On the Move

2003: A Year of Big Decisions

The year 2002 had passed in a blur with the promise that 2003 would be no easier.  I had made the decision to finish my work contract and move to India – an opportunity of a life-time.  I needed time to think about how I was going to approach this in terms of my quilting life and as I had just purchased my new Bernina (my reward for finishing uni), I also had a stack of UFO’s needing some attention. 

I made my decision fairly quickly – take only minimal “supplies” to India, go with an open mind and explore what’s available there.  Then began a mad panic to machine quilt up pre-prepared tops and baste any others as I went. All this whilst packing our household into storage for safe keeping.  I gave myself 12 months to plan, prepare and pack.

Even so, there was time for a few little extras:

Felting Workshop with Tjenka Murray Feb 2003

Despite all this activity, I did manage a weekend stay out in the Bathurst area to attend a felting workshop with Tjenka Murray (Feb 2003).  The Randwick girls were keen to try this increasingly popular craft and had fallen for nuno felting.  We had a wonderful day with our hands in soap & water, kneading and pummelling bits of colourful wool fibre – trying to make it look respectable!

Well, I think it was worth a try but found I wasn’t that enthusiastic.  Back to quilting then and onwards with my mission to finish as many UFO's as I could.

Bondi Evening Group

Alison's Farewell Quilt - Keeping a Japanese Theme

The Bondi Evening Group says farewell

Our friendly Bondi Evening Embroidery Group sent in some items for an exhibition at the Guild HQ, including the quilt we had made in 2002 (wools & wagga).  I sent along my “Exploring Old Kyoto” and the Hussief. 

Sadly for us though, Alison was also on the move.  So we had a little bash, right on Christmas…  Naturally, we gifted her a quilt. It was made using Japanese fabrics and blocks of sashiko stitched medallions.  I have no details for this group quilt only a pre-digital photo.  

Old Kyoto Inspiration

Exploring Old Kyoto: 2003  (Started: 2002)

Whilst at a Hearts & Hands workshop in Wentworth Falls to make our Japanese Puzzle quilt in May 1999, we had seen another Japanese style quilt that intrigued us and were keen to make.  Yvonne had sourced patterns (it may have featured in a magazine about that same time too), so we decided to make one together.  Luckily, my stash of Japanese fabrics was boosted somewhat after the Japan trip (2000) and the time ripe for making something with blues.    

Learning Sashiko techniques with Hitomi
(Photo by Y Franges) 

Our inspiration to begin the quilt had come from a sashiko class held by Hitomi Fujita, Quilting Heart. We had met Hitomi at the recent Quilters Gathering in 2001 and the Bondi Evening Embroidery Group was keen to learn the intricacies of sashiko stitching. 

Who better to teach us than Hitomi! So with a group made up of both our embroidery (Alison & Bondi Evening Group, NSW Embroiders Guild) and quilting friends we arranged a date with Hitomi (21/4/02) to undertake some serious stitching.    

What to do with our class samples?  Well, what better than pieced up with this modified courthouse steps block?  The quilt went together well and quickly.  We added a folded trim in that lovely brick red so popular in Japanese fabrics to add some oomph.  Then the backing became a rather dynamic collection of a tablecloth I had brought in Japan, some American Japanese style prints and a few extra sashiko blocks for good measure.  It felt good to be working with a measure of "making do".

I finished it off by machine stay stitch quilting, then added crow foot tack & some ties for textural detail.

Having even more fun with the backing!

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 133 x 133cm
Block Sizes: 24.5cm
Cut in: 21^st April 2002
Pieced & Basted: Machine 2002
Quilted: Machine & Hand 2003
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2003
Exhibited: Embroiders Guild, 2003
Collection: Gifted 3 Oct 2023
Pattern Name: Courthouse Steps (Log Cabin variation)
Pattern Source: Hearts & Hands, Wentworth Falls
Fabrics Purchased: Japan 2000
Fabric Design: Prints & Plains
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Mountain Mist Poly Batt
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
This was a nice quilt to stitch (sashiko) and make. I suspect that I got a move on to get it finished to send, along with my finished Hussif, for the Embroiders Guild Exhibition in 2003. Having deadlines can really work to advantage sometimes!

Happy Stitchers

 

Learning Sashiko Stitching

Paper Cranes: 2003  (Started: 2001)

I started this small quilt at a workshop with Hitomi Fujita.  It was a residential course, part of the 2001 Quilters Gathering held at Frensham Girls School, Mittagong 6-11 July 2001.  Yvonne & I had arrived home after our Japan adventure in 2000 with heaps of fabrics suitable for this class, so I was particularly keen to start piecing with them and of course, learn the technique of sashiko stitching.

At home on Bribie Island

Not sure of colour choices for this quilt, I took one of my boxes full of my purchases from Japan.  Hitomi and I had fun looking through my stash and we both admired the different textures and colourways available in Japanese fabric.

The workshop was well organised and I thoroughly enjoyed my peaceful days stitching in the lovely gardens around the school.  We were well looked after, the catering excellent and dorm buddies tolerant. 

However, I’m not sure I was cut out for live-in workshop life.  During a break in class, I put on the kettle and blew out the electricity.  Somehow I managed this twice, causing great consternation, especially from owners of “electronic” Berninas who thought (somewhat bossily) that the sudden power loss was going to damage their beloved, high tech machines beyond repair.  My own Bernina was later to survive a three year stint in Indian and Nepal; not only being dragged from pillar to post but also managing to cope with regular but erratic power outages. 

But we all survived, machines remained intact (although sense of humours were somewhat fragile) and I managed to complete this quilt….eventually.  

As I gave this quilt away (perhaps 7/12/2006?), I only have a few photos and no detail until my next visit.  (Ed Note: Size aprox 152cm x 152cm).  

(Hitomi had the Quilting Heart shop at the time and Marilyn, who ran the Gathering, owns Marilyn's Craft Corner in Ulladulla.) 

Adding a little extra to the backing

Signature block just a bit too subtle perhaps?

Seams So Easy

Japanese Puzzles: 2003  (Started: 1999)

Japanese Puzzles

Started on 30^th May 1999 at a workshop with some of the Randwick Girls at Hearts & Hands store located in Station Street, Wentworth Falls in the beautiful Blue Mountains.  Sadly, this store is no longer open. Jan Ingall Walker was our tutor for the class. 

Jan had taken the idea for her quilt from a pattern in a Japanese quilt magazine (with all directions in Japanese, of course!) and was fascinated by the complex piecing required to complete this sampler quilt.  She finished her own quilt in indigos using Japanese fabrics.  Rather than work in a traditional palette, I chose lighter shades of blue and added a pumpkin yellow for contrast.

A quote hides an additional border to adjust
my block to the right size 

Each block required meticulous attention to detail, machine seams needed to be perfect.  Even our experienced seamstresses found the going tricky; many blocks were sewn and re-sewn.  Finally we each had a top pieced from 6 finished blocks.

Some of the blocks refused to settle nicely and there were many seams, so rather than quilt, I chose a combination of tying and a bold stitch called Crows Foot using a Perle #8 thread.  This stitch is recommended by Hopkins & Martin and not only did I really enjoy the stitching process but also found it complemented the busy quilt design rather nicely.  I machine stabilised the blocks before tying though.

Crows Foot close-up

At the time I was reading about Lady Murasaki (c 973 – c1014 or 1025) who had written “Tales of the Genji” based on court manners during that particular Japanese dynasty.  The complexity of the puzzles seemed a suitable representation of the remarkable haiku from the Edo Period.  I added a quote from the book to a finished block using a Pigma Micron 0.1 brown pen.  I was starting to tune into various inspirations around me (in particular the textiles I had seen at the exhibition of Choson Dynasty Korean texiles), yet adding something of my own style to workshop projects.  I must admit that this is one of my favourites...

This is a much nicer photo taken at the
Australia Day Exhibition 2010

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 155x 155cm
Block Size: 36cm
Cut in: 1999
Pieced & Basted: Machine 2001
Quilted: Hand tied 2003
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2003
Exhibited:  Australia Day 2010
Collection: Home# 032
Pattern Name: Japanese Sampler
Pattern Source: Workshop with Jan Ingall Walker
Fabrics Purchased: 1995
Fabric Design: Floral
Fabric Style: US Cottons
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
Constructing this pattern really brought home the importance of keeping seams as accurate as possible!   Sometimes over the course of constructing a quilt I might piece on two machines (my Bernina and Elna).  It’s also not unusual to have a lighter workshop or travelling machine.  However just a slight variation in seam width made a huge difference over the entirety of each block.  I felt a huge sense of achievement in finally getting this top pieced.

And the other important lesson was not to panic when your blocks balloon madly.  Quilting really does “pull everything together” in more ways than one!

Cottage in Bloom

Cottage Garden & Cottage Garden in Bloom: 2003  (Started: 1998)

A couple of us were invited to attend a Windflower Workshop with Sandra Edwards run by a neighbouring local group (a Sunday Group) at Maroubra on the 4 July 1988.

This was a fun quickie quilt and I had enough pre-cut pieces to make 2 single bed size quilts.  I found it easy to machine piece and learnt how to join 8 point stars (I wonder if I could still remember how to do it so precisely today?).  We also learnt rotary cutting techniques which proved invaluable over the years.  Just to keep it hands on, there was some hand applique of leaves & stems.

First Twin (Cottage Garden) #29

Backing CG #1

Blues with mustards and pumpkins were my colours of choice, with a few hand-dyed blues thrown in for good measure (more on that later, but I’m guessing you know what I’m going to say!).  I even tea-dyed my background fabric (seeded calico) to make it more interesting. 

For backing, I added leftover blocks plus “interesting” bits.  There were probably enough leftover pinwheel blocks to have made a third quilt but two of the same is really my limit.  I discovered that my temperament suits making one of a kind, and then needs to move on to the next challenge.  I’m not good at repeating…

Nearly Twins #2 (Cottage Garden in Bloom #30)

Fewer scraps for the back of this one, CGiB
(note 3 dye splotches on back)

Anyway, I eventually machine quilted in a pattern of straight lines, quite basic really, as I was just starting to feel comfortable using my new Bernina and that fabulous walking foot.  Still a cautious machine quilter and not quite ready to cast off the walking foot for a go at free-motion quilting!  Both quilts were all machined by Sep or Oct 2003, part of my wild effort to get as many UFO’s finished before I departed for India, Feb 2004.  Our notes described the finished SB quilt as a cottage garden of flowers, hence my quilt titles. 

Cute pinwheels

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 131x 175cm (CG) 131x 174cm  (CGiB)
Block Size: 6 ½”
Cut in: 1998
Pieced & Basted: Machine 2001
Quilted: Machine 2003
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2003
Exhibited:  No
Collection: Home# 029 & # 030
Pattern Name: Workshop provided - Pinwheel
Pattern Source: Traditional
Fabrics Purchased: 1998
Fabric Design: Prints & Plains
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
This is one of those sad washing tales. I keep my quilts flat on a bed in a spare room and usually air them for a short time over Christmas when the bed is needed for family or guests. One year I arrived home to a pile of musty smelling quilts. A south facing window had been left open and I suspect it had allowed moisture into the room.  There was nothing left to do but to wash everything.  I’m no fussbudget and use the washing machine (on a gentle cycle) to give my quilts a bit of a wash. Aside from using a woolmix & conditioner (both Earth Choice) I also add a dash of Dettol to the rinse water for good measure.  This washing project (over a couple of days) worked a treat with only two casualties.  One was my Amish houses wallhanging.  The black cloth I’d used for a background must have been poor quality and a few little pieces shredded a bit.  The second casualty was my Country Garden quilts.  The quilts held up fine but the hand dyed blue I used bled, even through to the backing.  It’s not a major disaster, certainly only noticeable to the quilt- trained eye but worthy of follow-up…one day.  So, the lesson is to test hand-dyes (& perhaps all other fabrics if you're especially keen) for those renegade dyes!

A close-up of the nasty dye effect

Hexagon Crazy

Khan's Quilt: 2003  (Started: 1998)

A scrappy pastel achieved with little effort or worry!

This was a quilt that started very slowly, but soon gained momentum and gradually became an addiction.  I especially enjoyed making it because each hexie was a finished product and a quilt just grew before your eyes.  This was also a great way to use up left over scraps of both wadding and fabric.  I would sit in front of the telly at night and just stitch a few together.  A real no-brainer!

Generally, the idea was to make the centre of each hexagon a dark colour and the back a light.  This resulted in an effective double sided quilt; although I must say that I much prefer the light side for my bed.

We started making the hexagons around 1998 with the RLI girls (I think it was Yvonne’s idea) and perhaps decided that it had grown enough by 2002.  Meanwhile I used the quilt on my bed watching it grow. 

It’s not signed or dated – only because it had potential to grow.  It was Khan’s (my favourite cat) favourite quilt. He loved to sleep under it, hence its name.

I eventually found a pattern for this quilt in the Patchwork & Quilting 1997 Year Book p.100.  I think the hexagon size is larger; mine measures a side of 1¾“.  However I did rather like the border shown in the pattern as a nice finish for the quilt.  Perhaps one day…when I’ve finished mine “for sure”. ;- )

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 165x 169cm
Block Size: as per templates; 1 ¾“side
Cut in: 1998
Pieced & Basted: Hand 1998
Quilted: Hand 2003
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2003
Exhibited:  Australia Day 2010
Collection: Home# 031
Pattern Name: Hexagons
Pattern Source: Traditional
Fabrics Purchased: Scraps
Fabric Design: Scraps
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
This was one of those relax & have fun kind of quilts.  Sometimes we can get a bit serious about “our art” but this one retains something of the real quiltmaking ethos & heritage - just made easy!

Not on his quilt but none-the-less asleep (2006)