A part of something bigger.

Being a part of something bigger is an honour. I was really proud to be a sponsor of this years Quilt Showcase by the Victorian Quilters.

But the real joy was being a part of something that was truly inspirational.
All of us who pick up a needle and thread have something in common. We create a stitch. With those stitches we create something that makes us a part of this thing that is bigger than any one thing we make. It is the common thread that joins all of us. Wether it be stitching a quilt or making a child's dress to embroidering a keepsake, it is something we do because we love it and we enjoy it. Be it the process of doing or the finished product.

My sponsorship went to this years Convenors Award. This award went to Lou Smith and Andree Donaldson's Quilt - Lou's Reward. This quilt is part of this joy and inspiration. An amazing story of someone recovering from a terrible car accident who is rekindling her love of sewing with her friend.
Lou made this quilt. For someone who is learning how to speak and walk again and who has nearly lost her eye sight from the accident, this is one truly amazing quilt.

Learning the story behind this quilt made me pick up my needle and thread again after a long break. I too was in a car accident last year and lost some of the feeling in my hand and had stopped hand sewing.  After seeing this quilt I picked up my needle and thread again and got back into it. I can't sew as well as I did before and my fingers were soft and as I said, no pain no gain. But even though its a bit messy and my stitches aren't as even as before, I still love it. I missed it.

It's why we sew, it's why we quilt, its because we love to do it. We share this.

Thank you for your quilt Lou and Andree, it is wonderful.

No Pain, No Gain....

Finally after a long break I am back doing some hand quilting. It's been a long time between projects for myself. In fact most of the time I am 'reverse' quilting, I am unpicking something to re-work or salvage it.

But as I have not picked up the needle and thread to quilt for quite some time my fingers are out of condition. They have gone 'soft'. I am a lap quilter and I have never quite got the hang of using a hoop, let alone a thimble. I sometimes use a bit of tape or a bandaid when my fingers get sore, but I need to investigate some of these new fangled quilters thimbles in leather or the other plastic ones that you stick on.
As I sit and quilt I keep hearing John Lennon from the Beatles White Album going....'i've got blisters on my fingers'.... his were from playing guitar, my sore spots are from the needle making a groove in the edge of my finger.

Along with pricking myself in a few spots too, I am cursing that I am not developing some good old callouses fast enough. So, as they say, no pain, no gain....I need to toughen up!

One day I hope to be able to quilt in tiny stitches, evenly and finely. It takes practice and strong fingers. But until then, its a small job and I need to quit complaining...sigh...

Quilt Top Contraband....

There have been a few tips and tricks I have had to rely on over the years getting through airports with too much luggage. Often my carry on gets a little over loaded and more than once I have had to stuff a few things in the top of my pants to get past the check in at the gate. My most preferred method is to wrap a few articles of spare clothing around my middle or stuff a few things in the top of my boots til they tell me my carry on is light enough. Now, I don't recommend any of this, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.

One of my customers came for a visit to the studio. Her husband was waiting in the car, but she spied a 1930s Double Wedding Ring quilt top. And as what so often happens when people visit the studio, they fall in love with a treasure that has to come with them.

The quilt top had to be hers... But what about the husband? Well, as a joke, I said you can stuff it down your pants? Or how about I post it to you? Thinking that posting would be the option chosen...I could have popped it in the post pack and it would have arrived the next day. But no, the option chosen was the former...
So I folded the queen size top into 8th's length wise and flattened it down. Her arms went up and we tightly wrapped the quilt top around her middle and stuffed it into the top of her jeans. Jumper down and coat on top....can you notice? ...No, he won't suspect a thing.

Off she went beaming...was it that she now owned a beautiful one of a kind vintage quilt top....or was it that she got one over on the other half safely home and into the stash??

Orphans and Under Dogs...

I've had a lot going on lately in my non-working life, but is made me make some connections to my working part of things...the other 8 hours a day....well, its more than that but I like to think I sleep for 8, work for 8 and live for 8.

I have always had a thing for the under dog, the one left behind, the one that surprises you (go Quintana - TDF reference here)  the little thing in my eyes that I think is gold, a tiny scrap, something that is left behind.

When I travel I pick up orphan blocks (the blocks that don't make it to a quilt), unfinished quilts and those ones many would leave behind, perhaps the corners don't meet up or they have a patch that needs replacing or some stitches to repair. I love them. To me there is so much potential, there is a story to them...there is a why?
They show a touch that is human and by hand. The wonky stitches or the patch that still has a button of the shirt cuff on it. Names of makers and friends, connections. There is a need in me to finish them or to find them a new home.

Those who know me well will know why this is and over time I will draw some lines to this and join the dots, but in the mean time, enjoy some of my collected underdogs....the unfinished or the abandoned and make them a part of your stash....give them a new home.

Open Drawer Camberwell for June

Hi all, you will find me and some of my goodies at Open Drawer in Camberwell over this June. Wednesday, Thursday and maybe Friday depending on clients in my graphic design side of things - I think I need to clone myself some days!

I will also be holding some mini work shops on Scrap Quilting old school style.
So all you need to do is bring a needle and thread, some scissors and a bag of your scraps. You know, all those bits you can't part with but don't know what to do with....yes, we all have loads of them - well I do.
The workshop will take you through string style piecing using what you have at hand and some colour theory so you can push your scraps about a bit.

Come on down!

Open Drawer is at 1158 Toorak Road in Camberwell (Hartwell Village)
You can get the 75 tram to the front door or the Alamein Train to Burwood Station.

1940s string pieced diamond block. www.thequilter.com

Up Close - 1940s Grand Mothers Flower Garden Variation

A lot of you have been quite interested in this quilt. So here it is up close so you can all get a better look at it.

The top was made some time in the 1940s. I picked it up on a trip to the USA a few years back and it sat in my stash for quite a while.
I decided that it was time for it to find another home, so it was purchased by one of my clients. Off it went to India where it was hand quilted in the traditional Fans pattern. It was then hand bound by me. Now its off to the other side of the county. So before it goes, here are some notes.

This quilt top was hand sewn. 1 inch hexys. What is so striking about this quilt is the use of black and the variation in the layout.

Notes on what you need....this is a big project! Brace yourself this is going to be a big one....finished is queen size. 225x210 cm.

Cut your template for fabric with an edge length of 1.5 inches. For a finished hexy of 1 inch. Cut your paper templates as 1 inch sides. I'd use template plastic or cut several from a cereal box to make sure you are not grinding the edges out too much. Or print off a pile on thin copy paper and snip out.

Black - 755 for centres and 'stars'.
White - 1062
Plains - this quilt has a mix of solids. Min 6 of each colour x 59. Or 354 in total - 59 colours x 6 hexys.
Prints - 708 - a mix of prints of min 12 of each - 59 prints x 12 hexys.

.75 yard/mt of additional white for inset edges.
.75 yard/mt black for binding.
Backing of your choice.

Vintage Grandmas Flower Garden - Cutting Plan

Start paper piecing and i'll see you in a few years....

Notes on this quilt... None of the prints or solids double up, some are really close but not the same. So start raiding that stash or ask friends if you can raid theirs for prints and plains to get this mix. You are aiming for 59 different plains and 59 different prints. Yay! We all love a challenge....

Mercerisation you ask....

I get asked this question a lot. What is Mercerisation?

Mercerisation is a process in cotton production. It is a treatment done in one or 2 stages that makes a cotton thread more wonderful, smooth and nicer to work with, which is why I am a fan of mercerised cotton fabrics and threads.

Invented back in the mid 1800s by a guy by the name of John Mercer. At the time, it wasn't so popular a method, but it was improved upon in the late 1800s with the help of industrialisation by another textile manufacturer H. A Lowe.

It is a method where the cotton is placed in a bath of dilute acid and it changes the composition of the fibre making it stronger and giving it a sheen. This makes it easier to dye and print onto, and when woven, a stronger fabric that can be woven finer and at a higher thread count. Mercerised cotton generally won't shrink or the shrinkage rate is far less as as its been pre shrunk under tension during its time in the acid bath.

The second optional stage of mercerisation is running the treated thread through a 'gasser', a gas burner flame, to singe off any little left over threads. This makes your thread super smooth. This second process is not always done, but if a cotton is 'gassed' this is the process it has been run through. 'Pearl' threads are usually gassed which is another reason they are super smooth and have a beautiful sheen.

Mercerisation is usually only done on long staple cotton, which is the more expensive cotton as the threads are long and more easily spun into thread. Types of long staple cotton are Egyptian, Sea Island and Pima. So if a fabric or thread you are working with is made with any of these, it will be a better quality.

The benefits of long staple cotton and mercerisation is you will have a fabric or thread that is easier to work with, stronger, wears and lasts longer, takes dye better so more saturated colours, drapes better, cuts and sews more easily and has less lint and a smoother surface with a nicer sheen. Also, it finger presses a treat and is easier to work with if you are doing small projects or paper piecing.

Mercerisation was the norm in the past for cotton fabrics and threads, but unfortunately its not as common these days, but you can get it and it is worth it. The little bit extra you pay, will come back 10 fold with how lovely it is to work with and how much nicer the finished product will look and it will last longer. A fantastic example of a mercerised cotton fabric is Liberty Tana Lawn, and we all know how lovely that is!

A box of vintage Mercerised threads

Liberty Tana Lawn is a Mercerised cotton fabric

May Maddness....

Wow, May is going to be a busy month.

Kicking off on Saturday the 4th i'm honoured to be the guest speaker for the Colac Quilters 25th Anniversary Dinner.
On Saturday the 11th i'm trading at the Yarn and Craft Market in Brunswick. Flyer attached.
The following Saturday on the 18th you will find me at the Geelong Quilt In, details below.
Then i'm off to be the guest speaker at the Glen Waverley Quilters on the 27th.

Add to that a few big groups booked for appointments for studio showings and it's all go go go! Love it! It's so great meeting you all and sharing my stash.

The Studio will be open as usual all May and Paul and Rachel will be there to help you out.

Weekly Review Article

Hi, here is the weekly review article scanned so it can be read. I love how Sarina has captured the true sprit of the place. The photos were taken by Molly Cusack.  Enjoy.

1940's Scrap 9 patch Variation Quilt.

This is a favourite layout for a 9 patch, why, its got the graphic grid of crosses going on.
This quilt is an original 1940s quilt that has been restored by the studio for a customer. But before it goes to its new home, I have drawn it up so if you want to have a crack at one with all your scrap, here are some notes.

This vintage quilt is approx 85" x 106"

What you need to cut from your stock pile of scraps:

720 - 3" x 3" (finished 2.5") squares of as many different prints, stripes and spots for the 9 patches. Think bright.
20 - 3" x 3" squares in a red star or spot for the centres of the 9 patch units.
80 - 3" x 8" Sashings for the 9 patch units in a printed stripes.
12 - 5.5" x 5.5"(finished 5") squares in a yellow floral for the cornerstones in the main sashing.
31 - 5.5" x 18" main sashing bars in blue.
Binding in red and white 1/8th" stripe.

What makes this quilt so wonderful and wacko is the use of as many different prints you can lay your hands on. The colour scheme is bright and with a real emphasis on primary colours. Also, I like the use of the red for each centre unit and the mix of printed stripes for the sashing units. The yellow and the blue just balance it out really well. Hand quilted in the traditional Baptists Fan pattern that was really common in the 1940s, with an unbleached cotton backing and un-unstablized cotton wadding.

How I would go about putting this together...I would start by making my 80 x 9 patch units. Then sash up 4 blocks to make the 20 x 9 patch large blocks. Then assemble them with the bigger sashing. You can follow this diagram for the layout.

Don't worry too much about how the blocks go together colour/print wise. This is a true scrap quilt so if you find you are having trouble being random, stick all your squares in a bag or bowl by your machine and do a lucky dip.  It's the randomness that makes this work. If you have cut a good mix of brights and primaries it will work in the end, trust the scraps and it will come together. Enjoy.

Up Coming Events

I am the guest speaker at the Patchworkers and Quilters Guild of Victoria on Saturday the 6th of April.
Trading from 10.30. Speaking at 1.00 (need to confirm that).
Find it at the Ivalda Masonic Centre - 40 Sailabury Avenue Ivanhoe Victoria.

Find me at the the Ballarat Fibre Forum on Sunday the 7th and Monday the 8th at the Ballarat Grammar School. Forest Street Wendourie. I will also be at the Quilt at the Winter School as well as part of the Fibre Arts Series. Between the 6th to 12th July. For more info - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fibre-Arts-Australia

Anna Williams NZ

 Heike Gerbig  

Easter Trading Hours

We are open over easter, just closed on the Sunday, we have to go off and hunt for bunnies... but don't despair we will hop back for trading on the Monday. Happy Easter everyone. 

Maths, Beats and Quilts

My partner is studying Engineering and often we have mentally taxing discussions that involve maths. I was never very good at the whole Maths thing when I was at school and it was a bit of a nuisance, but I do find now how it does in a way rule our world. Grids, roads, curves, circuits, houses, tables...it can all be put down to numbers.

I am a graphic designer. I have spent a lot of time working with grids. Not only for layout but for the design of type. Many a day has been spent thrashing out the perfect balance of height v's width and again, its all math, or the golden mean. When I started designing textiles, it was all still a grid but the maths became more important as I had to design within the constraints of the machinery or the size of the screens the fabric was being printed with. Fabric repeats have a formula...again...its numbers.

Often when I am fiddling with things when I am off in quilt play land, that little bit of luxury time when you can just fiddle and play and think about all the possibilities that the fabrics and scraps can have. Because I work with what I find, I often have other peoples blocks and cuts that I try to work that into a design.

I often go back to basics when laying something out. A simple layout of a block that uses what I have. Usually loads of squares and half square triangles. Some of the layout revolves around some pretty simple mathematical symmetry. A bit like this. All of these can be laid with HST's. Flip, turn, align, repeat.

I have a bit of a thing about repetition. Taking one simple shape and using it over and over again and building up the noise with print and colour. It's a bit like a beat, 4/4 time. I play the drums and I count the beats like I count the patterns and shapes. When I drum, I see geometric patterns in my head when I visualise what I am playing. The work of Anni Albers is like a drum beat to me, but she lashes out and does amazing fills. I look at this and I can count the pattern, you can tap it out as sound. Again, HST's! Flip, turn, align, repeat.

Anni Albers 1969 - Print.

Here are some other artists and designers from modern movements that I find inspirational.
Mondrian, his use of the primary colour scheme and the reliance of the grid, create strong bold movement and interest. There is a balance in the volume of colour and negative space.

Piet Mondrian - Boogie Woogie Broadway - 1943

Sonia Delaunay created this quilt in 1911 for her son. It led led her to a life in textiles, fashion and design. She was credited at the first woman to work with abstract expressionism. 

Sonia Delaunay -Quilt 1911.

Sonia Delauany in her studio designing textiles

Another inspirational lady from the Bauhaus is Gunta Stolzl. A weaver, the colour and composition of her works are beautiful.

Gunta Stolzl. Preliminary sketch for a tapestry.

Gunta Stolzl. Jaquard (woven) wall hanging - 5 choirs - 1928

And in isolation to all of this are the quilt makers of Gees Bend. Perhaps one of the most interesting to me as these quilts were made in isolation to what was going on. These quilts came from necessity and were made without any design training. I love these quilts, they are so free, the colours and composition so bold.

House Top - 1920s - Creola Pettway.

Annie Bendeloph - Thousand Pyramids 1930

But in all this, its still math. It's still 1, 2, 3, 4. It's taking a geometric shape, putting it on a grid and letting the form take on the pattern. It's a visual beat. and I hate it when the other half is right...yes honey, its all maths...

Castlemaine Festival

From Saturday the 15th to Sunday the 24th is the Castlemaine Festival. 

The Whitehorse Studio is a fantastic textile studio run by Jackie, she creates amazing knit scarves, hats and accessories and these awesome brooches out of carefully sourced vintage buckles and buttons. She also sells buttons and buckles, and trust me, they are brilliant. For the duration of the festival you can find a range of quilts, feedsack packs, quilt tops and fabrics from me in the studio as well.

The address is 90 Whitehorse Gully Road Chewton. Follow the signs from the corner of the Pyrenees Hwy and Fryers Road Chewton. Open from 10am to 5pm each day.

The Castlemaine Festival and Fringe Festival is a huge event and worth the trip up.

Busy, Busy, Busy....

It's been so busy in the studio the last week. Thank you so much to the Geelong News for featuring the studio, I have been run off my feet and add to that some design work for a new fabric range (exciting...stay tuned) and i'm flat out.

I have also been sorting out loads of quilt tops and orphan blocks from the 1800s to 1950s and more feed sacks and yardage as I'm gearing up for the Castlemaine Festival next week.  I also have my next guest speaker and trading day at the Victorian Patchwork and Quilters in Ivanhoe on Saturday the 6th of April, then rushing off to the Ballarat Fibre Forum for the 7th and 8th of April. Phew!

So, yes the studio is open this Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm this long weekend.