Fat Quarterly Retreat: The best bit is the people

It already feels like too long ago, but last weekend was Fat Quarterly Retreat 2013, the second retreat. and it was a blast.  There is a lot to share so, grab a cup of tea and take a seat...this is post one, a separate post about classes follows.  I arrived in London very early so my brother met me at Paddington and we went for a coffee at the V and A.  Sunny and  hot, a rare treat for the UK mid July.

Having already met a lot of people for the first time and worked out locations last year, this year was so much more familiar and relaxed all round.  There was a real mix of first timers and last year attendees and still the treat of meeting people I have known for years now online in the flesh.

L to R, entrance into the retreat: Justine, me, Trudi, Lu, Mandy and Krista- and Brioni's quilt.

L to R, Tacha, Brioni, John, Laura Jane.  John had just arrived only hours before from USA.

Justine and Katy

Early evening and warm weather took most people onto the roof terrace and into drinks, supermarket snacks and informal show and tell. 

Me, Alex (Mr Aurifil) and Krista.

Lots of oohs and ahhs at the Sibling's together quilts, bee quilts and more.  I took my Strawberry Fields Quilt as there were 4 contributors there, Lynne, Krista, Brioni and Leila.  It was still making me tear up even now.

I retired to my hotel around 8.30- tired all ready, no stamina really! 

Next day, all day classes, an informal trip to Shaukat fabrics in the afternoon- 10 mins walk from Baden Powell House.  So much Liberty that my eyes hurt from all the stimilation but still managed to buy some.  The evening was market- Sponsors and attendees and it was amazing, so much good stuff in one place.

Claire from Patch Fabrics and Leanne, Little House Martin fabrics

A big table of Oakshott, lovely to meet Michael in person.

Eternal Maker created a beautiful display on their stand and I met Sarah and Rachael at last and heard Sarah's continuing and amazing plans for fabrics at the shop, believe me there are amazing things to come.

Fabrics Galore had an amazing selection- that was the first stall I went too, I knew the navy Hello Kitty Liberty would sell out! Between Market and the raffle I sat and caught up with Leila in a quiet corner.  The sponsors- Liberty, Korbond, Abakhans, Pat at Art Gallery fabrics, Oakshott, Fabrics Galore, Eternal Maker, Moda, Amitie, Makeower, Aurifil, Village Haberdashery and many more give a huge amount of goodies so there are lots of winners.

Lynne and the big bag of swag.

Sunday, I had finished teaching so I did Mandy's needle turn class which was a treat and a lovely calm way to finish the weekend.  Meeting Krista was special, she came over from Canada so I can't expect to see her on an annual basis but having known each other online for so long she was just as I expected and very easy company.

And all too soon (although everyone is shattered at this point) it is time to say goodbye.

I wasn't as emotional as last year as I know I will be back again but it is the end of an incredible weekend of sewing and talking.  It is a funny mix of exciting and overwhelming and at times I sit in a quieter space but the buzz is like nothing else and the talent and creativity all in the one event is more than a little mind blowing.

And the booty- a lovely goody bag, packed full of treats from the sponsors.

 and my spends, Hello Kitty Liberty, Scissors ( a very similar version of the Yuwa print on a heavy cotton- both from Fabrics Galore, Liberty lawn ribbons and pink capel print from Shaukat, Simple Things floral from the lovely Jessie of Messe Jesse.  Roses and a  gorgeous vintage floral print- gifts from Mandalin Mandy, Purple Thang from Krista and crochet lace made by the very talented Sonia

Back with more pics from the classes soon xxx  Thankyou to Lynne and Jan for use of some of their pics in this post xx

FQ Retreat

Less than a week away, a weather forecast which is hot, hot, hot and there is still prep to do- but I am getting very excited about this again.  I will be teaching PJ pants on Friday afternoon...

I am bringing 3 pairs with me if anyone needs to try some on for sizing (I have XS and S).  On Saturday morning it is all about colour and fabrics with a couple of Fantasy Fabric Shop table top sessions- all about value, contrast, colour and different techniques to combine fabrics- all hands on for this class.   Pictured are Liberty lawns from Jo who is offering orders without postage to those coming to retreat code FQR13 and Oakshott impressions- Oakshott can also bring orders made by Wednesday to retreat with the code FQRLONDON.  For both these shops, orders must be made by Wednesday.

For more fabric Fat Quarterly fabric offers check this discussion for shops/codes/discounts..

And then my teaching is done and I am looking forward to Mandy's needleturn and Trudi's quilt doodle sessions.  My handmade wardrobe is nearly ready- the very hot weather is leading me to make my Colette Hawthorn dress early leading to a lot of sewing in a vest and little else- I was testing the bodice yesterday , first with Swedish tracing paper which is soft and easy to manipulate and washi tape to make a small bust adjustment using the Colette sew along...tutorial.

then a test run using some rather loud fabric which photographs much better than it appears in reality!

 My plan is to wear this on Friday- Deer and Doe Bleuet (Melody Miller  fabric) as it is cool for travelling on the train and easy to recognise.

And this one will be worn at some point...

But more than anything, I am looking forward to meeting fabric and sewing obsessives and having a weekend of chat and stitching.   Some of you are travelling from so far (Krista, I am thinking specifically of you) and I can't wait to see you all!  If you haven't met me before I am fairly shy and quiet but chatty once I get going, serious but also silly, and the usual mix of contradictions- my wardrobe is more confident than I am.   I am hoping to pace myself a little better next year so that I can socialise in the evening at least a little- last year my eyes were drooping by early evening!  I can't wait to see you all!  To see who else is going click here.

Bring Me Flowers and Needles

I have pined after Amities BOM when i first saw Lynne's blocks from the Circle Game BOM a couple of years ago.  Then Gypsy Wife BOM last year tempted me sooo much but I just couldn't afford it.  This time, Bring Me Flowers tipped me over the edge and I signed up.  I am in round 2 which means the fabrics are slightly different from the first set that has gone out but they are just as good.   

This BOM is a real skills builder.  It is designed to be hand sewn but I am combining hand sewing with machine wherever possible.  Jen Kingswell, (designer of the BOM and Amitie owner) mentioned a specific needle on an Instagram post, Jeana Kimball's Foxglove Cottage Straw Needles, size 11.  I am a total sewing geek and I love good needles and pins- they make such a difference, the unsung heroes of sewing.  I couldn't find a UK supplier so I bought mine from ebay and they were worth it.  Very fine and strong.  There will be a fair amount of needle turn appliqué in this BOM and these needles make life a lot easier. 

I have used Clover straw needles and Black/Gold needles for EPP but they are heavier than this and whilst they are excellent for the catching  the folds of fabric in EPP these are better for piecing and applique.  They have the added bonus that they don't seem to go through the end of my finger like Clover Black/Gold- if you have used those you may well know what I mean!

These are slow and steady block, not to be rushed.   I mixed a few of my own fabrics in to these too- a little red vintage cotton and some Liberty Lifestyle brown.   To reduce bulk at the centre of the pinwheels, I finished all the seams 1/4" before the end to allow the centres to swirl.  So satisfying when it works and the appliqué circles hide the ones that don't go quite so well.

I scan the patterns for these blocks and then I print them onto freezer paper to act as templates.  I hace a lazer printer so I cut a piece of freezer paper slightly smaller than printer paper and I iron the top inch of freezer paper onto the printer paper so there is a double layer.   This allows you to print on without melting the paper!  I then iron the templates onto the fabric and draw round with a Sewline pencil- my absolute favourite marking tool- I cannot recommend this more highly, I use it all the time.    The pencil lines are needed for accurate piecing especially when doing it by hand.  You can see a great demo of the method in this Kumiko Fujita video. 

These are the fabrics for month two and I think I will be cutting these ready for Fat Quarterly Retreat to hand sew whilst I am there.

You can email Lucy at Amitie to join the Bring Me Flowers BOM and I believe there might still a very limited number of places on Gypsy Wife BOM.

Zakka Winner

 Zakka Handmades as selected by Random Number Generator  Jocelyn from Happy Cottage Quilter! . Congratulations to her, it is a lovely book to win.

Meanwhile, I am working on Swedish Bloom Time quilt from Ayumi's Patchwork Please book for the sew along.

 I have completed two flowers, seven to go...hopefully by the end of next week.

It is Lynne's turn at the Zakka along- have a look at her very pretty placemat and enter the giveaways here.  And Amber is the next stop at Zakka Handmades with a cute quilt-as-you-go basket and more giveaway chances here.   Good luck!

Just in time: Google Reader

The last day of Google reader (I will miss it) so don't forget to switch all your reader blog favourites over to bloglovin or feedly.  You can follow me on either- the buttons are on my right side bar.

Last chance to win Zakka Handmades- click here.  Winner announced tomorrow here so you will need to get your blog reader sorted!

New at Eternal Maker

Freshly arrived at Eternal Maker are some great fabric lines including Tula Pink Salt Water - shown rather nicely in the pic with Parson Grey Seven Wonders- they all play so nicely together.  They would make a subtle masculine quilt too. 

Also just arrived is some of the Denyse Schmidt Shelburne Falls range.  I must say I fall for Denyse's ranges each time and I love this one.  I have used the black floral for a dress and I have other prints stored including the aqua/yellow floral in this picture ready for future quilting projects.  As is the way with her ranges, some of these prints are very close to original vintage prints in their design which is what attracts me to them so strongly. I think the deco fans would make a great binding choice or as strips in quilt patterns- I am already thinking of using them in this pattern bought in the Amitie sale, the idea is turning over in my head!  You can buy the fabrics below in a bundle too.

I have mentioned before that I find something unexpected, something new, some treasure every time I delve around Eternal Maker website.  I have been assured that the bricks and mortar shop is the same.  A couple of weeks ago I came across a thread matching service which is ideal when you are planning either a quilt project- they are an Aurifil supplier and stock a huge range of colours and weigths from 50wt- my go to thread for piecing and light looking quilting including the smaller  200m tester size

or 40 weight for more defined machine quilting

and 12 wt for heavier hand or machine stitches. 

For a dress making or bag project- they can provide a matching Gutermann sew all  poly thread. 

I use this for all my dress making, every sewing machine I have ever had has always preferred Gutermann and my mum always used it so that's good enough for me!  They offer a range of sizes including the more economical 250m and 500m so if you are planning a project, send Anna, Rachael and the rest of the Eternal Maker team an email and it can be a one stop purchase for your fabric/thread/pattern/findings

And whilst we are thinking of taking the work out of fabric selection (its a hard life) take a look at their designer bundles and Eternal Maker bundles.  Basic Grey Peanut Butter and Jelly is a great collection and in two colour ways, aqua

and cream/red.

And there is a great fat quarter bundle, Likin' Lichen, put together to showcase a range of designer fabrics that share similar tones and colours and range of scale and line in the prints, a 50s mid centrury modern feel in this bundle.

Enjoy letting someone else do the work!

PJ Pants Class at Fat Quarterly Retreat

Fat Quarterly Retreat 2013 is only weeks away and I am busy prepping.  This post is for those coming to my PJ pants class but it could be of interest to others so read on!  Any questions will be answered in the comments instead of by email so the info is with the post.  The PJ pants class uses a Simplicity pattern 9871 which you can buy or download for free and tape together.   You can find lots of handy info at the free download especially Anatomy of a Pattern and Fabric Selection

I am going to go through some prep work that you are welcome to do before class or as part of the class.   If you wish to trace off the pattern before you come you will need to have an idea about size.  The differences between sizes on this pattern are generous.  I made an XS-too small, and an S- too big, so I ended up tracing between sizes.  You can even trace the waist/hip as one size and the leg as another- I did this with the pattern I traced for Laura Jane's PJs.  Her pattern is the white version on the right,  the waist/hip is between sizes M and L and the leg is M.

If you are working out sizes, a pair of your own well fitting PJs is a great help.  The pattern has some markings that are a great guide when working out size.  There is a line for where the crotch will be once the PJs are made and also the waistline, (I'll warn you there will be a lot of talk of crotches).  You can position the crotch of your own PJs and see how the depth of the waist/hip area compares.  I used this for Laura's and you can see where the waist line is on her Marks and Spencers strawberry pjs and the waistline on the pattern so I dropped the waistline by 1 1/2"when I traced the pattern. 

For the leg length, use the inside leg of your own PJs and remember to allow for the hem finish you want. There is more detail on this on the print out mentioned below.  It is always better to make the PJs too long and have room to play with but if you do end up making them too short a hem cuff can be added or they could be 3/4 length and you can pretend that is what you wanted all along!

You have the option of making the PJ pants exactly as they are on the pattern or with some extra details- straightening the leg, lowering the waistline, hem cuff, elastic/front tie and I have written a document which explains some of the size, cutting out and making details, especially for those extra details.  If you are coming to class, please print this out, read through and bring with you.  I will bring copies with me too.  I will be going through the basics of tracing, cutting out and making plus Trudi will be on hand too to help out.  You will be needing to try on as you make so if you were thinking of wearing an all-in-one jump suit to retreat, you may want to think again.

Some Style Options:

Narrow tie  1/2" + back elastic

Wide tie 1" + back elastic

Standard Hem

Contrast Hem Cuff- 3" finished

Contrast Hem Cuff  with Turn-up

And others- shorts, 3/4 length, bound hem, lace trimmed hem- any ideas let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do.  

The details below are in the Fat Quarterly info that has been sent out to class members but there is no harm in repeating.  With fabric quantities- better too much than too little and that includes the requirements for contrast trims so I have upped these quantities.

You Will Need:

Fabric: See pattern for quantity, they are generous estimates. Cotton fabric is recommended and woven rather than stretch.  I made a voile version and a flannel version.  Avoid directional patterns or patterns that need matching (including plaid/check/stripes) as they require extra fabric. A large double bed sheet might be sufficient- depends on your size. 

To make the contrast hem cuffs: at least long 1/4 yard contrast fabric, 1/2 yard is better!

Waist ties: If contrasting you will need at least long 1/4 yard contrast fabric (not flannel for waist ties, too bulky.

If tracing: Swedish paper/lightweight copy paper to be taped together/dots & cross paper, tape

Paper Scissors

Fabric Scissors

1 1/4 yard of 1/2” wide elastic- or wider elastic.  I have tried 1/2" and 1"

Tape measure

Good quality polyester thread for strength- not cotton.  I suggest Gutermann or Coates.

Scrap fusible woven interfacing 2” x 4”

If using lawn or voile- bring 70 size sewing needle, Microtex is good for lawn and voile

Bodkin/safety pin for threading elastic throughcasing

Usual sewing- scissors, seam ripper, pins

Quilt ruler

Pencil or fabric marker

Buttonhole foot if bringing your own machine

Optional: Pinking shears if you are bringing your own machine and have no zig-zag to finish seams

Optional: A pair of PJ pants that already fit you well

I will provide:

Fray check for buttonholes

Off cuts of interfacing

Love and understanding!