Time to play

The days fly and in no time at all, it will be September and a new year of fun will kick off.  For now, we’re enjoying some days at home and for me, it’s a great opportunity to play in the studio.

There was time to get out all the printing stuff and do a bit of Gelli plate printing.

Though I had my ipad there and could watch the inspiring videos as I worked, next time I must remember to watch them through first and prepare one or two things.  Going rooting through drawers and cupboards with painty hands is never a good idea.  Anyway, mission accomplished and several new inserts for my Project Life were prepared.

Another item on my list of intentions was to explore the applique function on my sewing machine.  Thinking – wrongly as it turned out – that it would be better to try a purchased design before having a go on one of my own, I downloaded a couple of cheapies from OESD and set to work.

Well, these files come with a minimum of instructions and involved the cutting out of fiddly shapes, because although they were complete with files for the Bernina cutwork tools, I don’t have that particular accessory.  I do, however, have the amazing Silhouette!  Still, for now, it was scissors and spray glue to the fore.

The end result wasn’t bad but my cutting wasn’t very accurate, was it?  I felt I ought to have been a little more prepared and at least known what to expect.  Maybe I should go back to the drawing board and start from scratch.

So today, I began at the beginning and opened up the Bernina Software Workbooks Hannah had kindly sent me, following our conversation at the Festival of Quilts.  I didn’t really start at the beginning of course, but in book three, page 14!  In a little less than an hour, I had worked through the process and had an applique apple ready to sew.

But hang on a minute, we don’t like to make things easy around here, oh no.  What if I do a bit of jiggery pokery and get that shape into my Silhouette?

Well, of course, I couldn’t wait to try it out, so zoomed through the process so quickly, I didn’t even take a picture!  Needless to say, it wasn’t great.  Not only did the cut shape not quite match up to the stitched one, the thread kept breaking because I’d used the wrong backing fabric.  I didn’t even attach the fabric shape in place as it stitched, so it moved around as it sewed!  I stopped, told myself to slow down, to do things properly and not expect instant perfection.

I was going to make this work, though.  I began by changing the imperial units in the Silhouette software to match the Bernina metric, thinking that at least I’d be able to keep an eye on the size of the motif.  It was a start.

I then tracked down the correct Silhouette interfacing for sewn in shapes, hoping that it wouldn’t gunk up the needle as the other type had.  I cut the shape with the Silhouette and carefully peeled it off, doing my best not to distort the shape.

Having sewn the outline, I took the hoop from the machine and placed the shape on top.

The little Clover iron came in handy to fix the shape in place.  This one wasn’t going to move!

I couldn’t believe it when the stitching didn’t turn out perfectly in place once again.  Now what?  I thought about it carefully and realised that, although I’d checked the sizes of the shape as I’d rebuilt the design from scratch once more, I had foolishly forgotten to update the stitch file on the USB stick.  Duh.  I cut out another apple on the Silhouette, sewed out the first part of the design using the updated file then, rather than place the apple straight on the shape, I thought I’d check the relative size.

Suddenly the clouds parted and I saw the clear blue sky.  Rather than line the fabric shape exactly on the stitching, it should be centred to overlap it evenly all round!  Leaving the “hole” in place, I lined up the cut shape and ironed it in place.

All would be revealed when the shape was tacked down.

Sure enough, it was perfect.  It had been a case of “user error” all along.

Result of almost a whole day’s efforts. 

Now I know it works, I might feel brave enough to fiddle a bit.  Maybe reduce the size of the cut file by a tiny amount – 1% perhaps – to avoid the slightest little frayed edge showing around the shape.  But hey, getting Silhouette and Bernina working together offers huge potential and I’m eager to explore further.

That was all the ironing I did today, though 

Tea and Textiles

When I was WI County Chairman, I organised events like this regularly and would have thought nothing of gathering a couple of hundred women together for an afternoon.  But a few years later, I don’t do this kind of thing so frequently and it’s surprising how out of practice one gets. 

I’d forgotten how much work is involved.  I’ve always been of the opinion that it’s easier to get such things done without too much help and would much rather get on and get it done in a small, focused team who know what they are doing.  So it was just Marion, Pat and I who arrived around 10.30 yesterday morning with three cars full of display equipment, boxes of treasure and of course, comfortable shoes!

It was lovely to see one or two old favourites appear from the layers and layers of tissue paper.  Mrs Winsome-Douglas’ beautiful cushion is such a treasure (well, we assume it’s her work but can’t be 100% certain) and each time I see it, I think how well it represents the heritage and development of hand embroidery in this country.  Simple, confident, graphic design, exquisitely executed in basic, traditional materials.  No tricks, nothing fancy or showy; just handcraft skills of the highest quality.

One by one, the boxes were opened and the contents displayed, ready to have their stories told.  The smocks, large and small, always attract the attention and in particular today, there was the chance to have a good look at the Corrie family pallbearers smocks, with the embroidery on the inside of the shoulder; the kind of detail it’s not usually possible to see in a “do not touch” kind of exhibition.  Here was an opportunity to look more closely, to handle and admire and of course, to learn.

 

It was a chance to find out more about of the Needlework Development Scheme, for which a couple of the concertina folders were created; to hear about Olivia Pass and her enthusiasm and promotion of the Dorset Feather Stitch of which the WI archive has a huge collection of aprons, samples, and other related material and also to hear the story of how we found three pieces of Mrs Archibald (Grace) Christie’s work.  She was an early editor of Embroidery magazine, author of several essential references for hand embroiderers and the creator of these three exquisite pieces on the table which were not only illustrated in her books but also appear in the copy of Embroidery magazine from 1909 which was sitting alongside them.

I love the Dorset buttons which are so beautifully presented and was delighted to hear about the second frame containing a more recent acquisition of a card of hand worked samples.  Coincidentally, the maker’s name on the label just happened to match the name of the woman who wrote the leaflet which has been in the collection since it was published.  What treasures…

Of particular interest to the audience yesterday afternoon was the tiny baby’s gown, displayed on a table alongside the exquisite tea cosy so admired by Queen Mary at one of the early craft exhibitions.  The little gown was also shown at one of these grand exhibitions in 1932 and was made by a Gloucestershire member, Mrs Hillman, of Kemerton WI.  Having been awarded a rare Gold Star (the only one in the county!) it was kept as part of the “loan collection” of needlework before being returned to her family some years later.  Thankfully, Mrs Hillman’s daughter (a WI member herself) shared both the story and the gown with the archive and needless to say, yesterday afternoon it proved to be the star of the show.

Mrs Hillman’s exquisite handwork was admired and acknowledged in the days when needle skills were taught and practised more widely than they are today.  Yesterday afternoon, they received even more admiration from women who were lost for words to describe the dexterity and attention to detail which makes this little gown such a treasure.

What made the afternoon unique was having some of our local textile heritage alongside these pieces of national importance.  Marion had selected a dozen or more tablecloths from our local archive to bring along, including this one from Painswick, which had been part of the National Textile Treasures exhibition a few years ago.  As you can see, my ironing left a little to be desired

A small but significant display of typical “Loan collection” items which would have been available for members to borrow and study proved to be of great interest. The gloves in particular attracted the attention of many as a result of local history.  One member of the audience recalled her mother sewing gloves at home for Dents and being paid 7 1/2d per dozen – pairs, I assume. 

It proved to be a really successful afternoon and hopefully, has inspired a few to pick up their needle and sew.  A couple of hours afterwards a few still lingered, taking their time to look and admire and recognising the beauty and significance of what was on the table.  As a result, it was gone 6pm when we finally closed the last box, took once last look around the room to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything and left the hotel staff to do the washing up.

Did I say I’d forgotten how tiring it can be whilst having fun?

At the Festival of Quilts

I’d been dithering about whether to go to the FoQ this year or not.  To begin with, it was a must-do; before I bought my new sewing machine, that is.  Then, the main purpose of going was no longer an issue.  But when my friend Pat asked if I’d give her a hand on her stand on Sunday, my mind was made up.

Yes please.

Of course, the huge advantage of going to a show like this as an exhibitor is that I could get in early and see the main attraction before everyone else got there.  (The disadvantage was that I had to drive through an ex-hurricane to get there)

Anyway, I was curious to see what was awarded the “best in show” award and even more curious when I found out.

Right up my street in so many ways: smallish, meticulous and combining the best of hand stitching and machine work.  Clever use of colour and texture, too. 

I loved it.  I was surprised it beat some of the others to win, but fully agree that it is (they are?) a stunner.

I could have brought this little gem home with me too – the winner of the miniature section, depicting a rainstorm (I think – my photograph isn’t clear enough to check).

I had a lovely day, chatting with friends and catching up.  I couldn’t quite believe that I’d been standing next door but one to Maggie and Clive Grey all day and yet only spotted them as I was leaving.  It was good to see Maggie and her daughter Sam too and to have all kinds of Bernina related questions answered by the experts.  Other lovely surprises were finding Ann Johnston and her inspiring work.  Ann and I met years ago at a European Quilt Symposium in Rolduc and subsequently when she and Jim spent a sabbatical year in Cardiff (which explains why a couple of my Olfa rulers have “Johnston” written on them ) Then, just as I was leaving, there was Heide Stoll Weber packing up her beautiful dyed fabrics.  She too was another Rolduc attendee and I have a few treasured pieces of her work – adding another one as I left, celebrating Farbstoff’s 20th birthday!

A lovely day, then and of course, one of those days when, having spent hours in the company of creative people and being surrounded by so many inspirational things, I couldn’t help but see things in a different way.

No machine needed

As you might guess, I juggle a few roles and responsibilities in my life and however hard I try, occasionally I drop one of the balls.  It happened earlier in the year when I was supposed to be at one meeting when actually I was at another.  Not only that, I was supposed to have collected Marion too, so one way and another, I had a considerable bit of grovelling to do.

That’s how I came to be standing at the ironing board on a sticky-hot summer morning, not doing my own ironing but making my way through a pile of vintage tablecloths from the Gloucestershire WI archive.  As I stood there, I had a distinct feeling of deja vu.

What treasures Marion has assembled for our Tea and Textiles event, though!  Pieces such as this beautiful linen cushion, worked in a variety of pulled work techniques by one of Carolyn’s close relatives.  Exquisite work, incredibly time consuming to do and stitched to such a consistently high standard.  That the embroiderer offered it as an example for a collection of samples seems surprising to me.  I find myself peering at the label and wondering if it says “lent by” rather than “sent by” – I do hope she wasn’t expecting it back but if she was, perhaps the ongoing admiration for her skills all these years later will be some recompense.

More representative perhaps of the things we “donate” today is this little quilt which lay dormant in the bottom of an archive box.  Yes, it was one of mine, worked in haste with absolutely no heirloom techniques at all as my contribution and creative response to our Big Read.  Funny to come across it again having forgotten all about it.

We weren’t the only ones unearthing bits and pieces from the past.  Whilst we unpacked boxes and gathered treasures, WI secretary Peter was preparing the house for the decorators’ arrival next week.  Removing the coat rack from the wall revealed the changing taste in decor over the last twenty years, too.  I wonder what colour has been chosen for the 2014 layer?  (I hope they leave a little of that flowery wallpaper, just for fun)

With the ironing done, photographs taken and everything sorted for the sold-out event in a couple of week’s time, I stood back and reflected on the skills we are in danger of losing.  I consider myself to have a higher level than many when it comes to needle skills, but my ability to create something of a similar standard to this 100% hand stitched nightie from the 1920s or 30s is doubtful.  Even if my needlework would pass muster, I am certainly lacking in the patience and tenacity needed, that’s for sure.

Could I even create something similar with all the technology and modern materials available to me today? 

Dare I suggest you watch this space? (but don’t hold your breath )

Following the clothes line

A beautiful morning suggested to us that, rather than venture further into Kentucky, we might explore some of southern Ohio, in particular Adams County.  Our reasons will become clear, but in the meantime, our attention was drawn to a sign on the highway, directing us to Chilo on the Ohio river and with a split second decision made, we were there.

What we found was an old lock house from the days when the river wasn’t navigable and that scale attached to the wall provoked my interest.  Has the Ohio river flooded, then?

One of the information panels revealed the extent to which it did, in 1937, to an astonishing level of 73ft – that’s half way up that lock house, currently marked with a small brass plaque.  Oh my.  Hard to imagine that broad river flooding to that degree, though sure enough, there was the photographic proof right there in front of me.

We hadn’t really come to gaze at the river though, but passing through Ripley, where the Underground Railroad “conductors” operated to assist escaping slaves cross the river to relative freedom, we reflected on the incredible efforts which were made to get them to safety.

Anyway, what about the clothes line?  A clue is on the top of this hotel, situated just inside Adams County.  I snapped the picture whilst travelling at speed, accompanied by a yell “there’s one!”

We decided to spend the day following the Ohio Quilt Barn Trail, referred to as a “clothesline of quilts” and equipped with saved internet information to access offline using our Note tablets and a rather small scale map.

Testing my Hero’s patience, we spotted another and screeched to a halt having missed a couple along the way.  Our map wasn’t the most accurate and, I suspect, way out of date.  We were trying to navigate our way, watch out for quilts on barns, keep an eye on the map and have cameras at the ready.  Oh, and thankfully, my Hero was concentrating on driving and keeping us all safe.

But it was getting challenging.  I was beginning to realise that we couldn’t spent the whole day doing this without having one almighty row.  Much as I loved spotting the quilts and snapping a picture, it wasn’t fair to have to keep making sudden stops!

Some were bright enough to see from a distance, or situated right there on a roadside, so there wasn’t a problem.

Others were high on a hill and shone out from a distance, but still, it wasn’t proving to be as easy as we thought.

As we spotted this one, off to the left and screeched to a halt to take the photo, we spotted someone waving – we hopped out of the car to speak and explain what we were doing and met Ann Taylor of The Quilt Barn who not only welcomed us into her studio/workshop, but introduced us to her amazing machine too

But best of all, she offered us printed maps, up to date information about the Quilt Barn Trail and provided us with everything we needed to continue on our journey happily.  We learned a little about the history of the barn quilt movement which began right here (the very first one was just up the road) and we really appreciated the encouragement she offered us.

Armed with a list of addresses and a map, suddenly finding these quilts became much easier.

Even so, some were easier to spot than others.

Some weren’t even on the map, but now we’d got our eyes in, they didn’t elude us!

Most were on old barns – in fact, Ann had told us that some had collapsed since the original quilt barn trail had been organised.

But some were in more urban settings (though here, urban referred to a town small enough to be a village in our terms)

This one wasn’t painted, but pieced together with different colours of wood to create the design.

Occasionally, we’d spot a real stunner!

We saw way too many quilts to share here and were thwarted in our efforts to see some by road closures and poor map reading (mine!).  But coming to the end of the list, we were determined to see these last few.

Last one was this sunflower and we really felt we’d ended on a high.  What a great way to get off the beaten track and see some of the beautiful hidden corners of Adams County, Ohio

Following the clothes line was fun – thanks to Ann, we survived the journey, too!