quilt
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Sunshine and Shadow: Manx log cabin coverlet
It would be nice to write about all the things I made this year before the end of the year is up!
One of the makes I'm most proud of, I finished in early autumn and it had been a while in the making. I started making this coverlet when Jenni Smith taught the Manx log cabin technique at Stitch Gathering in 2019.
This traditional technique involves measuring and ripping fabric strips by hand, folding and sewing the blocks by hand and sewing them together front and then back. I made all the blocks by hand, sewed the fronts together on the machine and then hand sewed the back of the blocks.
My previous posts detail the process and my decisions a little more. I used fabric, mostly scraps, from my stash for the blocks. The centre squares are metallic Essex linen. A lot of the backing fabrics were bought for this coverlet though because I wanted to use woven fabrics, there's some shot cotton and lots of gorgeous Robert Kaufman Fabrics - yarn dyed, herringbone and gingham.
I did think about doing a normal quilt binding, I wasn't sure I could be bothered with the traditional butted edge. I guess this is like a knife-edge but there's no sewing around the edges or trimming of wadding required like there is with a quilt, so technically I don't know what it's really called. Anyway, I did decide to finish it by hand the traditional way. I turned the edges under 1/4" and did a ladder stitch closure.
The whole thing is far from perfect and, to me, that's what makes it so absolutely wonderful. It's not about being precise, it's so personal and handmade.
I arranged the blocks in a traditional Sunshine and Shadow layout. There's no doubt that I will make another Manx log cabin at some point, next time with a different layout. I love this though. The pink, mint and navy are quite dramatic and give it a modern look.
Big thanks to my youngest for being such a good helper with these shots!
Here's the back. You can see how the light shine though the centres of the block, where there's just two layers of fabric.
A close up of the quilt label I made last year. I did try to make the 1 into a 2 but it didn't really work! That'll teach me for counting my chickens before the coverlet is hatched!
Pretty pictures of it draped on the tree, just because.
The texture is what makes this so different and special. It's still warm like a quilt but so light. It's tactile in such a lovely way and this is my favourite make to date.
It's funny that I'm writing this as I sit in the living room where I spent so much time with my Nan, given my last post. I'm currently visiting my Dad and since I can't go to sleep before around midnight, I thought I'd stay up and try to catch up on writing about things I've made this year. There's a few more posts I'm hoping to cram in before 2023, stay tuned!
breaking symmetry: Earth Day x Karen Nyberg
Creativity is a curious thing. It ebbs and flows. I have to be in the right mood. At times I want to follow a pattern, create my own patterns, stitch mindlessly, stitch with focus, colour inside the lines, scribble like nothing matters. It happens in the moment, in the mood. Recently I have realised how much I like having structure and routine in my life but without being confined or limited. This applies to my creativity too. One of the things that keeps me making and motivated is the Aurifil Artisan challenges. We are given a starting point, a theme, supplies or just a word and let loose to create whatever we feel inspired to. This month we were sent fat quarters of the amazing Earth Views by Karen Nyberg and I received a spool of 50 weight Aurifil thread, which is featured in Karen’s Aurifil collection.
The pattern I chose is Minnie Stars, Quiltfolk Patterns 007. It's one I wanted to make for a while and I thought it would showcase the prints well. I was going to chose a solid blue background fabric but none of the blues I had worked at all. In the end I went for a pale grey - I have no idea what fabric this is - note to self, label your solids!
Had I labelled it, I might have been able to get more because I did run out. Thankfully I had just enough from the fat quarters to make up for it. You might spot the areas where I had to swap the solid for prints in the photos below. I was determined to use what I had and it just added to the quirkiness of the quilt.
Nature is so fascinating and the amount of symmetry found in patterns, creatures, trees, oceans, time and space is incredible. Repeating patterns, shapes, mirrored symmetry; it's all so beautiful. And then there's distortion, broken symmetry, changes; all of which can also be really beautiful. As I laid out the blocks it was clear they weren't going to fit together in a neat pattern, without me cutting quite a bit away or losing some blocks. I could have added more using other fabric but I decided not too. Instead I pieced the blocks like a puzzle, so they would all get used. The result is the most oddly shaped quilt I have ever made. It's weird and I like it.
Once the quilt top was done, next was the quilting...
spring steps
I do love surprises... and happy mail... and quilt making (especially for a good cause)!
For this months Aurifil Artisan challenge we were sent five fat quarters of Kaffe Fassett fabric to use in a project.
I knew I was going to make a quilt. I don't use red prints very often and spent a while auditioning fabrics to go with the bundle. Initially I pulled pinks and oranges, other warm tones because that's my vibe. It all looked too samey though and the Kaffe prints didn't stand out enough. So then I pulled a whole rainbow of solid fabrics, mixing them up with the prints to see what worked well.
Ultimately I went with a pale grey for the background and deep yellow, bright purple, olive and cerulean - sorry I don't have the exact shades, these fabrics were left over from other projects and I've failed to have any system for keeping track of the names/brands of solids. If you have a good system please let me know!
Traditional blocks are always a favourite and, as I haven't used any of my special quilting rulers for a while, I looked through them and decided to make Courthouse Steps blocks.
The olive was a considered choice, as it's the colour for the centre of the blocks. Inspired by the blooms on the prints, I wanted the blocks to look like large flowers and the green would be the stems.
concrete garden quilt
I am over the moon with this finish! It's been a long time coming... it began it's life in 2016 when I created the central hexagon and my wonderful Bee A Brit Stingy friends made bee blocks. They each made a square and a triangle block. My brief as 'queen bee' was asking them to use the background fabric I sent, along with a mix of cheery fabrics and create geometric blocks for the squares and triangle blocks made up of triangles.
The starting point for all our bee blocks was a central panel in the shape of a hexagon. The hexagon was formed with six triangles cut from the background fabric. I hand pieced the flowers, which are from the Daisy Do pattern from the book Quilt Lovely by Jen Kingwell. Then machine appliqued them to the background.
This quilt is called Concrete Garden because of this central panel - the mix of prints with the monotone background reminds me of city living and a garden growing through concrete. Overall the quilt layout and blocks remind me of an allotment too, common in city suburbs.
on the road again
Spider web blocks are not the fastest quilt blocks I've ever constructed and this quilt has taken me quite a while to complete. It was put away for a while but it is enjoyable seeing the pattern emerges as it grows and this was the year to get it done. I made the first few blocks as part of the Art Gallery Fabrics Quilt Block Collection Blog Tour back in 2017 and had only made 10 blocks when I pulled it out.
I got to work only to realise that I would run out of fabric. This quilt is for my Dad, he didn't want a big quilt but even so I wanted it to be big enough. Thankfully I managed to find a few of the prints online in the UK and as a couple of the prints have striped patterns I decided to make the most of what I bought and just cut triangles from the fabric rather than piecing strips. So part of this quilt is cheating.
It totally works though and is hardly that noticeable right?!
geesey geesey >>
This Autumn I had the pleasure of joining Rachel of Stitched in Color for the Geesey Geesey Sew-Along. Her Geesey Quilt pattern is a brilliant exploration of colour and I spent quite a while debating what sort of look to create and what fabrics to use. Over time I have been collecting black and white prints and ultimately thought it would be an interesting choice for the pattern.
Thinking about what to pair it with, my inner 80's child was screaming PASTELS! Thankfully I had quite a few of those too. My first inclination was to use the pastel solid fabric for the 'geese' and the monochrome prints for the background. A comment on an instagram post made me reconsider, @ingesews kindly wrote about using "pastels for the seasonal colours of the skies". I made some test blocks - always a good idea! - and realised prints as geese would work so much better and the pastel colours could be used in such a way that I could create a sort of sunset effect.
☆ Land of Magic Quilt ☆
I'm popping in to share a finish, which was actually done last month but what with all the nothingness going on I got sidetracked. The quilt top finally got finished in April and I was excited to quilt it. Honestly it's been a while since I made a quilt, there has been some hand sewing / cross stitch / blackwork in my life and I have been working on piecing another quilt top but my other projects seem to have all turned into cushions!
The quilt pattern is the Land of Magic Quilt by Kid Giddy, you can purchase the full quilt pattern or buy the blocks individually from the Kid Giddy shop. There are some very small pieces in some of the blocks but honestly with foundation paper piecing that isn't really an issue, one you've got the technique down then you can tackle any pattern. The star and the crown are obviously good ones to start with and build up from there if you're new to the technique.
For the quilting I kept it simple, I love walking foot quilting and fancied some easy mindless lines. Rather than my usual straight lines or cross hatch quilting, I thought about the block positions and what would work with each area. The quilt is roughly split into thirds, with the top and bottom sections quilted with organic wavy lines and the central section with a decorative stitch (mode 2 #19 on my Elna 680) - this stitch is probably my favourite because it looks like clouds or waves and creates such a lovely texture.
It was quilted using Aurifil 40wt thread in Aluminium #2615 and a pretty variegated blue, Stone Washed Denim #3770.
I did decide to add facial features on the mermaid, as soon as I had done it I panicked and wasn't sure it worked at all but now it's all quilted I am ok with it and she's smiling at least. I used a Sakura Pigma Micron pen, which is waterproof and fade resistant - great for quilt labels too.
It was quick to quilt and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The final effect is gentle and crinkly but doesn't overpower the blocks.
There are a lot of my favourite prints and fabric designers in the blocks, it feels good to use those special fabrics and see them in a finished quilt I am proud of. The unicorn prancing in a field of Denyse Schmidt blooms is pure happiness for me. This quilt is for my three year old niece and my sister helped me choose the prints, which is also special. It was unintentional but she's a Manchester City supporter and there is quite a lot of light blue in there!
For the backing I dug out this print that had been in my stash for quilt some time, the fabric is Oh Clementine by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew. It's so cute, with a soft blue background too. I liked it so much that I decided to use it for the binding as well. Also if feels AMAZING, like really lovely and soft but not thin or slippy. It's made by Windham Fabrics and I would like to try more fabrics from them, especially if it is the same substrate.
I hand sewed the binding down - always love that bit - and now it's ready for my niece. Rather than posting it to Wales, I will give it to her when we are able to see each other again. That will be magic.
Just One Quilt
Jenni Smith has created a video series for Just One Quilt. In the films quilters talk about their story; what quilting means to them, their unique process and the benefits it brings them. Each quilter is obviously different and it's a fun way to get inspired and learn more about them.
Despite what my career history might suggest and the fact that I would happily speak in front of hundreds of people, there is always part of me that gets nervous when it comes to speaking about myself. What these films show is how valuable each and every creator's experience is, that we can learn from and encourage each other through our stories. And while we might approach things differently or have varying purposes, we are connected by our passion for making and the (sometimes unexpected) rewards that result from quilting.
A huge thank you to Jenni for including me in this project, as well as personally for championing and inspiring me so much.
A huge thank you to Jenni for including me in this project, as well as personally for championing and inspiring me so much.
It's a thrill to be in such excellent company, do check out the other quilters wonderful stories too!
Watch the film of my full story HERE
Inspiring Improv 🐠 Shoal
For some people the idea of improvised piecing is scary. The thought of stitching bits of fabric together with no pattern or precise measurements can be overwhelming. Others find it liberating and exciting. Honestly I probably find myself somewhere in the middle. Improv quilts look really cool but how do you do it?! No measuring, no rulers, no real idea of how it will turn out? That might feel unnerving but it's also a LOT of fun. Letting go of expectations a bit, relaxing the rules and creating something completely unique. Truthfully in a world where there is a lot of pressure, where social media presents ideals and things can sometimes become a little samey; improv is like a breath of fresh air.
A while ago I might have said it's not really for me, I've had a go and enjoyed it but it didn't click. Until now. Having seen Nicholas Ball's trunk show at the Sewcial Retreat I knew a bit about his techniques and was really inspired by his quilts. When he invited me to join his Inspiring Improv Book Tour I was delighted, intrigued to discover more about his process and learn. Nicholas' new book is full of the techniques he uses presented in a way that's fun to read. It's like he's talking to you as he shares the inspiration and stories behind the amazing quilts and has great tips that teach you how to create your own improv versions of his designs.
I chose to follow the Shoal pattern and make some fish. Above you can see Nicholas' quilt and how beautiful the photography is in the book.
My make is not a quilt but a cushion cover. As it's going to live with us I had to steer away from using blue because it wouldn't fit our decor (though fish mad Joan will probably steal it away to her room anyway!). I picked out background fabric while at Patchfinders recently, I could not resist the shot cotton. It's a mix of purple and mint, photos can not do it justice sadly. Because I can never restrain myself I also got the stripe, text and watercolour pink fabric too. I added another pop of bright colour with the yellow woven, Chartreuse Mariner Cloth by Alison Glass.
Once the fabric pull was made cutting could begin!
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