So – you’ve sat down, ready for a relaxing sewing session, but your machine just isn’t having it! The fabric is rucking-up, threads are tangling, or your machine just won’t sew at all. What do you do? Give up and hope it feels better tomorrow?? Here’s a list of trouble-shooting suggestions to try and sort … Continue reading Troubleshooting – hints and tips
Meet Caelan! Caelan was awarded a highly commended for his amazing entry into the Festival of Quilts competition 'Memories'. The quilt has an amazing back story and we are pleased to share this with you today... Hello, everyone, thank you for your interest in my quilt. I am only a beginner quilter and have been sewing … Continue reading Meet the maker…
It's bonfire night next week! That means hot chocolate and toffee apples! Fingerless gloves are so useful (not just on bonfire night!), so why don't you take a look at Hobbycraft's fingerless gloves project. If you love knitting, this is definitely for you. Relax this weekend and get that wool out! https://blog.hobbycraft.co.uk/how-to-make-bonfire-night-fingerless-gloves/ Learn how to keep safe … Continue reading Bonfire night fingerless gloves!
If you read Laura's article about the Gees Bend Cooperative, you will have already seen a picture of a house top quilt. It is a quilt built up with either a plain square in the middle or a scrap of other patchwork surrounded by strips forming lots of frames. It is very similar to log … Continue reading Housetop Quilt workshop
We I only recently heard of Faith Ringgold which, although she is now considered one of America’s best and most influential artists, is not unusual. Her acclaim has been a long time coming – she is now 89 years old! Faith Ringgold’s story is long and amazing and I can’t fit it into a small … Continue reading Black History Month: Artist and Activist Faith Ringgold
Today we're going to take a look at some examples of historic quilts made by quilters. First up is this lovely album quilt by Sarah Ann Wilson: (image by The Art Institute Chicago) This elegant quilt, featuring delicate floral and animal motifs, is notable for its depictions of black people in the central row. The … Continue reading Black History Month: Sarah Ann Wilson and Harriet Powers
What, if anything, is distinct about quilts made by members of one racial group or another? The answer is easy! We cannot generalise. There are been far too many quilts made by people of different race and ethnicity to attach such generalisations. Despite this, many curators and collectors have tried to distinguish the differences among … Continue reading Black History Month: Quilting, Race and Ethnicity…
This Youngish Quilters Black History Month project uses recycled materials. It is inspired by the workwear quilts made by African American women in the past, and recognises that many of today's quilters are re-using fabrics for different reasons. We started the month looking at the Quilters of Gee's Bend. Materials for quilt making there were … Continue reading Black History Month: inspired to stitch
Gee’s Bend is a small, isolated, rural community in Alabama in the United States, which at the start of the 20th century was mostly populated by the descendants of slaves. By definition, they were very impoverished, but their lives became especially hard during the recession of the 1930s. The families had been forced to borrow … Continue reading Black History Month: The quilters of Gee’s Bend
Greetings, it is October and that means it is Black History Month. Originally created by a group of black students in the 1970s in the USA (where BHM is held in February), it was first celebrated in the UK in 1987. The rationale behind this event is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of black … Continue reading Black History Month
