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2010-04-27T00:48:00.001-07:00

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Pennants for Patchworkers

2010-03-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

Festival of Quilts at the NEC for 2010 - Pennants for Patchworkers

Pennants4Patchworkers is the fundraiser for The Quilters' Guild at the Festival of Quilts in August (August 20th to the 23rd At the NEC, Birmingham) and is being "masterminded" by The Miniatures Group. The pennants can be any size from A4 downwards, but don't have to be miniatures.

There will be a Tombola, and tickets ending with 3 or 7 will be winners. Further information,pennants, hints and tips and challenges can be found on their website pennants4patchworkers.wordpress.com

The A4 Pennant should be an isoscelese triangle (the two angle sides the same length and angle from the upright). It should be 3 layers, quilted and finished appropriately.

Go to the website: http://pennants4patchworkers.wordpress.com to see ideas, patterns, photos and lots more examples some of which we have posted here.

If you make a Pennant and want to drop it off at Quilts UK at the Malvern Three Counties Showground (13th to 16th May 2010) why not bring it along to The Cotton Patch stand - (just to the right of the entrance). Judith Dursley who is co-ordinating the Pennant collection will pick them up from us on the Sunday of the Malvern show.

If you find an uncontrollable urge to keep making pennants (we also have felted pennants courtesy of Gillian Glad Rags which you may wish to try) we have just had information on Quilts 4 London which is a National Olympic Textile Project supported by Lynne Edwards, Gail Lawther, the Batik Guild, The Cross Stitch Guild, The International Felt Makers Association, the Quilter's Guild of the British Isles and UK Hand Knitting - visit their website or contact Irene Heathcote at admin@quilts4london.org.uk for more information.

The idea is to make an A3 Pennant (12" x 16") using any Textile Technique - 12,000 are required and each 2012 Olympic Athelete will receive one! For YouTube links. ideas, and co-ordinators details visit their website.

V and A Quilt Exhibition London...continued

2010-03-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

There were so many beautiful quilts and here are a few more from the Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibition at the V and A.

View towards Changi Quilt, made by Girl Guides held at Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore for their quilt leader - beautifully presented with toile quilt in the distance.

Channel 4 has an feature on the quilt with a video you may wish to see.

The Red Cross Quilt and detail.

The quilt was made by the Canadian Red Cross Society and is dated 1939-1941. During the Second World War the Society donated quilts to those in need. The children of a family, whose house and all their possessions were destroyed by enemy bombing, each received a quilt. The concept of Project Linus, Comfort Quilts and other quilting projects of making a quilt for those in real need has been taking place for quite some time. Most recently we blogged about the Haitian Quiltathon - quilts are a great solace and comfort, a security blanket when all other comforts have gone...

Quilt made from blackout curtains and sateens.

Quilts at the Victoria and Albert Museum

2010-03-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Opens today 20th March 2010

Winter/Male and Summer/Female by Jo Budd 2010

George III Reviewing the Troops 1803-1805
Joanna Southcott Coverlet c 1808
Caroline of Hanover Quilt unknown maker c 1820

Close-up of the Bed Hanging at the V and A

2010-03-19T05:26:00.001-07:00

One more quick post before anyone notices I'm not doing any work...

This photo shows some of the amazing pieces that make up the whole. A huge amount of work must have been involved in the design and execution of this piece.

V and A Quilts Exhibition - The Domestic Landscape

2010-03-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

These quilts are all in the first section and for those who loves historical quilts are a really superb collection. I really should be doing some accounts...so...more photos to follow soon.

The quilt detail shown below is from George III Reviewing the Troops (1803-1805). The construction is technically brilliant and reveals details of the makers life and her social and cultural background. This detail shows just a small section of the quilt below the main centre circle of George III. Vignettes made up of between 23 and 45 patches, hand-drawn inscriptions and embroidery form a border surrounding pieced circles.

This Mariner's Quilt is displayed as it would appear on a bed - again beautifully constructed and preserved. This quilt was made in the 1850's and includes fabrics dating from the 1820's. The mid to late 1800s style was for dense colours and bright patterns. Patchwork designs were produced in magazines and gradually evolved their names such as Mariner's Compass (the centre design) and Jockey's Cap (the circles partially seen in the foreground of the picture below.)

The quilting on this one showed up beautifully in the subtly lit gallery and again displayed bed-style.

Preview of Quilts 1700-2010 at the V&A

2010-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Quilts 1700-2010 opens at the V&A on the 20th March 2010 and runs through until the 4th July 2010. Apparently this is the most successful exhibition that the V&A have run in terms of pre-sales of tickets - over 9,000 at the last count.

We were delighted to be invited to the Preview yesterday and even more so after we had viewed the exhibition - the scope and depth are excellent and even if you don't think that the highlights of the exhibition should be the Tracey Emin bed or the Grayson Perry foetuses you are sure to find elements that find you in awe of their makers or at the very fact that you are viewing these quilts at all. The oldest quilts are in breath-takingly good condition. I own a Crazy Quilt from 1893 and some of the satins (especially the reds) have practically disappeared. The 1730-1750 patchwork bed hangings which greet you as you enter the exhibition are the only set of chintz bed hangings from this period that survive in a public collection. They are in superb condition - the colours bright, the work extraordinary with a clam shell design that comprises 6500 individual patches. So this is where the exhibition opens - in the 18th century ..." when increased access to fashionable materials such as silks, satins and velvets resulted in an explosion of sumptuous patchwork quilts created for some of the wealthiest homes in Britian."

Thought-provoking themes guide you through the quilts and explanations of each quilt (expounded in great depth in the book for the exhibition by the Curator Sue Pritchard) unravel the stories behind each of the quilts, sometimes complex narratives where all is not as it may seem (typed in error seam there....) from initial inspection.

These are a selection of my photos from the exhibition which I hope you enjoy. When time allows I will give more information on some.

Haiti Quiltathon Update - 90 Quilts Made!

2010-03-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Haiti Quiltathon - 90 Quilts!

Well done to Chris and volunteers including Di Huck from Patchwork and Quilting Magazine who managed to make an amazing 90 Quilts in 12 hours! Think of all the tea they must have got through!!

Not only did they make the quilts but the sales table and raffle raised about £400 for a local hospice and animal charity. Congratulations to everyone who took part.

Festival of Quilts 2010 Academy Programme

2010-03-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

Described as "the largest, most eagerly anticipated event in the patchwork and quilting calendar anywhere in Europe", the "Festival of Quilts" takes place at the NEC in Birmingham during August.

While Quilters who have previously visited know that it provides huge inspiration, with the Victoria and Albert Museum (see previous post) showcasing some of their quilt collection this year in Quilts 1700-2010, we hope that the "Festival of Quilts" also tempts those who don't aspire to necessarily make quilts but for those for whom the art and artistry of quilts, the history or the beauty and colour or texture is enough reason to visit. Last year over 30,000 people visited the NEC from over fifty countries - it certainly felt like it as someone who could not get from one end of the stand to the other!

So if your diary is handy - the dates are:

19th to 22nd August 2010

Opening Hours: 10.00am to 5.30pm (closes 5pm Sun)

For those who want to get on with the "making", one of the highlights is the collection of teachers whose workshops and lectures provide that inspiration to extend knowledge and techniques into new areas.

While the organisers Twisted Thread are able to show the Quick and Easy Workshops programme on their literature The Academy Programme is now so vast that the easiest way to view it is online. We thought we'd give a taster of some of the masterclasses, lectures and workshops that you can sign up for on the Twisted Thread site.
Non Quilters Guild members can start booking from today!

Marti Michell

We are delighted that Marti Michell together with her husband Richard Michell (and seen here with their daughter Stacey who runs Shades Hand Dyed Fabrics) will be joining us on The Cotton Patch stand for demonstrations of her templates and advice on how to Machine Quilt in sections, make a real log cabin...I mean make a Log Cabin Quilt and lots more!

Marti will be reaching for the stars with A Constellation of Star Quilts (Reference 271)

You won’t want to miss Marti’s star studded trunk show. It is full of tips
and tricks for making Evening Stars, Feathered Stars, Kaleido-Stars and
stars you might not think are stars, even Seven Sis-stars. Oh my stars, you’ll be star-struck!
Lecture (1 hour)
Saturday 21st August 10.00am to11.00am

Machine Quilting in Sections / Quilting As You Piece (Reference 294)
You’ll learn the difference, the similarity and how both methods can help you finish your quilts on your home sewing machine! If manoeuvring a big quilt through that little opening in your sewing machine is overwhelming, this lecture has answers! There are always new quilts and tips.
Lecture (1 hour)
Sunday 22nd August 10.00am to 11.00am

Why Use 8 Fabrics When You Could Use 80? (Reference 249)
Who knows whether you have lots of fabric because you love to make scrap quilts or you love to make scrap quilts because you have lots of fabric? It doesn’t matter, you’ll love Marti’s scrap quilt trunk show. Plus Marti will review the top 10 reasons why you need more fabric!!!
Lecture (1 hour)
Friday 20th August 4.00pm to 5.00pm

Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett - what can you say about a man who has contributed so much to pushing the boundaries of colour within the traditional designs of patchwork that hasn't already been said? So often people know that the colour in their quilt is not quite right but
don't know what to do to make it so...Kaffe Fassett has that talent (as we discover when we try and substitute a fabric in his quilts and find it quite tricky!).
Kaffe is shown (below) with Nik from The Cotton Patch signing books on the stand at the Festival of Quilts in 2009 - Kaffe has his own stand this year but will also be doing book signings on The Cotton Patch stand.
Kaffe is also doing a Soup Supper talk entitled Concentrate on Colourwhich is designed to inspire and motivate. The presentationhighlights works from his latest projects, these include his patchworkquilt, fabric, needlepoint, mosaic, painting and knitting designs. For more details and how to book please visit the Twisted Thread site.

The Kaffe Fassett lecture is designed to inspire and motivate. This year Kaffe will be talking about Diamonds...could be a girl's best friend...

Diamonds (Reference 258)
Kaffe Fassett
Play with colour in design from a Kaffe Fassett quilt structure under the supervision of Kaffe and his assistant Brandon Mably. Most class time will be spent teaching the arrangement of fabrics to develop each student’s own personal colour palette in making one of Kaffe’s original designs. Students will need to bring lots of fabric to play with! Although Kaffe and Brandon teach the same principles of colour, the class structure will be different and you will come away with two totally different wall-size hanging quilt arrangements.
You will be arranging your work on a piece of flannel that you will just fold up at the end of the workshop, ready to take home and sew.
You may elect to keep your projects wall sized or expand them to full size once you return home. The quilts are primarily scrappy so the workshops are for scrappy quilts done in fairly low contrast. Kaffe and Brandon will be taking you through the same process they use for designing their quilts.
1 Day Masterclass
Any Level
Saturday 21st August 9.30am to 4.30pm

Amy Butler

Last but by no means least....Amy's influence on the world of design just keeps on growing. We recently saw that Amy has teamed up with Graham and Brown who manufacture the most gorgeous wallpapers so your next quilt may match your wallpaper! Amy showed some of the rugs she has designed at the Soup Supper at last year's Festival of Quilts - they are a perfect foil for her designs. Wow! So now its quilt, bedding, wallpaper, rugs.... find out what inspires her and her creative process at her lecture. She'll also be available and will be signing her books on The Cotton Patch stand. Below is one of the rugs from her collection -

Inspirations with Amy Butler
(Reference 244 and 274)

Spend an hour chatting, laughing and getting inspired with American fabric and interiors designer Amy Butler. Get an inside look at some fun, behind the scenes imagery and stories chronicling Amy's latest creative adventures through her travels and studio life.
Lecture (1 hour)
Friday 20th and Saturday 21st August
1.00pm to 2.00pm

One of Amy's beautiful handmade 100% New Zealand wool rugs.

V and A - Quilts 1700-2010 - One Not to Miss!

2010-03-05T04:29:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing that needs to go in the diary, friends contacted, plans made, tickets purchased and train seats allocated in 2010 its the forthcoming exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, London entitled Quilts 1700-2010.

The marketing department seems to be doing a great job as we've seen mention of it in the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, the Times and plenty of other places. We're very excited as a few of us will be going to the preview on the 17th March.

The exhibition is a unique opportunity to view the V&A's unseen quilt collection as well as key national loans.

The Curator's blog makes for great reading as the opening of the exhibition is about two weeks away. You know how it is for most of us, its Christmas Eve and the quilt binding is still being sewn on as Father Christmas is appearing boots first down the chimney...talk about last minute. So imagine how much work will be going on getting the exhibition ready in time!

The exhibition includes some quilts featured on beds such as the 2002 Quilt entitled "To Meet My Past" by Tracey Emin.

We recently discovered some interesting family history (we had no idea until a few weeks ago) of relatives who were silk merchants and other who were involved in the dyeing industry in London - including such exhuberant and interesting characters as Charles Candy otherwise known as Beau Candy or Sugar Candy (this was in the late 1700s, early 1800s so the time of Beau Brummel, lots of silk cravats and dashing Regency style gents!). The thought of visiting an exhibition based on quilts made from fabrics manufactured during this period is fascinating.

In doing the research it was interesting to discover that William Shipley, who formed the RSA (the Royal Society for the Arts, Commerce and Manufactures) which is now 250 years old and which is based at John Adams House in London, recognised the importance of the manufacture of silk and cotton in England. Dyeing prior to the mid 1750s was mostly done in France. However, the expulsion of the Huguenots from France (the biggest migration in history, many of whom, including my relatives, moved to England in the 1600s and 1700s) led to those skills being brought to London and the development of the dyeing industry along the rivers such as the Wandle and Lea which feed into the Thames in London. Without that impetus England may never have had the level of fabric production that we did during that period. Whilst fabric production in the UK is minimal now we're glad that some of the design and certainly the development of fabric designs still happens here.

We hope you are able to visit the Exhibition while it is on - it finishes on the 4th July 2010.

Quilts for Haiti 13th March 2010 - Calling all Quilters

2010-03-04T08:39:00.001-08:00

If you would like to help out the people of Haiti who have had to cope with many natural disasters in recent years and of course this year with a terrible earthquake then why not join Chris Hammacott and Di Huck and lots of other quilters for a 12 hour Quiltathon in Carmarthen?

Or perhaps you've got some fabric, thread or wadding that you could donate?

Chris contacted us a few weeks ago and we were able to help with various supplies including some UFOs that were lurking in Jean Sewell's sewing room looking for a home! The picture above shows some of Chris's group with some of Jean's quilt tops that they will be able to quilt so that they can go to this very worthwhile cause.

12 HOUR
QUILTATHON
COMFORT QUILTS FOR HAITI
CARMARTHEN COMMUNITY EDUCATION CENTRE (Behind the Library)
10-10
13TH MARCH
COME AND JOIN US.

WE NEED STITCHERS, CUTTERS, PINNERS AND TEA MAKERS!

CAN YOU DONATE FABRIC/ WADDING/ SHEETS

WE PLAN TO MAKE AS MANY QUILTS FOR THE HOMELESS CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN HAITI
There will also be a ‘bring an unwanted Christmas present’ to raise money to donate.
Come for an hour or the day all help gratefully received.
Bring a plate of food for an informal lunch.
DONATED FABRICS CAN BE LEFT AT THE CENTRE

OR CONTACT CHRIS ON 01269 832272

http://www.ws-touchbase.com/

Sashiko Exhibition in York and Plymouth

2010-02-26T01:30:00.000-08:00

An stunning exhibition of Sashiko textiles is on display at Collins Gallery in Scotland. Later in 2010 it will be at Plymouth. The link to the website for further details is here.

Japanese Sashiko Textiles
27 February – 10 April (closed 2 -5 April inc)

Originated by York Museums Trust and researched by Michele Walker, this is the first major touring exhibition of Japanese Sashiko Textiles to be mounted in the UK and the Collins Gallery is the sole Scottish venue for this visually stunning and comprehensive collection.

Sashiko (sashi-to stitch and ko-small) is a technique similar to quilting characterised by geometric patterns stitched in white on indigo coloured cloth. The motifs used indicate where the garment came from as well as the occupation and social status of the wearer.
Sashiko evolved from a need to re-use and repair, associated with the making of work clothes throughout Japan until the mid-twentieth century and today, Sashiko textiles are protected as Folklore Cultural Assets, categorised as Mingei or traditional crafts integral to a community’s culture.
The exhibition focuses on the lives of the makers, working- class women from fishing and farming communities , through items dating from the mid 19th century ,work by the Okio group (carriers of logs) and by Ciau Sato, a 90 year old from Sado Island.

It also explores the fact that Sashiko garments offered both physical and spiritual protection since the indigo dye was repellent to snakes and harmful insects while certain patterns , symbols and “talismans” were stitched on the inside of the garments to protect the most vulnerable areas of the body.
The exhibition comprises over 70 garments and related objects complimented by films and images by the renowned Japanese photographer, Iwayima Takeji (1920 – 1989).

Lenders of historical material include: The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, The Aikawa and Ogi Folk Museums, Sado Island, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Fukuoka City Museum while contemporary work has been sourced from the NUNO Corporation and from textile artist, Tokunaga Miyoko who created garments especially for the exhibition.

Supported by an on-line publication, practical workshops in Shibori and in Sashiko led by Jeanette Sendler and Sara Keith, and a symposium with presentations by Michele Walker, Lou Taylor, Tim Parry-Williams and Sara Keith.

For further information, please contact:
th Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde, 22 Richmond St, Glasgow

Tel : 0141 548 2558 E:collinsgallery@strath.ac.uk www.collinsgallery.strath.ac.uk

27 February - 10 April 2010(Closed 2 - 5 April)
Address of Venue:Collins GalleryUniversity of Strathclyde

22 Richmond StreetGlasgowG1 1XQ
Website:www.strath.ac.uk/collinsgallery
Opening Times:Mon - Fri 10am - 5pmSat 12 noon - 4pmSundays ClosedPublic holidays - Closed
Admission:Free

Touring Venues:
31 July - 26 September 2010Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery,8 Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AJwww.plymouth.gov.uk

Felting Workshop At Wolverhampton Art Gallery

2010-02-22T01:23:00.000-08:00

Fantastic results from the POP Jann Haworth Exhibition Workshop at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Click here to see the rest of the photos and write-up from Kirsty E Smith who led the workshop.

There are definitely a few donuts that look good enough to eat!

POP Jann Haworth Exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

2010-02-01T03:22:00.000-08:00

Some friends visited this exhibition at the weekend at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and said it was very interesting - if you're into textile art definitely worth a trip. The felting workshop on 6th Feb is full but the exhibition is on till April.

26 Oct 09 - 10 Apr 10

Hollywood-born artist Jann Haworth (b. 1942) is among the few women associated with the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Her sewn cloth soft sculptures refer to typically American Pop themes such as fast food, film stars, cheerleaders, cowboys and comics, as well as to her experiences of living in England during a period of cultural transformation.

Developed in partnership with the artist, this exhibition is the first UK solo show of Haworth’s work in a public gallery since 1972. In 1968 Haworth won a Grammy award for her work as co-designer of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. POP Jann Haworth contains behind the scenes photographic images of the making of the Sgt. Pepper album set as well as Old Lady I, the life-size sculpture that first appeared in 1967 as a Granny on the album’s photo montage cover.

The artist has restored several works expressly for the show, offering a rare opportunity to see Haworth’s early soft sculptures alongside more recent pieces including giant charm bracelets and corset canvases. Wolverhampton’s own still-life sculpture, Donuts, Coffee cups & Comics (1962) will be on display alongside other donut sets, for the first time since it was acquired for the Pop Art Collection in 2008.

Jinny Beyer at Houston Quilt Market 2009

2010-01-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Jinny Beyer has worked in conjunction with RJR fabrics for many years and her Palette is a fantastic basics range to have in your stash - the Snowbirds quilt (above) is a great example of how the whole range of 150 fabrics goes through the spectrum. Back in 1996 Jinny visited The Cotton Patch and at a lecture to 200 quilters in the Solihull Civic Hall (subsequently remodelled as John Lewis at the Touchwood Shopping Centre!) described how to use the palette effectively.

At Quilt Market Jinny described how you can use any 8 fabrics that are next to each other in the Jinny Beyer Palette and create an interesting quilt that has the essential ingredients of a "Deep Dark" and an "Accent". She demonstrated this by showing quilts that did not have these features and asked the audience to vote on their favourites. Consistently the result was that the quilt with those ingredients was favoured even though the majority of the other colours were there.

She also showed that a quilt that has a co-ordinating border does not have to have fabrics within it that are absolutely identical to the fabrics in the border. In fact interest is created by the eye creating the "leap" itself!

Finally the kind of fabrics that don't jump out at you as being "gorgeous" in their own right can showcase other fabrics. For example, I'd never pick khaki as a colour for a quilt but if you look at the vibrant quilt above you can see how the khaki actually highlights the vivid purples, reds and pinks and makes them come alive and stand out.

Colour and selecting fabrics for quilts can be daunting for many people. Playing with colours and using tools and experience of others to guide you can be a real help- why not check out Jinny's website with her tips on colour to give you some ideas for experimenting and going outside of your normal palette. Most importantly have fun - design walls are a great way to see how fabrics can work together - pin an old flannel sheet or the Clover Design Wall to a wall and stand back from it to see the effects of different fabrics. A more computerised approach is to use software like Electric Quilt - EQ6 to play around with colour combinations at the touch of a mouse button!

2009 Roundup

2010-01-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

A dramatic start to 2010 - a blanket of snow covers most of the UK and for those of us who have a sizeable commute to work that means enforced incarceration at home! A good opportunity to do those things I don't have time to do when I'm at the office then such as a roundup of 2009 and postings of some of the photos that never made it even as far as the editing room let alone the metaphorical editing room floor (digital photography has eradicated such terms...it would have to be consigned to bits and bytes of the recycle bin I guess).

And what a year it has been - lots happened at The Cotton Patch with more people joining us. We took on Alison, in late 2008, to help with the backoffice and stock. Bucking the trend of the rest of retail in 2009, craft and especially patchwork and quilting, has just continued to grow in popularity. The media picked up on the "Make do and Mend" theme and Kirsty Alsopp's program "A Handmade Home" became very popular, sparking an increase in interest on the web and our blogs. We took on Rob in October 2009 whose job focuses on warehousing, stock and fabric cutting which eased things as the busy season really took off in November and on the run up to Christmas. It doesn't seem to have stopped since September. We're looking forward to our newest member of staff, Lorraine, starting with us - she begins in January 2010 on web order processing.

The Festival of Quilts just gets bigger and better and this year was definitely busy - moving around the stand on the first day was certainly a challenge! Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Marti Michell all proved as popular as ever and with the addition of Sandy Chandler who demo'd the Curvemaster foot it definitely drew the crowds. Hopefully curved piecing no longer holds its traditional fear. Drunkards Path could be winding its way through to a quilt show near you soon!

In October we visited Houston for the Quilt Market - the show for retailers which precedes the Quilt Festival (equivalent to our Festival of Quilts). The great thing is that the quilts for Festival are hanging in the same hall so if we have time we get to see all the wonderful exhibits - this year we managed to stay on the Sunday night after the show. There were some wonderful ones and here are a few of my favourites.

The information provided on this quilt - The Lone Star is by an unknown quilter from around 1845. It is hand pieced, appliqued and quilted. Inset panel prints surround pieced diamonds. The panel prints from around 1815 have been cut in half diagonally and reassembled without interruption of the design. The diamonds of the design include many rainbow prints, French and English chintz, Indiennes prints and other prints typical of that era. The centre is fussy cut.

The connection to the internet out in the sticks is notoriously slow (the words broadband and internet superhighway hardly fit here!) so I'll load some more tomorrow as the weather still looks bad for tomorrow.

Patchwork Retreats in France

2009-12-09T02:19:00.000-08:00

What a great combination! Patchwork and Quilting, experienced teachers, a 19th century farmhouse and excellent food and wine!

Why not treat yourself to a relaxing week in South West France and allow yourself the time and space to enjoy your favourite pastime. Joan Crooks and Bridget Wright run the workshops from the renovated 19th century farmhouse which is set in 16 acres of unspoilt countryside. Bedrooms are en-suite, the heated swimming pool has a beautiful view across the valley, for the more energetic there is a gym but for most the option of relaxing with a new project or completing a UFO will be the best.

Joan and Bridget have got a fantastic line-up of teachers for 2010 and...if you book before 31st December 2009 receive a 10% discount!

From May to September classes Angela Madden, Dawn Cameron Dick, Anne Baxter, Patricia McLaughlin, Carolyn Forster, Anja Townrow, Jane Rollason and Penny Roberts and in 2011 Janet Bolton will be teaching in September. For the full details of this excellent programme and more about Hors des Brumes please visit their website at http://www.horsdesbrumes/ or email dixonwright@horsdesbrumes.com

We suggest you book now to avoid disappointment! Pricing is in pounds so no worries about the Euro to the Pound!

Sewing for Boys:part 4

2009-11-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well I have finished the biggest project so far which was to make a bag. I have to say I am quite pleased with it. The outside fabric was Bright Buds Ivory from the Amy Butler August Fields range, whilst the inner fabric was the same one I used for the doorstop. This was a much more complicated task with two layers of fabric and an inner polyester wadding.

The handle strips were similar to what we had done with the doorstop but I was using a different machine again. A rather old Brother, which didn't have a foot pedal, but a variable slider. This took a bit of getting used to, as well as the auto cutter feature, and I was a bit disappointed with some of my sewing on the handles. Pinning the outer fabric with the wadding I was very concious after my earlier efforts to make sure everything was accurate and that the correct sides were going together. Sewing with wadding in place was a new experience as I tried to make sure it didn't snag on the foot.

We also cut the corners of the base so that the bag had a bit more body to it and stayed up. I think if I was doing it again then I would of used a better interfacing to add some stability to the bag as even with the heavy weight fabric it is a little light. Then pulling back through the hole left in the lining it was turned inside out and pressed on the seam to finish it off. Overall I am very pleased with the bag, a few faults here and there but my stitching was much better.

Lessons Learnt

Advice from the shop was Measure twice and Stitch once.

Make sure you have enough thread on the bobbin!!

Next week we are starting on a project of our own so I am hunting through the books in the shop for patterns!!

Reynolds Freezer Paper to the Rescue

2009-11-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

The saviour. Not just for applique!

Here at The Cotton Patch from time to time we get slightly strange requests for the items that we provide and I thought I would tell you about one that occurred last week.

We had a phone call from English Heritage who were desperate to locate a quantity of Freezer Paper. There had been a leak in a building in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter and a number of books and archives had been damaged and they needed Freezer Paper right away.

We were able to get the order together straight away and they sent a taxi round for it to be collected. Now my wife happens to be an archaeological conservator and explained that the Freezer Paper can be placed in between the leaves of the books or round the books themselves and helps to prevent them sticking together as they dry out. Also books that become sodden can be often quickly grow mould and one of the best ways of treating them is to freeze dry them to kill the mould, with the Freezer Paper again protecting the leaves of the book.

Sewing for Boys: part 3

2009-10-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

For the next three weeks we would be making a doorstop and then, over two weeks, a bag. Because both of these would potentially be subject to heavy usage I chose two fabrics from the August Fields home dec weight fabric range. This should give both projects some stability.

Filled with 2kg rice and beans, this should keep those pesky doors open.

For the doorstop I chose the bright greeny blue of Coreopsis Spruce to contrast with our pale carpet and walls. The doorstop consisted of 6 x 6 inch squares with a strip for the handle. The handle was made by folding each edge into the middle and then pressing together. As Margaret at the shop pointed out to me, always have the iron on when making these sorts of projects or patchworking. I can't say that ironing is my favourite pastime. I am not flat so why should my clothes be but I can see the point here.

Then I sewed a seam up each side of the handle to secure it. It wasn't as close to the edge as I would of liked, but better then last weeks efforts. We then marked each of the squares with a dot inset 1cm from each corner. This would allow us to line up each of the squares. I was ultra cautious this time to make sure I was sewing right sides together.

It was then a case of sewing the squares together and gradually building up the shape of the cube. I need to work on my accuracy, but overall I was pleased with the result. A small hole was left in one side, so that the doorstop could be filled later and then the whole thing was turned inside out. I have now filled it with rice and pulses to weigh it down. I think all of us were surprised that we could construct a three dimensional shape using our basic skills. All in all our confidence is building as we move on the bag making...

Lessons learnt:

Use an iron to press seams, it works, I can see the point of an iron!!

Accuracy, accuracy, must practice.

Marking tools. We used a vanishing marker to make the spots to align our squares, the chalk I had borrowed for last weeks cushion would not have worked as well.

Sewing for Boys: part 2

2009-10-11T02:32:00.000-07:00

This weeks task was to make a cushion cover. First off we had to practice two seams. The first one was a straight forward seam with the rights sides together then sewn with a straight stitch, but using the marking on the sewing machine plate to get a guide width of 5/8 of an inch. Fine and dandy and not too many problems. The French Seam which was to be for more delicate fabrics where the seam is hidden, was more of a problem, but I got there in the end.

Jamie gets to road test Daddies cushion.

Then it was on to the cushion. I had chosen quite a bold fabric as I was going to make a cushion for the sofa in my son's room. He is still in his cot so we have enough room for a sofa in his room. I chose the turtle fabric as it is a nice strong theme and the blue would liven up the sofa.

The cushion was made up of three panels, one 16 inch square and two 16 x 12 inch panels for the backing. I tried marking out the fabric as correctly as I could and then cut it with scissors. Now I had not appreciated how hard this was going to be to follow a straight line with scissors. I can see the advantage of a rotary cutter to get nice straight lines. After putting a tidy seam on each of the back panels, the three pieces were pinned together. I can't say that I found this supposedly simple task too easy either and I think there must be some tips that I can glean from the shop.

Anyway we were away and stitching round all sides of the square to make my cushion. I was pretty pleased as I came to the end and then turned it inside out to reveal... Yep I hadn't put all the front sides together and now the front of my cushion was the wrong side. I wasn't the only one to make this basic but really annoying mistake. We had run out of time at the class so I would have to unpick at home and do it again.

At home I was using an old Bernina sewing machine of my mums. It had lots more buttons to press, an LCD screen but after a bit of work I had the bobbin loaded, straight stitch selected and was ready to go. Things did not go well, I could not follow a straight line and the stitching was going off all the time. I had to unpick three or four times, until I marked the straight lines on the fabric and then I could follow that. I think I might not have been going fast enough and wasn't letting the machine do the work. Eventually though it was done, I turned it inside out, pushed out the corners and loaded a cushion inside. Despite all the errors I am pleased with the result.

The finished cushion in place.

Lessons learnt:

Pinning is harder than it looks to make sure the fabrics don't pucker up.

Sewing in a straight line and following a guide isn't that easy and needs practice.

Double and then triple check that you are sewing your fabric pieces the right way round!!

Cutting a straight line with scissors takes practice and a rotary cutter goes faster.

Next week is a door-stop!!

Sewing for Boys: part 1

2009-10-03T06:08:00.001-07:00

Well I have survived my first lesson. I have done a couple of night school classes before, and I used to run one on web design at the University in Reading so the administration and setup of the course was not a problem. The stepping into the complete unknown of the sewing world was making me a bit nervous though. There weren't a lot of details on what it would entail and my wife had packed me off with a small bag containing some bits of fabric, a couple of reels of cotton and some hand sewing needles!!

There are about eight of us in the class, all with slightly varying expectations but it seemed that I wasn't out of my depth and didn't need the class on sewing for 'real complete absolute novices who haven't a clue'. Our teacher leapt straight in and showed us the sewing machines we would be using, basic but good quality Bernina Bernette machines, showed us how to put thread on the bobbin, how to load the bobbin, how to thread the needle and then said off you go!!

We had a machine each and after a few false starts and conferrings between us after twenty minutes bobbins were loaded and we were ready to sew. Now I am sure this seems very basic stuff for many of you. But I have to admit that a sewing machine is quite a daunting beast and I have never known how they work. Then with a scrap piece of fabric we were off and trying to sew. First off was a straight stitch, then lifting the foot and turning corners, fancy stitches and varying stitch width and length. You can see my first trial piece below. I have to admit it was really good fun.

My first practice piece.

Getting used to the foot control and trying to vary the speed took some getting used to. I hadn't realised how fast you could go. Also a complete surprise to me was that they have in effect a reverse gear. I certainly wasn't in control but I was making progress.

We had a short break and then we were told what we would be making. A tissue holder. Now from the practical side of things this is not something that I will be using everyday, but from the sewing side it looked very daunting. It was lined, there were seams, points to push out, you had to sew it inside out.... You can see my effort below. My first finished piece

It isn't that straight and the stitching doesn't go all the way across at the front but I was really pleased for a first attempt. I think everyone was really surprised that after only two hours we had gone from complete novices to being able to produce a finished piece.

The whole experience was really good fun and enjoyable. Supposedly next week we are going to make a cushion cover. Which seems to be a huge and very rapid leap. We need a half a metre of fabric so I will see what I can find in the shop and I need to dig out my mum's old sewing machine, get some thread...

Dangerous Sewing For Boys

2009-10-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to an occasional series following my exploits as I enter the dangerous and exciting world of Sewing for Boys. First of all introductions. My name is David and I run the web side of things here at The Cotton Patch. That means that all the products and fabrics that are on the web site, and there are many thousands of them, pass over my desk. Now whilst some of them might be self explanatory others are just plain strange. What does one do with a Purple Thang?!!!

That Purple Thang!

Because I also get to see all the patchwork and quilting books that we sell, I can only marvel at the fantastic designs and creations that are on display. I also get an opportunity to see them up close as we attend two quilt shows a year, at Malvern and the Festival of Quilts at the NEC. We set up our stands for these shows the day before they open to the public and whilst unloading the vans of stock, I try and take the opportunity to look at the quilts on display. At the Festival of Quilts this year the detailed quilting work of Sandie Lush and the art quilts of Ferret stood out for me. We are also fortunate that on our stand we had examples of the quilts from Kaffe Fassett's new book Quilt Romance on display. Kaffe's fabrics are always bright and bold and the combination of intricate designs and vivid colouration works really well.

Is that a Bosch or a Black and Decker?

On a personal note one of the main styles of artwork that I like is Japanese. So the intricate work of Kumiko Sudo, Sashiko, the many Japanese bag books and magazines such as Quilts Japan are firm favourites.

Kake-Jiku by Kumiko Sudo

But why am I telling you all this? Well I have decided to take the plunge and enter the dangerous world of sewing!!

Now I am a complete novice, I have tried to sew the odd rip in clothes whilst travelling but that is it. But boys just don't sew do they? I did woodwork at school. A sewing machine is a complete mystery, what types of thread, to use, which hand to use!!

So I have enrolled on a night school class. Sewing Skills for Beginners. Well it sums me up and over the coming weeks I'll post on my progress as hopefully I travel from complete novice to .....

Gum Drop Pillows

2009-09-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

The perfect gift for daughters, grand-daughters, nieces or friends who are going off to University - the Gum Drop Pillow (cushion) by Amy Butler.

Anna is sitting on her new Gum Drop Cushion with Oscar the black lab puppy in the foreground the day before she went off to University. Stuffed with polystyrene balls it makes a great extra seat for a student's room.

Made from Amy Butler's fabrics from the August Fields range the furnishing fabric weight fabric with a sateen finish is perfect for the Cushion where a bit more strength is needed.

And....it only takes a couple of hours to make!

Little Gracie Embroidered House

2009-09-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

This charming embroidered house was done on the Little Gracie II - a lovely example of how you can free motion quilt on the frame using your own sewing machine. We were intrigued to know more about the embroidered design and how our customer was finding using the Little Gracie and we share Maura Bangs's thoughts on the frame. Her inspiration for the embroidery came from the Enid Mason embroidery books.

"The card is a slight enlargement of an embroidery I made when I was just setting out to learn how to control the Little Gracie carriage movement. I was amazed at how sensitive it was - it really is just like drawing. I'm still trying to master quilting larger pieces - I can manage a cot-sized quilt, but the accumulation of fabric on the take-up rail makes larger quilts difficult, as the movement of the sewing machine arm is so reduced (a Bernina Activa 230PE).

I am about to invest in a Pfaff GrandQuilter, and hope that the added reach will be helpful. It will also be great to have a machine loaded up on the Little Gracie all the time - it's not hard to set up, it will just be one stage less in preparing a quilt for the quilting stage. Added features like the needle up/down setting and touch-button thread cutter are a bonus.

I am a teacher, and have just left my full-time job to concentrate more on my textile work, having reached a point where even an 8 to 6 day, plus work at the weekend and in the holidays still weren't enough to keep up with the ever-increasing demands for paperwork - and I was only teaching four and five year-olds! I'll miss the children, having seen whole families through their Reception years in the 12 years I was at the school. However, my own children are grown up and nearly independent (never speak too soon!), and I thought that if I didn't make the jump now I would always regret it. Money is going to be tighter, but the mortgage is paid, and my husband loves his teaching job (PE) and also the increased availability of clean socks and good cooking that comes from having a wife on the premises for a greater proportion of the day. I'm going to look out for a part-time teaching post during the year, but I'm not rushing into anything at the moment.

I used to write for Patchwork & Quilting magazine, quite a few years ago, but had to stop when my late mother became ill, and I had to spend a lot of time looking after her. Writing got put on hold, and I haven't had time to think about it again until now. I'm hoping that articles, or even a book may emerge over time."

So thank you to Maura for letting us post on the blog here and good luck with your future writing.

The Pfaff Grand Quilter will definitely help with doing larger quilts although we do have customers using their own machine such as the Bernina model above who are quite happily doing larger quilts. If you're thinking about buying a frame things you need to consider are planning for a 4" depth of design (this would be at the end of the quilt when there is the most amount of bulk on the rail) and whether you want to have a dedicated machine such as the Pfaff Grand Quilter which is a straight stitch machine and ideal for use on the Grace frames.

One tip from one of our staff - she uses a 1/4" tape across the quilt at the limit of the free arm movement for the section you are working on so that you can see exactly which parts of the quilt you are working on at a glance. This prevents the serious complaint of flat-bottomed circles!!