What the Judges said ....... Pt 1

Last year I joined in with the wonderful Sewcial Bee Sampler SAL hosted by Maureen Cracknell and Sharon Holland.  

Whilst I was making this quilt, with a limited palette of Kona solids, I did quite a bit of unpicking! The solid fabrics were rather unforgiving when points didn't line up so I came up with a new practice - if required, I would unpick twice and the third time, whether perfect or not, the seam would stay.

 

I think limiting myself two only unpicking twice saved my sanity!

I entered Wasabi on the Side into the British Quilt and Stitch Village show last weekend and was pleased to read the Judges' comments. It was obviously worth the time to unpick when needed because both Judges gave me an EXCELLENT for 'Quality of Construction - Piecing' along with EXCELLENTS for 'Quality of Execution' and 'Borders, Edge Treatment, Finishing and Hanging'.

I love the texture the matchstick quilting gives this quilt and remember how I was surprised at how long it took to quilt!

British Quilt & Stitch Village :: A Review

Today I have a post published on the UKQU website.  I am reviewing the recent British Quilt and Stitch Village in Uttoxeter, click here if you weren't able to go and you would like to know more about it .... and of course to see lots of lovely quilts!

I had three quilts entered into the show and was really happy to come 3rd with Where To Next? in the traditional category.  It's not really a traditional quilt but it didn't fit the other categories either!

And some close ups of the quilting, just because ....

I do love quilting words - one day I would like to quilt a whole quilt with words, telling the story of the quilt perhaps ....

I still look at this quilt and wonder how I ever made it - that's what a deadline will help you achieve!!

Modern quilting ....

Last September I attended the inaugural meeting of the Oxfordshire Modern Quilt Guild.  Whilst it's not particularly local to me, it was a chance to meet and sew with other people who shared a love of modern quilting.  I had been thinking about setting up a group in the Midlands for a while so when I saw a post on IG I jumped at the chance.

Best in Show
bling
Pieced and quilted by Katherine Jones
Chigwell, Tasmania, Australia
Tasmanian Modern Quilt Guild

Last Saturday we had our March meeting and of course the topic of QuiltCon came up.  I had dearly hoped to attend this year and we had even tentatively planned a family holiday around it but then the girls decided to go to school ..... oh well there's always next year and the year after that and the year after that .....

Group and Bee: 1st Place
Direction Optional
Pieced by Stephanie Ruyle, Leanne Chahley, Karen Foster, Hillary Goodwin, Marci Debetaz, MR Charbonneau, Felicity Ronaghan, Debbie Jeske, Anne Sullivan, Kari Vojtechovsky
Quilted by Christine Perrigo Denver, CO, United States
Denver Metro Modern Quilt Guild

I have really enjoyed reading some accounts of QuiltCon and thought I would share the links here for you if you care to read them.  Also please let me have your links if you have read a good account.

Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl

Kitty at Night Quilter

Jo at My Bear Paw

Jessica at Quilt Habit

Small Quilts: 2nd Place
Cursive
Pieced and quilted by Paige Alexander
Easley, South Carolina, United States
Greenville Modern Quilt Guild

Whilst, of course, the event is all about the quilts the overriding feeling I get for the event is the people.  We are such a diverse group of people spread far and wide geographically so to be able to meet and mingle with so many like minded people must be amazing.  We have lots of Quilt Shows in the UK, see here for a list for this year, but nothing to rival QuiltCon in terms of the modern aspect.  Excitement is starting to build about Festival of Quilts in August, entry forms are out, workshop and lecture booking will soon open.  For the first time last year they had a Modern Category which was great.  I am hoping more people will enter this category this year and make it a permanent fixture. I wrote a review about FoQ last year which you can read here.

The other Quilt Show with a dedicated Modern Category is the British Quilt & Stitch Village.  I visited for the first time last and have decided to enter a modern quilt this year.  It is based on the block I designed for the Cloud9 New Block Blog Hop last year.

The top is done but has yet to get quilted - I am hoping to get this on the frame this weekend with a view to quilting it next week.  In other MQG news I am off on retreat!  At FoQ last year I met a lady who had pattern tested for me and she is involved with the Jersey MQG.  She invited me to their retreat and that is where I am headed next week.  I am very excited to be going and looking forward a wonderful few days of sewing and quilting amongst others.

The pictures in this post come from the MQG website where there is a full list of all the winners.  Of course, winning is not everything and quilt shows would not happen with people entering their quilts.  Jess, from Elven Garden Quilts, recently wrote on the subject, On quilts shows and ribbons, wihch is really worth a read.

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

My Best of 2016

Having read other people's posts for My Best of 2016 hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs, I thought I would take a few minutes and look back at my year (I also took the opportunity of getting some pages up to date at the same time).  One thing I started this year was a monthly review and I have really enjoyed looking back at the months. Sadly I stopped this from August but having just browsed through my posts this is something I would like reinstate for 2017.

However, now we are looking back .... in no particular order and with no particular scientific way of picking them I give you My Best of 2016 ....

PICK A LETTER, ANY LETTER!

I love this little quilt that I made for my Mum's 80th birthday.

I tried lots of new things on it and they all worked.

Best of all she loves it and has it hanging in her lounge!

ANZAC HEARTS

This gets on the list because it was my oldest WIP - over 6 years to finish but it has stood the test of time because I still love it.

Also it won a rosette at a show in May which made me rather happy!!

NEW QUILT BLOGGERS

This was such a wonderful group to be part of and I learnt so much about so many things!

I am hoping I fit the criteria to be able to join again in 2017 because I still have so much to learn.

CLOUD 9 NEW BLOCK BLOG HOP

My first ever block design for this Blog Hop.

I really enjoyed the process and would love to design more in 2017.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

This is definitely my favourite make of 2016, in fact it might be my favourite make to date!

I love that the design in my head came out into the real world just as I imagined it.

I was also really excited to find that I won a Best Piecing rosette at a show in November.

Today we are starting to take down the decorations and I will then be able to look to next year.  I would love to join Yvonne's #2017PlanningParty but I need some quiet time to get my head into gear and really think about what I want to do in 2017.  We have big changes coming up on our family front which I have still to get my head around!!

Finish It Up Friday

The finish for Finish It Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts this week is also a finish from my 2016FAL.  It was started in June as a QAL over at Modern Quilters Ireland and was the first QAL I have taken part in.  The progress posts can be found here, here and here.

It was at this stage for many weeks months because I didn't really like the grey background fabric I had used and I didn't really know what to do with it ..... is it bad to admit that?!!

I then thought that I would enter it into a Quilt Show as a cot quilt so the parameters of size were set to maximum 36" on either side, which meant the border was easy to add.

Then I got it into my head that I wanted to match the thread with the colours ...... why did I do that?!  At the end I do not think it was worth all the colour changes for this quilt and wish I had just gone for the grey all over (although it is nice to have some more colours in my stash!).

Time was running out by now and I just had to come up with a plan ....... nothing came so I thought that I had better load it onto my frame and just get started!

Straight lines in the coloured sections first.  I did actually try feathers aswell but I really didn't like them so I unpicked (after doing two sections just to make sure I didn't like it!)

My favourite quilting motif was used in the background, paisley AKA swirly pearls.  I love this and I can now do it quite quickly which is a bonus. 

I thought I may do something different in the middle of the quilt but, after the unpicking of the feathers, I decided to just stick with more straight lines.  My ruler work has certainly improved and I quite enjoyed the dexterity of using the rulers and for them feeling more comfortable for me.

I love this stage when it's all trimmed and ready to bind.

I am not sure what the backing is - it was picked up at a show earlier in the year.

And the final result hanging at the West Country Quilt Show.  Do I like it?  No not really!!  I like the pattern and really like other people's interpretation from the QAL but I have to say this isn't a favourite of mine.  But it is done and it's a tick off my list.  I also learnt that I do not like marbled fabric and so will never be tempted to buy any again!

Whilst I am not enamoured with this quilt I am still very much in love with Should I Stay or Should I Go?  I decided, at the last minute, to enter it into the same show and was delighted when I arrived at the show on Sunday morning to see it had a rosette by it - Best Piecing.

I have enjoyed entering quilts into shows this year and have quite a few in my head for next year! x

Quilts UK

Quilts UK ran in Malvern over four days last week and I went along on Saturday and Sunday.  I had a wonderful time looking at all the quilts and visiting some of the traders!

 

I had entered 4 quilts in the show and was delighted to get a 3rd in the Cot Quilt category, for Say "Cheese!" ....

and a Judge's Merit in the Group Quilt category, for ANZAC Hearts ....

I still have to do a finish post for this quilt - I was so pushed for time before the delivery deadline I only took one photo of the last two quilts I finished.  This was my oldest WIP so I am so happy to have it finished and ready to use!

 

The other two quilts I entered were Straight Line Bow ....

 

 

and my flag quilt, Should I Stay or Should I Go? ....

again a finish post is still to come for this quilt.

It was so exciting to go and see them hanging with all the other quilts.  This is only the second time I have entered a quilt show and I really would recommend it if you are thinking of doing so.  Lots of people told me I was very brave when I entered my first show last year.  I did not think of it as brave but just as something I would like to do.  I certainly have not gone into them with the intention of winning but just to have my work on show and to get me to finish quilts and challenge myself with some new techniques.  Entering four quilts became a rather stressful situation but looking back now I wonder what all the panic was about!  Er the panic was that the last stitch on the last quilt was done the minute my husband returned home to deliver them for me - funny how a few night's sleep changes your perspective!

 

I took a couple of a hour long workshops over the weekend aswell, both of them with Kate Andre.  On Saturday I did a gelli-plate printing class and on Sunday a thermofax printing class.  I enjoyed the thermofax printing more and can definitely see myself doing it again.  The only problem will be finding someone to make up some screens to my designs ....

 

 

Now back to more mundane jobs like tidying and cleaning my studio and catching up on paperwork!