THE SATURATION QUILT

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It’s been a long time! Sorry for that – I’ve had 2 lockdowns, more home schooling and life just like the rest of you I’m sure, since the last post. I have been busy; if you follow me on Instagram you will know and I suck at writing more than a few lines so these longer posts I keep putting off. I will do some catch up blog posts soon but for now I want to tell you about the Saturation quilt!

The Saturation idea developed way back in September 2020. I saw some stained glass in my Instagram feed – having done a glass course a few years ago and have a box of bits, it made me want to get them out and play. Stacking the glass but rotating the layers gave a cool effect and straight away all I could think of was a quilting block in solid fabrics.

Layers of Glass the initial inspiration for the Saturation blocks

That night I had a block drawn up and a cool blue sea/glass mock-up got me very excited but I needed to be sewing up my fractured skull sample and pattern for Halloween so it was put to the side.

Once I was able to return to this embryo of an idea, I’d decided I would test the block trying a freezer paper technique – something I had wanted to try for a while but the pieces in my previous blocks were too small to be accurate. I made a sample and gifted it to my mum as her birthday present. I bought 4 FQ’s in a colour gradient I knew Mum would love and one metre of cream background fabric.

Process Photos – using freezer paper for the first time and playing with blocks on the design wall

Well, the birthday present turned into a Christmas present and was it was duly gifted. It looked great and I had really enjoyed experimenting with freezer paper (though the very acute points had been difficult to maintain) and with some different straight-line quilting.

First Test Quilt made for my Mum in her colours

Mini mini quilt holder was not helpful but was very cute when we took photos before gifting

Quilting lines mirror the block line in the central space

Before New Year I did some proper planning and had scheduled my year with Saturation being my first quilt pattern to be released… then everything changed again! I had to home school for 3 months and after that I need to recuperate! After re-energising, sewing other people’s designs and projects (posts to follow), I cracked on writing the saturation pattern up, finding some testers and decided to release in mid-July.

Now with EQ8 software at my fingertips I created mock-up after mock-up and realised how incredibly versatile the pattern would be. Knowing there are loads of amazing creatives out there I got more and more excited about the pattern’s potential.

I wanted to support my friend Helen Steele , who screen prints her own fabric, with the launch of her first ever co-ordinated bundle – Lush collection. I suggested a collaboration and for me to make a saturation quilt in her fabrics which she could take to Festival of Quilts for her first ever stand there.

Mock-up of 48″ Saturation quilt in Helen Steele’s Summer Lush Bundle colours

After seeing a mock-up of how the quilt could look Helen and myself adjusted the bundle and settled on these beautiful prints.

I couldn’t wait to start sewing and pre-cut all the sections as soon as I got my hands on the fabric. While Helen printed some more of the background fabric I used the photo of the double curved block already made to play and generated these layout options which were popular on Instagram. Opinion was split between the 2nd and 4th from the left.

In the pattern I recommend using freezer paper for at least the A sections of each block type to significantly reduce the amount of printing and cutting and sticking you do. All sections can be done in freezer paper but I found reusing the smaller acute angled triangles lost some of the accuracy as they lost their stickiness. Being accurate with this pattern really pays off as the matching points really made the design. Don’t worry about getting the points spot on, it is not difficult and I recommend if not experienced with freezer paper piecing to use standard or specialist foundation paper for all sections other than A. Below is a video where I show you how to use the freezer paper for this pattern.

Here is the finished quilt! I quilted it similarly to the one for my mum but with white thread so it didn’t standout. I bound it using strips cut from the … For the eight single curved blocks, Helen specially printed me pieces slightly larger than her normal panel size and I only needed one panel of each of the other colours.

Of course my mini quilt holder and I took some #quiltinthewild photos.

I’ve been really pleased with the response to Saturation and had some great reviews. Any creative will tell you we are in it for these kind of comments and not the money. Your makes and words really do mean the world!

As Natalie mentions, the Saturation pattern has 6 pages of alternative layouts with a basic breakdown of how to make them and fabric requirements to help those less experienced quilters and illustrate the versality of the pattern.

BUY the saturation pattern HERE

I’m taking a few paper copies of the pattern to festival of Quilts at Birmingham NEC next weekend and will be on stand G56 with Helen Steele for the majority of the show.

I have a bed size version I want to make so I am planning a sew along at some point – maybe starting in November 2021 as the fabric I want to use is not yet out and I might have something I need to work on for Halloween.

…started quilting badly…

Work in Progress

Decided on how to quilt the big girls quilt and having finished the other one I was working on I cracked straight on!! Stitches and machine tested all good!!! Or so I thought!…

No I noticed a few stitches were skipped! Being me I carried on hoping it would stop and I really wanting to feel like I was make some progress! Eventually I stopped in despair and turned to my trusty quilting Facebook group and a friend came to the rescue. Turns out after refilling the bobbin something was catching! I must remember not to panic till I have re threaded it completely and cleaned it out and given it a new needle! 99% of problems solved by those.

With the stitching solved it was great I could crack on but again I rushed and didn’t properly mark my diagonal lines so ended up with a load of wonky lines. Need to also look at the quilt from a distance as I missed this by not looking at it from a distance.

Now to find my trusty unpicked… And then masking tape to mark the lines to follow!

… Another finished quilt..

Finished Makes

This I started last summer while pregnant and building work was going on.. as you do when you have no energy and loads to do.

The fabric is a Robert Kaufman range by Carolyn Friedlander – Botanics. I bought the jelly roll at Sandown when big girl was the age baby is now so – 4 years ago. The fabrics attracted me because of there slightly architectural look and had a colour gradient! Diving straight in making up as I went along, I played with mixing the fabrics with unsatisfactory results. I subsequently grouped the colours in rows of 5 to a gradient. The grey gradient didn’t really work so I did some un-picking and made the central strip dark and gradient out. The grey group then evolved into the central section and 2 colour types splitting either side. Then I decided to add another level and make it a stack/ stitch/ slice and flip quilt with some of the light fabrics from the jelly rolls as sashing. Left overs from the rolls was mixed bold and light to make the binding.

I managed to finished the top before Christmas and then basted it while 8.5 months pregnant with 2 other projects – It was a good time to be crawling around on the floor!!. A couple of weeks ago I dragged it out to work on while I struggled with what to do with my big girls quilt.

I made up how I was going to straight line quilt it as I went along. Echoing the seams and doing double rows to high light the flipped section and central dark grey horizontally. The husband liked the larger gaps you see but I think I should possibly have gone for denser quilting. I also need to work on consistency with the spacing between rows.

The attention to detail I paid when pecicing has paid off as it was all pretty square so an improvement there. While quilting a couple of the seams on the top started to come loose which is annoying but possibly down to trimming or maybe I need to lock the stitches at the end of each row.

Press ganged my twin nieces into holding the quilt so I could photograph it! I think I’m going to have to make them quilts at some point soon based on there reaction! Only problem is I know there will want harry potter and not something timeless!

Best thing about quilting is the appreciation and praise I get! Especially from this one who has adopted this quilt pending completion of her own!

…Stitch & Bitch #2

Stitch and Bitch

I forgot to take a photo again!! This just shows how much of a great time I’m having. There were 4 of us this time. 2 from last time and 2 who couldn’t make it before. I was sewing on the binding for a UFO, there was also knitting, crochet and embroidery. Lots of chat, really positive stuff about rediscovery of you after loosing your identity having children and realising that worrying about what other people think about you is bullshit (sorry mum I know you hate me swearing). Also just doing something creative for the process and not worrying about the outcome! Thanks ladies lovely to spend time with you once again! xxx

… Throwback Thursday #4

Finished Makes, Throwback Thursday

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Mug Rugs!!! I love them, so much better than a boring coaster and they also soak up any spills or condensation. These rainbow strips I got as samples from a long shut down website/ shop – Strawberry Fayre. I had to do something with these strip how ever small. I was not precious so just sewed them together really quick (had to be a colour gradient) not even fussing about even rows and then grab batting, backing and bias binding from the stash of leftovers. In total about an hour was spent on the two and it got me back into sewing and a mental break after the baby.

…had a very happy weekend meeting up with an old flame…

Day out, Work in Progress

I couple of weeks ago I bumped into an old horse friend from my sharing days before children. I literally shouted across the stable yard “I know you” to buy time till I could remember her name! Catching up with news on the old horses and people I was encouraged and now able to get in contact with the owner of my old horse share. This weekend I went to see her and the second love of my life ROSS!

How beautiful is he.. doesn’t look a day older and certainly not his 26 years!!! Unfortunately, his mummy can’t quite get down as much as she would like to give him some love so I am going to go down and see him hopefully once a week for a chat, groom walk-out and maybe some lunging. I can’t wait! Unfortunately, being out of the saddle so long, the weight I have put on since having my big girl and his increased years means I don’t think it would be fair to ride him. Maybe something to remember as I reach for the biscuits, cake or chocolate. I expect one day soon he will feature in some kind of sewing. I fancy trying a raw edge applique..

In other news, the summer holidays are here and I’m spending lots of time with both my girls. I’m trying to pace myself and doing quiet sitting activities as much as possible. At the first stitch and bitch I was shown a you tube video and it included a simple braiding with cardboard circle so I though I would try it with my big girl. She can do it and does it but it looses her attention quite quickly which is to be expected at 4 1/2yrs. I on the other hand am finding it quite addictive!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on a UFO started last summer. I jelly roll I can’t remember its name but had it for a few years without having the courage to do something with it. I will do full post on it once its finished but hear is a sneak peak…. just the binding to hand stitch.

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