This FABULOUS quilt was my absolute favourite out of all the quilts that I saw on display. This is called "The Good Life" - and was designed, pieced, appliqued and machine quilted by Philippa Naylor. It is really stunning. I'd seen a sneak preview of it before on FB (Philippa is launching a new book VERY SOON!!). Philippa was at the show on the Sunday, doing some free-motion quilting demonstrations and I managed to get a couple of pictures of her in action! In September I'm off on a week long residential course in Yorkshire with Philippa again (I really am VERY lucky as this will be the third year I've been on a residential course with Philippa!) - I'm off there with two of my quilting friends, Helen and Linda, and I really can't wait!
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Another project that I completed on the "Drama and Detail" course with Philippa Naylor, was a cover for a ring-binder. I used a mixture of batiks and linen for this project. I prefer to use Schmetz Microtex needles size 60 when sewing batiks, and this project was no exception..... .....I was really pleased with how this cover turned out! The applique on the front was a combination of edge-stitch applique for the petals, satin stitched applique circles and free-motion applique for the top layer of the petals. I quilted the batik part of the cover in straight rows of quilting about 0.5" apart, and used a King Tut variegated quilting thread to match the colour of the batiks. I even managed to thread a Schmetz Microtex needle size 60 with the quilting thread - for some reason my automatic threader isn't very good when it comes to size 60 needles - and I could hardly see the eye of the needle when it was in my machine, so my top tip was to thread the needle THEN put it in the machine!
During the "Drama and Detail" course that I did with Philippa Naylor, we learnt to make some curved bias strips - and some were made so the sides had varying widths. These strips were made with a turquoise batik, and stitched into place on top of some linen to make a notebook cover, lined with more batik..... .....this one was for my daughter Alice. Now I've mastered this technique for covering notebooks, I'll be making several for friends and family as Christmas gifts! And what about making one as a cover for a Wedding Album using a photograph printed onto fabric like the memory cushions? Ohhhh now my creative juices are flowing I can't wait to get stitching at the weekend!!
Another journal cover - this time with 3-D applique and a surprise! Embellished with applique and plastic flowers and button centers. This tutorial is a really easy project to make..... .....I used some denim from an old pair of jeans to make this, and quilted the front with the same flower shape that I had used for the applique, then quilted the back with straight rows..... .....the batik flowers have been appliqued in different ways - satin stitch applique (this was done VERY slowly!!) with a Mettler silk finish cotton thread, and free motion applique with a variegated YLI quilting thread. I added a "foil" flower with the add of some steam-a-seam 2 and some red craft foil. The plastic flowers were great fun to do, (they were Philippa's idea - I thought she was mad!!) and I added a button centre for all the flowers..... .....and the surprise? The 3-D pink flower has been backed with a bright lime green batik!
During my week away with Philippa Naylor, I made lots of small projects embellished with applique - I took a supply of notebooks and bag handles with me, and was inspired by the sample I made of satin stitch appliqued circles to progress further to make a decorative journal cover. I've just enlarged the layout so it will accommodate an A4 notebook - and I've made this one using pink batiks and linen. 3 circles of different batiks were attached to a piece of linen using steam-a-seam-2 and secured with machine satin stitch. I used a Mettler silk-finish thread in fuchsia pink around the purple batik circle, orange Mettler quilting thread around the pink batik circle, and finally I used purple Mettler quilting thread around the orange batik circle. Then I added the panel of linen, which I frayed along the 2 long sides, just off centre on the front of the journal cover. The linen panel was then machine stitched into place with a matching coloured thread..... .....and here is the finished journal cover. I really love using linen, and think it goes beautifully with the fine cotton batik. The joy of having a removable cover is that when the notebook is full, it can be removed and replaced with a new one! Philippa showed us lots of top tips for satin stitch applique - we used stitch and tear stabilizer underneath the background fabric (in this case the linen), and stitched very slowly!! As you can see, this was quilted very simply using lots of straight rows, using a variegated YLI quilting thread in shades of orange and pink to match the pink batik fabric.
What a fantastic week we had in Yorkshire - the food, the sewing, the company and OF COURSE Philippa Naylor! We stayed at Highfield Farm - an excellent B and B where we were very well looked after - the meals were superb, and it was so nice not to have to think about cooking meals for a whole week! I'm back from my travels, and still getting used to having to prepare my own breakfast, washing up the dishes and having to go to work instead of spending the day sewing! The course was "Drama and Detail" - the focus of this class is to study in detail both composition and fine workmanship techniques. These techniques include raw-edge, turned-edge, satin stitch and invisible machine appliqué. We learnt how to sew perfect satin stitch circles and mitered corners, how to make a variety of bias strips and the neatest rouleau loops you've ever seen. Philippa is a fantastic teacher, and as usual we all learnt lots and lots, from both Philippa and from each other. I'll share some pictures of all the lovely crafty things I made during my week away over the next few days - I decided to make several smaller projects this year, rather than a wall hanging or a quilt, and feel inspired to make lots more. It was lovely to see Caroline and Edith again who had travelled all the way from France, and it was lovely to meet new friends too - Katy, Ali, and Ruth. I can't wait to go again next year - after all, it's so nice to have something to look forward too!!
I've had a fantastic week away in Yorkshire, and will share all my pictures and stories on here during the next week, but firstly here is something that I took with me on my holipops! Last year I made Philippa a cosmetic bag as a small gift, and this year I decided to make her a cushion. I had already emailed her to see if I could "borrow" a picture that was on her website - it was taken by her father, when Philippa was 5 yrs old. I added the usual lace and buttons and lots of straight row quilting. This shows the back, with the binding sewn into place by hand, and a covered zipper. Oh and yes, one of my labels too... ...and here is the front of the finished cushion. It was such a beautiful sunny day when I left for Yorkshire, it was difficult to get a photograph without the sun getting in the way! Philippa was really pleased with it, and we had a super week on the course with her - I feel full of design ideas now - what a shame I've got to go back to work tomorrow - I could easily spend a creative week at home making crafty plans and putting all my new ideas together!
Well I'm off on my travels again - do you remember last year I went on the most wonderful trip to Yorkshire? I stayed at a superb B&B - Highfield Farm at Driffield - the food was wonderful, the service was excellent and the rooms were lovely. I was part of a group of quilters who were on a course with Philippa Naylor - she is simply the best quilt tutor I have ever been on a class with. This year we are going to be taught by her for 5 whole days!! We are doing a course called "Drama and Detail" - studies in composition, colour and contemporary machine appliqué. I'm just trying to squeeze everything I might "need" into my sewing box. And why oh why is my bag of fabrics bigger than my bag of clothes??!! Oh and Mr F is really happy about me going off on my hols - it means that at least for this week he can walk about barefoot without fear of treading on a needle or a pin!! Anyway I'll be back to tell you all about it next weekend. Until then, Au Revoir!!
Once we felt a bit more confident with the free motion quilting, we then tackled trapunto quilting - a technique which I had never tried before. This was not easy, and to get a good control of her machine, Philippa quilts bare-foot - not something I'd ever considered before, but I have to say is does give you better control of the foot pedal..... .....then we tried corded trapunto - another first for me! - and the effects were amazing!..... .....I haven't piped anything since I did needlework at school, back in the dark ages!! - Philippa often adds a double or even triple row of piping to her quilts and it's effect is stunning. I really must invest in a piping foot for my Bernina..... .....I loved the technique for corded trapunto and curved piecing so much I decided to try it on the bag front of a tote bag (I've been busy draghting a pattern in my head - more of that later!). Philippa gave me lots of advice about this future project. I really enjoyed my week away in Yorkshire - and doing this course with Philippa was just fantastic! Her quilts were simply divine - her work is extremely neat and precise, and she is so interesting and so exciting to listen to, and we were given so many tips and so much advice - she really was so very helpful and was so generous with her time - we all learnt so much from her - she really is the most brilliant teacher I have ever been on a course with! Oh dear I've been so busy with my other quilting projects that I didn't get a chance to share some pictures of the rest of the course with Philippa Naylor that I went on in May! Once our curved pieced blocks were completed we watched Philippa demonstrate the skill of free motion quilting. Again we were given advice about needles and thread and how to control the fabric (apparently it's all in the wrist action and being barefoot!)..... .....we made several samples of quilting designs, and tried small blocks of wavy lines, feathers and stippling and curves and wiggles. As you can see, I still need to practise, practise and practise a bit more before I try to quilt my block. I may well have quite a pile of samples by then! |
About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! Archives
July 2023
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