Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Photos of Vincent Stubbs' Block




Vincent Gilpin Stubbs
I am late getting this post up - I have already seen photos of three finished Block 8s!  I did think this block would take longer; it certainly slowed me down when I made it.  Well done to those who are up to date - you know who you are - and all the best to those who are nearly current.  If you are working on Vincent's block please consider posting a link to your blog or putting it on the Flickr group - we all love to look at everyone else working!
P.S.  Vincent's middle name is Gilpin - not one I'd chose for my son, but it does make it easy to search for on Ancestry.com.



1. Write your blog post. Publish it on your blog.
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3. Click the blue link up button above and paste your link into the box.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Sneak Peek - Shirtings 1895

I have a day at home today.  I am celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach's birthday * by listening to a CD of organ works while I pin baste my recently finished quilt top.

Shirtings 1895

The old sampler quilts appeal to me.  I love the randomness of the different size blocks, the filler blocks and the not quite straight edges.  I had collected some shirtings here and there (as one does) and looked for blocks that were in quilts from the late 1800s.  I copied some of the blocks in my own collection.  To get the random feel I made each block in a size that suited the pattern, and used the ends of strips to make flying geese and half square triangle filler blocks.  When I had 12 big blocks I put everything on my design floor.

It wasn't very easy to arrange the multi-sized blocks.  In was, in fact, very frustrating.  I was trying to do the whole top at once and it just didn't come together.

Finally I choose four blocks that did fit and sewed them together.  Then I added a row of flying geese, and that looked okay.  I kept adding blocks of blocks that pleased me, and made a few more as necessary.  I filled in gaps with leftover strips without worrying about the colours.

I am pleased with the result.  I'm getting it finished to put in my patchwork group's quilt show next month and I will be interested to see what the reaction of my fellow quilters will be.  Not everyone likes random.

More on shirtings - Barbara Brackman's Material Culture blog has a recent posting on shirting prints.  Shirting fabrics were very popular for men's shirts, and become a fad for women's shirts in 1910.  There's a link to Moda Fabric's blog with a post on today's equivalent of shirting prints - low volume prints.

I bought this shirt in an op shop last year.  It's black on yellow and I thought of shirting prints when I saw it.


The design is ... interesting.



* Wikipedia states that J S Bach's birthday is 31st March.  I have been certain for years that his birthday was 21st March. I still enjoyed the CD.


Monday, March 18, 2013

Almost Too Many Sewing Machines

On the long weekend we visited Maryborough in central Victoria and discovered the Flour Mill Gallery - home to an amazing sewing machine collection.
The Flour Mill Gallery at Maryborough
The collection is five years old and still growing
The museum entrance - retro rather than vintage
Industrial Singer machines - still in working order
A set of Featherweights
Italian sewing machines
German sewing machines
Japanese sewing machines - copies of the Singer E15,
made in any colour  your heart desired.
Australian machine - made in Bendigo
For sale machines.  I didn't bring one home, although
the gold coloured Singer in the top row was very tempting.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Vincent Stubbs; and a day with AQA

If you are a part of The First Year you will have received your pattern number 8.  The pattern is Cockscomb, which is a type of flower.  Or, as in the Georgette Heyer novel I've been reading, a conceited young man.

Block 8 - Vincent Stubbs

It took me quite a while to finish this block.  I was still just getting the hang of needleturn when I started this block. It got the better of me, I couldn't get those petals to behave, and eventually I put it aside and started another block.  When I got back to it about four months later, I was surprised that it wasn't as difficult as I remembered.  Practice does make perfect (almost....)

If you haven't seen your block please let me know.  Honestly, I do send the block to everyone on the list, no one gets left out, but sometimes the attachments go astray in cyberspace.  Sometimes they go to the Spam folder. I don't mind if you email and ask where your block is, but please don't assume that I have neglected you on purpose - I haven't!



Last Monday the CCCQ and I traveled to Surrey Hills in Melbourne to the Australian Quilters Association meeting.  I spoke about signature quilts in general and the Chester Criswell quilt in particular and we had a great time. Thanks to Shirley L. for suggesting me as a guest speaker, it was fun!


Jan Mac checks out how many blocks to go
 
All the best with Vincent's block, hope those petals aren't too conceited for your needle.