The 12 blocks of Teenage Angst.

If you regularly read my blog I apologise for the lack of content in the last month. No real reason - just didn't feel like sharing I suppose. That doesn't mean I haven't been quilting of course!
Progress is being made on Teenage Angst and I am hoping to have it ready to give as a Christmas gift. The photo shows the initial layout of the 12 blocks before sashings added. Since this photo was taken I have altered two of the blocks and started the sashings. Today I am going to work on a couple of blocks for the back.

I actually love pieced backs - I suppose you could say it is my latest fad - along with mug rugs! (more of that later). My feeling is that if you have to join backing fabric because your quilt is too wide you may as well put in a few blocks to add interest. Also it is a great way of using sample blocks or those that didn't make it onto the front.

Snow has arrived in Yorkshire overnight which is a little too early if you ask me! It is very cold but sunny - winter shouldn't have started till Dec 1st but looks like it had other plans. Tomorrow I am going to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate so looking forward to lots of retail therapy!

Diamond Blocks

Recently I have been working on Jonathan's university quilt which is titled 'Teenage Angst'! It was started in 2003 when I began a couple of the inevitable Lynne Edwards Sampler Quilts. Strictly speaking this is my second quilt after I started quilting in 2002. One of these days I will have to show my first quilt also made for Jonathan titled 'The Road to Baghdad'!
The colour palette is very restricted - black and grey which matched his mood for most of his teenage years.
It will be 12 blocks and the corners will be foundation pieced diamonds - designed by Jonathan himself.
Here is a view of the paper side of one of the 4 blocks.
Foundation piecing is the only way to get those points to meet at the bottom!

The fabric side after trimming.

Background expanded.

Borders added.

Soon I will show all 12 blocks although a couple of them need small adjustments.

Edinburgh Museum of Modern Art

Last week we were on holiday in Scotland and we visited Edinburgh which is a spectacular city. The purpose of our visit was to go to the Museum of Modern Art and the Dean Gallery. When we arrived at the Dean Gallery I was surprised by the neon message! I really liked it - in fact I do like the use of words or messages in art.

It reminded me of my son's piece that he did at college.

We went to see the surrealist exhibition Another World which was excellent. Details here

A Textile Weekend

At the end of September I had a textile weekend with my friend Lynne.
On the Saturday we went to Farfield Mill Sedbergh to hear a talk by Alice Kettle and see her new exhibition Allegory.
The photo is taken from their website and shows an example of her work. She is known for her machine embroidery and the talk she gave was excellent.
On Sunday we went to the Textilia III exhibition at the Piece Hall Halifax. The work which impressed us the most was by Janet Browne.
The photo is taken from her website.

She does raw edge applique building up many layers and then cuts away the background areas.

Anthony and Natalie's Wedding

Since I last blogged I have been very busy - my patchwork and quilting classes have started again and I have enrolled at college for my last year of City & Guilds.

On September 18th we attended my nephew's wedding - actually it was a blessing as they got married in Thailand in August.
Here are the happy couple with their parents outside the church.

Here is a photo of 3 generations, my father in law, husband and my two boys. Jonathan has now started his degree at Leeds and is enjoying it although findind it difficult to get a job to supplement his student loan.

Rob has started his media course at the local college.

My favourite quilts at Harrogate

This first quilt is made by my friend Joan. It was made for her Grandaughter to celebrate family holidays in Southwold. Hence it is called 'The Southwold Quilt'. It is completely hand made, pieced, appliqued and quilted.
I was disappointed that the judges did not recognise the skill that had gone into this quilt. I did manage to persuade Joan to enter and I am really glad she did - the quilt looked stunning Joan!

My other favourite is this traditional tumbling blocks quilt made by Gill Young. I have a love hate relationship with tumbling blocks and I will make one someday probably for my eldest son who loves this design and used it in his graphic design studies.
When I go to quilt shows there are some quilts which just shout out to me and this was one of them.

Here is a close up - as you can see the black diamond is always in the same position but the others seem to be completely random.
This quilt won the award for Scrap Quilt and Judges Merit.

Harrogate Quilt Show

Last Friday I visited the Harrogate Quilt Show which is much smaller and very different from the Festival of Quilts. I just wish that the only two quilt shows that I attend regularly were more than two weeks apart.
I exhibited three quilts in the show - no rosettes this year but I was pleased to see my quilts on display. The quilt above has been on the blog a few months ago but I only got it finished in time for the show. I really like it probably because I love improvisational piecing but I know a lot of quilters just don't get it! All the fabric started as a pale blue and white stripe but I overdyed it in all those bright colours. It is a medallion style quilt - another one of my favourites.

The second quilt was in the cot quilt category and you haven't seen this one before. It started as a sample for my Tuesday classes and then grew from there. The stars are liberated and the whole quilt is quite heavily quilted as a FMQ workshop sample. All the quilts that got rosettes in this category were very traditional this year so obviously mine didn't fit in.

The final quilt was my black and white miniature quilt that you have seen before.

I haven't shown many cat photos recently so I thought I would share this one of Gizmo helping me quilt the striped quilt!