79REGULAR // fi rst & lastso I separated the Jelly Roll strips and cut them up. Piecing
was great fun. Of course I made mistakes, we are only
human. Each quilt brings lessons. The idea of something
diff erent, or a surprise appeals to me and, in this quilt, it
was the addition of broderie anglaise.
Not the wisest choice as the fabric I chose was not great
quality and some of the embroidery on it was coming
undone. Lesson number one for me, always buy quality
fabrics. I was a novice, even at sewing a straight line,
so it was a challenge for me to sew this. In between my
patchwork, I used plain sheeting. I was stitching and
quilting on a domestic machine with a small throat. That
was an experience I did not wish to repeat. It served
its purpose though, I had become hooked. Finally I had
learned that there really was nothing to be afraid of.
Jelly Rolls and pre-cuts are a good place to start but I do
not normally use them these days because I then have to
make a pattern to fi t. Being trained as a designer, I like to
work the other way round and fi t my fabrics to my pattern
design. I also prefer to hand dye my fabrics. Fast forward
just three years and I have designed quilts and taught
myself so many skills. I have tackled some complicated
quilts and I am always challenging myself to come up with
something diff erent.
My latest quilt is actually using a pre-cut bought on the
spur of the moment. We all know about the fabrics we
just cannot pass by. I often make wall hangings or lap
quilts these days even though I have a sewing machine
with a bigger throat. As with any pre-cuts, I tend to add
something to them to give them a bit of a pop. The squares
gave me the idea for how to quilt this, with a shape that
went into the corners and curved. I created and used my
own template and changed the tempo in the centre of the
quilting pattern.
This coming year will be an exciting one for me as I am
speaking at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC and delivering
workshops at the West Country Quilt Show. I would love to
meet you there!
CONTACT
To see more of Karen’s work, or to purchase patterns,
visit http://www.karenplatt.co.uk
Email her at [email protected]
or telephone on 0114 2723949.Left: Detail, Charm QuiltBelow: ‘Charm Quilt Pattern Skills
Builder Original Quilt’, Karen Platt