Recycled Jumper Quilt

I was inspired by the rugs the Made in Merri team made for our retiring school Principal and I decided to give it a go. Mine looks like the cheap knock off version but it's been great to try the techniques gleaned from those group crafting sessions.

The jumpers were felted in a hot wash, ironed and cut into 12 x 12 squares.

After playing with colour combos and contrasts, placing the squares on the kitchen table, I settled on patterns and gathered up each row in order and pinned with a number of which row it was.

With the sewing machine I stitched each row together....


Then the rows were pieced together on the machine. As it wasn't for a super duper important gift I wasn't as neat and super duper as the Made in Merri crew.


Then I backed it with linen, straight stitch around the edge.

My final (maybe)* step was to edge it with left over rib. The made in Merri gals made BAIS binding for their quilt and maybe they even STITCHED IN THE DITCH - far beyond me I'm afraid. Instead I overlocked ribbed bands together then attached to the quilt with the overlocker before turning the rib over and hand stitching it on the other side.

 

My plan is to keep going with these and hopefully sell the cheap knock off rugs at the school fete next year.

*Made in Merri ladies did a quilting stitch by hand around some squares and I still may attempt this just to hold the back and front in place.

End of September - but here's the playlist

I know it's late but here's what I've been up to in September.


WEARING: My dungarees! I know - I look like I'm off to the munitions factory! 

But I can't stop wearing these Freddies of Pinewood reproduction dungarees which I bought second hand for a bargain! Thanks to the kids for taking my photo...hmmm...not sure about that low angle!!!

MAKING: A quilt from recycled jumpers in blues and greens...will show you all when I finish it....

READING:

It's been a good/great/interesting month for reading...The James Lee Burke book had me mesmerised and the Benjamin Black certainly had me in it's grip too. "Moral Hazard" was a sharp short read that packed a huge punch, "Steal My Sunshine" was a teen fiction set in Melbourne which was dense with emotion, history and relationships and "Gilgamesh" drove me nuts as I argued with it all the way through and ultimately was annoyed with myself for reading it!  

WATCHING:

Just started watching "The Honorable Woman" starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. Only one episode in but I'm fascinated. It's a very polished BBC television miniseries - a spy thriller.

LISTENING TO: Good old Johnny Bush - he's pulling my heart strings as always.

 
and thinking about? doing Frocktober...lord knows I have enough frocks for it!

A farewell quilt.

As you have probably guessed from the previous post our retiring school principal, Dionne, is an extremely well loved and respected member of our community. Some of the crafty parents at the school wanted to put our efforts towards creating a keepsake for her. This is what eventuated.

A sumptuously warm plum coloured quilt made from recycled jumpers.

With so many crafty people participating, was it a case of too many cooks spoil the broth? Never. In fact we proved the other adage to be true: many hands do in fact make light work. 

We enjoyed each other's company, shared our skills and talents - along with tea, sunshine,stories and cake. And their was plenty of warm unspoiled broth too.

Justine washed the jumpers, and then, with my industrial cutting machine, I was naturally in charge of cutting the many 12 cm x 12 cm square (under strict advice from task master Karen to be accurate! Yikes...no pressure.) 

We met at Jenny's warm light filled house and lay the squares out on the huge bench. Next thing multiple hands were rearranging and changing contrasting squares in a fairly hilarious felty crafty game of tetris!

Each row was labeled and stacked then the dueling sewing machines were brought out and lifted onto Jenny's generous dining table (I must point out that everything at Jenny's place is larger than life and of generous proportions - from the huge welcoming front door, to the huge sun-filled windows, to the huge old dog, Betty and most of all to the huge generous nature of Jenny herself.) 

Karen, an experienced professional maker, backed the quilt with a natural coloured linen and made her own bias binding from wool suiting.

Then all hands were on deck for hand stitching leaf designs and squares.Jenny finished it with a hand embroidered message in the corner and a colour co-ordinated bag to keep the quilt in. 

As you can see, Dionne loved it.  

And we loved making it. I learned so much from these women. Community-minded crafty company - the best.

Short term vs long term

Which do you prefer? The short term craft fling? Or the long term craft commitment?

Yes, the craft one or two night stand has certain attractions, thrills and excitements. No strings attached (unless of course it’s knitting, stitch work or crochet!)and it doesn’t infringe on your life (unless you are of course making fringing).

You can learn something new! Get a fresh idea! See the end in sight! No need to linger on it, ponder on it – just get it done and dusted! Thrilling!Feeling pretty pleased with yourself right?

But can you go past the ever faithful long term craft project? The project that, even when you have stuffed it in a cupboard or plastic tub out the back, still unfurls all its charm and promise just for you?

The craft that may require more toil but brings with it more rewards than the fleeting highs and lows of a crafternoon fling?

Working on it is like slipping on your slightly worn but most comfortable boots.

You feel the right “fit” and you start up where you left off. 

                                                                               Craft commitment has it’s challenges too –keeping your eyes on the overall goals, staving off the boredom of the domestic every day. Sometimes, so familiar, you take it for granted and don’t realise a problem can arise just a row or two into the future!


But whatever happens, you know it is there for you, for as long as it takes, for as long as you want it to take.

When the flings are all over and your tired from the roller coaster ride of learning new tricks, soaring on the heights of completion endorphins and the lows of post craft completion blues, the long term craft is there waiting. You can snuggle up for the evening and continue like you’ve never been apart.

Well, I don't know about you, but this crafter needs a bit of both!This week I have dragged out the latch hook rug made from recycling jumper seams.I started it late last year. It's for my teenage daughter’s room – but let’s face it. There’s hardly a floor space in there anyway!

It’s so relaxing to be working on something simple, methodical, deadline free and easy!

And I'm not monogamous in my long term crafting – I also have my crochet pants made up of several flower squares. 10 made so far – only 90 to go. We’ll be together for the long haul.

Images from golden hands encyclopedia of craft
posted by Julianne Sister outlaw