Modern Art Quilters - Newsletter November 2022

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November 2022: CELEBRATORY ANY EXCUSE FOR A PARTY! It may not feel like there is much to celebrate at the moment, but I feel it is important to have something to look forward to. Putting the world situation aside for a minute, our individual lives give rise to celebrations of all kinds, large and small. Whether you are marking a major milestone or enjoying a small win, there is always a reason to celebrate. Making quilts to mark specific life occasions has long been a tradition, and examples of wedding, birth and even dowry quilts can be seen in various museum collections. Making quilts to celebrate the arrival of a new, tiny human seems to be a popular pastime. These are great since they don't have to be very big and you can have a bit of fun with them. I made small floor quilts for each new arrival in the next generation of my family, and it won't be long before there is another generation to start on - what a frightening thought! Although my baby quilts were never as 'dark' as HH's Gothy Babies I certainly never made them pastel (too many dogs sharing the floor with baby) and without a unicorn in sight. Wedding quilts are more of a challenge, not least because of the size... but what size? Double? King? Queen? And what colour? Do you really know the bride & groom well enough to pick a colour? I am having palpitations just thinking about it. Perhaps just buy them a nice toaster instead! No, have the courage of your convictions - ask a close family member for advice, but be prepared to have to make a quilt in colours you wouldn't choose yourself which can be a challenge all on its own. And leave yourself plenty of time, especially if you are intending to have it long-arm quilted by a professional, many of whom have extensive waiting lists. In fact, this last if good advice for any celebration quilt - allow plenty of time. Celebrations for major events usually have a long run-up period - there's nothing like a bit of anticipation - so get to work early if you are going to make a quilt of any size. Personally, I like to celebrate the end of a long week and I reward myself with an relaxing evening, feet up, book in hand, warming drink at my elbow; tea/hot chocolate/brandy (delete as appropriate). I am quite capable of idling away several hours alternately reading and dreaming up the next quilt. Bliss! So get the kettle going and read on... AitchBee and Helen Howes Contact us direct on newsletter@modernartquilters.co.uk Why not forward this message to your quilty friends who might enjoy our ramblings. They can CLICK HERE to go straight to our newsletter sign up page. HEADER IMAGE: JOINED UP WRITING Button Bunting. New pattern by HB CLICK HERE to have a look
CELEBRATIONS: A new pattern by HB; over thirty miniature blocks to make into cards and gifts for special occasions.	A-BUN-DANCE: One of several new patterns by HH. Make this fun bunnies panel or one of Helen's lovely new bag patterns.
	It is with great delight that we announce that our active subscription list has recently topped a substantial 1,500 readers! We are welcoming our 1,500th subscriber with a small pack of goodies, including patterns and packs of OAKSHOTT fabrics. We will in touch with the lucky recipient very soon to discuss colours and a postal address.
Click on any picture in this Newsletter to read more. These are mostly links to external websites and blogs - have fun and enjoy looking!
	As HH said to me when she found the link for this site "a rather odd gallery but some nice quilts"! Click on the thumbnail images in the left-hand column to see bigger pictures of this eclectic collection of celebratory quilts and quilted gifts. Also some quite traditional, but never-the-less interesting, blocks listed under the FREE TUTORIALS link in the top right-hand corner of the page.
	We have visited ALL PEOPLE QUILT before; it is the blog of The American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine, and this article includes some beautiful star quilts made by the Native American Winnebago people. Do click the button marked "START SLIDESHOW" and read about these lovely images. As the narrator says "Around the world, quilts have, from earliest times, had emotional as well as functional purposes. Quilts convey status, affiliation, pedigree. They are a canvas for artistic expression and technical virtuosity; a banner for opinions and beliefs; a testament of piety. Some are the "silk purses" of spare lives; the prototype for recycling. Others are extravagant and exquisite nonpareils made for display."
	A bit late for this year's Jubilee celebrations, but perhaps you could be making ahead for the Springtime Coronation of our new King? I know Red, White and Blue is more traditional, but our Great British flag is so iconic it is still recognisable in this delicious combination of purple and chartreuse greens. Kindly supplied by Melissa of POLKADOT CHAIR, a blog we have visited before
	OK, with just two month's to go and the smell of fireworks in the air I have to admit that Christmas is looming on the horizon. It's still far too early for my liking, but if you are making a quilt for the big day, you might want to be starting on it now. This collection of Modern Christmas quilts, found on the GATHERED blog, might be just the thing to get you in the mood - make one to snuggle up under on the sofa. Unless you are truly dedicated (or possibly delusional regarding the amount of time you have to spare) you will not be planning to make a full sized quilt for everyone on your gift-giving list, so next month we will be featuring all sorts of small projects for you to make as gifts for loved ones.
	Photo quilts are not generally a favourite thing of either HH or myself, but this Anniversary Quilt is really rather special. 'Truly a Masterpiece' as the title of the article on QUILTING DIGEST claims. As ever it is worth taking time to have a poke around this site - lots of fun little projects and free tutorials to see.
	Mmm... As soon as I saw this quilt my mind immediately said 'wouldn't that look good if those little hearts were shaded to look like they were three dimensional'. I think it's what you would call an obsession! The scrappy version is equally nice, so however you colour it, this is a super little quilt. Available as a pattern for purchase from ETSY.
	Now I have heard of Kit Cars - that's like full sized Meccano/Airfix for grown-ups (?) to build their own car. But Kit Aeroplanes? Is that really a thing? Obviously it is as this 25th Anniversary quilt for Zenith Aircraft goes to show. I think, on the whole, I'll stick to quilting and keep my feet on solid ground. I am less likely to crash and burn, except metaphorically, with quilting.
	Celebrating new arrivals with a definite absence of glittery rainbows! HH has made a whole series of Gothy Baby quilts including some quite improbable fabric; black and gold, hallowe'en, skulls, skeletons, spiders and witches. These are made for her own amusement, just because she can, and she gives them away when an appropriate recipient presents itself. They never stay around very long, there are an amazing number of new parents who don't want to conform to the white-fluffy-bunny stereotype.
	For the slightly more conventional parents-to-be! This giraffe quilt, availably on ETSY, looks like a bit of fun. I would still be tempted to change the background colour, unless you were planning for it to be a wall hanging - it might just stay clean on the wall.
	Signature quilts are often made to celebrate an event - this one was a retirement gift for a much loved boss signed by all his workers - found on the JULIE'S QUILTS and COSTUMES blog. These take a lot of careful planning and a deal of thinking about, but if you get the setting right they can be extremely effective.
	Memory quilts, to commemorate the passing of a life or to celebrate the passing of childhood, are often made of clothing. This can be quite challenging since that clothing can be of any type of fabric not always suitable for patchwork; different weights and different fibres. In this article SUZY provides various strategies for coping with these challenges as well as some ideas for simple quilts. I was most amused by the story HH tells of a quilting friend of hers whose husband (fit and healthy) asked her to make a quilt from his old shirts when he retired so he could enjoy using it himself, instead of waiting until he died!

	Since pretty much any quilt can become a celebration quilt, we didn't have too much trouble populating a PINTEREST board for your entertainment this month. There are also one or two smaller projects that might be of interest too.
	Further Adventures with Faux-Chenille! Part 2 of Helen Howes' series on Textures - fun with Gothy Moths and multicolours. Don't say you weren't warned!
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November 2022: CELEBRATORY