Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3 i Today's Quilter

As I write, I am 38,000 feet in the air, travelling at 545 miles per hour, a pair of very attractive pressure socks adorning my ankles, en route to International Quilt Market, Houston. At its heart, this is a chance for designers, teachers, editors, shop owners, guild members and thousands of other quilting experts and enthusiasts to get together to make our favourite craft as rewarding as it is. The halls buzz with laughter and hugs; impromptu reunions reverberate through the aisles. Everyone wants to share new creations and enduring classics. The exhibition hall is heavenly; the peaceful atmosphere and sense of history is simply humbling. Today’s Quilter is dedicated to sharing with you the very best of the quilting world; we want you to discover the latest designs, fabrics…

WHEN SUSAN BRISCOE told me about the historical bedcover she was recreating, I knew she had something very special to share with Today’s Quilter. Studying the photograph of the original inspiration, held by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, I found the detail and complexity of the quilt astounding. However, it wasn’t until I’d received Susan’s tribute, Cinnabar & Nutmeg, that I understood the sheer scale and beauty of the original. As my colleague and I unfolded the quilt, we fell into a respectful silence, gently smoothing the fabric and straightening the sides. Knowing Susan’s loyalty to authentic historical methods, there was no doubt that this was as close as we’d ever come to handling the original. It was Susan’s own research and creation that inspired us to further investigate…

QUILTING EXHIBITIONS West Country Quilt & Textile Show 12th to 14th November, Bristol Features a wide selection of workshops, demonstrations and talks for traditional and contemporary quilters, as well as traders and quilts on display. You can download the full programme and the workshop booking form from the website. University of the West of England Exhibition and Conference Centre, North Entrance, Frenchay Campus, Filton Road, Bristol BS34 8QZ 10.00-16.30 Admission £9 0117 907 1000 info@westcountryquiltshow.co.uk www.westcountryquiltshow.co.uk String of Pearls Until 14th November, Bilston, West Midlands Wombourne Quilters has been working on two pearl-related projects to celebrate its 30th anniversary, and this new work is the basis for the exhibition. Bilston Craft Gallery, Mount Pleasant, Bilston, West Midlands, WV14 7LU 10.00-16.00 Admission free Contact Carol Thomas 01902 711663 carolthomas2@gmail.com Beckenham Quilters’ Exhibition…

“We cut pieces of fabric up, because that way we can move the pieces about to make new relationships with other colours and textures.” There is something hugely satisfying in a classic quilt that is just squares. It showcases a collection of fabrics that we love, arranged so that each piece complements its neighbour. However, how often have we long-term quilters heard the comment, “Oh, you do patchwork? So you cut up pieces of material and then sew them together again.” And then they chortle and look triumphant with their apparently original observation that we have heard a million times before. Pay no attention to them, though! Just tell them – we create with fabric, as an artist creates with paint. Now if you are friends with any artists, or…

“Choose a strong colour for the centre square with a contrasting background fabric for the surrounding ones.” This is a great block that starts simple and finishes up looking completely different. Nine squares are stitched together to make the classic Nine-Patch block. This is then cut again into quarters and rearranged to make a completely new design. Varying contrast draws the eye to different features. Using a plain or low-volume neutral background creates negative space which can be quilted to draw attention to the colourful squares, or emphasise the secondary pinwheel pattern. Take care to press and pin correctly for perfect matching corners to really show off your squares. Finished block size 11½in square (12in unfinished) 1 Select four fabrics for this block design. Choose a strong colour for…

You will need • Twenty (20) fat eighths (9in x 21in) in assorted fabrics • Background fabric 1½yds • Backing fabric 2¾yds, if 42in–44in wide • Batting 54in x 66in • Binding fabric ½yd • Creative Grids Multi-Size 45/90 (or other speciality ruler for making half-square triangles from strips) Finished size • 48in x 60in approx. Notes • Seam allowances are a scant ¼in throughout • Press all fabrics before cutting Fabrics used • Color Theory from V & Co. by Moda Cutting out 1 From each fat eighth cut the following (see Fig 1 for cutting plan). • One (1) 8½in square. • Three (3) strips 2½in x 12in. 2 From the background fabric cut twenty (20) 2½in wide strips across the width of the fabric. Sub-cut each strip…

You will need • Two (2) pieces of tea-dyed calico 10in x 6in • Brown felt 3in square • Permanent fabric pens • Toy stuffing • Two (2) skeins of brown Cotton a Broder Finished size • 10 ½ in tall approx. Notes • Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, there are some unusual techniques which make Pearl quick to construct • Pay attention to seam allowances throughout the pattern • Press fabric before cutting Making the body 1 Trace the body, two arms and the head onto paper (see Templates section). Do not cut. 2 Place the pieces of calico together and pin the paper on top (Fig 1). 3 Sew directly on the printed marked line of the paper body pieces, using a small stitch. Leave openings…

There's never been a more exciting time for modern quilters, and by modern quilter, I mean you! Love fresh fabric design in exciting colours? Smitten with graphic shapes and bold piecing? Yep, you're a modern quilter, and at Love Patchwork & Quilting we're so excited to be a part of your passion. Presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon is a must-visit show for anyone that loves the world of quilting. Featuring the leading names in the industry, your favourite authors and bloggers, top instructors and (of course) tons of shopping – it really is the event in the quilting community's calendar. We're delighted to bring you this opportunity to join us in Pasadena, California for QuiltCon West 2016 – we've put together a fantastic package with Arena Travel that…

“Jen is an expert with directional prints. Note how the fabric in each unit is fussy cut and carefully positioned to bring subtle order to the scrappiness. Simply genius! ”JENNY FOX-PROVERBS, SENIOR EDITOR Ingredients • Assortment of four different print fabrics for the block units, maximum size needed 3¼in square • Machine sewing thread to tone with fabrics Finished size & quantity • 6½in square (6in once pieced into project) • Make four (4) blocks Notes • The star is rotary cut and machine pieced • Instructions include a ›in seam allowance • Press seam allowances toward the darker fabric unless otherwise instructed Fabrics used • A mix of small and mid-scale prints in greens and blues, with a contrasting orange. The alternate block is in multiple prints in…

Become an HST expert with Linda Clements • Meet Kay Bell, long arm quilter and Visitors’ Choice at Festival of Quilts! • Try improv piecing with Susan Briscoe • Make Nel Whatmore’s jewel toned oriental cushion Plus! FREE gift: Meet Amy Butler in our inspirational supplement On Sale 10th December FREE Supplement! Amy Butler shares her creative journey and processes with us…

“Frame patchwork quilts were brought to documentation days in almost every part of the country.”Janet Rae, Quilt Treasures The sisters were obviously fond of patchwork, yet why did they decide to use the same layout for all of their quilts – frames or borders around a central square? Each of the four quilts attributed to this family (and fortunately all have survived in pristine condition) was painstakingly created: three of the quilts have printed oval panels as centres, with up to ten pieced frames, while the fourth has a dahlia-style centre with leaves (see photograph). Two of the Thornton quilts are almost identical in their use of framed piecing patterns, the chief difference being the printed panel centres: one panel was manufactured in 1805 and the other in 1810. That…

In the 1990s, as part of the Documentation Project led by The Quilters’ Guild in the UK, a remarkable quilt was discovered, sending ripples of excitement and anticipation through the organising committee. Over 200 years later, the Billings Coverlet, as it has come to be known, is still captivating quilt enthusiasts and the legacy of its unknown maker and its guardian, Mrs Billings, lives on. The Billings Coverlet is a frame design, dating as far back as 1805-1810. At the time of the Documentation Project, when the quilt was first presented, there was nothing as early as this in The Quilters’ Guild collection and the number of frames (15 in total) was the most recorded during the Project. The coverlet had been passed down through Mrs Billings’ family from her…

The last time I visited Susan at her home in rural Perthshire was two years ago. Since then she’s deconstructed, theoretically that is, and redrafted patterns for all 69 blocks in the 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet and written an entire book about this; she’s started a replica of the Sidmouth Quilt (featured on page 18) and has added the finishing touches to her stunning frame quilt, Cinnabar & Nutmeg. In and amongst her busy schedule teaching her Yuza and Shona Sashiko courses, creating new patterns and travelling to China to teach beginner’s machine patchwork and quilting as part of the Earth Diary Project, she has somehow found time to do all of this, which merely reaffirms my theory that some quilters have stumbled upon a new branch of physics that…

“Exquisitely designed and sewn, this complex and interesting Coverlet reveals clues to its maker.” This Coverlet is the oldest dated patchwork in Britain and is part of The Quilters’ Guild Collection. It has survived almost 300 years and is an exceptional record of patchwork from the early 18th century, consisting of 69 individual blocks constructed using mosaic patchwork. Exquisitely designed and sewn, this complex and interesting Coverlet reveals clues to its maker. Silk would not have been readily available to all levels of society and the design motifs chosen would certainly have been influenced by the maker’s surroundings and the social and historical context in which they lived. Susan’s book, The 1718 Coverlet , published by David & Charles in 2014, deconstructs each of the 69 blocks used in the…

Susan Briscoe’s quilt is inspired by a stunning frame (medallion) quilt in the V & A Museum’s collection, which was shown as part of the ‘Quilts 1700–2010’ exhibition several years ago. Reproduction fabrics by French General and Howard Marcus for Moda provided the main materials in just the right colours. The patchwork pieces have been resized to make the best use of modern pre-cuts, so you can use jelly roll strips and charm squares to cut many of the pieces with very little waste. Susan’s version is machine pieced and simply hand quilted in the ditch. This quilt design would be ideal for additional, more elaborate hand quilting, inspired by the origins of the antique quilt, which is thought to be Welsh. You could, of course, decide to make a…

Carolyn Forster DESIGN CLASSICS The patchwork pooch project (page 78) includes a fun version for children and an equally charming quilt for adults. Waggy tails all round! Lynne Edwards MBE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP Think you know squares? Think again! On page 31 Lynne demonstrates their versatility and gets us thinking outside the box. Jen Kingwell BLOCK OF THE MONTH We hope you’re enjoying this unique take on BOM (page 87). Jen’s distinctive fabric choices are just as fascinating as the block designs!…

BOOK Sublime Samplers Pre-order your copy and get ready to start your 2016 sampler quilt! Sister Sampler Quilts hits the bookshops in December and features three sampler designs using traditional piecing methods with a modern twist. All 25 blocks are made as ‘sister’ pairs, so you can mix and match to create a unique quilt. www.sistersamplerquilts.com FABRIC PICKS MAGICAL MELODIES Print and pattern designer Sarah Campbell has teamed up with international fabric house Michael Miller Fabrics to launch a collaborative quilting and home-sewing range – ‘Melodies’. Ten new designs feature Sarah’s very personal and painterly style, and come in two distinct colour groups; ‘Tropics’ and ‘Jewel’. Sarah’s inspiration came from her love of folk art – “birds in the trees are a long-standing favourite of mine, and the colours are…

You will need • Selection of different coloured fabrics for dishes, 2¼yds in total • Background fabric 3½yds • Fabric for shelves 1yd • Backing fabric 69in x 79in (about 3¾yds total) • Batting 69in x 79in • Binding fabric ½yd • Templates A and B or use a die for a 4in (finished size) block Finished size • 65in x 75in approx. Notes • Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise stated • WOF = width of fabric • Press all fabrics before cutting Fabrics used • We used fabrics from the Nostalgia line by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit fabrics for the dishes and binding, Manchester yarn-dyed linen in Stone by Robert Kaufman for the background and Kona Snow for the shelves. Cutting out 1 From the dishes fabric…

You have a pile of fabric that you have decided to use, but where to start? First you need to decide the size of the squares. If you are following a pattern, the size will have been given, but if you are free-wheeling with your own ideas, you need to sort this first. Start with choosing the size of the finished square. In quilt-making the seams are usually ¼in, so now you need to add ½in to allow for the seams on each side of the square. 1 Unless a single square is needed, the simplest way to start is by cutting a strip in the required width, including the seam allowances. Trim the edge of the fabric to straighten it, then, working from the left-hand side, use the long…

The sawtooth design is a hugely popular one in patchwork and dates back to the early nineteenth century, where it was used as a border pattern for rounds in medallion quilts and also to create different blocks. The name, like many in patchwork, probably evolved from the hand saw, a crucial building tool used during Colonial American times. There are many other blocks with tool-inspired names, including Carpenter’s Wheel, The Anvil and Monkey Wrench. Over the decades there have been many blocks designed with similar half-square triangle elements, such as Zigzag, Lady of the Lake and Bear’s Paw. There are also a wide variety of basket blocks that use similar arrangements of half-square triangle units.…

DAY 1 This morning you will board your London Heathrow flight to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, you will transfer to nearby Pasadena and check-in to the 4* Westin Hotel. Please join Anna Davenport this evening for a welcome drink in the hotel, a chance to get to know your fellow quilters and chat about days to come! Anna is Head of Partnerships at Immediate Media and an expert crafter. DAY 2 This morning we have arranged for a local guide for a walking tour of Pasadena’s Old Town. This afternoon is free to relax, explore and shop at your leisure. DAY 3 Spend the day enjoying the QuiltCon West Quilt Show at the Pasadena Convention Center (4 day entrance ticket to the show included). DAY 4 You may want to…

ONE’S FINEST CROCKERY QUILT AND WALL HANGING ACTUAL SIZE Seam allowances included Thank you for making this project from Today’s Quilter. The copyright for these templates belongs to the designer of the project. They work hard to create projects for you to enjoy, so please don’t re-sell or distribute without permission. Please do not make any part of the templates or instructions available to others through your website or a third party website, or copy it multiple times without permission. Copyright law protects creative work and unauthorised copying is illegal. We appreciate your help. LITTLE DOGS & SET-IN SEAMS LITTLE DOGS QUILTING TEMPLATE Enlarge by 200% SET-IN SEAMS To create your own blocks with set-in seams, these templates can be enlarged as you wish and seam allowances added Thank you…

The story of this quilt has only just begun. Shortly it will be given to a child who is ill in hospital, hiding as a refugee from domestic violence or nearing the end of their life in a hospice. It started its journey as a donation to Project Linus UK, a charity that aims to give each child in need a security blanket to hold onto during stressful times. Project Linus distributes hand-made quilts and blankets to needy youngsters all over the UK; last year it handed out a staggering 27,000 quilts to children of all ages, from tiny babies to six-foot tall teenagers. Children and even adults find soft fabrics very comforting, which is why the quilts are also donated to ambulances and police cars, to comfort victims of…

Janet Rae’s long interest in art and craft has included membership of the Scottish Development Agency’s Craftwork editorial board; freelance contributions about craft and design for The Scotsman; a term as Scottish editor for Crafts magazine in London; and the operation of a small arts and crafts gallery in the Borders. She is a recognised authority on British quilts and was heavily involved in the successful ‘Patchwork and Quilting in Scotland 1760–1984’ exhibition at the City Art Centre, for which she sourced the 41 antique quilts and wrote the catalogue. That exhibition attracted 10,000 visitors and the catalogue sold out before the exhibition ended. As Heritage Officer for The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles, Janet had responsibility for its quilt documentation project, which recorded over 4,000 quilts in private…

Featured on page 18, the Sidmouth Quilt was made between 1820-1840 and is part of The Quilters’ Guild Collection. The central 13in chintz panel has been reproduced and printed onto fine cotton poplin by The Guild and is available to purchase for £12 from The Quilters’ Guild - www.quiltmuseumshop.org.uk. This panel is the centre of the tribute quilt that Susan is currently working on.…

 For many of us, it’s a love of Japanese textiles and needlework that we associate first and foremost with Susan. The origins of this passion can be traced back to her time studying Visual Arts & Drama at Aberystwyth University in Wales, when she became interested in Japanese woodblock prints. In 1991 she joined the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) and spent a year in Yamagata Prefecture in North Japan. This ignited a passion for Japanese kimono and Sashiko. In 2001, after a decade of working in Wales in local government, she came to a career crossroads. With experience in teaching and having given extensive talks in Wales about her kimono collection, Susan turned her hobby into a business. Underpinning this was her background in costume design at university,…

The 1718 Coverlet The book features a block directory and quilt patterns and instructions for how to piece each of the 69 blocks of the oldest dated British patchwork coverlet, using the original mosaic piecing technique, as well as more accessible modern techniques. Aimed at the more experienced quilter. Published by David & Charles, £19.99. www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk Japanese Quilt Inspirations A practical guide to combining Japanese fabrics and traditional Oriental style with fast, super-easy techniques. Each of the ten quilts is made up in two different colourways for maximum inspiration, and shown both as hand and machine quilted designs. Published by David & Charles, £15.99. www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk Japanese Sashiko Inspirations Capture the essence of Japanese design with Sashiko, the traditional technique of using decorative stitching to create striking patterns on fabric with…

THE QUILT A DIFFERENT STRIPE Quilt designer Denyse Schmidt is well known for her beautiful heritage-inspired fabric collections, her latest being the 19th century sea-faring inspired New Bedford! However, it was this quilt pattern, made with Denyse’s Modern Solids from FreeSpirit, that caught our eye this month. The rich colours of the improv stripes are instant winter warmers. www.dsquilts.com THE BOOK COUNTRY STYLE QUILTING When we think of winter living, we imagine ourselves sitting by the fire, a cup of tea by our side and some sewing on our lap. Lynette Anderson’s latest book features quilts aplenty, but it is the smaller projects such as this sweet sewing set that really caught our eye. Lynette’s folksy style translates perfectly into miniature, which also makes this a great resource for those…

When I saw Jennifer Paganelli’s beautiful fabric from her Nostalgia range I knew I had to design a special pattern to show it off. I love playing around with Drunkard’s Path blocks and lots of my quilt ideas come from doodling with curves. This is how I designed the Dishes block. I love placing things in rows and knew the dishes should be on ‘shelves’. As I started to make the blocks and line them up the quilt became more and more like a big dresser full of pretty crockery. The blue and white patterns and big blousy florals remind me of the eclectic displays of crockery in shops like Anthropologie, where nothing is suposed to match.…

“If the fabric is not flattened by the iron you can feel the layers lock together more snugly.” Joining a row of squares is straightforward – just make sure the ›in seam is slightly scant to accommodate the fact that in quiltmaking the seams are usually pushed to one side rather than opened out flat (Fig 9). When two rows of squares need to be joined together, what matters is getting that junction of seams matching perfectly. The seam allowances of the first row get pressed to one side – I always press from the front of the work, positioning the seam in the right direction with my hand as I press. The seams of the second row get pressed in the opposite direction, which helps the seams ‘lock’ in…

HELP!   I’m sewing a Six-Sided Star block using a diamond template, but I can’t match up the dots – the first dot is OK but the one on the other end won’t match up with the diamond underneath. Try this… It sounds like the template you are using isn’t symmetrical and that one long side is a little longer (or shorter) than the other. Check that the template you are using is the right size and is symmetrical, re-drawing it if necessary. (Fig 5 shows how to check if a template is symmetrical.) Use the new template to cut diamonds from paper first, mark the ›in dots and then put pins through the dots to check that they match up. This trial check with paper will save wasting time…

Making this supplement has been a journey of discovery for me, and I hope it will be for you also. We start with the origins of the frame quilt, as Janet Rae reveals where and when the frame quilt was born. From there, the story unfolds and we find ourselves indebted to the vital work carried out on documentation days, where this very British style of patchwork was recognised and recorded. The premise of the frame quilt sounds straightforward, yet studying The Quilters’ Guild collection proves that this simplicity of concept allows for the most diverse and stunning interpretations. Today, Susan Briscoe not only shares with us her own tribute to an iconic 19th century bedcover held by the Victoria & Albert Museum, but shows us how to recreate it…

In 1990, the British Quilt Heritage Project was launched by The Quilters’ Guild. Its aim was to create a national archive of quilts in the country made before 1960. The project yielded over 4,000 quilt enquiries from throughout the UK. The findings from this project were published in 1995 in Quilt Treasures and now, 20 years later, this remains one of the key “goto” references for researchers and textile enthusiasts. In the chapter printed here, Janet Rae gives an account of the frame quilts and makes some important distinctions between frame quilts from the UK and medallion quilts from the US. Quilt Treasures highlights chapter by chapter the unique character of British quiltmaking over a period of 300 years. It also records some categories of quilts with special associations, such…

“We are so very fortunate to have such rich resources available, so we must always respect their cpyright!” If you have been inspired by a quilt design that you have seen at a museum and want to find out more about reproducing this for commercial use, it is always best to check with the museum as your first port of call. The world of copyright and licensing is complex and you must obtain permission from the copyright owner and licensing body. In most cases, they will be more than happy to collaborate, as this will ensure that these wonderful heritage quilt designs are enjoyed by quilters far and wide, for many more years to come.…