Teaching Debut with Cats

Recently I was privileged and honoured to be accepted as a tutor with the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild to assist with the 2 day children's holiday classes during the final week of their school holidays.  The necessary paperwork was completed and all tutors handed the kit with explanations for the project that was going to be taught so we could stitch it up ourselves first.  It was an appliqued cat and mouse design using blanket stitch for the applique and fly stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch and french knots for facial and detail features.  The front, backing and wadding were to be then machine sewed around the edges, turned out, slip stitched and a running stitch around the border to finish off.

As you can see I worked my blanket stitch to match the stripes and also did a very, very small blanket stitch around the cat's eyes to hold them firmly in place - actually, they looked like pretty eyelashes.

So...the first day of the classes arrived and I was given two sweet and polite 11 year old girls (who were school friends) to help and found out that one of the girls had already taken a couple of QEG holiday classes previously, but for the other girl it was the first time she had picked up a needle and thread.   I helped them select their choice of background fabric, cat fabric and the threads to either match or complement their cat colour choice and I think they really enjoyed that part of the process.  I could see them using their visual skills to imagine the finished look.  We then set to work ironing the design on to the fabric and after showing them how to pull 2 threads from a 6 skein length of thread easily without it becoming knotted and a total mess (they thought that was really cool), set about threading up and learning their first stitch - blanket stitch.  

Now as can be expected - particularly with the first timer - the stitches were a little loopy and uneven to begin with and there was a bit of intervention on my part to help with tension and maneouvring corners and points, but I was really surprised at how quickly they picked up their skills.  By the end of the first day (about 4-5 hours work), one girl had completely finished all the appliqueing of her cat and head, bow and mouse and the other only needed to finish appliqueing the cat's head.  

On Day 2, I enlisted the help of another tutor as I was finding that both the girls were needing one-on-one help with the more finer facial details.  I must admit too that I felt this was quite intricate work for learners so it was important to help them as much as possible. By lunchtime their work was at the stage of machine stitching the layers together around the edge (done only by one of the ladies who had been delegated this job) which just left the turning out, slip stitching and running stitch around the edge to be completed before the end of the class.

I asked the girls' permission to photograph their work and because they were just so proud of themselves happily agreed.   

This first piece was done by the young girl who had taken classes previously.  I think she has created a very friendly looking cat with a rather lopsided smirk and kind eyes.

This piece is the embroidery done by the girl who was a beginner and never threaded a needle in her life before.  Her cat might have a slightly 'detached' head, but yet again a friendly and engaging face and smile.

What was so enjoyable for me was seeing the pleasure and satisfaction that both gained from these classes.  And what I also found interesting was that the beginner admitted she enjoyed Day 2 the best because she learnt different stitches and felt she'd achieved so much.  I could tell they were so, so proud of their efforts and have decided to use their embroidery pieces on their bedside tables as showpieces.  

Both girls want to attend the next holiday classes because they had so much fun and I can honestly admit that I found it a most enjoyable experience also.  It is indeed heartening to see young talent with an enthusiasm towards embroidery.  In this modern age these skills could be considered a lost art because of the younger generation's desire for instant gratification.

Ros

'A person can succeed at anything for which there is enthusiasm' - Charles M Schwab

  

The Finished Quilt

A little while back I posted about a new skill I was learning - quilting and promised to share photos of my finished project.  It is only just now that I realise that I forgot to take photos of the progress of the quilt construction so you will just have to bear with me while I explain the process and use the image below to refer to.  

Once all the blocks had been completed, it was necessary to choose contrasting fabrics for sashings and posts which are placed around each block and used to join these blocks together.  On my quilt you will see I chose the red fabric as a highlight for the posts and purchased a more subtly patterned fabric for the sashings.  After deciding on the placement of each block which required laying out each block and then moving them around to achieve a layout whereby the colours and patterns were evenly distributed, it was then a case of systematically sewing the fabrics together in order of rows and then joining these rows together all the time being careful to match seams and keep everything straight.

After that came the task of cutting the border which involved quite precise measuring because as our teacher explained sometimes the length of the top and bottom and both sides of a finished piece of patchwork can be uneven no matter how careful the seam allowances were sewn.  So it was important to measure in three places (top, bottom and centre for the length and left side, right side and centre for the width) and use the average measurement to cut the lengths of border.  The side borders were sewn to the patchwork first before the top and bottom borders.  It was at this point while we had our fabric and rotary cutter on hand that we cut out strips for binding and were shown how to neatly join these lengths of strips together which was very easy.  This was then put away for use at the end of the project.

The following week we were taught how to lay our backing fabric (which was yet another piece of fabric purchased) face down on the work table, place the cotton wadding over top and then final placement of our 'work of art' on top.  We all worked together on each other's quilt because it was so important that when each layer was placed on top of the other, that it was gently and accurately placed to ensure evenness with no stretching or warping and straightness was maintained.  After securely attaching all three layers to the work table with the most high-tech of devices (bull-dog clips!), we all set to the task of pinning the layers together at close intervals but not on any seams.  Pinning four quilts together took up the entire lesson but it was a most enjoyable time for us all to chat about all sorts of topics.

The following week, we were taught the technique of 'stitching in the ditch' which really is just a quilting term for stitching in the seam allowance on the lower side.  We were also shown the correct way of securing and bringing the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt so the back of the quilt was smooth with no cut off threads and whilst it took us all a little while to master this technique, it was worth it for a beautiful and professional finish.  In order to keep the quilt flat and stable and prevent any possible warping, we were also advised on the order of stiching seams ie. the inside sashing borders first, then the outside before sewing the individual blocks.  All of my blocks were sewn in the ditch to reflect the pattern on the back so I'll admit it was a long process and required patience.  The quilt needed to be rolled carefully around the sewing machine when working in an area which was quite tight, but once I could see it coming together, it was inspiration for me to keep going albeit in stages.

The following and last week of our classes involved squaring and cutting the borders evenly and attaching the binding to the edge.  Our teacher was very implicit with the technique on how to mitre the corners to give a perfectly rounded point and instructed us on a clever technique to join the ends together so the binding appeared seamless and not bulky.  It was then just a matter of folding the binding to the wrong side and handstitching a slip stitch into place to cover the machine stitching and, for me, this was enjoyably done while watching television and listening to the rain or howling wind outside.  

My quilt now has pride of place displayed over a cream upholstered chair in our lounge room and I am so happy with my efforts and the finished effect that I often look and touch it lovingly when no-one is around (sshhh...don't tell anyone).  

I am also proud to say that I have already started my next quilting project which consists of log cabin blocks in very bright colours.  But I'll leave that story for another post.

Ros

'Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance' - Samuel Johnson