August Furtle or Not….

 I can’t wait to see the back of August.  In spite of enjoying time away in the West Midlands which took in the Festival of Quilts (another post I’ve yet to do), David had a short hospital stay early this month and after our break we’ve both suffered Covid (as I type this today I’m still testing positive, it’s been nearly a week - ugh!). 

This month I have been doing odd bits and bobs like lengthening the straps on a bag, which came in useful for visiting the Festival, finishing off a tinsel owl (not sure who is going to get it) which has been hibernating for ages, and finished off a sew together pouch (just needed the zipper band finished off) which again was hibernating! 

As well as the Festival, I also went to local exhibitions- the Dorset Arts and Crafts in Wareham at the beginning of the month.  I really loved these lace knitted shawls - displayed in copper hoops.

Then there was Quarterjack Quilters exhibition in Wimborne, which was a really well presented one. Below is one of the themed displays, a seaside theme.

I’ve gone into more details about the above in posts this month, so pop back and have a look.

Since coming back from Festival of Quilts I bought a couple of kits, which I’ve now made up, last week was this vintage style floral kit designed by Julia Gahagan.  A really delightful kit which didn’t take long to make.

Today I made up the other kit which was an iPad case which uses 3 different Liberty fabrics, sold by The Bramble Patch.  After cutting out there is a useful amount of the fabrics left. The instructions were simple so took a couple of hours to do. 

As there is a summer break for the ATC group I decided to have a go at another mini book, this time a paper one.  I wrote about the book in this post here

I’ve not done much knitting this month and the crochet blanket has been completed but the border is in progress so not quite done yet. Since the photo was taken there’s been a panel of butterflies, which have been completed.

The crochet along finished at the beginning of August, so I have all the instalments of the pattern.  I hope to finish this in the next week or two.  To be fair the August heatwave was not an ideal time to have a crochet blanket across my lap to work on. 

Now the weather is beginning to cool, it might be time to pick up the knitting again.  But I am pleased that I’ve done a variety of things.  September can only get better.

Linking with Mini Archie’s August Furtle Around the Blogosphere. 

Festival of Quilts

 This will be picture heavy.  Here are just some of my favourites from the Festival of Quilts. Near the entrance in Hall 6 was the Quilter’s Guild stand, around which are the specialist groups- Quilt History, Traditional, Contemporary, Modern and Miniature. Behind this there is a Gallery from the Guild’s museum collection, called Text and Context and these are some of the quilts.  I really liked the paper pieced ones that showed the papers still in them.  Paper was an expensive commodity so instead of throwing away they were used to cut shapes for patchwork.  

I saw this dress quilt, more modern, made in 2014, which depicts the role of women in the 1950’s.  The maker is Val Jackson.

More quilt tops with theirs papers in, fascinating to see this history hidden by the prettier front.

Another gallery I enjoyed was the Contemporary Quilt Group’s called Uncharted.  This group explores art quilting and it was a beautifully curated collection of skinny quilts on this theme.  There were sample books with the quilters’ ideas which were good to look through.  I have bought a catalogue of the collection to read through the stories.

Another gallery I really enjoyed was the works of Danny Amazonas. These pictorial quilts were big and the use of fabrics to create the pictures was amazing. I concentrated on 2 of the quilts and took from a distance and close up.  You may be able to expand the close up photos to see more detail, it was brilliant.

Another American gallery was the Quiltfolk one of old American quilts.  There age may be unknown but they were ver traditional.

This quilt was a one patch variation. The quilt below is a Rattlesnake quilt (with close up below that).

Another gallery I looked at was that of Vendulka and Olivier Battais, whose intricate designs are emphasised by the use paint.  I only took one picture which didn’t do any justice to the work.

So this is just the start.  I think this may run into a few posts. I will go onto the competition quilts in another post.

Another Little Book

 Following on from my fabric book here, which was made from fabric I decided to make a card one last week.  As I have been making artist trading cards in the past year I have a few background cards, some of which have been stamped. I used plain white A4 card as a base and made the cuts as with the fabric book.

Here’s the front.  I made a spelling mistake, but went with it. I have a small collection of Distress Ink Pads and used them on the card  to make the background of the oval shape.

Inside there are two flaps that create more space in the book.

On the left the flower picture came from the front of a shopping list. The second page I layered up blue card, the top layer being gelli plate printed with block printing removing the paint. The third page is a triptych of blue and blue/green cards and the fourth we’re shades of green and orange with woven strips of card.

Inside the middle flaps

On the left red and blue card with holes punched out (the holes were used as strawberries and blueberries for a Desserts ATC a few months ago). I use a rotary cutter with pinking blade for the edges. The second page is another Indian block printed piece to which I added sticky ‘gems’.  For the third page I had a stamped piece which I layered onto blue card. On the right is a pink tag to which I added a quarter of a doily and silver card with ribbon threaded through the tag.

On the back of the book is a foiled card with a ship mounted onto blue/red background.  Next is some yellow card with torn transfer paper and another yellow card with flower stamp.  The yellow had a linen effect on it so the stamping looks grainy. Last of all is a green/yellow card with an owl stamped. In fact there are two owls but I didn’t like the flat look so put pads underneath the second image and it looked better. Then back to the first page.

I’m thankful to West Country Embroiderers and to Betty Ruffell who tutored the making of the fabric books which has led me to having a go (no, two goes) at this technique and is useful in showing these little treasures which might otherwise be stuffed in a box.  I’m sure there may be more of these in the future.

Out and About - Festival of Quilts

 

I loved the badge and it’s was the first thing I bought at the Festival of Quilts this year.  I haven’t been for 3 years due to you-know-what and was looking forward to going this year.  As a Quilter’s Guild member I could book earlier and I also paid in advance for a catalogue, which can a few days before David and I went away. I was there on the Friday and Saturday and maybe because it’s held over 4 halls at the NEC instead of 3 pre-Covid it seemed quiet-ish and easy to get around.  The exhibitors had changed too, with some well known names not attending.

I had in mind a budget for spending and although I took cash, quite a few vendors and all the caterers took cards so it was difficult to keep up with the spending but think I pretty much stayed around my budget.

I took two classes, one pre booked on the Saturday and the Friday one I booked at the show which gave me a rest from achy feet. I was prepared with my little Moda sewing book, which came in handy.

The Friday class tutor was Helen Moyes, who gave us pieces of painted Tyvek paper, which could be cut into strips, rolled and heated with soldering irons and heat guns to create beads, which you can see in the bottom of the above pic.  I quite enjoyed this and I already have a sheet of Tyvek in my stash, so watch out there may be more of these.  Two ladies in the class made bracelets out of their beads, threaded through metallic thread. 

Saturday’s class was to make a Dorset Button flower bouquet brooch, which you can see attached to my Moda sewing book.  This might seem like ‘coals to Newcastle’ as I can make Dorset buttons, but the tutor, Gini, who comes from West Yorkshire was taught by a Dorset woman to make buttons.  She was a lovely tutor, explaining things thoroughly to ensure that everyone finished the project.  

As for shopping there wasn’t masses of things that I need and surprisingly I buy a lot and it all fitted in a small paper carrier bag!  

There were some small pieces of Liberty Tana lawn from Alice Caroline fabrics and some Liberty cotton from the Bramble Patch (the striped fabric and those underneath with instructions for and iPad case along with the blue fabric on the left. A kit to make a miniature quilt with wild flowers from Julia Gahaghan. Spectacle fabric from Helen Steele in purple, a hank of sari ribbon from the Silk Route. Perle threads from Little L’s (they have a myriad of colours in different weights of Finca perle threads) and variegated dyed perle thread from Paint-Box threads, which really really lush and wished I bought more.  

I also bought next year’s Quilter’s Guild calendar (just right for our kitchen and it has tear off quilt postcards, a book from the Contemporary Quilt group of their exhibition ‘Uncharted’, as I loved the quilts in that section and wanted to know more of the stories. Picked up free patterns from the Liberty stand and other leaflets along the way,

I will post another post with photos of the quilts that I liked.  I enjoyed the show and I think but I think that times have changed and it’s not quite the vibrant show that it once was, that was my view. Maybe things will get better in the future.  I will be going (with friends this time) to a more general craft show in Farnborough in a couple of weeks and see how things are there, 

A Little Book

 At West Country Embroiderers last month there was a workshop making a small book,  A4 size, folded into 8, with 2 of the pages being cut to produce inside pages.  I wasn’t too happy that there were two thick layers of fabric and pelmet Vilene and was difficult to bend.  I took a bit of drastic action and cut pieces out of the second (pink) piece and added as individual cards to the purple piece. Although a bit ‘rustic’ looking I’m pleased with it now.

The purple fabric was made from a purple transfer printed paper ironed onto white fabric.  I free machined the words. Because the page underneath overlapped the cover I used s mall piece of flower printed ribbon was placed underneath.

The inside of the book has a page of free machined flower and hand embroidered.  The fabric and pelmet Vilene was hard to sew through.  A third page has a piece of floral fabric with ribbon yarn around it.  The purple stitching at the bottom of the pages is because I had to sew another piece of fabric onto the pages.

Lift the middle flaps revealing the inside pages.  Here is sewed in the pink pages. I wasn’t sure how to finish the tiny tree, next I’d another floral fabric, then two pages with hand sewn leaves and I stamped fern leaves and flowers.

The back of the book, a couple of floral hexagons, a Japanese folded hexagon, and a fabric flower with zigzag stitched outline and stem.

So I’m pleased how it turned out in the end and would like to make a card version next with some paining and stamping.

Out and About

 Since the end of July I’ve taken trips locally as there have been events going on this summer.  David is a volunteer at Swanage Railway I took the opportunity to take the train from Corfe Castle station, where he was working in the signal box, to Swanage and return.  Already busy with tourists the town was bustling, and it was nice to mooch around the shops there.  After lunch I went to the beach and had ice cream and a paddle in the sea.  I was prepared I carried a small towel in my bag.

In one shop, that sold candles there was a small section with Christmas decorations and I bought a small dog with a Christmas jumper, which called to me to take him home!  Later on my way back to the station I stopped at a teddy bear shop and bought a lucky dip bear, which was a little brown bear and they accompanied me on my trip back to Corfe Castle.

I stayed with David at the signal box until he’d finished but I enjoyed my time in Swanage.  Since my trip, which was steam hauled, because of the very dry weather the railway have to use diesel trains, as the sparks from steam engines could cause fires,

My next trip the following Saturday was to the Dorset Arts and Crafts exhibition, which was held at Purbeck School, just outside Wareham. All sorts of crafts and makers are represented here, with a showcase for sellers and a judged exhibition upstairs.  There are also craft businesses with stalls for sales too and specialist displays.  One of which was a Dorset Button display.

I saw some amazing knitted lace shawls, which were mounted in hoops for display, which were made by

Sarah Bramwell and were so sheer.  The picture below are just two of shawls on display.

There were also some quilts too and I took a few pics

So some of the lovely quilts.

Then this weekend was Quarterjack Quilters exhibition closer to home at Canford Magna near Wimborne.  They are a well established group and hold exhibitions every few years and this one was really brilliant. The quilts displayed around the perimeter of the hall were from workshops and challenges held by the group.  The middle area was divided into ‘rooms’ of themed displays, like Christmas, nursery or seaside,

Here are a few of my pics.

 

A nursery room

Marvellous Machines workshop 

A temperature quilt

A Christmas display

A seaside display 

I liked this little hexagon quilt

It was good to get out and about and see lovely work and visit nice places.  This coming week will see David and I head north to Bromsgrove and venture toward the end of the week to the NEC and the Festival of Quilters after a gap of 3 years, so there will be more lovely things to see.

PS.  To Anonymous.  Thank you for your lovely comments on my last two posts and it’s much appreciated.  I can’t reply personally to you, but just to thank you.  Sue x