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From pattern-writing to release (or How to extract a combine harvester from a barn):

September 7, 2018

School’s back, Autumn is here and it’s time to muster up some courage to get the combine harvester out of the barn (just stay with me on this one).

I’ve turned, planted and pruned (I should’ve paid more attention to Gardener’s Question time) so many fields and varieties for so many years but never got the combine harvester out of the barn. It was just too big and intimidating to deal with on my own.

‘So, what should one do when in such a pickle’ I ask. ‘Ask for help’ my wise friend Sam https://huntersdesignstudio.com would say.

I’ve been working on the Sunflower Quilt pattern for many moons. The design idea was first born when I spied a Drunkard’s Path layout on some wooden toy blocks.

As well as the Sunflower Block there’s three more sizes and I have been using these designs together with my templates to teach machine-pieces curves and my no-pin technique for 4 years.

So the design was there. And when I got help with layout and tech-editing from Kam Martin needleplusthread.com

things started to move and in the summer the baby, the Sunflower Block was released.

Cushion by Nina bossyoz.com and Joë Bennison jelliesquilts.co.uk

The Block was first launched on the UKQU website ukqu.co.uk

but you can now also buy it from my shop. The same goes for the Sunflower Oakshott fabric kit from oakshottfabrics.com and my 3 1/2” templates used.

I love Kam’s style. The bonus is, she’s not just a great designer but also a wonderful friend, and I’m looking forward to our big Sunflower Pattern release later this year.

The Double Sunflower Quilt below was quilted by Abigail cutandalter.blogspot.com and got us a Highly Commended at FoQ 2018.

The Footloose Quilt- My second pattern is another Drunkard’s Path design. I used my Triple Drunkard’s Path templates together with the Blueberry Park Fabric by karenlewistextiles.com to make a fun and graphic pattern that introduces three sizes of the classic Drunkard’s Path and my no-pin technique to anyone with a curve urge. I had a great template that Kam created but no software or hardware and I still needed help with tech-editing.

Quilting by:

cumbrianlongarmquilting.co.uk

So, I got some help from another quilty friend. One I was lucky to meet in person before she escaped this Island. Julie Zaichuk-Ryan southatlanticstitchingcompany.com is no stranger to manoeuvring combine harvesters (a metaphor for releasing patterns, but you probably got that by now). She has written and had published knitting, embroidery and sewing patterns, and have a background in technical and marketing writing. I’d like to keep her to myself but I feel I should mention that she’s happy to take on more pattern-writing and tech-editing projects.

I’ve put together two fabric kits for making the quilt-top: Footloose Quilt Fabric Kit in Melon and Parakeet. And you can get both versions from Karen karenlewistextiles.com/footloose

The Triple Drunkard’s Path Set can be found in my shop but all my patterns include paper templates as well.

This pattern can easily be made into a double-sized quilt by making four tops that are then sewn together.

The Paper Round Quilt- My third Pattern is out tomorrow and as it’s on a very exciting journey, I will try to write a separate post about that.

But until then…..here is the link for the Make Modern Magazine Subscription:

makemodernmagazinesubscription

If you sign up now, you will get 7 issues for the price of 5 in your first year, then 6 issues annually (still for the price of 5 at AU$40).

There is also a link to just issue 24 Makemodernmagazine/Issue24 and if you use it with this discount code, MM2446, you get to purchase the issue for only AU$6 for 48 hours after it is published (expires 9 September).

So, the Combine Harvester made it out of the barn finally. My next goal is that I will be able to take it for a ride without my dear friends. If I want. Or I’ll keep turnin, planting and pruning and leave the harvesting to Kam and Julie.

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Kelly Spell
September 7, 2018 at 1:36 pm
I love that metaphor! So happy to see you sharing your crops with the world ?? Let’s FaceTime again soon so you can teach me how to use the no-pin technique on your tiny templates.