BLOG 89

Another week, another blog
and there is always the dilemma about what to talk about in my quilting life as
it has been a busy and creative week. But, first of all, here is a picture of
the completed log cabin bag which I forgot to include last week. Cat hairs are
optional!




Log cabin bag

And here is a selection of bags made in the same style.

Cluster of bags

This week I went to Llangollen to see the Quilt Fest exhibitions by Ferret and Magie Relph. We approached the valley from Horseshoe Pass on a bitterly cold morning and this is what we
saw, or rather didn’t see! Llangollen was beautifully shrouded in an icy mist,
giving a ghostly atmosphere. Ferret’s quilts can be seen at http://www.ferfab.co.uk/ and Magie’s at http://www.africanfabrics.co.uk/. Their website
pictures do far more justice to their quilts than I ever could.

Llangollen from the Horseshoe
Pass

Also this week, I have been
happily sewing one of my not-so-latest projects. It has been put on hold for
many months because I had no idea how to develop it. It is a Jacobean wall
hanging based on my latest interest, positive/negative applique, which was also
the subject of my book last year ‘Dual Image Applique’ (AQS). It has been
folded out of the way in a box, just visible whenever I was in the loft room,
but my subconscious was obviously ticking over in its favour. I just decided to
get it out, sit at my sewing machine and get on with it.

Positive and Negative

When you compare the two
panels above, you can see that the panel on the left is composed of the
cut-outs from the panel on the right. The panel on the left is positive
applique because the shapes are applied onto the coloured background, the panel
on the right is negative applique because the fabric is placed behind and the
edges of the holes are sewn as in reverse applique.

Detail

In the detail above, you can
see the stitchery that has been concentrated in the coloured areas. I suppose I am making an attempt to modernise
the Jacobean style of embroidery, using the stitches available to me on my computerised
Bernina machine.

ASIDE: I have 2 Bernina sewing
machines: A 1230 (which I have had for nearly 20 years and which I wouldn’t
change for anything) and an Artista 630 (which I part-won in a competition but
which isn’t a patch on the older machine). The Artista was really a waste of
money and an example of an impulse buy simply because I had won money towards
any sewing machine. It was wasteful because, as a quilter, I was never going to
use the numerous facilities offered by that machine. Doing this project is
easing my conscience a little but when the time is right, I will trade it in
for something else.

The Artista has a vast library
of stitches and it is these that I am utilising in this project. For some lines
of stitching, I am using a computerised pattern, for others, I am using free
motion stitching. The negative version is decorated with computerised stitches.

Computerised stitches

The positive version is decorated with both computerised and free motion stitches.






Computerised and free motion

Detail

And I just want to remind you that Quiltfest continues through February to March 6th and my series of Garden Gate will be on display in the Museum from tomorrow. I will be there demonstrating on Wednesdays 15th and 22nd from 1pm – 4pm and Fridays 17th
and 24th from 10am – 4 pm (weather permitting of course!). I hope to see some of you there for a chat.