You know you have too many quilts when….

You come down to find you have post. You correctly identify that the long package is a rolled quilt and that as it is from an exhibition it is probably yours, but you have no idea which one. ‘Tropical punch has just returned home after a trip to many shows. On it’s own I think it is a great quilt, unfortunately for me it was in competition with a lot of absolutely amazing work and looked rather plan and boring with them. I guess you live and learn. Rather annoyingly the silver quilting on it is perfect tension. Now how the heck did I manage that when I can’t seem to do it anymore.

Thanks to everyone who has sent in congratulations for me getting into Road 2 California. Has anyone else had their envelopes? Who’s work will be playing with mine this time?

So far so good

Well so far no more skinny envelopes. It’s getting scary every time I hear the post. On the other hand I did get a copy of Quilting Arts today. December/January, so I guess I need to chase up my October November one.

Deloa Jones

So where to start, lets break with tradition and start at the end. Tomorrow I will finish my longarm training for now and say bye for now to two ladies who have inspired me and encouraged me massively over the last few days. I can’t believe how much I have got out of these lessons and I am so grateful to Jax for arranging it. I am really going to miss being around other longarmers and drawing up new (to me at least) designs. I will be looking forward to the next time we can do it.

OK so some background perhaps. Some time ago (really quite a long time) some woman sent out an email about getting some teacher over from America. I knew there was a lot I had to learn about longarming so I signed up for a couple of classes, it was pricey enough that I wasn’t going to do them all but cheap enough to take a gamble. At that point I had no idea who either of them was (I really am terrible at names) but it sounded interesting enough to take a chance on. I choose two classes on borders and sashing as I find those especially uninspiring, and thought I might add the feathers class if it had spaces nearer the time.

Over the intervening months I got to talk to Jax a few times and started to put some details on what was happening. As I have one of the smaller frames I arranged to lend my machine for the classes to use. I got some idea of all the juggling required to pull off an event like this and I came to appreciate that Jax is a very organized and reliable kind of person, just as well given I had said I would lend my machine. I still had no real idea where it was happening or who this teacher was. I should add this is entirely down to me failing to take in the information, I know it was a t a longarmers studio, what more did I need to know, and if the teachers name hadn’t leaped out at me the first time it wasn’t likely to afterwards.

Monday this week I delivered my machine. That was scary, until I got there, it really has had a holiday. A custom built well heated studio with lots of space and a dog to guard it. If anything it is probably better off than here, I hope it will still work for me when I bring it home, we all know that post holiday feeling. The real surprise came on Friday when I went for my first class. Longarm quilters are amazingly friendly and welcoming. I was very nervous of quilting in a classroom setting, I am not keen on being watched, but somehow with these people it was OK. Everyone was learning and supporting everyone else, how much would children learn if we could have this environment for them?

Deloa is a wonderful teacher too. On Friday she really had her work cut out. There was a big group and we kept getting distracted or getting ahead of her. Each time she would gently pull us back into line and get us under control. She was amazingly patient when I had a complete blank on how to do one design. I was getting very frustrated, and I am quite sure I was not being a good pupil, but she persevered and eventually I got it again. Deloa is one of those teachers who will keep rephrasing something until she hits the right way for you. She is also a dancer so can speak the rhythm for you which I found very helpful. I also found that when I got a design right it felt much like getting dance steps right. It flows and has a wonderful feel to it. I could use this as a way to judge if I has got it right.

It was fascinating to watch all the different variations people came up with of the designs, be they intentional variations of not. By the end of the day you could start to see patterns in how people changed the design, thinking about it, they put their own rhythms onto the dance of quilting. Having finished one lesson I really regretted not taking the rest of them I didn’t feel I needed more all over and block designs, but having seen how many border and sashing designs we learned I wish I had.

Friday night I stayed in Newbury (yup that is where Jax is, I knew I would figure it out eventually) and to make sure I didn’t get lost I was escorted to my hotel and then taken to a bookshop with Deloa. What a treat, browsing books with two people with similar interests, what could be better. I have to admit that a trip to the bookshop is my favourite Friday night out anyway, but this one was special, and of course there were different books in this one as well. Jax really does go above and beyond the call of duty, she invited me back for dinner as I was on my own in an unfamiliar town. I am sure n her position I would have been desperate to get some time on my own after having so many guests for so many days, but not Jax. The best I could offer in return was some free graphics software and a quick lesson on scaling images. It was a fun and enlightening evening.

Saturday was part two of borders and sashings, and had lots of new people for me to meet. Equally charming and helpful. I think Saturdays class was better behaved but less keen to stick to the designs we were being shown. Each design was modified to by each of us to suit us, sometimes deliberately and sometimes just by being drawn by another hand. Sorry Deloa, but I think I learned almost as much from watching everyone else as from the teaching itself. Something I did notice on both days is that Deloa is the sort of teacher who answers questions even when the answer is in one of her other classes. I like that in any teacher but I think it is especially important when the teacher has come a long way and there is no way for the student to take the other class. Personally I find it a lot easier to spend money with people who are generous so things like this are very important to me.

So after two days very successful training I headed home for a break before Mondays course on Thread Play, where I found a shipment of books had arrived. I skimmed through them then noticed one was by a Deloa. Odd I would have thought that was quite an unusual name, but maybe not, then I turned it over, and who do you suppose was looking back at me from the cover? Yup it’s the same Deloa Jones. How strange is that? I really had no idea this was one and the same person, but I will probably remember now. I guess I should take it with me tomorrow and see if I can persuade her to sign it for me.

I am really hoping that Jax and Deloa will team up again to bring more training to the UK. I would understand entirely why they might decide not to, it must be a lot of work, but It’s been great and I would love to think it would happen again. They have done wonders for my confidence and understanding of quilting, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Why?

Why is it that tidying up always makes more mess? I know it does but it never fails to surprise me how much mess. I guess not having the longarm to play with has made me more aware of the mess in my other studio (sounds better than sewing room doesn’t it). I haven’t been bothered by it while I have been quilting, but now, forced to work on other projects I need to make space. I do love having a clear work table but it never lasts. When a deadline looms tidying up tends to become a pretty low on my to do list. It is quite amazing how much paper I seem to accumulate. Some of it is kinda interesting and I am glad to have rediscovered it, but really most of it can go. I didn’t think I got this much post, but I suppose when it comes in a sheet or two at a time you don’t really notice do you.

One thing I really enjoy about clearing my desk is being reminded of possible projects. Each time I clear I try to rearrange the things that inspire me so I see them in a different way. I often take this opportunity to re-asses which are the most urgent.

I haven’t managed to finish the tidy up, I had to do some quilting. I have most of my flower done fro the fractured quilt challenge, but I can’t show you it until after they are posted by the coordinator. Sorry.

Patchwork Corner

So there I am standing in the workshop waiting for my class with my camera in my hand and I realised that I have never shown you the shop. I talk about it enough so I guess it is about time.

Please bear in mind I was taking these pictures after dark, not really the best time to see a shop like this, but still it was when I had my camera to hand so I made the most of it.

The first picture shows the workshop. This is a separate building behind the main shop. It was fitted out to be a quilting workshop so it is very well equipped with power points and lights. As you can see it also provides a great space for hanging quilts. Although you didn’t know it you’ve seen it before, usually hiding behind something I have just quilted. The workshop accommodates 10 students and is a joy to teach in. There is space to move around and assist everyone easily. In the far corner you can just see the permanent pressing station, there are other ironing boards and irons that can be set up around the room when needed.

The next picture is the back room of the shop, when you go from the workshop in to the main shop this is where you come in. I had one of my favourite sections behind me when I took this picture. The black, white and greys and the oriental sections are here. In the picture you can see some of the more antique looking fabrics, and in the middle of the room is the secondary cutting table. In this room you can find most of the bundles of fat quarters, rolls of strips and kits. Along the wall to the right as you look at this picture there are several bays of fabrics, mostly the softer more floral fabrics. Isn’t it funny, I’ve never really thought about all the different fabrics in the shop but actually there are quite a range.

As we walk towards the front of the shop we find lots of interesting bits and bobs. Clover gadgets, buttons, bag handles, beads and charms all live around here. Just to the right hand side you can see some of the batik fabrics, which I also love. Isn’t it odd I have mostly missed photographing my favourite sections. Still they are there I promise. You can also see the biggest thread rack in the picture. I think it is inspiring, I like seeing all the colours in rows maybe that is why I missed the batiks. There is another thread rack behind me, strangely it contains the threads I like most, but it isn’t as pretty as the Coats one.

Finally we get to the front of the shop, where you would normally enter. What do you expect from me though, other than a back to front tour. As you can see most of the fabrics in the front of the shop are sorted into colour families, with a few basics grouped by range. The scarf on the wadding is one I made to try out quilted scarves. I really enjoyed doing it but I don’t wear them much so it sits there to inspire others to have a go. I’ve been very good and only made a few more, I do enjoy doing them so much. In case you were wondering, there are more rolls of batting, they hand up in the window bays so were behind me in both pictures.

So there you have it. This is the shop I keep talking about.

My baby has gone on holiday

It’s a very odd feeling packing up your business in the car and taking it on holiday. Still I think my machine was getting on well with the baby sitter so all should be well. It’s also an odd thought that my machine will have done things I haven’t seen. It is doing classes I am not. Odd. On the other hand I will get to take the classes I am doing on my own machine which I think is a great bonus. I just hope the other people who get to play with her get along OK.