New quilts that look like old quilts. . . mostly
Linda Collins has her Quilts in the Barn/ Secret Sewing Sisterhood on-line Exhibition under way…
2 pages are already up and it’s most definitely worth a look.
Also we can all continue to make donations to Breast Cancer Research and have it added to the Quilts in the Barn total.
All details on Quilts in the Barn blog.
The reason for dragging down off the top shelf these two WIPs I’m going to show, is I have just been tripping around blogland and looking at this blog called Little Welsh Quilts and Other Traditions. It’s the blog of Mary Jenkins, who wrote this book with Clare Claridge.
Making Welsh Quilts by Mary Jenkins and Clare Claridge
I found the blog through Penny Tucker’s blog and have checked in to take a look a couple of times in the last few weeks as Mary and Clare’s book (above) is one I’ve had in my quilt book library since 2007.
So all that reminded me of an unfinished quilt a la gallois (or should that be galloise…but that sounds like a cigarette) on my shelf and because I’m having a quiet day (not a lazy day…a quiet day, I am hanging a quilt exhibition tomorrow and I need to conserve my energy) I thought “I shall get that down and blog about it” and while I was at it I grabbed another one too…the thing these two quilts have in common is that they are the only unfinished Hand Quilted projects I have.
I’m not saying they’re going to be the last two things I ever hand quilt, but it’s a distinct possibility.
After going to Wales in 2006 and buying Mary and Clare’s book (and Jen Jones’s) I started taking a real interest in Welsh Quilts and decided I would like to make a reproduction quilt in that style…right down to the knife edge finished…no binding. (But of course I’m not up to that bit yet am I)
My inspiration came from a quilt picture I tore out of an English ‘housey’ magazine and I also had some old Welsh and North Country Quilting patterns to inspire me. I’ve added Jen Jones’s book to the photo, because it would not be right to have a post about Welsh Quilts and not mention Jen Jones (several times) and add a link.
Inspiration, and my 'working' drawings.
Can you see the similarity...You can say "no", I won't mind...
…when you see the whole thing, when it’s finished, you might see it better.
Of course I had to take a bit of poetic licence with the centre as the magazine clipping didn’t give too much away.
Now for some lovely close-ups
Here's the back.
I really wanted red paisley, but three years ago I couldn’t find the density of colour and pattern I was after
(actually this, in red, would have been perfect) but I’m happy with this blue from Corliss.
Welsh Flat Iron, traditional Welsh quilting pattern.
My old quilt patterns came in handy, plus there are a lot in Mary and Clare’s book.
Paisley Pear, another Welsh quilting pattern.
Oh, and there’s some of that favourite pink I blogged about on the 17th Oct.
Two long-time favourite Windham fabrics. The larger print is the background for my Connecticut Quilt.
Detail of quilt centre.
The quilting of the centre is complete but there is still a lot to be done in the borders.
Though I have mapped out what is going where, that’s half the battle isn’t it.
Welsh Quilt, quilting 'maps'
This is one that will be a pattern, though I really need to finish it first.
I really want to continue with the hand quilting of this quilt,
even though I now own a Long-arm quilt machine and could quilt those patterns on Violet, I want to finish this one with the vision I had at the start, so it’s going to take a while.
But, hey, it’s down off the shelf now and blogging about things can give us a a bit of a kick.
And here’s a section of the other (WiP) quilt.
Double Pink, Indigo, Chrome Yellow, Madder Brown etc. The fabrics of 1860-1880.
This is only small, 39″ square. Started in 2006 (?) and probably a third of the quilting is done.
I did a one day workshop with Jan Gessin Baker, a lesson in the fabrics of the era and searching through ‘the stash’ to find authentic reproductions to replicate one of her (many) antique quilts… Because Jan also has an extensive collection of vintage fabrics, it was interesting to analyse the real thing, find the reproduction equivalent (and sometimes you can see the absolute copy) and see how well the designers are reproducing them.
Not just that workshop day but also the eight years I was attending Threadbear and Jan’s Quilt History Study Group, was when I really started paying very close attention to the detail in the fabrics (Antique and Repro).
Sometimes I think a repro is just not a good enough match for me…(I was actually going to stop blogging and get some dinner but I’m going to quickly grab the camera, take a snap and show you a case in point)
Kashmir V by Sentimental Studios for Moda, This fabric in a larger scale...I would have nearly bought the shop out. Instead I bought 30 cm.
Maybe I should have gone and got dinner and not got on my soap box about this but…
…the larger companion print of this fabric (not shown because I didn’t buy any) should have been perfect for Broderie Perse but it just does not have the definition or sharpness of pattern nor the intensity of colour that this smaller print has. It’s just plain fuzzy and, in my mind, not suitable for BP even though it is clearly trying to be a reproduction of fabrics which were used for Broderie Perse but the pictured fabric with the appropriate definition/intensity etc is just too small.
Maybe I’ll start drawing up my own fabric designs…
but for now, tummy rumbling
Thanks for visiting…
Thanks Jenn, thanks a bunch...s'cuse the pun.
It’s my birthday and I got these lovely flowers (and a bit of fabric) from my good friend Jennifer of 5foot1quilts.
I finished quilting her Teardrop Medallion quilt the other day which she is hanging in the Goldfields Quilters Exhibition this coming weekend. It features a lot of Smithsonian fabrics so was a delight to work on.
Jennifer's Teardrop Medallion, centre block
We’ll get better photo’s at the Exhibition, this one is just me holding it up so it’s a bit skewiff.
Last week my mobile phone died (well not exactly died but started behaving very erratically) after 1 year and 364 days of a 2 year contract. It was very timely because for my birthday I treated myself to this…
happy birthday to me...iphone 4 and it's all mine.
And I also got a couple of facebook birthday greetings, one from my ‘best friend in high school’…I’m feeling pretty special.
I am working today though, not taking a birthday ‘sickie’. Violet the trusty long-arm (and me) has been working overtime in readiness for the Exhibition, so today she is having a rest but I am on the computer finishing off the Banyan Tree Medallion Quilt pattern.
Banyan Tree Medallion. My newest reproduction quilt, circa 1815.
The pattern release is imminent.
Thanks for visiting…
Hey there's my quilt...
Since I last posted I have done so much I hardly know where to begin with this post… Ok I’ll do it chronologically, that seems to make the most sense.
Two weeks ago Lindsay (that’s DH) and I drove to Adelaide for the inaugural Australian Machine Quilters Festival (tho I recommend flying, that’s what we’ll be doing next time) I am soooooooooo happy I went…I did three machine quilting classes with very informative, encouraging and inspiring tutors (Kim Brummer USA, Claire Fairless-Lewis NSW,Australia and Sharon Parkinson SA Australia) and came home completely fired up to try new things on Violet (my trusty long-arm) so I have been quilting up a storm since then and really happy with my progress too. It was terrific to be in classes with other professional machine quilters, I think our industry is unique in that there seems to be no ‘professional rivalry’ and we are all happy to share our trials and tribulations as well as our triumphs…so that we can all learn and grow.
Another highlight of the festival was the quilt exhibition where I saw ‘my quilt’, well no, let me explain… the quilt at the top of the post was beautifully pieced and appliqued by Lyn Ilett and quilted by Wendy Gleeson, but it is my design and pattern (Vintage Sampler 2005) and it’s always a thrill as a quilt designer to see the evidence that someone has liked your work enough to, not just buy the pattern, but also likes it enough to keep working on it til the end. I was really chuffed to see it hanging there.
My Vintage Sampler quilt spent many years in residence at Threadbear and only came ‘home’ this year so this coming weekend it is one of the quilts I’m entering in my local quilt group’s exhibition. Which brings me nicely to the next thing I’ve been up to…Quilting those last few quilts for myself and customers to enter in the show. I’ll probably get better photo’s on set-up day at the exhibition than I have managed to get here at home so I’ll post more about those later. If you are anywhere near Castlemaine and want a great day out, see the details of the Exhibition here at the Goldfields Quilters blog.
oooh, have to back track a bit, on the way back from Adelaide we stopped for lunch at a little town named Keith and while we were relaxing I was flicking thru a very ‘up market’ glossy magazine called South Australia Country Life (or something similar…it reminded me of the English Country Life magazine with the real estate ads and photo’s of debutantes and society weddings) when my attention was caught by a photo of an applique block and then some photo’s of antique sewing machines…as I read I quickly realised “hey that’s Lynne… she reads my blog, I sent her some fabric, she sent me some in return, oh this is too exciting”.
Backtracking just a bit further cos I want to share a great link with you. In Adelaide, Lindsay and I decided to stay closer to the city and not out at Mawson Lakes which is where the Festival was held so we made a booking at a hotel in what was described as ‘Cosmipolitan North Adelaide’ and it suited us really nicely, great restaurant choices just outside the door, but most fortuitous was directly across the road was a shop called Fabric of Life which specialises in Indian and Turkish textiles, all fair trade and exquisite.
It was pure chance that we were in the right place because I don’t think I would have found it otherwise, and yes I bought an Indian quilt which I will photograph and post soon, but if you have time I urge you to have a look at the website, there are some very beautiful and inspiring designs.
Now, up to the present day…Quilts in the Barn…which is where I went today to see an incredible selection of quilts by The Secret Sewing Sisterhood and I’ll also link here to Linda’s Quilts in the Barn as I know Linda and the Secret Sisters have plans for posting all about the exhibition once it’s over, so you’ll be able to see photo’s of all the quilts at those two blog sites I’m sure.
The quilts were all stunning and I would happily have each and every one of them in my home, absolutely without exception (this is an important statement because, whilst we, as quilters, appreciate all the quilts we see and admire the dedication required to make them, we don’t necessarily want to ‘own’ every one we see)
But today when I was there I found my focus really went to the fabrics and so that is what I want to share with you here…I hope you enjoy these close-ups.
Moorish Memories Quilt, Merri Garton. Designed by Meghan Leslie.
Jane Austen Quilt II by Di Ford
I hope I have the info correct in the captions, but I loved this Prussian Blue used as the urns in two of the quilts. Snippets of it appeared in quite a few of the quilts but it is really shown to its full advantage in the centre blocks of both these quilts. I never had this fabric but if I had, I too would have used it ‘here and there’.
from a corner of the Marylebone Quilt by Di Ford
This is just a drop dead gorgeous fabric…that’s all I can say about that.
Detail of Mary Brown Quilt 1851 by Meghan Leslie. Work in Progress
This I’m showing because I’m hoping you can see the exceptional applique skills of Meghan. All the quilts showed a very high level of workmanship but this really impressed me. Keep clicking on the images, they’ll get really detailed.
Antique Wedding Sampler by Barbara Worcester, designed by Di Ford.
Ditto the Broderie Perse by Barbara Worcester. This is Broderie Perse excellence. It appeared to be done by machine (so uniform and dense was the stitiching) but… the thread colour changes with every colour change in the fabric, in exactly the right place…not possible by machine. Something to aspire to.
Below are a few favourite fabrics I have in my stash and use repeatedly in my own quilts…it’s great to see them enjoyed by other quilters too and of course there will be a ‘glut’ of Smithsonian fabrics here, avert your eyes if you’re not a fan.
'Rosehip' by RJR Smithsonian collection 'Little Sister's Quilt'. Used in Drayton Hall Quilt by Di Ford
'Rainbow' RJR Smithsonian from 'The Rising Sun Quilt'. Used by Di Ford in her 'Above the Rain' quilt.
'Rainbow' from The Rising Sun Quilt' shown here in Di Ford's Morrell.
Like Di, I am down to my last snippet of this fabric. I might get the centre of a flower (or two) but that’s it.
'De Monaco Rose' RJR Smithsonian 'Little Sister's Quilt' shown in 'Pennsylvania Applique' aka 'Poppies' by Deb King, designed by Di Ford.
OK, enough Smithsonian already…
here are two fave fabrics of mine, used and enjoyed ‘here and there’ in most of my quilts.
A fave reproduction of Serpentine Stripes c 1820 - 1850. I have three colourways of this one.
This pretty pink is now completely depleted from my stash...it's all in quilts.
Well it’s now 11.50 pm… I was up this morning in readiness for an 8.30 departure to Quilts in the Barn and so now I must go to bed.
I have more photo’s to post and Jennifer and I will be adding a new post to What Fabric is That.com soon as we have been buying Smithsonian again…among other things… and have a few things we want to show you.
But for now, night night.
