Kumasi cross. by Marion Haslam 2 5/8" DISCARD THIS TRIANGLE 2 5/8" KUMASI BLOCK A STRIP PIECED (INCLUDES SEAM ALLOWANCE) 6 1/8" 2 5/8"

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Kumasi cross. by Marion Haslam 2 5/8" DISCARD THIS TRIANGLE 2 5/8" KUMASI BLOCK A STRIP PIECED (INCLUDES SEAM ALLOWANCE) 6 1/8" 2 5/8""

Justin Rose
6 years ago
Views:

1 Kumasi cross by Marion Haslam String patchwork is one of my favourite techniques - easy to sew, it is an ideal way to use up scraps and to include seemingly disparate or ugly fabrics. The maxim more is better definitely applies here, so try and assemble a good selection of fabrics. Quilt shops often have bargain bags of small scraps. I tend to have a small carrier bag permanently hooked on the back of my chair, into which I throw all my small scraps of fabric. The colour scheme for Kumasi Cross was inspired by various photos of women and textiles across Africa; the wonderful blankets of the Maasai, the exuberant commercial fabric prints common throughout Africa, DISCARD THIS TRIANGLE KUMASI BLOCK A STRIP PIECED (INCLUDES SEAM ALLOWANCE) 6 1/8" DISCARD THIS TRIANGLE Many string quilts dating from the first half of the twentieth century were sewn onto foundation pieces cut from newspapers or other paper. This is another option, in which case, the paper is removed once the blocks are sewn. Fig 1. Template A. 6 1/8" 56 Popular Patchwork JUNE 2000

2 Kente cloths and Asafo flags. It is best sewn by machine as the patches are trimmed to size later. If hand sewing, make sure that you start and finish seams within the edges of the calico foundation, to prevent cutting through stitching at a later stage. I made this wall quilt long and skinny to fit a stairwell. However, simply make as many blocks as you like! For a large project such as a bed quilt, you could scale up the block on a photocopier. Materials Based on 112cm / 45" wide fabric 70cm approximately of assorted scraps in plains and patterns for strings 70cm of old sheets or calico to use for the foundation 50cm in total of green fabrics (I used 4 tones) fat 1 /4 of green fabric for the border 53 x 137cm (21 x 54") of wadding 90cm of fabric for backing and binding A5 sheet of template plastic Finished size: 19 x 52" Each block is 5 1 /2" square Skill level: Beginners Preparing the templates 1Using template plastic, trace off the templates in Figs 1 and 2. Note that these templates include a 1 /4" seam allowance, so cut out on the line. 2Draw round the template A onto the foundation fabric and cut out 25 foundation patches. The strings are small scraps of fabric - strips, rectangles and wedgeshaped pieces. As the patches are stabilised by sewing onto a foundation block, you can ignore the direction of the grain lines. Sewing the blocks 1Iron all your string fabric. 2Starting in the middle of the foundation fabric, sew on strips of fabric. The first string should be laid on the foundation, right side facing you. Lay the second fabric, right side down and sew allowing a 1 /4" seam allowance (Fig 3). Flip back the second string and finger press. Do not cut off any excess fabric. Lay on a third strip and sew. Continue until you cannot see any of the foundation fabric. It is best to use irregular shapes and angles. Do not try to make it neat and parallel! The final strings should not be too small as you will lose 1 /4" on each side because of the seams. 3Iron the block on the reverse and then trim off the excess fabric to the edge of the foundation patch. Make 25 blocks like this. 4Using template B, cut out 50 triangles in plain fabric. I selected randomly from the four greens, so that either side was different. Sew to either side of the string pieced patch with a 1 /4" seam. Press seams open or towards B if it is a dark fabric. 5Trim all blocks to the same size. JUNE 2000 Popular Patchwork 57

4 1/4" Q U I C K Fig 2. Template B. 4 1/4" KUMASI BLOCK B PLAIN (INCLUDES SEAM ALLOWANCE) 6For the top right and bottom left blocks cut two 6 1 /4" squares from plain fabric.

4 4 1/4" Q U I C K Fig 2. Template B. 4 1/4" KUMASI BLOCK B PLAIN (INCLUDES SEAM ALLOWANCE) 6For the top right and bottom left blocks cut two 6 1 /4" squares from plain fabric. Cover the corners with a small triangular patch, so that a continuous chain is formed. (Draw a diagonal line 2 3 /4" across one corner of the square and sew a triangle on this seam line. 7Arrange blocks in a pleasing combination of 3 x 9, remembering to balance any strong patterns or colours. Refer to Fig 4 for the layout. 8Sew the 3 blocks into strips and then the 9 strips together. Pin where the string pieced sections meet to ensure accurate points when sewing. Iron. 9Cut 2 borders 2 1 /4" x 50" and 2 1 /4" x 20" (joining the fabric if necessary). Sew on the long borders, followed by the shorter borders. Iron and trim off any excess. Option As a variation on a straightforward border, I cut the border at intervals and inserted scraps of patterned fabric. SEWING LINE WRONG SIDE RIGHT SIDE Fig 3. Placing and sewing the fabric strings. Detail showing the machine quilting. JUNE 2000 Popular Patchwork 59

5 Q D Quilting Directory The quilting directory web site has had a major overhaul and now includes; easier site navigation, free personal ads, a chat room and a message board. Constantly updated with quilting related information it provides an ideal reference point. To advertise on the site call or sales@advantage-interactive.com AUNT JEMIMAH S 29 MOOR LANE CLITHEROE LANCASHIRE BB7 1BE Telephone A wide selection of Printed & Plain Fabrics including Debbie Mumm, Moda, Benartex, Selection of flannels in prints & plains Kunin washable felt Novality buttons & beads Mail order available Classes Programme available. Opening Times: 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, PATCHWORK & QUILTING FABRICS VISIT OUR NEW ENLARGED GROUND FLOOR PREMISES For all your quilting & patchwork requirements New fabric kits & accessories now in stock Fabrics include Moda, Benertex, Thimbleberries, Debbie Mumm, Hoffman and many more. OPEN Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm Sunday pm Courses for beginners & advanced held all year round Send SAE for details EMBSAY NEEDLECRAFT CENTRE AND COFFEE SHOP Open 7 days 10 till 5 Patchwork Quilting Fabrics Wadding Blank Greeting Cards Embroidery Needlepoint Tapestry Cross-StitchF Accessories COURSES FOR MAY/JUNE (Ring for full seasons listings) 14/5 Mary Restall Introduction to Crewel Work 20/5 Jane Holmes Hardanger 21/5 Anthea Linacre Patchwork Boxes 27/5 Val Lawson Silk Painting for the Terrified 28/5 Sally King Embroidered Landscapes 3/6 Jo Whitehead Silk Painting - Oriental Inspiration 11/6 Norma Restall Stumpwork Acorns All courses 10am to 4pm and include finger buffet lunch EMBSAY MILLS, EMBSAY, NR. SKIPTON, NORTH YORKS. Telephone/Fax: Fig. 4 Layout of the blocks and the position of the quilting spirals. 60 JUNE 2000

Quilting and finishing 1Cut and join the backing fabric to give a piece 21 x 54". Layer the quilt top, wadding and backing fabric together. Pin and tack thoroughly.

2Kumasi Cross is machine quilted using a freeform circular pattern. The plain green triangles are quilted as are the points where the string sections meet.

6 Quilting and finishing 1Cut and join the backing fabric to give a piece 21 x 54". Layer the quilt top, wadding and backing fabric together. Pin and tack thoroughly. As an alternative to tacking, you could quilt using a small quilting hoop specially designed for machine embroidery. Whichever method you use, it is important to keep an even tension as you quilt. 2Kumasi Cross is machine quilted using a freeform circular pattern. The plain green triangles are quilted as are the points where the string sections meet. Each circle is a different size with the quilting extending into the border as shown in Fig 4. 3Trim any excess wadding and backing fabric. 4Cut the binding strips 1 1 /4" wide and a total length of 150". Press along the centre and press a 1 /4" seam on one edge. 5Pin and sew the binding onto the front of the quilt, slip stitching by hand onto the back. Alfresco wall quilt 65 x 65cm (25 1 /2 x 25 1 /2") Colour options The quilt shown top right is exactly the same block looking completely different when sewn in softer colours which are graduated from light to dark. The corner triangles are sewn in two close tones of turquoise. Shown right is another possible colour scheme, using bold ethnic prints and block printed cottons. Using these fabrics, I would sew all the string blocks first and then decide on a suitable colour for the plain triangles. African Safari colour scheme. JUNE 2000 Popular Patchwork 61

Aunt Grace Baskets of Scraps Fabric by Judie Rothermel

Aunt Grace Baskets of Scraps Fabric by Judie Rothermel www.marcusfabrics.com #makeitwithmarcusfabrics Aunt Grace Baskets of Scraps Fabric by Judie Rothermel www.marcusfabrics.com #makeitwithmarcusfabrics