Quilts by Paula Fleischer, political and otherwise

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

Quilts by Paula Fleischer, political and otherwise

My orange Kawandi style project is complete. I quite like how this one turned out. Orange really is underrated colour in the quilting world. I stitched this one up with another variegated Aurifil 12 weight cotton thread which I found in my stash. I must have bought this one years ago as it was a surprise to find it when I rummaged around looking for the colour I wanted to use. It runs from a cream through to coral and then to a darker burnt orange colour. It's quite a nice colouring and worked especially well for this type of project. When stitching up this kawandi, I started out by keeping my rows approximately 1/2" apart. This was a way to reduce the amount of time I fiddled about with pins holding everything in place. Once it was all together, I went back in and stitched in between the rows of stitching. I like the texture which the denser rows of quilting produce, but I also quite liked the look for the rows spaced out at 1/2". It's funny how the more of these I make the more I'm learning about my preferences. And now there are four kawandi style quilt projects in my colour series. I'm working my way through my scrap tub in the order that they're on the shelf and easiest to access - yes a completely non-scientific or ordered way to approach this. It's a lucky dip as to which colour I'll stitch up next. It's that time of the month for FNSI with Wendy so I may even get around to starting my next Kawandi.

Creative Play Challenge No. 2 – Nature/Organic; Kawandi Style Quilt

I wanted to learn more about Kawandi quilts and the Siddis who make them. So last spring I took a kawandi quilt making workshop.

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

After seeing on Instagram a few Kawandi quilts, I pursued learning about them. Only one YouTube tutorial somewhat inadequately explains how to make a Kawandi quilt. I also watched several videos about them, how they're made with old clothing by Siddi women in India. There's also a good YouTube interview between a Kawandi quilt collector/seller and Nancy Zieman. Striking out on my own, I cut background fabric 16" X 26". I sorted through and rough-cut these scraps, and discovered as I went along that I needed twice this amount. Hand-stitching is size 8 perle cotton, and batting is Quilter's Dream Cotton Request. It's interesting to work from the outside in. Nice texture is created by straight quilting lines. This is the finished piece, though it has its flaws. Several edges of turned-under scraps weren't caught by hand-stitches, so when I was finished, I used fabric glue to stick them in place. It turned out pretty enough, but I want to do better. On Friday, November 5, I'm taking a three-hour Kawandi quilt online workshop with Sujata Shah @therootconnection, to learn to do it properly. My supplies are gathered, cut, and ready to go. The following afternoon, though the South Florida MQG, I'll take another three-hour online workshop with Malka Dubrawsky to make a "Maze" quilt, a free pattern from February 2019 available to MQG members. I figure it will be a way to begin to use some of the dozens of yards of Painter's Palette Solids I've bought in the past two month. "Maze" quilt by Malka Dubrawsky Oh, didn't I mention? I found a great sale on Painter's Palette Solids ($5.96 a yard) at The Quilt Place (Orlando) that was too good to pass up. Another 50 yards (25 colors) are on the way. I know. "Yikes!" As this pandemic goes on and on, I find myself looking for more virtual workshops. I have several projects and techniques that I'd like to have a go at so I'm taking advantage of every online opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. I've also discovered that, in general, it's less expensive to take a workshop directly from the instructor, versus taking the same workshop through an organization. Recent quilt-y days have been full of working on my latest Shell-inspired, patterned improv quilt. I plan to make six of these 20" X 20" blocks. Yep, the quilt will be large; around 60" x 80". I'm naming it Italica because: 1) the main block is called "Old Italian" according to Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (Did you know an updated version of this 1993 book will be available soon from Electric Quilt?) 2) when I Googled "old Italian," I learned about the 102 year-old woman from Italy who, in March, survived Coronavirus, and survived the 1918 Spanish Flu! Her name? Italica Grondona. Perfect. My she-cave got a little brighter with the arrival of an aqua-colored Ecopeco cutting mat. Aqua decor is goin' on here, and I love it! What's out of view is my favorite piece of furniture in the house - my aqua swivel-glider that sits in the bay window. Book Recommendation Outsider by Linda Castillo is another series book I unknowingly selected, though it stands alone pretty well. Turns out it's #12 in the Kate Burkholder series. Kate is the chief of police in a rural Ohio community that's mostly Amish. After ten years, Kate's once-closest friend, Gina, resurfaces with a gunshot wound in the home of a widowed Amish man and his three children. With a record-setting snowstorm hitting the area, Kate hunkers down with the family to await the storm's lessening and take Gina in for questioning. But Gina's pursuers who are cops themselves, aren't giving up on finding Gina and "taking care of their problem." This is a suspenseful story that includes dirty cops, and a glimpse into Amish life and values. Linda's score: 3.8/5.0 If I still lived in Iowa, I would go to Lutheran Church of Hope to pick up one of these yard signs. I need this reminder and I'm pretty sure others do too! In good news, Beth Moore has rescheduled a Living Proof Ministries event in Des Moines for November 5-6, 2021. I hope to be there too! This is the weekend our time changes. Does anyone feel happy about getting an extra hour of sleep?! Linda

Kawandi Table Runner - a fun and easy way to use up fabric scraps, creating a beautiful, hand quilted project.

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

Creative Play Challenge No. 2 – Nature/Organic; Kawandi Style Quilt

I've completed my third Kawandi. This is the quiltmaking technique I learned in a workshop with Sujata Shah @therootconnection. The quilt is hand-stitched, working from the outside edges toward the center. It's 16" X 22½" and pieced with my grandmother's scraps of vintage fabrics. There's one particular large-scale print among grandma's scraps - pink background with white flowers - so in the center I placed one large flower. Backing fabric is an old-fashioned-looking print by Denyse Schmidt. Batting is Quilter's Dream Poly Request. Thread is Aurifil #12. And I stitched with a Bohin crewel/embroidery needle #7. I like this type of hand-stitching so much that I'm thinking to make another one. After many hours spent sorting and piecing, I finished putting together a back for my Italica quilt. This is 81" X 91" and used up well over ¾ of the bits, blocks, scraps, and leftover yardage from piecing the front. I know it looks like a mash-up, but it works for me. Sandwiching and pin-basting will happen in the next several days. I've got two books to recommend to you. You'll want to add both of these to your reading list. One by One is Ruth Ware's latest book, released in September. If you're a fan of this author, as I am (The Woman in Cabin Ten, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs. Westaway) you'll enjoy this read. Snoop is an app developed by a tech company. When the Snoop corporate team of ten goes on a week-long retreat at a secluded ski chalet, tensions between the two former co-owners is palpable. Liz, a former Snoop employee, dreads the week ahead and what it may mean for her. Erin, the chalet's hospitality employee, observes the guests interactions, picking up on verbal and non-verbal cues that make her wary, and a little concerned about the secret she's keeping. The storyline involves skiing, including terms that I wasn't familiar with, like "funicular." But everyone knows the word "avalanche," right? Note: Some characters use an excessive amount of profanity. Linda's score: 4.4/5.0 The Guest List by Lucy Foley is another unexpectedly delicious read. A wedding is about to happen at an old castle - a folly - on an island off the coast of Ireland. The wedding planner, Aoife (pronounced E-fah) and her husband have updated the folly, and this is their first big event. The bride, Jules, and groom, Will, are celebrities, and the guest list is exclusive. The best man and groomsmen are private school mates of Will's, and have a long history of schoolboy pranks and playing "survivor." Jules's only bridesmaid is her 19 year-old troubled sister. With everyone together, truths are revealed that have several people thinking murderous thoughts. The whole book takes place over the course of three days, with the author referring to previous days, and "now," the wedding day. Having the story set in such a wild place with bogs, a cemetery and windswept cliffs, enhanced by an approaching storm, make for an enticing story. Note: Some characters use an excessive amount of profanity. Linda's score: 4.4/5.0 Made by me; pattern by Dilys Fronks Have a blessed Christmas my friends! Linda

Kawandi is a style of quilt created by the Siddi people of India, traditionally done by hand. It is truly scrappy and improvisational. While I like doing hand work, I was also intrigued by faster machine methods. I've listed some resources at the end of this tutorial if you are interested in creating Kawandi by hand, want to see another machine tutorial, want to see some footage of Siddi creating Kawandi by hand, and a discussion of creating Kawandi in your own style. This tutorial describes a new way of creating Kawandi by machine. These are NOT traditional Kawandi, but inspired by the joy and movement of Kawandi-style. I started with a background piece of fabric approximately 8x10", a piece of batting of the same size, and many scraps of batiks or quilting cottons. 1) Place the background over the batting, right side up (this is a quilt as you go technique, so the batting is incorporated from the beginning. 2) Place 4 scraps in the corners, right side DOWN - NOTE I'm using batiks in these examples, so its hard to tell that these pieces are upside down. In this image, you are looking at what will be the WRONG side of those scrap corners. 3) Begin UNDERLAPPING adjoining scraps into the corners. Fold approximately 1/4 inch on the side that will go UNDER the corner. Again, the scraps are placed upside down. Pin the piece in place along the edge. This will be machine sewn. 4) When you get to the next corner, fold the 1/4 inch on both sides of the scrap because it will go under 2 pieces of fabric. 5) Continue folding and underlapping scraps, pinning along the outer edge until you get the entire edge filled. Notice that it doesn't matter if you use short scraps, or long scraps. And again, its impossible to tell from this image because I'm using batiks, but you are looking at the right side of the background, and the WRONG side of the colorful scraps. 6) Sew 1/4 in seam all the way around the edge, removing pins as you come to them. 7) Clip the 4 corners close to the seam, being careful not to cut the thread. 8) Turn right side out by flipping each scrap over the seam. Use a tool to poke out or pull out the corners. There should be no raw edges of fabric along the edge of the piece because they are either in the seam OR they are folded under. 9) Carefully press the outer edge - taking care not to press the batting, as it might melt depending on fiber content. 10) The result is a piece with finished edges like this: 11) Top stitch close to the edge, This will secure all the folded under edges of each scrap. 12) When you are on the 4th side, approaching the beginning of your stitch line, turn the corner about 1/4" or 3/8" before you get there, to start the 'spiral' of stitching. The next steps are done just like Kawandi by hand, but you continue sewing on the machine. 13) To place the next piece, fold under 2 edges. Finger press or iron as necessary. Overlap the unfinished edges of previous scraps. 14) to place a color into a long strip, fold under 3 edges, staying aware of where you will place another scrap to overlap. 15) To keep a small scrap straight as you sew over the edge, it may be necessary to use long tweezers or stiletto. 16) Continue placing scraps and sewing in concentric rectangles, into the center. Note: this picture is from another project than the ones above. 17) Prepare the final scrap by folding under all 4 sides, and sewing the ever smaller rectangles/squares of stitching. 18) For the piece made of batiks, I decided the center "squares" looked better on the diagonal. Although not traditional at all, I've already broken so many 'rules', that I just decided to make this mine. Also, I'm aware that traditional Kawandi have 'folded flowers' in the 4 corners. Include them if you wish. Make it yours! Paula RESOURCES: How to make a Kawandi by hand by Kieren Dutcher https://youtu.be/yFd0xEfKeto How to make a Kawandi by machine (with binding) by Mel Beach https://pieceloveandhappiness.blogspot.com/2019/03/modern-kawandi-making.html Margaret Fabrizio travels to India to learn Kawandi from Siddi quilters: https://youtu.be/WqdIswL96q4 Margaret Fabrizio shows her own Kawandi quilts, and talks about making them in her own style. https://youtu.be/4NRxqOqp_UA

I wanted to learn more about Kawandi quilts and the Siddis who make them. So last spring I took a kawandi quilt making workshop.

This last couple of weeks, I've been away with my family, enjoying a Carnival cruise around the south pacific. We had a lovely time away enjoying time on tropical islands and sea days filled up with ship activities. There is always a lot to do on a ship. I knew that I'd need something to sew when I had downtime, so brought a small bag of pink scraps to work on a Kawandi style project. It's very portable style of project to work on while away from the sewing room. The night before we left, I prepared the backing piece and pressed the edges with a decent 3/4" seam. I took along my bag of scrap fabric, a needle and small spool of variegated Aurifil 12 wt thread # 4651, thread, scissors, marker and small ruler to ensure that my lines weren't going too far out whack. I also took a little packet of applique pins to keep my pieces in place when I rolled up the project before heading out to the next trivia challenge or show in the theatre. I worked most of the project on the ship and finished it off last night. I think I might choose a different colour scrap tub and make some more. It's nice to have a slow-sewing project ready to work, without deadlines to worry about. Have you tried making a kawandi style of project? When I saw the beautiful Kawandi works by Linda over at Flourishing Palms, I was inspired to try this style myself. I'm so glad that I did. The stitches may not be straight or perfect, but they were very enjoyable.

Quilts by Paula Fleischer, political and otherwise

We visited this show of beautiful quilts at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. All so beautiful! And then something really fun happened- as we drove away from the museum, I saw a woman dressed in an artful way, and I recognized her from a short video of Margaret that was included in her show. I had Dave stop the car so I could get out and tell her how much I enjoyed her quilts. (No photo of our meeting- I'd left my camera in the car and Dave had driven off to get gas.) We walked back to the museum together, along with the two gentlemen who were with her. We chatted about art and quilts. I found out that it was Margaret's 85th birthday that day- so great to see all of this creative energy and beautiful current work. That inspires me. Her quilts appeal to me on so many levels. I love the connection to the Indian quilting tradition. I love the vibrant, saturated colors. I love the spontaneous, seemingly haphazard compositions. The textures created by the rows and rows of hand stitching. And the use of every scrap and the attention that brings to the beauty around us, even in the bits others might just throw away. Make it a Wonderful Day!

Kawandi quilts have been on my mind ever since seeing the Collecting & Recollecting exhibit on display at the International Quilt Stud...

My little green kawandi style project is complete. With Aussie television shows restarting this week after the Christmas holiday break, I've had lots to sit and stitch along with. It was made with scraps out of my green fabric scrap basket and two different green Aurifil 12 wt cotton threads (2845 and 1147). I seem to have at least a dozen different shades of pink in my Aurifil 12wt stash, but only these two greens. After sharing my pink kawandi last week, I've had a number of people ask me about my process in making these little quilt projects. I'm certainly not an expert and I'm really not making my quilts as the siddhi people would traditionally make them. This is just my take on the process after watching what I could find on YouTube and lots of pictures on Pinterest and Instagram. I've taken a few pictures along the way while making this green quilt, which will hopefully help someone wanting to have a go at making their own. I started out by pulling out my green scrap tub. I had a bigger piece which I would use for the backing so after pressing it and trimming it so that it was rectangle-ish, I pressed the raw edges giving myself a nice wide seam allowance. I have some very fine polyester wadding/fleece which I cut to size and tucked into the seam allowance. Again, not the traditional way of making a Kawandi, but I like the extra loft (even if only slight). Next up, I chose my first fabric to add to the top. Folded a seam along the raw edge on two sides, placed it on the corner of my rectangle so that the backing and top seams were aligned, pinned and then began stitching from that corner. I marked out my stitching lines at 1/4" (again, not the traditional way) but I like to have a nice straight line to start with. The process is then quite simple, just folding and adding more pieces when arriving at a raw edge. The idea is to have all of the raw edges tucked under while adding more fabrics. When I've stitched all the way around, I continue back around (kind of like a spiral), adding more fabrics when needed or when the mood struck me. I hope this made sense and that anyone who was hesitant to start stitching up their own project, will jump right in and sew, sew, sew. The stitches don't have to be perfect or uniform to achieve great texture. I'm thinking with February being the month of "love", I'm going to dig into my red scrap tub next and see where it takes me :)

More on my Instagram The tools I use when making Suffolk Puffs or Yo-Yos Cotton or silk fabric A 5″ ruler for cutting the squares – to give the squares a full fat feel Roller cutter A p…

Have you ever heard of Big Stitch Quilting? Someone on instagram saw a quilt that I'm in the midst of working on and suggested I google "Big Stitch Quilting" and so I did! source It's a hand quilting technique that uses big stitches and there are lots of tutorials (and here) all over the internet. There are books, online classes, and entire websites dedicated to the topic. I have to say, I've done lots of Big Stitch Quilting before, but I didn't realize it had a name. I love the way the big stitches look: source source source source source...

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

A visit to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles with some of my quilter friends was a treat, as there were several exhibitions on (plus the company was superb). Today we will cover one of th…

Kawandi Style Quilt Project

I've been exploring the tradition of Kawandi and Siddi quilting recently and it is a breath of fresh air in my studio.

Kawandi Table Runner - a fun and easy way to use up fabric scraps, creating a beautiful, hand quilted project.

This last couple of weeks, I've been away with my family, enjoying a Carnival cruise around the south pacific. We had a lovely time away enjoying time on tropical islands and sea days filled up with ship activities. There is always a lot to do on a ship. I knew that I'd need something to sew when I had downtime, so brought a small bag of pink scraps to work on a Kawandi style project. It's very portable style of project to work on while away from the sewing room. The night before we left, I prepared the backing piece and pressed the edges with a decent 3/4" seam. I took along my bag of scrap fabric, a needle and small spool of variegated Aurifil 12 wt thread # 4651, thread, scissors, marker and small ruler to ensure that my lines weren't going too far out whack. I also took a little packet of applique pins to keep my pieces in place when I rolled up the project before heading out to the next trivia challenge or show in the theatre. I worked most of the project on the ship and finished it off last night. I think I might choose a different colour scrap tub and make some more. It's nice to have a slow-sewing project ready to work, without deadlines to worry about. Have you tried making a kawandi style of project? When I saw the beautiful Kawandi works by Linda over at Flourishing Palms, I was inspired to try this style myself. I'm so glad that I did. The stitches may not be straight or perfect, but they were very enjoyable.

This last couple of weeks, I've been away with my family, enjoying a Carnival cruise around the south pacific. We had a lovely time away enjoying time on tropical islands and sea days filled up with ship activities. There is always a lot to do on a ship. I knew that I'd need something to sew when I had downtime, so brought a small bag of pink scraps to work on a Kawandi style project. It's very portable style of project to work on while away from the sewing room. The night before we left, I prepared the backing piece and pressed the edges with a decent 3/4" seam. I took along my bag of scrap fabric, a needle and small spool of variegated Aurifil 12 wt thread # 4651, thread, scissors, marker and small ruler to ensure that my lines weren't going too far out whack. I also took a little packet of applique pins to keep my pieces in place when I rolled up the project before heading out to the next trivia challenge or show in the theatre. I worked most of the project on the ship and finished it off last night. I think I might choose a different colour scrap tub and make some more. It's nice to have a slow-sewing project ready to work, without deadlines to worry about. Have you tried making a kawandi style of project? When I saw the beautiful Kawandi works by Linda over at Flourishing Palms, I was inspired to try this style myself. I'm so glad that I did. The stitches may not be straight or perfect, but they were very enjoyable.

Pin It I have a fondness in my heart for creativity that bursts out in more than one way. Margaret Fabrizio came to my attention by her quilts, but she is also a well known harpsichord player who played with the Grateful Dead, and had one of her collages on one of their album covers. …

It is my lucky week and I want to share my joy with you all. Quilt from The Henry Drewal Collection Lately my posts here on the blog have been far and few in between. But I am happy to be sharing any information I can here about the quilting in India. There are two online events coming up within a week or so. I highly recommend that you sign up for both. That is if you are into any kind of hand quilting and hand stitching. The first event is about the Kantha Revival in Easter India and Bangladesh. What we know as quilter is kantha stitching but most have very little info on what an actual Kantha quilt is. This is a really good opportunity to view the film and join the conversation. Kantha of Bangladesh Tickets- $5-10 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kantha-in-bangladesh-from-hidden-corners-to-public-view-registration-140441196399# Here is another event of Siddi Quilts of India. It is a conversation between Dr. Henry Drewal and Dr. Sarah Khan. The quilts from their collection are in an exhibit at Cove St. Arts . It will be worth a drive if you are anywhere near Portland, ME. February 6 - March 27 2021This exhibition is co-curated by Henry J. Drewal, Evjue-Bascom Professor of African and African Diaspora Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who first saw kawandi while documenting Siddi expressive culture in 2004 and Sarah K. Khan. All of the quilts in the exhibition are by members of the nonprofit Siddi Womens’ Quilting Cooperative, which is keeping this tradition alive and vibrant You can also sign up for an event on eventbrite - click on the link below. You may not want o miss this at all. Soulful Stitching by Siddi's of Karnataka - Tickets $0-100 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soulful-stitching-a-scholarly-social-practice-tickets-141232412949?aff=ebdssbeac# I would love to know what you thought after you attend these events. Have a great week! Sujata