Festival of Quilts Celebration Giveaway :: Quilts from the Attic

And here's something that hasn't been up for grabs yet in the #cutandalterfoqgiveaway ....


EDITED ON 02/08/2020 AT 20:00  ::  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Nick, from Quilts from the Atttic, was the first male quilter I ever met.  We were waiting to collect quilts at the end of FoQ one year and when he mentioned which quilt was his I knew which one it was instantly .... out of all the quilts that I had seen!  (It was his Warholian Cabbage in case you were wondering!)  He has a signature style of quilts and is passionate about sharing his love of making quilts and quilting.  Ordinarily you can find him teaching at various shops and groups around the UK but at the moment he has teamed up with Crafty Monkies and is teaching via zoom.  His first class next week is sold out but be sure to follow him to hear of any forthcoming dates. 

Giveaway Prize:  Inspiring Improv Book by Nicholas Ball

Apologies to overseas readers but due to postage costs this prize is limited to UK addresses only

Conditions of Entry:

To enter this giveaway you need to go to Instagram or Facebook on the links below.

Enter on Instagram

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Good Luck!!

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Teaching Quilting - what a privilege!

Last week had a week of teaching at Pinhole Quilting in Pinvin, click here to see what I was teaching and the workshop descriptions.  I had such a fun, but very tiring, week!  It is a wonderful thing to be able to be with people as they start their longarm quilting journey and then to see them again and, hopefully, again and again!  I made new quilting friends, renewed friendships and all in all realised how lucky I am to be able to work in an industry that I love and that, generally, brings out the best in people!

Last Thursday was Improv Quilting and below are some progress pics from the day ...

We had black fabric and bright thread for the workshop which is a great teaching aid ....

because it shows up everything so that you can really see what you are quilting.

Students are encouraged to play with thread throughout the day because these machines can take anything from 12wt wool to 100wt silk!  Photo above and below is using Glide Glisten in Gold - lovely!

We started with one quilting motif and stitched it out in varying scales ...

We then added several more motifs ...

  

and then learnt techniques and designs to join them.

It was amazing to see people's confidence grow throughout the day and some great quilting was done.

The final day of teaching was a Dream Big Panel workshop but that will need to wait for another day and another blog post!

QUILTING WORKSHOPS - COMING SOON ...

Next week I am teaching for four days over at Pinhole Quilting in Pinvin.  As one of two Handi Quilter Educators in the UK, I have the pleasure of meeting a lot of new Handi Quilter owners when they take their Foundation Workshop, which is free if you purchase a machine from Pinhole Quilting. It really is a great foundation on which to start your journey.  We cover thread, needles, tensions, machine settings and maintenance, ruler work, FMQ and a whole lot more.  It really is a jam packed day and students leave tired but ready to quilt!

What a lovely sight .... one machine per person!

Following on from that is the Intermediate Workshop.  We recap the basics and explore areas of quilting in more depth, that might be rulerwork, feathers, FMQ or marking quilts to name a few.  Having two or three of us in the classroom means we can tailor the day somewhat to the student's needs and are able to really help individual students solve their issues.

Retail therapy - check!  I would like one of each colour please!

I then have a day off ..... from teaching!  We will be busy setting up the classroom for the next two days when I will be delivering two of my workshops, Improv Quilting and Dream Big Quilting.

I first ran the Improv Quilting Workshop in April and have to admit I was somewhat nervous on the morning.  A lady, who I knew quite well, then entered the classroom and she told me she was nervous!  It had never entered my mind that students could be nervous too, but everyone's nerves soon disappeared as we had a full day of free motion quilting.  This workshop builds on basic shapes and designs and how to combine them into a cohesive design.  Improv quilting can be used to fill negative space, to work around applique and can be scaled to a unique all over design.

 

Feedback from the day was great:

"The workshop was very well structured.  I loved that we had so much time on the machines and were able to explore the varying technique.  Great day!"

"The best thing was we were able to watch Abigail sew on a large screen.!

"Absolutely loved it!"

Finally, on Friday I am running a Dream Big Quilting Workshop.  Have you seen the Dream Big panels from Hoffman all over the internet?  If not, where have you been?!!  This day is going to be another full on day.  From thinking about all those decisions we make when quilting, be it threads, needles or wadding choice, through to which feet to use and when and that's before any quilting has taken place.  But don't worry there will be lots of quilting - free motion, ruler work and fill.  We will be working on a 1/4 of the panel so it is a great size to hopefully get finished on the day and to have as a valuable resource for different FMQ designs aswell as being a lovely wall hanging or cushion cover!

 

The What, Where, When and How!

All the workshops are held in the purpose built, large showroom in Pinvin, WR10 2LQ, from 9.30am - 4.30pm and include a lovely lunch.  Numbers are limited to 12 so each student has there own machine and there is time for individual help throughout the day.

There are a couple of spaces left so if you fancy coming and having a lovely day with like minded quilters then click on the links!

Monday 18 November 2019

Foundation Longarm Workshop

Tuesday 19 November 2019

Intermediate Longarm Workshop

Thursday 21 November 2019

Improv Quilting Workshop

Firday 22 November 2019

Dream Big Quilting Workshop

I love teaching and am really looking forward to next week.  I am also happy to travel to teach and can teach on sit down domestic sewing machines aswell as longarm quilting machines.  If you would like to know more or have any questions please do get in touch.  You can leave a comment below or message me - just fill out the box over on the left hand sidebar.

Inspiring Improv :: A Book Review

Well it was definitely worth the wait to get a copy of Nick Ball's book Inspiring Improv.  This is Nick's first book and was published by Lucky Spool Media and released in April 2019.  It is available from Search Press in the UK - head on over here if you feel so inspired!

I first met Nick whilst waiting to collect quilts at Festival of Quilts several years ago - it happened we were the only two waiting ..... we quickly realised we were in the wrong place! 

What can I say - I love this book!  I like the style it is written in - it is full of information but not dogmatic, which is the way I like to teach. 

Topography

There are three parts: Planning, Practice and Progress.  Each part is broken down into sections covering such topics as inspirations, tools, techniques, binding.  The Progress part contains twelve projects where Nick has talked about inspiration, fabric and quilting for each project.  As I turned the pages I would think "Oh this is my favourite"  before seeing the next one and thinking "No, this IS my favourite".

The section on techniques is very informative and can be followed as is or as a jumping off point for you to head in a totally different direction.

There is some great information in this book and it will really encourage you to have a go at Improv Quilting.  Sadly, due to an injury, I am not in my studio at all, otherwise I would have raced straight in there to get cutting and sewing.

Kintsugi

To see other people's take on Inspiring Improv head over here.  Nick recently ran an Inspiring Improv IG Tour and there's some lovely projects going on.

Liberated Log Cabin

I really am on a journey into improv and the many books on this topic, including this latest addition, on my shelf can testify to this!  I definitely view them as resources and inspiration which I will delve into frequently over the coming years.

Nick can be seen at many quilt shows around the country demonstrating on the Bernina Q24 longarm machine and over on IG @quiltsfromtheattic.