xxxxxx

Isn't this quilt amazing! It's a very early example of British quilting and it seems to made of many recycled scraps. You can read all about it here

After my last post about not getting anything done, I've decided to take it easy with this blog for a while. It's time for me to focus on getting a paid job, once that happens I'll be able to throw myself into patchwork and patchwork groups.

I did set up the shoreditch procrastinator blog though, I'll be doing my moaning and ranting there. Though in true procrastinator fashion, there's no posts yet!

What I will do though here, is post up lots of pics of scrap quilts. Until I get myself going again. xxxx

Shoreditch Procrastinator

Hi Blog

It's been a while, sorry.  Not much to report on the old quilting front, not much to report on any front at all.  I think I should have called this blog 'the shoreditch procrastinator' because that's all I do.   

Besides, I'm having some strange thoughts about all this new 'domesticity' that young women seem to be taking up.  Sure it might be a way of rebelling against their mothers or the generation before them who might have grown up as 'liberated', but I'm a bit suspicious - after the 2nd world war there was a deliberate effort to get women out of the workforce.  I wonder if something like that is going on again.  Do I want to be part of something like that?

Still that's no excuse for me not doing anything.  I love sewing and have done ever since I was little.  Me doing nothing is me being lazy, rather than not being duped by a male chauvinist plot!

so sew happy!

At last I've been able to do some sewing. The lovely H lent me her sewing machine yesterday and it sews like a dream. I think it's time that I faced facts and give up on my trusty Husquarna (two visits to the sewing machine doctor in the last 12 months and it's not getting better). The latest project is a present for friends and I want it to be a surprise, so I am not going into detail. But if you look at the mosaic in the post below, it might give you a clue.

Magic Mosaic

1. tie rug close up, 2. Tie Rug, full frontal, 3. Tierug - stripes, 4. tierug - stripes - centre

I've always been fascinated by the mosaics of photos on other people's blogs so since I have lots of time on my hands at the moment, thought I would give it a go. What do you think? How clever am I?

Excuses, excuses!

Dear Blog

More excuses! So sorry, this is supposed to be a blog about my efforts setting up a patchwork group in Shoreditch. All I’ve done so far is talk about it. A few people have said they would be interested but I still haven’t done anything further. Oh, and a friend said she would be able to get scrap fabric for us, in almost unlimited amounts. How amazing is that! But I still haven’t sorted out a venue etc, etc. Why? My pathetic excuse is that I spend too much time looking at other people’s work. When I turn the computer on, I go straight to Flickr and look at amazingly creative works, and wander off looking at all sorts of things (tonight I found this group). Then I start checking out other blogs – Poppalina, what if, prick your finger, attic24, ping , Out of Character, bit of a mixture I know but I have learned lots from doing this (that’s my excuse), they’ve been such an inspiration to me, enough to get started with this blog. I am so disappointed if I have already read their last post. And I never leave comments, I’m just too embarrassed, and everyone who does comment seems so witty. And I spend hours wandering around blogworld, no wonder I don’t get anything done here, never mind any creative projects of my own. It’s all going to change, just you wait and see. Promise xxxxx

Dear Blog
So sorry I have neglected you, I didn’t realise it was going to be so difficult. I thought I would be able to just think my thoughts and they would magically appear on the internet. I didn’t realise what a commitment I was making to you. I promise that once my life stops being in turmoil, I will write almost every day. I think about you all the time, but that doesn’t get the posts up, I know. xxxxx

Australia

Just back from a few weeks in Australia. While it was lovely catching up with my family in Melbourne, it was very sad to be there with the fires raging around the state, and the loss of so many lives. Was in tears for a good many days.

But I did manage to take lots of photos of the lovely quilts and rugs made by my sisters, and found many photos of the Shamrock quilters. I will be posting them over the next week or two.

Mission Hall Quilters in Shoreditch

Last year, the Mission Hall Quilters ran a one day workshop where we all made a lap quilt each. For many people, it was the first time they had done any patchwork and the day was a great success.

The Mission Hall Quilters run a sewing group in Derry, Ireland, it is for anyone from all sides to drop in and do some patchwork together. Like the Shamrock Quilters, it sounds like a lot of tea gets drunk there too. The Mission Hall Quilters have their own website here, they also sell quilts and organise days out. They’re another inspiration to me as they are really doing something for their community and are the loveliest group of people.

Here’s 2 pics of the day in Shoreditch. I hope to have one of my finished lap quilt up soon.

Slow progress

Not much to report this week, but here is a list of things I've done this week to get closer to setting up a patchwork group
• Asked my boss if it was ok to set up a sewing group, I was a bit worried it might conflict with plans he has for the future – thumbs up from him
• Sent an email to the vicar of the church that has the venue (complete with sewing machines) I would like to use – wrong email address
• Did a bit of research into the Shoreditch WI, also known as the Shoreditch Sisters – will go along to one of their meetings when I have something concrete to tell them
• Asked if I could put some pics of the quilting workshop run last year up on the blog – big thanks to J, I'll have these up soon

And a list of thoughts
• How can you get free fabric and wadding in London – maybe I could just ask on Gumtree
• If I couldn’t get my preferred venue – where could we go instead?
• Would people be ok paying £1 a session? This money could be put towards our group quilts.
• What to put up on the ShoreditchQuilters.com website?

The weather is bleak and cold, my crochet project is going slow, but it is the weekend. Thank goodness!

Hope

We watched the inauguration at work today. How heartening to have such an intelligent and mindful person in a position of great power. I feel full of hope, mostly. With just a tiny bit of trepidation.

And he used the word ’patchwork’ in his speech. I've taken this as a sign that the patchwork group will be a goer!

Patchwork as recycling

Originally patchwork was made by using up what was available - scraps left over from making clothes, flour sacks, worn out garments etc. To me, this is what gives patchwork its charm – creating something out of what would be discarded. I’d like this group to reuse and recycle, make amazing quilts out of reclaimed fabric. The end product will always something completely unique.

In this quilt, the pieces were taken from coloured demin jeans.

The picture below is a scrap quilt, made from the leftover fabric from oh so many items of clothing. So many memories for me - a dress made by my mother, a skirt made for a friend, a fabric scrap from my auntie when she left Australia, I could go on and on. This quilt has many stories, lots of little pieces of my life! It’s the making something out of nothing (much) that I love about patchwork.

First Youtube link

Here's my first Youtube link, not related to patchwork and only vaguely related to Shoreditch. In 2006 and 2007, there were 2 amazing parkour events in Shoreditch 2006 put on by Shoredith Trust. The 3Run guys were truly amazing!

I think it's worked!

List to get started

1 Venue
2 Sewing machines
3 Materials, enough to get started on a group quilt
4 Tea and biscuits
5 People

I have a few ideas about 1& 2. there is a venue locally that has sewing machines so an email is going out to the person in charge of the venue.
3. No idea how to get these. Not many textile factories around Shoreditch, not even sure if there are many people sewing at home, to even ask for their scraps. There is a large Oxfam and a newly opened St Vinnies, so maybe I could ask them for suitable bits.
4 Maybe my workplace could donate these.
5 Must start spreading the word, I am sure I know enough interested people. There was a workshop run locally last year, just for 6 weeks that was well subscribed. More about that in another blog. Maybe some of those people might be interested.

Another idea
If the venue was, say, a church hall, we could cover our venue costs by making a group quilt and raffling it off. And maybe raise enough extra money to cover the costs of making the next group quilt. Who knows?

One more thing
6 If we had a computer and camera, we could introduce new people to Flickr and blogworld to show the amazing world out there of amazing people out there making amazing things!

I’m so excited………….. but how to get it all going?

Shamrock Quilters – My Inspiration

The Shamrock Quilters started in the 1980’s in a small room above the Irish Welfare Society’s op shop in Fitzroy, Melbourne. They met on Tuesday evenings to chat and sew over cups of tea. Not everyone who joined the group could sew, nor were they all Irish but it was a warm friendly place to meet up with old and new friends. The Shamrock Quilters raised money for the IWS by making patchwork quilts and raffling them, usually to cover the funeral costs of destitute Irish men who had died alone. Phyliss McGraw, the then manager of the op shop, had been presented with the contents of a textile warehouse next to the shop and saw the opportunity to make some money for the charity, as well as a chance to set up a group for like minded women. Occasionally one or two of the group would do a ‘proper’ patchwork class to learn new techniques, they would return to the group to share their new knowledge. Some of the original group were Myrtle, Ellie, Pat, Evelyn and Little Mary. The Shamrock Quilters are still going today, now meeting in Northcote, but no longer raising money for the ISW. Over the years, they have presented quilts to Irish Prime Ministers and Presidents. The op shop closed down a long time ago, greatly missed by Mebourne’s treasure hunters.

I hope I have got the details correct, I will find out more when I go to Melbourne in a few week’s time.

Meanwhile, above is a picture of a Log Cabin with Stars quilt made by Myrtle, my mother.

My first post

I have an idea for setting up a group for quilters in Shoreditch, London. My ideas haven't taken shape yet, but I have in mind a casual group that meet regularly to sew and to learn to sew. We could make group quilts as well as individual ones. People who can sew can help the people who are new to sewing machines.