Cotton & Color – Blog

Which kind of quilt would you like to share with us?
A quilt with appliqué. The motif is a monk which I have photographed at an exhibition. I made it for myself.

When did you start and how long did it take to complete?
September to December 2017 – 3 months.

What were the challenges and what do you like best about it?
I really like the face and the wall. The quilt was a real challenge, especially the face. The forest was too dark at first, so I had to start it all over again. Finding the right proportions was difficult. The whole project was a lot of fun!

How long have you been making patchwork got you into it?
I’ve been sewing my own clothes for 40 years and started making patchwork for 5 years. Key moment was the visit of an exhibition in the textile museum St. Gallen.

What experience in your time as a quilter has touched you the most?
You can achieve anything with patience and perseverance.

Do you have any good advice for beginners?
Rigour and patience are the most important things when quilting.

Where and why did you make this quilt?
Freya (bottom) I did in Isabel’s course Finding the Perfect Form at C & C. Ebba and Ebbelina (top) for me because it’s fun!

When did you start sewing and how long did it take to finish?
There are a total of about three full days working time behind it – that’s about 2-3 months per quilt, with interruptions .

What do you like most about it?
The work has been a lot of fun and it has become pretty and cheerful quilts

What kind of materials did you use?
Flower fabrics in many variations, a lot by Kaffe Fassett, which I had wished for in my birthday group.

How long have you been a quilter and what has motivated you to start?
Since the mid-90s. My mother has infected me with the “virus”.

What experience in your time as a quilter has touched you the most?
The joy of giving quilts, especially the quilts I make for various children’s homes.

Do you have a good advice for beginners?
Quilting is a craft. Not everything has to be perfect as long as it’s fun!

 

What kind of quilt would you like to share with us?
A wall quilt in the mixture of Paper Piecing, application and normal patchwork technique.

For whom and why did you make this quilt?
I had made it for a Bernina contest with the theme ‘Red & White’.
I had immediately think about a Swiss theme, because the colors fit as well as Bernina is a Swiss company. So I chose Helvetia, as it is pictured on the back of the second franc piece.

When did you start and how long did it take to complete?
I had started in February 2016 and finished the wallquilt by the end of August 2016. It was a challenge for me and I wanted to quit a few times. But I persevered 🙂 Some parts I sewed by hand, because I did not know how to do it better with the PP method and I had never made something that way before.

What do you like most about this quilt?
The idea and the motive. That I finished it and did not give up.
Today my Helvetia hangs in the hallway and I delight myself every day when I see her. Even if the quilt is not perfect, I learned a lot from making it.

What kind of materials did you use?
For this I used the fabrics of Robert Kaufman. Kona Cotton Rich Red and Kona Cotton White.

How long have you been quilting and who or what has moved you to start?
I made a baby quilt 5 years ago as a gift. I was immediately addicted and wanted to learn more about patchwork and quilting.

What experience in your time as a quilter has touched you the most?
The many beautiful fabrics and all that you can make of them.
It’s always a new experience to try things our. The quilting in general is very diverse and fascinating. You always find new ideas.

Do you have a good advice for beginners?
Never give up, work properly and use high quality materials.

Do you have a blog, a website, Instagram or Pinterest about patchwork / quilting?
Yes I have a blog, but I’m not the most diligent blogger: solva-kreativ.ch
I’m also on Instagram and Facebook.

What kind of patchwork do you want to share with us?
English paper piecing with snowman hexagons.

For whom and why did you make this quilt?
For me as the centerpiece of my table.

When did you start and how long did it take you to finish?
I started in 2014 and quilted until 2015.

What detail do you prefer in this patchwork?
I like the gradient and softness of the colors.

What fabrics have you used?
As far as I remember it was the “Snowman Collection 2014” by Moda.

How long have you been into patchwork?
Occasionally since 2004, full time since I became unemployed in 2013.

Which experience during your time as a quilter moved you the most?
I really love free machine quilting as well as the fast and modern methods.

Any tips you want to give to beginners?
Try new things because without risk there is no reward! Hang on to a good club, visit blogs or watch tutorials to learn new techniques.

Do you have a website about Patchwork?
Yes, Cesclo2 Patchwork et Tissus.

What kind of quilt would you like to share with us?
The portrait of a woman with a child’s blanket.

Why and for whom did you make this quilt?
I made this quilt for a competition last year. The motto was “How would it look if your favorite artist had made patchwork?” My favorite artist is Modigliani.

When did you start and how long did it take to complete?
The sketch went relatively fast, the realization has taken more than 3 months.

What do you like most about this quilt?
I really like everything about it. If I had to sew the quilt again, I would align the background material in the vertical rather than the horizontal so that it reminds more of a fence.

What kind of materials did you use?
First of all cotton fabrics and relaxed linen to convey the impression of a real canvas as well as possible.

How long have you been patchwork?
Since 1984, that is 32 years.

What experience in time has touched you the most?
Mediating my passion for sewing to my students.

Do you have a good advice for beginners?
Use color palettes as inspiration and let your imagination flow!

Do you have a blog, Instagram or Pinterest?
Yes, I’m on Instagram.

What kind of quilt would you like to share with us?
Four Elements Quilt – la passacaglia – English paper piecing

For whom and why did you make this quilt?
For me, because to give away such a quilt, after all that hand work, is still very difficult for me at the moment. It is ALL sewn by hand and also quilted by hand. Why, yes, my family members also ask themselves. How can one be spending HOURS at sewing?
But I find it almost meditative. But the most wonderful thing about making this quilt, was the choice of colors for the respective rosettes. A challenge was to make the color transitions as harmonious as possible.

When did you start and how long did it take to complete?
November 2014 – March 2016

What do you like most about this quilt?
The colors !!!

What kind of materials did you use?
Many batik materials and a lot of residual patchwork materials

How long have you been quilting and what got you into it?
I spontaneously joined a sewing group in 2011 and learned out of curiosity how to make patchwork. To learn new techniques on an afternoon every 2 weeks was my goal. I didn’t just sew a few practice pads, but I decided to sew a whole blanket. I was so preoccupied that I had finished my first blanket with various techniques quickly. Afterwards, I learned something new, just clicked on the Internet and tried it out. I gave away a lot in form of gifts … pillows, aprons and much more. Until I had no more ideas of what to sew next for whom.
Now I sell my creations via my homepage: www.quiltbox.ch.

What experience in your time as a quilter has touched you the most?
Only if you work accurately and precisely, you get a piece that gives you joy.

Do you have a good advice for beginners?
Patience, perseverance and PRECISION.