Boho Sling Bags

I made this one for my eldest Granddaughter:

She wanted an African bag with an elephant on. Well the fabrics are African, from the African Fabric shop, and the Elephant decoration is added!


The second bag is made from African style fabrics by Robert Kauffman just in case my second Granddaughter fancied one, but she doesn't! So there it is a spare Boho Sling bag looking for a home... this one has stripey wooden buttons for decoration, and a popper fastening and an inside pocket, but no owner..

The straps are adjustable you can just re-tie them to whatever length suits.

Zakka Style Pinkeepers

Yesterdays Pincushions.
I like the idea of Zakka style... making something attractive and useful from scraps that might otherwise be wasted. Seems very William Morris, have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

I've spent today getting out my Christmas decorations and dressing my little tree.

New Pincushions

I'm still enjoying making these, using small scraps of cotton and linen and lace.

My designs for fabric manufacturer Oakshott

Have a look here - Oakshott have added their own images to mine and created a cover page.

http://www.oakshottfabrics.com/Free-Patterns.aspx

Textile Art, some thoughts..

I was looking at the work of Textile Artist Deirdre Adams and what she says about her work resonated with my thoughts about the piece I sent for the Stretching Art Challenge.


http://www.textileartist.org/deidre-adams-quiet-beauty-imperfect-impermanent/

Interesting article. She says
My latest fascination is using printed paper. I have a large collection of old textbooks: physics, chemistry, engineering, etc. I’m using pages from these plus reference books, dictionaries, maps, sheet music, newspapers in other languages, and other things I find. I’m layering these and stitching them together, before I begin a process of peeling back the various layers to see what’s beneath. I think of it as a kind of reverse archaeology as I layer them; and then it’s like an excavation going back down. The idea is about the different systems of knowledge that we have, but how all of it is not accessible to everyone.


This is what I wrote about my piece and you can follow the link to see the work:

Stretching Art Challenge 16 Illuminated Letters

SAT16: Hidden by Heather Hasthorpe 

http://www.stretchingartandtradition.org/SAT16/H2-1.html 

Artist: Heather Hasthorpe, Norfolk, UK  

Letter H Half-Understood

Inspiration 

I made a sketchbook based on books and writing for The Sketchbook Challenge and spent a lot of time considering how meaning is conveyed through text and imagery. I have now collected a variety of printed text in different languages, most of which I cannot read! I am using these partly for their value as pattern, but also holding in mind that the meaning is obscured both by my lack of knowledge, and the fracturing that the technique produces.

Technique explored

I am using an image transfer method I first saw at Houston being demonstrated by Claire Benn, which I have further explored and developed following workshops with Christine Chester. I have screen printed medium to attach papers to fabric, using thermofax screens.

Techniques used

Image transfer, layering, machine quilting, facing, appliqué

Pincushions

I've been making pincushions for a week or so, they are definitely addictive. Every time i tidy up some more of my stash I think of making another batch.
There are ones made with Linen and old lace or ribbon:

 One inspired by a bee button

Some bright ones with lots of buttons and Linen again... I like Linen.

And my current favourites, patches with Bunting! Some of these will be on sale at Winterton Quilters Christmas Fair on December 7th.

Grey one growing

 For some reason this one, my third play with the plusses pattern, doesn't seem to be finished yet. I keep adding more and it still isn't telling me "enough already"!

 

But true to form I'm working on more than one thing and am still adding to my apple cores as you can see on the right! They need pinning and it is a job that can be done in front of the TV, then each morning I can get a few more joined up.

And today I carried on with my Sunday job (always something off task!) and stitched up twelve little houses for pincushions or Christmas ornaments. That gives me a task for quilt group tomorrow that doesnt need me to tote a sewing machine. I can just stuff..

New colour study

I like this one..

Work in progress

I'm still playing with the plusses crosses:

I have half a dozen variations on this in my head... I'm teaching it at the beginning of next month and need some more samples.

Modern Logs completed, and a really fancy binding by machine

Beautifully Quilted by Mandy Parks, as usual..  This is a converging Corners Log Cabin, and I'll post the tutorial when I find it again.. Binding tutorial here  under "freebies"
Edited to add, tutorial here on filminthefridge  blog

Quilt Finished

The Oakshott quilt A Walk In The Woods is done, except for a label.
Mandy Parks has made a fantastic job of quilting it with a modern leafy pattern, and I have stitched on the binding entirely by machine. I also added the hanging sleeve by machine, using the blind hemming stitch and the stitches get buried into the wadding and do not show on the front!

Modern Strikes Again..

Woohoo! I've finished a quilt today by machining the binding onto the back first then turning to the front and stitching carefully through the folded edge. It looks very neat.
Then I tried stitching the hanging sleeve on too, by machine, using the blind hemming stitch so all my poor hands have to do is to hand sew the short ends of the sleeve. The hem stitches hide in the wadding and do not go through to the front. Amazing! I like modern methods..
How quick is that!

Hexies

Here are some of the light, low volume hexagons I've been cutting and I'm trying to decide if they need a grey, or a white background.

I think I'll use the white as I really like the star that forms where the very pale hexie bleeds into the background.

 Even with grey hexies you don't seem to get that effect.

Lingwood Quilters Exhibition

Lingwood Quilters exhibition yesterday, near Norwich was a delight. It is a small group who welcomed me when I first moved to Norfolk ten years ago, but I didn't join as they mostly were hand stitching.
Here are some pictures of their work:

This lovely quilt was completed by the group for the maker's daughter after she passed away.
I do like the fish pond


This is a watercolour design in Liberty prints showing the neat hand quilting that you see in almost all the Lingwood group's quilt.

 This was made from family linens, the tablecloths and traycloths we hav all collected. What a good idea to make something useable rather than leave then languishing in drawers.






Bright circles.

Then two similar quilts hand pieced from tiny scraps and hand quilted.

 Dresden Plates with tiny hand quilting in the background and Ohio Stars with an interesting interlocking design hand stitched all over.

I am off on quilt retreat so may soon have more of my own work to show!

OCP

Obligatory Cat Post...
Lucicat cooling the unders!

I've always loved her spotty tum but she hates you touching it.

On Exhibition.. and a shark!

My Quilt "Hidden" is on exhibition in the USA!
You can find pictures and my artist statement  on Stretching Art here:

I am really proud of this piece of work.


And here is the
Shark pencil case I have made for my grandson's birthday. From a free pattern on Craftsy designed by Patchwork Posse

Putting in the zip was tricky!

Serpentine Curves class

Here are some pictures from my class.
First there was a lot of cutting out ..

Then a lot of arranging.
Half blocks were stitched together and more arrangements of designs made...

Soon a variety of ideas were emerging!

I do love it when the students develop ideas that the teacher hasn't yet tried!!
Aren't these just wonderful?

New Facebook page for Modern Quilts UK

https://m.facebook.com/groups/599594146818739?view=permalink&id=601256376652516

I've joined!

Thread bunnies

Here's a small indication of how many seams I sewed when working on the newest Oakshott quilt A Walk in the Woods... these are my thread bunnies, and when you consider that there was a lot of chain piecing going on too, hmm.

well they do make nice card toppers for emergency card making!

New fabric

I came home after my week of grandmothering and quilt retreat to find a lovely parcel from Hancocks.. all excellent quality fabrics in soft modern colours and only $3.99 a yard!
I really ike the feature fabric with the birds printed on it and the soft grey print is just beautiful: coincidentally I saw an interesting hexagon quilt in these fabrics this afternoon on Pinterest.





And here is what I was working on at Quilt retreat:
another version of my Serpentine Curves quilt in Oakshott Autumn Colour Pack.
I'm calling this one A Walk in the Woods.
Gorgeous rich shott cottons with just a few dappled batiks to give a sense of shade.
This has joined the queue for quilting at Mandy Parks' The Quilts Whiskers. Which is a shame as I hoped to have it as another sample for the class I'm teaching at Fleggburgh on Saturday... Oh well a photo will have to suffice.

Modern logs progress

I'm getting there... four more to finish off.
They are ten inches finished, very assorted white fabrics and light, low volume prints.

and this, on the Interweave site, by I think Malka Dubrovsky, machine sewn hexies where she stitches them together on the seam line only, not going into the seam allowance.. I'm thinking life's too short! but I suppose it would be OK if they were fairly large.
I like her bright fabrics which are her own designs, and the diagonal quilting.

Festival of Quilts 2014

Me on the left and Helen on the right on the Modern Quilt table at the Festival of Quilts.

Logs and blogs

Had a wonderful time at Festival in Birmingham with Helen Howes setting up the Modern special interest group for the Quilters Guild. We had lots of interest and support, and friendly people who came to sit on our chairs so we could take short breaks and see some of the amazing exhibits.
I now have a head full of ideas and want to play with log cabins, but am resting under the cat.

Some interesting ones here... http://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/uberstitch/5586910876/in/gallery-laurensh-72157627008753378/#
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissacrafts/5515299344/in/gallery-laurensh-72157627008753378/
More later..

Finished

Greetings, the envelope quilt.

More fun with the "Houses Drift" fabrics that I won on line at The Fat Quarter Shop - one of their monthly give-aways, beautifully quilted by Mandy Parks.

It was a great gift, 12 Fat Quarters is a lot of fabric, and so far I've made a pillow sized cushion cover and this quilt and have loads of it still left!

Stretching Art Challenge

I've finished my piece for this American Challenge organised by Doll Maker Amy Nelson, and I am pleased with it now. This has definitely been a challenge as I have used screen printing, image transfer and even appliqeing paper. Its certainly stretching, this experimental stuff! just have to stitch down the sleeve and attach the label and get it posted off to Texas. Here are some pictures of the work in progress: