Post post and yet more post
August 4, 2009I think I am trying to wear out the postal system. I’ve had three deliveries this morning (one was Parcel Force). My response to all this post? Post something 
One of the deliveries was the envelopes for shipping my books out and I want to do a test posting before I use them. So I am posting a book back to me to see how it does. I suspect I need to add a little packaging to it, but who knows. I am certain that for international postage I will add tape to the corners, but it would be nice if it can survive inland mail as is. Paranoid? Me? Yes. I want my books to arrive with their owners in good condition and I’d rather test first than find out from a complaint that there is a problem. Now I guess I just have to wait…..
Also in the post was my Spooktacular jelly rolls and fat quarter pack. I’ve already got two patterns designed that I will use them for. I love the Halloween fabrics but most of them never make it to the UK. Fortunately I spotted these before they sold out. Although I have just realised I now need yardage of one of them to make a border. Maybe two of them so I have a border for each quilt. Oh well.
Too much time to think
August 2, 2009I spent far too much time on the computer yesterday. I wasn’t feeling well and doing really fiddly cutting out didn’t seem like a great plan. It did mean I finally found some strong envelopes that my book will fit in and that will fit the large letter size for posting. Sounds trivial, but I assure you it isn’t. For the first time I found a live chat on a web site that actually worked too. They got the sale as they could answer my questions there and then (Saturday evening).
I got a lovely letter from a lady who reads British Patchwork and Quilting. In the mad rush to tall you about the quilts I’ve been working on I failed to mention the article they published about me in the latest issue. Very bad of me as it is a lovely article.
I’ve also been giving some thought to future books. I think the quilt that I had intended as my first book has just been demoted again. I think it is now looking at fourth place at best. Not only have I had several enquiries about a book on how I make my art quilts but two of my students now want me to teach the technique as well. If I’ve got to write the lessons I might as well write the book. My first thought was that there wouldn’t be enough information to make a good book, it’s not hard there aren’t many steps….. well when you start trying to write them down they look a lot longer than when you are doing it. I guess it is like anything you get familiar with, you don’t notice all the steps things just happen.
I also got thinking about a couple of extra things I would like to add to the first book, but it’s too late to do that now. So I am planning to write up a couple of extra tutorials for people who buy the book which they can access from my web site. You will also be able to download PDF’s of any pages you need to photocopy so you can just print them out. I guess I can’t be the only person who wants to work on things in the middle of the night and doesn’t own a photocopier.
In short being ill makes work. I’d avoid it if I were you
The sample quilt
July 31, 2009
Embarrassingly, the first quilt started for my book was the last one finished and photographed. You may remember seeing a bad picture of this quilt quite a while ago, but I thought you might like to see a good one. This quilt was very much made for my bed. I love the black and silver fabric in it, and I was determined to have a quilt with it in. I also wanted to check the quilt worked with as few as three fabrics. This quilt really divided opinions, but whatever others think, I love it, and it did good service as the book sample.
Exciting delivery
Well it’s exciting to me, and I would hope about 10 others. The QuilTarT t-shirts have arrived. My regular Thursday night students who are responsible for the quilt in my book, have offered to come and help look after my gallery at the NEC. We thought some sort of uniform might be a good idea, and well with me that means t-shirts. I asked what they wanted to be called and they came up with QuiltTarT. I am thrilled with the shirts, and I hope my helpers will be too.
I guess this would be a good time to tell you what the design specification for the book quilt was. I had only been teaching the class for a term and I wanted to see how they thought it was going. At the Christmas party I was dumb enough to ask. I think everyone came up with a suggestion, or two,
- we should all work on the same quilt
- but we have to all be able to take it home
- we have to be able to use our own fabric
- we will be broke after Christmas so we can’t buy any fabric for a
- while
- it’s got to be a lap quilt
- it’s got to be a single bed quilt
- it’s got to be a king size quilt
- it has to be quilt as you go
OK that’s an interesting list to start with then they went on to techniques they wanted
- Celtic knots
- half square triangles
- flying geese
- foundation piecing.
Just to round that off, it had to work for a lady who was going to join us the next term to start learning quilting and teach something to those who have been quilting longer than me.
I came up with a round robin style sampler quilt. It works well with three fabrics or a whole scrap bag full. It has places where beginners can fudge things to get back on track (actually the experienced ones used
this more I think). I like the fact that the center panel can be pretty much completed in 3 hours which is
the standard class length (for the weekly classes) where I teach. It means they leave their first class with something they can show off.
So if you see anyone wearing a black t-shirt that says QuilTarT you will know who they are.
Is this a first?
July 29, 2009You see quilters crossing over into all sorts of other areas, but I wonder if this is a first. Having my quilt displayed on Forbidden Planets web site is something I never expected. I am thrilled it has captured their imagination. I would love to see this craft being picked up by more people with different ideas. There are already plans for me to do a couple more projects with comic artists and I am really looking forward to them. They have their own set of challenges and well, they are different. I’d love to take this further, but well you will just have to watch this space. Right now I have some celtic knots demanding my attention.
Small Art Quilt
July 27, 2009I’ve made good progress today with the smallest of the art quilts I needed to complete for the Festival of Quilts. I’ve not quite finished quilting it but I don’t think I am much over an hour off now. As soon as I have it off the frame I will get on with the next small quilt. I am starting to think I might actually get things finished. I’ve got a lot of hand sewing to do and some other bindings, but overall it is starting to come together. It is amazing how much more you can get done when you don’t need to go out two days a week. I love my classes but the extra time to concentrate is really valuable right now. I’m sorry but I can’t (won’t) show you this piece until the show. It is a swap quilt and I want it’s new owner to see it in it’s best possible light. It will just have to be a surprise for you all.
Hmm I forgot how fiddly cutting could be.
I’ve gone straight from the biggest art quilt to possible the smallest and most intricate I’ve done. I was looking forward to dealing with smaller pieces of fabric, I thought it would be easier. I had entirely forgotten how small some pieces are and how hard it is to cut them out without the fabric falling apart. Also when doing this really complex cutting I have to keep ironing the freezer paper pattern back in place with the bigger (all things are relative) piece on Bad Rain it was easier. Still the quilt is looking good even though it is progressing quite slowly at the moment. Being small I am making the top first and then mounting it on the longarm frame. It’s nice to be able to sit and work and to be able to listen to audio books without wearing headphones.
Bad Rain – Day 10
July 26, 2009
Well that’s it. It is off the frame. I didn’t realise while I was working quite how big it is. When Cy described it as a “Bad Rain: A Double-Page Bedspread” he was quite right. The picture doesn’t show all of it because it more than covers our king size bed. Of course it wouldn’t actually be any good as a bedspread, it’s too fragile and too heavy, but size wise it looks the part.
I thought you might be interested in some facts and figures about this monster of a quilt.
- When bound the quilt will be at least 90″x70″
- There is over 4000m of thread on the front of the quilt
- About 40 pre-wound bobbins were used in this quilt
- More than 1/2m of solid black appears in the quilt – it surprised me, as most of the black – isn’t
- 4 1/2 cans of 505 spray baste held the pieces down so I could stitch them
- 3/4 roll of freezerpaper was used to make patterns
- 5m of washaway stabiliser was the pattern and quilting design
- over 15m of ombre fabrics went in to this quilt.
- the master pattern was 112 sheets of A4 paper
In ten days all that had come together to make my version of the double page spread from Cancertown. I am thrilled with it and I can’t wait to see it hung in my gallery at the Festival of Quilts. It will be the first chance I get to have a really good look at it. I hope some of you will be able to join me there.
I think I will take the rest of the evening off, and get on with a small art quilt tomorrow.
Bad Rain – day 9
July 25, 2009
The end is in sight. Today I have mostly been making blistermen and looking for badmouth noses, which have a habit of running away. Doing the quilt really brings home how big the bad guys are. I've got one more badmouth to cut out, but I am putting it off. I think it is about 60" wide, so it will be a pain to handle and get into place. A job for early in the day I think. Still hoping to finish tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed.
Bad Rain – day 8
July 24, 2009
I have spent most of the day working on this one small area. It has a lot of pieces in it and requires new colours. However it is now finally looking like I am making progress so I thought I would share it. I think this is the last intricate are of the piece, so I should be on target for getting it off the frame over the weekend.