Red, White and Blue

 

Many colours in our lives have special significance. Some colours reflect age old traditions and some reflect new and exciting trends.

I am the proud owner of a red, white and blue quilt. When I moved away from the Midwest in America, my quilting friends made this delightful quilt. It came with plenty of room for signatures and thoughtful phrases.

 

Red, White and Blue Goodbye Quilt

Happy messages from dear friends

 

Wonderful edge to edge quilting adds texture

Today when I consider making a quilt with red, white and blue fabrics, Aurifil’s variegated threads spring immediately to mind as they give me several choices.

I can use these traditional fabric colours with Aurifil Mako Cotton Colour #3852

Traditional fabrics and thread for patriotic blocks

For a more modern look, I match the colours in the Mako Cotton Colour #4647.

Modern Fabric Choices and matching thread

The next time you want to remember a place or an event with a quilt, try matching your Aurifil thread colour to a Holiday themed quilt or a country’s flag. I’m off right now to gather my red, white and blue fabrics for an Independence Day or maybe a Bastille Day quilt …..

Tuesday Treats- Zentangle Quilting

Remember when we all used to speak on our telephones and doodle on a pad of paper? We were tethered to the wall by the curly phone cord. Some of my best spontaneous designs were created this way. Mobile phones have changed all that, however I have discovered that ‘doodling’ lives on!

My latest book purchase is by Suzanne McNeill CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher).

                                                                                      Suzanne McNeill Zen-sational

Using Suzanne’s book as inspiration, I wanted to experiment with her technique AND practice my free motion quilting. I traced a wine bottle onto some cotton; layered wadding and backing for my quilt ‘sandwich’, and began to stitch.

I used Aurifil Cotton Mako 28wt in my machine. I used a size 90 Jeans needle and Aurifil Cotton Mako 40wt in the bobbin. I love this Aurifil shade of red, it is almost the exact colour of wine in a bottle.

Aurifil 28wt in a favourite colour

 

I outlined the bottle.

FMQ Outline

I divided the bottle into sections.

Area divided for FMQ

Each section is treated to a different free motion quilt design.

First section

Second section

Third Section

Fourth Section

Fifth Section

Sixth Section

I even revisited Lori Kennedy’s free motion quilting tutorial.

Final Section

I am pleased with the results.  AND I can still chat on my mobile phone…hands free (to quilt) of course.

Have a go at Zen-sational Stitching. If you can draw it you can stitch it.

I love my book, and you can find more of Suzanne’s books here:  Suzanne McNeill CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher).

The flavour of the month is …….felt

It seems as though the patchwork world has discovered the joys of working with wool felt. Some of us have been doing this for many years, but it is lovely to see this in patchwork items more and more. I have made bags,

and table runners

and small wall quilts over the years,

 and have quite a collection of felts – some hand dyed wool felt, some quite thick, some thinner and some more like wool suitings.

Part of the felt stash

This year I didn’t attend the Australian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, but a friend did – and she had booked into a workshop with Wendy Williams to make a cushion. I had a while ago purchased one Wendy’s colourful cushion patterns, so I decided to start stitching it (is that called living vicariously through a workshop?!!).

Of course, I didn’t choose colours that went with my decor – I wanted to try some new colours and began selecting the basket colours first and using similar backgrounds (black and white) to the original pattern photo.

Then the fun starts – choosing all the gorgeous felted wools to go into the flowers and leaves. I had quite a few at home to choose from, and did buy one or two to add to my felt stash.

I used Wendy’s idea of putting fussy cut floral fabrics or graphic patterns as the centres of the flowers (a good way of making ‘cheddar cheese’ out of fabric!).

Having a selection of Ne 12’s and Lana threads to choose from was great – however I found I wanted to purchase some more as I didn’t quite have the ‘right’ colour at times. (a good way of extending my thread collection!).

I don’t think you can have just one new cushion – so I am going to make another one, using similar colours (another chance to buy some more fabrics??).

I haven’t got to the quilting stage – but I may hand quilt it in Ne 12 – or – on second thoughts, I may machine quilt it in Ne 28 or 40 to ‘puff’ up the flowers and leaves. The possibilities are endless!!

I just have to complete the quilting, make a cushion backing, buy an insert and I’m finished!

How to find Aurifil at the Australasian Quilt Convention

It is less than a week until the Australasian Quilt Convention opens so we have been madly packing threads for the various teachers, using Aurifil in their workshops, and the patchwork stores where it will be sold at the Expo.

Each exhibitor will stock the particular Aurifil thread weight that relates to their patchwork style and patterns, so take note of the retailer’s stand number, and the Aurifil product line, so that you will know where to find the thread weight that you wish to purchase.

Cotton Mako’ 50 will be found at:

Stand No: 43      Cherry Pie Designs

Stand No: 23      Needles and Pins

 

Cotton Mako’ 40 will be found at:

Stand No: 45       Elm Grove Patchwork

Stand No: 58       Somerset Patchwork & Quilting

Cotton Mako’ 28 will be found at

Stand No: 21       Fifi’s Fabricology

Stand No: 55      The Quilted Crow

Lana will be found at

Stand No: 181    Millrose Quilting & Gallery

Unfortunately none of the exhibitors will have the Cotton Mako’ 12 for sale this year, however you can always place a special order with us for collection at the Convention.

Cotton Mako’ 12 is the thickest thread in the range

PS:  Contact us before midday Tuesday 8th if you are wish to pre-order a particular thread weight or colour so that we have time to arrange for a collection point for your order.

 

Tuesday Treats: Aurifil Threads, Reproduction Quilts and Michelle Yeo

I had the best of treats last week picking thread colours with Michelle, of Michelle Yeo Designs.

Michelle uses Cotton Mako’ 28 for blanket stitching when stitching Broderie Perse applique

Michelle is frequently a guest tutor at patchwork retreats around the country and, when the classes are not held in a shop, she likes to have some of her favourite  threads available for students to purchase.

So Michelle & I spent the afternoon picking colours to set up some portable thread collections for her to carry to classes in this situation.

You all know how frustrating it can be to find that you need a different thread colour when you are working away from home.  Well there will now threads available when you need them.

Cotton Mako’ 50 is the best choice for needle turned applique

Michelle specializes in reproduction quilts,  inspired by quilts of the past, and the classes for her next Retreat are from her St Barnabas designs so we needed to pick threads for piecing, needle turned applique and broderie perse.

Michelle uses:

• Cotton Mako’ 40 to piece her quilts,
• Cotton Mako’ 50 for the needle turn applique blocks and
• Cotton Mako’ 28 for the blocks that use broderie perse.

Little four packs of Cotton Mako’ 50 & 40 in basic colours will work with a variety of fabrics

As Michelle often travels interstate to retreats we  had to come up with a plan to include colours in all three thread weights while still keeping the actual volume of the items to a minimum so that everything will fit into her luggage.

Changing planes several times, and flying in smaller planes, means luggage restrictions that you don’t face when you can simply pile things into a car and drive to a retreat.

Picking colours for other people, when the fabrics are sight unseen, is not the easiest of tasks.

We were like children in a lolly shop as we agonized over this & that colour before finally settling on 18 individual colours and several collections.

Yummy flower colours for broderie perse

We tried to pick thread colours that will work with a range of reproduction fabrics, and colours that have a chameleon effect, reading differently depending upon the colour of the fabric with which the thread is being matched.

And variety when only that colour will do for needle turned applique.

The final treat for the day was when Michelle pulled a copy of her book out of her bag to show me …. I love books and this one is just so collectable.

“Of Needle, Thimble and Thread”  is a beautiful book featuring 18 of Michelle’s original quilt designs.  The book is published by Quiltmania.  The quilts were artistically photographed in France, and there are detailed instructions, full sized patterns sheets and diagrams for each quilt featured in the book.

The production is excellent,  printed on high quality paper,  a great design layout  and Michelle says that the quilt photographs are “true to colour”.  It really is a must have book for any quilter’s library.

Follow the links on the Michelle Yeo Designs website to find out more about her classes or to purchase “Of Needle, Thimble and Thread”

It really was a day worthy of featuring in Tuesday Treats.

PS:  We enjoy helping our shops, and designers, customize threads for workshops, and events, so don’t forget to contact us next time you are doing something special.

One Quilt In A Month

Well, that is my claim to fame this month.
I was determined to make another quilt in a month – shall I say – another small quilt this month. As I have said before, every quilt takes time – no matter the size. This time I used another set of tiny precut squares by Moda ( American Jane Patterns Sandy Klop) – these are called “Savonnerie” and remind me of the colours of southern France.

In my last blog post (January 31), I showed the chevron quilt I completed.  This time I wanted to try another half square triangle combination and  so I used the  pinwheel block.  I needed two of each colour set, which eliminated some of the squares.  Some of the gorgeous discarded ones are shown below – they will still be kept – maybe for another project or used on the quilt label

In my stash, I had a pretty clear blue fabric (designer and maker unknown as the selvedge was not available to check) which worked well with the colours in the Savonnerie selection.
I stitched the seams with Ne 40 Aurifil (colour 2735) and used my first favourite variegated Ne 28  (3817) for easy peasy quilting. You can see by the well used thread on the spool  how much I love this colour and weight of thread . It just worked so well with the colours in the quilt.

So – “another one bites the dust” – another quilt completed this month.

Finished Quilt

Christmas Greetings

from all of us at Always Quilting.  We have now ‘shut the shop’ and will be on a holiday until January 13, 2014.  Some of us are travelling far away from home, while others are just staying put.  We are all hoping that the temperatures won’t be as hot as 39  degrees, like we had this week, but knowing the fickle Melbourne climate, the weather is very changeable and we could be looking for our warm clothes by the time the new year arrives!

We have planned some exciting projects to share with you in 2014 and we are working on them over the holiday period (well – some of us are – in between eating Christmas leftovers!).

We wish all our blog readers a very Happy Christmas, and a safe and healthy year ahead.  May the New Year bring time for completion of ‘old’ projects and some time to start some new ones – all using Aurifil threads of course!!

 

Last But Not Least

Here we are at the end of our Block of the Month Journey.

A Modern Welcome
Finished size 20×24

We chose our charm squares; cut and sewed; layered and quilted: and now it is time to complete the finishing touches and enjoy our creations.

Last month, after our quilting was finished, we trimmed the excess backing even with the top.

Binding cut and trimmed ready for pressing

These pieces are carefully cut to 2 “widths and all 4 pieces (one from each side) are sewn together creating the binding. The 2” binding is pressed in half and applied in the normal way, creating a mitre at the corners. I stitch my binding down to the back of the piece by hand using Aurifil 40wt Cotton Mako. Jane Wickell has a great tutorial on making and applying bindings.

You will want to show off your new creation and a hanging sleeve can be made for easy display. Have a look at Susan Brubakers Knap’s instructions and Nancy Zieman demonstrates how to make a rod pocket for a show quilt.

The label is the last and most important item on your quilt.I have decided to use a pre-printed label.

Label for my BOM

We have some lovely quilt hangers in the shop and our labels come in many designs.

Each label has suggestions for the items to be included for future reference.

Information for a label

I hope you have enjoyed making your Modern Welcome BOM.

Wednesday Wonder: The Poppies by Dijanne Cevaal

I was so pleased that I stayed to listen to Dijanne Cevaal,  the guest speaker on Saturday evening, after the day of vending at the Australian Quilt Market.

A close up of one of Dijanne’s Poppies series, stitched with Cotton Mako’ 28

Dijanne talked about her creative textile journey, showed examples of her work, and shared stories from the years when she curated touring exhibitions of her own quilts, and those of other Australian quilters, around the world.

It was fascinating to see how an event, or conversation, could lead to the most amazing places and experiences in the world of textiles.

Dijanne Cevaal, as featured in the advertising blurb for her guest speaker appearance.

If you have followed Dijanne’s  work on her blog you will know that one of her ongoing projects in the past was a series of Sentinels.

Dijanne said she had made the sentinels her height, so they were realistic & they looked stunning in real life.  She is currently working on a series of embroidered faces, inspired by the feminine representations found at Chartres, which can be viewed on her blog.

Her work is often a combination of hand and machine decoration on hand dyed or printed fabric. I was particularly interested to see the work that she showed us where she had embellished the surface with Cotton Mako’ 28.

Another close up of the Cotton Mako’ 28 stitching on one of Dijanne’s Poppy wall hangings

Dijanne Cevaal is truly an artist, her medium is textiles, and she creates stunning works with fabric, paint, thread and beads.

As well as selling her art, she also runs workshop and sells kits to help you create your own masterpiece. See the Poppies, and other pieces, that are for sale on Dijanne’s blog.

This was just one of the highlights from the Australian wholesale Quilt market last weekend. Watch this space on Friday to see what Ladybirdee has to report about the market.

A Modern Welcome is Ready for Quilting

Your quilt top is finished and ready for quilting. All the extra fabric pieces remaining in your charm pack and the pieces left from making your blocks were used to create your backing piece.

Make sure you allow at least 2 ½ inches of your backing to extend on all sides of the quilt top.

I have used a 80%cotton20%polyester wadding in this project.

Lay the backing down first, wrong side up; then the wadding; then the top.

The backing and batting extends at least 2 1/2″ on all sides of the patchwork top

The three layers may be basted with thread or the layers may be pinned together with large safety pins.Once you’ve done that, you are ready to quilt.

I am quilting on my domestic machine and I have used a walking foot for the straight line quilting

and Aurifil 28wt Cotton Mako thread on the top and Aurifil 40wt Cotton Mako in the bobbin.

Aurifil 28wt for top thread and Aurifil 40wt for bobbin thread

To make a neat start, with the presser foot raised, bring the bobbin thread to the surface of the quilt. Lower the foot and take a few stitches. Then backstitch for one or two stitches to secure your threads.

Begin by pulling bobbin thread to the top

Anchor both thread with a few backstitches

Walking foot is an excellent guide for straight quilting lines

A darning foot was used to free motion quilt the pebbles in the appliqué block background.

Aurifil 28wt for fun free motion pebbles

The Modern Welcome Quilt is the perfect size to try free motion quilting and experiment with some of your machine’s built in stitches for a unique quilted effect.

When your quilting is finished, carefully trim the backing even with the quilt top. The excess backing will be used next month to create your binding.

For more information about Machine Quilting for Beginners check out Cheryl Fall for more tips and tricks.