Quilting challenge – South West London Quilters

SWLQ Group challenges

Bi-monthly Challenge

Our Bi-monthly challenge for completion in April is to make a piece ( no bigger than 20″ square) based on a random card drawn from a pack of playing cards. Those not at February’s meeting are very welcome to participate as well, first find a pack of cards, draw a card at random, and make something inspired by the card you picked. (No cheating..)

Block of the month Group challenge

At the meeting we also discussed the plan to make modern sampler quilts. Each month we will provide information on how to make one of the six main blocks that generally feature in a modern quilt This month’s block is the cross block. There are no rules about the size of quilt you make, and more information can be found on the Facebook group page, together with pdf of instructions if you require them. We expect that everybody’s quilts will turn out differently, and the idea is work towards producing work for a future exhibition, but they could also be donated to Linus quilts if you wish. Please see the post on the Facebook group page for further information.

Next month’s meeting

Wednesday 25th March 2020

Just a heads up that we will be looking at the Contemporary Quilt groups suitcase collection titled “On the Road”. In case you wonder, contemporary quilts can be described as quilts with a modern twist, `or as described on the Quilters’ guild website: “take traditional techniques and push them to their limits by using new fabrics and technology and encouraging original design”. This is a recent collection which was only curated last year, so we anticipate that it will be an exciting group of quilts for us to discuss. We haven’t been able to get any photos of the quilts (there are 55) but have managed to get a list of the artists and the titles of their pieces and we are very impressed by the list. Please also tell quilting friends who might be interested in seeing these quilts as they might like to come along as a guest (entrance £6.00) as it is a good opportunity to look at a good number of contemporary quilts (A3 size) made by members of the Quilters’ Guild Contemporary Quilt Group. Please do let us know by email if you have friends who would like to come.

Bi-monthly challenge for November meeting

For those not at the September meeting, the bimonthly challenge this month, is to make a 3D object. This was suggest by Alison and she showed us some samples that she has made. This could be a Christmas decoration for example. Please bring your challenge piece to the November meeting!

Please see examples below.

Mansel Road Centre

Report of SWLQ meeting on Wednesday July 24^th.

Although this, our first meeting at the new venue (Mansel Road…..) was only attended by a few, it was as guest, Sue Southwood, remarked very ‘buzzy’. Sue, a leading member of Wimbledon International Quilters, had brought lots of books from the estate of a fellow Quilter that were being disposed of for donations to Macmillan Cancer Care. Few of us could resist and Sue later reported that the donations amounted to over £70.

Lesley, our Lavender Bag Expert, was not due until later so we chatted and stitched and tried out the very well designed kitchenette just behind our room. Unfortunately we hadn’t sussed out how to turn on the urn so had to resort to the kettle. But, oh ye of little faith, we have now found the important switch and hot water on tap will not be a problem for future meetings. Once Lesley had arrived and settled in she brought forth her bundles of linen and lavender bags and gave us all an insight into both the best fabrics to use, the lavender and the decorative stitches. She was also very generous in letting us choose linens and decorations from her stash with which to make more Lavender Bags for our next Challenge. (To be presented at the September meeting where Lesley will bring enough lavender to fill one bag each. For those of you not able to be present last Wednesday, don’t be put off, you can see from the examples below what Lesley’s Lavender Bags look like but yours might be totally different. Diversity is the name of the game. Please be encouraged to have a go!)

We had planned to visit the Carshalton Lavender fields project on Saturday but the forecast was not good, rain all day, but details were given on how to get there etc. Alternatively supplies are available from the Daisy online shop. https://daisyshop.co.uk/

We then had the Show and Tell, the theme of which was Light and Dark. Only four entries, with mine, embarrassingly so, being the winning one. Interesting to note that Annie’s entry was her ruler case. Having just been on a course for learning how to use rulers, she made a very functional but decorative case for her set of rulers, where she practised her ruler quilting which I have to say on first sight looked like Sashiko. If you have any questions about this rapidly popular technique I am sure she will be willing and able to answer them.

So, a new venue, how did it go? A tad small but with windows that opened on to a terrace and the option of expanding into the next room it has real possibilities. Look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting there on Wednesday September 25^th and meanwhile, enjoy FoQ.

Light and Dark challenge entries:

Winner of the challenge

SWLQ May meeting report

There were ten of us at the meeting where, to start with, Sabine announced that we had found a new meeting place which allowed us to book dates for several months ahead. This will give us the chance to book a speaker, when funds permit, which we have been unable to do so far. So if anyone knows of someone in the quilting world who preferably lives in the Greater London area who they can recommend then please let us know. The new venue is the Mansel Road Centre, in Mansel Road just up from Fielders Art shop on the left hand side. We will be meeting there on the 4^th Wednesday of every month except December as below:-

July 24th

August No meeting due to holidays

September 25th

October 23rd

November 27th

December 18^th

Sue announced that Alison had been coopted on to the committee and will be taking on the role of Membership Secretary from Annie. We have arranged our first social outing – to the Olive, an Italian restaurant in Raynes Park. It is near the 131, 57 bus route or possible parking in the Waitrose car park. We will be booked in for 7pm on Wednesday June 5^th. Alison has taken names but if you missed the meeting and would like to join us, please email info@swlondonquilters.co.uk

After a few more dates were announced, see below, Regina started on her mini workshop in making fabric boxes. Most members had already cut out their cardboard shapes based on the hexagon templates sent out earlier. They then progressed to covering the sides with fabric and gluing them in place. There were lots of questions for Regina particularly about the gussets which led to peals of laughter when she showed us the Knicker Knot! I kid you not! It is a very secure but simple way of starting a line of stitching. See the instructions in the files area of the website. If members could bring their boxes along to the next meeting it would be good to see them.

After and during the coffee break we bought raffle tickets from Kathryn who was selling them for Project Linus. We also voted on the May Challenge which was to use a piece of brown patterned fabric. The range of entries, although small, was very varied – from a pictorial cushion cover to modern quilted pieces to an intriguing embroidered piece. The worthy winner was Karolina, whose picture of a brown horse on a cushion cover with impeccable applique and beautiful curved bias bindings was for her horse mad daughter. Lucky girl!

Winner of the brown fabric challenge
Brown fabric challenge
Brown fabric challenge
Brown fabric challenge
Brown fabric challenge
Brown fabric challenger
Brown fabric challenge

Then there was just time for Show and Tell. Annie showed us her sashiko cushion worked whilst in hospital. Not only sashiko but french knots were incorporated into the border.

We also handed over to Alison our completed rows of Tiger Tiger blocks for the Group quilt. (Meg, who is away has the photograph we took at the last meeting in case there are any missing row labels).

Next was Alison with her latest work in progress – a double quilt with two different blocks repeated throughout. She had used her own free motion quilting design on each block and was now considering quilting the sashing. No doubt we will see it at a later date. Finally I showed the bunting I had changed to display the group name. I made the bunting many years ago and it has been in use for Camra’s Battersea beer festivals, Garden Museum literary festivals and even a wedding. So I thought I could easily reuse some of it by bondwebbing the letters of our group name on to it. I used white fabric but think I will do a second set with black fabric. I am hopeful that we could use these for our first exhibition. (Nothing like being ambitious!)

The Bi-monthly challenge for completion by the July meeting is to be based on light and dark. It should be no more than 20 square inches and when making it, the idea is to think about the use of contrasting colours in the design.

Dates for your Diary

June 5^th Olive restaurant, Raynes Park 7pm

June 24^th Next Meeting WMH 7pm

June 3^rd – June 29^th London Quilters Exhibition at Swiss Cottage Library

June 18^th – 29^th Menier Gallery, Southwark St, “Material Evidence” Quilt Art exhibition

June 21^st – 23^rd National Quilt Championships at Sandown RacecourseMay 29^th – 9^th June PRISM exhibition at the Arches, near Hoxton Underground

S W London Quilters Challenge

The Challenge that is part of the South West London Quilters meetings is bi monthly. So every two months a theme is chosen and the entries submitted at the meeting in two months time. The theme is generally chosen by the committee but can be suggested by any member.

The Rules: The work does not have to be new but the maximum size is 20” on any side. This means that it can be as small as a postcard. Work can be 2D or 3D. You can make anything you like! You might choose to make a piece which, like a modern quilt, has no border. It could be pictorial, a landscape, pieced, wholecloth or a piece of textile art using paints, dyes, resist, anything you fancy. Ideally it will be a finished article.

Why you should take part: Taking part in group activities like this is fun and it increases your senses of participation. The fact that the piece can be small is quite encouraging. It feels doable and doesn’t mean a huge outlay in fabric or cost. It is also anonymous which is quite reassuring.

How to take part: If you are coming to the meeting, just bring it with you and leave it on the Challenge table. If you can’t make the meeting email info@swlondonQuilters.org.uk and we will endeavour to pick it up from you and take it to the meeting. Each piece on the table will be allocated a number and during the meeting members (and visitors) will be asked to vote on their favourite piece. The work with the most votes wins a small prize.

(With thanks from Carol Wilkes from Quilters’ Guild Region One for permission to use her article in Our Patch.)

March Challenge based on numbers

The challenge that we set to complete by the March 2019 meeting was to make something that related to numbers. As usual, it was supposed to be about 20 ” square. This time Meg Pope’s was the winner with her bright blue piece, with beautifully appliquéd numbers and circles. (picture to follow).

March bi-monthly challenge

The March/April, bi-monthly challenge is to make a small quilt or block which incorporates the supplied fabric (see below). Finished piece should measure no more than 20″ square. They should be brought to the 20th of May meeting. We are really looking forward to seeing how you use your creativity to incorporate this into what you make.

Crazy quilting challenge

The Challenge which we completed in January was to make a crazy quilt block, measuring no more than 20 inches square. There were lots of entries, and Barbara’s piece was picked as the winner. Below are some images of some of the work. Barbara’s silver piece is just visible in bothphotographs below, it was No. 8.