Cinnabar and Nutmeg

Sue Webb posted these photos of her version of Cinnabar and Nutmeg on the UKQU Facebook page today and said it was OK for me to copy them here. She wrote -

Finished piecing my largest ever quilt last night. It is the Susan Briscoe pattern from the supplement in Today's Quilter some time ago. It's not perfect but I am pleased as it's certainly the best I have done. Now to see about having it long arm quilted.

It looks pretty much perfect to me.  It will really suit longarm quilting.  The V&A quilt that inspired it doesn't have very fancy quilting, just a pattern of circles, which the online catalogue describes as 'wineglass' i.e. interlocked circles, but looks more like circles that just touch.  Unfortunately the one time I saw the V&A quilt was at the quilt exhibition there in 2010 and there was total visual overload with so many quilts, so remembering the exact details of the quilting pattern is really difficult.

 

I had to do a bit of a double take when I saw the photos!  Sue's quilt is above and mine is below. She has done an amazing job of tracking down similar fabrics.  Can't wait to see how she has it quilted.  it looks better on her bed than it would look on either of ours, as we don't have any beds without footboards.

 

A frame quilt inspiration

Jill Humphreys sent me this photo today and said it was OK to share it here.  She wrote -

In issue 3 of Today's Quilter I was fascinated by the supplement on Frame quilts and loved the version you created called Cinnabar & Nutmeg. I was inspired to have a go myself and finished the top today. I just want to thank you, mine is different but you can see where I've borrowed your ideas. If I say it's all your fault I did this then please accept it as the compliment I intend!

Jill has taken various frames and made a different arrangement.  The fabrics she has used have added an interesting dimension - it looks like there is a floral stripe in there, which has made the rectangles in the wedge border darker at one end than the other.  I'm also amazed at how quickly she has made it!  I look forward to seeing how she quilts it and perhaps seeing the quilt in real life sometime, if she can be persuaded to enter it into one of the national shows...

Just to remind you, this is the original Cinnabar and Nutmeg, which took a bit longer to piece.  The frame format lends itself to adapting to different arrangements, which is one of the things I love about frame quilts.

Cinnabar and Nutmeg pattern is published

The pattern for Cinnabar and Nutmeg is out in Today's Quilter.  I can't wait to get my copy!

If you'd like a quicker and easier make, this very easy foundation pieced patchwork is also in the magazine.  I've called it 'Down Memory Lane'.

 

It will be fun seeing readers' versions of these quilts.

Three sashiko classes and a quilt

I had three sashiko classes one after the other at the end of last week.  The first was the beginning of the Yuza and Shonai Sashiko course at Kaleidoscope near Glasgow.

The second was at The Peacock and the Tortoise in Perth - Introduction to Shonai Sashiko.

 

 This course introduces several hitomezashi (one stitch sashiko) patterns briefly.

Carol started making a sampler with yellow thread on brown, going for a retro look, and had made some cushion panels with her squares from our earlier workshop there.

The final class was at Edinburgh Patchwork, where we had the first session of the Yuza and Shonai Sashiko course, the same one we are doing at Kaleidoscope.

Here's a selection of the variations on rice stitch and other patterns that were made.

As well as the workshops, I got the 'Cinnabar and Nutmeg' frame quilt ready for Today's Quilter magazine.

It has now gone away for photography, so we can't use it at home for a while!  I want to add a lot more quilting when it comes back too.  It will be a very cosy quilt to use.

Working on this today...

I've been quilting like mad on this for a while now - and it is 'only' 98in square!  My quilt inspired by a patchwork I saw at the V & A in 2010 is nearing completion.  The pattern will be published in Today's Quilter magazine quite soon.  It has a name now - Cinnabar and Nutmeg.  Thanks to Katie Chaplin of Japan Crafts for suggesting Nutmeg (after her cat) and Glyn for coming up with 'cinnabar'.