Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 6 i Today's Quilter

It’s February, so no matter where we go we can’t escape Valentine’s Day! Let’s join in by celebrating something we truly adore – quilting – with projects designed to spread the love. The plump chickens and hearts on the cover are irresistible whether you’re a country girl at heart or an urban city slicker. Indulge your patchwork passion with our mega pinnie project – portable storage, pincushion and needle case in one. Use scraps of your best fabrics, then admire them every time you sit down to sew. Another way to showcase a print is our porthole quilt – the technique is tricky at first, but with practise, worth mastering. You’ll know by now that we love to explore quilting heritage, so I’m excited to share a classic Welsh design,…

LET US KNOW! Drop us a line – an email, letter, tweet or Facebook post – letting us know about your quilting. Whether it’s a new project, treasured heirloom, favourite fabric or imaginative mood board, we’d love to see what you’ve been up to and hear your stories! LOOKING THROUGH THE gallery of this supplement, you are struck by the diversity of designs Lynne has created over the years. There are soft colourwash florals and sweet 30s prints. Turn the pages to find bold geometrics in earthy colours, followed by Cathedral Window batiks and even elephants on parade! This was part of the fun of working with Lynne to compile the gallery. It’s rare to come across a designer with such range, both in the quilt designs themselves, and in…

Sew Purrfect Jo’s cat Barnaby, loves to keep her company when she’s sewing. “He came to live with us just after I was diagnosed with cancer – him and quilting got me through the dark days! He runs into the room and chooses a prime spot, one of his favourites is the ironing board! I have to keep an eye on him, as he likes to chew things! He’s also brilliant at helping baste quilts, and makes them warmer by adding a layer of fluff.” Jo Hardy, via Facebook What more does anyone need Jo than cats and quilts? Fabric feline “My cat Ginger loves to lay on my quilts, especially when they are half done, and his favourite thing is eating hexagon papers before they are removed.” Heather Hunt,…

“Balancing one fabric against another is what we signed up to do in this craft, and while it can be a challenge, I believe it leads to real creativity.” Isn’t this what happens to us all? We start a project, and then it develops in our hands or under the sewing machine, and it gets bigger and more interesting as it goes on. And then, of course, we run out of fabric. A full sized bed quilt needs eight or nine metres of fabric for the top, but it’s not always easy to predict which fabric is going to be good in the design, and how much of it we will need. Which is why it’s called patchwork – we have to add more, and often the original fabric isn’t…

Size of finished block • 9in square. • Three fabrics are needed for the penguin – a black-based fabric for the main penguin colour, a piece of white-based fabric for the chest and scraps of bright fabric for the beak and feet. The background fabric is your choice. Cutting instructions 1 From the background fabric cut: • One 4in square. • Four 3½in squares. • Three 2in squares. 2 From the main penguin fabric cut: • One 4in square. • One 3½in square. • Two 2in squares. 3 From the white chest fabric cut: • One 3½in x 6½in piece. 4 From the beak and feet fabric cut: • Five 2in squares. Construction 5 The design is made from seven square units plus a larger centre unit as shown here.…

You will need • Main cube fabric – ›yd OR six (6) 7in squares • Batting – ›yd OR six (6) 7½in squares (something flat like a Hobbs 80/20 or Warm & Natural) • Assorted fabrics for pockets – twelve (12) 2½in squares and twelve (12) 2½in x 3in rectangles, these look good made from scraps • Pocket lining – 6½in x 20in, the pocket linings will not be seen so again you can use up some scraps • Lightweight iron-on interfacing – 6½in x 20in • Scrap of cotton – 4in x 10in OR ribbon/tape 1in x 10in • Toy stuffing • Felt – 3in square • Cotton fabric – 2½in square • Ribbon or tape – 3in • Fusible web, such as Bondaweb – about 3in square •…

HELP! I don’t seem to be good at spotting what blocks might work together. Try this… There is a great deal of trial and error in finding good block partners and this is probably why so many quilters like to follow a pattern written by someone else, as they will have already done the creative work and the maths. There is, however, a great deal of satisfaction to be gained by creating something ourselves, so it’s worth persevering, especially if you want to start the journey towards creating your own designs. The more you do the easier it will become to spot potential mates. I keep a book with quilting notes in, so I can make sketches of blocks I’ve seen and jot down sizes. I also do most of…

IN 2011, I became involved with Talking Quilts, an oral history project that is capturing the stories of everyday quilters. It was initiated by Pauline Macaulay, who was inspired by the Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) project called Quilters’ SOS-Save Our Stories. More recently, as some of you might have read in Issue 4 of Today’s Quilter, Pauline put out a call for quilters from the 70s, 80s and 90s to come forward and share their memories of the ‘revival’ of quilting in the UK. Pauline is piecing together an account of the rise in interest in quiltmaking from the 70s and these firsthand accounts are invaluable. I was thrilled, therefore, when I got the chance to sit down with Pam Lintott who, together with her daughter Nicky, owns and…

“Notice how the use of two different background prints on opposite corners gives the block a sense of symmetry despite the scrappiness of the diamond in the middle.” FIONA SMITH, OPERATIONS EDITOR Ingredients • Assortment of eight (8) different print fabrics for the block units, maximum size needed 4in square • Machine sewing thread to tone with fabrics • Templates for cutting (see Templates section) Finished size • 6½in x 7¾in (6in x 7¼in once pieced into project) Notes • The ingredient list is for one block. Make eight (8) blocks for the quilt. • The star is rotary cut and machine pieced but it could also be English paper pieced. • Instructions include a ¼in seam allowance. • Press seam allowances towards the darker fabric unless otherwise instructed. •…

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Lynne Edwards is the kind of gal everyone needs on their team. She’s talented, creative and smart, not to mention enthusiastic, encouraging and always listening. That, combined with being generous with her time, very funny and charmingly honest is what makes Lynne someone you can rely on in a pickle. Determined to find out just where this whole story began, I asked Lynne about her life – both work and family. Along the way I managed to photograph a few pieces from her private collection for you to enjoy. We’ve also put together a ‘virtual exhibition tour’ – if you haven’t been fortunate enough to see Lynne’s work in person at The NEC or Cowslip Workshops, now’s your chance, complete with her own commentary. Finally, just to keep you on…

Q When did you clap eyes on the quilt that started it all?! At the America Museum in Britain near Bath. We had gone to see the Shaker collection there probably around the late 60s, and although I had made a tacky hexagon quilt before, this was the Business! I knew then that I had to do it myself. Q Do you remember the first time you used a rotary cutter and mat? I remember when we first heard in the early 80s that a UK quilter had had a bad accident in the US using a rotary cutter. The stories of her injuries spread through the quilting community like wildfire, and that delayed the acceptance of its use by about a year, I’d say. As a consequence I was…

Sheila Donnachie WORKSTATION WONDER I first met Sheila last year at The Stitch Gathering in Edinburgh, and was smitten with her pincushion design – try it yourself on page 51. Clare Claridge WELSH HERITAGE Clare’s passion for Welsh quilting means that even the back of her quilt on page 67 includes helpful information for future generations. Lynne Edwards MBE CELEBRATING 40 YEARS! Hopefully you have already seen your FREE supplement with this issue. We had such fun putting it together – find out more on page 12!…

APP -TITUDE BlockFab! We love this handy app for calculating fabric amounts and previewing quilt layouts. BlockFab takes all the hard work out of quilting maths. Choose from a small library of about 50 grid-based blocks, or from a library of patch shapes commonly used by quilters. Then choose the number and size of blocks or patches. BlockFab will determine the amount of fabric you need to buy, and will give you some hints on cutting out the blocks or patches, based on the cutting assumptions used for calculating the fabric needed. Both English and metric units of measure are supported in the app. Available from Apple iTunes store. Enjoy a whole month of quilting events this February in North Wales with Quiltfest! Turn to page 18 to find out…

Adding the classic sashing strips 1 Arrange the blocks in their chosen position in the quilt. They should all be the same size as each other at this stage. Count the number of vertical strips needed to go between each block – ignore the outer edges of the quilt at this stage, so if your quilt has three blocks in each row, you will need two vertical sashing strips per row to go between the blocks (Fig 1). So for a quilt which has four rows each of three blocks, the vertical strips will be four rows of two strips = eight strips (Fig 2). 2 From the chosen sashing fabric decide on the width that will look best and then cut the strips in this width and in a…

You will need • Thirteen (13) different fat quarters of patterned fabric for the patchwork background • Sixteen (16) pieces of fussy-cut pictorial fabric measuring 6in x 8in each for the portholes • Solid brown fabric for the small ovals – 1¼yds • Patterned brown fabric for the large ovals – 1¼yds • Lining fabric such as quilters muslin, old sheeting or sew-in interfacing – 3¾yds • Inner border fabric – ½yd • Outer border fabric – ¾yd • Thin card, paper, glue stick and pencil/removable pen • Batting 62in x 74in • Backing fabric 62in x 74in piece (or 3¾yds) • Binding fabric ½yd • A, B and C oval templates (see Templates section) Finished size • 58in x 70in Fabric used • ‘The Adventurers’ by Cori Dantini for…

The Mega Pinnie is a must-have tool for any quilter’s workstation. From regularly teaching classes, Sheila noticed that students would tweak her projects, adding or taking away features to give a whole new look to something. This customisation means you can really make this Pinnie your own depending on how you might use it. Perhaps you’ll add a carry strap, sectioned pockets or even the needle case, which was an addition by Sheila’s student Mary, who kindly agreed for this extra feature to be included in the pattern. The construction of the sweet little Mini Pinnie is exactly the same as for the Mega Pinnie, just a lot quicker and simpler.…

You will need • Plain red cotton – 20in square • Cream calico (unbleached for ‘antique’ look) – two (2) 20in squares • Fusible webbing – 20in square • Low loft cotton wadding – 18in square • Invisible machine thread/threads to tone with fabric • Rotary cutter with a ‘Wavy edge’ pinking blade • Craft knife and template plastic with grid lines • Rose and star template (see Templates section) • Calico – 16in x 4in for optional sleeve • Wood baton (optional) – 16in with a small hole drilled in each end to insert picture pins or hanging thread Finished size • 16½in square approx. Fabric used • Unbleached calico and plain red cotton. Notes • Press all fabrics with steam before starting. Making the blocks 1 Cut a…

• Build a log cabin quilt with the Lintotts’ Jelly Roll design • Begin spring by making an appliqué floral garland by Jo Avery • Do the highland fling inspired by our dramatic plaid-style quilt FREE! Bumper bag of 100 EPP paper diamonds plus project book by Carolyn Forster Issue 7 on sale 3rd March LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE® and associated character names and trademarks are owned and licensed by Friendly Family Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. ©2015 Friendly Family Productions, LLC…

Anyone who has attended a lecture or exhibition tour led by Lynne will appreciate just how much her fascinating insights and wonderfully witty chat add an extra dimension to her quilts! Her quilts have appeared in books to accompany projects, at classes to assist teaching, and at talks. Lynne and Today’s Quilter Senior Editor Jenny have pulled together a selection of these quilts to lead you through a ‘virtual exhibition’ of Lynne’s favourite and most treasured designs. We hope you enjoy the tour! FLOWER LATTICE QUILT 54in x 54in (137cm x 137cm) One of my absolute favourite quilts, as it combines the soft colours I like to use with hand blanket-stitch, to which I am addicted. The design was adapted from a Victorian stencil used as a repeat block like…

THE DESIGNER BRUCE SEEDS Originally trained as an architect, Bruce Seeds took a change in direction in 2008 after being inspired by the mosaic-style quilts in Maxine Rosenthal’s book, One-Block Wonders . His improvisational patchworks are each made from just one bolt of fabric, with triangle pieces ‘fussy-cut’ and arranged into hexagons to create unique kaleidoscopic effects. We love his use of movement and rich colour, shown to tremendous effect in Galactic above. THE FABRIC PAPERIE A love of books is the inspiration behind Amy Sinibaldi’s fanciful limited edition collection for Art Gallery Fabrics, and what a treat it is! Delicate florals based on book end papers, lines of pretty cursive text and a soft vintage palette of pinks, greys and blues are just a few of the things we…

Pam lives in Cornwall, South-West of England, in an idyllic old mill nestling in a valley by a river. Alongside the dogs, sheep and guinea fowl there are chickens roaming free. How lovely to wake up each morning and collect fresh eggs for breakfast, so it comes as no surprise that these friendly ‘chooks’ are the inspiration behind Hens & Hearts. Using fat eighths from Moda’s Mill Book 1892 collection, this quilt comprises two main blocks and a central basket block. You can always make your own version of the quilt – perhaps just a quilt full of hens! Or even make the basket block in a variety of fabrics to create a stunning basket quilt. Don’t be put off by the amount of steps – everything is straight-forward and…

1 Cut the vertical strips in the same length as the block measurement and stitch them between the blocks as described previously. 2 For the horizontal strips cut one for each block in a length to match the block. For the cornerstones cut one square from the chosen fabric for each vertical strip in the same size as the width of the sashing strips. Arrange the strips and cornerstone squares as in Fig 12. Stitch these together to make the horizontal sashing (Fig 13). 3 Pin and stitch this to the bottom of row 1 of blocks, matching seams carefully. 4 Join row 2 of blocks to the bottom of the horizontal sashing strip, matching the seams carefully (Fig 14). 5 Repeat this process to join all the rows of…

I was taught how to make ‘portholes’ by fabric designer and quilter Lucie Summers at a workshop a few years ago. Since then I have used them in numerous quilts in many different shapes. I love how versatile they are and the smart tailored look they give to reverse appliqué. I totally fell in love with Cori Dantini’s beautiful ‘The Adventurers’ fabric line and wanted a design that really showed off her exquisite illustrations. So the idea for this quilt was to make the portholes look like old fashioned wooden photo frames lying on top of a bright and bubbly patchwork quilt with the adorable ‘pirate boys’ shining through!…

Shown above is the striking red-and-white appliqué bedcover that inspired this project. You can view it in the collection of the National History Museum of Wales at St. Fagans, which is open to the public all year round. It was made at Gellidywyll, Llanbrynmair, Powys, at the end of the 19th century. Red was a great favourite with Welsh quilters and can often be seen in old woollen quilts. In the middle of the 19th century cotton fabrics began to be mass produced in England instead of having to be imported, thus cotton fabric was no longer so expensive and became available to more quilters. At about the same time a colourfast, red dye called Turkey red was developed and from 1860s onwards, red-and-white cotton patchwork was very fashionable.…

The zingy strip design is based very loosely on ‘The Hearts and Crosses Coverlet’, a 19th century strip pieced patchwork in the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles’ collection, which is made from narrower strips. We sorted our retro style fabrics into warm and cool colours for the centre contrast and shaded the outer borders from warm to cool, and added frames in a red miniprint from the same range. Alternatively, you could try a light to dark variation. Susan has taught Super Strips as a workshop quilt for a number of years and there are many student variations illustrated on her blog – visit www.susanbriscoe.blogspot.co.uk/ and click on ‘Super Strips quilt top’ in the labels list to see dozens of variations.…

BLOCK OF THE MONTH BLOCK TEMPLATES ACTUAL SIZE Thank you for making this project from Today’s Quilter. The copyright for these templates belongs to the designer of the project. They work hard to create projects for you to enjoy, so please don’t re-sell or distribute without permission. Please do not make any part of the templates or instructions available to others through your website or a third party website, or copy it multiple times without permission. Copyright law protects creative work and unauthorised copying is illegal. We appreciate your help. THE PERFECT PORTHOLE OVAL TEMPLATES ACTUAL SIZE Thank you for making this project from Today’s Quilter. The copyright for these templates belongs to the designer of the project. They work hard to create projects for you to enjoy, so please…

THE QUILTERS’ GUILD www.quiltersguild.org.uk www.quiltfest.org.uk The 90s Collection is currently touring in Wales for Quiltfest in Llangollen (10-21 February) and then to The Quilters’ Guild AGM in Llandudno (15-17 April). The 90s Collection represents an interesting evolution in our quilting history. As the revival of quilting in the UK started to take root in the late 70s, a new generation of quilter flourished in the years to follow. The techniques they employed were wide-ranging and included hand and machine piecing; hand quilting; hand embroidery; machine quilting and machine embroidery. Embellishment using beads and tassels, and fabric manipulation. It was an exciting and creative period. The pieces (most are around 24in square) were commissioned by each Region of The Guild throughout the whole of the 90s and provide a picture of…

I have two sons – chalk and cheese but both very creative. My dad was a civil engineer by profession, but played jazz piano and wrote clever, witty pieces for magazines in his spare time. Now one of my sons is lead guitar with Adam Ant and the other is a writer, just achieved a First in a BA degree in English Literature and doing an MA now. So it’s all my dad’s fault. No one earns much money (unlike my dear old dad, who funded us all through our entire lives). If we had a disaster in the house like the washing machine dying, my husband could draw it, I could make a quilt based on it, Dickon could write about it and Tom could do a song about…

The Essential Sampler Quilt Book Master a range of patchwork and quilting techniques while sewing classic block designs, such as Mariner’s Compass, Rail Fence, Celtic Knot, Attic Windows, Tumbling Blocks, Drunkard’s Path and Courthouse Steps. Colour illustrations guide you through each step, making even the most complicated techniques easy to follow. Published by David & Charles, £19.99 www.lynneedwardsquilts.com Blanket Stitch Quilts Learn to sew beautiful handmade quilts with Lynne Edwards’ simple blanket stitch appliqué technique. Straightforward instructions allow even new quilters to create gorgeous quilts and experienced quilters will love adopting the stick-and-stitch technique that gives such great results for more complicated designs. Detailed step-by-step instructions with full-colour illustrations. Published by David & Charles, £19.99 www.lynneedwardsquilts.com Cathedral Window Quilts Lynne’s uniquely creative and accessible approach brings Cathedral Window quilting up…