Quiltmania #126

image of Quitmania #126

Isn’t this just the most divine summery scene, perfect for the newest, mid summer edition of Quiltmania magazine.

image of Quitmania #126

Quiltmania #126

Here in the Southern Hemisphere it’s mid winter… but that’s ok too.

Inside these pages is the pattern for my Cleland Coverlet and I’m so thrilled to be able to share it with you.

image of The Cleland Coverlet

The Cleland Coverlet

As always, Quiltmania’s styling is just so beautiful.

This coverlet was such a pleasure for me to make;

Inspired by an antique coverlet which was made by Francis Cleland in Ireland in the 1700s but now resides in New Zealand.

I loved Francis’ centre design of hearts, stars and circles.  Then I added my own ‘take’ on it and the Cleland Coverlet is the result.

Grab your copy from your LQS, newsagent or direct from Quiltmania

Click HERE to see the what other *gorgeousness* is in #126…

including my friend Deirdre’s (Hat Creek Quilts) newest quilt Annabella Smythe

inage of Annabella Smythe by Deirdre Bond-Abel

Annabella Smythe by Deirdre Bond-Abel

Thanks for dropping by :)

I’m formulating another newsy, fabric inspiration post and hope to have that up here for you to enjoy in the next few weeks

’til then

happy stitching

Margaret xx

Using Backgrounds

image of Concord Massachsetts

Autumnal greetings and welcome new followers, I really appreciate you being here xx

image of Concord Massachsetts

Just a beautiful pic of Fall in Concord, Massachusetts for you to enjoy

Y’know… I’ve been thinking about how you, my dear friends, can get more out of these blog posts.

How can I make them more informative and inspiring for you?

And if you’re not in near proximity to where I’m teaching (though that IS expanding), how can I share with you the fabric inspiration I talk about in my workshops?

As I’ve been stitching the Suffolk Coverlet (new), that pondering has been taking shape.

image of Hexies

My nightly companion… Hexies for the Suffolk Coverlet

I realised I’ve actually been looking at what I want to share with you for months, it just took me a little time to figure it out.

It’s *Backgrounds* and how I…

Choose what I’ll use,

and use what I choose.

And why?

image of Antique fabrics

See that patina? … the blotches and age stains? Simply put… that just rocks my boat.

In ‘Quilts From the Colonies’ I talk about the nostalgia and familiarity I felt (even as a child) looking at antiquities.

 I don’t really know *why*it*moves*me*… but it does.

There’s just something about old stuff and how it makes me feel.

Old, faded, battered & stained = Well used (loved), handled & cherished by generations and it has a history.

image of Antique blocks

A few more from my collection… I buy these just because they make me feel all warm amd fuzzy inside.

So of course… I want to get that *look*.

I just want it to look like this.

image of antique quilt

In earlier days my MO was to Tea Stain pretty much any background print,

and any print that had white,

and any print that had too high a contrast going on.

I loved the print and I loved the colour, but I didn’t always love the colour value.

Vintage Sampler 2005

Vintage Sampler 2005

Vintage Sampler 2005

Vintage Sampler 2005

 I would also use the wrong side of fabrics to tone things down a bit.  I wanted to flatten out that high contrast.

This pic shows what I was wanting to achieve, and my love affair with brown.

Antique fabricThere’s contrast here (above), but the background has discoloured and now sits (imho)  more calmly against the print.

Below is a recent finish where the print evokes the same feelings of calmness and nostalgia.

Indiana Medallion 2018

Indiana Medallion 2018

Quantities permitting, if I’m using a plain fabric my absolute preference would be to use a tea stained fabric.

Left. Patty Harants print (Gold Star for that one) and Right. Marcus Bros Aged Muslin

Left. Patty Harants print (Gold Star Miss P for that one) and Right. Marcus Bros Aged Muslin

 There’s a few that are commercially available.  Alas the Patty Harants fabric above left is from years ago.  But the Marcus Bros Aged Muslin is one I have used in many quilts, it’s a standard line for them and comes in many different tones from off white through to brown. And just FYI, it comes in colours too.

But what I’ve been doing with the Suffolk Coverlet is …

Anne Romsey's Coverlet c 1790 Dedham Essex/Suffolk

Anne Romsey’s Coverlet c 1790 Dedham Essex/Suffolk

…using tone on tone prints to create the look of random discolouration, or patina.

Suffolk Coverlet backgroundsWhy did I decide to use these four fabrics?

Far right is the background for the centre Broderie Perse appliqué … not a lot left so can’t use that.

Far left is the background to the Pentagon border … didn’t have a huge amount left but have since sourced more from Margo Krager.

But I didn’t want to just switch from one background fabric in the centre, to using a whole other background for the rest of the quilt because I think that is too big a jump, I want to blur the meeting point.

So as well as repeating the two already used, I added the tiny spot… tonally and scale wise the three are similar.

But what’s with the fourth? Why is that fabric there?

FabricBecause I like it,

Actually, I love it.

Because I have only a few off-cuts left and it’s been in a couple of my favourite quilts already (and I have a feeling this one is going to be another favourite quilt)

Because  I think every quilt should have something that doesn’t quite fit… but you love it and that’s all that matters.

And because I don’t want to make the *obvious* fabric choices in my quilts…

and may I be so bold as to say,

I don’t think you should make the obvious choices either.

Please use the fabrics that give you joy, and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Making shapes and sttiching them together

Making shapes and stitching them together.

More hexies

The four ‘background’ prints are totally random. No rhyme or reason to it at all.

Hexie Rosettes of all colours and prints

Hexie Rosettes of all colours and prints.

I’m so sorry this has been quite a mammoth post, I hope you’re still here til the end.

As I don’t have time to blog as much as I’d like, I’m wanting to offer you quality over frequency… I want to share fabric choices with you on a deeper level than just showing pretty quilt pictures.

I really hope I haven’t bored you.

Thanks for sticking with me

Til next

Happy stitching

Margaret xx

A gentle start to 2018

image of Nectarines

It’s been a hot, hot summer here at Quilt Station.

Christmas and January were spent in perfect harmony. Family, Friends, Food and Festivities. Some Granddaughter time…  And a touch of garden/home reno …bliss on a stick I say.

image of Nectarines

Delicious White Nectarines from my tree…  laden this year!

There was fruit picking galore… The Boysenberries, Nectarines and Apricots were particuarly abundant, and Delicious, this summer. 

After the very busy close to 2017, including a four week trip to the USA, it was just what I needed.

And of course there was also a healthy amount of stitching done too.

I finished all those Rolling Star blocks I’ve been hand piecing for a while,  well  ages.

image of Rolling Star Blocks

Rolling Star Blocks

They have been my constant companion, travelling hither and yon with me.

image of Hither & Yon

Hither & Yon

image of Indiana Medallion

Indiana Medallion

The inspiration for all those lovely blocks came from an antique quilt top in my collection, but rather than just reproduce I felt a medallion quilt would be just the ticket.

The lovely top with copious amounts of California Gold and Double Pink is circa 1890s and comes from Wayne County, Indiana.

image of Indiana Medallion

Indiana Medallion and my antique quilt top

So then what’s a girl to do?

Start a new quilt LOL.

Here’s a snippet of what I’ve been doing.

Applique for starters

Applique for starters

And a border

And a border

This one’s going to be a special project later in the year, so stay tuned.

Okee dokee… I’m off to do a little more pattern writing for Indiana Medallion.

You may notice a change or two to the Website as well.

My Teaching Schedule has been updated and includes my new Chez Moiclasses from home. 

I’m very excited to be able to offer that.

Thanks so much dear friends for sticking with my intermittent Blogging,

Til next

happy stitching

Margaret xx

Quilts from the Colonies (not the book) Part 3

After dinner show and tell, the others had gone to bed but a few of us decided to have a little show and tell

Hello again, I think you’ll find this final part of the Colonial Quilts posts totally swoon-worthy… I sure hope so.

Our tour made its way to the small town of Te Aroha in the Waikato region to view a c 1820-1830 Broderie Perse Chintz coverlet.  This coverlet, which I first visited in 2014, was the impetus for the whole trip.

 As she was revealed, there were gasps and smiles.

The unveiling

The unveiling

And we had two whole days to spend with her.

The first day was an in-depth study day convened by Janet O’Dell.  In the morning we spent time studying the evolution of fabric manufacturing and printing.  Janet’s knowledge in this area was invaluable in giving us an understanding of the cotton industry.  As well, Janet brought many antique coverlets and assorted pieces from her own collection to compare fabrics and quilt styles with the Te Aroha coverlet and we studied those alongside Te Aroha’s coverlet in the afternoon.

image ofComparing fabrics

Comparing a piece from Janet’s collection with the Te Aroha coverlet.  This was the best match we got!

Spots are always the same… or are they?

Close but not quite

Size and spacing are not always identical.

Sometimes the print was similar but the colour not the same.

image of Yellow ground print

Yellow ground with brown motifs from Janet’s collection.

Image of yellow ground print

Yellow ground with brown motifs ~ Te Aroha coverlet.

Or the colour was the closer but the print was different

Te Aroha coverlet

Te Aroha coverlet

Te Aroha coverlet

Te Aroha coverlet

Small geometrics, especially the interesting ‘stacked’ designs featured frequently in Te Aroha’s and Janet’s coverlets.  But not once a perfect match

Small gemetric prints featured in many of the pieces Janet brought with her

Small gemetric prints featured in many of the pieces Janet brought with her.

Te Aroha's coverlet features many too

Te Aroha’s coverlet features many too

Te Aroha’s coverlet is in the medallion style.  At its centre is a large Broderie Perse design featuring flowers, trees, butterflies and other motifs cut from a chintz fabric.  In addition there are some birds cut from plain and print fabrics.  The centre arrangement of flowers and trunk has a seam through the centre to create a symmetrical design.  One tree on the centre section has also been pieced to create the desired design.  Here however, they have not been cut from the same fabric.

image of Broderie Perse

Centre section showing pieced roses and trunk, pieced tree and plain & print birds

All these are raw edge applique attached with a herringbone stitch in white thread.

The Rising Moon blocks are all pieced over papers and whip stitched together, the half circles are appliqued on top, again raw edge and a herringbone stitch.

The coverlet is not backed, but is hemmed on all four sides.  Family history tells us it was a finished piece, and was used by the descendents of the maker.  It would be put on the bed for special visitors, including any house calls from the Doctor.

It was quite a sobering moment when she (the coverlet) had to be returned to her usual abode.  We’d all grown fond of the grand old lady, and crowded around her for one more photo and some last minute looks.  Carefully covering her up again and making sure she was safely wrapped, before she was collected and carried out.

It was good for her to have a really good airing and a whole 48 hours flat

Thank you to these ladies for making this Study Trip so wonderful and especially to Janice, 6th from left.

Thank you to these ladies for making this Study Trip so wonderful and especially to Janice for being so helpful in bringing it all together.

Just a few pics to close of the Broderie Perse workshop we did on the Sunday.  Students worked on their own version of Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy as featured in my book Quilts from the Colonies published by Quiltmania

How very special to have the original coverlet on hand for inspiration!

Broderie Perse Workshop

Broderie Perse Workshop

Maureen's Centre looking divine

Maureen’s Centre looking divine

Mine on the floor in the distance (albeit on sheets) The 'real deal' gets the table.

Mine on the floor in the distance (albeit on sheets) The ‘real deal’ gets the table.

Well that’s the trip… I am already thinking I would love to do it again next year and add some different museums and quilts  if possible. Let’s see what transpires.

Don’t forget to click on all the photo’s  to really get a better view.  Click agin on the green arrow for zooming in capabilities… you’ll be glad you did.

Thanks so much for visiting these posts, I know there was a lot of info to take in

Happy stitching

til next

Margaret xx

 

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Quilts from the Colonies (not the book) … Part 2

image of 1870 English Medallion maker unknown

Welcome back…

It was very hard to pull ourselves away from The Elms Mission in Tauranga. But we had to… we had an afternoon visit arranged about an hour down the road in Whakatane.

Whakatane Museum https://www.whakatanemuseum.org.nz/  is closed for a year + long complete refurbishment.  So it was the  beautiful Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatane Library that the museum made available for our visit.

About 40 local quilters were also there at the museum’s invitation, to learn about the documentation process of antique quilts.  And to take adavantage of seeing these quilts and coverlets not usually on display.  Museum staff brought out each one in turn (five in total as there was a new aquisition- a very fragile crazy quilt)

All except the newest aquisition can be seen in Pamela Fitz Gerald’s book Warm Heritage… see previous blog post for purchase details.

The first quilt we saw was Sarah Pridhoe North’s red and white quilt. It was made in England prior to Sarah’s arrival in NZ in 1870.  This quilt we were asked not to share photo’s of. However there are a couple of photo’s in Pamela’s book.

(Really, you’re going to be getting that book, I just know it)

Next we saw an English Medallion c 1870. A large red star centre is surrounded by borders featuring some very beautiful prints in purples and blues.  Along with a vermiculate and paisley border stripe in brown, which may have once been purple.

image of  1870 English Medallion maker unknown

C 1870 English Medallion maker unkown. Whakatane Museum and Arts.

image of Detail c 1870 English Medallion maker unknown

Detail c 1870 English Medallion maker unknown

Next up was a traditional Pacific Island bed covering (Tivaevae) c 1930 it uses plain fabrics in a log cabin design. What looks like striped fabric is in fact pieced.

image of Pacific Island Tivaevae c 1930

Pacific Island Tivaevae c 1930

image of Tivaevae detail

Tivaevae detail

Continueing with the Polynesian theme, we then studied a red and white applique coverlet.  Made in Rarotonga, it uses applique techniques similar to Hawaiian quilts.  Four large American eagles, each with a shield  and holding arrows.  A large and ornate eight point star is featured in the centre fo the design. There are seams (two) in the red fabric to make a piece large enough to applique on to the white sheet.  the coverlet measures over 100″ . Maker unknown.

image of Rarotonga applique coverlet

Rarotonga applique coverlet. Maker unknown

image of Rarotonga applique coverlet detail

Rarotonga applique coverlet detail. Maker unknown.

 The last quilt we saw was the newest aquisition, photo’s permitted but not to be shared as yet I’m afraid.    A lot of time was spent studying this Crazy Quilt carefully as it is quite fragile.

The museum staff had arranged an afternoon tea afterwards, and that rounded off a full and busy day beautifully.

A heartfelt thank you to Paula Karkkaine, Curator of Collections at Te Whare Taonga o te rohe o Whakatane, Whakatane Museum and Arts. It was very special indeed to have the staff take time out from their busy schedule during the upheaval of refurbishment and to make these quilts availabe to us to view and study.

I’m going to wrap up today’s posting as the next museum and quilt is the stunning Broderie Perse quilt from Te Aroha.

my tummy is rumbling, I’m a wee bit peckish and it’s getting close to dinner time now.

I shall return tomorrow with Part 3 (the final quilt)

until then

happy stitching and Arohanui

Margaret

PS Don’t forget to click on the photo’s to enlarge.


 

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Quilts from the Colonies (not the book) … Part 1

Anne Romsey Coverlet c 1795-1830 Made in Dedham, Sussex, England. In the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand

Yes already I see I’m going to have to do this in parts, photo and info heavy post right here.

I’m not long back from my wee jaunt across the ditch… to New Zealand that is.

Have I got your attention?

Yes… my travel companions were amused by the constant use of the word ‘wee’ everywhere we went.

Me being a Kiwi lass, I was not at all surprised and found it familiar and comforting.

It’s a colonial expression from the Scots, and we use it all the time.    “That’s a lovely wee sewing bag you’ve got there, if only I had a wee bit more time I’d love to have a wee look at it”

The purpose of going was to see Antique New Zealand Quilts, I’d already seen one a few years ago … my Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy from Quilts from the Colonies was inspired by a coverlet from Te Aroha which I saw in 2014.  And I knew there were more scattered around the country.

Let’s have a pic and then I’ll explain all…

image of Anne Romsey Coverlet c1795-1830

Anne Romsey Coverlet c1795-1830 Dedham, Sussex, England. In the Collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

If I didn’t have your attention before, I should have it now!

This is only one of the eleven quilts and coverlets seen in just four museums in NZ’s North Island.

I’ve been planning this study trip for some time ~ researching quilts and coverlets of interest and working with the museums as most of these quilts are not on permanent display.  The four museums we visited have all been very generous with their time and collections. Janet O’Dell was a key member of the trip too as she brought with her not just some British antique quilts to study (more on that later), but also her wealth of knowledge.  And I know the museums gained as much from her as we did from them.

Let’s make this a fairly ‘photo heavy’ post shall we.  And I’ll reference where I can, what was seen, and where you can see more images of the textiles online.

Day one saw us bright and early to Tamaki Paenga Hira -Auckland War Memorial Museum to view two coverlets.

Anne Romsey Coverlet

Details of the Anne Romsey Coverlet

Anne Romsey’s Coverlet has two dates inscribed on the back ~ 1795 and 1830

More photo’s and documentation is available here http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-15434?k=1995.90.11&ordinal=1

We then saw a late 18th c Irish Coverlet, maker unknown.   It was in the medallion style of much earlier coverlets so at first one would think it was a much earlier piece.  It’s in very good condition with the Chintz still highly glazed.

Irish Chintz Medallion

Irish Chintz Medallion c 1880-1890  Maker unknown.

image of Irish Chintz medallion detail

Irish Chintz medallion detail

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-19159?k=1985.116&ordinal=0

Then we spied a box that looked suspiciously like a quilt archival box!

Two more...

Two more…

We had a bonus two quilts to view! … The red and white quilt is quite fragile, so that stayed in the box but we were able to carefully unfold sections for a better look. Circa 1840 from North Carolina, USA  Maker unknown.

image of Red and White North Carolina, c 1840

Red and White applique quilt, North Carolina. USA. c 1840. Maker unknown.

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-13117?k=1946.207&ordinal=0

And the final quilt was an early 19th c Log Cabin Quilt from England, maker unknown. An assortment of cottons, wools and silks are used here.

image of Early 19th Century English Log Cabin quilt.  Wool, silk, cotton

Early 19th Century English Log Cabin quilt. Wool, silk, cotton. Maker unknown.

More photo’s and documentation is available here

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-859?k=1949.63&ordinal=0

We were then treated to a rare opportunity to have a wee peek in archival drawers.

As Jane said…”let’s just open a random few and see what’s there”  Lots of interesting early stitched samplers featured heavily along with early colonial artefacts.  These I didn’t have permission to share but I would encourage you to search through the museums extensive online collection to see what you find.

Heartfelt thanks are extended to Jane Groufsky, Associate Curator Applied Arts and Design at Tamaki Paenga Hira – Auckland War Memorial Museum.  Our visit exceeded our expectations as you were so generous with your time.

The following day we travelled in convoy to Tauranga, a beautiful port city in the Bay of Plenty.   A very informative morning was spent with our guide Barbara at The Elms Mission.  http://www.theelms.org.nz/

The Elms Mission

The Elms Mission Tauranga

Two quilts are here and both were made by Scottish migrant Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell (1830-1918).  Euphemia worked on the crazy quilt from 1887 and completed it just prior to her death in 1918. Her applique coverlet is believed to have been made or completed by Euphemia after her arrival in New Zealand in 1865 so both these quilts are New Zealand made.

The Elms website used to have an online collection, but a look today as I’m writing and researching shows an updated and beautiful website, but no clear pictures of quilts.   However there are several photo’s and lots of documentation available in Pamela Fitz Gerald’s book “Warm Heritage, Old Patchwork Quilts & Coverlets in New Zealand and the women who made them”  ISBN 1-86953-529-4

It is readily available here.

http://www.minerva.co.nz/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?product=9280&category=123

image of Crazy Quilt 1887 - 1918

Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell’s Crazy Quilt

image of Borderie Perse Coverlet

Euphemia Ballingall Maxwell’s Applique coverlet 102″ square.  Centre section.

Broderie Perse Coverlet, fabric detal

Applique Coverlet, fabric detail.

A return visit to The Elms is already on my agenda… what an interesting historic home it is.  Thank you to the staff and especially our knowledgable guide Barbara who brought the family alive for us.

I am going to hit publish for this post and get straight on to part 2.  I think otherwise it’s just going to be way too much… not a wee post at all.

Enjoy… and stay tuned. I expect to have part 2 done by this evening

Arohanui

Margaret

PS. some of the pics look a bit faded but click on them for a sharper and bigger image xx

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Pour l’amour du fil 2017

image of Misao Wado's Nantes

Nantes was where it was all happening… As I load these photo’s I am reliving a most amazing time

(Apologies in advance for a long blog post)

image of Misao Wado's Nantes
Misao Wado’s ‘Nantes’

But of course to get to Nantes, a trip to Paris is pretty much *a must*

As soon as I arrived at The Hotel Henriette on the Left Bank, I was swooning.

We were a party of ten (can you imagine the giggling) at this hotel  … now my new favourite.

image of Hotel Henriette, Rive Gauche

Hotel Henriette, Rive Gauche

image of Hotel Henriette, Rive Gauche

Hotel Henriette, Rive Gauche

A fabulous time was had by *all us girls*;  we sent the guys off to do boy things because they would not have been interested at all in the Stitching Up Paris Tour we did

If you get the chance to spend an afternoon or morning doing a walking and metro tour with Barbara, you simply must! Tailor made to you and your friends’ textile passions, click here to see

http://www.stitchingupparis.com/

Here’s just a small taste of what we saw

image of Ines, La Boutique du Patchwork

Ines, La Boutique du Patchwork

http://www.inespatchwork.com/

We also went to Sajou and La Droguerie, I have no idea why I have no pictures :-O

Ultra Mod....Divine

Ultra Mod….Divine

http://ultramod-paris.com/

Just because...so gorgeous

Just because…so gorgeous

Ditto the gorgeous Haberdashery

Ditto the gorgeous Haberdashery

And then it was time to go to Nantes for Pour l’amour du fil

and the official launch of

Quilts from the Colonies

Quilts from the Colonies

Quilts from the Colonies published by Quiltmania

What a thrill the whole five days in Nantes was… I was overwhelmed by the amount of visitors to the show and their kindness to me! I loved meeting up again with old friends, getting to know friends I’d met on social media and making lots of new friends.

And of course being reaquainted with my book quilts which have been away from home since August, beautifully displayed in my Salon by the hard working Quiltmania and Pour l’amour du fil teams.

image of My Salon at Pour l'amour du fil

My Salon at Pour l’amour du fil showing some of the quilts from my book

And a few more

Holt's Landing and Miss Hitchens' Whimsy

Holt’s Landing and Miss Hitchens’ Whimsy

Salon

Rainbow Row, Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag and Liberty Oak

A rare moment of calm

A rare moment of calm

And the oooh-ing and aaah-ing over all the gorgeous salons and the work contained therein was deafening LOL

Clockwise from top left: Misao Wado, Petra Prins, Deirdre Bond-Abel and Segolaine Schweitzer

Clockwise from top left: Misao Wado, Petra Prins, Deirdre Bond-Abel and Segolaine Schweitzer

Clockwise from top left: Di Ford-Hall, Dawn Heese, Norma Whaley and Bonnie Sullivan

Clockwise from top left: Di Ford-Hall, Dawn Heese, Norma Whaley and Bonnie Sullivan

And let’s not forget the Welsh Quilts !

Welsh Quilts from the collection of Jen Jones

Welsh Quilts from the collection of Jen Jones

 I loved popping in to the salon of the gorgeous and talented Judy Newman of A Very Fine House, what a joy it has been to share this amazing journey together

Judy Newman.  Her book Quilts for Life Made with Love is another recent publication by Quiltmania

Judy Newman. Her book Quilts for Life Made with Love is another recent publication by Quiltmania

Catching up

Catching up with Judy, Deirdre, Amy, Di and Kaffe

And more ctaching up

And more catching up with Norma, Anne-Helene (who did all the technical work on my book…thank you <3 ) Jo, Linda and Martine and Dawn

I also taught two classes while I was there

Sarah-Jane's Scrapbag class

Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag class

A-Tisket A-Tasket class

A-Tisket A-Tasket class…  And a very special photo here of Christine Maxwell Bonney, I’m so pleased to have been able to spend time with her in Nantes.

Sadly Christine passed away last week after a long cancer illness.  She travelled and sewed and enjoyed her life, making friends wherever she went. Truly an inspiration to live the life you want.

Here we are in Paducah in 2012

Sitting on the porch

Sitting on the porch

 I loved the trip and the show so much I am planning to return to Europe later next year to do some more teaching.

Because all too soon it was over.

And it was time for a little R and R.

Off to Lisbon and beyond

Off to Lisbon and beyond

A well earned Gin and Tonic (they're huge in Lisbon, just sayin')

A well earned Gin and Tonic with a view (they’re huge in Lisbon, just sayin’)

After the build up to the release of the book, and the preparations for Pour l’amour du fil and all the excitement surrounding it, I extended the trip with another 3 weeks gallavanting around Portugal, Spain and Morocco gathering lots of inspiration and ideas for future quilts.

There’s some works underway already :-o

Thanks so much for visiting, and sorry it’s such a long post.

But there’s lots of exciting things ahead and I want to show them in chronological order

Stay tuned

happy stitching

Margaret

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Pour L’amour du Fil…

Pour L'amour du Fil

Pour L'amour du Fil

And Quilts from the Colonies book launch

image of Quilts From The Colonies

Quilts from the Colonies

…here I come.

The bags are packed; the kits for my classes are contained therein.  A bit of Show and Tell is also on board.

I have my sewing organised for the plane and transit (all 25+ hours of it)

I’ll be stitching some small blocks for more of this quilt

Irish MedallionYou may remamber this quilt from my last blog post…Working title is Irish Medallion

Irish Medallion

I loved doing some EPP coffins for this quilt and am keen to do more EPP, very addictive

Irish MedallionAnd for reasons I can’t quite fathom, other than inspiration strikes at the busiest of times, I started a new quilt.

Or you might say, I started a new Block. What it will be, who knows?

But I’m loving these fabrics together

Applique

This was such an impulsive start it doesn’t even have a working title

And it gives me a little more applique to work on while I’m away

If you’re going to be at Pour L’amour du Fil, I would love you to stop by my Salon to say hi, we can chat about quilts and gorgeous fabrics…  or join me in a workshop or two.

I won’t get to  blog while I’m away  but I will be Instagramming and Facebooking

Til soon

Happy Stitching

Margaret :-)

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A new quilt for the New Year and a busy year ahead!

Then pick a winner.  And stick with it.

Since I posted last, my book Quilts from the Colonies has arrived in my hot little hands…

I am so so thrilled with the result.  It is perfect in every way.  Quiltmania‘s talent in bringing all the quilts, photographs and patterns together in to one beautiful package just bowls me over.

image of Quilts from the Colonies

Seventeen projects

image of A Tisket A Tasket

a- Tisket a-Tasket

image of Sarah-Jane's Scrapbag

Sarah-Jane’s Scrapbag

The two quilts shown above are the two I will be teaching in Nantes at Pour l’amour du fil.

I’d love to have you join me in the classes so keep an eye on their website which is constantly being updated

http://pourlamourdufil.com/cours-et-ateliers/

I have managed to put the book down periodically …

and I’ve been having the loveliest time in my wee studio. Here’s what a lovely time looks like

image of studio

Enter at your own risk!

image of studio

No beautiful or glossy styling here.

But I’ve been working on a few projects simultaneously, so may my mess please be excused?

The one I’m currently working on fanatically  steadily is this one

Working title Irish Medallion

Working title Irish Medallion

 If you’ve been following along on my Instagram page you will have seen some of the progress.

Deciding on a background for the applique centre is not fast but it’s fun

Pull some possible contenders from the stash

Pull some possible contenders from the stash…

Narrow it down and stand back

Narrow it down some and stand back…

Then pick a winner.  And stick with it.

Then pick a winner. And stick with it.

I’ve completed the applique and am now spending summer evenings stitching a border of Coffin shapes, stitched using the English Paper Piecing method

ENglish Paper Piecing... very relaxing

English Paper Piecing… very relaxing

 One border done and three to go.

Happy stitching and til next

Margaret

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Christmas Catch-up

image of Quilts for Life Made with Love

I know I’ve really (really) been Missing in Action.

But this is what I’ve been doing… designing and finishing seventeen quilts for my very first book!

image of Quilts From The Colonies

Quilts from the Colonies published by Quiltmania

Quilts that once only had *working titles* now have real names;

Quilts that have been a long time in the making are finished;

And new Quilts have been designed and made…

and they have been photographed so beautifully by the Quiltmania team.

I’m yet to see ALL the finished result, BUT… I was there on photoshoot day with the gorgeous Linda from quiltsinthebarnaus.blogspot.com.au

And so I have a pretty good inkling that the styling will be stunning, as always with Quiltmania :-)

What fun we had!

Photo Shoot day

Don’t bump anything!

Quiltmania currently has a competition running on their website

(click link here to go directly to the competition)

from now until the 20th Dec

where you could win a copy of ‘Quilts from the Colonies’ and ‘Quilts for Life Made with Love’

the beautiful new book by my talented friend Judy Newman

image of Quilts for Life Made with Love

Quilts for Life Made with Love by Judy Newman. Published by Quiltmania

I am dizzy with excitement to finally see the results of my efforts.

It will be for sale on Quiltmania’s website from the 21st December.

Landed and for sale in Australia will probably be March/April.

Huge thanks to Carol and the Quiltmania team for this wonderful opportunity

Happy Stitching over the Christmas break

‘Til next

Margaret x

 

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