26th October
From June
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the website over the past week - you have saved my fingers getting to sore from all the needle turned applique on my Halloween blocks! Finished another one and planned out the rest.(see pics) I don't think I will get it finished for displaying on the 31st, but it will be great to display at the exhibition. |
I liked Jane F's recommendation for books - I have 'A Single Thread' by Tracey Chevalier - the scissors on the front cover stood out when I saw it on a bookshelf in a charity shop a couple of months ago. I hope to read it before New Year and then if anyone would like to borrow it, let me know. Whilst in the British Heart Foundation Shop I purchased a 2021 diary - it has a Geometric pattern on the cover plus plenty of space at the back for notes/1 week to a page (and opposite each a dot grid to design your own quilt blocks/patterns) and a monthly goal tracker. Great for quilters and only costs £3.99! - Geometric Week to View 2021 Planner . Hopefully it will help me track my quilting progress/projects and have less UFO's! |
The bookshop Anne mentioned- I support by ordering online with Hive.co.uk (they can deliver to you or the shop free) |
Whilst reading today's Sunday Independent paper there was an article about 'Koseling' Norwegian for 'cozy' written by quilter Nora Nilsson who has a website -
Finally, another podcast to entertain you whilst stitching. |
From Rosemary
I saw Rosemary today, for the first time since March. She is well and has been busy making over a hundred masks, some fabulous Christmas stockings for all the members of her family (she just has to fill them now!); and a lovely bag which she made from african fabrics given to her years ago when she was still in Zimbabwe. The photo doesn't really do justice to the bag, It's beautifully pieced and constructed.
Anne
Anne
25th October
From Vanessa
Brenda had started these two little quilts and I think they had been intended for her two new great grandsons. Both were based on a nine-patch and used fabrics that we had bought when we went to Doughtys as well as some that she had been collecting for a while. Luckily she had started to put a few blocks together so I knew what she was intending to do with them. I have finished them for her, backed and quilted them and they are now labelled and ready to return to her family. |
I was very pleased to be able to hand over £212 to her family from donations for her work and materials. Thank you to all those who came and took stuff away. With Gift Aid that means that £265 has been given to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity.
Vanessa
From Anne
Memories of a Montpellier Quilter
My Grandma was a very skilled needlewoman, she did wonderful crochet, embroidery and tatting, her hands were never still. She was born in 1884, and experienced a victorian Yorkshire childhood, in the 1901 census she is described as a Dressmaker I remember her showing me photographs of her young self in clothes she had made from fine cotton lawn; even her pinafores were beautiful. However it was her treadle sewing machine’s capabilities that fascinated me; on this she made dresses for my sister and I, we chose our own fabric and with no pattern at all Grandma fashioned the loveliest dresses, the only downside to the process was the fittings which I remember meant keeping perfectly still or being pricked with sharp pins. |
I first remember sewing in my infant school, something like canvas work in which I made cross stitches or running stitches in thick cotton thread and then weaving a contrasting colour through the base stitches,; it was OK but not fast like the treadle! The longer something took to make the grubbier it became. |
In my junior school I remember learning to knit, first a dishcloth, (garter stitch, yarn like string) and then a scarf with scratchy wool (k1,p1.rib) This gave me a life-long aversion to knitting, much too slow and very prone to holes; I would take mine ‘home’ to do a few rows and return it the next day minus holes, all beautiful with even tension….this was because Grandma’s house was between school and home!
So, on to secondary school; at last, real sewing, I had seen the machines!
How very disappointing it was to have to make a plain white apron, with all curved edges; by hand. Why? There were machines lined up on the cupboards under the window! My apron looked like I had cleaned the school’s floors with it at the end of term. Then we went on to cooking; which turned out to be equally disappointing, to me making a salad was not cooking!
The next year I was told we would be making something to wear; by this time my older cousins had introduced me to paper patterns like Simplicity and McCalls so I had high hopes! Soon to be dashed, we were to make a Dirndl skirt, again all by hand, the machines stayed on the shelf. At least I could choose my own fabric, something very colourful from a stall at the local market, such an important decision taking such a long time….Oh how I hated that fabric and skirt by the end of the year, yes it took a year, even though it was no more than a rectangle of fabric gathered into a waistband. It was awful and I never wore it. Don't forget we were much closer to Mary Quant and Twiggy than Heidi!
And that was the end of school sewing, not academic enough! Apparently it was more important for me to learn latin.
But nil desperandum! Because after leaving school and helped by the cousins I finally acquired a sewing machine – electric! And I was off! |
When I married I soon learned to make curtains etc, and then clothes for my boys, little dungarees and shorts and Superman outfits. My youngest once came home from school to tell me he was a King in the nativity play tomorrow and would be needing an outfit! Some old brown velvet, gold curtains and braid to the rescue! |
I still wanted it all to be quick, all finished in no time, I had a busy job and two small children, I didn’t really have time to savour the process. Along with the necessary speed came the inevitable mistakes and faults; after the sewing machine the seam ripper was my next best friend. As the boys grew up I gained a bit more time and enough money to upgrade my sewing machine, I did a lot of computerised embroidery which I loved because it was quick, accurate and automatic, three of my favourite sewing words.
I was never interesting in making quilts; the process was slow, depended on me having a high degree of accuracy and could not be automated.
And then I went to an open day at Oakshott Fabrics (about 2010), there I saw a demonstration of how to make exact half square triangles without sewing triangles! What an idea! Then someone showed me how to make a disappearing nine patch, the whole thing like magic! Patchwork was clever and I was hooked.
Now I have hours to spare so I can slow down and take my time, I can spend a year making a quilt, carefully cutting, piecing and quilting, all by machine, often computer assisted. Never by hand!
I don't think my Grandma would be disappointed in me though.
24th October
2020 The Year of the Book
From Jane F
I don't have any quilting projects to show but I thought I would recommend some winter reading instead:
I have just started reading The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon by Sarah Steele: |
And I have put A SIngle Thread by Tracy Chevalier on my "to read" list:Violet Speedwell, mourning for both her fiancé and her brother and regarded by society as a ‘surplus woman’ unlikely to marry, resolves to escape her suffocating mother and strike out alone. |
From Anne
Way back in March Jane recommended a local bookshop The Suffolk Anthology on Suffolk Parade. At the time the shop was of course closed and restricted to deliveries. I thought I'd remind you about it now while we can still get out and about, it might be a good place for a spot of early Christmas shopping or just a browse.
They have a very friendly website too. |
I have put all the photos of the Concertina Book Project that I have recieved on the 'Year of the Book' page which you can find under 'Projects'.
Has anyone else started a concertina book?
Has anyone else started a concertina book?
I have also added a Gallery to the Members's Gallery for our Summer Challenge Staycation Postcards.
23rd October
From Janet
Hello all,
It has been lovely to dip into Quilting in Quarantine to hear what members are doing and recommending. June asked for something to read
so here goes:
I loved Anne’s mention of Clothkits, finding and making up the doll. My daughter bought a kit in lockdown as her 6 year old son was missing his schoolfriend a lot. Made up she has the same name as his friend and kept him company. Do any of you remember when Clothkits had a shop in the Promenade - just about where Radley was? I still have a photo of my two girls in their lovely Clothkits dresses - taken almost 40 years ago.
Elaine asked for sewing histories. Like so many I used to make my own clothes, even dresses for May Balls when I worked in Cambridge. Needs |
Anne has also mentioned house groups. Having been in one for over 25 years I can vouch for their value. If three members are interested I’d love to begin another one. Four might be a good number with present restrictions/size of house rooms. Do get in touch if interested.
Finally Mike posted mention of ‘Patchwork & Quilting’. By the time I looked for it there were none on sale. I know that Peggy would love to see pictures of Vanessa’s wonderful exhibition, so I shall ask Vanessa if I may borrow it.
So MQ members, keep sewing and enjoy it.
Janet
From Evelyn
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... 1. A brand new sewing machine 2 Self -healing mats 3 Layer cakes 4 Rolls of wadding 5 Quilting workshops 6 Packs of needles 7 Brand new bobbins 8 Pins for basting 9 Seam unrippers! 10 Acrylic templates 11 Spools of thread 12 Metres of fabric |
Evelyn is getting into the Christmas spirit early, she has suggested we have a 'Christmas Column' featuring things we have made/are making for Christmases past/present.
I will create a Special Christmas section on November's Q in Q page so be prepared to send in your photos and or stories. In the meantime Evelyn starts us off with a link for a No Sew Christmas Star. |
From Anne
The book is excellent, especially for someone like me who has no artistic talent whatsoever. It takes you through the basics of face proportions and then goes on to give ideas on how to make facial features. Two of my 'portraits' are taken from the book, the others are from all sorts of sources, there was no shortage of inspiration once I had decided on faces. it's double sided so there are 12 faces, I have yet to decide on how to fasten it.
They are mainly collage (raw edge applique). The punk is simply stitched. Most of them have some Inktense pencil colouring.
Finding the perfect tiny piece of fabric for the applique became an obsession so my room looked like the end of a jumble sale and it took me almost as long to tidy up as it did to make the faces!
It was very interesting to see how an extra stitch here or there changed the expression on the face, the lady in the pink floral hat ended up looking quite cross when up to that point I had imagined she was having a lovely day at a wedding!
I will definitely do more, next time they will be much bigger, I think it's like the dolls clothes I made last week...much easier to make full size clothes/portraits!
They are mainly collage (raw edge applique). The punk is simply stitched. Most of them have some Inktense pencil colouring.
Finding the perfect tiny piece of fabric for the applique became an obsession so my room looked like the end of a jumble sale and it took me almost as long to tidy up as it did to make the faces!
It was very interesting to see how an extra stitch here or there changed the expression on the face, the lady in the pink floral hat ended up looking quite cross when up to that point I had imagined she was having a lovely day at a wedding!
I will definitely do more, next time they will be much bigger, I think it's like the dolls clothes I made last week...much easier to make full size clothes/portraits!
I recently discovered Textile Talks from SAQA (see below).
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." |
Textile Talks features weekly presentations and panel discussions from the International Quilt Museum, the Modern Quilt Guild, Quilt Alliance, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, Studio Art Quilt Associates, and Surface Design Association. |
Here is one of their videos and a link to all the others
20th October
From June
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Whist stitching, I found another podcast to listen to whist hand sewing my blocks and cutting the pieces ready to attach them using needle-turned applique. |
I have started to stitch the mini fabric pumpkin - will post a picture next week, as I got side-tracked on my blocks. |
I have treated my sewing machine to an extension table and a clear foot - to help with quilting and piecing. Planning to have a go at free motion machine quilting. I have found an online tutorial to assist me, here's the link -: I just need to find some more hours in my day to fit it all in! |
Are there any other members who can send in a 'post' for our Quilters in Quarantine page? I need something to read when I take a break from all the hand stitching - so please e-mail Anne.
June
13th October
From Elaine
During the last couple of weeks I have been doing very little quilting. I did start my "by Annie" caddy, but broke off while we went to Yorkshire to see my mum. |
Hopefully you all noticed June's pictures of her fantastic Love & Hugs from Australia stitcheries. I have also been following this site, but have decided not to make full quilts. I have used some designs though - Lynette Anderson's dog on a postcard, Leesa Chandler's 'Cosmos' for a tote bag front, & now Libby Richardson 's teddy for my Granddaughter's christmas stocking.(see below). I used the group's Inktense pencils to colour it in.
Now I have embarked on a French embroidery Stitch-a-long! More of that later.
Can we have more letters in telling your personal sewing history? They are always interesting and don't need to be lengthy.
Elaine
From June
Hi all,
I had a 2nd solo quilting retreat last week - mainly concentrating on finishing the 'Love and Hugs Friends Australia' Christmas wall hanging and trying to catch up with the 'Spellbound Mystery Sew-a-long' Halloween blocks (both via Facebook). Tried out Anne's 'Flange Binding' that she recommended.
Whilst doing some needle-turned applique on my blocks, I listened to a podcast called Quilting stories by Jeff Rutherford. Well worth a listen - I picked up a few hints and tips and found out how quilters in America are getting on during the Pandemic. |
This week was scheduled to be a 'sit and sew' and I had jotted down an idea for me to work on at the meeting and this is the link: I will post a picture next week. |
From Evelyn
I ordered a set of 4 of these ingenious hooks online which are ideal for hanging wall-hangings on doors. Perhaps members might be interested? |
From Anne
Hello Everyone,
I think some of you are still out there and logging in, I occasionally hear news but as we go further into hibernation it becomes more difficult to keep in touch so please keep sending in your photos, stories and ideas.
This week I have seen Julia, Marion, Sue, Alison, Maggie, Jo, Joan, Lis, Elaine and Jane F!! Not all at once, and always maintaining SD.
I think some of you are still out there and logging in, I occasionally hear news but as we go further into hibernation it becomes more difficult to keep in touch so please keep sending in your photos, stories and ideas.
This week I have seen Julia, Marion, Sue, Alison, Maggie, Jo, Joan, Lis, Elaine and Jane F!! Not all at once, and always maintaining SD.
Our House Group (Kaleidoscope Group) comprises of nine MQ members, now we have the 'Rule of Six' we can't all meet together. so we have split into two groups with some overlap; this is working well. We have started a new quilt which we plan to give to a 'Care Leaver'.
The picture on the right is what we are aiming for, it's 'laptop' size; when there are nine of us contributing bits of fabric there is soon plenty to make a scrappy quilt with, in fact we all too easily gathered sufficient to make two quilts so Lis quickly made a second one! The first one though is taking longer...... I'll post a photo once its finished. |
Is anyone else interested in setting up a House Group, under current rules you could have a group of six, if someone in the group has a large space it should be possible to maintain distance. Our group meets just once a month, it's very good to get together. Alternatively you could have some sort of Virtual group and meet on Zoom, or something.
If you are interested let me know and I'll try and put you in touch with one another.
If you are interested let me know and I'll try and put you in touch with one another.
I have been sewing for my granddaughter Zoe who is 4, she recently discovered my Luna Lapin and her friend Alfie, see Members' Gallery Page -Luna Lapin. I made the mistake of telling her there is a book where you can choose clothes!
They are quite enjoyable to make in a 'this is driving me crazy' kind of way. I must say it is easier to make full size clothes than clothes for a small toy rabbit. Anyhow Luna looks very smart in her new outfits and Zoe loves her. As you can see I also made the chair which is featured in the book, it looks really good and it's very comfy... but I won't be making one for the other rabbit, they will have to share! My hair is much thinner and greyer than before I made it! Shirley has also made one (see top of Luna page) and I think she warned me it was fiddly!
They are quite enjoyable to make in a 'this is driving me crazy' kind of way. I must say it is easier to make full size clothes than clothes for a small toy rabbit. Anyhow Luna looks very smart in her new outfits and Zoe loves her. As you can see I also made the chair which is featured in the book, it looks really good and it's very comfy... but I won't be making one for the other rabbit, they will have to share! My hair is much thinner and greyer than before I made it! Shirley has also made one (see top of Luna page) and I think she warned me it was fiddly!
And then, as I was looking in the furthest corners of the cupboard in search of 6" wide lace with which to make Luna's blouse I found a cloth doll, all cut out and ready to sew. Someone must have given it to me, ages ago because I couldn't remember it at all. But there it was demanding to be made.
I later discovered via Google that it's a Clothkits doll. It would have been a lot easier with some instructions, even a picture would have helped. More grey hairs later, and after I had sewn her arms on upside down and then unstuffed, unsewed and rearmed and restuffed she looks beautiful, she has a dress, pinafore, drawers, a bonnet and a cat! Isn't she lovely? You can still buy a Clothkits doll very like this one, I think mine is from the 1970's, does anyone remember making one all those years ago? |
I'm pretty sure that I've recommended the Zen Chic blog by Brigitte Heitland before.
If you like the modern quilting style it is one of the best blogs to follow. Brigitte recently wrote about a Flying Geese quilt pattern she designed three years ago and about a method of making flying geese with no waste at all. Click on the photo for her blog post and if you are interested take a look at this Youtube video. I think now I am done with making dolls and their clothes I'll try this quilt.
|
And finally, two suggestions for your Christmas stocking...
The first is a recent acquisition and my favourite new thing. I always use a spray when pressing fabric rather than put water in the iron, in this way I avoid the otherwise inevitable brown splutter on something precious. However even the spray sometimes delivers more moisture than I want .... so here's the answer. It produces a consistently fine mist, no blobs. Brilliant!
Click on the image for link. |
The next idea is an old friend that is useful for all kinds of fiddly jobs like threading awkward machine needles or feeding difficult seams through the machine (great for curves) or simply picking up tiny things. Made by Bernina, available through Quilt Direct
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Be sure you get these very pointy ones, they also have another sort that aren't nearly as useful.
|
October 5th
Hi all, |
From June
I also had a voucher which I switched for a book and it arrived on Saturday - The Sewing Room Sampler Quilt by Yoko Saito. I am going to put it away until the Christmas Holidays and make a start on it then and work on it next year. (see pic) Here's a link to her being interviewed by Ricky Tims |
For anyone lacking ideas here's a link to Moda. They are running an event called 'Stich Pink' (for the 30 days of October) and here's the link
I am also planning to make some small gifts for Christmas and a while ago I bought some 'flexi clips' for purses (at one of our quilting evenings), but never got around to using them so here's a link - if there is anyone else who has any lying around in their sewing box. |
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Off now to work on my Halloween blocks - come back next week for pictures on how many out of 12 blocks I manage to complete,
June
4th October
Jane's Newsletter
Hello everyone. Time for my monthly update on our 2020 programme.
And this month it’s “Jane on Jane”. That’s me talking about the incomparable Jane Austen. Not about her books, they speak for themselves. But Jane was also an accomplished sewer and I would like to give you all a brief introduction to her work.
Being able to sew was obviously not unusual in women of that time, but it seems remarkable to me that she had the time to produce work of such quality, whilst also writing some of the most famous literature in the English canon.
The following images and quotes are from the Jane Austen House website:
And this month it’s “Jane on Jane”. That’s me talking about the incomparable Jane Austen. Not about her books, they speak for themselves. But Jane was also an accomplished sewer and I would like to give you all a brief introduction to her work.
Being able to sew was obviously not unusual in women of that time, but it seems remarkable to me that she had the time to produce work of such quality, whilst also writing some of the most famous literature in the English canon.
The following images and quotes are from the Jane Austen House website:
“Like all women of her time and class, Jane Austen learnt to sew in childhood, and gained a life-long skill. Sewing was something she was particularly good at. In 1796 Austen wrote in a letter that she was ‘the neatest worker’ of a group making shirts for one of her brothers. Edward Austen-Knight remembered of his aunt that ‘Her needlework both plain and ornamental was excellent, and might almost have put a sewing machine to shame. She was considered especially great in satin stitch." |
“This beautiful quilt was made by Jane Austen, her sister, Cassandra and their mother. It is a medallion quilt with a large central motif cut as a diamond, with a design of birds and a basket of flowers. This is surrounded by a panel of 249 smaller diamonds joined by spotted sashing. The outer edge, 11 inches deep, is made of over 2500 tiny diamonds, each with edges of 30mm. There are at least 64 fabrics in the quilt, a mix of dress and furnishing cottons” |
The website is well worth a visit for more details on Jane, her life, her books and her needlework.
Another site worth a visit is: https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/uncategorized/jane-austens-quilt |
I am not alone in being interested is this aspect of Jane’s life. Many people over the years have written about the patchwork coverlet; its design and how it was made.
If you search the internet you will find patterns for everything from quilts to embroidery, wallpaper and fabric.
This year Riley Blake Designs have brought out a wonderful selection of reproduction fabrics based on the original design, as well as a kit for any keen sewers to make their own version of this famous quilt. It was to have been premiered at The Festival of Quilts and the following link will tell you all about it.
If you search the internet you will find patterns for everything from quilts to embroidery, wallpaper and fabric.
This year Riley Blake Designs have brought out a wonderful selection of reproduction fabrics based on the original design, as well as a kit for any keen sewers to make their own version of this famous quilt. It was to have been premiered at The Festival of Quilts and the following link will tell you all about it.
I hope you all enjoy your further exploration of Jane Austen – her quilting and her books.
Jane
2nd October 2020
Our group has a Quilters' Guild membership. June has forwarded their October Newsletter. Take as look, there are some interesting items to explore.
1st October 2020
From Jane F
Thank you to whoever wrote the lovely article “Memories of a Montpellier Quilter”.
I was happy to see the reference to our “Year of the Book” and Singer as it ties in so nicely to one of the books I talked about, way back in February. Happy days!
For those of you who missed that talk, or have forgotten the details, I would recommend (again) a book by Natalie Fergie called The Sewing Machine. One of the main themes in the story is the Singer sewing machine factory and the book is full of fascinating facts about how the machines were manufactured.
Natalie also has an interesting page on her website
http://www.nataliefergie.com/the-sewing-machine explaining how she came to write the book, along with extracts from the original Singer sewing machine catalogue.
I am also loving the Masked Singer and The Lone Sewer, so here is my silly contribution. Who remembers Adam Ant and “Stand and Deliver - Your Money or Your Life”? Well in this case it’s :
“YOUR MONEY AND YOUR STASH”
From Elaine
Memories of a Montpellier Quilter
How similar are our early sewing memories. I actually remember learning knitting first, from my mum. Knitting was my favourite craft for many years.
My mum went to Schofields in Leeds as an apprentice dressmaker in the 40s. At 90 she can still recall so much of her experiences there, but she had the chance of better pay & less travel and left for greener pastures. Still she must have learned quite a bit as she made so many of our clothes (2 daughters) when we were young. In those days it was a question of economics as much as style. A Singer treadle was her weapon of choice, & I loved it.
I don't recall sewing at junior school, but we learned from Mum & my grandmother taught us to embroider. Senior school 'Domestic Science' was a nightmare for me. Why were female teachers so nasty to the girls? Anyway, the best outfit I made was a pair of PJs, I can picture them still & they were worn for many years. I still love a french seam! Just looked for my needlework notebook, and apart from some useful info, the fabric used for this sample was the PJs fabric! |
My sister & I made dresses etc in our teenage years without a second thought.
My 21st birthday present was a sewing machine. When I started work in 1976 I made some skirts for the office. When I had my son I made cord dungarees. But home sewing was disappearing, and once Thodays closed down, it felt like the end of an era.
When Goosechase opened, it was a spur for me to get into patchwork, which I had already tried out in Australia. Not looked back since, and now that I have a granddaughter, I may even go back to a bit of dressmaking.
Elaine