A Patchwork of Prose and Other Loose Ends
Southern Patchwork Quilt is a combined work of prose, poetry, fact and fiction, written by Phyllis F. McManus. With an autobiographical beginning, Phyllis tells of how money was hard to come by in the 1950s. A child’s new dress meant blistered fingers, as the parents needed to pick fruit to earn enough money for such a luxury. Growing up on a farm meant hard work, with each family member sharing daily chores of feeding the animals, collecting eggs, milk and more. Phyllis then goes on to tell the story of a young girl having been sexually abused by her neighbor, before blocking out all memories until she witnesses another young girl walking into the same fate – and whose actions land her in prison. Prose and poetry follow, as well as some flash fiction. With all the pieces of the book layered in their perfect place, it truly does transform into that of a patchwork quilt. Some of the tales which Phyllis F. McManus has written about in Southern Patchwork Quilt hit quite close to home. Many experiences shared are extremely difficult to take in or discuss, and the courage shown by Phyllis in sharing such heartbreak is immense. Having faced sexual abuse from two people that I was meant to be safest around, I could most definitely relate to the pain, fear and shame discussed in ‘Silence is Golden.’ A young child being threatened, whether the threat be towards the child themselves or somebody they love, is a torture that they can never recover from. The prose and poetry in the pages following was imaginative and clever, with my favorite poem being about the love of one’s son. A bond between mother and child is incredibly precious, and I could not help but smile at the words as I read. With so many of life’s lessons to be learned within these pages, I could not help but enjoy Southern Patchwork Quilt, and recommend it wholeheartedly to those over the age of 15 years who are not afraid to face tales of hardship, illness, sexual abuse, justice, happy endings and more.
Join Teresa as we explore Carrie Payne’s Creative Girl Patterns featuring Sew Cute Quilter! Teresa will take you to a place where quilting, raw edge applique, thread work, colored pencils, creative prose - and whatever else you want to include – come together to create this art quilt! Your pattern includes 3 size optio
crumpled paper cocktail dress
Fabric Design Studio known for timeless, beautiful cottons, exceptional quality, Shadow Play blenders and the famously soft Woolies Flannel.
Purple Prose my latest creation. Cotton silk scarf embroidered with tiny sequins and appliqued with pieces of silk. Will be available for sale at Plantation House.
In the ‘Land of Song and Literature’ that is Wales, what could be more natural than writing music and poetry? So this book is a collection of song lyrics and limericks. It’s also a patchwork quilt of interviews, autobiography and mythology with photographs. It’s primarily a light-hearted look at the worlds of song writing and poetry.
I’m in the process of creating a tutorial for piecing a five point star. So of course I had to make another one. Who knows, this might be the first of many.
The Mabinogion is the earliest prose literature of Britain. Much the same as Perceval is a work that has such unknown origin and contested authorship, Mabinogion was comprised of stories that were first compiled ...
A friend... * * * I've designed a new blog! * * * EXPLORE * * * EXPLORE YOUR HORIZON * ...
Julee Prose sends pictures of her "Blue Denim" applique. Julee Prose Blue Denim 2012 "It is all hand needle turned applique & hand quilted. I used the Legacy wool batting which allows better hand quilting. I free formed all the feathers on borders and around the wreaths and cross hatched vase blocks." She used the "Shade Garden Sampler" pattern that Shauna Christensen designed for our book Susan McCord. (See it over in the left-hand column.) Julee has a great stash of blues; it's a color she uses often. If you love blues you will want to be buying the reproductions in Minick & Simpson's Indigo Crossing for Moda, which is scheduled to be in shops soon. They did some wonderful reproductions of the traditional indigo resist prints. Here's a picture of them showing off their stuff at Quilt Market. I pirated the photo from the Fat Quarter shop blog. http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ Here's a link to the Indigo Crossings fabric at Moda: http://storefront.unitednotions.com/storefrontCommerce/search.do?searchType=keyword&keyword=indigo+crossing&emailAddress= And don't forget the indigos in my Morris reproductions The Morris Apprentice. Do a web search for Julee's other quilts by typing in her name and the word quilt.
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters. She is best-known for her 1874 novel, Jane Eyre. The novel revolutionised prose fiction by being the first to focus on its protagonist's moral and spiritual development through an intimate first-person narrative. Charlotte Brontë has been called the "first historian of the private consciousness", and the literary ancestor of writers like Marcel Proust and James Joyce. It, along with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, is one of the most famous romance novels. Vintage aesthetic and modern flair, together. This robust book strap can easily carry your books and journals, and is sure to turn heads as an accessory piece. The unique, heart-shaped panel makes this a great gift for the one you love. Made from sturdy latigo leather, tanned in America at the Horween tannery in Chicago, Illinois. DIMENSIONS:• Strap Width: 1” (~2.50 cm)• Strap Length: approx. 72” (152.4 cm)• Carry Loop Handle: approx. 6” (15.24 cm) Recommended for carrying up to three hardcover books. NOTE: This is a made-to-order item. Due to natural variations in leather, as well as variations that come with handmade goods, your book strap may have minor cosmetic differences. All Rowsome Leather pieces are made from premium, full-grain leathers, and are fully hand-stitched using waxed harness or poly threads.
The first seams have been sewn at this point, the star fabric to the background. Press the star fabric open. Turn the section facedown and trim the points of the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. Holding fabric up to a light source, carefully trim the extra fabric away from the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. This will become a guide in sewing the next sections of the fabric to the star. You can just barely see the pencil mark through the fabric so that you know where to cut. Try to avoid using ink for this purpose, having the ink run when the finished quilt is washed would be rather annoying. Choose ten coordinating fabrics for the second row of the star and cut 2 inch strips or strips of various widths for a more funky look. Choose fabrics one step darker in value than the color of the star. Lay out the fabrics until you are satisfied with the colors and balance. Carefully place the chosen colors on the star face down, sew leaving a .25 seam allowance. Sew each star point starting on the right hand side so that all points of the stars “go” the same direction. Iron fabric open and trim. Place the second strip of fabric against the first, carefully sew and iron open then trim. Continue to add rows to the star points until all the backing fabric is covered. Iron each section open and trim each section carefully. Carefully sew two points of the star together matching the lining fabric and iron. Carefully sew two other points of the star together, matching the lining fabric and iron. And the final point to a pair and iron. Sew the final two sections together starting in the center of the star and sewing each side to the edge and iron. Your star is complete and ready to be trimmed. Add a border fabric or two, or piece several stars together in a quilt design. The options for using this star block in quilt designs are endless. I have to admit, making a tutorial is kind of fun!
As it moves from Chicago in the late 80's to Los Angeles on the cusp of a new millennium, Patchwork encompasses a mercurial decade in the lives of its characters. This debut novel - told with candor, insight, and a humor both gentle and scathing - sets the story of lovers in transition, and a family in the midst of personal upheaval, as they struggle to redefine themselves in the shadow of tragedy. \"A deeply moving story of human relationships, yours and mine, in elegant prose that tackles tragedy and hope, loss and grief, with refreshing honestly and humor. Loughry's brilliant voice and haunting story will follow you long after you've turned the last page.\" - Dora Levy Mossanen, author of HAREM and COURTESAN \"Dan Loughry is a maestro of memory and observation. In Patchwork, he achieves the impressive feat of telling a story that feels archetypal in its outlines - as it follows its protagonist through three eventful decades, from the beginning of the age of AIDS to the era of bemused long-term survivors - but ultimately wins us over through its masterful recording and layering of the specific human details and discoveries that make up a particular journey, and a particular life.\" - Dave Awl, author of WHAT THE SEA MEANS and FACEBOOK ME!, and editor of 200 NEO-FUTURIST PLAYS
inspiration at hand
Delightful designs for brilliant books via Recovering The Classics
I am enjoying a bit of time in the quilt studio from time to time. It doesn't seem like I get nearly as much time there as I'd like, but when I get the chance... I sure do enjoy it! When I saw this image of a stained glass window, I knew I had to try it in fabric. So I played a bit with the drawing to explore some other color options. You'd think it would be a simple exercise to put this one together in no time flat? Not so much! But I am pleased with how the pieced top turned out! Hand dyed cottons and un-dyed white. Happy creating, Carmen Rose
The first seams have been sewn at this point, the star fabric to the background. Press the star fabric open. Turn the section facedown and trim the points of the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. Holding fabric up to a light source, carefully trim the extra fabric away from the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. This will become a guide in sewing the next sections of the fabric to the star. You can just barely see the pencil mark through the fabric so that you know where to cut. Try to avoid using ink for this purpose, having the ink run when the finished quilt is washed would be rather annoying. Choose ten coordinating fabrics for the second row of the star and cut 2 inch strips or strips of various widths for a more funky look. Choose fabrics one step darker in value than the color of the star. Lay out the fabrics until you are satisfied with the colors and balance. Carefully place the chosen colors on the star face down, sew leaving a .25 seam allowance. Sew each star point starting on the right hand side so that all points of the stars “go” the same direction. Iron fabric open and trim. Place the second strip of fabric against the first, carefully sew and iron open then trim. Continue to add rows to the star points until all the backing fabric is covered. Iron each section open and trim each section carefully. Carefully sew two points of the star together matching the lining fabric and iron. Carefully sew two other points of the star together, matching the lining fabric and iron. And the final point to a pair and iron. Sew the final two sections together starting in the center of the star and sewing each side to the edge and iron. Your star is complete and ready to be trimmed. Add a border fabric or two, or piece several stars together in a quilt design. The options for using this star block in quilt designs are endless. I have to admit, making a tutorial is kind of fun!
Quilting patterns are full of eight point stars but if you are looking for a pattern for a five point star they are hard to come by. I was working to create an unusual star for a quilting project I was designing and so I decided to try making a five pointed star. After a variety of tries with disappointing results, I settled on this approach. There are similarities here to the log cabin method of making a square block, layering on rows of fabric to build the design. This pattern uses a backing fabric that should be a plain white or light colored fabric so that it does not show through the fabric when the quilt is finished. Start with a 14 inch square of plain cotton fabric and mark a center point, but it does not have to be exactly in the center. Make five lines through the center, all the way to the edges On every other line mark a point five inches from the center point. For a funky look, make points of various lengths. On the alternating lines mark a point two inches from the center point. Connect the dots to form the outline of the star. Number each section of the star. This will be very helpful later on to keep the sections straight. Flip the star over and mark the same numbers on the back to keep them straight once they are covered in fabric. Carefully cut in to the center of the star between the points of the star cutting the square into five sections. Choose ten coordinating fabrics for the body of the star and cut 5.5 x 2 inch rectangles of each. 1. Combine five pairs of these star fabrics, right sides together. Place one pair of fabrics over the central line of one section of the star and carefully sew leaving a .25 inch seam allowance. Iron the two sides of the star open and repeat for the four other sides. For the conclusion please check out the next post
One of the best habits I’ve picked up is to keep a sewing notebook. This is a place where I can chase rabbit trails, make mistakes, and talk about my creative passions without worrying about how they look to the rest of the world. Your notebook can take any form: a spiral notebook (with lines or graph paper), a mini or full size binder, even a document on your computer. I can’t stress how important it is to pick the one that feels most comfortable when you write in it. If you like, make a pretty cover for your notebook, like my design above which always reminds me of party invitations. Washi tape, colored pens, scrapbooking stickers, cute paper clips -- these goodies can make things lots of fun, but they’re not absolutely necessary. Mine is divided into the following sections: Must Make List: a running list of projects that I want to sew Project Ideas: notes and sketches for new projects Inspiration: my own little scrapbook for anything that inspires me -- magazine pictures, cards, photos, paint chips, etc. Class Notes: all my notes from online or in-person classes on sewing, quilting, and design Creative Journal: thoughts about my creative process and journey (I'll share more about this in a future post.) Fabric Designs: ideas for fabric designs or possible collections -- just for fun! You can easily add sections for your blog, guild meetings, sewing retreats, shopping lists, swap projects, or even your sewing calendar (see my book, Sew Organized for the Busy Girl, for more on that). This notebook can be whatever you want it to be, and it can always change to fit your needs as you go along. I actually keep two sewing notebooks right now. One is a mini binder full of notebook paper which I usually take with me to events, and the other is a slim hardbound book full of graph paper that I use most often at home. As someone who used to have loose notes and sketches floating all over the house, I can't tell you how helpful it is to know that all my work is now organized and easy to find when I need it! In the past, I've tried to have inspiration scrapbooks or journals, but I've gotten hung up on wanting them to be pretty and perfect. There's nothing wrong with pretty, but perfect will do you in every time. The whole point of the sewing notebook is having a place where mistakes don’t matter and where you have room to think and grow. Don’t cheat yourself out of that gift by trying to get everything “right.” No one ever has to see the inside of this book except you. Let it be a place where you always feel safe to be yourself.
In last Saturday's guild zoom sew day, one of the things we discussed was closets, drawers, and collections of unfinished projects. I have been thinking about it this week and here are some random thoughts: *Most of the time my UFO's don't bother me, and in fact sometimes it feels like a very special collection that someone will inherit someday. Photos of my UFO closet are magical - so much beauty and so many memories created over time. I can look at each quilt project, some with borders or backing on the hangers, and I can remember so many things about the fabrics, pattern designer, life circumstances, etc. *But once in a while UFO's feel a bit overwhelming. Mostly this happens when I want to put more in the closet and there isn't any room! One of the zoom attendees recommended the youtube video called "When to quit" by Karen Brown. I enjoyed watching Karen's decision making process as she sorted which UFO's were going to become finished projects, and which ones were getting the old "heave ho"! I hope to do more of that in my quilting room on a regular basis. *Click here to read one of my favourite UFO stories about turning an old UFO duckling into a gorgeous swan. In the right hands, at the right time, with enough creativity and care... anything (projects, friendships, homes, lives, etc) can become beautiful. I just love how the daisies turned this simple QST top into a pretty quilt. I love that the daisies are translucent and you can see a bit of the block design behind them. *Being inspired, I went through the UFO closet and pulled out 3 projects to finish. The first one is on the design wall today. This was the New Year's Day mystery from Scrapdash and was made totally from stash. I sewed the last seams together during the zoom sew, and today I will stay stitch around the edge of the quilt - just in case it will be in the UFO closet for a little while longer! LOL I have picked out some fabric for a backing and just have to do some pressing. For that to happen, the weather needs to be cooler. It's hard to put the iron on when it's so hot! But progress is being made! What's your UFO situation these days? Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's
Home Arts Needlecraft MagazineOctober, 1935
See: bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2011/06/anatomia-vegetal.html
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The first seams have been sewn at this point, the star fabric to the background. Press the star fabric open. Turn the section facedown and trim the points of the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. Holding fabric up to a light source, carefully trim the extra fabric away from the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. This will become a guide in sewing the next sections of the fabric to the star. You can just barely see the pencil mark through the fabric so that you know where to cut. Try to avoid using ink for this purpose, having the ink run when the finished quilt is washed would be rather annoying. Choose ten coordinating fabrics for the second row of the star and cut 2 inch strips or strips of various widths for a more funky look. Choose fabrics one step darker in value than the color of the star. Lay out the fabrics until you are satisfied with the colors and balance. Carefully place the chosen colors on the star face down, sew leaving a .25 seam allowance. Sew each star point starting on the right hand side so that all points of the stars “go” the same direction. Iron fabric open and trim. Place the second strip of fabric against the first, carefully sew and iron open then trim. Continue to add rows to the star points until all the backing fabric is covered. Iron each section open and trim each section carefully. Carefully sew two points of the star together matching the lining fabric and iron. Carefully sew two other points of the star together, matching the lining fabric and iron. And the final point to a pair and iron. Sew the final two sections together starting in the center of the star and sewing each side to the edge and iron. Your star is complete and ready to be trimmed. Add a border fabric or two, or piece several stars together in a quilt design. The options for using this star block in quilt designs are endless. I have to admit, making a tutorial is kind of fun!
The Fifth Avenue Collection of Art Deco rugs by Safavieh displays retro geometric designs in vivid colors set against a soft, pure wool cut pile.
The first seams have been sewn at this point, the star fabric to the background. Press the star fabric open. Turn the section facedown and trim the points of the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. Holding fabric up to a light source, carefully trim the extra fabric away from the star leaving an extra .25 inch seam allowance. This will become a guide in sewing the next sections of the fabric to the star. You can just barely see the pencil mark through the fabric so that you know where to cut. Try to avoid using ink for this purpose, having the ink run when the finished quilt is washed would be rather annoying. Choose ten coordinating fabrics for the second row of the star and cut 2 inch strips or strips of various widths for a more funky look. Choose fabrics one step darker in value than the color of the star. Lay out the fabrics until you are satisfied with the colors and balance. Carefully place the chosen colors on the star face down, sew leaving a .25 seam allowance. Sew each star point starting on the right hand side so that all points of the stars “go” the same direction. Iron fabric open and trim. Place the second strip of fabric against the first, carefully sew and iron open then trim. Continue to add rows to the star points until all the backing fabric is covered. Iron each section open and trim each section carefully. Carefully sew two points of the star together matching the lining fabric and iron. Carefully sew two other points of the star together, matching the lining fabric and iron. And the final point to a pair and iron. Sew the final two sections together starting in the center of the star and sewing each side to the edge and iron. Your star is complete and ready to be trimmed. Add a border fabric or two, or piece several stars together in a quilt design. The options for using this star block in quilt designs are endless. I have to admit, making a tutorial is kind of fun!
