BLOG 47

As promised last week, here is a glimpse at some of the student work-in-progress from the Shoreline Quilters’ retreat at Alston Hall. I love being there with them and it always amazes me that they deliver such exciting work. The swallows’ pattern is very complex and these pictures show just the cutting and fusing stages. You get instant visual results from the method but there is a lot of sewing ahead and it is fair to say that much of the completion goes on at home … sometimes!

1 Swallows (reverse appliqué)

2 Swallows (positive appliqué)

3 Swallows (reverse appliqué)

4 Swallows (positive appliqué)

5 Flower Wheel (reverse appliqué)

6 Flower Wheel (positive appliqué)

This week I went to Castle Court Quilters in Shropshire for the monthly machine embroidery day, where I become a student again and learn techniques that challenge me and make me step outside my comfort zone. I expect I could learn at home from books but where is the fun in doing that? And would I really allow myself to sit all day at my machine and sew? I think not. There are always quilting projects that require progress, household chores that never seem to end, telephone calls that disturb concentration, and there is an obsessive need in me to solve the difficult level of spider solitaire on the computer! So by paying to attend a class, I give myself permission to have a day away and I absorb as much from the class as I can.

This week Suzette taught us how to do faux chenille, a technique that has been around for many years in the quilt world. I have always loved the soft textured effects and now wonder why I have never had a go at it before! I am so proud of my first effort! And now my mind is working overtime wondering how I can apply it to my own work in the future. Just keep an eye on this space!

7 Faux chenille

8 Faux chenille (detail)

9 Order of fabrics

10 Faux chenille patchwork