Tuesday 23 September 2014

Eye Candy from Germany

(Editor's note: this post has come from Sheila, who has recently returned from holiday. Thank you so much Sheila for thinking of us and taking the time to write this post.)

Hello everyone.

Been on my hols to friends in Augsburg and found out via the German Quilters Association that there was a quilt exhibition a short distance away, in Kösching , a small  town (about the size of Boston Spa). So off we went.

It was held in buildings which had previously been a convent and are now for civic use. Beautiful rooms , very light ,  with oak floors . 

The Diamond Quilters seem to have a nucleus of about 18 quilters ,who have a broad range of talent and interest. They also make “exceedingly good cakes “.

I was impressed by the level of skill and also by the  gorgeous fabrics ,  mostly supplied by Angelica , who has a quilt shop in the village. 

Age range about the same as our group. As with all quilters , a very friendly lot .

Hilmar , our friend’s husband was really impressed and even my  other half (who never goes near a quilt show )  said he’d enjoyed it !

To the ladies of the Diamond Quilters ,  Kösching ,who are going to look in to our blog       "Vielen Dank fuer eine schoene Austellung . Wir hoffen dass Sie ein  erfolgreiches Wochenende hatten. “

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Friday 19 September 2014

In the Spotlight ...

... today is Janet.  Janet was the co-founder of our group along with Hazel, who was in the spotlight last month.  (You can go here to learn all about Hazel.) So read on to learn more about Janet.

Who/what inspired you to start quilting?  
I saw some fabric scraps in The Skep in Farsley in 2000 and thought to myself ‘I think I’ll make a quilt – how hard can it be?’

What do you love most about quilting? 
Piecing without a doubt. I love to get lost in the process and forget about everything else except sewing. I love to experiment with improvised piecing and scrap piecing and I love to use up the scraps from a finished quilt in another improvised piece.

What is your least favourite part? 
Layering and tacking my quilts together. I like the result when quilts are tacked rather than pinned or spray basted but find the process cumbersome.

What is your favourite technique, ie hand or machine sewing, appliqué, quilting, etc? 
At the moment it is quilting using the walking foot.

What new techniques do you hope to conquer in the future? 
I would like to develop my skills in the area of quilt design.

Do you use patterns or make it up as you go along? 
I often start with a pattern or a photo of a quilt I admire, but never usually end up with a quilt that looks like the original.

When you’re starting a new project, do you have the design all worked out (on computer/paper/in your mind) before you start? 
No – this is not always a good strategy and has led to a few headaches!

Do you buy/gather all the fabrics for a project before you start? 
Not usually – I try to use fabrics from my stash!

Do you like using pre-cuts such as FQ bundles, jelly rolls, layer cakes or charm packs? 
I don’t buy a lot of these but Moda scrap bags are my downfall!

Do you have any advice for someone just starting out on their quilting adventure? 
Just go for it – don’t worry about making mistakes, don’t worry if your points don’t match, enjoy the process.

In the quilt world, who do you find is a real inspiration to you? 
Gwen Marston, the quilters of Gee’s Bend. Anna Williams, Bonnie Hunter, Elizabeth Hartman, Karen Griska and Jacquie Gering.

Below are photos of some of Janet's quilts.
                                        
                               
Teenage Angst was made for Janet's oldest son when he went to Uni, Paintbox Crumbs won 2nd place in the Cot Quilt category at the Great Northern Quilt Show in 2010 and the Modern Sampler was made in 2013.

I hope to see some of you tomorrow where we'll be learning another method of reverse applique.


Monday 8 September 2014

Great Northern Quilt Show

Edited to add photos of two more quilts that I missed.  Thanks to Margaret for sending them to me.

Sorry I'm late with this post - I can't believe how quiet having a bad foot made me.

Anyway, I, along with a lot of other people, went off to the Great Northern Quilt Show a couple of weeks ago.  I was pleased to see how busy it was, as that must help to ensure its future.

Our group was quite well represented as the following photos show.

Liz's Wheels quilt won two awards, which is absolutely fantastic, but probably didn't surprise any of us who have seen the quilt before. Since Liz also won the book giveaway from my last post, it was obviously her lucky week, and I hope she bought some tickets for the lottery that week too.


Here are the other quilts that our members submitted.  I think I (with a little help from Hazel) found them all, but if I missed anyone, I apologise and blame it on my bad foot.  (Wonder how long I can keep blaming that foot for things?)

 


I wonder how many quilts we can have in the show next year?

Don't forget to come back next week to see who's In the Spotlight this time.