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 was lucky enough to take a class from the famous artist/quilter, Freddy Moran, Saturday in Sacramento. I invited my friend Natalie to go with me, and that made the day even better :) This is the house that Freddy built :) She doesn't measure, at least hardly ever, and she doesn't consider herself a sewer either. Here's my freehand house on the left, along with one of my trees on the right. Freddy says that if something doesn't fit, add some more fabric to make it fit, and the extra fabric also adds some interest. Freddy and me:) Freddy has a degree in Fine Arts, raised a family of 5 boys (6 if you count her husband), and she says she was very successful at that because they are all grown up and all have jobs, lol! Freddy started her career with textile arts when she was 60, she's 80 something now. Here's my little house and a wonky star and a tree that I made in class Saturday. This is one of my favorite quilts of Freddy's. The buildings come off the sides, and it isn't bound. Freddy creates a background, often from flannel, because fabric sticks really well to it. She then creates her masterpiece by laying fabric on top and gluing them on with a purple glue stick that dries clear. She takes the finished quilt to the quilter (that hasn't been sewn or appliqued) and she tells Carol, "if any piece falls off, just stick it back on where you think it looks good!" This is a close up of one of her small quilts. The background is sewn together, and she cuts fabric or images on fabric (flowers) and glues them onto the background. Freddy loves the living dead too, hence the skulls. Freddy said that she has never bought a piece of muslin and never will. She takes great care in producing pretty backs for her quilts. Alexander Henry fabrics are very beautiful and interesting, and Berkeley, California, has a Crate and Barrel outlet where they sell Marimekko fabric for $5.95 / yard. Freddy buys a lot of her backs there. Another favorite of mine is this cow quilt! Freddy has lots of "parts". That's fabric that she she has cut into shapes, she has them in containers separated by color. She grabs those "parts" and places them until she likes the arrangement, then glues them down and lets her Carol, her quilter, machine quilt them in place. Did you notice that the cow's tail is three dimensional? This is the bag of the cow quilt. This is a close up of the machine quilting, where you can imagine the pieces being attached to the flannel background, by machine quilting. During the day, we had our sewing class, and in the evening, we had a talk and trunk show by Freddy. It was great! Notice the stack of quilts? I didn't count, but there were 30 or more. Freddy said that she collaborates with her friend Gwen Marston. Together, they make about 30 quilts a year, not including the machine quilting. Freddy and Gwen can make a quilt a day, with their combined creative genius!!! Freddy's "parts department" also includes little blocks that have been put together, otherwise known as orphan blocks. She uses the parts for her quilts. Another favorite quilt of mine that she made is called "Parts Department". It's a kaleidoscope quilt with lots of little girls holding hands, pinwheels and much much more. It's really cute! (I couldn't find a photo of it) Freddy told us that she takes all her fabric out and refolds it every 3 months, so that she knows what she has. What a great idea!!! Here are my little blocks that I sped through! The wonkier the better, it adds a lot of interest. You don't trim until you figure out if you want your quilt to have horizontal or vertical rows, or if you are going to make a kaleidoscope quilt. Freddy loved this background fabric! I think this block is too matchy matchy, but if I put it with crazy, wonky blocks, it will add interest. Isn't this the cutest photo? I took it off the internet, it looks like a self portrait. Freddy's vests that she often wears are made by an artist in Berkeley, and are made from quilts. The biggest thing I learned from Freddy, is don't be hard on yourself, or critical about your work. Never show anyone your quilting mistakes, they will never notice them anyway. Be crazy and try new things in quilting. You don't have to follow everyone else's rules, make your own. I am still talking about quilting, lol! This quilt is called "Little House in the Big Woods". Do you see the little house in there? This is the quilt that Freddy built, and I am going to make my own version of it.....someday..... Freddy signed my book, and do you know what she wrote? "Red is a neutral."
There is nothing I like more than a simple quilt pattern that looks complicated. Behold .... the Jewel Box quilt. Shibori is a Jap...
I wanted to learn more about Kawandi quilts and the Siddis who make them. So last spring I took a kawandi quilt making workshop.
A fabric collage quilt doesn't need to be scary!
In 2012 gaan we met z'n allen een eigen huisjes quilt maken, je kunt ons volgen op dit Blog. - In 2012 we're all going to work on a house quilt, you can follow us at this Blog.
We’ve stumbled upon modern patterns and fresh designs that are more fit for you urban dwelling than for your cabin the woods.
The 9 patch is considered a basic foundation block in quilting that can help your build your skills in so many ways. Learn the basics and master this block.
This sewing basic tutorial will teach you how to sew a gathering stitch for perfect ruffles every time.
Hi, I’m Joz and I can’t stop making different variations of square and rectangle shaped quilts :-) So here is my latest square and rectangle quilt which was inspired by our bath mat. It comes together super quickly plus it’s very low waste!
Create vibrant, graphic quilts and projects using batik fabric. With more than 55 options, you're sure to find one you want to make!
The bargello technique can be used to create backgrounds for applique, to showcase landscape prints, and to use up your stash. In a previou...
Meet Nebulous - my first 2024 quilt pattern release! The Nebulous quilt draws inspiration from the vast Southwest night sky, featuring a deep indigo background that creates a burst-like effect. Designed for intermediate quilters, it serves as a skill-building project with tricky techniques incorporated into the pattern. Available in three sizes and two color options—5-tone for a vibrant look or 2-tone for a more subtle style—Nebulous is a versatile and visually striking creation that caters to different preferences and purposes. See Product I've put together a handful of quilt kit recipe cards for Nebulous. These recipe cards are the “ingredients” you'll need to make a throw size quilt top. Some of the following recipe cards are already quilt kits sold by some of our partnering shop! Full Moon Fabric Co Kit Wyldwood Creative Kit Lamb & Loom Fabrics Kit Floyd The Fox Kit Going Coastal Fabrics Kit Bright Neons Garden Fairy Valentine's Day Strawberry Chocolate Pacific Northwest Want to make your own Nebulous Quilt mock-up? color your own using quilt ink
Tips on how to pick fabrics and mix and match fabrics for a quilt. Making a patchwork quilt and want to learn how to pick fabrics? Read on.
Hexagons, those six-sided wonders found in nature, from honeycombs to snowflakes, have a unique charm. Their balanced and symmetrical shape has intrigued minds for centuries. In this post, we have brought you ‘free printable 1-inch hexagons’ in PDF format. This resource aims to provide a convenient and easily accessible tool for those who require hexagonal ... Read more
Learn how Cassandra Beaver approaches the style of matchstick quilting, an approach that can be done any way on a quilt.
It’s time to quilt our third design for the Machine Quilting Party. Yep, we’re still stitching straight lines, but this...
In a recent post, I shared with you an easier way to create the colorful arrows in Denyse Schmidt's new pattern, Point me.... If you recall, I changed the construction after I had already cut out all those pesky triangles....sooooo..... here is an even easier way to put those arrows together {make those tiny HST's} if you have not already cut into your fabric. To begin you will need to cut two strips of fabric.... one white and one patterned fabric....cut each strip 4.25 inches wide by WOF. Then sub-cut the strips into 4.25 inch squares.... Place the two squares right sides facing and stitch, using a quarter inch seam allowance, all around the outside of the square.... Now cut the square once on the diagonal.... Take each half and cut again.... By stitching around the perimeter of the square, you have stitched the long straight edge of the triangle...... Press open with seams toward the darker fabric.... I have finished the quilt and I am now working on the pillow sham. I found this method is easier, faster and with better results. Maybe it is just me, but if you plan on making this quilt - you might want to give this method a try. After you have your HST's....stitch them together keeping the patterned fabric the upper left side and the solid fabric on the lower right. Because the strips are pieced together on the diagonal, each strip is one square less than the neighboring strip... And for the pillow a single solid triangle is added to the top of each strip... When stitching the strips together, I have found that the bias actually works in your favor. You can more easily get those seams{points} to fit together perfectly with a little stretch in your fabric strip.... I hope this helps!!! Well.....I have a few more strips to put together for this one....so stay tuned.... Happy Tuesday! mary
There's beauty in simplicity! Sew two-color quilts in both traditional color combinations and unexpected pairings.
These modern quilt patterns are perfect for the next generation of quilt lover. These aren't your grandmas quilts! Click for a full list.
A collection of cat quilt patterns featuring different sizes, styles and designs. Simple and cute, these free patterns are perfect for any occasion.
Quilts for boys either lean one of two ways. They are either very camouflage, buffalo plaid and man-cave like or they are way to juvenille for bigger kids. As a mother of two boys and a lady who has nearly all men in my life (I’m talking about the 5 brother in laws, two brothers, and a whole lotta n
Learn how to do Trapunto embroidery and quilting
Hexagon quilts are making a comeback, and we've seen some inspiring modern variations. Tumbling blocks are hexagon shapes made with three d...
How to take photos of quilts: Ten photos to take of quilts by Emily of Quiltylove.com. Find out the top ten photos to take of each quilt that you make.
Don't know where to start? This will help!
Wow! You guys seem to like scrappy quilts as much as I do! I'm pleased that so many of you stated that you were going to start your own version of a scrappy 4 patch quilt. That's exciting! Many thanks go to Jean Gilbertson for the wonderful inspiration! Since I had so many questions about the pressing direction on my 4 patch blocks, I thought I would show my work. (ha!) The beauty of this quilt is that there is an alternate block that is not pieced, so pressing direction really doesn't matter. Woohoo! Right now I'm pressing to the dark fabric for step one and the center seam gets pressed to one side. Honestly, if the pressing would have been fussy, I probably wouldn't have attempted this quilt in the first place. I also had a lot of questions about the background color. I'm not sure yet, but I do love the suggestion of the same color as my aqua desk. My one hesitation is that I have a LOT of aqua scraps, so they would fade to the background. Hmmmm. Thankfully, I have a lot of time before I need to make a final decision. I'm happy to report that I'm making great progress, though. I have over 100 blocks done already! I decided that I'm going to bag them up in groups of 100 as I finish them. That will save me tons of time counting and re-counting. It will also help keep me motivated, I think. Over the weekend we had lots of pretty SNOW and I had plenty of time to SEW! It was lovely! I started my last batch of log cabin blocks. When I say my last batch, I'm trying to be optimistic that I'm farther along that I really am. I have 70 blocks complete, I started the final 62. I guess any progress is good! I'm QUITE anxious to see this one as a quilt top!!!! (Block measurements can be found here. Last progress photo of the quilt can be found here.) The nice thing about working on these two projects at once is that they both use 1 1/2" pieces. Perfect! Happy Monday to you!
Many readers have commented on how much they like Deborah Hyde’s artwork on the cover of the April/May 2014 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. In addition
If you have been swept away with the Sashiko stitching craze (like me) you are probably looking for easy ways to transfer designs onto your fabric without the hassle of tracing out grids, or buying expensive templates. I have found a fabulous way to transfer your design onto fabric using an ink jet printer (these are the ones generally used at home with ink that is water soluble) and freezer paper. Freezer paper is the old fashioned way to wrap and store meat in the freezer and can be readily found in the supermarket. If you have trouble finding it, you can make your own (and I'll go into these steps in another post). You willl need: Freezer paper Scissors Fabric (any light weight fabric will work) Iron Printer Step 1 Iron your fabric first to remove any wrinkles. You can work with any light weight fabric and I often use muslin (calico) because it is a good weight and it prints well. I often dye my fabrics before printing to create extra depth and interest, however plain fabrics work well too. The above sample was printed on indigo dyed muslin and the black ink contrasts well against the deep blue. Step 2 Cut out a section of freezer paper to the same size of your printer paper (either 8.5"x11" or A4). I use a piece of printer paper as a guide or you could use card stock for something more durable. Step 3 Place the freezer paper shiny side (plastic) down towards the fabric and iron it. The plastic will melt and adhere to the fabric. Step 4 Cut around the paper making sure you have no frayed edges and that you are cutting close to the paper edge. Step 5 Place your fabric/paper into the printer facing the correct way. ie with my printer HP Envy 4000 I place it fabric side down with the paper side visible on the top. This ensures that the print goes on the fabric and not the other side. (if you get confused and accidentally place it the other way around, simply flip it and run it though the printer again) Step 6 Press print! It should run through the printer ok and out comes an image printed on your fabric. Step 7 You can peel off the paper and start sewing your design. Step 8 I use a water base ink so that I can wash off the printed design after I have finished embroidering the pattern, however there are waterproof inks available if you wanted to have a permanent design. These are some examples of fabrics that have been printed using my inkjet printer. The one below you can see wasn't completely ironed onto the freezer paper and was wrinkled going through the printer. But it still went through ok without getting stuck! You can find lots of sashiko stencils online to download onto your computer to print. Happy Stitching!
Feather stitch: a simple step by step hand embroidery tutorial with attractive variations for floral designs, coral, seaweed and more
Quilt backs are one of the most efficient ways to bust some serious stash. Let's take a look at several options for making a back. (This post contains affiliate links)
