Catch our latest post on our new blog

Don’t forget that we have recently migrated our blog to a new location.

You can read our latest post at Always Thread Wise.

This will be the last reminder that we will send so please choose to follow us on the new blog NOW so that you don’t miss anything in future.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Please follow us at our new location

Have you noticed that we moved?

We recently decided that it was time for a facelift to match our new business plan so our  posts can now be found at:

Always Thread Wise

Apart from the occasional accident we will not be posting here so please join us at Always Thread Wise and keep up with our ideas and thoughts about patchwork, quilting and other textile related activities.

I look forward to seeing you at Always Thread Wise

 

A Miniature Version.

Quilters are always making quilts for others, sometimes for loved family members and dear friends, sometimes for charitable causes, and sometimes as commissions. A couple of years ago I made a quilt for a young family member who was facing some traumatic experiences.

To read the full story go to https://alwaysquilting.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/made-with-love/

Much love went into the quilt’s construction and after the quilt was with its new owner I decided to make a miniature version for myself. Not only does the mini quilt help to decorate a spot in my quilting studio, but it also serves to remind me of the person who received the full-size version.

I made the miniature quilt from four mini-blocks, using four of the original feature fabrics, plus the white and grey background fabrics. The mini blocks are 6 inches square, so the quilt measures 12 inches square.

The large-size version was quilted with white thread (Aurifil Cotton Mako’ 40, colour 2024), but for the small quilt I chose a soft grey (Aurifil Cotton Mako’ 40, colour 2615) to tie in with the grey fabric I used on the back.

I quilted it “in the ditch” on my domestic sewing machine. The back looks like this:

I purchased a little hanger to display my quilt. (Buy yours now with a 30% discount from the Always Quilting online store. http://alwaysquilting.com.au/product-category/quilt-hangers/)

My mini quilt is ready to hang.

Migrating

We were running out of space & it was time for a new look so our blog has migrated to a new location with a new name.

Always Thread Wise

Please stop by and add us to your reading list or, even better, subscribe to receive an email when a new message is posted.

The blog will still be written by the staff at Always Thread, so it will continue to be a varied mix of projects and interests with special emphasis on our favourite Aurifil thread.

Are you quilting for a Hawk or an Eagle?

I’ve lived in Victoria long enough to have become accustom to a public holiday for a horse race but one for a football game was a surprise.

Now I am not a dedicated follower of the AFL so I am making the most of the day to play with thread …. Aurifil of course and in particular Cotton Mako’ 28, our favourite quilting thread weight.

But some at Always Quilting are followers, so here is a test that they set up for the committed AFL spectator.

Are you a Hawk?

Or an Eagle?

So was that a Hawk?

Or an Eagle?

So hope you enjoy the game, and still find some time to quilt.

Just Because….

Most of the projects I make involve fairly intense hand work, such as needleturn applique and English paper piecing. Here’s one of my current projects.

Even under “optimal conditions” (no housework, no paid employment, neglected hubby and family, and little sleep) such projects progress slowly. Much as I love this activity, it’s sometimes nice to have a change of pace and produce something that goes together more quickly and with less effort.

I have recently made such a quilt.

While distracted (i.e. browsing on the internet) I saw a quilt which I thought had an interesting layout. There was no name or pattern, but that did not deter me as I simply drafted my own, using dimensions of my choice. I had some suitable fabrics in my stash so I was able to begin without delay.

The blocks are simple and require only two seams.

The trickiest thing is to ensure the correct orientation of all the blocks once they are pieced. Check and check and check before joining!

I used the red sashing fabric to add a border around the edge to frame the quilt and bound it in the same fabric to maintain the framed look. In the photo below, I am trialling the position of the blocks and the border.

With my long-arm machine, quilting my projects is straightforward.  My quilting business, “The Quilt House” is located in Vermont South, Victoria. Check out my website :  http://www.thequilthouse.com.au 

I decided to use an all over quilting design (edge-to-edge) 0n the quilt, in this case I chose Lorien’s “Twirly Feathers”. It’s a really elegant design.

For this type of quilting, I use Aurifil 40 weight thread on my Gammill quilting machine. I chose a red thread to match the sashing fabric. It provides a nice contrast with the gold coloured backing fabric.

And here is the quilt used as a topper on my bed. I called it “Just Because”………well, just because!

Another sewing month

While some of my work colleagues have been on holiday this month to warmer climes,  I’ve had to put up with cold Melbourne weather with only the occasional breaks in cold Melbourne temperatures.

However, my garden did tell me spring is on the way with bulbs coming up

and when out walking, the park showed me this

enough for the hay fever sufferers reach for their tissues and medications.

So, I haven’t got much to show for this month’s blog – other than some sewing.  My colleagues, will of course, have blog entries from all sorts of travel locations in the following weeks!  (sense a little envy here on my part?!).

First up is my work on the Quilter’s Newsletter Christmas Quilt (as reported on in my blog post last month).  I only have to make 20 of these little charmers – and that should be done in a week before the next download pattern comes available. No pressure here!Then I’ve been sewing a challenge quilt – can’t show much of that, except for the fabrics which were purchased in July and the deadline to get this one done is November:I’ve tried to do some more on my  ” Birdsville” by Wendy Williams:and help make blocks for a raffle for next year:

and make a block for the guild’s retreat I attend each October with the theme “Step back in time” :

In between times, I have completed a ‘modern’ baby quilt for a yet to be born first baby.  I can’t show the finished item yet, as it is a ‘surprise’ for the mum (and dad) to be:

I have brought out the tiny hexagons for another airing at the wholesale trade fair in November.  We are organising our display for the Aurifil booth:

And finally, I have started my Christmas sewing (yes, it isn’t that long to go when you make gifts):

All in all, I think I have done a little bit of work this month – but the pile of unfinished items still seems to grow!

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sew Along Epidemic!

I admit it! I get very excited about patchwork and quilting. Sometimes I even finish some of the projects I begin with this unbridled enthusiasm.

My current passion is THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930’s SEW-ALONG. There is a ‘one stop page’ for all the information curated by GNOME ANGEL. (gnomeangel.com).

My book arrived last week and I am busily preparing my patterns and choosing my fabrics for the September 28th start date.

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Book and Fabrics

I know I have promised some unique results from the 200g of scrap swap….

Scraps Become a ‘new’ fabric

Half Square Triangles created with these great papers from Quilters Barn

…and I will finish that project…
BUT, this is a SEW-ALONG and I have never done a SEW-ALONG like this before. The group has its own Facebook page and there are already over 2500 members. Can you picture the diversity and cleverness of all these Patchworkers sewing along? It quickens the pulse.
My bobbins are full and my needles are new.

Fabrics, Bobbin and Needles

Come on and join the world wide project that has developed a life of its own! You know you want to…think of it as using up lots of fabric you already have to make room for new fabric that hasn’t even been designed yet…..ooooo aaahhhhh.

Dare I say it?? Christmas is approaching!

I subscribe to Quilters Newsletter magazine.

They had a ‘good deal’ on their subscription last year, and so I treated myself to a one year term.  It has proven to be a good read as well as a good deal.   The most recent issue had a foundation pieced Christmas tree that caught my eye.

As it can be done week by week, it made me think it could be a do-able project, and if I caught up with the sewing I could complete it by the end of October.

I decided to download the weekly patterns, and use the Christmas fabrics in my stash – of which I have quite a few acquired over the years.

It is interesting looking back on the ones I have accumulated – from the ‘traditional’ reds and greens and golds to the more modern and the ‘country’ look.

They will all work – I hope.

For the past few weeks I have been foundation piecing like mad.

It is a messy business!!

It’s made me search out some small prints and not use the bigger ones in this project.

But the results are fun!

 I have been searching out some very tiny ‘conversation’ prints:

And I have been sewing with Aurifil Ne 40 (the green spool).  For me it has the strength to cope with patterns printed on paper.

I hope to be able to show the completed top by the end of the year.  I guess this means I have started another project – darn!

Longbourne at Castlemaine

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a class with Katrina Hadjimichael. http://katrinahadjimichael.blogspot.com.au/

The class was hosted by Corliss of Threadbear Patchwork and Quilting in Castlemaine. http://www.threadbear.com.au/

I have been an admirer of Katrina’s work for a number of years, so when I heard that she was to teach here in Victoria, I knew I had to be there! The quilt being taught was “Longbourne”,  number 3 in Katrina’s Jane Austen series, which currently numbers eight. It’s a feast of applique, fussy cutting and English Paper Piecing. Bliss!

Katrina and “Longbourne”.

Twenty eager ladies gathered in the light and cosy venue for a day filled with lots of learning, inspiration, friendship, laughter and delicious food (that I didn’t have to prepare!!)

When we arrived and found a spot to park our bags, belongings and bodies, we received a lovely little gift bag from Corliss, complete with chocolate sustenance and fabric treasures.

What’s inside?

Treasures!

Katrina also came armed with a gift: a copy of the recent Quilters Companion magazine which included a DVD featuring Katrina and her tips for Jelly Roll quilts.

Then to the real work of the day! Katrina is a very organised and meticulous teacher and led us through the various techniques and processes required to make our own version of Longbourne. All the extensive notes, beautifully drawn pattern sheets, and a collection of photos showing in detail various elements of the quilt, were presented in a display folder for each participant.

Pattern sheets and detailed instructions in a display folder.

Most participants chose to use reproduction fabrics for their quilts as in Katrina’s original, but one other brave soul and yours truly ventured into the realm of brights. I have decided this presents an additional challenge: many of the fabrics in bright modern fabric ranges have larger scale designs on them. For some elements of the quilt, especially the centre panel, small scale designs are also necessary. I found I had to go shopping for some additional fabric. (Oh dear, such a hardship)

At the beginning of the class one lady asked Katrina what her secret is for such accurate and neat work? In short, the answer is attention to detail.  All applique components are tacked onto paper first. Katrina takes great care when tracing and cutting out her pattern pieces. No sloppy workmanship here!

Tacking onto cartridge paper for fussy cut components.

 

More tacking.

Here’s Katrina demonstrating how she makes tiny (3/8″) hexagons. And the thread of choice… Aurifil of course!! (Here she is using 50 weight).

And so, to sew. The bias stems come first.

Ready to applique the bias stems.

I have not done a great deal of actual sewing as yet, but I have done a little playing with various fabric combinations, and lots of thinking about my creation.

Playing and thinking.

And when Longbourne is finished, there may be another of Katina’s Jane Austen quilts calling me.

Lambton, the latest in Katrina’s Jane Austen collection.

Thank you Katrina and Corliss for a most enjoyable and inspirational day.