InStitches blog

Picture this...

22/4/2015

I have just spent the last hour or so trying to set up an Instagram account for InStitches. Success, eventually, but trying to link it to our Facebook page has me defeated - for now. As is adding a widget and 'follow us' badges to the web site! So I am off to my workroom to have a sew, calm my nerves and create some bookwraps for our stand at the National Quilt Championship and Festival of Quilt this summer - more about those two events later, plus the chance to win free tickets.

In the mean time, pop over to InStitches2013 to see the photographs I have managed to get posted!

Happy sewing,
Hazel

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Every now and then...

22/4/2015

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...it's good to stop what you are doing and go out to play. So the other weekend we did just that; we went to play at Laura's house!

Actually, we went to Laura Kemshall's new studio, Wooden House. Situated in the beautiful Shropshire countryside, the Wooden House is a carefully renovated old cricket pavillion, complete with home and away doors!

As we both love 'fiddling' about with old books we treated ourselves to an altered book workshop. It was so lovely not to be responsible for once... and just play!

Laura had a selection of vintage books for us to choose from and I selected the Pocket Book of British Bird's Eggs and Nests. The colour plates of the eggs are just delightful and the slightly square format is attractive.

Laura gave us lots of ideas and tips to try, with plenty of her own altered books on hand for inspiration.

I decided to work with the book's title for my theme and started cutting my own nests from the pages, stitching and glueing several pages together as I wanted to create depth to the nest.

Paint, pastel and pen were used to give colour and detail as well as adding machine stitched text and straight stitch using hand dyed threads to give a twiggy look to the nest.

Not wanting to waste any precious cuttings, I made another nest out of the snippings !

There was homemade muffins and coffee to welcome us (the recipe can be found here) a tasty quiche and salad for lunch and cake with afternoon tea. A lovely play day if there ever was one.

I am still working on my book, so do be sure to drop by again to check I have finished building the nests!
Hazel

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Can't resist the summer!

9/4/2015

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The sun is finally shining... so it's lunch outside, washing flapping in the breeze and the windows and doors flung wide open! Here at InStitches we are making the most of the warm, dry days and at the moment we are busy printing and colouring fabrics ready for selling at the summer shows.

We like to print using flour and soya resists before colouring the fabrics with thickened procion dyes. We both use a lot of this quirky fabric in our own quilts. In 'Is there still time for tea?' I used a selection cut into squares pieced together to create the background

and Terry also incorporated hand printed and resist fabrics cut into squares into her quilt ' Full Circle'

As we enjoy creating this fabric so much we thought we would share the techniques with you this summer, so we have put together a two day summer school in June. On the first day we will show you how you can use both flour and soya wax resists with everyday household items, to create a variety of patterns on plain or pre-dyed fabrics. Then on day two we shall have all the fun of colouring them with thickened procion dyes, as well as exploring mark making.

We will provide all the resists and dyes ready to use and if you need fabric we shall have that for sale too! Places are limited, so what are you waiting for? Book your place today. Whilst we can't guarantee lots of sunshine, we can promise lots of fun and a stash of unique fabrics to look forward to sewing !

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Just a little rusty.

3/4/2015

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Both Terry and I like collecting things, especially if they're a bit rusty. So a walk along the beach, digging in the allotment or a stroll around the farm means rich picking grounds for us – car parts, nuts, bolts, random metal bits, old garden shears, horse shoes...you name it we've probably collected it.

Recently, I was especially excited to receive a gift of
a wooden box full of old bent, rusty nails.

So, why are we so keen on all things rusty?
To colour fabric... naturally!

If you take a close look at some of our most recent quits you may have spotted bits of our rusty stash creeping in. In her quilt 'Shingle Garden' Terry incorporated fabric marked by rusty car parts found on the beach. Don’t you think they look like ammonites?

I can’t remember what I used to rust the fabric for ‘the fruits of my labour’, but it gave the effect I was looking for – old, crinkly paper.

If you would like to have a go at rusting fabric you will need:
·         rusty bits or (and this is pretty crucial)metal items which will rust
·         deep flat container – a cat litter tray is perfect
·         washed (but doesn’t need to be dry) fabric – natural fabrics take the rust better so try cotton, linen,   wool or silk
·       water
·         vinegar or tea (optional)

Sometimes I wrap the fabric around the object if it is large but usually I just scrunch and layer the fabric and rusty items in the bottom of the plastic tray; it’s essential that the rusty object is fully in contact with the fabric. Once you are happy wet the fabric and rusty objects and cover with a layer of plastic to stop from drying out.

Vinegar and / or tea will speed up the rusting process. Malt vinegar will give the fabric an aged, creamy finish whilst tea gives a range of grey/ black marks in addition to the rust.

The fabric and rusty bits need to be left for at least 24 hours to allow the oxidation process to weave its magic; just don’t let the fabric dry out, if it does spritz it with more water. No peaking, leave it well alone!

Once the fabric has rusted to your satisfaction, rinse with cold water to thoroughly to remove all traces of metal. I then give it a wash using hand wash liquid with a splash of fabric conditioner in the final rinse. Iron and then admire!

Be aware that rusted areas will not be as robust, so I wouldn’t recommend rusted fabrics are included in quilts which are to be frequently used and laundered.

I hope you enjoy experimenting with rusting fabrics. I wonder, will different teas leave different colours? If you find out, do let me know!

Hazel

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Picture this...

Every now and then...

Can't resist the summer!

Just a little rusty.

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