Power Stripping with Kaffe

The postal system has yet to deliver my complimentary/contributor copy of 500 Art Quilts but the mail box today yielded other treats including this “designer roll” of 48, 2 1/2in selvedge to selvedge strips of Kaffe Fassett fabrics:

As you can see, I purchased my roll from Hancocks of Paducah but they are widely available and perfect for my “Power Stripping” projects such as Kaffe Tapestry. Indeed, I am proposing to make up a new teaching sample for my Power Strippingworkshop using ONLY the strips. Fortunately, there’s a reasonable (60/40) mix of darker and lighter values and, with around 3 metres of fabric, there is plenty to make a fun quilt top:

By the way, I’m teaching a Power Stripping workshop at the Australasian Quilt Convention and there are just a couple of places left. Be quick!

Welcome to SFO

When we arrived at our family accommodation at San Francisco, the guest bed was made up with a different quilt. Gone were the suffolk puffs from vintage scraps. In its place was a rose applique quilt with big stitch quilting made by one of the Laundry King’s aunts:

Here’s a close up:

One of my friends seems to think this may be a kit design from the 1950s. If you have any insights, please leave a comment. In the meantime, sleeping under a pink quilt helps me get into a pink groove for the first Twelve by Twelve Colourplay reveal on 12 December (US time) when our pink-inspired works will appear online.

Bordered & Basted

It’s been a B&B (borders and basting) day. Somehow the fabric I printed last month with Prints Charming has turned into an 80×80in bed quilt. The border fabric wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but the colours work and, quite serendipitously, the repeat on the stripe fitted my centre perfectly so that could mitre the corners. I’m planning on hand quilting this one with some bright perle threads. An added bonus is that it will keep me warm while I’m quilting.

Scrap Kaleidoscope

The studio clearance continues. One magazine that I will definitely be keeping is the February 2004 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting which features a modern interpretation of the moon over mountain block by Jean Wells that I used in making Taranaki Solstice:

The “mountain” parts are appliqued and I cut out the surplus backing fabric from behind. I found the 9″ scrap triangles yesterday and now they are on the design wall:

The colours make me happy and I’m planning on making a charity quilt for Quilt Camp where all contributions are donated to Ronald McDonald House.

Kaffe Tapestry: Quilted & Bound

As promised, here is a photo of Kaffe Tapestry, bound and quilted, albeit with some thread tails still to be sewn in. (It is not hanging flat due the fish sculpture mounted on the wall but otherwise it seems to be square and reasonably evenly quilted. Not that you can discern the quilting in these photos.)

I don’t have any scales in the house (apart from the kitchen kind) but estimate that it weighs a few kilos. No wonder my body feels tired from handling it over the last couple of weeks.

Thoughts on quilting bed quilts

After 15+ hours quilting scroll vines on a 240cm x 240cm (94 x94″) bed quilt, I remember why I’ve always favoured more forgiving all-over motifs when quilting bigger quilts. I quilt with my Bernina 150QE which does not have a very generous harp/throat size. I also prefer using 60/40 poly wool batting which adds a lot of extra weight to the quilt. Bulky, heavy quilt + small throat + a vine motif involving long, smooth, sweeping movements makes for a challenging combination - especially in the middle sections. I’ve pretty much finished quilting the centre panels now but still have the 10″ borders to go. Being on the edge, they’ll be much easier to handle but there’s still a lot of area to cover. All I can say is that commercial machine quilters earn every cent they are paid!

Celebrating Bed Quilts & Anne of Green Gables

One of the many pleasures of working on my latest quilt Kaffe Tapestry is knowing that it will make a wonderful bed quilt. Bed quilts are also celebrated in this passage from Anne of the Island when Anne goes away to university:

“… Mrs. Lynde gave Anne a patchwork quilt and loaned her five more.

“You take them,” she said authoritatively. “They might as well be in use as packed away in that trunk in the garret for moths to gnaw.”

No moths would ever have ventured near those quilts, for they reeked of mothballs to such an extent that they had to be hung in the orchard of Patty’s Place a full fortnight before they could be endured indoors. Verily, aristocratic Spofford Avenue had rarely beheld such a display. The gruff old millionaire who lived “next door” came over and wanted to buy the gorgeous red and yellow “tulip-pattern” one which Mrs. Rachel had given Anne. He said his mother used to make quilts like that, and by Jove, he wanted one to remind him of her. Anne would not sell it, much to his disappointment, but she wrote all about it to Mrs. Lynde. That highly-gratified lady sent word back that she had one just like it to spare, so the tobacco king got his quilt after all, and insisted on having it spread on his bed, to the disgust of his fashionable wife.

Mrs. Lynde’s quilts served a very useful purpose that winter. Patty’s Place for all its many virtues, had its faults also. It was really a rather cold house; and when the frosty nights came the girls were very glad to snuggle down under Mrs. Lynde’s quilts, and hoped that the loan of them might be accounted unto her for righteousness.”

Every student should have a bed quilt to snuggle under - I made Dunedin Dreaming for my sister Delia who, like Anne of Green Gables and me, also has red hair.

Incidentally, 2008 marks the centenary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables and kindred spirits throughout the world are celebrating (see, for example, www.anne2008.com and the LM Montgomery Institute). I don’t think I would ever want to visit Anne’s home of Prince Edward Island as it would spoil the images that I created in my own mind but I do plan to go back and read the books. I last read them in 2000 around the same time that I started quilting.

Working with Kaffe

For the past day or two I have been a little distracted with preparations for the Sydney Quilt Show which is only two months away. In addition to designing the layout, I have had the pleasure of liaising with the guest exhibitor - Kim McLean. Seventeen of her stunning large quilts will be on display including two Sydney Best of Show quilts from the early 1990s, together with Houston prize winners Hexagon Stars and, Turkish Tiles. Each of these four quilts has graced the cover of Quilters’ Newsletter Magazine so viewers are in for a real treat.

While her early quilts were made from reproduction fabrics, more recently Kim has been using contemporary fabrics. Princess Feathers features bright Kaffe Fassett fabrics and is a masterful example of a modern quilt made in keeping with the spirit of antique quilts. Be sure to come to the Sydney Quilt Show to see the quilts in person.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working with some Kaffe Fassett fabrics myself. Here’s a progress shot of Kaffe Tapestry which exemplifies my “Power Stripping” approach. You can learn the secrets of Power Stripping in my forthcoming workshops. There are still spaces available at the Horsley Patch (Tel: (02) 9620 1880) on 29 April or at the Terrigal class on 9 May. Feel free to e-mail me for more information.

Way back then

In preparation for my Quilt & Book talk at a local library tomorrow, I am going back to look at some of my early quilts such as this one that I made in 2002:

I learned so much making this quilt. It started when I found the “perfect” border fabric to go with our guest room. The entire quilt was designed around this border fabric. However, once I completed the piecing, I realised that the proposed border print just did not work as it competed with the quilt pattern. Five years later and that border fabric is still sitting in my stash…

A More Subdued Palette

Today’s damp and cool weather was not very conducive for dyeing. Instead I continued to do some office admin and then made a start on a new quilt. I’ve decided to try my Synchronicity pattern in a more subdued palette. I’m quite pleased with the way it is coming together:

I’ve only made 24 blocks so far. Obviously the finished quilt will have more variety. In a similar (but lighter) palette, see my sister Amy’s latest painting - I think it is great!