Posts Tagged ‘fabric’
Why Quilts And Not Blankets I???
Posted on: August 9, 2010
- In: Patchwork | Women
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I wonder why at all I quilt. And why most of all anybody quilt. It is a craft since the man knows his history. We see quilted items even in mummy tombs. We see them in Roman era artefacts and we see them in today’s modern world where needle craft is nearly murdered by machines and media. Machines, we understand and blame it for the demise of all crafts, but media we don’t suspect, whereas it has more active part in the vanishing of handicraft.
Now a days young and old don’t have time for any handicraft. Why? Because they spend that time on computer and more so watching TV and the most so they are busy on blueberry mobiles equipped with all sorts of latest features.
So what’s the problem with all the quilters? Do they live in primitive era? They don’t have access to new lifestyle, or they just can’t use them. Why we spend hours ‘n’ hours on quilting? Why don’t we simply use a blanket? It is readily available, it is soft, it is less expensive and it needs no physical and mental burden.
I searched the whole web on the net and could not find any blog or web or any other source to pinpoint any reason on this topic. I felt it is abnormal or rather criminal to waste time and money on this hobby. That’s why nobody mentioned anything about it. Maybe it’s a hush topic, or maybe it is not at all a topic to discus.
So I searched my soul. Why at all I quilt? And since the first day I took needle in my hand, I am virtually unable to put it down, Why? For me it is not a question at all. I have to quilt. I have to think, plan and be constantly in the process of making a quilt. It’s as natural as blinking an eye or my heart pumping blood. I can’t think of any other way of life.
But people around me find it weird and when they cant figure it out they just move on by saying , ‘oh , dear it’s very hard work and how do you do it?’ They love the work, and find it lovely and in the end when they can’t put it in any frame that they can call; very interesting.
But I am not insane or out of this modern tech age. I spend really hours in the morning and at night to search for new patterns, to see what quilt resource companies have and to see what other quilters in the world are doing. I take inspirations from art quilter and from simple quilters alike and my belief strengthens that I am not alone in this vast sea of fabrics. There is in fact rush and traffic jam.
So why people in the West quilt? They are supposed to be like machines, busy 9 to 5, working hard to meet both ends meet. They are not people like us here in Pakistan. We have household help. We have joint family, and we have less stress of running a household as far as finances are concerned.
There is some myth or talisman (magic) about this art form that grips West and East alike without any barrier of age location or time span. I tried to find others view about it. Those who do it can’t do without it, and those who don’t do it can’t stand it for its labour involved in making a quilt.
I remembered once my friend phoned and my son attended. That aunty asked him; what’s your mother doing? He said without a pause; “Aunti something is very wrong with my mother. She buys logs of fabrics, brings them home and starts cutting them. But the worst part is that she sits on the machine and starts stitching them into the whole cloth again”.
Well that’s the simplest definition any child can do. Even my husband who loves this art and encourages all the time throughout my life likes to go shopping with me for fabrics and at times comments that all this hardship can be avoided if this design is printed on fabric by fabric companies. And we do find a lot of quilt designs printed on nice fabrics. It can be used as it is or can be machined quilted as fake quilt. Now China has done all these processes one by one in their quilts and these are very cheap to buy.
So the vital question remains unanswered. Why when we can use this time in other money generating activities? We can buy cheap Chinese quilts, we can buy blankets, and we can do without them if we choose. So why we make quilts?
It’s like any other Nature’s mystery. I will again search the web; my best friend and see what I can find and will share it in my next article because I have a new quilt project sitting on my cutting board by my computer side and I can’t avoid that call. It’s going to be a tulip lone star all in vibrant sun orange and olive greens like all the summer colours of my land.
Whenever I have uncontrollable stash of fabric in small bits and pieces, I know I have to start another logcabin, whether it is a sofa cushion set, floor cushion or the end; a bedcover. My sons used to say it won’t finish in cushions; you will have to make a quilt to eat all up.
It pays as I relieve stress and am left with a beautiful project.
And if I have a real problem at hand of even shortage of space for tiny cut pieces of fabric, I start a pineapple logcabin, and it sweeps the whole stash, be it medium, small or large pieces, as in end triangles all vanishes.
Patchwork is my hobby, and it gives me a great pleasure to cut and sew and create a colourful piece of work , which is useful and lovely, and in this whenever I am to relax, I start a logcabin. It takes all the heaviness from my heart and converts it into something I cherish to see.
In fact the moment I start one such project, I know it is already sold, no matter what colour, fabric or size of the strip. It has a charismatic pull.
I put it on the wall when I do exhibitions and clients come mesmerized and say how much this for is and without arguing they buy it and ask for more, whatever the project is. No other design has a chance against one such piece. It seems that all old time classic are in the heart of the people, they are pulled to it .When I make some modern design, computer generated, or from some new designer’s modern style, I have to struggle to sell it. They need effort to sell, or sometimes don’t sell at all. I keep them as samples or stall fill but these have little attractions to most of the clients, even in huge walk in exhibitions. But logcabin actually must be attended, by all walks of life, general, or artistic minded people. The most amazing thing about this design is that it is not from my region. I live in Pakistan where there are no huts, no logcabins, no nothing. We mostly live on plains, have severe hot weather. There is a joke that for 9 months we have severe hot weather and for the rest of the 3 months we have hot weather.
What I think is that it’s simplicity and range of colours is the main attraction, and secondly it has light and shadow effect.
May be it depicts our lives, all time under one spot, either happiness or stress. I am still researching on it and joyfully making it. Right now I have 12 small boxes of charming silk pieces, in plain and print. These are all from the projects I have made at different time and for different clients. They gave me their old clothes to match and make bed quilts, so the range of colour, design and fabric is huge and I believe the key to make a heirloom piece of logcabin.
Mostly I make simple logcabin, but at times I try ideas of me and of other quilters. I have a full file of innovative designs; thanks to the net and all the people who have the big heart to share it with others.
Pineapple logcabin is bit stressy to me although I love the intricate end result, and the imagination of my clients who look in wonder at the block setting and stitching and can’t make it out. How I made it? It is simple in making, but very complicated in appearance. The only stress in it is that I at times lose the angle, so in the end the block is either lopsided or moves out of the backing.
At times end triangles don’t match the neighbouring block triangles. Secondly I find it very fabric wasting as I make and cut straigt strips and when the next strip overlaps most of the fabric hides under the next one. Now I have started cutting it in to strips with slant ends to match the angles of the block. It gives me a lot of relief to see that now I can use fabric more wisely and whatever I use, it shows.
So another problem solved. Still remember the day I first saw it in a magazine and was amazed to see the quilt in such vibrant colours and still so composed and elegant to look at. I am still in the same condition, learned it all by myself from some quilt magazine, and still remember the first block. It was a classic piece of modern abstract art, and believe me it was sold for its ingenuity to one art lover. I hope she still has it.
So the day I saw it till today, I myself am hooked to it. I cannot wait to start another logcabin design, modern or old fashion. They both have the same pull. When ever I conduct patchwork classes or workshops, I start with this designs as it has minimal cutting, no template, no special colours, and most of all it is stitched, quilted and finished by the time it comes off the sewing machine and the student loves the effect and end result. But I teach the pineapple logcabin in the end of the class, as its angles and double strip setting is stressful and takes time and is difficult to understand.
No matter what both the designs are all time favourite by all or I can say the whole world.
Seminole patchwork
Posted on: June 27, 2010
- In: Patchwork | Women
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Hectic Matchwork
I love patchwork; delicate, fine and complicated, and whenever there is fine work in any form, may it be knitting or needlework, my family and friends can tell, I did it 🙂
So is the case with patchwork, and I think Seminole is next to none. It is very fine in cutting, sewing and in final results, I feel like painting; the only difference is with fabric. As painting is my dream; but I can’t.
My first encounter with this form of work was just by accident, once as usual on old bookshop I saw some very unusual book with fine thin designs and colours on the front page. I took it or the rest of my life; it took me.
I read it, tried some designs, as usual with 3 times the grid, as I believed it can’t be done ¾ inch per strip. I made some but dishearten put the book away.
After some time again worked on it this time actual size and tried hard to match the tiny squares and whenever needed added some tucks and streaches. The results were clumsy but promising. As a professional I applied those strips on some pillows etc and they were loved and sold promptly. I found that even the first one was also in the same category. It has some pull, magnetic, or what. Then I practiced it with full effort and it paid, .So I started making it in voile and thin cotton, with summer and winter colours.
I used them on ladies dresses, all designs, shirts, stoles, and party wear. Used silk, cotton and other materials and when needed I stabilized light fussy fabric with wondaweb; real wonder.
I do exhibitions and take as much of Seminole as I can as it takes the burden of all expenses and takes the lion share in profits as well. Ladies fall like autumn leaves on my stall and others come to see what is happening there and fall too. These laces are so eye catching and fine and out of this world that people abruptly say; it is the fabric itself, no no it cant be stitching and when they hold it and feel it, the look they have on their faces, is utter disbelief. I love that part the most, Next they declare, she does not make them; she gets them made. In my country mostly ladies of high class don’t work, they get it done. So what! I say, appreciate the one who made it. It’s no secret that I make them my self and right now I am sitting close to a pile of cut strips in rainbow colours. How can I deprive myself of joy of playing with colours, without spilling them?
This is the book I believe I can weigh in diamonds, or if there is some more precious thing in this world.
I searched the web for more books or designs, but not much. Rather I have worked a lot in this field. I have worked in different mediums and on different pieces, such as clothe towels, bed linens, wall hangings, gift-bags, cushions, curtain-valances, and much more. I work in different sizes of strips for different uses. My colours and themes are quite different from the book, as I adapted them to my lifestyles and demands.
Seminole patchwork is loved by me and all my clients without a doubt. In Pakistan only I make them and try to teach if I find someone, but as it is very time and labour consuming nobody dares learn it . Only they want it done.
Ladies from boutiques see it, grab it, the whole roll, at times the whole range of that colour and flee with bounty as if it will vanish. They see new dress designs in it and are sure that it is a rare commodity. I make sets of colours and designs such as I work from 3 strips to 6 or seven strips, in colour gradations, and one biased strip to work as pipping, so when you get a whole set of design ready to use , you sure are to headstream for it.
I thank the authors and the CnT publications that did such a great job in publishing this book. It’s a treasure for me. Recently I wrote my comments on their web as well about this book. Luckily I have 2 of these, and believe me will buy again if I find some .These designs are joy and income in one go.
Piece n Patch 