Friday, August 28, 2009

Will Be Missing You
Hi to the triangular ones. I will be really missing you and your little triangles on Wednesday night when I am away and you are finishing off your blocks. Make sure you post lots of pics so I can see how all those lovely colour combos came together in the final product. Happy Accuracy. L : )

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Triangles Continued

Lesson two of the "Working with Triangles" class was held last night. Last week we looked at sew and flip triangles. This week we made the same size triangles using a couple of different methods. It was interesting to see different students work out their preferences.

Here's J in full efficiency mode, making up a string of half-square triangles for her centre block:

She has cut her squares, drawn her diagonals and stitched her 1/4 inch seams on either side, now it's time to cut the triangles apart ready for pressing.

We also had a quick look at Flying Geese which will be used for the final border of this sample block. By the end of the session there was one little goose ready. I'm sorry I didn't capture it on my phone camera. There are more photos on the Neighbourhood House camera.

On Wednesday nights the Neighbourhood House is absolutely full. There's our quilting class in the North Studio, a computer class next door and yoga in the Children's Centre. Our class seems to be the last to finish, so we get visitors from the other groups as they come out of their classes and pop in to see what we're up to. That just adds to the excitement, especially as there's usually some work ready to be admired by then.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Triangles to Go

Yesterday was the first "Working with Triangles" class. I took several photos, but when I checked over them this morning, this was the only one that included any actual triangles. So here it is.
We used the "sew and flip" method for the first batch of triangles. In this pic J is marking the diagonal line across one of her squares. You can see the half-square triangle units she's already made in the foreground. I really like the way her floral and purple fabrics tone and contrast.

We spent a bit of time at the beginning of the class talking about colour values and making decisions about light, medium and dark fabrics, since the success of these blocks so often depends on the contrast between fabrics. Of course that meant we had a chance to admire the fabrics which each of the students had brought along.

Vireya's Friendship Star quilt, which featured in the last blog post here, was my demo quilt for the day. It was much admired and very effectively demonstrated the importance of colour value in block designs.

As for "Triangles to Go", we have a correspondence student signed up for this class. So I'll be exploring flexible ways of delivering the teaching to some-one who can't be there for the face-to-face class.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Quilters' Circle - 17th August, 2009

It's the third Monday in August, so the Quilters' Circle met again. We sewed, we chatted, we bought fund-raising pens from Leigh, we were shaken by trucks thundering past, we read Marie's magazines, and we drank cups of tea. Here's the what we achieved.

Vireya brought along a quilt featuring triangles to be used as an example in the "Working with Triangles" course which starts on Wednesday. This lap quilt is a scrappy version of the friendship star, and normally lives on Vireya's couch.



The friendship star is quite a simple a 9-patch block, consisting of a plain square in the centre surrounded by eight "half-square triangle" squares. Each square has a light side and a dark side, although some medium fabrics appear as both light and dark depending on the fabric they are paired with. I like the lattice-like secondary pattern formed by the light triangles when the blocks are put together.

Vireya spent the time today doing some embroidery on the fan block she was appliquéing last time.


Joy did some appliqué for her Japanese quilt which we have seen parts of here before, and told us about the adventures with the medical profession she has had since last we met. We hope the next round goes well!

Marie was trimming quilt-as-you-go blocks featuring dogs. Here's a preview of how they will look when they are put together.


That's just a small sample of the blocks - there are about 60 blocks all together. Aren't there some very cute fabrics in that quilt? The variety of fabrics you can find on any given theme is amazing. As further evidence of that, Marie brought along some bug fabrics to add to Leigh's collection.

Marilyn sewed down binding on this placemat:

She was pleasantly surprised at how much she got done in one session.

Our next meeting is the bonus 5th Monday in August, the 31st. If you can't join us in person between 1 and 3:30, come back here to see what we are all up to then.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Triangles start this week

Woo Hoo!!! The Working with Triangles classes start this week and I am very excited....both about the triangles, and about catching up with alot of the people who were in the Patchwork for Beginners class earlier this year. L : )

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Working with Triangles

There are already seven students enrolled in the "Working with Triangles" class. This class is a follow up on the beginners "Patchwork by Machine", class offered at Sussex in term 1. The sample block is now on display in the office.

Here is a pic I took before I dropped it off.
It's a 16 inch block, so it could easily be turned into a bag, cushion cover or small wallhanging.

There is a limit of eight students in this class, so get in quickly if you would like a spot!

I'll do my best to keep you posted on this blog as the classes get underway. There are only 3 sessions in the course and it's mainly about techniques, but it's always fun to have a project to work on.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Quilters' Circle - 3rd August, 2009

Today is the first Monday in August, so the Quilters' Circle met again to sew, chat, and admire each others' work.

Leigh brought in her "stack 'n' slash"-style quilt. Here's a close-up of the beads she is using to embellish the quilt:


The beads serve two purposes - helping to hold the quilt sandwich together, and looking very cute! The background of those ladybirds, and the fabric in the upper left, are both purple, but somehow the camera has lost a lot of the purpleness. The shot below of the whole quilt really doesn't do it justice. I've tried to adjust the colours but I can't get the proper lush purple effect.


Marie and Marilyn each worked on projects that have already featured in the blog, and both also brought along a special project they are working on with another group they both belong to. Details and photos may appear some time in the future, as the project is a surprise for someone.

We had a visit from a local patchworker who came to check out what we do. We hope she will join us to sew and chat in future.

Joy added some embroidery to blocks for her blue Baltimore-album quilt. One of her blocks has been shown here previously, on the 4th May. If you click on the photos you can get a super-sized view, which allows you to see the details. Here's another block from the quilt, featuring a lovely woven basket:


Joy also showed us her plan for putting these blocks together, which left us all gob-smacked. Each block is full of intricate detail, but the final quilt will contain so much more.

Vireya has finished the vase of flowers block from Esther Aliu's Red Delicious quilt. Here it is, along with two previously completed blocks from the same project (the red ones), and the beginnings of the next block (the purple fan). Today the fan block received some appliquéd leaves, and it will get some embroidery and ribbons before it is finished.


The neighbourhood house is approaching its 18th birthday, and we all had to sign the card:


The pen may give you some idea of the size of the card. Those shiny circles are little mirrors, but a camera flash isn't really the best way to capture their sparkle. Happy birthday, Sussex!

Our next meeting is 17th August, 1:00pm. Hope to see you there!