Skip to main content

The #JacobinDay Quilt Block Swap - How will it work?

 Ten intrepid crafters have signed up to participate in the #JDQBS, under the expert organisation of @byekitty who has provided this explanation of how a Quilt Block Swap works...

Sophie has been sent a list of items. They are: parsnip, beetroot, honey, limestone, axe,

hedge mustard, hornbeam, lily of the valley, quail, chamois, lupin and tuberose. 

Sophie hates lily of the valley and she doesn’t know how to represent limestone on a fabric square
so she strikes them from her list.

She embroiders a parsnip on one square, a quail on another, a tuberose on a third.
She prints a photo of a chamois on one square. She uses fabric pens to draw hedge mustard
on one and lupin on another. She makes a beetroot appliqué for one square.
She finds a bee and honey themed fabric and cuts it to the correct size.
She sews a sequinned axe on one square. She makes prints with a hornbeam leaf on another. 
Now she has ten squares with a thing on each and our respect for her creativity and skill.

She puts all of the squares in the post to me.

At the same time, everyone else is doing the same thing with their items, so I end up with ten squares
from everyone.

I randomly reassign the squares so that Sophie now receives hemp from me, madder from S,
heather from A, saltpetre from K, couch grass from H, tuna from B, birch from L, valerian from T,
elderberry from X, lilac from M and chive from G.

An option for beetroot, perhaps?



Once the 10 blocks have been redistributed each participant can then make a quilt from them, or indeed whatever other use they desire - framed artwork, sachets, fabric books...

We have decided to standardise the size and fabric of each square for ease of assembling the final quilt, and will be using pre-washed cotton squares of 10x10cm with a 2cm seam allowance on all sides.

There are many options for decorating the squares, including:
  • embroidery
  • cross-stitch
  • block printing
  • fabric painting
  • applique
  • photograph transfer
  • digital design printed to fabric

We have decided to keep our work-in-progress on the squares a secret so that participants can enjoy a surprise when they receive the final pieces. However, I intend to use techniques that are new to me so I will post about my test/experimental pieces on the #ConfinedCrafting blog.

Watch this space...


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eco-friendly Upcycled Face Wipes

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sewing the Tessuti Apron

I've wanted to sew an apron for a while and came across the free Tessuti Apron pattern here . It was exactly what I was looking for, a cross-back apron with a square neckline. I decided to make it using this gorgeous pear print cotton twill fabric that I found at my favourite online fabric shop, DIY or Dye . I did look up whether the Tessuti Apron pattern would be suitable for a larger body like mine - it comes in a 'one-size-fits-all' pattern which is never really true. I did find fatter sewists saying they needed to adjust the pattern to lengthen the straps and widen the skirt section. I decided to make it as it came as I had a friend in mind who I could gift it to if it didn't fit me well. Above: Attaching the pocket Above: needle break! The folded layers of pocket in the heavy fabric were too much for a normal needle. I switched to a denim needle for the rest of the project. Above: halfway point. I still had the neckline to face and hem, and the straps to hem. Below...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dressmaking Mishaps

Today I thought I would share some of the very basic mistakes I've realised I'm making when I sew clothes... I'm entirely self-taught and working things out as I go along, so there are lots of 'oops' moments. That's fine - learning to sew is helping me to confront my perfectionism and understand how valuable errors can be. Mishap Number 1 : This is so obvious that I'm cringing to think about it!! I'm not the most 3D thinker which means sometimes it's hard to visualise how patterns go together. I understand that sewing patterns are all about getting a flat cut out piece of fabric to shape and mould around a lumpy curvy human figure, but that theoretical understanding doesn't always translate to understanding why a pattern is doing something specific.  So I was making an Assembly Line Cuff Dress and trying to sew up the bodice and I was struggling to get the pattern pieces to match up in a way that felt 'right' to me, that is, I had the id...
Post a Comment
Read more