UK Quilters
I don’t know about you but when this lockdown started I felt a little glum. I found I had lots of time on my hands and, rather than let myself get stuck in a downward spiral, I decided that I would try and do what mental health professionals suggest is a good way to battle…
I love the Gower. The coastline is one of the best in the UK, sandy beaches that are quiet even at the peak of summer, blue seas and green lush countryside. On the western side, you can even catch some breakers and try surfing but my favourite beach is Oxwich Bay. You drive down from…
Christmas means so much to so many people. Our childhood memories of the celebrations and the family time are just so special. As a young adult I decided that Christmas was something we create for others, and in doing so, we create it for ourselves. And that is why we have the traditions, the ceremonies,…
Loving something with its “warts and all” is loving it in spite of any obvious blemishes or scars. Sometimes you make or receive a quilt that isn’t quite perfect, or even a long way off perfect, but it can still be loved, warts and all. I consider myself an average quilter – I can, if…
This three-triangle unit was, I think, given its name by Doreen Speckmann because the centre triangle resembles a mountain peak and the two side triangles are the spikes anchoring it to the ground. It is not the easiest of units to cut or piece and the most precise way to get those points really sharp…
How important is it that your quilt is ‘perfect’? Do all the points and seams have to match exactly? Does your colour choice have to meet with universal approval? Should your stitch-in-the ditch stay there and never deviate? Should your quilting stitches be beautifully even and neat and accurate? Or, alternatively, why are you making…
The Saturday morning girls are always quick to adopt new ideas and find pretty much everything we do (except hand sewing) really exciting. Lola chose to work from the picture of St Basil’s Basilica and the other 4 decided to use the picture of the Dead Sea. Just to remind you, the girls’ challenge was…
The last two quilts from the best of Australia are here. The first of these is entitled ‘Darwin to Katherine’ and is by Annie Rodomski from the NT. The thing that is very special about this quilt is that if you are a local, you will be able to recognise all of the buildings and…
The best of the show from NSW is a work by Pamela Brockwell entitled Star Link. This quilt beautifully displays the skill of the quiltmaker in piecing, applique and quilting. The use of colour values in each star makes this quilt glow and the stars almost seem to twinkle.The circles around the edge are each…
I am always in awe of new piecing techniques that actually seem so simple you’re amazed someone hadn’t thought of it years ago! One of my favourites is piecing patchwork blocks together and then cutting them up to create a whole new block, and perhaps the most popular of these is the disappearing nine-patch. The…
Just going to put it out there straight away, this is not about double sided quilts, this is about being a bit creative – especially when you haven’t got enough fabric for your backing! Storm over an Amish Sea Once upon a time, when the world and I were young (and dinosaurs roamed the earth!)…
Now be honest, after spending loads of time piecing fabric to make a quilt top, have you ever found matching your blocks difficult and you realise it is because your measurements were slightly out? It happens to all of us (tell me how I know!). Even if you have that ¼ inch foot so many…
