Turning leaves quilt

September's quilt will be 'Turning Leaves'.  It's a nifty technique which can be used for all kinds of images, and is very easy to do. 

 

 

Here is mine which I made in autumnal shades of green, brown, gold and burgundy.  You could do the same, or have more spring-like shades of greens or go onto a non-natural palette of primary colours or neons!  The important thing is to make sure you have darks and lights, or at least fabrics with a definite contrast (can you see the leaf with the mid-green background just under top left?  That adds a bit of interest.  You'll need several different colours plus some way of appliqueing the leaves onto the background.  You can use Heat and Bond, or I'll show you how to make a faux needleturned result using lightweight Vilene.  Bring whichever you would prefer, but I'll bring some Vilene so everyone can have a go at this method on the day, even if you plan to stick your leaves. 

See you on the 14th September!

Granny squares

This post has been such a long time in coming, but I'm afraid I've had oother things on my mind, so no apologies.  First of all, show and tell.  This is Emily's first completed quilt!  It's a lovely cot quilt which I am sure will be appreciated by its new owner.  Well done there, Emily!

 

And here are some Magic Tiles from last time's class.  All looking so good!

 

 Then is was heads down and sew!  Julie and Rachel were hot off the mark.

 

Sue and Hazel were still cutting while Sian was already machining!

 

Lots of activity from Paula, Rosemary, June and Betty.

 

And it's a finish from Sian!  She had some lovely novelty fabric which she didn't want to cut up, so made this giant block!  Fabulous!

 

Here is an arrangement, waiting to be joined together.

 

One down, next one ready for joining.

 

I'm endlessly fascinated how value can channge the look of a block.  The one above is a clear 'X' shpae, while others look like squares, or stripes.

 

Pretty pastels.

 

Brights.

 

Three blocks, all with a different look.

 

Lime green always looks so good!

 

Pretty in pink (and green).

 

Another set giving very different effects.

 

Playing, playing, it's the best way to learn.

 

The brown adds such definition to this colour scheme.

 

The blue background is the perfect foil for these colours.

 

And now for the next meeting.  It will be on 6th July and you will need a jelly roll (or yardage to cut 36 two and a half inch strips from).  Try to get one which has lots of similar values, rther than one which has everything from light to dark.  You also need two and a half metres of background fabric.  The whole quilt top (including the border triangles) will be made from that.

 

 

See you on Saturday!

Granny squares

The next class will be on 18th May and will take those of us old enough to remember the 60s back in time!  Little crocheted multi-coloured squares were all the rage and found themselves made into waistcoats, skirts, hats, bags and lots and lots of sofa throws!   It was a way of using up oddments of wool, and the background was often black, or one colour, in this instance, white.

 

 

We are going to recreate this look in fabric.

 

 

 

Here is one I made earlier (and gave away to baby Leo!)  You will need at least four different fabrics, a fat quarter of each should be enough.  You will get a more interesting quilt if you have more fabrics, and scraps from your 2.5" box will be perfect.  If you have a jelly roll or the remains of one, that's great too.  Your background fabric will need to be fairly plain (either a solid or something which reads as a solid) and 1 metre of that will be enough, unless you plan to make a kingsized quilt!  You can leave border fabric for later. 

See you on the 18th!

Magic tile

The class on 9th March will be the stunning Magic Tile.  This design isn't too tricky (if you concentrate on what you're doing!) but produces a unique result.  Lots of people make the design in jewel colours, with black 'grout', but you don't have to.  Pastel colours with cream 'grout' would be good, or use complimentary colours (green fabrics with red or orange 'grout' for eaxample would be lovely).

 

I used analagous colours for my quilt, red, orange and pink, which lie together on the colour wheel.  You could try blue/purple/green, green/blue/yellow or any colours round the colour wheel.  If you're still at a loss on colour choice, Google 'magic tile' and find a colour combination you like.

You will need a fat quarter of fabric for every completed tile you make (my nine tiles took nine FQs, so buy 12 or 16 if you want a bigger quilt), and a metre or metre and a half of the 'grout' colour.  Bring a piece of paper 15" square and a pencil, and the longest ruler you have. 

I'm looking forward to seeing all the different colour choices!

Quilters rule!

Blogger has been playing up and not allowing photo upload, so I didn't think I would be able to share the few photos I took on Saturday.  But superior intellect has won the day, and I've managed to sort it out!  This class was machine quilting and 'quilt-as-you-go', although Sian and Martin had got a bit confused and quilted blocks ready to join.  No problems.  Sian is already a proficient machine quilter, and Martin only needed a few tips.  Result!

 

 

Pauline and Emily were busy free machine quilting, and the reason Emily looks so smug is that she took to it like a duck to water.  I can see a quilting business coming up for her in the future.

 

 

Sue had brought her Window Block from the Piecemakers Mystery Quilt, and proved yet again how hard it is to sew a straight line!  Better choice of thread colour helped her with that.  I know loads of ways to fudge!

 

Martin tried to save some time by using invisible thread to sew the backs of the quilt as you go blocks.  What a clever idea!  However, he didn't like the result, so undid it.

 

Julie and Rachel were happy to hand sew the backs.  It's quite relaxing.

 

So relaxing that Paula and Rosemary managed a nice chat!

 

Here are Sian's blocks partially joined.  She didn't have enough fabric with her, but was very pleased with the result so far, as she should be! 

 

Rachel took advantage of the tables to lay out her curves.  They look fabulous and the use of the brown and pink blocks as a border is fabulous.  I'll look forward to seeing it finished.

 

The next class will be on 9th March and will be 'Magic Tile'.  See you then!

Roll up bag

The next class will be on November 3rd - sorry I had to change it from the original date as my husband has decided to have his 60th birthday party on that day, and I think I'll be needed at home!  Here is a photo of the roll up bag.  I used a nice border print for the outside.

 

 

Here it is unrolled, so you can see the zipped plastic pockets, the little pocket with a tab and the needle case.

 

And here is a close up of the top, to show the inner pocket, and the reason you need Velcro (or some sort of fastening) to keep things from falling out!

 

I haven't yet finalised the dates for next year, but the classes will be, free machine quilting and quilt as you go (11 votes), improvised pieced houses (11 votes), magic tile (11 votes), using a jelly roll (9 votes), granny squares (8 votes) and turning leaves (8 votes).  Sounds like a great plan!

All plated up

What a lovely day we had this time.  All good days start with show and tell, and Rosemary kicked us off with her beautiful applique which she had made into a folk art wall hanging.

 

 

Paula had made hers into a cushion - I love the green border!  It sets off the blues in the design perfectly.

 

Kate had blanket stitched round her shapes on a recent journey to New Zealand.  (I was lucky enough to see the fabrics she bought while she was there - delectable!)  She hasn't quite decided what to make it into yet.

 

And now onto the task in hand.  Everyone enjoyed this easy block and the colours chosen were all gorgeous.  Hazel chose a lovely purple palette and a lilac background.

 

Martin had some lovely fabrics with sewing equipment on it.

 

Emily got on swimmingly - was it anything to do with the swish new machine she had had for her birthday?  That certainly helped, but she made a lovely block.

 

Here is Kate's bright block in progress.  She's going to put all the blocks she's made recently into a sampler quilt.  Great idea!

 

Here is Emily's completed block.  The orange background really sets if off, and apart from the egg shaped centre (cut out by yours truly!)  it's perfect!

Kate chose a turquoise centre - an ideal foil for the bright colours of the petals.

 

Look at Sue's fun licorice allsorts fabric!  She sewed her plate down by stitching a quarter of an inch inside the edge of the petals.  What a clever idea, as it emphasises the shape beautifully and is quick and easy!

 

Martin cut the petals for all his plates at the start of the day, then zoomed along chain-piecing them.  They'll look great on the pink spotty background.

 

This plate with autumn colours looks stunning - I especially like the checked centre.  People often shy away from checks, but they really can add a folksy touch. 

 

Betty couldn't join us till lunchtime (lots of important things to do!) but she had already made some Dresden Plates on this quilt for a twin boy.   Betty's needleturned applique is second to none!

 

I don't know why Sue's examining her block so quizzically - it's lovely.

 

Pauline chose a delicate palette which looks crisp and fresh.  We auditioned various centres and decided that white was probably the best choice.  She didn't have any, so we'll see the finished result next time.

 

Rachel isn't afraid of colour, and her bright pink plate will look wonderful on the black background.

 

 As usual, despite my best efforts, I didn't get photos of all the blocks.  If I've left you out, it isn't personal, just typical of my poor organisation!  Make sure you bring your blocks for show and tell, and I'll be certain to include them next time.