Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#87 - 2017 i Quilters Companion

It never occurred to me when I took my first patchwork class that it would ultimately end up both an obsession and a profession. Twenty six years ago, I went along to make a Log Cabin quilt by machine. I wanted to make samples for a new shop that my parents and I had opened. We had stocked it with dress fabric and quilting cottons. I was hooked from the first block. Machine piecing is still my preferred method of construction, but due to the amount of travel that I now do, hand piecing is also very important to me. The portability of English paper piecing, and the design possibilities given the variety of shapes, is wonderful. In this issue of Quilters Companion we have three projects using the EPP…

Best of Show, First, Mainly Appliqué: Professional, Best Longarm Machine Quilting Custom Bird is the Word Tracey Barelli Runner-up Best of Show, First, Pictorial Quilts: Open Gorgeous Girl Megan Byrne First, Small Quilts: Amateur On the Way to Notre Dame Sharon Brown First, Small Quilts: Professional Trash and Treasure Hilary Arber First, Traditional: Amateur, Bernina Amateur Encouragement Glacier Star Robyn Freeman First, Theme: “A New Heart”: Professional Healed Margaret Smith Best Use of Colour Flight of Fancy Philippa Thomas First, Theme: “A New Heart”: Amateur Water On My Heart Frances Schifferli Water On My Heart … the story of the Kirkham bougainvillea. In the ghost town of Siberia, 80km northwest of Kalgoorlie, survives a bougainvillea, planted in 1903 by Mabel Kirkham in memory of her newborn son. Her plea was…

“I create so I know I am living” — Florence Broadhurst Florence Broadhurst lived an eccentric and creative life. Florence was born in rural Queensland on 28 July 1899. Her theatrical talents were evident and she participated in local eisteddfods winning prizes. This talent was to be her ticket out of the rural Queensland, when she joined a singing group. Her singing led her initially to India and China throughout the 1920s.It then saw her begin her own school of performing arts and etiquette, The Broadhurst Academy, in Shanghai, China. Florence became known for reinventing her look and personality. Her first reinvention of herself was when moving from Shanghai to London in 1927. She became known as “Madame Pellier”, a French couturier dressing the rich and famous, after marrying Percy…

Finished size: 133cm (521⁄2in) square Materials • 1.25m (13⁄8yd) cream print fabric (quilt centre background) • 20cm (1⁄4yd) solid cream fabric (stitchery background) • 1.5m (13⁄4yd) large-scale floral print fabric (blocks and Border 2) • 15cm (1⁄4yd) cream small-scale floral print fabric (blocks) • 40cm (1⁄2yd) dark pink print (blocks and Border 1) • 30cm (3⁄8yd) green tone-on-tone print fabric (leaves and stems) • 8 0cm (1yd) medium pink tone-on-tone print fabric (applique and binding) • 15cm (1⁄4yd) light blue tone-on-tone print fabric (Suffolk puffs) • 3.2m (31⁄2yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 150cm (60in) square • Fusible web • 20cm (1⁄4yd) fusible lightweight woven fabric stabiliser such as Weaveline • Stranded embroidery floss to match and coordinate with the fabrics • 6mm (1⁄4in) bias tape maker • 5mm…

New products are not always designed, but evolve. Such is the history of the Eppiflex English Paper Piecing range designed by The Quilting Patch. Shop owner Danni Reynolds purchased a new piece of machinery, a laser-cutting machine. Her partner, Richard Hirst (accomplished CAD designer, drawer and tech guy), could not wait to use the machine. What could he cut? Danni and he first tried cardboard hexagons. Success! But this was not enough for Richard. What else could the machine do? Danni grabbed a piece of Mylar off the shelf and they made hexagons from this alternative material. That was the light bulb moment and the Eppiflex journey began. Eppiflex English Paper Piecing templates are made from Mylar, not cardboard or paper. The Mylar is not cream and cloudy, as most…

The Village Patch Address: 49 High Street, Maldon Vic 3463 Phone: (03) 5475 2391 Email: enquiries@villagepatch.com.au Website: www.villagepatch.com.au Dreamscape Quilt Dreamscape is another beautiful quilt designed by Jason Yenter of In The Beginning Fabrics. Rich purples, greens and grey and a mix of appliqué and foundation piecing, making it an interesting project for the intermediate quilter. The kit includes all fabric to make the violet quilt top and binding plus full pattern and foundation papers. Measurements/sizes: 86in x 103in. Price: $384 including postage within Australia. Braidwood Quilt Shop Address: Shop 6 Albion Centre, Wallace Street, Braidwood NSW 2622 Phone: (02) 4842 2355 Email: braidwoodquilts@bordernet.com.au Monkeying Around This delightful 100-per-cent cotton printed panel featuring favourite animals would make a lovely little quilt for the newest baby. We would love to offer Quilters…

We are on a countdown to Christmas with our next issue, the last before the festive season. Wendy Nutt joins us for the first time, sharing her fabulous modern wall hanging, The Happy Christmas Tree (pictured), while Wendy Sheppard has designed a pieced medallion in Christmas fabrics. Another firsttime contributor to Quilters Companion, award-winning quilter Di Jobbins, reveals how to make one of her amazing modern interpretations of Cathedral Windows. Sarah Fielke returns with a quilt made from her new fabric line. Jenny Tate shares a hexagon quilt made from 1930s fabrics. And our hands-on tutorial is presented by Linda Collins, who will be making a new quilt based on an antique quilt in her collection, using templates. You will find QC#88 on newsstands in November 2017.…

Growing up in the USA, Leslie began her stitching journey at the very young age of eight when her mother taught her embroidery. “At 10, she sent me to a sewing class in the summer to learn how to make clothing. Both embroidery and sewing clothes became an important part of my life, until I discovered quilting. When I look back on it now, I see that mum made us learn to sew so that she didn’t have to make our clothes!” recalls Leslie. A trip through East Africa as a young woman is what kindled an interest in quilting for Leslie; she had never tried the craft previously. This trip saw her stay in Africa until her funds ran out after nearly five-and-a-half months. The journey really ignited her…

Elaborate, complex, decorative — gaudy? The beauty of a crazy quilt is in the eye of the beholder. They’re composed of irregularshaped fabric pieces sewn either to a foundation fabric or to each other in a haphazard fashion, and the skill of the maker can create something that looks as elegant as faceted jewels or as messy as a pile of broken pottery. Some historians have erroneously identified crazy quilting as the first kind of patchwork, believing needlewomen with scant access to fabric made scrap quilts out of necessity, but there are no known examples earlier than the late 19th century. These textiles have always been a symbol of extravagance. While rare cotton versions are known, most crazy quilts use fine fabrics such as silk, velvet, wool and brocade. Meant…

Most obviously – what do you want the machine to do? If you are planning on basic sewing then an introductory machine may be the best option and these can retail up to about $1000. If you are looking for a machine that does a bit more than the basics but doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, then a middle of the road model may suit your needs and these retail from around $1000- $3000 dollars. If you are a super serious sewer and will use all the functions available on top machines then go for it! You’ll be looking to spend from $5000 to $10,000+. Remember you get what you pay for – cheap sewing machines are nasty sewing machines. Once you know what you are looking for…

Preserving History: Patchwork Patterns Inspired by Antique Quilts By Julie Hendricksen This wonderful collection of 15 large-quilt patterns is a mix of original antique quilts from the mid 1880s to the 1930s, and modern reproductions. Due to the nature of the antique quilts, the quilt designs are ideal projects to use your stash of vintage or modern fabrics. While the information is apt for all quilts, one chapter discusses quilting on the antique quilts and the overall effect. All the quilts are pieced, with excellent instructions, diagrams and pressing for the projects. The blocks used vary in size, from 1½in finished nine-patches to 17in Postage Stamps, but my favourite is the unusual X block. It features in the antique quilt Scrappy X Delight and is only 4in finished, with a…

Tools Of The Trade Sewing Machine – Any machine can be used for quiltmaking. It is helpful to have a darning foot as an attachment for the machine for free machine quilting. Iron and ironing board – Make these readily available near your sewing machine so that all seams can be pressed to assist in accurate piecing. Needles – Most quilters favour a ‘between’ needle, size 8-12 for both hand-sewing and hand-quilting. Size 12, the smallest size, is usually used by very experienced quilters. Sewing Thread – Use any cotton or cotton-covered polyester thread. For machine quilting, use cotton, cottoncovered polyester, monofilament or decorative threads. Scissors – Have one pair with sharp points for cutting fabric and a second pair for paper. Marking Tools – Quilters use marking tools for…

Finished size: 142cm (551⁄2in) square Finished block size: 141⁄2in square Materials • 1.3m (11⁄2yd) mid-brown fabric (block backgrounds) • 1.2m (11⁄2yd) cream fabric (block backgrounds) • 25cm (3⁄8yd) each of at least 12 brown print fabrics (applique) • 50cm (1⁄2yd) dark brown print fabric (binding) • 3.5m (37⁄8yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 170cm (62in) square • Water-soluble applique paper (optional) — see Note • Water-soluble fabric-basting glue • Monofilament thread • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine with open-toe applique foot • General sewing supplies Note: Deirdre used applique paper to make her quilt. It is left behind the shapes as they are stitched to the background fabric and breaks down when the quilt is washed. However, the quilt lends itself to a variety of other…

Finished size: 173cm (68in) square Finished block size: 7 1⁄2in square Materials • 30cm (3⁄8yd) each of 15 large-scale bright floral print fabrics in assorted colours • 30cm (3⁄8yd) each of six shot cottons or marbled fabrics in colours to coordinate with the print fabrics — see Note • 65cm (3⁄4yd) print fabric (binding) • 3.9m (41⁄4yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 190cm (75in) square • Spray starch • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine • General sewing supplies Note: Instead of yardage of the prints and coordinating shot cottons, you could also make this quilt from two Layer Cakes or 84 squares, 10in of assorted large-scale bright print and mottled fabrics. www.quilterscompanion.wordpress.com Cut the fabric From each of the large-scale bright floral print fabrics and…

Kits and block of the month programs are popular choices for quilters for a number of reasons. How many times has a quilt caught your eye and you think “Wow I would love to make that exact same quilt with the same fabrics and colours”? When you buy a kit for a quilt you see you can do just that – make it exactly in the colours and fabrics you see. Kits also take the often difficult job of select fabrics and colours out of the equation. The hard part is done for you so you can just enjoy the sewing. It works the same way with block of the month programs. Shops will offer these programs in either one colourway or they might have several colourways for you to…

Feathers, with a little practice and time, are a beautiful addition to your quilting repertoire. They add elegance to your quilts, and who doesn’t like the look of feather quilting on a project? What I really love about the open feather is that it is very quick to quilt. It suits both contemporary and traditional styles and is a very versatile design. The open feather, as the name implies, has space between each plume and requires no backtracking to complete the basic design. However, I will take this basic design and demonstrate how to make new designs from one simple stencil. All the quilting I will be showing you in this article is with the freemotion technique. To set up your machine, use an open toe, freemotion foot, feed dogs…

September 15—17 Singleton Singleton Quilters Biannual Show; Mechanics Institute, 74 George St, Singleton NSW. The theme is ‘Traditionally Modern’. Quilt raffle and handmade items for sale. A donation to the Singleton Rural Fire Service and Hunter Medical Research Institute will be made with the profits of the show. Entry $5. Open Fri & Sat 10am—4pm, Sun 10am—3pm. More information: Phone Marea Baker (President) on 0408 731 529, Kim Horn (Secretary) on 0415 804 856 or Jane Frankham (Treasurer) on 0448 773 203. September 23—24 Blackburn South Patchworkers and Quilters’ Guild of Victoria Exhibition; Eley Community Centre, 87 Eley Rd, Blackburn South Vic. Display of textile works, raffle, trading table, demonstrations, traders and refreshments. Open 10am—4pm. Entry $5. More information: Email info@patchworkersandquilters.com.au October 4—8 South Bank Expertise Events Craft & Quilt…

A1 Craft and Quilting Ph: 0438 877 664, email: normabradley@bigpond.com, website: www.craftandquilting.com A Little Patch of Country 63 Princes Highway, Trafalgar Vic 3824. Ph: (03) 5633 2311, email: sales@littlepatch.com.au, website: www.littlepatch.com.au Asia Discovery Tours Suite 1302, Level 13, 370 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph: (02) 9267 7699, fax: (02) 9267 7866, website: www.asiadiscoverytours.com.au Batik-Oetoro (Dyeman P/L) 3/11 Nevin Close, Gateshead NSW 2290. Ph: (02) 4943 8808 email: Sales@Dyeman.com BeBe Bold Contemporary Japanese Textiles 25 Elton Street, Lismore NSW 2480. Ph: (02) 6621 9188, email: bebebold@bigpond.com, website: www.bebebold.com Bernina Australia Unit 10, 15 Carrington Road, Castle Hill NSW 2154 (PO Box 268, Castle Hill NSW 1765). Ph: 1800 237 646 or (02) 9899 1188, fax: (02) 9899 1469, email: bernina@bernina.com.au, website: www.bernina.com.au Black Possum Fabrics Shop 1, 197 Myall Street,…