Laura’s bags and more …

Laura generously quilts many of our community quilts on her longarm, and she is also an ace bag maker! She’s working her way through the ByAnnie Designs catalogue.

Laura’s By Annie collection so far:
Ultimate Travel Bag 2.0
Easy Does It (free at ByAnnie.com under By Annie Basics
‘Stash and Dash’ (rolled organiser)

‘Easy Does it’

Interior of ‘Easy Does It’

Interior of ‘Stash and Dash’

Even Laura’s KitchenAid has a very stylish ‘In the Mix’
cover, a ByAnnie pattern made in Tula Pink fabric!

 

‘In Conversation’ - exhibition in 2023

An interesting concept for a modern quilt exhibition later in 2023 (dates and venues to be announced), and an opportunity to participate, from Australian quilter/textile artist/ curator Tara Glastonbury:

Join us ‘In Conversation’

I am beyond thrilled to finally tell you about the exhibition I’m planning for this year - just look at this line-up!

For ‘In Conversation’ I invited six Australian quilt artists to engage in a quilt dialog with an international quilter of their choice.

… We would love for you to join us in this conversation by entering a mini quilt on this theme for consideration. We have room for approx 20 minis so head on over to our supporter site (link below) to find out more.

Read more about the concept, the invited quilters, the open call for mini quilt entries, and ways you can support the initiative:
buymeacoffee.com/stitchandyarn/join-quilt-conversation

‘Christabella’, made by Helen

‘Christabella’ is a design by Margaret Sampson George, one that many quilters have enjoyed making. Helen made her version while taking monthly sewing days with Marg. The top has been finished for some time, and Helen spent time carefully considering the quilting, backing and binding. She has had it machine quilted by Cathie Calvert of Lakeside Quilting, and is very happy with the result. A big, beautiful quilt. Well worth the time and care that went into its making.

The quilt top is hand stitched, using English paper piecing

The centre medallion

The back is also pieced, including some English
paper piecing and machine stitching.

The main backing fabric is a large scale bird print designed by 

Kathy Doughty that compliments the many fabrics in the front.

Some lessons 2 (of 2)

Miriam brought a lovely big pile of quilts that we were delighted to see up close again, and talked us through her fabric choices. Most of them were her own design.

Like Nerida, Miriam collects small cuts of many different fabrics, and is not averse to quirky prints in some of her quilts. She also collects yardage for some backgrounds and borders. She has a very well honed eye for putting colour palettes together, and is conscious of achieving contrast through colour and tone. 

Miriam's most recently finished top features a vintage
linen as the centre background, an appliqued basket
border and a seminole-style outer border - a lot
of different fabrics working well together.

Some features of the basket border are constant, others are
more random. The vibrant background ties the quilt together.

This scrappy log cabin reads as a two colour quilt,
but on closer examination you can see there are flashes
of many colours adding depth. Note that the scrappy low
volume prints in the background are all white with red.

The low volume background here is a delicate pink print,
the feature fabrics are vibrant, but a controlled palette, and that
 border of squares is a serendipitous print.

Miriam designed this quilt as a class sample, with a controlled
palette on a contrasting fine cross hatch background ...

... and a second sample is in a completely different,
muted palette of blues, with small pieces of a honey
beige introducing warmth.

This 'Trip Around the World' was made in a hand pieced
Instagramsewalong with Brigitte Giblin. The red with white
spot fabricwas the feature fabric, required by the design.
Miriam recommends not choosing all the fabrics before
starting, as the look of the whole design can change
with each row, and dictate the next row.

Miriam included this bright quilt of simple shapes to remind
us how solid colours can add to the vibrancy of a quilt.

And this one to remind us that contrast is actually not
always necessary - similar tones and colours can provide calm
and softness, and look absolutely beautiful.

The Fashon and Textile Museum, London

Miriam recently passed on the link to the Chintz exhibition coming up at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Of course this led to further online exploration of this delightful and very interesting institution - so much of interest to anyone interested in textiles, how they are made, how they have been used in fashion (look back at posts about past exhibitions for glimpses into your own fashion past!), and in these pandemic times, several options for exploring exhibitions and talks online.

The Fashion and Textile Museum in London has scheduled the exhibition 'Chintz - Cotton in Bloom' from March - August 2021. This link features some highlights of the exhibition. Textile lovers should enjoy it. 

• The Fashion and Textile Museum on Facebook

• The Fashion and Textile Museum on Instagram

Thank you Miriam for taking us down this lovely online rabbit-hole!

'Colours of the Year' 2019

Do these promotions influence your use of colour, or purchases?

There are at least two 'Colours of the Year' promotions currently running campaigns on social media.

The Kona Colour of the Year is the more narrowly focused, promoting Robert Kaufman Fabric's Kona Cotton Solids, via a limited edition colour that will be available for one year only, from January.

The 2019 Kona Cotton Colour of the year is 'Splash'. Four free quilt patterns commissioned from well known designers, using 'Splash' are available here.

It will play very nicely with the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2019, 'Living Coral'.  The Pantone Colour of the Year is influential across a very wide range of products, including textiles.

Tula Pink is coming to Quiltsmith

Quiltsmith (Annandale) has announced the return of popuar designer Tula Pink to Australian shores this coming November/December.

Quiltsmith dates:

Friday 1st December - Lecture and Trunk Show

Saturday 2nd December - Tula Nova Workshop

Call or email the shop now to put your name down on the Expression of Interest list:

Phone - 02 9550 4947

Email - quiltsmith@ozemail.com.au

Dr Kaffe Fassett

It seems either the journalist or editor is not a quilter - no reference to quilts in this story on Kaffe Fassett:

• Is arts education important? Kaffe Fassett makes appeal as he gets honorary doctorate

Detail of a quilt made by Robin W, 2013

2017 Pantone Colour of the Year: Greenery

From reactions online, it looks like Pantone's 2017 Colour of the Year, Greenery, will be more

popular with quilters than the last couple of years' choices. Expect to see lots of Greenery in all sorts of products (indicting that the choice is made well in advance of its public announcement) during 2017.

The announcement page on the Pantone website includes a collection of colour schemes including Greenery - could be a useful starting point for quilts.

'The PANTONE name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, across a variety of industries.'

Have you used hues similar to Greenery in your quilts,
or have plans to? This 8" block was made in 2015 for the
Sydney Modern Sewists and Quilters 2016 Group Quilt
- the Mini Pearl Bracelets' print designed by Lizzy House
 for Andover Fabrics is pretty close to Greenery,
as is the medium tone in the other green print.

2017 Block of the Month - Sarah Fielke

If you have been following the beautiful quilts made with Australian designer Sarah Fielke's popular 2016 block of the month, you will be interested in the next one - maybe you'll join in ... Nerida, are you going to do the next one?

This is Sarah's sketch for 2017:

Sarah's announcement on social media:

Sound the trumpets! Ring the bells! My 2017 Block of Month program is now open for subscribers. Learn new skills while you stitch with social media friends. The program includes 12 months of step by step instructions, instructional videos and full sized templates. 

Come and join the fun, all details are at my website: www.sarahfielke.com

To see the variety of quilts made in 2016  with Sarah's bom, look for the tag
#sarahfielkebom2016 on Instagram - finished centres, and some complete with borders are beginning to appear. Keep an eye out for release of the pattern, publication of a book, and quilt shops offering the 2016 pattern as block of the month program and classes.

The Rajah Quilt revisited: video free online this week only

This episode of the (US) Quilt Show, featuring Australian quilter and designer Lesse Siegele, designer of their Block of the Month for 2016, will be freely available online for just this week.

The BOM is Lesse's Rajah Quilt Revisited. More information about the block of the month, with links to kits or to the pattern only is in this blog post from The Quilt Show.

• National Gallery of Australia page on the Rajah Quilt 1841
• Quilt patterns by Lesse Siegele are available for purchase here.

William Morris cake!

Quilters and cakes are often not strangers. Just Google 'quilt cake' and you will find hundreds of ingenious cakes decorated with quilting themes.

Not directly related to quilting, but many quilters will appreciate My Big Fat Cake Project 2014, taking it to another level, with a design based on William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief'.

The cake is an annual event, one of the ways in which the William Morris Society of Canada celebrates the designer's birthday - check the link in the post for earlier William Morris cake designs.

Sarah Fielke visits Fairholme

Thanks for the photo Sarah
 - we were so busy admiring the
quilts, we forgot to take any!

This week we had the great pleasure of a a visit from Sarah Fielke, for a trunk show of some of the quilts from her books, the stories behind them, and a little (!) shopping from her fabric ranges and other products.

It was so good to hear from such a dedicated, professional and passionate quilter. Beautiful quilts and books, and her new fabric range was very popular. We'll be keeping an eye out for her new book, Old Quilts, New Life in September (we got to preview a couple of the quilts), and will add it to our library,where we already have Sarah's previous books.

Sarah is an active participant on social media, as you will see from the links on her website.

Thanks Sarah, and thanks Georgie for organising such an enjoyable morning.

Beautiful new quilt from Katrina Hadjimichael

Sydney quilter, designer and teacher Katrina Hajimichael has posted photos of the latest quilt  in her Jane Austen series.

'Lambton' is the fictional village near the Pemberley estate in Pride and Prejudice, which might have been based on the real town of Bakewell (although recent evidence questions this long held view).

The photos so far are close-up views of individual applique blocks, showing the detail of the intricate and varied custom quilting by Helen Hayes. Contact details to book for a series of Lambton workshops in 2016 are included.

Katrina's Jane Austen quilts are featured in the current issue of Australian Patchwork and Quilting, Volume 24, Number 10.

Modern pieced animal quilt blocks

If you can make a basic Drunkard's Path block, you can easily make one of the cleverest and cutest sets of pieced animal blocks that ever got itself quilted.  Dani Miller's online Wee Animal Quilt tutorial caught the attention of Cindy of Live a Colorful Life, who produced her version, Animal Planet, for her little grandson.  The two blog posts together feature many excellent photos of the process and the finished quilts.

• Dani Miller on Instagram: @knitty34
• Live a Colorful Life on Instagram:@liveacolorfullife

One of our members' test block for
Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Fox pattern

Elizabeth Hartman, of Oh Fransson! fame is also renowned for her growing menagerie of very cute and clever pieced animal blocks (kittens, foxes, hedgehogs, whales, with bunnnies, owls and others in development).  Her website/blog is currently under reconstruction for a relaunch at the end of this month, but you can see images and purchase patterns from her online shop in the meantime, and several local quilt shops (such as Cottage Quiltworks and Kim Bradley Creations) stock print editions, and have sample quilts on display.

• Elizabeth Hartman on Instagram: @elizabethagh

Jen Kingwell: a quilter/designer of many parts

Melbourne quilter, designer, teacher, and owner of Amitie Textiles (in Gardenvale, Melbourne), Jen Kingwell is immersed in the quilting community, with her first book published by FW Media, and fabric collection for Moda both released in the last few weeks. She is also in demand internationally as a teacher and speaker.

You might already know Jen Kingwell's name as the designer of popular quilt patterns such as Green Tea and Sweet Beans, Steam Punk, Midnight at the Oasis and many others

Her Gardenvale fabric collection is coming onto the shelves of local fabric shops right now in precuts and yardage, and can be seen on the Moda blog - you might need to be quick to order/buy it, as it is already very popular. A quick Google search will take you to many beautiful quilts made, and in the making, using it. Or you could start with Red Pepper Quilts'  Gardenvale Kansas Dugout Quilt blog post.

The book Quilt Lovely is definitely on our  current wish list for our library.  It is readily available in local quilt shops, and online now.

You can see and hear Jen Kingwell talking about her love of quilting, and favourite tips in these videos (and seven others listed here) recorded by the Fat Quarter Shop at their studio:

Question and Answer with Australian Moda Fabric Designer Jen Kingwell

Gardenvale Fabric Collection by Moda Fabrics and Jen Kingwell 

Added 18th April 2015:

Quilt Lovely - An Interview with Jen Kingwell, 

Poppyprint, 17th April 2015

A 'lovely' interview by Canadian blogger, Krista Hennebury, touching on Jen Kingwell's thoughts about quilting in Australia and in the UAE, as well as the book and fabric range

Charm Pack Cherry - why didn't we think of that?

This has caused a little flurry of excitement on the interweb this week.  If one were better organised, one might have a photo of one's own version by now, but you'll have to follow the links to see pictures. It's more interesting than a simple 9 patch, easier than a disappearing 9 patch ...

Are you one of the many quilters who has a charm pack or two (or several more) that you loved, had to buy and stashed them away, but lack either time or inspiration to magic them into quilts?

The Fat Quarter Shop is promoting its charm packs with a free pattern and video tutorial for a 'short cut' quilt, Charm Pack Cherry, that is appearing all over the blogosphere ... you will soon see why. It's cute, it's quick, it works with any style of fabric ... and charm packs are already selected to coordinate, so it's easy.

Check out pictures of some Charm Pack Cherries, and be inspired:

Material Culture (Barbara Brackman)
Monkey Do
Little Island Quilting
Farbstoff
Happy Quilting

New fabric range from Australian designer

Victorian designer and quilter Emma Jean Jansen's first fabric range, Terra Australis, for fabric company Ella Blue, is due to be released in shops this month.  There are eight designs, each in up to six colourways.

You can see the designs on the Charles Parsons website here, and on the Scrapbag blog here.

Photos of sample quilts made from the range are on Emma Jean Jansen's Facebook page.

Emma Jean Jansen has added a page listing Australian shops stocking her fabric and patterns, to her website here.

Saffron Craig - new range of organic cotton

Valley View (Image courtesy Saffron Craig)

Sydney designer Saffron Craig has released a new range of organic cotton fabric, Valley View:

The Valley View organic fabric range captures the essence of Australia's breathtaking valley’s with hidden spots and natural secrets while paying homage to folk art, cross stitch and patch work. Colours include pink, magenta, purple, yellow, black and white. 

The 8 fabrics on the range include six prints, a 'cheater' design (that Saffron suggests as a quilt back), and a printed panel. They 'are 100% organic cotton of the highest quality with a super soft feel and vibrant colours.' Click here for more photos of the whole range.

Saffron will have a stand at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Fair at Darling Harbour in June, and at Red Berries show next weekend, where she will have Valley View and her earlier ranges for sale.

Coincidentally, the current issue of Quilter's Newsletter (April/May 2013) features an article on the growth of organic cottons designed for quilting and other uses, and provides additional interviews with some  designers as a 'web extra', here.