Better late than never - My Red and White Quilt

Last year I attended the Sydney Quilt show and was totally enthralled by the Red and White exhibition.  I had actually started a quilt to enter into the exhibition, but did not get very far with it.  Since then I have started 2 and finished one of them.  The finished one is here for you to see.

Under usual circumstances I would have hand quilted this little quilt, but I just did not have the time as I needed it as a class sample.  Also, I did not want to spoil the whole thing by trying out my machine quilting!

I asked my friend Chris if she would be at all interested in quilting it for me.  This was not a random request of a friend who is a "good machine quilter".  Chris is a spectacular Prize Winning quilter, who has only become a machine quilter in recent years.  She has always been an exquisite hand quilter, but decided to expand her skills  -  with breathtaking results.  I made the request on a business basis, and it appears I am her first customer...lucky me!  You can see the results here.  Beyond the call of duty I would say, don't you think?

Should you be able to attend the Australian Machine Quilting Festival, later this year, you will find Chris O'Brien as one of the Tutors, and there may be a vacancy in one of her classes.  I signed up, as I want to get a bit more confidence and learn a few of the expert tips.

This festival is not just for professional machine quilters - it is for everyone, and there are great lectures, and market stalls, for those who love to shop.  I have no connection to the Festival, other than a participant.

On the workshop associated with the little red and white quilt, I will be teaching for Victorian Quilters on 14th August.  I am travelling to Melbourne on 13th August for the Annual General Meeting, and teaching the workshop the next day.  I will also be teaching the Rose Garden quilt.

which is hand pieced and hand appliqued blocks.  If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with the Victorian Quilters about vacancies.  Hope to see you then.

A little Red and White

Last year I went to the Sydney Quilt show and they had a really spectacular Red and White exhibition.  I had planned on an entry, but never quite got it all together.  However, the idea never left me.

I am always looking for ideas for workshops/classes, but I only want to make things to teach that I really like.  It was September last year when I showed the first couple of blocks HERE.  The designs are based on the German paper cutting craft Scherenschnitte.  You really have to work on your applique skills with this one.  You get to do inner and outer curves, inner and outer points, and cut outs.

So it all came to a head this last week when I had to get some project ideas ready for the Victorian Quilters Guild.  I have been invited to go to Melbourne in August to speak at their AGM, and do a workshop the next day.  Ok, time to get cracking on this one!  The border??  I woke up around 5am one day thinking I would do a machine piece zig zag border.  Got the books out for ideas, but changed my mind.  No it had to be appliqued.......and following in the paper cutting idea.

I cut a strip of paper as long as the borders, and folded in in half, and quarters and kept folding until it looked ok.  Then I marked points and made the cuts.  Folding it out, I had the right look.

I had added 4"white borders, and used the paper to draw lines on the back of them.

I put the red strips onto the right side of the borders, and from the back, I stitch on the machine, on the lines.  Here you can see the lines on the right side.  This is exactly the same as doing the "back basting"preparation by hand, but takes a fraction of the time.  Set your stitch length about 4 to make it easier.

I did two opposites at a time, then joined them in the corners with a neat stitch overlapping.

When you start with the applique, it is exactly the same technique used if you had tacked by hand.  You clip the machined stitches, then turn them under, and hand stitch in place.  However, there is a huge bonus in using the machine to tack (apart from the time saved)

Can you see the lines left when you take out the stitches?  They are really easy to see, and work as your guide to turn under.  You can use the machine to tack on any of the applique projects, but it works best of all of course, on the straight lines rather than the curves.  If you are more skilled than I am at manipulating the sewing machine, then you could use it on the curved applique as well.

Add the final 2 opposite sides and your done.  I had this done in two days and ready to photograph and send off to the Vic Quilters for the workshop.  I have to get it quilted now, but I can work on that later.

If you are a member of the Vic Quilters Guild I will be there in August and hope to meet some of you.