Something a bit different - patchwork

Dorothy (Palmer) is into patchwork as well as embroidery and has contributed these photos. She made the bag in the first pic for the EG Embroidery in Trust exhibition at Little Moreton Hall last summer. The 'stained glass' technique using black strips to outline the pieces features in this bag and in the quilts.

This bag uses a project that appeared in Stitch magazine involving stitching tucks with space-dyed thread, then stitching across them, pushing them together in alternate directions.

Magic tiles are rather clever. You begin with (here) 12 squares of 9 different fabrics. Piles are made of one of each fabric. Four cuts slice them across, making 9 pieces. These pieces are swapped around and made up into blocks with one piece from each fabric in each block. Look carefully and you'll see Dorothy has varied this a bit, to interesting effect.

Catching up . . .

. . . with the photos waiting to be posted:

1. Whitework example done at a Silk Museum workshop

2. Books made by Chris Harris, who has been coming to informal bookmaking classes run by me at home. She's used some small stitched samples on the covers.

Some more paisley blocks . .

. . . which will be on display as part of Celebration of Silk - Competition and Exhibition at the Silk Museum, Park Lane, Macclesfield 7th April 2007 – 12th May 2007 Monday to Saturday 11am – 5pm. Museum Admission Fee Charged.

People keep adding to these embroideries. In May our meeting is another hands-on session where beads and embellishments will be added to any blocks whose makers have not seen enough of them already!

Japanese Folded Patchwork Dayschool

Hooray, the icons are back, so here are some images from the dayschool taught by our branch secretary Julie Eastman earlier this month.

Basically, in this form of patchwork, one shape is folded over another, enclosing some wadding, and stitched down decoratively. Here they have folded a circle over a square. The objective was to make enough squares to join by oversewing to make a bag. The contrast of border and central fabrics and the scope for decorative stitches make this sort of work very 'moreish'. Once constructed the square/block needs no more quilting. But further embroidery, beads etc can be added of course, as desired.

Other combinations of shapes can be used - square over square, circle over hexagon, for example.

No posts lately because blogger is being awkward - nothing will publish except what I put in the title slot! Apologies to all, please don't give up!