SOCIAL MEDIA

Monday, December 30, 2013

Among the Stars Quilt Along - ASQA

I am so excited to tell you that 2013 has been one of the most fabulous years I've had so far!!!

So much so, that I'm absolutely thrilled to announce my plans for the next year!!!

2014 will see a lot more happening at 13 Woodhouse Road!!!

But first up, is the Among the Stars Quilt Along - ASQA... Read on to know more...



Among the stars is a fabulous pattern written as a BOM (Block of the Month) for Its Sew Emma by Kimberly Jolly.

It is made up of 6 different blocks (2 of each kind to make a total of 12 blocks). The finished quilt measures 62.5" x 76.5".

Each blocks is a 'star' block made using squares and HSTs (Half Square Triangles). This pattern in a beginner friendly. It is available in both PDF format and print format from Fat Quarter Shop


Here's the list of fabric that you'll need.



I am making it using the Moda Low Volume Fat quarter Bundle and a few additional low volume prints. But you can make it from your scraps too!!!

Here's the schedule :

January 6, 2014 : Cutting Instructions
January 9, 2014 : Block 1 & 7
January 13, 2014 : Block 2 & 8
January 16, 2014 : Block 3 & 9
January 20, 2014 : Block 4 & 10
January 23, 2014 : Block 5 & 11
January 27, 2014 : Block 6 & 12
January 30, 2014 : Putting together the Quilt Top
February 3, 2014 : Basting, Quilting & Finishing
February 10, 2014 : Showcase!

Ready to have fun of the ASQA???

Wondering what the finished quilt top will look like?



Here, the quilt is made from Moda's Sentiment Fabric. You can order fabric according to the fabric requirement or you can  use fabric from your stash!!!

Get your supplies ready and we'll kick off next week!!!

Cheers!!!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Portrait Quilt Along

At the beginning of the last year, I did a Self Portrait Quilt Along!

And I'm doing it again! I'm starting the Portrait Quilt Along in the new year.








I will be teaching 3 different techniques and you can sign up for one or all 3 techniques. Send me an email to shruti[at]13woodhouseroad[dot]com for details.

It will be an online-only quilt along and will run for 3 months.

I will guide you through the process of making a portrait quilt using one of the following 3 techniques:
1. Raw Edge Applique : Probably one of the safest and fool proof method to make a portrait quilt. It is simple, yet time consuming.



2. Pixelated 4 patch : This is a method for those who love to precision piece! Easier on the cutting side and comes along pretty fast!

3. The Reverse Applique : The fastest method of the 3. Not for the beginner. Needs really good photographs though.



I will guide you through the process of photo selection, editing, preparing and finishing the quilt over the course of 3 months.

I am charging a minor fee for this Quilt Along this time.

Please email me if you're interested in doing it with me!

Cheers!!!

Improvising...

The year is coming to an end - of course you do not need me to tell you that! And I want my last project of the year to be something that summarizes the year that it was!

I want to make a quilt with the purpose of entering it into quilt shows. I started off this one with this purpose in mind. The theme for the upcoming Dubai Quilt Festival that I plan to attend is Seasons...

Every time I start to think about that word, I see a lot of colors! So I decided to start my quilt there...



I got all of my solids scraps and put them in front of me. Then I decided to just let my heart piece them together...


By the end of the day I had a strip pieced and was really excited to see where it was going!

Come day 2 and the strip became 2!!!


More strips and some more blocks later, the top is ready!


It is 64" x 80" and I plan to baste it with the fusible cotton batting I picked up from Bernina India when I went to meet Mr Ueltschi.


 I have some awesome plans for the quilting! I have even created a pinterest board to inspire me!


I love the rustic background of the floor of my studio against the bright colors of my quilt! This is how high I went for the snaps! Thats my ceiling fan up there!


Has any of you used fusible batting before? I am planning to baste it tomorrow and would really like some advice!

Cannot wait to complete this one!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The man, the machine and the quilt!!!

You haven't seen any action here on 13 Woodhouse Road since almost a month. But I have been VERY busy for the past month. Working on a super secret project with Bernina India!!!

I have been a Bernina user for over 2 years now. I bought my first machine, Betty the Bernette E56 in April 2011. And after that was gifted 'Emily' the Bernina 330 in April 2012 by Bernina India.

I have always loved the quality of stitches and the user friendly features of Bernina machines. Plus the owner of Bernina India, Mr Ajay Gupta is a true gentleman. He really markets his brand well. He sold me my first machine on the phone!

The point is I have been associated, voluntarily, with Bernina India since April 2011.

I am a convinced Bernina Girl and nobody can possibly make me change my choice of my machine.


When I heard the news the Mr H P Ueltschi was visiting their new Creative Center, I immediately conspired with Mr Gupta to make a portrait quilt for him as a gift from Team Bernina India!

Here's the finished quilt!!!


It was a pleasure making this one!!!

It was made in 3 weeks with 1247 raw edge applique pieces.
I used 6 shades of Moda Bella Solids for this : White, Fog, Stone, Lead, Charcoal and Black 
I used Pellon Wonder Under #805 for fusing my applique pieces.
I used Aurifil Wt 50 in 4 shades : White, 2 shades of grey ( I cannot recall the numbers, and the stickers from the spools have fallen off - but I do remember that they matched the Stone & Lead fabrics)

Meeting Mr Ueltschi was a surreal experience! Something that I'll never forget!!!

Here are his expressions when he saw the quilt! I finally managed to find out how to make the animated gif image!!!


The event itself was absolutely awesome!!! The highlights included meeting friends after a 'very' long time. But I will do a separate post about that!!!

This is a shot I will always treasure in my life!!!


Thank you, Bernina India, for this opportunity!!!

Quilt Stats :
Title : The Man behind the Machine
Portrait quilt of MR H P Ueltschi, Owner and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BERNINA International AG
Size : I do not really remember, I did measure it though. It should be about 30" x 36"
Material used : Moda Bella Solids, Aurifil Thread 50 wt, Tulle, Pellon Wonder under #805
Techniques used : Raw edge applique, free motion quilting
Experience : Out of this world!!! Not only making the quilt, but also meeting the man in person!!! Blows away all my previous ones!




Tuesday, November 5, 2013

iQuilt!!!

Today we're celebrating Bhai Dooj in India. It is a day of celebration of the relation of a brother and sister... I had made a VERY special gift for my little brother!

But before I show you what I made for him, here's a run through his reactions to it!!!



 The tag read "For the world's BEST BROTHER, from the world's BEST SISTER"
 

He just LOVED it!!!

Do you want to see what I made for him?

Here's my latest creation iQuilt!
 

Want to see more? Scroll down...



Want to see some more??? Scroll more...

 
Little brother with his iGod!!!

It is a portrait quilt 24" x 30" made using 3 shades of fabric. I made this one using the reverse applique technique. It sure was a challenge to make it, especially the beard part. But I thoroughly enjoyed making this one! It was a quilt that challenged me, and I always love challenges!!!


I did a small photo session with the iQuilt before I gave it to Chaitanya!

 Do you like it???

I do not understand the story behind that actually awkward pose! Believe me, I have spent hours in front of the mirror trying to make sense of it! But this man had style enough to make it look so comfortable!  He was a true icon!

Why would I gift a portrait of Steve Jobs to my little brother? Because he's a HUGE fan of his! Believe me you have to be a fan if you always had clean and crisp textbooks at the end of the school year and yet you read THREE biographies of a single man!!!

And the fact that Chaitanya started #includetech, and develops Apple applications, makes it even more relevant!
Verbs, Steps and Appetite are just some of his releases...


I am truly happy today... Not just because I made a challenging quilt, but because this is the second time I made something that has a lot of sentimental value for someone close to me!!!

It gives me immense satisfaction!

Here are the quilt stats :

Name : iQuilt
Size : 24" x  30"
Photo : Steve Jobs by Albert Watson
Techniques used : Reverse applique
Material Used : Fabric (3 shades - White, Grey & Black), Aurifil Thread (again 3 shades White, # 2625 - grey- and black all wt 50), Tulle
Made on : My Bernina 330!
Experience : Amazing! Trying a less used reverse applique quilt for a portrait did a lot to boost my confidence!!!

Do you like it???
Sunday, October 27, 2013

Bloggers Quilt Festival!!!


Hiya all! Its time for the Bloggers Quilt Festival organized every year by Amy!!!


And this year, I'm entering it again!!!

I am going to enter one of the most favorite quilts that I made this year. Apsara aali...




The quest for the photo started about 2-3 months before I actually stared making this quilt. I have always been intrigued by the many different ways in which a saree is draped in India. The length of the saree also varies regionally.

In Maharashtra - the state in India that I live in - the 9 yard saree - called nav vari (nau = nine, var = yard) is the traditional gear for women. It has its own variants too! It looks especially beautiful from behind!

I wanted to capture the grace of that saree, without making it look like I was trying to make a quilt of a woman's bottom!

I might be a good quilter, but an artist - I'm not! But I know my limitations and instead of taking the chance I began my quest for a perfect photo that I could use as a guide for my quilt. A friend suggested Madhuri Dixit's pose from the poster of Gaja Gamini - a film made by the famous painter M F Hussain.

The pose was from one of my most favorite songs in the movie, music by Bhupen Hazarika. You can watch the song here... 

It was exactly what I was looking for!

I used the poster as a guideline and divided the picture and tackled it one part at a time!

It made things really easy...

And about 4 months after the initial idea started brewing, here is the quilt - ready in all its glory!

I love the fact that the saree looks like it is draped and not stitched down!!!
 

Here, you can see the details of the saree... 


 Here you can see how instead of sewing down the folds of the saree, I let them stand out to give it a 3D effect...


I was totally skeptical about doing the ties of her blouse, having never done something like that before. But it turned out alright!


I could not find the exact color for the central panel in the local market. Then I thought, why not dye it myself! So I did. I hand dyed white fabric to make the central panel... And then added a border of the darkest shade outside the black frame!
 

 
I made the bundle on top 3D too! And I actually stuffed it with batting scraps to make it fluffy!


The back was also given a lot of thought...

I wanted to make a window and then have a silhouette of  her as if seen through a frosted glass...

Does it look like that? I tried to match the front applique to the silhouette on the back as fat as possible, there is a difference of about 3/8" at some points! But I'm happy with it!


I am planning to enter this one in multiple quilt shows...  And I start with Amy's!


I even put a proper sleeve on the back, and did not forget my trademark ribbons and my elephant charm!



Quilt Stats :
Name : Apsara aali...
 Size : HUGE : 40" x 80"
2. Material : Fabric - from stash - ALL OF IT!Including the Saree and the blouse fabric! A lot of cotton poplin, some linen and curtain lining remnants!
I used a LOT of Pellon Fusible (#805). I also used a lot of local interfacing - mainly to sew the entire figure on, before sewing it onto the final quilt!
Thread - Aurifil Invisible (90% of the work) and Aurifil 50 wt Black & White as per the situation. I used a little of Superior & a little of Madeira Mono-filament thread as well.

Experience : In one word - Surreal!


Do you like her? I am very proud of her!!!
 
If you do like her, please vote for me when the voting starts on November 11th! You can find my quilt in the Wall hanging category here. Go vote!!!
 
Now I'm off to see other quilts entered in the show so far!!!
 
Cheers!!!


Monday, October 21, 2013

Rant # 437862 : Design copyrights

I was very saddened by this incident and needed to vent about it as well as seek everybody's opinion on it.

I know a fellow quilter from my country since one year now. I was totally floored by her work when I saw it. It was absolutely breathtaking. She learned quilting at an institute abroad and it really reflected in her work. I was mighty impressed.


During the one year I knew her, she only managed to make 2 quilts. Both of them nowhere near the ones she had made during her stay abroad, with respect to finesse as well as precision that was a huge 'wow' factor in her previous quilts. I watched her work at one of the workshops and was really unimpressed by the messy stuff she created.

I even had a discussion with her about one of the quilts she had made which I loved - especially one feature of it, which was made as a challenge entry for one of the Facebook groups she is a part of. She claimed it (the feature) to be her original idea and design. She told me she was inspired by a flower/fruit she saw during her stay abroad. Same was true for the other quilt too. That one was also made for a Facebook group challenge.

Fast forward to yesterday, I was browsing pinterest and one quilt caught my eye. It bore an uncanny resemblance to one of the 2 quilts she had made! I checked it out and realized that she had copied the design 100%! Every line of stitching is copied from the original design. That design is just one of the 3 main features of her quilt but it is the main feature of the other quilt. Doesn't that deserve a credit to the original designer? Also, the original designer - a Japanese Quilter - does not even have a blog or haven't put up their quilt anywhere online. The photos I found were all taken at a Quilt Festival in which that person was one of the top 3 winners. That means that the person does not want to share their designs with everybody, and surely wont tolerate somebody blatantly copying their design!

This prompted me to investigate the other quilt that she has made and I traced back the original to a painting by a fellow Indian artist from Kolkata.

I believe that imitation is the best form of flattery, but is it not right to be honest about it? I called up my 'friend' today and just told her that I came across one of her designs online. I told her which design I was talking about and and that I can see that one is the replica of the other. I did not tell her that the quilt was made back in 2009 and she made it in 2012! She thinks that I think that the other person copied her design. I just did that so that she had an opportunity to confess to me that she had indeed used somebody else's idea. But she did nothing of the kind. I also warned her how expensive a copyright infringement lawsuit might cost anybody who did that. But she maintained her stance that it is her original design.

Now what do I do? Do I talk to her again and tell her that I know that she has copied the design? Or do I just leave it at it? Or do I contact the original artists in both the cases and notify them of the copy?

It hurts because India is very new in the International quilting scenario and I am a proud Indian who hates people like her spoiling the image of my country! What would you do in my place?




Just so that I do not leave you with a pictureless post, here's what I'm currently working on.

A Portrait quilt using reverse applique technique!

A sneak peek of the photo.


And my work


Cheers!!!