Never Give Up...

Floral Wreath: 2014

The completed block minus blue lines now part of my Windom Quilt

Finally, my floral wreath sample block started in Elizabeth Kennedy's class in 1989 at the Armidale Symposium has been completed.  Yes, it's only one block but really something to get excited about....it's been a long time in the making!

Part of the reason I disliked this block was that I had left blue fabric marking pen lines covering the design.  And they had heat set - a nightmare....  Nothing seemed to help remove them so I just gave up.  Finally, I decided that the only course of action (after some 16 years!!) was to embroider or applique strategically over the lines and splotches.  Besides, I had purchased a pattern in Mittagong at Timeless Threads - if I recall it was at their closing sale - called the Windom Quilt and I wanted a central medallion.  Why not use this block and get it off the UFO list?

Ah, but those dreaded blue lines!  Then of course I threw it in the washing machine with a good dose of "Vanish" waiting for the worst to happen.  But true to name, those lines just vanished.  Now, finished in 2014, it has a home.

Home# 021: 1989 started

Size: 51 x 51cm (without border)

Russian Red 2008

Getting All Antsy Pantsy*: UFO  (Started:2008)

Hard at Work at the NSW Embroiders Guild, Concord

It seems hard to imagine that I started my Explorer Series 7 years ago.  Where did that time go?  In 2008, I signed up for an Art Quilt class at the NSW Embroiders Guild with Carolyn Sullivan in the vain hope that working in this genre would better suit me.  I wanted to work smaller, more creatively and in series (in effect - smarter).  (Does that sound a familiar refrain?)  It was also a great opportunity to learn how to better organise a journal (or two).  The classes ran over 8 sessions starting in Feb, so it was a full year commitment.  I was very happy that some of my Randwick quilters signed up with me – we often met out of class to inspire each other and thus managed to finish many of our set projects. 

  #1 The Research Station (33 x 33cm) 2008

#2. Coral Garden (32 x 38cm) 2008

Whilst my plan was grand indeed, I managed to miss a couple of sessions and so those pieces sit quietly in my UFO box waiting, waiting…  My journal though is quite a resource and if I live to 100, may get round to exploring some of the many ideas that came out of it.  It was a fun and thoughtful class, certainly guaranteed to shake out the cobwebs and lead you gently into the world of art.  Sometimes you just need that!

As I wanted to work in series, I set myself a theme of “exploring an exotic life”.  My inspiration was the life and work of a Russian Marine Scientist who lived and worked in Sydney (1878-1887).  Explorers, maps, travel, the ocean & its creatures and Russian red drove my design choices within our monthly sessions.

So began my Voyages of Discovery. My Explorer Series (Collection# 51) followed our monthly tasks:

1. Built Environment - Windows (The Research Station)
2. Natural Environment - Leaves (Coral Garden)
3. Natural Environment – Networks (Voyages of Discovery)
4. Women’s Work
5. Simplify the View (Immersion - yet to be finished)
6. Personal Icons & Symbolism
7. Movement (Rock, Paper, Scissors)
8. Just Script

#3. Voyages of Discovery (38 x 48cm) 2008

#7.  Rock, Paper, Scissors (46 x 47cm) 2008

*My family interpretation of this saying, antsy pantsy was "that you were getting a bit above yourself" or a little bit fancy.  Does that help?  No, probably not.....

And if you're wondering, the dragonfly is a symbol of regeneration & change.  I also added an inked stamp from a Chinese chop (seal or name stone) that I had made in Singapore.  The red threads were added for "luck & prosperity".  These "marks" were on all the pieces I made in this series.

#5.  Immersion (& a work in progress still!)

A Room with a View

The remainder of 2007 is covered with a few interesting activities; some solitary and others community.  It was a nice mix.  And it was oh. so. good. to be active (and on two legs) again….

Mother’s Cot Quilt for Sophie: 2007

This was a mercy dash project for my MIL who had purchased a quilt kit not knowing that she needed to sew anything!  So, to save the day I put together and quilted this baby quilt for the most recent addition to the family.  Finished and mailed off by mid year.  Ah yes, what a hero!

Alluvium IV Exhibition on Dangar Island: 2007

Just as well I didn’t linger over this cot quilt as locals were being asked to participate in what was the 4^th exhibition of local talent in our Community Hall.  It was billed as an exhibition of a “collection of fine articles celebrating our unique river culture” and took place over 14-15^th July 2007.  There was a special opening night on 13^th July and my work hung with a collection by other patchworkers.  At this stage, I had not investigated participating in a local group, although at the time there was quite an active one on the island and it was nice to know they were there.

Quilting Class with Kim Bradley:

I made the decision to commit to quilting my own UFO’s on the domestic (Bernie Bernina) and managed to catch a class with Kim Bradley at the Castle Hill Bernina office (25/7/07).  It was very good; I learned heaps and still use the pencil drawings for design planning in current projects.  Sadly we only did half a day quilting (and I began seriously lusting after the new-ish BSR) then spent the remainder dabbling in manipulating fabrics with crayons & pencils.  Not my “thing” but very vogue as any reader of Quilting Arts Magazine will attest.

Two other activities of interest occurred that year.  Firstly the Pasha Bulker washed up on Newcastle’s beach (30/6/07) and we, along with many others, just had to make a sightseeing trip.  The beach was off limits so we had to view this giant of the sea from a nearby cliff.  Not having been to Newcastle for many years, it was good to see well considered city redevelopment. This incident, of course, offered little of textile significance but much in the way of inspiration for artists of many disciplines. (I've been a bit glib and not mentioned ecological ramifications of this event.  It was quite a serious incident.)

Finally, we headed off on a tour of Vietnam & Malaysia in August.  Fond reminiscing if you will.  I’ve covered the trip at length in Textile Tourist – this was the start of my blogging life – so I won’t add more here other than to redirect to my Vietnam posts.  And yes, there is always something textile to consider or discover!

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.  

Back to Geelong

Geelong Forum 2002: Workshop with Clare Plug

I finally found the time (and courage) to attend a Fibre Forum gathering. Exciting stuff for the average punter!   I had chosen to do a course with Clare Plug – one that didn’t necessarily result in yet another UFO. Well, we can all live in hope?  In fact, we could work on something already in progress that perhaps just needed a little kick start or new eyes to help it along. Yay!

Our class promo had promised us design exercises, group discussions and technique demonstrations to get us to “venture beyond our comfort zones”.  I have to say it did just that and encouraged us to think about what our “message” was.

From day one we started the process of collecting reference pieces – photos, drawings, samples etc.  From here on in we were asked to allow the creative process to take control of an idea – not to interfere (cerebrally) with it too much.  Finally, we looked at various options created by altering design, composition and borders.  Then, after being offered various coping strategies, we were on our own.

I really enjoyed the workshop and learned heaps.  I will say it took me almost until the end of those 5 days to “relax” and the project I took along to prep up stalled a little – my own fault as I kept overthinking and changing my mind. It remains in the UFO box but one day I hope to have a sudden inspiration and get on with it.

The material Clare gave us was interesting and her encouragement inspirational.  To this day I keep a resource book of design ideas.  Perhaps one day I will get round to making them instead of just drawing them!

(UFO Home #041 ) & photos to come.....eventually ; )

Here's a link to The Textile Blog post by John Hopper (2010) to read about Clare's work. 

Dyeing a Rainbow

Dyeing Workshop with Gail Simpson; 2002

This two day workshop, as part of the July 2002 Quilters Gathering at Mittagong, allowed me to play with dyes.  I have a fondness for Procion – it’s easy to use, not complicated to mix up and produces some wonderful colours on cotton fabrics. 

Even in the pot you can see differences

Gail Simpson, who produces her own range of hand-dyes, bravely led us on a colour discovery tour.  We spent the days mixing potions to produce rainbow ranges, cut vast lengths of fabric into sizes big enough to stuff into small take-away cups, and had fun adding salt or other resist materials to make our product more interesting.  Instead of chatting and relaxing after dinner, we spent our time gathered around washing machines rinsing (& salting) samples to ensure the dyes did not run. When dry, we packed them into plastic lunch-sized baggies to take home

It was a busy two days but we did come out of it with a large tub of our own hand-dyed fabrics – some conveniently packed into a rainbow assortment – and a ton of notes & samples that I later converted into a ready reference book. 

Great ideas - just waiting to be put to use!

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?

Egyptian Inspiration

Cairo Stars: 2002  (Started: 2000)

Cairo Stars - a quick fix & fun experiment

The colours for this quilt were inspired by a poster of Egyptian museum pieces – all ochres, turquoise and yellows.  It looked so exotic and I was up for something “completely different”.  I had also seen a star pattern I was interested in trying out, but in the end I was too lazy to draft it up so went with a less complicated design.  I chose two blocks – a simple 4 patch and a star from 1937 (in a Jinny Beyer book)  I hadn’t done much in the way of patchwork in 2000, so this was the perfect remedy.  Nice ‘n easy to piece and in only a few days I had a sunny, scrappy top. 

The top had a wide border area perfect for hand quilting and having been inspired by a course I had recently finished with Luixin Newman (Hand Quilting, 19/8/00),  I decided to continue my learning on this top.  As luck would have it, I found a rather nice pattern in a New Zealand Quilter Magazine (#38, 2001) and I was able to put Luixin’s expert tutelage to good use. Mind you, my stitches have a lot more “perfecting” to go before I’m capable of reproducing Luixin’s fine (really, really, tiny!) stitches.

I managed to cut and piece this quilt at Watsons Bay.  It was ready for quilting by 30/12/01 so despite a busy schedule I was able to progressively hand quilt it - cross-hatch the centre and a lovely fan for the border (a relaxing way to finish off a busy work day) at Kensington. 

The result isn't particularly "Egyptian", that was more about the inspiration for this design but it did make for a nice change of colours for me to tackle.  And there is always something so comforting & soft about a quilt that is hand quilted. 

A nice feather

Leftovers used in a quilt label

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 152 x 199cm
Block Sizes: 9.5”
Cut in: 2000
Pieced & Basted: Machine 2001
Quilted: Hand 2002
Quilt Type: Own Design
Quilt Finished: 2002
Exhibited: Dangar Island Australia Day 2010
Collection: Home# 039
Pattern Name: Indian Star1937 & a Simple Four Patch
Pattern Source: Jinny Beyer’s “The Quilters Album of Blocks & Borders” p46
Fabrics Purchased: A stash buster
Fabric Design: Prints & Plains
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Mountain Mist Poly Batt
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
This was a nice simple quilt – a rainy day special. Whilst I quite like the result and it certainly provided a perfect vehicle for practicing hand quilting, I’m not sure that it challenged me.  I began to ask myself whether I really needed to make more quilts if this was all I was going to achieve.  So, rumble, rumble, the wheels of change were set in motion.

Luminary Assets

Rosy Autumn: 2010  (Started: 2000)

Our King Parrots felt right at home

We (four of our RLI group) had somehow lucked in with a place for a day’s workshop with colour master extraordinaire, Kaffe Fassett.  We assembled (nervously) at the Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre on 18^th June 2000, with great hopes that he could teach us his best colour secrets in only a few hours. 

Our homework had simply been to assemble a collection of blowsy prints in either autumn or spring colourways.  We had even been told not to be afraid to tea dye various selections to have them “fit” better and  warned off overly “matching” our selections too.  I chose a tawny rose selection - autumn colours that I probably wouldn’t have normally selected in a combo of bright reds, rusty oranges and eucalypt greens.

The pattern, Tawney Rosy, was in Kaffe’s book “Patchwork”.  It involved placing our fabric selections into a simple formula that allowed us to develop our eye for colour selections. (I’m not sure I was really convinced it would work at the start!)

• Fabric A: bold large scale florals
• Fabric B: smaller scale prints
• Fabric C: neutrals including stripes, plaids, tone prints or toiles

These fabrics were then chopped up into different sized blocks (see his book for the recipe!) to be ready on the day to play.  

An explosion of colour

And play we did!  If Kaffe thought you needed another fabric to “improve” your set, he would happily delve into a neighbour’s stockpile.  We learned how to share – and consider our selections – shaking up the usual suspects.  Both Kaffe and Brendon Mabley made the day very challenging yet most rewarding.  By the end of it we had a top pinned (to a flannel sheet) ready to machine. Go Rinny!

I finally had my quilt basted by Dec 2001 but it took me a couple of machine quilting classes (Lee Cleland & Kim Bradley) and lots of practice to give me the confidence to take on the quilting.  It was some 9 years later, (2010) before I felt that I had the right pattern & technique to finish!   Now I look back, I believe one thing that held me back was that no matter what I did to the quilt, I felt it was always going to be a KF quilt.  Eventually I chose a simple an autumn leaf design (that I made up myself) and even managed a decorative label to finish it off. 

King Parrots - two males, one a rare albino; 

This is my label.  I guess you knew that!

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 169 x 172cm
Block Sizes: 9”; 4.5”; 3”
Cut in: 2000
Pieced & Basted: Machine 2001
Quilted: Machine 1995
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2010
Exhibited: Dangar Island Australia Day 2011
Collection: Home# 038
Pattern Name: Kaffe’s Nine Patch, Rosy Autumn
Pattern Source: Kaffe Fassett’s “Patchwork” p68
Fabrics Purchased: Group Choice
Fabric Design: Prints & Plains
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Thin Poly Batt
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
I still can’t believe how fortunate we were to get places at a workshop on mastering simplicity, colour and style with this amazing textile artist and his clever assistant. You just couldn’t do it now!  It is always worth the effort to challenge your perceptions, understand your limitations and learn from master artists.  I can see the true value in experiencing shared learning.  An experience not to be forgotten!

Taking a Quick Break

Kitty Needle Keeper: 1999

I joined a workshop late in 1999 (18th Sep) to add Kitty to my growing basket of sewing goodies.  A tutor (whom I've momentarily forgotten) ran the day for us and in only a short time we finished this cute & very helpful, little needle pouch.

For anyone interested, the pattern is from "Needleworks" by Kindred Spirits. 

Isn't it Always a Journey?

Ugly Twisters: 2010  (Started: 1999)

Hanging at Dangar Island Australia Day Quilt Exhibition 2011
(Margaret's bright hexagon flowers are on the right) 

This is a quickie strippy I did with Judy Hooworth at Maroubra with the Eastern Suburbs Quilters 28^th August 1999.  I can’t remember the exact details but somehow recall we had to bring our uglies with the intention of slapping them into something likeable…..  

It really was fast to piece but needless to say I didn’t like the resulting top (can you really make uglies attractive?).  Mind you, others in our workshop were more successful in creating attractive tops – perhaps I was trying too hard…  Eventually I added an outrageous border to pull it all together.  This improved it very little!  It’s rather a shame because I put together a pieced backing that I thought was rather nice. 

Finally by the end of 2001, the top made it to my pile needing backing & basting!  This was the start of my roundup in 2003 in prep for

a. my much anticipated new Bernina (read life-saving machine quilting), and

b. as part of my “clean up” of the UFO pile, which regrettably, I am still working through!

But still this top lingered, unloved.  Needing finished quilts to display for our 2011 Australia Day exhibition, I made an effort to get this one completed and have to say that I am finally at rest with this project – it doesn’t look too bad now.  I stitched a cable pattern in the wholecloth strips (hand quilted with sashiko thread) and machine quilted various feather cables in the pieced strips.  It looked quite good hanging up.  Maybe those uglies are finally growing on me…

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 142x 142cm
Block Size: 5“
Cut in: 1999
Pieced & Basted: 2001
Quilted: Machine & hand 2010
Quilt Type: Workshop
Quilt Finished: 2010
Exhibited:  Australia Day 2011
Collection: Home# 033
Pattern Name: Simple 4 patch
Pattern Source: Judy Hooworth
Fabrics Purchased: Stash
Fabric Design: Mixed & Uglies
Fabric Style: Cotton
Materials Type: Cotton
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Cotton

Lessons Learned:
This was a nothing ventured, nothing gained workshop.  We all had fun and relaxed.  It is too easy to get caught up in “overthinking” projects wanting them to work out perfectly – every time and instantly…  This quilt slowly evolved, benefiting from a little time in the UFO box and improvement in my quilting skills.  Fresh eyes, either your own after being well rested, or those of a friend willing to say it like it is, can turn around an ugly.  Time spent in reflection is never wasted!

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.  Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”  Don Williams Jr (poet & songwriter)

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!