5 posts tagged “quilts”
When December rolls around, it's usually cool in the Philippines, but this year the climate is unusually warm. Sigh. It's senseless to drag out all the quilts I've made since 1997, much as I want to display them on our beds.
But I can keep on enjoying the visual treat of the interplay of colors and patterns that I find in handmade quilts. The last time I sewed was perhaps three years ago, to make a baby quilt for a friend. After that, I did some applique blocks that have been UFOs (unfinished objects) since 2001. I still haven't completed them.
Lately I've had a little more time after giving up some things in my life that were highly stressful and were making me unhappy. Then, a couple of days ago, a quilter friend (Lani Cabalza) dropped by with a bag of quilt magazines. The eye-popping photos got me all inspired again.
So maybe this holidays, I'll actually get to finish those Rose applique blocks that have been patiently hanging in my closet for what seems like eons. Hey, I might even find enough energy to put them togther with sashing and borders into a top!
Meanwhile, I can looky-looky. Here's a beauty I found on the 'Net, made by the Sugar Creek Quilters. It's an applique quilt made of batik fabrics on a black background. Scrumptious...!
More from "quiltscape" Rebecca Barker - "Butterflies on Nine-Patches".
A "nine-patch" block is one where the elements are in a 3x3 grid. It could be a Simple Nine-Patch (each square is just one piece of fabric) going on to more complex designs where each square is made up of even smaller shapes in different colors. Designs like those usually have their own names.
I have loved sewing ever since 3rd grade at St. Scholastica's Academy (Bacolod City) when we were taught basic mending and embroidery stitches on a retazo or scrap of fabric.
In 5th grade at Pasay Adventist Academy, we learned more elaborate stitches and had to embroider a throw pillow cover in cross stitch. Since the latter had a deadline for submission, our househelper at the time helped me complete it, but it was something I really enjoyed doing.
In high school, also at Pasay Adventist, we were taught dressmaking. I remember stitching up a particularly ugly dress in an ugly shade of lavender that was my favorite color at the time. Definitely, dressmaking was not my strong suit but I did learn how to baston my own jeans.
I rediscovered the magic of needle and thread after I got married and was bored just staying at home. I've always been creative, and always need to do something whether its writing, cooking, or sewing.
In the early 1990s, cross-stitch became a fad and suddenly there was an explosion of x-stitch shops such as Dreams (which still has branches in Megamall and Glorietta). Supplies such as DMC floss and US and UK patterns became plentiful, unlike before, when the most you could get was the standard Japanese book published by Ondori which only had mostly simple border patterns. It is in fact still available at National Book Store - talk about "never going out of print".
I snapped up a lot of magazines (from Booksale and National), floss and Aida fabric from the market (cheaper than buying at the mall), and stitched up a storm. I had even begun to teach myself hardanger on linen (which is really hard).
But after countless throw pillows and framed pictures (including wedding presents) later, my "been there done that" mood kicked in and I looked for something new to learn.
Enter quilting, which I promised myself I would never ever do. I picked up an old quilting mag at Booksale whose headline screamed, "You too can make this quilt!" The cover showed an unattractive Baskets quilt in my unfavorite colors of yellow and green. I was struck, though, by the beauty of the pattern and the mag's claim that anyone could learn patchwork.
Having taught myself to quilt after reading countless magazines (Booksale is such a godsend!), my linen cabinet is now stuffed to the ceiling mostly with queen-sized quilts, a few twins, a lot of wallhangings and the ubiquitous throw pillow covers.
My favorite quilting activity was participating in online quilt swaps. I spent loads on postage during the mid- to late-90s, during the height of my quilting frenzy. I ended up with many queen-size quilts (around 80x90) composed of traded quilt blocks and signature squares, which are squares of muslin, say 3" or 4" or whatever the agreed-upon size is, signed in permanent colorfast ink by the quilter.
I was happy to have participated in several Y2K swaps. Just before the millenium turned, quilters all over the world traded for 2000 charm aquares and "siggys" to make millenium quilts. I still have my swapped charms, as well as quilt blocks from theme swaps, just haven't gotten around to sewing them up, but that's okay, lots of quilters have UFOs ("unfinished objects") that they swear to finish one day.
Though I am very busy now with work, and until recently, school, and have not been able to sew for two years, I still love quilting very much and have kept all my supplies - the special Omnigrid quilting rulers I bought in the US, rotary cutters and mats (for cutting shapes accurately), yards and yards of 100% cotton (US textile company brands) from Divisoria, and pattern books and magazines.
I also collect anything with a patchwork pattern, and my friends who know of my addiction give me "quilty" gifts as well.
The photo above shows "Dove in the Window" by artist Rebecca Barker, who has made a name for herself as a "quilt landscape" painter. The name of the artwork is actually the name of the pattern.
My friend Thea Arnone (my roommate when I lived in the US in 2001) gave me a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas with this design. Upon my return to the Philippines, I had it completed and framed at the Jigsaw Puzzle shop in Glorietta. It hangs in my bedroom, where the pinks and greens go wonderfully with the celadon walls.
It lifts my heart to see this beautiful artwork everyday!
Other favorite quilting websites:
Keepsake Quilting (quilt supplies and the best catalog in the world) www.keepsakequilting.com
Connecting Threads (quilt supplies) www.connectingthreads.com
Leisure Arts (craft books) www.leisurearts.com
World Wide Quilting Page (for swaps and trades) www.quilt.com
McCall's Publications (including Quiltmaker) www.mccallsquilting.com
Q-Snap (best quilting and embroidery frames) www.qsnap.com
Two of my favorite things, together - Starbucks and a quilt!
Textile artist julieb conducted a community workshop for the launch of the Preston, UK Starbucks store. She says in her blog, "Representatives of local community groups each stitched a 30cm square panel depicting their organization's work."
Photo shows the artist and Peter (store manager) with the finished artwork.
www.juliebtextiles.co.uk
The quilt on the bed (Dresden Plate) is one that I made for my sister-in-law, Gigi, whom we visited last February in her home in Baldwinsville, upstate New York. I made it for her around 2001. I'm glad to see she's still using it.
In this photo, Alex poses in the spare bedroom where the quilt is laid out on Ate Irma's bed (who was also visiting from the Philippines at the same time).
