Friday Morning With Barbara

On Friday morning I went to help Barbara,

(one of the Coven Quilters) with

a Star Quilt she had started sometime ago and getting

the pieces out again, she wasn't quite sure how they all go together.

There were strips missing from each piece and picking up a pattern

you have left for a while is always difficult.

A real puzzle!

We laid them out on the floor and it then started to come together.

I laid my original Star Quilt underneath and we began to

concentrate on one side of the quilt.

Three hours later, half the quilt star was assembled.

It will look fantastic.

Barbara hopes to give it as a gift when it is finished.

See my Star Quilt on the right of this post.

Silk Quilts and Stitch

Some of my Students come along once a month

to continue their quilt making or enjoy learning

a new technique.

Here Janice shows off her Silk Quilt, a real beauty.

It is made all from triangles and quilted by hand.

Janice is now making a quilted bed runner.

See more of what goes on at Knit Wits

by clicking on the written labels below.

Stripes

These are mother and daughter projects. Mother is making a

table runner in blue and purple strips and daughter

is making a 24" by 56" striped wall hanging in rich colours and

fabrics. lots of textures and trimmings.

Very different ideas but the same technique.

See my Banner and Strip Quilts

HERE

Quilts Making at Knit Wits

The last Thursday Quilting Session of the month is,

'Quilting and Patchwork Quilts'. This session

encourages students to tackle new techniques or Quilts

with help.

Above, are a variety of quilting styles, the top,

the beginning of a Sampler Quilt. Each week you learn

a different block, technique and this particular one is a,

'Quilt as You Go'.

The middle pictures are the start of a Rustic 9 patch,

made from a jelly roll and left over scraps.

It is often wise if you are not sure if your

colours go together, is to lay them together or

make a colour swatch, like the one above.

The Blue Windmill Triangle piece is a Sewing Machine Mat

and practices cutting and piecing triangles.

See more of my techniques on my

portfolio site

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Table Runners at Knit Wits Class

There are lots of different table runners being created at the

classes and these were ones that students had and they just needed

friendly persuasion on how to put them together and finishing.

The bottom one is from Canada and brought as a

pack but the instructions were using different rulers to what

are available here in the U.K. We all love the applique bears and the

border fabric which is to go on next.

The one above is a beautiful Christmas Runner,

very Swedish Inspired.

See more table runners HERE

Thursday 26th January Class at Knit Wits

On Thursdays it Patchwork and Quilting Class at

Knit Wits in Dereham. Lots of new projects being started

and lots of sharing.

See more by clicking the written labels below

Embroidery Guild waxing Lyrical

On Wednesday evening at The Kings Lynn Embroidery Guild

Marion Barnett, who is also an artist @ The Gallery Dereham,

came and gave us a talk on 'Waxing Lyrical'.

She showed us lots of ways of using Wax, crayons, transfer techniques

and heating encaustic wax on a heat plate

to make a mono print textile.

(See the wax on the plate above in the middle).

Marion answered lots of questions and we all

had a feel of the different types of waxed printed fabrics.

Love, Marion's dyed fabrics.

See more of Marion's work on her blog

www.artmixter.blogspot.com

Wednesday Scrapbooking Class

Kim told us it was the last ScrapBooking Session

as the company that she works for and supplies us with

all the pages, glue pads and extras has withdrawn trading in The U.K.

Sad as we all like the different things Kim brought along

to show us that was on offer and new designs.

Spent a lovely couple of hours with Kim making

scrapbook pages and organising photos,

then I sat and put more on

one of the blank journal pages I had started

putting together a Journal Cover.

See more of the journal pages HERE

See some more of my journals on my

portfolio site

www.art2inspire.co.uk

Applique Month

This month at my textile classes the inspiration has been 'Applique',

I have demonstrated 8 different ways of appliqueing

fabrics together.

Here are a few that were being worked on at

the Tuesday Class.

Photos onto Fabric

This week I took the printer in again so that students

could learn how to put their photos and pictures

onto fabric. There are lots of ways of transferring

images onto material but I like using prepared fabric

and an ink jet printer.

The images were of varied things including

fruit and veg labels (above), photographs, etchings and

original artwork.

Everyone learnt the art of preparation and patience!

I will be taking the printer in all of February.

Textile Tuesday 24th January 2012

Lots being created and shared @ The Gallery,

Textile Tuesday class as you can see by the variety above.

Embellishing inspired by rust!

It's alright making samples and trying out techniques,

then sometimes this leads to you wanting to take it further

and make a finished piece which is what

Jenny wants to do over the next weeks.

Barbara had started cutting small family football shirts and

shorts and found it a bit tricky so cut up

bigger ones instead and made the quilt above.

It has a barbed wire fabric on the back

which makes it really fun.

Now she can tackle the smaller ones.

Pat made the delightful bag out of a Chair back Cover

she found in a charity shop, beautiful!

She more of what goes on @The Gallery by

visiting the website or clicking on the labels below.

www.thegallerydereham.com

New Journal 2012

On Monday I got in the studio to work on some pages

that I had been gathering the stuff for since the

beginning of the new year.

I wanted to try sewing more papers, card and ephemera

together.

I had been given a pile of 1970's craft books and

the images were so fun and colourful they yelled to be used.

I don't know about anywhere else but Thrift stores and Charity

shops are finding hard to sell second hand books.

Now I have been taught over a lifetime to cherish books,

so cutting them up is a big deal!

It took some courage to start doing it but as

you can see I had fun.

No first editions were harmed in this process!

New Yarn and Textile Group in our Area

Saturday 21st I went to the first meeting of a new local

group called' West NorfolkYarn and Textile Group'.

It was so friendly and everyone was busy creating,

knitting, spinning,weaving and patchwork.

I knitted a long sample square ready for me to

embellish over. I am taking my embellisher machines

to the next meeting on

the 25th of Feb so people can have a go at Embellishing

their yarns.

10-3 at North Runcton Meeting Hall.

More information about the group is availble from

Trudi Miles

tmiles@camgtp.com

Fabric Shopping at Shan's

Friday 20th of January I saw Jenn in the morninig

for a cup of tea before she jets away on holiday!

And then took myself off to Shan's

in Hunstanton because I needed to buy

particular types of silks and trimmings for the

next makes.

The shop always looks so interesting and full.

I gave myself the chance to really browse in every

little corner as you never know what treasures you

find and whats new.

Lola, Shan's rather large dog was as friendly as ever and

got out of bed when I asked how she was.

Apparently she had been a bit off colour with the weather

but seemed fine!

Shan will be launching her website soon so that

will be grrat to keep up with her new stock.

Quilts Making at Knit Wits

It was Quilting Day at knit Wits as well as Applique inspiration.

I love to see all the different fabrics being used to

create wonderful quilts, many f which are recycled.

See more by clicking the written labels below.

Thursday 19th January Class at Knit Wits

Every week I show examples of what can be made and throughout

the month different students are able to make the

different items.

Click the above Title Tab above.

The Photos above are Printed Bags and Scissor Cases made by students

at the Knit Wits Classes.

See my printed bag that inspired these ones HERE

Finished Exploding Box

This is my Exploding Box made with Kim on Wednesdays

Card Making Class @The Gallery.

You can make one by following the video

on my Tech Site

www.art2inspiretech.blogspot.com