Today_s_Quilter_-_November_2019

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COUNTRYSIDE QUILTING l planning for winter

Margaret Mew were close behind

and both arrived at Cowslip to

teach their quilt ideas. Lynette

Anderson arrived soon after and

we taught together for four days,

which was a first, but it all went

really well and the students went

away with two quite extensive

projects to complete. Lynette is

truly amazing – she opens her

case and it is like a Pandora’s

box of exciting projects. Her

embroidery is just exquisite,

and she had quilts from both

of her new books to show us

all too.

My projects have had me

thinking about winter and

Christmas since August – it

always feels bizarre starting

the process so early on in

the year! I have made a small wallhangingforthe

past two years, so I wanted to do something totally

dierent this year, and then up popped Rudolph’s

Magic saddle bag. I designed the front of my bag

to look like a saddle flap adorned with a little house

and reindeer. Upon lifting up the flap, you find that

the reindeer and snow scene continue all the way

around the bag. I designed it so that it could be a

wall hanging if students preferred – one lady even

reduced the size, which looked fantastic. I usually love

todoallmyappliquébyhand,butsometimesthere

justaren’tenoughhoursintheday,soI decidedthat

Rudolphprobablywouldn’tmindif I usedbonding.

Thebagis startedbypiecingthebackgrounds,then

theappliquéis added.I usedCloverbiasmakersto make

the window frames and tree trunks which, once pressed,

are so soothing to sew down by hand or machine. I cut

the fabric on the bias so that you can do mitred corners

and this also give the tree trunks a quirky bend. Once

the appliqué was on, I laid the pieces on scrap wadding

and quilted them with silver thread, remembering to

use a metallic machine needle. I love to make the little

up-down-over-back-across stars and fill them in shading

with the silver thread. Then I made very fine in piping

using my machine zipper foot and then attached it to the

bag to give the front panel a really detailed edge.

I used Pellon underneath the front flap, then backing

and then turned the whole thing out the right way. I’m

very pleased with the finished shape and it made me

think of lots of other designs you could use this for, like

an autumn bag with apples and a scarecrow or a dog bag

for storing grooming tools. The ideas just keep coming

and it’s a welcome change from a quilt.

The front of Jo’s magical

saddlebag

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“ I usually love to do all

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sometimes there just aren’t

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