2020 Journal Quilts part 1
Signing up to a challenge with deadlines is one of the only ways I know to finish work.
This will be only my third time signing up to the Quilters Guild of the British Isles Contemporary Group's Journal quilt challenge and I'm a third of the way done already, yeah.
The three deadlines through the year give me enough time to work on the small pieces and I love getting the chance to play with quilting on my domestic machines as well as trying out new ideas and techniques on a small scale.
The size this year is nine inches square and something in each piece had to have had a previous life. One of the things I love about these Journal Quilts is that you can choose your own theme and just have fun.
My theme was Travel Memories and I wanted to use up anything I could find around my studio. The backgrounds and backings are gifted pieces of white linen from Janr O'Mahony, I have no idea what their original use or intended use was!
Wadding is leftover scraps, the photo transfer sheets I used were pulled out of the bin, they were in a press for over fifteen years and I presumed they would be useless. Scraps of fabric from old wool sample books, donated bits of hand dyed linens and cottons gifted many years ago and sitting waiting on the perfect project were also used.
List maker that I am, I had some fun with mind maps and as I'd visited Jordan over the Christmas holidays with my kids and sister and Japan as a tour host with Celtic Quilt Tours these would be the bulk of this years inspiration.
Scrolling through the hundreds of photos helped keep the memories alive and as I did so I copied any photos I thought would be inspirational into a separate folder. I could have done the whole years quilts just from my photos from Jordan but decided to limit myself to just four!
I wanted the four quilts to be a snapshot of the most influential and memorable parts of the trip. This trip was major bucket list stuff for me and Petra was the highlight, we had intended spending three days days but things changed and we only had one day in this amazing spot. After a four hour drive by my insane sister through the mountains we arrived and it did not disappoint. Me on a camel exploring the ruins is forever etched in my brain, I felt like a queen and much more comfortable than a horse or walking!
Amman the capital which we arrived into will be remembered for extremes, poverty and affluence, but stunning just the same, and amazing food.
Amman city
The people were extremely friendly and generous and most had english. Being able to drive around the country was amazing, thank you dear sister but the poverty we saw as we drove shocked my privileged children to the core.
Getting to see a Templar castle in Al Karak (heaven) and the most magnificent roman mosaics in Madaba just completed the trip. But swimming on my own, at night in the dark, in a pool by the Dead Sea overlooking the lights of Israel was one moment I hope never to forget.
So here's the quilts:
February Journal Quilt- Our guide of Al Karak castle, an ol templar castle dominating the town of Karak
March Journal Quilt- The Queen of Petra on her camel and details of some of the junk, sorry antiques for sale along with detail from some textiles from the museum at the Roman Amphitheater in Amman
This will be only my third time signing up to the Quilters Guild of the British Isles Contemporary Group's Journal quilt challenge and I'm a third of the way done already, yeah.
The three deadlines through the year give me enough time to work on the small pieces and I love getting the chance to play with quilting on my domestic machines as well as trying out new ideas and techniques on a small scale.
The size this year is nine inches square and something in each piece had to have had a previous life. One of the things I love about these Journal Quilts is that you can choose your own theme and just have fun.
My theme was Travel Memories and I wanted to use up anything I could find around my studio. The backgrounds and backings are gifted pieces of white linen from Janr O'Mahony, I have no idea what their original use or intended use was!
Wadding is leftover scraps, the photo transfer sheets I used were pulled out of the bin, they were in a press for over fifteen years and I presumed they would be useless. Scraps of fabric from old wool sample books, donated bits of hand dyed linens and cottons gifted many years ago and sitting waiting on the perfect project were also used.
List maker that I am, I had some fun with mind maps and as I'd visited Jordan over the Christmas holidays with my kids and sister and Japan as a tour host with Celtic Quilt Tours these would be the bulk of this years inspiration.
My Lovlies and me in Amman
I wanted the four quilts to be a snapshot of the most influential and memorable parts of the trip. This trip was major bucket list stuff for me and Petra was the highlight, we had intended spending three days days but things changed and we only had one day in this amazing spot. After a four hour drive by my insane sister through the mountains we arrived and it did not disappoint. Me on a camel exploring the ruins is forever etched in my brain, I felt like a queen and much more comfortable than a horse or walking!
Amman the capital which we arrived into will be remembered for extremes, poverty and affluence, but stunning just the same, and amazing food.
The people were extremely friendly and generous and most had english. Being able to drive around the country was amazing, thank you dear sister but the poverty we saw as we drove shocked my privileged children to the core.
Petra
Petra, meeting the locals!
Al Karak guide
Getting to see a Templar castle in Al Karak (heaven) and the most magnificent roman mosaics in Madaba just completed the trip. But swimming on my own, at night in the dark, in a pool by the Dead Sea overlooking the lights of Israel was one moment I hope never to forget.
So here's the quilts:
Four Journal Quilts
January Journal quilt- Images from museum in Amman and details of mosaics found in Madaba
February Journal Quilt- Our guide of Al Karak castle, an ol templar castle dominating the town of Karak
March Journal Quilt- The Queen of Petra on her camel and details of some of the junk, sorry antiques for sale along with detail from some textiles from the museum at the Roman Amphitheater in Amman
April Journal Quilt-Images from the Dead Sea, took us several attempts to climb down to it but the most stunningly insane alien landscape ever, I didn't want to leave.
And now onto Japan til August!!
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