Chris Franses wrote a new post, Skimpy seams 3 days, 13 hours ago
That moment when you are pressing a quilt top – from the back – removing stray threads and preparing to layer it up for quilting . . . and you find a seam that is hanging on by a few threads. What to do? There’s no…
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Drafting, Making and Using Templates 2 weeks, 1 day ago
There are many reasons for needing to make templates for cutting shapes. Some shapes simply cannot be easily cut with a rotary cutter and although you can buy acrylic templates for many of these shapes it can get a…
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 3 weeks, 4 days ago
Thank you , Karin. It’s good to know that the graph paper is probably still available – I only have a couple of sheets left!
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Octagon quilts 4 weeks ago
The octagon and its tessellating square was a popular design in tiled floors as well as quilts – the kitchen floor in my last (Victorian) house had such a design with terracotta octagons and black squares. In Hannah…
Chris Franses wrote a new post, How to draft a block 1 month ago
Where to start?! In my last blog about re-creating a quilt I looked at the stars quilt I had made using lots of left-over bits and explained how you could deconstruct it to work out how it might have been made. I…
What an interesting post! The Bramble Patch have certainly had the pads of 12″ square paper for drafting in the last year or so, as they used to send them out for their BOM projects for us to cut our own EPP shapes.
Thank you , Karin. It’s good to know that the graph paper is probably still available – I only have a couple of sheets left!
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 2 months ago
Hi Ruth – my first reply to you seems to have been posted below Teresa’s comment. I must have pressed the wrong button. Story of my life.
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 2 months ago
I like ‘winging it’ much more than ‘frame quilt’ – it describes the randomness of it so much better.
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 2 months ago
I’d forgotten about those – Round Robin quilts we used to call them. Great fun! And, yes, they are frame quilts when finished. I don’t think I knew that either back when I was doing them.
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Frame Quilts 2 months, 1 week ago
When is a frame quilt not a frame quilt? When it is a medallion quilt. In fairness the terms are interchangeable, although ‘frame’ is often used to describe British quilts made using fabric scraps and left over bit…
Great article. I made a quilt from 4 orphan blocks from a friend, and then just added to it using scraps and corner stones & sashing strips, until I ran out of fabric, no real pattern in mind. Nice to know there was some method to my madness and it has a real name, rather than my name “Winging It”!
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I’d forgotten about those – Round Robin quilts we used to call them. Great fun! And, yes, they are frame quilts when finished. I don’t think I knew that either back when I was doing them.
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I like ‘winging it’ much more than ‘frame quilt’ – it describes the randomness of it so much better.
Lovely blog Chris. This is a great group challenge! We did this last year – put a block in a pillowcase and keep circulating it around so that several people add a mystery border to it. Some great results, and some not great results, but lovely to see how peolpe worked out their borders.
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Hi Ruth – my first reply to you seems to have been posted below Teresa’s comment. I must have pressed the wrong button. Story of my life.
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So easily done Chris
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Re-creating a quilt 2 months, 3 weeks ago
This quilt probably isn’t the easiest to write about as it was made from random scraps and left-over units – one of those designs that ‘just grew’. However, I will attempt to show how, armed with just a picture…
Ooo nicely done!
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Hi Sue – EQ is shorthand for Electric Quilt, a computer programme for designing quilts. Fabulous but not cheap! Rio Designs is the place to go online to buy it in the UK but have a look at the Electric Quilt website and blog for lots more information. And its not long til Christmas . . .!
Quilt Pro is similar and a bit cheaper, but to my mind…[Read more]Chris Franses wrote a new post, Hannah Hauxwell’s Six-Pointed Star quilt 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Some of you may remember seeing a link to an auction house in your Facebook UKQU feed recently about the sale of Hannah Hauxwell’s quilts. Someone – I can’t remember who, sorry – said wouldn’t it be great to have t…
Chris – I had forgotten about Hannah – I am sure she was ion the ‘news’ years ago.. Thank you for the reminder. Love the templates and your colourways. What is EQ and where can I source it from? I am currently investigating the Amercian ‘Slave’ quilts and your templates remind me of some of them. Thank you again x
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Hi Sue – EQ is shorthand for Electric Quilt, a computer programme for designing quilts. Fabulous but not cheap! Rio Designs is the place to go online to buy it in the UK but have a look at the Electric Quilt website and blog for lots more information. And its not long til Christmas . . .!
Quilt Pro is similar and a bit cheaper, but to my mind nowhere near as versatile or easy to use (and I have both) – but I think it depends which one you start with and I started with EQ. They use different methods for creating the blocks and quilts.-
Thankyou Chris – will take a look..sounds expensive lol thanks for replying xx
Hello everyone
Just a gentle reminder to everyone I am the new owner/custodian of this Hannah Hauxwell family antique quilt and 10 others from the sale and other items. Whilst we know everyone may use antique quilts for inspiration etc, please keep me informed when they are being used, out of courtesy to me and the thousands of pounds it cost purchasing most of the quilts to ensure they remained here in the UK!
Many thanks Christopher Wilson-Tate
Chris Franses wrote a new post, How to ‘read’ a quilt 3 months, 1 week ago
We’ve all been there – you see a quilt in a show, on Facebook or Instagram, on the cover of a magazine and think “I’d like to make one like that, but how has it been done?”. At a show, with the quilt in front of…
Interesting as always, Chris! So many effects possible with traditional blocks.
I really enjoyed reading this, because that is exactly what I try to do when I see a quilt that I like, I try to work out how it was made. I do struggle with the block names as I’m still learning them, but I can so relate to what you have written. I look forward to reading the next one.
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Good luck! I’m glad to have encouraged you to have a go. Not being a dressmaker I admit that curved seams scared me rigid for years; then I found I needed to teach how to do them – talk about staying one step ahead of the class.
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Curved seams – or Drunkard’s Path 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Each month we have a Technique of the Month class at The Corner Patch where I teach. My blogs this year have been largely based on these classes. This last month in class we looked at stitching curved seams by making…
Thank you! I have avoided this block because of the curved seams. I had not thought about my dressmaking skills making it easier. No holding me back now, then!
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Good luck! I’m glad to have encouraged you to have a go. Not being a dressmaker I admit that curved seams scared me rigid for years; then I found I needed to teach how to do them – talk about staying one step ahead of the class.
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Gardens and quilting 5 months, 1 week ago
An odd combination? Perhaps not – I find when I’m teaching that many of my students are as keen on gardening as they are about quilting. As am I. Our problems arise in the months from about April to October when we…
Wow..beautiful garden Chris.
Beautiful pictures. I love gardening, too, which does take time away from quilting in the summer but I do make up for it in the colder months.
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Light, medium or dark? 6 months, 1 week ago
How can you tell which fabrics are ‘light’, which are ‘medium’ and which ‘dark’, let alone ‘light-medium’ or ‘medium-dark’ or any of the other variations you may have come across?
If you are using a monochrome…
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Perfect? Or not? 7 months ago
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 nev…
I wholeheartedly agree with this Chris! As I often say (because my mum used to see it) – a blind man would be glad to see it! Also – better finished than perfect. I’ve got a couple of BOMs that I’m working on – including Gravity, and I will get Jack out if it is too far out, but slightly out (if it all goes together) is good enough for me!
This is such a great article…….I’m very much a beginner patchwork and quilter, and one of my many unpickers (I have invested in a few!) seems to be permanently attached to my hand! I’m loving my journey though and my quilt is for me – “mistakes” and all!
Chris Franses wrote a new post, Designing quilts, writing patterns 7 months, 1 week ago
What actually goes into writing a quilt pattern? It should be easy, shouldn’t it? Especially if your design uses traditional blocks. So why do patterns cost (sometimes) a lot of money; why aren’t they all free, or…
Chris Franses posted a new activity comment 8 months, 2 weeks ago
You can buy an AppleMac version as well as a PC one. Have a look on their website or chat to Lawrence at Rio Designs.
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UK Quilters
2 days, 18 hours ago
Most excellent tip! Thank you
2 days, 16 hours ago
This is such a good tip and I will make sure that I remember it, I’m rubbish at keeping a consistent 1/4 inch seam, thanks for doing this blog!