Doing Patchwork With Silk

 Our November meeting featured Jocelyne Albert sharing tips and techniques for sewing patchwork with silk fabrics. 

Here are some highlights. Silk is from the cocoons created by silk moths. Silk has a tensile strength similar to stainless steel. This results in characteristics that determine how it can be worked with. Silk stains easily. It should always be pressed with a dry iron. Any lotion from one's hands will stain silk.

Silk has no give or stretch. When sewing it cannot be eased in. If a curved piece is desired, it must be appliqued. Two layers of silk fabric tend not to sit nicely on each other so pinning is very necessary. Sharp, thin pins are needed and useful to pin right along the seam line. The larger the piece of fabric the harder it is to control for sewing. Sewing maching needles also need to be very sharp. Jocelyne likes microtex needles. Silk should not be mixed with synthelic fabrics or thread. Use silk or cotton thread. Jocelyne does all her piecing onto a cotton foundation, so she uses cotton thread. 

Jocelyne often uses beads to hold the top and backing layers together. (The white lines in the picture are beads.)

Jocelyne can sometimes get silk at Fabricville but much of her stash comes from Frenchies - men's silk ties, silk dresses. She sometimes uses cotton as a background fabric - often black or white. It was delightful to view the many wall hangings (some in progress and some finished) that Jocelyne had brought to share! 

Thank you, Jocelyne!

KRQ Challenge Update: Members shared their interpretations of traditional and modern in the challenge so far. For October it was to create 4-patches and for November 9-patches. Here are the results to date.

The KRQ challenge for the January meeting is to make two log cabin blocks - one traditional and one modern. 

Now for our members' Show & Tell. Mary Ellen has made a bag using the Toddler's Tote bag pattern from a magazine. She says it is a great size and she uses it all the time. 

Mary Ellen has made a child's quilt for a comfort quilt.

And at long last she has completed her one block wonder started at a workshop a few years ago. It is lovely! Underneath is a photo of the back featuring a piece of the original fabric. 

Ruth has made this quilt with rabbits and quilted with bubbles.

Debby H has been busy. She has made a quilt with strips where you cut it and flip one around. Not sure if it has a name.

This project was made from saved scraps. It looks too good to be scraps!

This project using a panel was meant to be done with a pattern which Debby could not find. Your own design works fine. 

And Debby has been making bags. Those points look perfect.

Ella has been preparing for a Christmas sale. She has what we call "Ella" bags and towels with toppers among other things.

Ella also did a project with the panel. She had not misplaced her pattern. lol

Diane made some of the record mug rugs. Susan A had shared this link a few months ago. I think they look awesome. I need to put these on my to-do list.

Evelyn hand quilted to finish a quilt originally pieced in the 1950s. It was not exactly flat but she persevered and six months later it was done. 

Gisele has made a snowman quilt for her granddaughter.

And a gnome quilt for her grandson.

She has also made a retreat bag and a tablerunner.

Heather has created a fabric picture.

Heather also has painted some barn quilts for around her house and yard.

She finished 2 projects from years ago - a broken trip around the world

and a round robin.

Joyce has made some bags for her grandchildren

and one for a daughter who is a Raptors fan.

Joyce has also made 5 reading pillows for her grandchildren. The plan is to put a flashlight, a stuffie and a book into the pocket of each.

This is a comfort quilt made by Ruth and quilted by Gisele. 

Susan A has been exploring hand stitching while her sewing machine is away getting worked on. This piece is a kawandi quilt and made of scraps. She has also been working on manx quilting - a log cabin design but made with folded pieces of fabric. 

Rose Marie sent pictures of  a bird table runner she has made for a friend.

Kathy H decided to make a pieced border for a panel she had been given. She even used up some of the scrappy squares she had saved. She quilted it mostly free motion and practiced dragonflies to use in the border.