Christmas is coming!

Despite the weather being exceptionally hot, I've made a start ready for Christmas.  I picked up this panel from the Bramble Patch last February. It was reduced in a sale so I couldn't resist. I pieced a red band around the central panel then added the 'Happy Holidays' border. not very creative but a means to an end.  Although it doesn't show up in the photo, I machined embroidered the baubles on the Christmas tree before quilting the large star. I did some simple quilting 'in the ditch' to complete the design and added a plain red binding. 

I was asked some time ago if I would give a talk and run a workshop for Priory Quilters in Royston. Of course I would!  The title of my talk is 'Passionate About Textiles' and will take place on Tuesday 4th October in Royston Town Hall.  I am the running a workshop for the group called 'Festive Table Runner'. This will be on Saturday 8th October at  Vicarage Close Melbourn SG8 6DY. 

The plan is to teach how to sew this Christmas table runner. Made of a series of triangles, what makes this special is the use of some rather unique fabric. 

This series of festive prints was designed by a friend called Jo Clark. Jo posted her designs onto Spoonflower, discovered by Cloud9 and put into production.  

This refreshingly simple festive fabric was an inspiration to me so I designed this table runner that will form the basis of my workshop.  I used straight line quilting to add interest. 

Close up of the runner

 I made all the samples last spring but got to work this week making a sample in more 'traditional' Christmas fabric.  I added a simple vermicelli quilting to the trees and a smaller scale version to the white background between the tree trunks. 

Runner with traditional Christmas fabric

Here's an earlier version with straight line quilting. 

Last, but not least, I have several packs of bunting kits prepared for sale. The kits comes with a selection of Jo's prints ready cut out to stitch together, some red bias binding and a set of comprehensive instructions. The kit makes a string of eleven large flags, 2.5m long using eight different fabric prints. 

Each kit is ten pounds. Email me marion.curtis@ntlworld.com if interested and I'll work out the postage or delivery arrangements. 

Festival of Quilts 2016

To kick off this blog posting I must show you the prize wining quilt by Moira Neal from Cambridge Quilters. Moira entered the Quilt Guild's competition on the theme of 'On the Beach'.  Moira was awarded the third prize and everyone in Cambridge Quilters is pleased for her. Moira has a very distinctive style. There is much humour in her designs and have a lot of detail in them.  Boris Johnson is leaping out of the Brexit balloon in the sky line! 

The actual quilt is much larger than it looks in this photograph - about 2 square metres. Cards are being produced and will be available from Moira's website shortly

Here is a close up of a rather charming scene...

A close up of the free motion quilting-Moira only stitches in black thread. I am reliably  informed that the majority of the quilting was done on a very hot day and Moira only wore her crystal necklace at her sewing machine.  

The artist herself....do visit http://www.thefallenangelco.com/

The Festival of Quilts was excellent as always. This was the forth year in a row that I have attended. Each year I think I will give it a break but don't!  For anyone who hasn't been, the FoQs fills up three of the big halls at NEC. It is a huge exhibition and includes trade stands from every sewing machine company you can think of, hands on workshops you can book and smaller stands with individual artist/designers exhibiting their wares. 

I made a big mistake of going around the traders before visiting the exhibitions. Why? Well the traders sections were very busy and I must of got in some people's way with my little shopping trolley.  By the afternoon, this section is much quieter.  There are many, many exhibitions. Some from UK groups and some that are International. Too many to describe here in detail but a few quilts caught my eye. 

I liked this piece by Jenny Rolfe-she printed the fabric, pieced it and quilted it. Simple but effective. 

I'm always drawn towards vibrant colours and I liked this piece. It's beautifully executed with appliquéd circles and fine machine quilting.  

Helen Howes had a lovely quilt with her trademark trees. The negative space is full of free machined leaves. 

I really liked this landscape

I've always loved African printed fabric and this one caught my eye with it's flying geese blocks and the appliqué geese on the border. 

The next few close ups were from a quilt by a lady who came to speak at Cambridge Quilters called Gilli Theokritoff. She made a 'background' of tiny pieces of fabric to make a mosaic then applied flowers and leaves. 

I photographed these details simply because I loved the variety of floral forms. 

Finally, a small piece designed and made by Gillian Travis who often teaches at one of my favourite places - The Bramble Patch    Gillian is often influenced by ethnic designs, in this case Indian motifs. I liked this pieces because it is simple but very effective. The colours really 'sing'. 

As always there was so much to see and do at the Festival but I need to use some of my special purchases in the next few weeks. 

Cambridge Quilters Chairman's 2016 Members Challenge

 I've been a member of Cambridge Quilters for two and a half years and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  The talks, the workshops and meeting new, like minded people.  Every January when we regroup after Christmas our current Chair sets a challenge for the coming year. This isn't compulsory but quite a few join in with the plan.  

Last January Susan Ross put forward the idea of working in groups. We each had to make a 'block' then place it in a bag, with a few notes and possibly some fabrics, then pass it onto the next person in the group. We could set some 'rules' and eventually the bag with it's contents would come back to the first person with a number of finished blocks. 

With the big Egypt exhibition on at the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge I decided I would like some new place mats for my dining room. This room has a bit of an Egyptian theme already, between the curtains and the framed papyrus paintings on the walls.  I found some suitable fabric in my collection and set about making a 'block'. I stipulated the finished size I was looking for and said 'no appliqué' please as I thought the mats would get washed a fair bit. 

So here is the piece I made. It took me about an hour. I kept it simple and based some strips around the motifs based on tomb paintings. I think I bought the fabric almost ten years ago. 

This next piece has delightful 'flying geese' blocks which look like pyramids. Whoever made it added some turquoise fabric from their collection.  I concentrated on free motion quilting the turquoise panels. There were six placemats made in total but only a selection shown here. 

This one below is my favourite. Paper pieced by Elaine in the group. She must have spent quite a bit of time on this one!

 I decided to stipple quilt in the black background as I felt I didn't want to detract from the motifs. So with a bit more quilting, making and applying the binding, not to mention hand stitching it all in position, my six placemats were complete. 

Still recovering from my trip to the Festival of Quilts....more next week

Looking back and looking forward...

Looking back.......have you noticed that Face Book will from time to time, unearth photos that you posted ages ago? Well this one below popped up this week. I posted this series of pictures because my niece, Gemma was getting married.  

I love making bobbin lace but it is a very slow craft indeed. The picture above shows my lace pillow with the lace edging three quarters finished.  Some of my favourite bone bobbins feature at the bottom.  

There are many different types or variations of bobbin lace. I began, many years ago, with the basic torchon lace. This lace is made at an angle of 45 degrees and is relatively easy. 

I tried many different laces over the years; Bedfordfordshire, Binche, Russian lace, Honiton, Bruges, Schneeburg to name but a few. Nothing captivated me more than Buckingham Point lace or more commonly called 'Bucks Point'. 

This lace is made at an angle of 60 degrees and has a floral character to it. A design feature will be surrounded by a thicker thread or gimp and the edge will usually have tiny picots or loops.  It has a 'ground' stitch called 'point ground' and a 'honeycomb ground'  which makes the more open areas. 

Bucks Point lace is really slow. This whole piece took me about 100 hours including the setting up and stitching it onto some silk.  I added The word 'Gemma' in the centre using a computerized sewing machine. 

Bucks point is a type of bobbin lace from the East Midlands in England. it was also made in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Apparently it is similar to the French Lille lace.  At one time Buckinghamshire was the centre of English lacemaking from as early as the 16th century, its style changed and evolved depending on the fashion of the time. What we know as Bucks Point only appeared at the end of the 18th century and was possibly inspired by Mechlin lace. 

So, you might ask, what am I looking forward to? The Festival of Quilts starts next Thursday and I am going on Friday with my friends from  Cambridge Quilters.  We will set off early in the morning to see this wonderful exhibition and huge selection of traders. I don't need anything of course but I expect I will find some things I want. I expect we will stagger back on the coach loaded up with goodies.  Will report back next weekend. 

  Visit the website  Festival of Quilts NEC

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