Tuesday 26 November 2013

10 Things Tuesday- Quilts




In a previous time-Before I came to Borneo- I did in fact spend a lot of time making quilts and other patchwork. The absence of my sewing machine- and indeed decent fabric to sew with, has meant that this one particular hobby has been put on the back burner for a while. Whilst I was in North Carolina , surrounded by traditions of quilting and the most amazing collections of fabric, I self taught myself to sew patchwork. They were a not particularly well made, nor technically correct but I loved playing around with designs and began to make quilts for my family. My apartment was a constant mess of fabric pieces strewn all the floor and the incessant hum of the sewing machine.
I've made a few more since- and have even sold a couple of smaller pieces. One of my favourites now sits on the base of my bed here in KK, reminding me that one day i shall have to get back to sewing:)

So here we go 10 things Tuesday- 10 quilty things:) 
1.
 One of my earliest, nothing too complicated!
2.
 Another simple one- my sister's festival throw - now proudly installed in Humphrey, the VW Camper,  to grace festivals and camping trips up and down the country. All the fabric pieces were chosen with festivals in mind- so there are wellies, food, camper vans, fireworks and funky stuff. I also transferred some photos on there too
3.
 An African Wall hanging. This was an off shoot (!) of the Double quilt below, using left over fabrics. I made it as a gift for friends of mine, whose Ugandan Charity I'm connected with. It now decorates the wall of a Bunkhouse / Hostel up in the Lake District.
 A Bit of a close up
4.
 This is one of my favourite quilts - and one that I gave away! I love using the Medallion quilt patterns, having a large piece of fabric in the centre. This was given as a gift to my friends with who I used to go to Uganda with- so it was very apt.
 5.
 This is my mum's quilt- Blues, greens and birds- all on a twist. Each of the centre fabrics have birds on them, albeit in different guises. Although it was a little tricky to work out the pattern at first, I really enjoyed making this one too :)
6.
 My Grandma loves poppies, so when I saw a Kaffe Fassett Pattern using stylised flowers, I knew I could make this- It was fun trying to find poppy fabric but I did find a few different ones.
 7.
 Another bird one- This time for my Dad, It's actually the same pattern as the poppy quilt, just with different applique. I used lots of the same bird fabric that I used on my mum's quilt, but then just went for more masculine blues.
 8.
 This has to be my favourite- It was one of the first ones I made- It's the largest and one that seemed to take forever to make. My sister wanted one that had a very vintage feel to it- and so i obliged:)
 9.
Firstly apologies for the photo- now matter how hard I try I can't seem to get the colour balance right on this one- it was taken in Lizzie's bedroom- with the smallest, dullest overhead light around. - But as she is in England and I'm over here, I'm not going to be able to get clearer one!
 The photo doesn't do the quilt any justice in terms of pattern or colour, but in reality it looks really good.

 
It's another medallion quilt, primarily purples with a hint of turquoise.This was the first medallion quilt I made, again based on a Kaffe Fassett pattern, and aside from piecing the little squares together, the strips make this a real easy quilt to make.
10.


One of these days I may get round to making myself a proper full size quilt for me, rather than everyone else. I have enough fabric and ideas stashed away to make rather a few!


 Until then, I have this one,
using remnants of fabric from all the other quilts I have made.

 Until next time, 
Amanda x

8 comments:

  1. All of your quilts are so beautiful, in terms of colour, fabrics and the actual making of them. I hope that you are able to get back to this at some point as you obviously have a real talent for it Amanda. I especially love the African one and that is is being displayed for all to see. 10 lovely things to look at! xx

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    1. Thank you :) The African one was fun to make- I really enjoyed looking for all the fabric- and it was the last one I completed before coming over here.

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  2. How you must miss sewing. Your quilts are fabulous and so colourful. We have a VW campervan too and I'd love to get my hands on some of that fabric, it's gorgeous.
    Patricia x

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    1. It is pretty funky isn't it. I also made another camper quilt with similar fabrics- including the campervan material- but with a black border. It's pretty funky too!

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  3. They're beautiful, Amanda! They're all so distinctive too, you're very talented. I love quilting too. I made my first quilt when I was 14 years old, for my own bed, and I still have it. My daughter uses it sometimes on her bed. I have made others too. I really enjoy sewing and working with fabric. I like yarn and crochet but sewing will always be my true love. :)

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    1. I can do quilts but that is about it- my dressmaking stopped at secondary school- with a half completed skirt- that still remains half finished:) It's lovely that you have something that you made from your childhood- and still in use:)

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  4. It will come as no surprise that I absolutely LOVED this post! Wow you kept that talent hidden. I think my favourite is the African one because it's so different to anything I would do but I also love both bird quilts. All of them are very 'you'. I hope you do manage to pick up your sewing again as I'd love to see more. x

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    1. If you could see my fabric stash, then you would know I have more planned- if I ever get back to it- and the time to do it:)

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