Last week's sashiko workshops

I had a full week of travel, talks and workshops, visiting Leicestershire and Norfolk.  Both Cosby Quilters near Leicester and Flying Geese quilters in Snettisham did my Introduction to Shonai Sashiko workshop.  I didn't get photos of their work but, for once, I did take some photos of my workshop samples - a mixture of the ones I've done for my Yuza Sashiko sampler with my regular groups and ones where I've experimented with fabrics and thread colours.  The photo above shows Cosby Quilters hard at work.

Here's Flying Geese busy stitching.

This lovely panel was made previously by one of their members.

I gave two talks, for Leicester Quilters and the Cosby group.  As I was showing Cosby some of my quilts inspired by traditions (of various kinds), there were quite a number of large quilt tops in the talk.  I must get these tacked up and quilted soon!

In between the talks and workshops, I had a day off and went with my host Jo to her embroidery group, where we made little leaves using Lutradur (sorry, no photos of those!)  I also managed to add some more quilting to Sidmouth Revisited, in time for it to be sent to the West Country Quilt Show.

I added hearts in the corners and beech leaves in the outer borders, all with doubled outlines. It is easier to see the quilting from the back of course. I still want to add a lot more quilting before it goes off to a few shows next year.  At 95in square approx., there is a lot of quilt to cover.

Having the hanging sleeve on the quilt in time for my second talk meant we could at least hang it up.  It is a heavy quilt, so that spared out gallant quilt holders a little.

Introduction to Shonai Sashiko in Perth

I'm teaching Introduction to Shonai Sashiko at The Peacock and the Tortoise in Perth on Friday - course booking details are here (although they seem to have got the wrong photo on the website!).  UPDATE - checked this morning re the worksheets for class and found out this is already fully booked.  I'm teaching my sashiko course at the shop from March 2017 though and will also be doing a day workshop on 25th May.

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.

Shonai Sashiko in Perth and a summerhouse update

On Saturday, I taught my 'Introduction to Shonai Sashiko' at the Peacock and the Tortoise in Perth.  Lots of lovely sashiko samples were made by the students.   The shop has a well-lit, comfortable workroom that's just right for sashiko.  I'll be teaching there again on December 5th, when our workshop will be 'Sashiko Furoshiki' - see link for some of my previous workshops.

Apart from his trip to Dyffryn Clwyd Quilters' 10th anniversary trading day the previous weekend, Glyn has been getting on with more summerhouse jobs while I was in Japan.  The biggest job has been installing the gothic window into the back wall.  He trimmed it with aluminium strip, to shed rainwater away from the window, and sealed around it with bitumen paint (a bitumen seal will be added too).  The roof overhang on the back of the summerhouse is only 6in, as any deeper would mean we couldn't easily get onto the roof, and it is very sheltered from the weather by the high fence.  A narrow harwood sill will go at the bottom.

The bottom of the walls has been designed to push outwards slightly, to help shed water away from the concrete base slab.  It also gives the walls an elegant shape but we have to allow for it when making things like the door frame and adding the corner capping. We got this shape by having one row of shingles under the Tyvek wrap and having a double row on top of that - this is the first top row.  The next one will overhang this by about 10mm at the bottom, so water can't run back under the shingles.  The cut out notch is for the main power cable and will be covered with the next row of shingles.

Glyn cut back the slate tile bearers at the front while I was away and added bitumen strip to the front step yesterday.  The finished front step will be aluminium checker plate, so it will wear OK.

Cutting the door frame to size.

That Japanese dōzuki saw has been used so much!  Luckily I got two extra blades when I bought it in Yamagata city.  Unlike the more traditional saws, this one has replaceable blades.

This week, we'll add more shingles in the evening, but at the weekend it is the Scottish Quilt Championships so I'll be busy with that.

Bags of fun at workshops in and around Cullen

 
I arrived home late last night after a week of workshops and a talk in and around Cullen.  My first two workshops were the mini workbag I first made for a workshop in Cairns in 2011.  I don't have this one on my main workshop list, but Mollie (left of centre, holding the orange and black bag) saw it when I did my bag talk in Cullen last September and persuaded me to teach it again.  All the bags we made last week have better zips than mine, because I shopped for proper double pull bag zips when I was at Quilt Week Yokohama last November.  My original bag is shown bottom right below.  These bags panels were made at the second workshop in Keith.

These are some bags from the first workshop.  There were some lovely fabric combinations in both.

 

On Saturday we had a 'Japanese Circles and Squares' workshop at Fochabers.  Once again, some great fabric choices and I'm looking foward to seeing photos of the finished quilts.

We also have two 'Introduction to Shonai Sashiko' workshops.  These samples are from the second session.

 

I had a lovely time meeting so many groups. As some of the quilters belong to more than one - there's a busy crafting scene in that area - a few managed two or even all three workshops!

After the talk last night, I decided to drive all the way back home, to avoid the rush hour in Aberdeen.  The roads were quiet and I made very good time.  Tonight I have another talk in Cupar, Fife, and tomorrow at Helensburgh Quilters, before heading off to London for a talk for Region 1 of the Quilters' Guild on Saturday, so the quilts are staying in the car :-)

Sashiko at Seattle Quilt Company

We had two sashiko workshops at Seattle Quilt Company, on Friday and Saturday.  I forgot my camera on Friday, so will post some pics of the Introduction to Shonai Sashiko workshop when the quilters send me some, and here are pics from the Sashiko Kinchaku Bag worskhop on Saturday.  They have a lovely workroom at the shop - plenty of space and well lit, so it was ideal for handstitching.  However, I think we'll be back to use to Gamill longarm machine sometime soon!

Broughton Gifford boromono workshop

On Saturday, I taught the Japanese Art Quilt Boromono workshop at Broughton Gifford Piecemakers near Bath.  In this workshop we make our own version of the vintage Japanese rag patchworks that have become so collectible as 'accidental abstract art'.  Unfortunately I forgot the battery charger for the camera, so I didn't get photos of individual quilts, but Diane's husband took a group photo at the end and the quilters have promised me photos of their finished pieces, so hopefully I'll have more pics for a follow up blogpost soon.  Click the panorama above to see the photo in more detail. The many different fabric selections included recycled shirts, hand printed/dyed, indigo and rust dyed, antique and modern Japanese indigos, taupes and plains, so each piece was very unique.

Diane sent me this photo with sashiko quilting added to her patchwork, which incorporates some small pieces of antique Japanese fabric, including one with a raw edge patch from it's previous life (the dark square just off centre). She wrote, 'Thanks for your interest in my pieces of old fabrics.  I found another hole in one of them - hence the other small triangle stitched on in red.  I felt a connection with the person who tacked the other patch on.'

 

Annie made a very subtle boromono using textured woven Japanese taupe patchwork fabric, including both sides of several fabrics, with stripes and directional fabrics running both vertically and horizontally.  The light border makes the central patchwork seem to float on the background.

 

On the previous Thursday, I visited the South West Embroiderers' Guild and we had a relaxing day with an Introduction to Shonai Sashiko workshop in Plymouth.  Again, I didn't manage to get any photos, so I'm hoping they will send me some! :-)

Sashiko workshops in Hatherleigh and Gosport

On Sunday I did an 'Introduction to Shonai Sashiko' workshop session for Region 4 of the Quilters' Guild in Hatherleigh, Devon, and yesterday I taught the four designs from my 'Sashiko for Summer' workshop at Gosport Quilters.


There are fourteen stitches on my worksheets for 'Shonai Sashiko', selected from the dozens of traditional patterns because they are all achieveable by complete sashiko beginners and they also offer a good entry into the different kinds of hitomezashi (one stitch) patterns. Everyone stitches on small sample pieces, but even on these little 4inch squares, many stitchers manage to include more than one pattern, making mini samplers.


I forgot to take any photos during the workshop at Gosport, so I'll have to wait for some photos of the finished items. Here's a couple of photos of my workshop samples, so you can see two of the designs we used.



I got some lovely photos down at the beach though.


The texture of a pebbly flint beach is so interesting when you don't usually see them - so many shells among the flints, and so many natural colours. I took a lot of photos for my inspiration folder.


I wasn't so impressed the first time I saw a pebble beach - it wasn't 'proper' beach. This was a bit further east, possibly Brighton? I didn't have my bucket and spade with me this time.