Innholdsfortegnelse for 64 i Today's Quilter

As lockdown starts to ease, we are all venturing out a bit further, meeting up with family and friends we haven’t been able to see for months – in their back gardens of course! Nature and the great outdoors have become the main attraction again, and I am loving hearing the birds sing on my walks, seeing all the plants blossoming and generally appreciating the small things I never seemed to notice before – the flock of small brown birds near my house make the most lovely chirping sound when you walk past the hedgerow where they live. And with this in mind, the projects in this issue reflect this new appreciation for natural beauties. Our cover star, a classic Basket block with added appliqué, combines traditional design with flowers…

Block designs, whether they are small or large, simple or complicated, are literally the building blocks of quilts... pun intended! There are so many variations out there, ranging from beginner level to advanced, featuring techniques and skills that need some practice to master. But no matter which block you decide to make, if you love the design, you will enjoy the cutting and sewing of it, and hopefully produce a product you’ll be proud of. So, we gathered some of the top designers around, many regular contributors for Today’s Quilter, and asked them to create blocks that are sure to inspire. And they did not disappoint. From Lynne Edwards and Carolyn Forster to Judi Mendelssohn and Jo Avery to name a few, the pages of this supplement are filled with…

Sharon Keightley is a self-confessed lover of vintage and reproduction fabrics, and her favourite thing to do is appliqué, mixed with piecing. Sharon loves experimenting with unique fabric styles and adding her own historic vision into her design work. She runs classes teaching the various methods she uses to create her appliqué and paper piecing projects. She shares her designs and many tips on her website, Sharon Keightley Quilts. www.sharonkeightleyquilts.com @sharonkeightleyquilts…

“Lone Star quilts have always impressed me with their traditional beauty, but the thought of producing one by English Paper Piecing honestly put me off ! When I discovered the method of strip piecing and cutting on the bias to achieve the same effect I was curious, and then, once I had tried it, I was smitten. The border was designed to give the quilt a contemporary feel and to encourage people to try out new skills. “I have been writing my debut book, Quilting with Liberty Fabrics, over the past year, and have really loved seeing the Liberty Quilting Cottons develop. I was drawn to the fuchsia and turquoise colours in Liberty Flower Show Summer collection and loved studying the details in many of the 1930’s archive florals, which…

If you would like to find out more about the traditions of British patchwork, and the allied crafts of quilting and appliqué, there are many books on the subject. Here are just a few to get you started. Quilt Treasures by The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles, 2010 (first published by Deirdre McDonald Books in 1995). This book, which catalogues the British Heritage Quilt Project that took place between 1990 and 1993, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in British textiles. Quilts 1700–2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories edited by Sue Prichard, V&A Publishing, 2010. Published to accompany the landmark 2010 exhibition of the same name, this lavishly illustrated and comprehensive catalogue explores and celebrates 300 years of British quilt-making. Patchwork and Quilting in Britain by Heather Audin, Shire…

“Patchwork has the wonderful ability to surprise and intrigue us, and this month we show you how to make four ‘magic’ blocks.”– Lin Clements Magic or disappearing blocks are great fun to make. They start off as simple run-of-the-mill blocks and end up surprisingly complex WHAT ARE MAGIC BLOCKS? Magic blocks, also called disappearing blocks, are the names given to blocks that start out in one simple layout, but by judicious cutting, re-arranging and sewing, become a different looking block. Sometimes it’s hard to see how the final block is the result of the original block, hence the words ‘magic’ and ‘disappearing’. There are many blocks that you can try this technique with and you may already be familiar with creating a Disappearing Nine-patch block, which is something of a…

BEHIND THE PROJECT VINTAGE INSPIRATION “At last year’s Festival of Quilts, I was lucky enough to spend some time in quiet (and, frankly, awestruck) contemplation of a selection of Baltimore Album quilts on loan from the International Quilt Study Centre & Museum in Nebraska. “I particularly loved the blocks of flower-filled urns and baskets that featured in most of the quilts and saw the potential for making a more achievable one-block project like a cushion. I then promptly forgot about it until I found a beautiful, vintage needlepoint cushion featuring an urn design that recalled those beautiful quilts. “Once I’d settled on the little Carnation flower block that gives the cushion its name, I knew I wanted to use my big stack of soft pink and faded red French General…

After completing a degree in fashion and textiles, Janet worked as a freelance designer for many years. Janet creates lively designs for quilts and stitcheries that combine her unique joint appliqué templates and free-motion drawing technique. As an experienced speaker and teacher, Janet regularly host talks and workshops focusing on the design process and creative techniques. She’s also written five books, including Freya and Fred, Hearty Good Wishes, A Field Guide, Home Quilt Home and The Wordsmith. You can get in touch with Janet by emailing her at: janet@janetclare.co.uk www.janetclare.co.uk Janeteclare…

To avoid having pins between the layers of fabric as you join the pieces together, you could use a fabric gluestick to keep the folded corner of the windmill in place. It can also hold the outer corners of the folded windmill on to the background fabric. Restrict the glue to no more than a ⅛in spot within the seam allowance of the windmill. Most fabric gluesticks are quite wide in diameter and precision sticking of small areas can be tricky. I place the fabric on a piece of paper so that when I use the gluestick, most of the glue goes on the paper, with just the tiny bit that I want finishing up on the fabric.…

You will need ■ Medium print (A) – one (1) fat sixteenth ■ Light print (A) – one (1) fat sixteenth ■ Dark print (B) – one (1) fat eighth ■ Pale background (C) – one (1) fat eighth ■ Frame fabric (D) – two (2) fat eighths ■ Block templates Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ RS = right side. ■ WS = wrong side. ■ All templates are finished size, so you need to add the seam allowance once you have drawn round them on the WS of the fabrics. Cutting out 1 From the medium print fabric, cut four (4) pieces using Template A. 2 From the light print fabric, cut four (4) pieces using Template A. 3 From the dark print fabric,…

You will need ■ Four (4) different low-volume prints – 12in square of each ■ Four (4) different red prints – 2½in x 10in strip of each ■ Pale turquoise fabric – 13in square ■ A mixture of dark blue prints – 10in square in total ■ Yellow fabric – 4in square ■ Card or Mylar plastic, and aluminium foil (optional) ■ Templates Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Cutting out 1 From each of the four (4) low-volume prints, cut one (1) of Template C. Cut the remainder into 2½in strips for the FPP templates. 2 From the pale turquoise fabric, cut four (4) of Template B. 3 From the dark blue prints, cut five (5) petals using Template D and one (1) small circle using Template…

Sharon Keightley BOLD & BEAUTIFUL Red and white quilts have always been a popular choice to make an impact. Find Sharon’s take on this idea on page 20. Jenni Smith SHINE BRIGHT Lone Star designs are sure to impress, and this one is no different. Find Jenni’s version of it on page 34, choose some fabrics and get sewing. Nicola Dodd TRAVELS IN STITCH Although we can’t quite take a holiday yet, why not visit the charming city of Amsterdam with Nicola’s design on page 49.…

Beautiful bluebirds I bought my first issue of Todays Quilter magazine in September last year (issue 53) and completely fell in love with Janet Clare’s Swooping Swallows quilt. I had never made a quilt before, but after making a Jelly Roll and block quilt, I decided I was brave enough to give this a go. I just loved every stage in the process, and I think I’m definitely an expert at HSTs now. Denise, via email Wow, Denise! We are amazed that this is your second quilt. We love your colour palette of serene blues – it really brings out the quilts’ design. Colourful cabins I’m really pleased with how this quilt turned out – it’s Carolyn Forster’s Sublime Scraps cover project from issue 61. I started off with a…

“We all know and love traditional red and white quilts, made with two solid fabrics, for their strong visual impact. When thinking about the design for this red and white quilt, my love of using a blend of many fabrics in a single quilt naturally created a bit of a dilemma. My solution was to use only solid red fabric for the basket blocks and then to use a mixture of differently printed fabrics of the same colour tone for the appliqué and background. I feel by using a selection of different fabrics it subtly softens the look while still retaining an impact. For me, it also makes the quilt more fun to work on as I get to play with more fabrics! I hope this helps you decide on…

My love of mini quilts began when I started swapping them with others. When I first started my blog over a decade ago, the online quilting action happened through the photo hosting site Flickr. This was being cleverly subverted by groups of crafters who used it to organise all sorts of swapping activity, which involved sending handmade items around the globe. The most desirable of these was the Doll Quilt Swap (DQS), but before you could join, you had to prove yourself as a model swapper in one of the lesser groups. This was to make sure you knew how the rules of swaps worked and could prove your trustworthiness, quilting ability and participation level. Therefore, my first swap foray was as part of the Mini Quilt Swap, where I…

Often we use the terms ‘patchwork’ and ‘quilting’ interchangeably, but they are distinct crafts with different, although linked, histories. It isn’t known for sure when patchwork – the joining together of different fabric fragments to make a new piece of cloth – began in Britain, but it has been established that it was being done in the early eighteenth century. It is frequently assumed that patchwork was a craft borne out of thrift – a way to create a new object from carefully saved leftovers and pieces of good material salvaged from textiles worn beyond repair. For the poor, this may well have been the case, as people had to be inventive with their limited resources. But further up the social scale, where items could be made for desire rather…

BEHIND THE QUILT CITY JEWELS “I first visited Amsterdam as a young architectural student and was totally enchanted by its impossibly tall houses reflected in a maze of canals. I have revisited it endless times through the pages of favourite novels, stepping back in time to Amsterdam’s ‘Golden Age’ of the 17th century with Tracy Chevalier, Deborah Moggach and Jessie Burton. I returned last autumn and, knowing that I would be making this quilt, visited the delightful Den Haan & Wagenmakers fabric shop, a few blocks north of the Nieuwe Kerk. If you are visiting Amsterdam, I can highly recommend it, just to visit the beautiful premises… although I doubt you’ll leave empty-handed. I chose some fat quarters from Dutch Heritage ‘Surat’ to base my colour palette on. A shot…

1 Choose something you are really interested in, such as an old family quilt or one you have bought and are curious about. Research takes time and effort so you need to be motivated to see your studies through. 2 If you don’t have anything of your own to study, try approaching your local museum. They might have a suitable item in their collections they would love to find out more about, but don’t have the time or resources to do it themselves. 3 Set out with a clear aim, but don’t be too prescriptive – often the unexpected turns are the most fascinating. 4 Read and learn as much as you can about the topic you wish to study. It will widen your knowledge and also help to inform…

Help! How can you decide whether a normal block can become a magic block? Try this… Making any block takes time, effort and fabric, so it’s best to avoid making a block, cutting it up, rearranging it and sewing it, only to find that the result isn’t very interesting. I find that the easiest way to experiment is by drawing a ‘dummy’ block on paper and colouring it in. The drawing doesn’t have to be perfect, but using graph paper will help to keep it square. It doesn’t have to be the actual size, but big enough to handle the cut-up pieces easily. I draw the block twice, so that I can cut one dummy vertically and horizontally and the other dummy diagonally, to see which work. An example is…

Nicola Dodd has been quilting since 2010 after chancing upon a quilting website and becoming hooked. Having designed all her working life – as an architect and as a garden designer – the temptation to start designing quilts was irresistible and she established her pattern company, CakeStand Quilts, in 2015. A regular Today’s Quilter contributor, Nicola now has a successful blog, where she enjoys sharing tutorials, and is a regular contributor to the Moda Bakeshop. www.cakestandquilts.com cakestandquilts @nicolajdodd…

There’s an iconic red telephone box where I live – one of the remaining 5000 scattered throughout the UK. Not only is it a jaunty burst of colour as you drive through the village, but for the last few months, it’s become the world’s smallest gallery, filled with pictures of beautiful rainbows. My Instagram feed has been equally as chromatic, as I follow my friends on their journey making their Temperature Quilts (#tempquilt2020). For 365 days of the year, they are making a block that records the low and high temperature for every day, using a colour for each temperature. Last year, I bought Rachel Hauser’s book, The Quilter’s Field Guide to Color, and I love the detachable swatch cards that allow you to audition myriad colour combinations. There’s a…

You will need ■ Fabric A (white solid) – ⅜yd ■ Fabric B (pink solid) – one (1) fat eighth ■ Fabric C (purple solid) – one (1) fat eighth ■ Fabric D (blue print) – one (1) fat quarter ■ FPP templates (A, B and C) – four (4) copies of each Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted. ■ Press seams open, unless otherwise instructed. ■ Templates include seam allowances around the outer edges only. ■ RS = right side. ■ WS = wrong side. ■ RST = right sides together. ■ WOF = width of fabric. ■ FPP = foundation paper piecing. Cutting out 1 It is easier and more economical to pre-cut the fabrics needed for…

You will need ■ Background fabric – 10½in square ■ Border fabric – one (1) fat quarter ■ Green fabric scraps ■ Fabric for the small circles (yellow) – 4in square ■ Fabric for the large circles (red) – 4in x 8in ■ Green embroidery thread ■ Fusible interfacing – 12in square ■ Templates Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted. Cutting out 1 For the centre square, cut one (1) 10½in square. 2 For the borders, cut two (2) 10½in x 2½in strips and two (2) 14½in a 2½in strips. Piecing the background 3 Sew the 10½in x 2½in strips to either side of the 10½in centre square (Fig 1). Press the seam outwards (towards the border strips). 4…

Circles are one of the hardest shapes to appliqué well. The method below helps you achieve perfect curves and can also be used for other curved shapes such as the petals: ■ Make a template from thin card, or heat proof template plastic (Mylar) using the inner seam allowance from the circle template. ■ Cut a rough square of aluminium foil slightly larger than the fabric. Place your fabric circle wrong side up on the foil square. ■ Place your card or Mylar template on top, centred, and carefully enclose it in the foil, pressing tightly all the way round and smoothing the edge. ■ Press both sides of this foil packet very well, using your iron on the highest setting. ■ Carefully (it will be hot!) unwrap your foil…

You will need ■ Light fabric – one (1) fat quarter ■ Dark fabric – one (1) fat quarter ■ Tracing paper Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted. ■ RST = right sides together. Cutting out 1 From the light fabric, cut as follows: ■ Five (5) 5½in squares. ■ Eight (8) 3⅜in squares. ■ Four (4) 3⅜in x 6½in pieces. 2 From the dark fabric, cut five (5) 5½in squares. Piecing the HSTs 3 Place one (1) 5½in dark square RST with one (1) 5½in light square (Fig 1). 4 Draw two (2) diagonal lines corner to corner and stitch ¼in both sides of each line (Fig 2). 5 Cut the square into quarters along both horizontal and…

We love a good quilt block, be it a quick one you can sew up in no time, or a more complicated one that takes you a while to make. And no matter how long you’ve been sewing, it’s always a delight to stumble upon a design that excites you. Whether it’s because you get to learn a new technique you’ve been wanting to try or to master one you’ve been struggling with. The wonderful thing is, the blocks in this book allow you to try out the technique without committing to a whole quilt (though you might like them so much you create your own quilt design). Plus, there are top tips from our talented designers to make sure you sew with ease. So open up the pages, find…

THE PROJECT HAPPY BIRDS We love this colourful design by Jen Kingwell, featuring birds and plants. Jen says, “This was such a fun quilt to make. The centre appliqué block and style of border invites the maker to add their own special and unique alterations, with embellishments and personal touches encouraged! A mixture of hand appliqué and hand piecing in a medallion style quilt, I hope you enjoy making ‘Happy Birds’ as much as I and many others have.” THE FABRIC SWEET SIXTEEN New from Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts fame, Sweet Sixteen is a pretty collection of floral designs and coordinating prints featuring bouquets, ferns, stars and pinwheels in her signature reds, creams and soft pinks. Combine with her other collection, Perfect Union, which features similar prints but…

1 Using the appliqué pattern (see Templates section) trace appliqué shapes onto freezer paper and cut out each shape. Remember to reverse shapes that require it. 2 Place the freezer paper template shiny side up onto the wrong side of your chosen fabrics and cut out with a ¼in seam allowance around the template. 3 Turn the seam allowance over the template, using an awl or a pointed tool. Press in place with an iron. The fabric will adhere to the freezer paper. 4 Baste appliqué shapes to your background fabric, using an overlay or light box. 5 Stitch in place either by machine or by hand. 6 Remove your freezer paper templates through a slit in the back to finish.…

We would like to thank The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles for their kind permission to use images of patchwork items from their Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection. We have only been able to show a small selection of the wonderful pieces from this Accredited Museum collection that contains around 1000 examples of British patchwork, appliqué and quilting. Items range from the iconic 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet (see page 44) right up to recent pieces by contemporary quilt-makers. Much of this fascinating and inspiring resource can be viewed in the online Collections catalogue. www.quiltmuseum.org.uk…

Nicola Dodd has been quilting since 2010 after chancing upon a quilting website and becoming hooked. Having designed all her working life – as an architect and as a garden designer – the temptation to start designing quilts was irresistible and she established her pattern company, CakeStand Quilts, in 2015. A regular Today’s Quilter contributor, Nicola now has a successful blog, where she enjoys sharing tutorials, and is a regular contributor to the Moda Bakeshop. www.cakestandquilts.com cakestandquilts @nicolajdodd…

The British Quilt Study Group (BQSG), a Specialist Group of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles, has lots of information about quilt research on the ‘Research’ area of their website, which is accessible to all. Members of the BQSG receive the group’s newsletter and its annual research journal, as well as contact with like-minded people, who can help you with your research. Find out more at bqsg.quiltersguild.org.uk Quilt Treasures (2010, The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles [first published in 1995 by Deirdre McDonald Books]) is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in British quilts and its quilt-making heritage. The book is available from www.quiltersguildshop.org.uk For information about North Country quilts, Kate’s favourite books are North Country Quilts by Dorothy Osler (2000, The Bowes Museum and Friends of The…

Linda Clements is a leading technical quilting expert, editor and writer who, for 25 years, has worked on many fabric and craft titles for David & Charles and other leading craft publishers. Among the many quilters who have trusted Linda to ensure their books are both accurate and reader friendly, are Lynne Edwards MBE, Susan Briscoe, Pam & Nicky Lintott, Pauline Ineson, Mandy Shaw and Lynette Anderson. Linda’s own book, The Quilter’s Bible, is the must-have guide to patchwork, quilting and appliqué, and includes everything she has learnt working with the industry’s best designers. For Today’s Quilter, Linda is working with the team to select practical and creative techniques. She will then go in-depth, exploring the methods, taking them from the basic premise to their full technical and creative potential.…

“A huge shoal of appliqu© ish happily swimming together." You will need ■ Ships Pearl – ¼yd ■ Cowes Ocean – 15in x 6in ■ Starfish Dark Ocean – 15in x 6in ■ Ships Dark Ocean – 3in x 6in ■ Starfish Ocean – 3in x 4in ■ Stripe Sand – 3in x 4in ■ Stripe Dark Ocean – 3in x 4in ■ Seaweed Sand – 3in x 4in ■ Seabirds Sky – 3in x 4in ■ Fusible web for appliqué ■ Templates (see Templates section) Finished size ■ 12in square Notes ■ Important note: the ‘You will need’ list is an estimation of fabric needed to make the two blocks featured in this article. If you are cutting from the full yardage requirements list for the quilt project, do…

SHOPPING ACCESSORIES Sew-all rPET threads  gütermann@stockistenquiries.co.uk Sew Easy Ironing Accessories  groves@stockistenquiries.co.uk Doorstep Care Pods  www.spencerogg.com Clover Sliding Stitching Foot  clover@stockistenquiries.co.uk Quilters’ Guild Cushion Patterns  www.quiltersguildshop.org.uk FABRIC COLLECTIONS Shades of Summer  www.eqsuk.com Light in the Forest  www.freespiritfabrics.com Queen Bee  www.eqsuk.com Lisbon Square  www.cloud9fabrics.com Liberty Flower Show Summer  www.eqsuk.com Moda French General  my.modafabrics.com…

You will need ■ Background fabric – one (1) fat eighth ■ Windmill fabric – ⅜yd ■ Outer ‘geese’ fabric – one (1) fat eighth Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted. Cutting out 1 For the centre windmill block, cut as follows: ■ From background fabric, four (4) 2⅜in squares. ■ From windmill fabric, four (4) 2in squares. ■ From outer geese fabric, two (2) 1¼in x 4¼in strips and two (2) 1¼in x 5¾in strips. (See step 11 before cutting). 2 For the curved geese strips, cut as follows: ■ From windmill fabric, thirty-two (32) 1¾in x 4in strips and six (6) 4¼in squares. Cut each 4¼in square in half on the diagonal to make twelve (12) triangles.…

■ Fabrics are placed on the back (blank side) of the template but sewing is done from the front (printed side), along the marked lines. ■ Reduce your stitch length to about 1.5 when sewing, to make it easier to tear the paper away later. ■ Add the fabric pieces in the number order on the template. You may find it useful to make notes on the template in pencil for which colours will be used for each section. ■ Continue the stitching a stitch or two past the beginning and end of the line, unless otherwise instructed. This will ensure your seams are secured. ■ Once a piece is added, trim the work to a ¼in seam allowance, making sure that the paper template is folded out of the…

You will need ■ Background fabric – 14½in square ■ Assorted print fabric scraps – one (1) fat quarter total OR 1½in wide scraps ■ Lightweight fusible interfacing – 14in square ■ Single sided fusible appliqué paper OR Bondaweb (depending on chosen method) ■ Templates Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ There are two appliqué methods included here, choose one. ■ RS = right side. ■ WS = wrong side. Appliqué paper method 1 Using the templates, trace the following onto the non-glue side of the appliqué paper, then cut accurately around the lines: ■ Forty-two (42) petals. ■ Seven (7) full centre circles. ■ Six (6) of each part centre circles. 2 Adhere the shapes to the wrong side of your chosen fabrics and cut…

You will need ■ Fabric As (light) – one (1) fat quarter in total ■ Fabric Bs (dark) – one (1) fat quarter in total ■ Fabric C (background) – one (1) fat quarter ■ Four (4) copies of the Inner Arc FPP template ■ Four (4) copies of the Outer Arc FPP template ■ One (1) copy of the Block Background template ■ One (1) copy of the Block Centre template Block size ■ 14½in square (14in square finished) Notes ■ Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted. ■ RST = right sides together. Cutting out 1 From Fabric As (light), cut as follows: ■ Twenty (20) 1½in x 2½in pieces, for Inner Arc FPP templates. ■ Twenty-four (24) 2½in x 3in pieces, for Outer Arc FPP templates. 2…

Cutting out 1 From the light fabric, cut as follows: ■ Five (5) 5½in squares. ■ Four (4) 9⅛in x 3⅜in pieces. ■ Four (4) 3⅜in squares. 2 From the dark fabric, cut five (5) 5½in squares. Preparing the pinwheels 3 Prepare the pinwheel blocks, as in steps 3-13 above. 4 Refer to the layout in Fig 11 and make up the centre nine-patch using pinwheels and 3⅜in squares. Press seams away from the pinwheels. Lock seams to match points, then press the final two (2) seams open. 5 Stitch two (2) of the light rectangles to the top and bottom of the block. Press seam way from the centre. 6 Stitch a pinwheel to each end of the remaining two (2) rectangles. Press seams away from the pinwheels. 7…