed paper pieced blocks in a box..... ) No3 will get a proper I spy - with the hexagons - I cut a load of charms down ages ago.

It was a lovely sunny day here, we went to the bike repair shop - 2 bikes, 2 punctures - I can fix most things, punctures are beyond my skill level..... and too smelly.... then to the electrical guy to see if he can get the 'extra' DVD out of the DVD player - not sure which one pulled that stunt - the hospital - x-ray etc - my fracture is still 'fresh' and that got taped up, saw neighbours whilst out and played catch up with news - busy with chores!

Bloggers Quilt Festival

I stumbled upon this - thanks Kate..... this blog eats your day.... you have been warned. I will not be held responsible for hungry families of gatherings of dust bunnies....
I made this quilt in 2000, I signed up for the class, at my then LQS, City Quilter in Manhattan, I was going to be on my own in the city for a month and I thought this would be a useful diversion, it's one of the last full size quilts I made. It's bright, and uses a lot of 'In The Park' - I think - from Piece of Cake and some other spotty fabrics I'd been collecting, spots, stripes and LOUD...

The quilt measures 196cm by 222cm, (77 x 87 inches) machine pieced and machine quilted, warm and natural batting. Double french bias binding. The back is pieced. The quilt is a Jan Mullen design, though of course I took her instructions liberally! one day I plan to make a quilt where ALL the seams are inset. I think I made this entirely in a month, the quilt has never been exhibited, and is in near daily use, yes it has been slept under and lately gets used in the 'office' as it's quite draughty. It's one of the quilt's I'd take with me in a fire.

Busy? Mother's day.....

No post yesterday - just didn't happen, my freinds' small boy's party - with 15 littles and more than 15 adults - slightly crazy but fun. My debut as a narrator for a puppet show (an exclusive one off!) a creeping case of a cold that hasn't decided to come or not, and a mild case of self pity....
Today has been busy with tidying up - in a mad effort to divert me from what I should really be doing, I had an attack at my scrap cupboard (yep cupboard...) I have hoarded scraps for many years, never finding the exact one I needed when I needed it - it's a liability - I'm sure I'll find a small child in the bottom of the cupboard. In the past I did a lot of applique, this both generated and used scraps. I have a generous set of friends who would pass on scraps to me. Alas, the last 4 years I've not made a sizable quilt - the scrap mountain has continued to grow. I felt I should 'do something' about it - and was interested in this 'system' alas it's failure is that it generates a larger amount of 'waste' which is still usable and then the chopped strips and squares need storing. I'm not sure if this is a good idea to start this, given both the huge volume of scraps I have and my total inability to get rid of anything less than 1/4 of an inch square, then I have a hard time with that. Perhaps I should have kept on focus and tried to tidy up the heaving volcano of school offerings and bits of paper that seem to accumulate over the week. What do I do with my scraps scraps??
Oh yes... I didn't forget.... it was Mother's day for us English Moms...... I guess I'll have to hope someone remembers Turkish Mother's day... since no one remembered English Mother's day ... do I sound like a cynical mom of 3?? bahh humbug.....