String Pieced Aussie Quilt

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Judy Gula

Click photo for a larger view of Judy Gula’s completed quilt above »

I wanted to revisit this blog post, originally published in 2015. The above quilt is one of the most-asked about samples we have hanging in the shop and never fails to garner compliments.

Bonnie K. Hunter spoke at my local quilt guild, the Burke chapter of Quilter’s Unlimited of Northern Virginia years ago, and I loved her quilt samples, patterns and fabric choices. As you all know by now, I have a very eclectic task in fabrics, from vintage to contemporary to ethnic… and I have always done a lot of repurposing of items at Artistic Artifacts. Bonnie hit the upcycle/repurpose interest that I have by using fabric salvaged from old clothing in her quilts. After hearing Bonnie talk, the very next day I ordered her book: Scraps & Shirttails: Reuse, Re-purpose, Recycle! The Art of “Quilting Green. Bonnie’s book was so popular that she wrote a long-awaited sequel, Scraps & Shirttails II, which continues the art of quilting green with projects that help you reuse, re-purpose and recycle your scraps into beautiful quilts.

Paper template for my Australian fabric quilt; four of these blocks are joined to create the star

Fast forward several years after hearing her speak, and I had finally acquired enough scraps of Australian Aborigine designed fabric to try my hand at string/paper piecing. One of my aims for this project was to illustrate that many traditional quilt patterns are perfect for our ethnic fabrics, including batiks (like our own Batik Tambal Exclusive Batik) and Australian.

As for paper piecing, at the time I had no clue how to do it, only that needed I print out the template in Bonnie’s book. I chose her Virginia Strings block* for this quilt. Since I knew I wanted something smaller than a full size quilt, I printed the quarter block templates to create six blocks in total. To help me while sewing, I folded my template along the lines (pictured above). Others choose to trace over the lines with a Sharpie marker to make them bolder, if they don’t show through to the back of the paper.

Judy Gula beginning to string piece

I began with the smaller part of the kite shape, although I think that Bonnie advises that you begin at the wide end. You begin by sewing the right sides of fabric strips together covering the pattern shape. Then flip the last strip added back down, so that the right side of the fabric is facing up. Pictured above, you can see the wrong side of the fabric still facing up, not flipped down.

Completed string piece center of quarter block template

Below, reverse of the paper template, showing the stitch lines of the fabric strips.

Stitching lines show on the reverse of the paper template

Below, I am beginning to strip piece the sides of the quarter block, using lighter fabrics so that the final block design will show.

Below, The reverse of a completed string pieced quarter block.

The reverse of a completed quarter block string pieced by Judy Gula

My timing was such that after I pieced a couple of blocks, I brought them, my book, tools and scraps (along with a couple other projects) to my chapter’s annual quilt retreat in order to get “in-person” training. Lucky for me, a fellow Burke member at the retreat had already used this block and offered some advice, which I want to share with you:

Make your stitches short in order to make pulling the paper off easier.
This step makes a big difference! Bonnie also offers this advice in her books and on her blog. Note that her Quiltville website has a number of free patterns available.
Create your block somewhat larger than you want it, and cut it down with a square template.
I was creating 8" squares and used my 8½ in. square ruler, my rotating cutting mat and jumbo Havel’s Rotary cutter to do the trimming.

Using a square ruler to trim the quarter block

Above, using my 8½ in. square ruler to trim the block from the back.

A trimmed quarter block string pieced by Judy Gula

Pictured above, one of the trimmed blocks. I loved the look and was getting a hang of the technique, so I made a few more. After all, with my stash, it wasn’t like I was going to run out of fabric!

Trimming the edges off the stitched fabric strips

Trim the ragged fabric edges, as pictured above, for neatness and ease when stitching your quarter units into blocks.

Below, four quarter blocks ready to be seamed. Simply rotate your blocks as needed so that the widest point will be in the center to get the four pointed star look.

Complete four blocks and align them to create the whole unit

Below, four completed units sewn together created my quilt top. Once I reached this stage, I let it sit for a bit, unsure whether I would create additional blocks, or simply finish it up with a border and stitching… which is what I did end up deciding to do, as per the image at the top of this post. See my post Quilting with a Walking Foot for additional details on completed this quilt.

Judy Gula string pieced Aussie fabric quilt top, before borders

I’d love to see your results of taking a favorite “traditional” quilt pattern and sewing it with non-traditional fabrics! Send us your photographs, whether a completed quilt, top, or pieced blocks, and we will share them on our Facebook page.

** This block is traditionally known as the Rocky Road to Kansas, but in her book, Bonnie Hunter notes that because she pieced her quilt while in Northern Virginia teaching, and backed it with a bargain purchase of University of Virginia fabric, she was inspired to name the finished quilt Virginia Bound.

Paper Piecing Aussie Blocks

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Judy Gula

Click for a larger view of Judy Gula’s completed quilt above »

I can still remember when Bonnie K. Hunter spoke at my local quilt guild, the Burke chapter of Quilter’s Unlimited* of Northern Virginia. I loved her quilt samples, patterns and fabric choices. Are you surprised? I have a very eclectic task in fabrics, from vintage to contemporary to ethnic. Bonnie hit the upcycle/repurpose interest that I have by using fabric salvaged from old clothing in her quilts. We do a lot of repurposing of items at Artistic Artifacts, especially me!

After hearing Bonnie talk, the very next day I ordered her book: Scraps & Shirttails: Reuse, Re-purpose, Recycle! The Art of “Quilting Green.”

Fast Forward several years, and I finally acquired enough scraps of Australian Aborigine designed fabric to try my hand at string/paper piecing. I wanted to illustrate the point that many traditional quilt patterns are perfect for our ethnic fabrics, including batiks and Australian.

Paper piecing? I had no clue how to do it… I just knew that needed I print out the template in Bonnie’s book. I chose her Virginia Strings block…her book notes that this is traditionally knows as the Rocky Road to Kansas but because she pieced her quilt while she was here in Northern Virginia for a week teaching, and backed it with a bargain purchase of University of Virgina fabric, she was inspired to name her quilt Virginia Bound.

I printed enough copies of the quarter block templates to create six blocks in total … I already knew that I would not be creating a full size quilt top. I pieced a couple of blocks and brought them, my book, tools and scraps (along with a couple other projects) to my chapter’s annual quilt retreat in order to get “in-person” training. Lucky for me, a fellow Burke member at the retreat had already used this block and offered some advice:

Make your stitches short in order to make pulling the paper off easier. I can tell you that this step makes a big difference! Bonnie also offers this advice in her books and on her blog; she has a number of free patterns and tutorials available, such as this Flying Geese quilt.
Create your block somewhat larger than you want it, and cut it down with a square template. I was creating 8" squares and used my 8½" square, my rotating cutting mat and jumbo Havel’s Rotary cutter to do the trimming.

So here we go. I think that Bonnie advises that you begin at the other end — for some reason I began with the smaller part of the kite shape. To help me while sewing, I did fold my template along the lines. Others will trace over the lines with a Sharpie to make them bolder, if they don’t show through to the back of the paper.

Keep piecing, by sewing right sides of fabric strips together, then flipping the last one added back down so that the right side of the fabric is facing up.

Below, I am beginning to strip piece the sides of the quarter block, using lighter fabrics so that the final block design will show.

Using my 8½" square ruler to trim the block from the back.

The front of my trimmed square! Leaving aside the fact that my photo turned out a bit blurry, it looked pretty good to me, so I made a few more.

I decided to keep going…after all, it wasn’t like I was going to run out of fabric!

Edited: My original post ended: “Below, my quilt top as of now. I do have to say that I am happy with how this has turned out. Will I create additional blocks? I am not sure yet. I might just finish this up with a border and stitching.” As you can see from the image at the top of this edited post, yes, I DID finish it up! See my post Quilting with a Walking Foot for additional details.

My challenge to you is to take a favorite “traditional” quilt pattern and use non traditional fabrics! Send us your photographs, whether a completed quilt, top, or pieced blocks, and we will share them on our blog.

* I’m proud to say I’m teaching at the upcoming 42nd Annual Quilter’s Unlimited Quilt Show in Chantilly, VA, May 28-31, joining Jane Dávila, Dominique Ehrmann, Gyleen Fitzgerald, and Cyndi Souder with an exciting lineup of classes suitable for all levels of expertise. Many people travel to our show every year, as it (rightfully) has a reputation as one of the best on the East Coast. Come join us!

Show and Tell with Artistic Artifacts

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Judy Gula

One of the greatest benefits of what we do at Artistic Artifacts is being the recipient of Show and Tell sessions, whether in the shop or via email! Here is our latest, received from Margret Lehnert, who lives in Venice, Florida:

Hi Judy, finally got the Australian Quilt done and wanted to send you pictures of it. You wanted to see the end result. I also refinished all my pillowcases to match the quilt. It all goes well with the leather sofa and chairs.

The quilt pattern is the simple “Yellow Brick Road” Pattern, which has been around for a while. Also used bamboo batting to make it nice and soft.

Love the fabrics and have enough left to make a table runner!

Yellow Brick Road with Australian Fabrics

Quilt and Pillows on leather Sofa

Also, we held a fun tag class on Saturday, June 14, Words of Wisdom: a Little Book of Design Inspiration with Diane Herbort. Ann Douglas was one of the students enjoying the day. Her beautiful granddaugher was unable to join us in the class, but afterwards enjoyed a craft day with Grandma!

Ann Douglas' Grand Daughter creating Tag Art

On June 12 we hosted our monthly “How Do I Use This?” product demonstration and hands-on play. The subject this month was using DeColourant and DeColourant Plus. These products work on dyed natural fabrics, such as cotton, rayon, or linen, as well as on many papers.

Decolourant wooden block printed on handmade black paper

We stamped and applied deColourant (removes color) and deColourant Plus (no longer available, it removed color while adding a new color pigment) on fabric swatches and on handmade paper. I have used DeColorant on fabric many times, but I had never tried it on handmade paper.

De Colourant, paper, foam mat

As you will see we all made use of my favorite tools, wooden printing blocks to create surface designs! So I’ll begin with a quick review of how to print using wooden blocks:

Pour a small amount of deColourant onto a plate or pallette, then use a sponge apply it to the wooden printing block. Place your paper or fabric on a foam printing mat, then press the wooden printing block firmly onto the surface to transfer the deColourant.

Results of DeColourant on Fabric

I did find that the sponge did not work as well with deColourant as it does with Fabric Paint. We tried a fan brush during our class and got better results.

After the deColourant is dry, iron with a hot (cotton setting) steam iron to active the discharge. Heat is necessary to activate the deColourant, and the more heat, the more color is removed, so ironing, with steam, seems to give the best results. (The manufacturer notes that you can use a heat gun, or even lay your fabric or paper out in the sun.)

Results of deColourant on Handmade Paper

Using deColourant, you will find that some dye colors discharge to lighter versions of the original color (like a pale pink from red), some turn to a different color entirely (black fabric and paper is known for this surprise; you can see it discharge to white, or to light oranges, greens and more), and some don’t discharge much at all. Similarly, the amount of color added by using the deColurant Plus can vary. You have to test and experiment!

One of the great features of these products is that they don’t change your fabric or papers in any way: the “hand” of your surface remains unchanged.

Tags using my stamped Handmade paper

deColourant works exclusively on the color dyes that are in the fabric and paper, removing in an easy, one-step process.

As I had noted, I hadn’t previously tried deColourant on paper, so the results of that were fun to see!

Join us for next month’s “How Do I Use This?” session on Thursday, July 10, 6:30 – 8:30 pm — we will be experimenting with Gelatos!

Some additional photographic inspiration from our session:

One side of the Table

Theresa assembling her Tags

Judy Albert Turning stamping into Magic

Bubble Wrap will go down in History as the best stamp ever!

Robin's Egg Blue deColourant Plus

Barb's Tags

Visit Me in Hampton, VA!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Judy Gula

I’m on my way to the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival! The show opens on Thursday, February 27 and runs through Sunday, March 2 and takes place at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA. This is the 25th Anniversary of the Festival so I’m hoping for a crowd! I know a lot of my quilting colleagues from the various Quilter’s Unlimited chapters travel down for this show, which is one of the best on the East Coast, so if you’re attending, please stop by to say hello — I’ll be in booth 1021. I’ve packed a nice assortment of fabric and notions, plus selections from the Batik Tambal side — vintage and new tjaps, batik panels and more.

The shop will be open as normal Thursday and Saturday, so if you aren’t attending the show, stop by and shop! Plus there are still seats available in Saturday’s class, a too-cute handmade house journal created from food packaging and paper bags (most materials provided for you!). You can register online for House of Memories: Recycled-Materials Book with DJ Gaskin, which begins
Saturday, March 1, at 10:00 am.

Post-SAQA Classes Coming this May!

As noted in this week’s enewsletter, this May the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) 25th Anniversary Conference is taking place in Alexandria, VA, just a few short miles from us. We are planning ahead and have a special week of events and classes planned for May 4 through May 10, following the SAQA conference. My Colorado buddies from Textile Evolution, Liz Kettle** and Ruth Chandler will be visiting Artistic Artifacts again, as will Carol Sloan, a wonderful mixed media artist from South Carolina. They will join local instructors Cyndi Souder, Susan Gantz and Nadia Azumi for these special post-SAQA classes, which are open to all. Schedule your vacation early this year and enjoy a fiber/mixed media retreat by taking more than one!

Many of these classes have already been published with an online registration link, and others will be online soon, so keep checking. Visit both our classes page as well as our online calendar for additional details, and stay tuned!

** Speaking of Liz, take a look at one of her recent blog posts as she shows off her latest creation.

She is teaching a fabric journal class at the Kansas City edition of Art & Soul and designed a beautiful new creation. As she phrases it, one “cure for winter” is gazing at those warm, sunny colors!

I’m proud to be affiliated with Art & Soul the on-site store for Art & Soul Portland and Virginia Beach! This is one of the original creative retreats (held since 1999) and it remains one of the best. Learn more and register at artandsoulretreat.com.

Piecing and Piping… Unblocking a Creative Slump

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Judy Gula

If your creativity is hiding, they tell you to just do anything creative, paint a page, sort buttons, sew scrap blocks, peruse art books, etc. Normally my go-to project is to create fabric postcards, but this time I tried something new.

I pieced many scrappy log cabin blocks — very much outside of my comfort zone, and the way I do it would probably make many a veteran quilter faint!

As you can see, I used a wide variety of Aborigine designed fabrics for this project. I just love the colors and patterns and enjoy the eclectic mix your obtain when combining them. My scraps come from the last 4-6 inches of the bolt of fabric, naturally lending itself to the construction of this block. Sewing these blocks got me back in front of my sewing machine with low stress. My only pattern was dividing into light and dark fabrics, otherwise the width of the strip was whatever I picked up.

Now, what to do with all those cool looking scrappy blocks.

I think I will make a pillow or two!

I began with an 18”x18” pillow form. A little investigation on YouTube and I was set to make my pillow with an envelope opening in the back, and because I think that a piped edge on pillows is nice, I added that to the mix.

My log cabin block was enlarged to 18" x 18". During my research I learned that the pillow cover should be smaller than the pillow form, and to cut the fabric the exact size. But now that my pillow has been completed, I think that I could have trimmed off another 1/2" around for a better fit. Instead I will buy a 20" x 20" pillow form and see how that works; the pillow will look look more plump and full.

For the piping I used the Groovin’ Piping Trimming Tool by Susan K. Cleveland and my sewing machine’s cording foot, with includes a large groove under the foot.

Boy did that tool make my life easy! Cut a strip of fabric 1-1/4" wide x the circumference of the pillow plus couple of inches to spare. Same for the cording: size 5/32" cable cord. I knotted the one end of cording, folding the fabric over the cord stitched a seam on the right side of the cord with my piping foot.

The Piping tool is made with a grove that the cording/piping slides through. And you can cut with your rotary cutter to a 1/4" or a 1/2" seam allowance.

Piping done. I sat there trying to figure out how I was going to miter the corners with piping… did not look fun… so back to the instructions with the piping tool. The instructions say to sew each side of the pillow separately with a little piping off the edge.

I did not trust myself to sew the piping and the back on at the same time, so I did them as two separate steps.

The backing is Kona Black Cotton. There are two pieces of fabric two-thirds the length of the front. So for me, the front is 18" long, thus my back was 18" wide by 12" long. I turned under one side 1/2" and then 1/2" again to hide the raw edge.

With the above photo I am trying to show you that my edge is 1/2"

I have pinned both backs onto the front, I pinned away from the edge so to not sew over any pins. I also left my cording foot on to guide my 1/4" seam allowance. I sewed each side separately.

Creativity unblocked…and a cool new pillow to show for it!

In addition to the tool, we sell a Piping Hot Binding Kit that, with the tool and 5 yards of 1 mm cording includes a 16-page booklet by the tool inventor Susan K. Cleveland that explains how to add beautiful binding with crisp corners and an invisible tail joining seam.

Judy Gula, Fiber & Mixed Media Artist

Fiber and Mixed Media Art Supplies, Projects and Inspiration

Tag: Australian Fabrics