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DIFFERENT STROKESWe (HH writes) have been working "together" for almost 10 years. And, yet, we have totally different methods of generating ideas, our working methods could not be more various, and, given a piece of fabric divided down the middle, you might not guess that the two resulting pieces were from one spirit...Recently we have made deliberate pairs of quilts, choosing a colour-palette, picking fabrics and a finished size, then going away to generate the pieces without much reference to each other. The results have, so far, been useful and visually interesting and productive of new projects... We have made an Inspirations Page with some of these. When I first met HH (HB writes) I was already aware of her creativity and artistic flair having met various quilts of hers at exhibitions over the years. Far from being daunted by Helen's mastery of "painting with cloth" I was determined to learn everything I could at the feet of that master. In the best tradition of any apprenticeship I did my fair share of making the tea and sweeping up - usually in my role of classroom assistant, meaning I could attend Helen's classes learning new skills including how to teach. My previous teaching experience had been in sailing boats: a lot wetter and with much more shouting involved. Time spent with Helen taught me many important things including never wanting to dye my own cloth (tried it - didn't like it) and that my brain is not cut out to do improv piecing (I can't do random - does not compute!) I started concentrating on developing my own aesthetic style which, as you can see from our collaborative works, is very different from HH's. Not only are our works visually diverse, but we achieve results by vastly different methods. We tend to share the tea-making duties these days (it's very important for the creative process) and still enjoy making quilts together. Helen Howes and AitchBee 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: BLUE MOON our latest joint project which was entered into the TWO PERSON category at this year's Festival of Quilts. You can come and meet this quilt in person at our exhibition - see link below for more details |
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 HH's artistic and free flowing style, using all that's good in improv piecing, lends itself to trees and other natural forms |
 HB's love of precise piecing and perfect points often leads to a nasty attack of miniature quilts. Lovely, but it doesn't use up the stash very quickly! |
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Click on any picture in this Newsletter to read more. These are mostly links to external websites and blogs - have fun and enjoy looking!  |
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It's almost arrived! Time for our joint exhibition. Lots of new work (yes, including armadillos and pumpkins!) We will be sewing every day so you will be able to see our methods of working in practise.
Armadillo & Pumpkin Two Textile Artists in search of a Title 10th to 22nd September inclusive Merlina Art Gallery Earsham Heritage Mill, Church Road Earsham, near Bungay, Suffolk NR35 2TQ Put the dates in your diary and come to visit for new quilts and old sewing machines. Lovely things to look at and nice things to buy. Check back here for more details |
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Having been captivated by CAROLINA ONETO's gallery at this year's Festival of Quilts, and learning a little bit about her methods of working, we were interested to read this article on her blog about different quilting methods. | ||||||
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Of course, using a pattern is a perfectly acceptable method of working. Patterns are an excellent starting point for a project, by choosing your own fabrics you can put an individual spin on the original design.
Here's a fun pattern we found on Shannon's blog, THE FLEMINGS NINE. There seems to be a little bit of a pumpkin flavoured sub-theme going on this month! Well, it is almost Autumn after all. |
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This is a good example of how changing the fabrics can make two bags, from the same pattern, look completely different.
This is HB's latest bag, HOLKHAM, on the right is the pattern sample made in soft batik fabrics and on the right is a version by HH in black and rainbow brights. So different but equally lovely! |
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Attending classes and workshops is a great way of gaining a bit of an insight into your tutor's working methods (HB writes). One of HH's classes I was lucky enough to attend was her SPIRAL QUILT workshop which was great fun. Once I understood how the spiral was constructed, I took the idea one step further and made this little fellow, ZYGOTACTYLOUS.
Click on the image to visit HH's website where the SPIRAL pattern is available to purchase. |
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Journaling can take many forms from a book of simple scribbled plans and idea sketches to the more complex including mood boards, colour swatches and precises diagrams. Suzy of SUZY QUILTS gives us an excellent idea of different journaling styles - if one of these appeals, grab a book and a pen and start writing! | ||||||
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The MAQ Block of the Month which we ran last year is an excellent example of HH and HB's different working styles: HH decided on her colours and made each of the nine 16-inch square blocks in that colour plus black. HB decided on her layout, drew it out and coloured it carefully on the computer and made each block to fit that layout so the colours worked from the centre outwards All the parts of the MAQ BOM are still available - click on the image to visit the webpage. |
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Improv quilting could possibly be seen as being on the opposite end of the scale from journaling. Rather than meticulous planning there is something liberating about sewing two random pieces of fabric together and seeing where it takes you.
This excellent tutorial was found on Pfaff's, QUILTING DAILY, blog, an great source of information and free patterns. |
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To give you a chance to see, in depth, how HH and HB's working methods differ, we have written a joint Inspirations Page which talks you through four of our joint/collaborative projects and how we designed and made them.
This is the pair that started in all and has been the jumping off point for various projects including HB's first Block of the Month, BAMBOOZLED, which will be finishing before the end of the year (don't panic if you are already signed up - your subscription will continue until you receive Month 12!). |
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We are always happy to advertise your quilt shows, just send us the details. Diss Quilters 2024 Exhibition Saturday 28th September 10.00am to 5.00pm Sunday 29th September 10.00am - 4.30pm St Andrew's Church Church Road, South Lopham Norfolk IP22 2LW FREE ADMISSION • PARKING • SALES TABLE • RAFFLE • TOMBOLA QUILTS FOR SALE • TEA, COFFEE & CAKE AVAILABLE • CHURCH TOWER OPEN Contact: dissquilters@gmail.com The image shows the lovely raffle quilt made by the DISS ladies - based on HB's BLOCK CAPS! pattern (linked from the image) |
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A quick plug for an upcoming workshop with HB. FOUR HAND REEL At Sew & So's of Bungay Friday 6th September Have you ever wondered what to do with that metre of ombre fabric you bought because you fell in love with it? This could be just the thing! CLICK HERE for details of more workshops in the next few months. |
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This is NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION by Lynne Hanson
At first glance this might not seem like an aspirational quilt, but both of us fell in love with it when we saw it at Festival of Quilts. The design, the quilting, the colours everything was just right. Obviously the judges thought so too since it was shortlisted for a prize in the Modern category. |
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Armadillos and Pumpkins galore on this month's Pinterest board - just for kicks!
I want to make a crocheted armadillo that rolls up into a ball - how much fun is that? |
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