Aprils puzzle - the answers!

Editors' Away Day?

I've often likened to working for the magazine as being on a rollercoaster. It can be relentless and non stop, but it's also great fun; every now and then you feel like you would like to maybe step off the ride but you know it's difficult to get back on again!

And that's how it has been for Judi the last couple of weeks. No sooner had we finished the May issue, which will be out in the next few days..........

 

 

.......than she had to get most of her copy done for the June issue before leaving for the States and a P&Q Tour to Paducah. I think she gets a night at home before leaving again to help out at the British Quilt & Stitch Village show in Uttoxeter! We'll blog about that in a couple of weeks. It's going to be a great show!

 

But with all this rushing around we have agreed on one thing; we are going to have an editors' day out! Just the chance to get together and talk quilts and not deadlines.

Having proofed a review of the Kaffe Fassett exhibition at the Fashion & Textile Museum in London for the May issue, we decided that's where we would go.........luckily it's on until June!

 

 

It should be a feast of colour and I am particularly looking forward to one room that features some of his working sketches, colours and designs. I love to see the design process of an artist.

 

So here's to a day off!

Bunting.......how much can you make?

Our colleagues at the British Quilt & Stitch Village show need bunting! And LOTS of it! They want to decorate all the buildings and entrance at Uttoxeter racecourse with bunting to create that village show feel.

 

If you would like to take part, simply make a minimum of 2m (or 6ft) of bunting, any colour, as simple or complicated as you like and send it to Patchwork & Quilting Magazine, Traplet House, Pendragon Close, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1GA to arrive by 1 April 2013. A team at Traplet Publications will choose their favourite length of bunting and the maker will receive a pair of tickets to the show and a surprise package of goodies!

Come to the show and spot your bunting!

 

There are plenty of tutorials on the web showing you how to make bunting, but here's how I have made mine. 

 

 

Note: As I am left handed some images may look the wrong way round to most of you!



 

You will need:

A4 piece of paper

25cm assorted fabrics

1/2" wide double fold bias binding or 2" strips of calico

 

Make a template

1. Take A4 paper and fold in half lengthwise.

2. Cut diagonal line from open corners to fold at bottom.

 

 

 

3. Open out triangle and trim so that it is approx. 8" high.

 

 

 

Make your flags

1. Trim fabric strips so that they are approx. 8" wide. Keep them folded.

2. Place template on one fabric strip and either using a rotary cutter and ruler or pair of scissors, cut around template.

 

 

3. Turn template around and cut a second triangle.

 

 

(thank you blogger for rotating the image)

 

4. Continue cutting triangles from your strip. You should be able to cut six pairs from a regular width fabric.

5. You now have a choice of how to make your flags:

a. Put triangles right sides together and stitch a 1/4" seam on both long sides, turn flag right side out and press flat to make a flag like this:

(trim the ears at the top before inserting in the tape)

 

b. Keep triangles wrong sides together and stitch 1/4" seam on both long sides to make a flag like this:

 

(thank you again blogger)

 

6. Continue making flags with all your triangles.

 

Make the 'string'

Skip this step if you have ready made bias binding

 

1. Cut several 2" x WOF strips from calico.

2. Join strips together end to end.

3. Fold and press calico strip in half along its length.

4. Open strip out and press and fold each raw edge towards centre fold.

 

 

5. Fold strip in half again and press.

 

 

 

Make your bunting

1. Start stitching about 1/8" inch in from open folded edges at end of your folded strip.

2. Make sure you leave a tail of at least 12" before inserting your first flag within the folds of your strip.

3. Insert flag and pin.

 

 

4. Continue stitching along folded strip, ensuring all of flag top is within the strip.

5. Add second flag. I left a gap of about 4" between the tops of the flags.

 

 



 6. Stitch along top of flag as before.

7. Continue adding flags leaving a similar gap between each one, remembering to leave a tail of at least 12" again as you near the end of your folded strip.

8. Add a second line of stitching for additional strength.

 

 

9. I made a length of approx. 150" of bunting with 15 flags from 3 long quarters of prints and 4 strips of calico.

 

And there you have a string of bunting.

 

Have fun!

 

 

Joanna



 

 











Gradually creaking back into life........

Judi and I have decided it's time we got the P&Q blog up and running again so we have been doing a bit of tweaking to the layout, with a bit more tweaking still to be done......
We have been busy finishing off the January 2013 issue this last week; it may only be the 1st December but for us Christmas has been and gone already!

Judi managed to fit in a trip to the new quilt show in Shepton Mallett this week. Did anyone else go? What did you think?

Talking of quilt shows, the plans for the new Uttoxeter show are coming along nicely. Now renamed the British Quilt & Stitch Village you can check out the website here
Entries forms for quilts and embroideries are available on the website. The closing date for submitting entries is 31 January 2013 but you have until April to finish your quilt or embroidery...........so plenty of time yet!
There's a rather nice quilt being used in the publicity for the show now (blush)

Joanna x