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September 2021: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
One of the first pieces of machine patchwork I ever did was based on diamond shaped patches. Not realising the challenges of coping with four bias edges or that the size I had made my template was rather on the small side I soldiered on and completed a shoreline inspired wall hanging (a section of which you can see in the header). Looking at this piece now, yes I still have it, from a point with an additional fifteen years experience under my belt I would consider other ways of making it. In a way that would be a shame - there is something to be said for tackling a project without prior knowledge of the possible pitfalls even if that proves to be foolish bravado. The knowledge of patchwork techniques and sewing methods I have gained over those fifteen years is undoubtedly invaluable but has made me more cautious and less inclined to to just leap into a new project with naivety. Perhaps this is why my personal style is much less spontaneous than many Modern Quilters who seem to be able to create improv blocks and designs with great flair where mine tend to be much more calculated and precise. It's a good job there is room for both approaches, especially since they work so well together!
Diamonds, and their triangular constituent parts, continue to be a favourite shape of mine. And we are talking true diamonds here, not just squares set on point - they are a whole other ball game. The Triangle in a Square block is a great starting point for making diamond quilts with the added advantage of not having to cope with bias edges when sewing long seams. I have written a new tutorial including two methods for making Triangle in a Square blocks and you can find it on our SEW-A-LONG page which is full of free tutorials and useful information. This block is also a great way to use up scraps - especially for all those of you who carefully sort your scraps by colour - scrappy diamonds, what a lovely thought! Between our tutorial and the others we have included below, hopefully we will have provided you with a method of making diamonds that will last you forever. Mmm, I want to go and sew...
AitchBee and Helen Howes
Contact us direct on newsletter@modernartquilters.co.uk
HEADER IMAGE: Detail of SHORELINE by AitchBee
This month our personal website links below will take you to our respective Textiles for Sale pages. Even if you are not in the market to buy a quilt, do have a look - you might just find some inspiration!
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AITCHBEE: Textiles for Sale
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HELEN HOWES: Textiles for Sale
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Straight in with a bang! This baby quilt hits you right in the eye - the simple but so effective design is made even more punchy by the use of Karen Lewis' superb clean-coloured hand printed fabric. Any similar bold coloured fabric would work just as well in this fat quarter friendly design by Kirsty of Bonjour Quilts called... WHEN YOU WISH.
Kirsty has generously included a full tutorial including information on how she quilted it and I think you will agree, the end result is pretty stunning!
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When I was relatively new to quilting, Eleanor Burns was a name I came across regularly not so often now-a-days, but her list of books and publications is extensive and her website, Quilt in a Day, comprehensive. This quilt is DIAMOND PARTY and uses the Creative Grids 60 degree diamond ruler - the pattern is available to purchase from Eleanor's website
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You may wonder why we think you need a tutorial on how to use a ruler, but this isn't just any ruler - this is the Creative Grids 60 degree Diamond Ruler and if you are serious about diamonds it might be worth investing in. The Jolly Jabber (blogging arm of the USA's Fat Quarter Shop) have put this tutorial together, along with and excellent video, so take a look and decide if it might be useful to you.
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Let battle commence! We're teaching again - on ZOOM and in person - the links below will take you to our respective calendar pages:
HELEN HOWES Various ZOOM classes and talks plus lots of teaching up and down the country - contact Helen if you would like her to teach your group or give one of her excellent ZOOM talks
AITCHBEE The Autumn round of teaching has been scheduled in Quilting Shops in Norfolk & Suffolk - see if there is something near you. Happy to travel to teach or talk now the worst is over (I hope!)
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You are probably all familiar with the concept of HST (Half Square Triangles), but what about HRT? No, nothing to do with juggling one's hormones! HRT = Half Rectangle Triangles, and this extremely useful tutorial by Andrea Tsang Jackson of 3rd Story shows in detail how to make them in various proportions. These building blocks make extra elongated diamonds when paired up, but they are still true diamonds (opposite sides are parallel to each other)
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This beauty is TWIZZLE and is on Karanan's blog which you will find isn't in English - don't panic, if you right click anywhere on the page you should find an option to 'translate to English' and there you go! There is no instructions but the cunning and the crafty amongst you will be able to work out your own version once you have mastered the HRT tutorial in the previous post.
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A second outing for Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts - we are rather fans of hers, do have a look round her site while you are there lots of lovely things to see. This another of Kirsty's free tutorials, this time for a splendid diamond block. I can see lots of potential in this - what a great way to use some of those exotic, multi-coloured prints that seem to be knocking around these days. I always love them, but have no idea what to do with them.
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Well it's diamonds and it's rainbow - what's not to love! The clever choice of fabrics in graduated shades with the black accent is just great.
This is a PDF pattern we found for sale on Etsy called DIAMOND DROPS from FabricAddictCanada. The original design is by Patrick Lose for Northcott.Fabrics and claims to have no 'Y' seams and isn't foundation pieced - sounds fascinating.
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Now I could have done with this tutorial fifteen years ago! Brilliant information on how to cut and piece diamonds so that the corners match up and how to deal with those darn wibbly bias edges. Written by Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting, this is just one of many informative tutorials on her site.
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Of course the 60 degree triangle and diamond relate directly to the hexagon, that staple of the past patchworker's trade. Hexagons are having a resurgence and are being made modern again in many different ways. This DIAMOND QUILT tutorial is by Leila Gardunia and includes full instructions on how to make this baby quilt finishing to a 24 inch hexagon (that is 24 inches on each side - approximately 50 inches from point to point)
I have had fun in the past with Leila's Scrappy Mountains tutorial which I made as tiny blocks (of course).
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Here's an interesting concept - Carolyn Forster has written a book, nothing new in that I hear you say, but some the projects from Carolyn's book 'Twenty to Stitch - One Patch Quilts' are available on-line as individual downloads at just 99p each. A great idea if you only want one or two projects from a book.
The one we have linked you to here is the diamond pattern, but have a look at the others on offer too.
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DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is the title of this month's Pinterest Board and I don't know about you but I now have a serious ear-worm of Shirley Bassey on top form. - I think I need to go somewhere private and sing it at full volume to get it out of my head, really, you wouldn't want to hear my version!
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For all of you who didn't get to FESTIVAL OF QUILTS and for anyone who did, but might have missed something, we have made an inspirations page of some of the lovely things we saw there. It was so nice to see real people again and real fabric - we rather went overboard. We went with the intention of spending money on fabric and we amply fulfilled that intention!
It was great to see old friends and thank you to everyone who came and introduced themselves to us at the OAKSHOTT stand - so nice to put faces to names.
Rather pleased with this little piece, BABYBOOZLED, AitchBee's entry into the Miniature catagory. Total size: 11 inches square!
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Modern Art Quilters SPECIAL OFFERS: NEW PATTERN releases, limited edition kits, lovely made things and fabrics galore
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Modern Art Quilters SEW-A-LONG: NEW free pattern for scrappy diamonds plus resources to share and teach |
Our mailing address is:-
4, The Raveningham Centre, Beccles Road, Raveningham, Norfolk, NR14 6NU. United Kingdom
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