Letting Go of the Reins: A Quilter's Journey into Mystery

Quilting is my therapy, my creative outlet, and usually, my personal challenge. I've always been drawn to the art of designing my own quilts—from creating the pattern to choosing fabrics to sewing each intricate piece together. It's a process that brings both joy and a fair share of stress, but that's the thrill of the creative journey, right?

However, my quilting routine recently took an unexpected turn when I found myself grappling with a new dilemma: letting others take control. For someone who thrives on the challenge of crafting my own designs, it was both liberating and, admittedly, a tad terrifying.

Typically, I steer clear of patterns—not because I don't appreciate the myriad options available, but because I relish the challenge of navigating the creative chaos and finding my own path. Isn't following a pattern, selecting fabrics, and stitching the quilt challenging enough, you ask? Well, yes, it is. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't resist the allure of the 2024 Murder Mystery Quilt.

Here's how it works: they provide a colour palette, and each month, a new block arrives along with a chapter of a murder mystery book. All I have to do is select fabrics that fit the palette, sew, and read. It sounded like a quilter's dream—someone else doing the hard work, leaving me with the joy of the craft.

So, is relinquishing control liberating or terrifying? The answer, it seems, lies in the delicate dance between the two.

Liberation Through Creativity: There's a unique joy in allowing someone else to guide the process. Choosing fabrics within a set palette is a delightful challenge on its own. It sparks a different kind of creativity, forcing me to think outside my usual colour schemes and fabric choices. It's a refreshing departure from my usual routine, liberating me from the self-imposed pressure of perfection.

The Element of Mystery: The murder mystery aspect adds an intriguing layer to the process. Each new block brings not only the excitement of stitching but also the anticipation of unraveling the mystery. It's like sewing my way through a gripping novel—one stitch at a time. The element of surprise keeps the creative energy flowing, making each step a revelation.

Terrifying Unknowns: Yet, there's an undeniable fear in not knowing the end result. When you purchase a pattern, you have a visual guide—a picture of the quilt, showcasing how the dark and light fabrics harmonize to create a cohesive design. With the mystery quilt, I'm left to wonder about the final product. Will the colours align with my taste? Will the finished quilt sing for me?

The Verdict: Embracing the Journey: For now, I've chosen to embrace the mystery. The uncertainty adds an element of excitement to the creative process. Will I like the finished product? Will the colour palette resonate with me? Will I successfully solve the mystery? These questions linger in the background, but the joy is in the journey itself.

Quilting has always been about more than just the finished product; it's a labour of love, a dance with creativity. Whether liberating or terrifying, relinquishing control has opened a new chapter in my quilting story—one filled with surprises, challenges, and the joy of going with the flow.

So here's to the unknown, to the liberating terror of creativity, and to enjoying the process, stitch by stitch. After all, isn't that what quilting is all about?

#QuiltingJourney #MysteryQuilt #CreativeChallenge #EmbraceTheUnknown #QuiltingCommunity #StitchingStories #2024MurderMysteryQuilt

10 Christmas gift ideas that patchworkers will love. (Copy)

Christmas presents for the patchworker in your life.

1.      Jen Kingwell’s Block Wrap. A great gift for any patchworker who travels or who takes hand sewing with them everywhere they go. (that’s me, going to an appointment, sew in the waiting room, any time is sewing time.)

2.      Quilt in a Day 6 ½ “triangle square up ruler. This ruler is a must when making half-square-triangles and every patchworker at some time makes H-S-T.

3.      Fine pigment pen for writing on labels, no quilt is truly finished until it has a label. Available a stationary supply store.

4.      Mechanical pencil with 2B refills. These pencils give a lovely fine line when tracing and drawing around templates which then equals better accuracy. Available a stationary supply store.

5.      Sandpaper board for when drawing around templates. This stops the fabric moving as you draw around the template and also helps give a darker pencil line.

6.      Good quality pins. I know you might think pins are pins but they are not. Nice fine pins leave a smaller hole and damage fabric less. Well worth the extra few dollars. I like Tulip glass head pins.

7.      A very distinctive seam ripper like this one from Moore’s. We don’t like to admit it but we all do make mistakes at time. The reason I like a distinctive one is so when I am sewing in a group I know exactly which seam ripper is mine.

8.      Nice fine scissors for the smaller jobs. These ones from The Scissor Man are inexpensive, small for travel and have a protective cover, no getting stabbed when you put your hand in your bag.

9.      A Jelly Roll or a Fat ¼ pack of fabric that you like will always be appreciated, and who knows you might even get it gifted back to you in the shape of a quilt.

10.   One of my books. I have a children’s book “My Grandma makes patchwork quilts”, a cute story about a Grandma and Grandchild’s shared love of fabric and play. I also have a book to replace a card when giving a quilt as a gift. Check them out on my website: Nest of Quilts

I hope this helps with the Christmas shopping. The truth is whatever you give if it is given with love and thought it will be loved.

               I hope you have a safe and merry Christmas.

5 quick exercises to get your patchwork mojo back. (Copy)

I’ve lost my patchwork mojo; how do I get it back?

It has happened to all of us at some point, I think.

So what do you do when you have lost interest in patchwork and still have a room full of fabrics? Well one thing is for sure you need to find your mojo and get sewing again.

Here are 4 exercises to re-ignite your creativity or just get you feeling a little differently.

1.      Look at colour. Walk outside, stop and close your eyes. Take a deep breathe, open your    eyes, what is the first colour you see? Now look at the colours around that first colour. Do the surrounding colours contrast or compliment that first colour? Does the colour combination work or not? Does the colour combination make you feel happy, sad, energised, warm or cool?  Grab some colouring pencils and with the help of this printable sheet document the colour combo. http://www.nestofquilts.com/cheatsheets/qtzbyqkr45rftxtevyo4anz8xosnbx

Each season has it’s colour pallet, do you have a preference?

 2.      Either pick up some interior design magazines from the shop, library or op shop and look at how interior designers use colour combinations. Take note of the colour that “pops” in the images and how much of it they use. Great colours to use for “pop” are black, hot pink, orange, purple, lime green and white. 

 3.      Now that we have looked at colour and have hopefully re-ignited some creative interest let’s look at patterns.  Again let’s go back to nature, in the garden. Does the garden path, the highs and lows of the planting, the clouds create patterns? Do the windows of the buildings create patterns? Now start filling in the boxes, on the sheet you printed out in exercise 1,  with patterns, random lines, just doddles, don’t over think it, do it quickly maybe 2 or 3 minutes. Is there one you like, if so colour it in using one of the colour combinations from the above exercises.

 4.      Go to your fabric stash and put together some of those colour combinations you played with in exercise 2 and 3. Throw in a “pop” colour and see how it changes things? Hopefully you are starting to feel a little energised and are wanting to go beyond the theory and into the practical.

 5.      I have left this exercise till last because it is almost too obvious, look at Pinterest. But I am going to put some restriction of your search because we all know Pinterest can be overwhelming and the last thing we want is for you to find it all too much and lose interest. So only search for one type of quilt design eg black and white quilts, four patch quilts etc, you get the idea. Maybe step out of your comfort zone and search for art quilts or miniatures.  Only spend half an hour on this exercise, has anything caught your attention?  

 I hope this has been helpful and you are now wanting to grab the rotary cutter and launch into a new patchwork project or even maybe revisit a UFO with new enthusiasm.

 I find I revisit these exercises whenever I find myself in a creative rut, they help free up my mind to other possibilities.

 Good luck and happy sewing

Margaret

Is it worth the money?

EQ8 review.

 I bought EQ8 because I like designing my own blocks/quilts and wanted to start doing it easier and on a more professional level.

I had tried an earlier version of EQ but it did not do everything I wanted.

I have a friend who has EQ8 but she mainly uses it to audition fabrics, that she scans into the program, to see exactly how her finished quilt will look. But as I said I wanted it so I could design blocks and quilts.

So I purchased EQ8 and have not regretted it one bit.

I have an idea for a block, I open EQ8 and within minutes the block, templates and quilt layout are a reality. I can draw, the block, with straight lines, curves, arcs, I can flip blocks and clone parts of a block ( great when designing applique).

If I have drawn my block as a eg 6x6” but decide I would like it to be 8x8’ or 6x12” I just change the dimensions, at the top of the grid and presto the block is resized.

Once I am happy with my block ie size and design I can then put it into a quilt template, choosing exactly how many blocks horizontally and vertically and therefore how big the quilt will be. There are several quilt top templates eg horizontal, on point, baby block, horizontal and vertical strips. I can print the quilt top ready to play with colouring in ( example figure 1) OR I can “colour” in the block using fabric from the fabric library then put it into the quilt to see how it looks. Figure 1

Once I have the block in the quilt I can rotate the blocks either individually or all at the same time. There is also a “symmetry” function that will rotate the blocks in the quilt giving you all possible layout. Figure 2 and 3 are examples of the same block, as used in figure 1, but in different layout. Figure 2

Figure 3

If I am happy with the block and quilt I can then print the templates for the block, with or without seam allowances OR I can print a foundation pattern, if applicable OR rotary cutting instructions, if  when you are using one fabric for the background throughout the quilt. No more buying too little fabric or way too much fabric.

There are tools within EQ8 that I do not use very often but the tools I do use I use all the time so I have definitely got more than my money’s worth out of EQ8. I can see myself using it for many years to come.

If you have any question re how I use EQ8 or if there is something you would like to do in EQ8 but are not sure if it is possible please do not hesitate to ask. If I don’t know the answer I will endeavour to find out for you. EQ8 are also very quick at responding to any questions.

I hope this has been helpful if you have been thinking “is it worth the money?”

Margaret

Did you follow your own advice honey?

Only three sleeps to go.

Have I adhered to my own advice and tips while packing for my upcoming holiday? That would be a yes and a no.

1.     Yes I have used the packing App I wrote about in my previous blog and boy am I glad I have. I am almost at the point of closing the suitcase and locking it confident I have everything, and maybe a bit more, that I will need.

 2.     I have been pinning places and patchwork shops on the Ulmon App, I feel I am going to run out of time as friends just keep mentioning more and more places to see. The map of London is fast becoming very red with pins.

 3.     I have bought a new scarf and I love it. It has all my favourite colours in it so it will go with basically everything I am taking with me.

 4.     I haven’t quite finished packing my handbag but all the important things are in there ie passport and COVID vac certificate and money.

 5.     My sewing I prepped about a month ago so that is sorted. I am so looking forward to getting to the airport and start sewing my new project.

 Our Grandson is heavily into dinosaurs at the moment so I am taking one of his vast collection with me to photograph in various place. He can follow us and his dinosaur on our travels.

One thing I have learnt while packing is no matter how much you plan you will always be running around doing last minute things the day before you leave. And that’s what makes holidays so great, you really need one by the time you go on one. Ha

 Margaret

PS the Tim Tams are for our niece who lives in London. We Aussies do love our Tim Tams.

Patchwork, waste of time, no, no, no. Waste producing, yes, yes, yes.

Patchwork rubbish.
I love making patchwork quilts but it does produce a lot of rubbish. I used to just throw all my threads and tinny scraps into the bin and send it off to landfill. Then two years ago I stopped and thought about what I was doing and was horrified. Yes cotton does eventually decompose but during the decomposition process, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and our soil. I realised I could not continue doing what I was doing. After doing some research I found a company that would take my scraps and recycle them. I have two companies in Australia -UPPAREL Australia and Textile Recycling Australia.

I have a box beside my sewing machine and as I cut threads of bits of fabric I drop them straight into the box. When the box is full, and I mean pushed down to the point where not another piece will fit in, I seal it up and organise a collection.

As patchworkers we already do our bit by using our fabrics until they are too small for even the smallest template, this is the next step, finding a way to recycle what is left. Hopefully there are companies near you that can help you reduce your textile waste.

Margaret

PS. After posting this blog I have had a lot of suggestions, from other patchworkers, as to how to use my scraps. The one I really like is using them to fill a pillow case to make beds for animals in shelters.

My top 5 holiday prep tips.

A little prep goes a long way

I am not really an App kind of person BUT these two I find just so helpful when prepping for holidays.

1.    PackTeo. This App suggests things you might need to pack under various heading eg documents, clothing, hygiene, first aid kit, electronics. You can also put items into the “Carry On Bag” section. There is a packing for children suggestion list too. You can personalise the list by add items to the lists as you think of them leading up to the time of actually packing. As you pack you tick of each item ensuring you leave nothing behind.

2.    Ulmon. Offline maps you can access when travelling. In the weeks leading up to departure you pin all the places of interest you want to visit on the city map. Then you can see the proximity of all the attraction so you can plan each day so you don’t miss a thing. Pin the attraction in each city and you are ready to go. Thank you, Heather, for introducing me to these two Apps.

3.    I like to buy a new scarf/wrap for my trip. The scarf can be a light blanket on the plane, a quick shoulder or head cover when going to a church or mosque or a wrap to jazz up a plain t shirt or little black dress. I tend to buy one with a few colours in it so it goes with everything.

4.    I like to prep my travel handbag early, then it is once less thing to do as the trip gets closer. Now I know everyone has their own idea about what constitutes a good handbag, but I will tell you what I love about mine. It has lots of pockets for starters. I always carry my passport in the outside pocket next to my body when I am at the airport. There are two smaller outside pockets on the other side, the top one always has lip balm, tissues, nail file and a small tube of hand cream. The bottom one has two pens, for filling out all the airport paperwork, and some zip ties for our suitcases. We are zip tie people rather than locks. In the main centre compartment of the bag I have my phone, book and glasses. My bag is starting to look a little worse for wear but as I have not found a replacement for it yet it will be coming with me on my next trip next month.

5.    Sewing of course, I am a patchworker after all. I sew at airports, on plane and trains. I like to take enough hand sewing so that I still have some for the flight home. Choosing the blocks and fabrics and cutting out the pieces can take some time so start early. I take all my blocks laid out in a Jen Kingswell Block Wrap so they are nicely contained and ready to be sewn.  Remember no scissors in your carry on but I have never had a problem with needles or pins.  

I love to travel and have missed it over the last two and a half years. In fact I had sort of forgotten how to prep for travel, writing this blog has reminded me that the prepping and anticipation of travel is half the fun.

Remember to “Travel with open eyes, an open heart and an open mind and you will be reward with unforgettable unique memories and experiences.”

Margaret

Mystery Tour fun

No I definitely mean tour.

When our children were young, we would take them on Mystery Tours. Sometimes it would be to the zoo or museum, a movie, a book shop for new books or sometimes just to the local ice-cream shop. Now they are all grown up I take my husband or friends on Mystery Tours.

So what makes a good Mystery Tour (MT).

1.Be sure the destinations, on the tour, are of interest to those involved eg the first MT I organised for my friends, who were kids in the 1960’s,  was called Step Back In Time. We went to an old fashion Tea House for coffee, looked at beautiful old buildings, travelled on old trams and had lunch in an elegant old pub.

If you are a member of a book club maybe organise a MT around book shops, libraries, or book binding businesses. Maybe if you have all read a book set in your city make the MT destinations places mentioned in the book.

If your group loves all things food and cooking visit a market, a kitchenware shop, a restaurant with a visible kitchen, maybe even a cooking demonstration.

Let your imagination run free.

2. Gear the number of stops, on the MT, to your groups interest level, fitness level and destination locations. Eg if you are a book club group and you are visiting bookshops on you MT don’t visit more that 2 or 3 as we all know you can spend a long time in a bookshop browsing shelf after shelf.  But if your group is interested in architecture and will only be looking at the exterior and maybe the foyer of the buildings you could probably have 5 or more destinations.

Is the distance between destinations close enough that you can walk from one to the other or will you need to drive?

How fit are the members of the group, can they get on and off public transport, can they walk the distances you have planned between destinations?

3. Make it fun. Give the participants clues as to where the next destination is eg a crossword puzzle they need to solve or a “find-a word”, or a picture puzzle or a cryptic poem.

4. Be flexible. On that first MT I took my friends on one of the group mentioned a lovely building she felt we should take a look at so we took a slight detour and it was definitely worth it.

5. Include coffee/drink/food stops so the group can rest their legs, chat about what they have seen/done and regroup for what is yet to come.

6. Do your research re all the destinations on the MT. This will give you lots of information to impart to the group and make the tour that little bit more interesting. Your enthusiasm for the MT topic will rub off on the group.

Remember it is all about fun, fun, fun.

If you organise a MT for your family or friends I would love to hear about it.

Enjoy

Margaret

Same, same but different.

Really? No.

What do COVID and patchwork have in common????

Here we are in our 3rd year of COVID life, COVID restrictions and COVID same,same.

COVID has taught us how to be flexible, compassionate, and tolerant. But what do COVID and patchwork have in common you ask? Well let me explain.

1.      Reduced food intake.

COVID - one of the symptoms of COVID is nausea, it reduces your food intake.

Patchwork – you can get so involved with a project that before you know it is 4pm and you haven’t had lunch.

2.      Staying at home.

COVID – has kept us all at home for short and long periods over the last 2 years. Some of those stay-at-home periods have been because our government has restricted our movements, others have been self-inflicted to safeguard our health and others have been because unfortunately, we have had a close contact or worst we have had COVID.

Patchwork – when you are really into a sewing project you just want to stay home and sew, sew, sew.

3.      Use what you have at hand.

COVID – at times we have not been able to get to the shops, so we have had to make do with whatever is in the pantry and fridge.

Patchwork – a good size fabric stash came in very handy when the patchwork shops were closed ie using what you have at hand.

4.      Increased energy and enthusiasm.

COVID – in our first and second lockdowns I took the opportunity, and was enthused, to clean out draws and cupboards, wash curtains, do a good “Spring” clean. I really achieved.

Patchwork – at the same time I took the opportunity to finish a few UFO’s, start a couple of, and finish, some new quilts and use up some of my stash.

5.      It is here to stay so we learn to live with it.

COVID – unfortunately I think COVID is here to stay for a bit longer.

Patchwork – once you have the patchwork bug is very hard to shake, if you want to, which I do not. My family has had to learn to live with fabric in various rooms in the house, quilt tops laid out on beds, late dinners because I can’t stop sewing and holidays designed around patchwork shop’s locations. They may complain about it all but they never complain about the finished quilt that suddenly appears on their bed to keep them warm on Winter nights.

As a patchworker I hope you can relate. Happy sewing, stay safe and stay healthy.

Margaret

To press or not to press, that is the question.

To press or not to press, that is the question.

Up until recently I had always thought it was best to press your sewing as you went along. But I think I have been on the wrong track.

I think if you are machine piecing it is a good idea to press as it makes it easier to match up points and seams.

I do a lot of hand piecing and I have only just realised it is best to leave the pressing until the block is finished (a small iron is very handy for this job). If you do this it allows you to spin your seams which reduces the bulk at points. If you are not sure what I mean by this I have included a photo. It also means you can press a seam open if that will give you a better look on the front of the block.

Which brings me to the old rule” always press to the dark side”. A great rule but not always practical. For example if spinning your seams, as mentioned above, you may well be pressing half of the seams to the dark side and half to the light. So there is a decision to be made , stick to a rule or have less bulk and a flatter, crisper block. Sometimes you get a better result, on a straight seam, if you press the seam open.

It really all comes down to minimising bulk and what gives you the best result on the front of the block.

Have a play, see where you sit re press as you go or wait till the block is finished. Whichever you decide remember when it comes to patchwork you are pressing not ironing, ironing can stretch your fabric and thereby change the size of your block, even by only a little but it could be enough to make life difficult when piecing finished blocks together.

We are only a few days to Christmas 2021 and still life and the World is topsy turvy with Covid and it’s latest variant. I hope you have a safe festive time and may 2022 be a year of sewing and creativity.

Margaret