Innholdsfortegnelse for 70 i Today's Quilter

Another year has flown past, though I think many people will be glad to see the end of this year and, hopefully, move on to brighter and better times! But no matter what is going on around us, the one place you can depend on for getting away from it all and taking your mind off life is your sewing space – for here is where you can dive into piles of gorgeous fabrics, filled with patterns and colours that delight. After choosing and then re-choosing your selection, you get to start creating something wondrous, cutting up and sewing pieces of fabric together until you have a quilt top. We hope that this issue’s projects help take your mind off life, even if only for a few hours, and lets…

BLOCK-INSPIRED Mind those needles! An essential item for quilters, textile artist, seamstresses and embroiderers alike – make sure your needle stays exactly where you need it when you’re hand-quilting! Quilters will love these patchwork-themed magnetic needle minders from Etsy shop, Crafty Snail. With a variety of blocks, from the Pinwheel Star and Jacob’s Ladder to Hexagon Windmill, these colourful pins make the perfect gift for your quilting friends or for yourself to build a collection! From £6.32 www.etsy.com/shop/ craftysnailshop FOR YOUR STASH TILDA WOODLAND Featuring hand-drawn flora and fauna as well as woodland creature designs, the latest Tilda Collection encapsulates a sense of fairy-tale magic that transcends storybooks. Inspired by the forest, Tilda’s Woodland collection proves to be the perfect fabric for your winter wonderland themed quilting. The collection comes…

“Architecture has long been a source of inspiration for me when I am designing quilts. This quilt’s design is loosely based on ceramic floor tiles that are often found in the front entrance ways to Federation-style homes in Australia. Launceston, in my state of Tasmania, has many of these gorgeous old homes, so I thought it was an appropriate name for the quilt. “The quilt is made up of thirteen blocks that are pieced, appliquéd and then arranged into a diagonal setting. I have used two different colourways for the blocks, and have alternated them to provide a secondary pattern in the quilt with the corner squares forming four-patch blocks when they come together.”…

Strip panel 1 Cut an 8in x 4in piece of background fabric. 2 Choose three (3) or four (4) scraps from the bag and cut a 1in wide strip from each. 3 Place a ruler across your background fabric and slice through it at an angle. Pin and sew one of your strips in the gap. Press seams to inside (Fig 1). 4 Make another cut and add another strip in the same way as the first. You can slice through this at any angle and as many times as you wish (Figs 2 & 3). 5 When all the strip pieces are in, re-trim the panel to 3½in x 7½in (Fig 3). Flying Geese panel 6 For each of your Flying Geese sections, cut: ■ One (1) 2½in x…

“Every new year, I set out with great intentions to be much more diligent about remembering to post birthday cards on time. I have hankered after a beautiful birthday book to store birthday dates, cards, stamps and mementos. I have never found anything that truly hits the mark, so have designed this little fabric folder to bring a bit of joy to remembering family and friends, especially at the moment, when many of us are unable to meet in person. I am not sure which brings me more comfort, stitching, sketching or writing letters and cards... to me each is equally and completely absorbing. “This is a fabulous, bright and cheery hand sewing project, ideal for short winter days and cosy winter nights that are perfectly suited to some slow…

Help! On a clamshell shape, how do you decide where the seam should be turned under? Try this… The way the clamshells are arranged affects where a seam allowance is turned, so how much of the seam is prepared depends on the layout you plan to use. For example, with the common layout of overlapping clamshells, a seam allowance is only needed around the top convex curve (Fig 15A), because the lower concave curves will be covered by other clamshells. This means these lower curves don’t need a seam to be turned under (Fig 15B). For a clamshell design where the shells stand alone, a seam allowance will need to be turned under all around. Fig 16A shows what the shell will look like from the back. Fig 16B shows…

Karen Styles has been quilting for more than 20 years and is the owner of Somerset Patchwork in Melbourne, Australia. Her online store specialises in antique reproduction fabrics from the 19th century and features quilt designs also inspired by that era. Karen has taught throughout Europe, the USA and Australia for several years and can be found at many international show events too. If you would like to follow Karen’s adventures visit her website, www.somersetpatchwork.com.au karen@somersetpatchwork.com.au karenatsomerset karenatsomerset…

Deirdre Bond-Abel LAUNCESTON TILES The lovely Deirdre has come up with another gorgeous design for you to make. Head to page 22 to check it out, then start choosing fabrics! Judy Newman ANGEL COTTAGE Turn to page 36 to find Judy’s charming design inspired by a real life cottage. It’s sure to put a smile on your face while sewing it up. Anne Varley BIRTHDAY BOOK Anne has created a whimsical birthday book (page 58) for storing cards, envelopes and, importantly, remembering special people’s birthdays!…

Deirdre’s favourite appliqué method is to use appliqué paper – this provides a light foundation to shape your fabric around. The paper stays in place while you quilt, then, when the item is finished, it can be washed. This will dissolve the bonding agent on the paper, but leaves a very light tissue thickness under the fabric, while the quilt is lovely and soft. It is a very similar process to EPP as the paper provides a foundation, but you have the benefit of not having to remove the paper at the end. 1 Trace the outline of each shape onto the dull side of the appliqué paper. Cut the shapes out on the drawn line. Press the shapes shiny side down onto the WS of the fabrics leaving about…

Magenta Kang is a textile, tapestry and installation artist. Born in Korea, she now lives and works in Cambridgeshire. She specialises in traditional Korean hand-stitched techniques of bojagi and jogakbo, with many of her designs inspired by the natural world. She also makes pieces to commission. You can see more of Magenta’s work on her website and online store. Next year, from 21 to 24 April, Magenta will be exhibiting her work at Pour l’Amour du Fil 2021, Nantes, France. (In these uncertain times, please check the organiser’s website for the most up-to-date details: www.pourlamourdufil.com) www.magentakang.com www.bojagi.shop…

“Believe it or not, there is only one 6in x 6in block used in this quilt... repeated and rotated to create a myriad of secondary blocks, stars, triangles, arrows and curves. I began with a sketch for a small asymmetrical block, with a 2in square in one corner. When I joined four blocks with the 2in squares placed in the centre, a brand new block emerged! And when I joined four more blocks with the 2in squares placed in the outer corners, yet another new block appeared! Alternating and rotating those two ‘new’ blocks across the quilt created yet another array of patterns, which I found mesmerising. And I hope you do too!”…

Anne Varley’s background is in design, but she has always been a home sewer. Her first hexagon piece was made when she was about nine years old at school and then she started creating through patchwork and appliqué and quilting in much more earnest ten years ago. She draw inspiration from books, the landscape, her garden, science, museum collections, family and friends. Anne’s quilts and cushions have been published in numerous magazines and she won the prestigious Pour l’Amour Du Fil competition in 2018 for one of her quilts. www.annevarley.co.uk @annevarley…

Making patchwork and quilts during the wartime was difficult, as fabric was one of the many things in short supply. Surviving examples of patchwork and quilting from the 1940s in The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection include a good number of quilts sent to us in our hour of need from charitable organisations overseas, including the Canadian Red Cross Society. Thousands of quilts were sent to help those whose possessions had been lost in the bombing raids across Britain and were also used in armed forces accommodation and hospitals. Made hastily from whatever was to hand, these quilts were often group projects, with each person making a block which could then be joined, backed, quilted and bound around the edge. Crazy patchwork was a popular design, as it could be made…

THE BOOK LOG CABIN: THE 100,000 PIECES PROJECT Amy Pabst launches her first book with 19 visually stunning quilts selected from her audacious project of 100,000 fabric pieces! Amy walks you through her techniques, shares her favourite materials and explains her creative process. Each quilt is carefully explained and illustrated, leaving no stone unturned. THE FABRIC SANCTUARY A sanctuary is a place of refuge, and in this new collection by 3 Sisters it’s filled with a mix of bold and dainty flowers, which create a feeling of harmony with shades of blush and rose, crystal and tranquil blue. Vintage chic, country sophistication and an appreciation for the simple elegance of life are just a few of the stylistic threads that are woven into the 3 Sisters designs, and this is…

Deirdre Bond-Abel, who lives in Tasmania, began her quilting journey in Queensland, Australia in 1982. After picking up a copy of the American Country Living magazine featuring quilts upon more quilts, she fell in love, and the rest was history. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Deirdre spent a decade owning her own quilt shop in Tasmania, designing quilts, teaching classes and inspiring others to take up the craft. She is the owner of Hat Creek Quilts and her book, Hat Creek Quilts – A Perfect Ending to a New Beginning, was published by Quiltmania in 2017. www.hatcreekquilts.com.au @hatcreekquilts…

As far back as Judy Newman can remember, fabric and pattern have always been her main passion. As a child, she progressed from clumsily stitching clothes for her cat and dolls, before attempting dressmaking as a teenager. Judy started working in a patchwork shop after her children were born, which further cemented her love of patchwork and quilting to the exclusion of all other crafts. She published her first book, Quilts for Life, Made with Love, in 2017 with Quiltmania Editions and now teaches all around Australia and overseas. www.averyfinehouse.com.au @judynewman…

Bojagi is associated with wrapping or covering, with ‘bo’ translating as ‘covering’ or ‘protection’. The name implies a function, meaning a cloth is always made for a specific purpose, such as to wrap or cover a particular item. Making bojagi started as an upper- and middle-class pastime, as lower-class people would not have had access to the fabric or the time required to make the cloths. Jogakbo is a term sometimes used interchangeably with bojagi, but although the two are related they are distinct from each other. Jogakbo means ‘patchwork’. Scraps are sewn together in abstract patterns, often to make bojagi, but other patchwork items might be created too. Hanbok is traditional formal Korean clothing, usually made from silk. The upper classes would display their status through bright colours,…

“Clamshell patchwork is a distinctive technique that lends itself to both traditional and modern work. This month we look at achieving the look with appliqué.”– Lin Clements Sewing curves might seem daunting but clamshell patchwork is an easy and rewarding way to introduce curves into your work WHAT IS CLAMSHELL PATCHWORK? Clamshell patchwork features a clamshell shape (see Fig 1), which is usually sewn together with other clamshells into a tessellating pattern. A tessellating pattern is one created with identical shapes that fit together with no gaps. Clamshell patchwork can use the shapes in many different layouts and two examples are shown in Fig 2. The shapes are usually sewn as appliqué shapes, particularly the pattern shown in Fig 2A. Some patterns can also be machine pieced, such as the…

mansy mots block You will need Fabric A (background fabric 1) – 8in x WOF Fabric B (Pink) – 6in square Fabric C (Blue) – 6in square Fabric D (Dark Pink) – 3in x 6in Fabric E (Brown) – 7in x 13in Finished size 12in square Notes ‘You will need’ is for one block, make two (2) for the quilt using the main block, variation block, or one of each. There are so many different ways to piece a traditional basket block. By simply changing the placement of the half-square triangle colour units, you can create a pot full of blooms, as in the main block, or a basket with a handle, as in the variation block (page 78). Karen has ‘decorated’ her pot and basket with blue half-square triangles…