Houston International Quilt Festival 2018: The Exhibitions Part One

International Quilt Festival was a very relaxed event for us this year. Our progress around the vendors was slow and we didn't think we had seen many of the quilts this trip. When I came to create a blog post and transcribed all of the artist statements from my very wonky photographs there were a lot more quilts than I imagined. So I have split the eye candy blog into two. This first one, of 28 photographs, is all about the quilts that caught my eye in the other exhibitions that run alongside the International Quilt Association juried show.

Some of these exhibitions didn't allow photography which was a shame as having a lasting image of some of them would have been wonderful. The two notable exhibitions for me that didn't allow photography were the Kaffe Fassett's Heritage Quilts in America and eQuilter's Love Your Mother quilt challenge.

A Celebration of Colour

"Whatever your style...quilt colourfully. This annual judged competition and exhibit features works created in a variety of styles and techniques with vibrant and colourful designs."

Princess Warrior's Forrest by Cheryl Olson of Draper, South Dakota, USA
Technique: Machine appliqued and quilted, painted.
Design source: The unknown path through the dark forest, guided by the light.
Artist statement: Trees symbolise life, wisdom, protection, strength, and growth. I begin each piece with hand-dyed cotton, silk and organza. The dye process includes thickened dye, batik, resist, mono-printing and screen printing.

Remembering Sochi by Claire Haillot of Laval, Quebec, Canada
Quilted by Colleen Paul 
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted
Design source; Different logos seen during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Artist statement: I was really inspired by the logos seen during the 2014 Winter Olympics and I started to wonder if they could actually be combined into a real quilt. I began playing with all my scraps sorting them by colour and hue and truly enjoyed the journey. I used a wide array of strips, ranging from 1" to 21/2" to make the quilt.

Midnight Fantasy #10 by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry of Port Townsend, Washington, USA
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted, painted, hand-dyed.
Design source: A new variation on a series of sketches I drew in the middle of a sleepless night in 1999.
Artist statement: Shapes that begin as negative spaces often become focal points. Hand-dyed gradations were used in the spikey templates. The multi-coloured background fabric was painted with dye. Spaces between the lines are quilted with six different colours of thread.

City Side Lights by Melody Randol of Loveland, Colorado, USA
Techniques: Machine appliqued and quilted, fused, raw-edge fabric collaged.
Design source: Photograph of urban buildings taken by the artist.
Artist statement: High-rise building windows accept and reflect city lights, creating a festive feel. Colours of unexpected hues glimmer on glass. The fleeting dance of light and colour offers a spontaneous and exclusive exhibition of urban art.

La Passacaglia Unravels by Randa Mulford of Mountain View, California, USA
Techniques: Hand-pieced and appliqued, machine appliqued and quilted.
Design source: Willyne Hammerstein's design La Passacaglia with Mr. Penrose in Millefiore Quilts (entered with the designer's permission)
Artist statement: I loved using a full palette of colour and pattern to create kaleidoscopic effects. The original border design maintains the rectangular outline that Willyne Hammerstein prescribes. La Passacaglia unravels around the edges before our very eyes!

An Explosion of Happiness by Eva Arellano Martin of Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain
Techniques: Hand applique.
Design source: A photograph by Steve McCurry
Artist statement: The original photo gave me an instantaneous feeling of joy and well-being. My challenge was to transfer this feeling, given by a single moment, to another form of art: quilt. Is there any need for words to describe happiness, i.e. the real meaning of life? Probably not.

Made in Texas

"The 25 quilts included in this exhibit celebrate the pioneering spirit, natural beauty, and artistic talents of the Lone Star State. From a first time quilter to prize winning artists, the makers reside in all regions of Texas."

Raised on Bluebonnets by Suzan Engler of Panorama Village, Texas, USA
Techniques: Machine quilted, digitally manipulated.
Design source: Inspired by a photo by Joe Michl (used with permission).
Artists statement: I have an affinity for wildflowers, I love the "bloom where you are planted" mentality. This quilt is the result of imagining a creature raised only on wildflowers.

Quilted Leather Art Saddles: Cathy Wiggins

"This exhibit features artist Cathy Wiggins' unique one-of-a-kind art saddles. Each saddle is constructed from quilted leather panels, that are shaded for added dimension.  The saddles are embellished with traditional western-styled hardware, unusual charms, fringe, 3-D flowers and more. Each saddle is a work of art and opens up a whole new world of saddle design."

Cathy Wiggins talking about the creation of her saddles

Mercedes by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"When I saw this cute little horse on eBay, I knew Bentley needed a little sister.
When she arrived, I cleaned her up, patched a couple of worn areas
and created a special saddle just for her."

Sebastian's Dragon Saddle by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"Back when knights were slaying dragons to win the hand of a princess, Sebastian refused.
 He loved dragons and single handedly convinced the princess that dragons were good and
would help protect the kingdom.
On their wedding day, Sebastian presented his princess bride with a baby dragon,
and the princess had this dragon saddle made for Sebastian.
This saddle has been in the royal family ever since to represent
 the good the dragon brought to the kingdom."

 The Ride of the Mountain Medicine Man by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"It was believed that up in the Appalachian Mountains, lived a healer and shaman
who knew the gifts of the animals, Mother Earth and Spirit.
After many years of offering healing powers, he gifted his horse and saddle
to a young boy and walked away. That young boy soon sold the horse
and saddle to help feed his family. It is said the saddle holds the secrets
of the shaman ways, waiting for its rightful owner to unlock them."

Harley by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"Sometimes biker dudes like to trade their two wheels in for four legs.
They still want to represent the bad boy biker lifestyle, so this saddle has studs,
skulls, chains and even a grim reaper.  Everything needed to maintain that biker image
while on horseback is represented in this hardcore saddle."

Rising Stars

"This annual exhibit features the works of specially selected quilt artists who have developed and demonstrated substantial creative growth over recent time. This exhibit highlights the works of "rising stars: Jill Kerttula and Cecilia Koppmann."  Sponsored by Aurifil.

Jill Kerttula

Jill makes original design quilts using hand-embroidery and embellishment, machine piecing, embroidery and embellishment with digitally printing.

Fleeting by Jill Kertulla of Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
"Time passes quickly and the bloom starts to fade. But the beauty
can remain in a more mysterious and thoughtful ways.
Make your own story to go with this one, for me it is both sadness and hope in one image.
The rocks are couched into place and the stitching creates movement throughout the piece."

Sidewalk 2 by Jill Kertulla of Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
"An artist should be inspired by whatever is in the eight feet that surrounds them"
is sage advice from a former professor of mine.
The sidewalk gave me the inspiration and the photos that are the basis of this piece.
The contrasts of textures and the remnants of those who walked
 before me...all shown in an abstraction."

Cecilia Koppmann

Cecilia was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is part of the first generation of quilters in her native country. After studying interior design, she began taking lessons in patchwork and quilting with Patricia Caffrey in 1998. In Koppmann's own words, "From that moment on, I simply could not take my hands off my fabrics and my sewing machine. For me, patchwork was love at first sight!"

She spent the following years studying different techniques by taking online classes as well as attending festivals abroad. It was Koppmann's enthusiasm that ultimately led her to teach patchwork and quilting on a TV show from 2002 to 2014. This proved to be an introduction to patchowrk and quilting for many in Argentina. Soon, a community started to grow. Another turning point for Koppmann was when she learned how to dye her own fabrics.

Today what interests Koppmann the most is the use of colour and its values - and what the interaction between both can generate.  She has gone on to take several seminars on the use of colour with different visual artists. These experiences have proven to be a wonderful complement to her previous studies in interior design.

Regarding her work, Koppmann explains, "When starting a new quilt, I like to establish some criteria so as to set up a frame in which to work. In general, the first stage is fast, improvised, and with an almost frenetic pace. Then the pace becomes slower and thought out. This stage of composition is, for me, like painting with fabric; I put the pieces in the design wall panel, I then observe, compose, order, establish rules, remove and add parts until the final design emerges."

Birds by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine appliqued and quilted.
Artist statement: Every December we wrap up the year with a celebratory breakfast that I host for all my students. It's a really fun party. To have a memento of that wonderful day, I asked the students to bring with them a piece of fabric for me from which I would build a quilt. Now I have them "singing" in my studio all year round!

Colour in Action by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine pieced, appliqued and quilted.
Design source: Curves.
Artist statement: How colours and values behave always fascinated me, especially when I'm dyeing the fabrics. This time I wanted to show the subtle transformations of complimentary colours when they flow from one to the opposite.

Transformation's Times by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine quilted and embroidered, collaged.
Artist statement: The starting point of this quilt was the leftovers of a miniature quilt. The coloured squares with circles were so attractive to me that I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. I used them to make a collage instead. The transit through certain circumstances can make us come out totally transformed in unexpected ways.

Hands All Around

"Artists from all around the world incorporate influences from their own cultures into the design and technique of their quilts. This prestigious long-running international showcase includes recent quilts by international artists."

Counsel by Hope Wilmarth of Spring, Texas, USA
Techniques: Painted.
Design source: Calligraphy
Artist statement: Famous phrases spoken by world leaders make up the "counsel" found within the design of this art quilt. It is fourth in a series in which words are brushed onto the surface without regard to spacing or legibility. Texture and design are achieved by using colour randomly in the negative spaces.

Staccato IV by Hope Wilmarth of Spring, Texas, USA
Techniques: Painted, dyed, machine quilted.
Design source: Stacked writing technique
Artist statement: Staccato IV evokes a sense of rhythm as inspired by listening to lively music. The interrupted colour and variation of line keeps the eye moving around the art as if colour could be visualised dancing through the air.

I have to confess to not knowing which exhibition this forms part of so I have included it here with Hope's other quilt. Hope also has a quilt (Encrypted) in the Quilts: A World of Beauty juried exhibition which for some reason I didn't photograph.

Dancing Bopomofo by Tsui Hua Chen of Taipai, Taiwan
Techniques: Hand-embroidered, machine pieces and quilted.
Design source: Bopomofo, the Mandarin phonetic symbols used only in Taiwan.
Artist statement: Bopomofo is an official Chinese transliteration system for the Taiwanese Mandarin language. It is widely used as an educational tool and for electronic input methods such as computer keyboards and cell phones.

Tactile Architecture™

"Buildings have a long history of inspiring the creative designs of quilt makers. In the 19th century American quilters developed classic architectural patterns such as Log Cabin, School House and Brick Wall. This annual juried exhibit challenges quilt makers to create works based on architectural themes and inspiration."

Crumbling Facade by Ginnie Herbert of Puyallup, Washington, USA.
Techniques: Machine applique and quilted.
Design source: Photos of cracked and crumbling concrete.
Artist statement: Beauty can be found in an old stained wall, a crack in the road, or a fallen down building. We also build facades to hide our true selves. Loveliness is found when they crumble away.

See Taiwan ~ Taipai 101 by Hsi-Chen Hsu of New Taipei City, Taiwan
Techniques: Hand-pieced, machine pieced, quilted and embellished.
Design source: Taipai 101 is a super tall skyscraper.
Artist statement: Taipei 101 is the pride of the Taiwanese people. It is also a landmark. I love photography, I love patchwork, and I hope to show my beautiful quilt and let the world see Taiwan.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase

"Members of the Modern Quilt Guild chapters around the world submitted their creations for this exhibit which showcase traditional quilting techniques that also incorporate modern design aesthetic." Sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild.

Infinite Magnification by Christine Perrigo of Erie, Colorado, USA
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted.
Design source: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul block.
Artist statement: when our guild chose antique quilts as inspiration for a modern challenge I was immediately attracted to the Robbing Peter to Pay Paul block. The detail that I was intrigued with the most was that the petals did not meet at the centre of the blocks. In order to emphasise this detail I decided to play with scale and focus on just one of those intersections. This allowed me plenty of space where I could play with a wonky version of the traditional petal pattern in the quilting.

SAQA: Dusk to Dawn

"When the sun dips below the horizon, the world changes. The trees are lit by the silvery light of the moon, and warm lamps glow in a child's room as they listen to a bedtime story. Sleep can bring beautiful and powerful dreams, but also night terrors. Artists in this exhibit created works that interpret what the night means to them."  Sponsored by Innova.

Moon Dance by Helena Scheffer of Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada
Techniques: Free-form collage, hand-dyed, machine quilted.
Materials: Cotton, silk, synthetic fibres.
Artist statement: The whole world shimmers under the light of the moon.

Judy Murrah: From the Heart

This exhibit was a memorial tribute to Judy Murrah and featured a special selection of her quilts and garments. I captured a couple of photos from this exhibition because I too have used Judy's books to make quilted jackets (not sure I ever finished any but there are a couple still in progress taking up space in a storage tub). IQF wrote the following tribute:

"A lover of quilts and quilt makers who built Festival's education division into the equivalent of a college curriculum...a talented designer of remarkable clothing and author of the books to make them...a beloved quilting teacher...a collector of antique fabrics, trims, ribbons and quilts...a pattern and fabric designer whose speciality was a soft romantic palette...those talents came packaged into the beautiful woman who was Judy Olafson Murrah...our long-time Vice President of Education and Administration.

She will be greatly missed by many people all over the world who have enjoyed the classes she organised with our teachers, but for us, her family of friends and colleagues at Quilt Inc, Judy will always be in our hearts.

Her door was always open for us, her smile was warm and inviting, and her advice was welcome. She was a treasured, talented friend who loved us dearly, but who loved her family and her role as mother and grandmother even more. How we will all miss her."

The Cherrywood Fabrics Prince Challenge

Cherrywood Fabrics hosted an art quilt challenge to create a unique quilt honouring Prince's legacy using hand-dyed fabrics in purples.  Participants were asked to use Prince's music as inspiration to push themselves creatively, think outside the box and create new fibre art. The contest was open to anyone and entries were received from several countries. All the quilts were the same colour, fabric, size and theme.

Prince in Paisley with Fireworks by Cindy Myers of Ontario, California, USA

The Prince of Purple by Penny Hurst of Fresno, Texas

Victory Patterns Ulysses Rainbow Trench

The gestation period for this blog post has been long and hard. It has taken over three weeks from start to finish. Firstly because I didn't have any pictures of the coat apart from those we took at the Hilton Americas, Houston. So the coat travelled to the West Coast for photographs but we didn't have WiFi at our rented bach. I know some people write blog posts on their phone but I have no idea how they do it the screen is too small and how do you sort out the photographs? Anyway here I am trying to remember how this coat was made and write a useful blog post. You might want to read this over a cup of tea because it has turned out rather long.

This coat was part of my recent travel wardrobe. The original coat in the Houston Travel Wardrobe plan was quite different. The Liberty sequin fabric proved too precious to use so I bought another sequin fabric in the Liberty sale to use for a trial run. I did start the pattern alterations for the longline bomber jacket but got distracted and unfortunately the trial garment hasn't made it on to the production schedule yet. This made room for the Victory Patterns Ulysses Trench. A pattern that spoke to me the moment I set eyes on it.

The finished garment

I should have flashed the lining in this carpet photo as coincidentally the Liberty silk design is called "Hilton".

Ms Matchy Matchy and the amazing carpet in the Hiltom Americas Houston inspired by Paula Nadelstern designs

Should have arranged the collar before having my photo taken!

Does it look like my bath robe?

Storm flap cut on the bias so the stripes form a chevron

And because its so pretty here is the coat on inside out to show the front facing and lining.

Front facing

Liberty silk satin lining in design Hilton

The fabric

I knew I could purchase the Ulysses trench pattern from Stonemountain and Daughter but as every sewer knows there needs to be a thorough investigation of what other offerings a website has just in case you do the unthinkable and miss some unmissable item.

Stonemountain and Daughter yarn dyed rainbow stripe ikat

Luckily I didn't miss this yarn dyed rainbow stripe ikat a 100% cotton fabric from India. The recommendation is to hand wash separately and line dry.  I don't do hand washing so this was put in the front loader washing machine on the silk cycle (a gentle 30° wash). This is a heavier weight fabric than the one currently available at Stonemountain and Daughter (yarn dyed rainbow stripe II).

The Fabric Store Liberty Hilton silk satin in colourway A

The pattern

Victory Patterns describe the coat as "Ulysses mixes trench coat styling with a modern look. This relaxed, straight-cut jacket features draped elements such as a shawl collar and a clean-lined, curved back "rain guard" overlay. Notched-out holes along the sides seam of the overlay allow the jacket's belt to exit through from the back to the front. Other features include shoulder epaulettes, clean-lined, angled patch pockets with an upper flap, a centre-back vent, and a gently angled hemline at the front.

The body of the coat is unlined, making this a perfect, cool style for the warmer months. Instructions are given for finishing seams with binding, which creates a beautiful interior finish to the garment."

The pattern alterations

I sewed the size medium which gives me more than enough room for layering underneath. Not that I would necessarily wear this cotton coat with a thick woolly jumper but I could. In the photos below the medium size is the middle line (third in or out) of the multi-sized pattern.

Only two pattern alteration were made for fit: a sway back adjustment which I really should remember to make on every pattern but don't; and a forward shoulder adjustment. All other pattern alterations were for style. As whilst I wanted to stay relatively true to the pattern the coat had to be one I would love wearing.

Looking at the pictures on the Victory Patterns website and the pattern pieces the shoulder width results in a slight dropped shoulder. The shoulder was definitely too wide for my taste so I narrowed it by 1½". As well as making a ½" forward shoulder adjustment and redrawing the armhole. I have to confess that I didn't use the Ulysses trench sleeve (or corresponding armhole) but used my much loved two-piece sleeve which I think originally came from Vogue 8865. For coats I really dislike a one piece sleeve, they feel and hang much better with the gentle curve around the elbow from the shaping in a two piece sleeve.

Front shoulder narrowed plus forward shoulder adjustment

Back shoulder narrowed plus forward shoulder adjustment

The Ulysses trench is quite long at 41" but I wanted it longer than my long tunics so lengthened it by 5". It was worn 46" long in Houston but when I came home I shortened it by 1" by increasing the hem from 1½" to 2½". I am happy with it at 45" long but have to be careful walking up stairs when it is hanging open because it is easy to stand on the front. I like the 2½" hem better as well so success all round.

Extended length

Given that this coat has no closures apart from the belt having a walking vent seemed pointless so I omitted it and cut the back pattern piece on the fold so that the stripes wouldn't be interrupted.

Back pattern piece minus the walking vent

The storm flap is quite a bit bigger than the coat back. After placing the coat back pattern piece over the storm flap piece I decided to make the extra small size. The neckline, shoulder and armhole are as per the back with the width and length the extra small size. The storm flap is still bigger than the back and drapes nicely as it is cut on the bias. The storm flap comes with two pattern pieces: one for the outer fabric and the other for the lining. I used the same pattern piece for both outer fabric and lining.

The Ulysses trench is unlined but I prefer lined coats so a front facing was created, as well as front and back lining pieces. For the sleeves I used the same pattern piece as the outer fabric and cut the sleeve lining ¾" shorter. More detail on how to draft a lining for an unlined coat can be found in good sewing books like Claire Shaeffer's High Fashion Sewing Secrets or online like this Seamwork tutorial.

Note I didn't alter my sleeve lining pieces as recommended by Claire or the Seamwork tutorial as the shoulder pad wasn't very thick and neither was my outer fabric. If my fabric had been thicker or I had used even a ½" shoulder pad I would have made the adjustments to the sleeve lining.

Front facing and front lining pieces

Back lining piece, with a 2" extension which is cut on the fold to give a 2" pleat.

The sewing

First of all I underlined all of the ikat fabric pieces with silk organza. I didn't want to change the hand which can happen with interfacing but felt the fabric needed a bit more body and support. The silk organza and ikat were basted and then overlocked together before any of the other sewing was done. This had the added advantage of stopping the ikat from unravelling at the cut edge which it was quite keen to do. For the belt and pocket flaps I underlined both fabric pieces with organza.

The pattern comes with a 22 page A5 instruction booklet which I sort of read but also ignored when it suited me or the pattern alterations I had made. Below are the major areas where I deviated from the pattern instructions.

For the pocket I largely did as instructed except I never clip my corners and I overlocked the lining to the ikat as well as sewing the seam allowance. The pocket flap was sewn right sides together around all four sides with a small gap left to turn the flap back right sides out. The instructions have you only sew three sides leaving the long edge which will be sewn to the coat open. This was a personal preference to have all of the seams enclosed, partly due to the ravelly nature of the ikat. I then edge stitched and top stitched the flaps to the coat, this had the added advantage of giving me better control over the stripe matching.

A bit of obsessive stripe matching

The epaulettes were omitted (a fussy affectation I am not fond of) but I did add a shoulder pad to the coat.

The belt has a button loop to secure it to a small hidden belt carrier. This is a feature used in Vogue 1836 (the Issey Miyake Gorgeous Raincoat) which I used again for this trench as it secures the belt to the carriers. The trench can now be worn unbelted without fear of loosing the belt, or having to tie it at the back.  The idea of the smaller belt carriers was not a feature of Vogue 1836 but a variation made because I didn't like the button loop being on the public side of the belt. The button loop uses a 6mm press stud fastener instead of a button. The button loop and hidden belt carriers were made from the Liberty lining fabric. I hand stitched them as it was easier and involved less swearing than sewing by machine and turning them. They were attached to the belt/coat by machine.

The buckle was omitted as I couldn't find one I liked and am quite happy tying the belt to secure it.

Button loop on the belt wrong side

Hidden belt carrier for use with the button loop

Smaller belt carrier hidden under the storm flap, visible through the cut-out

I also added a belt carrier at centre back so the weight of the belt was not held just by the storm flap cut-outs. It also means the belt is held at centre back so it can't catch on door handles or more importantly the handrail on aircraft stairs.

The observant may notice that the belt carrier stripe doesn't quite match the garment. That is because after overlocking the edges I carefully folded it into thirds with the wrong side of the fabric on the public side. I didn't notice this mistake until it had been sewn to the coat so wrong side out is how it will always be.

Centre back belt carrier

Belt carrier matched to the stripe sort of

When I make a coat I like to be sure my seams will always lay flat so I use a catch stitch (herringbone stitch if you are an embroiderer) to sew the seam to the underlining. I do this for the hems as well. I prefer catch stitch to slip stitch because it allows for more movement, it doesn't hold the edge as firmly in place.

Hand sewn catch stitch to anchor all seam allowances

I won't explain how I sewed the lining and outer coat together as there is plenty of information in good sewing books, examples are: Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers by Sharon Czachor and Julie Cole (chapter 16 in the 2008 first edition); or Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing; or Tailoring the classic guide to sewing the perfect jacket by the editors of Creative Publishing. The first book is my go to place for sewing advice but it is pricey the second edition on Amazon sells for US$108. The latter two explain how to create lining pattern pieces as well as sew the lining itself and into the jacket. 

Alternatively there are plenty of places online to provide advice and instruction. For example my technique is pretty much as described in this Threads article. 

A difference between what I did and the Threads article is the 2" pleat at centre back. The pleat was stitched closed at the neck edge and below the hip of centre back. The pleat is for mobility across the upper back but is not needed below the waist. Apparently the pleat is pressed to the left for a woman and right for a man. To be contrary I pressed mine open (half on the left, half on the right). 

Also once the facing was stitched to the outer coat I paused with the machine stitching and caught the facing to the underlining with a catch stitch.  I don't normally do this but I was worried about the facing not staying in place given how big it is with the waterfall collar. Czachor and Cole recommend this for heavier fabrics where pressing alone may be insufficient to hold the fabric in place.

Outfit of the day

Moochi Level Layer Neon Yellow tunic; Milk Dot Leggings;
United Nude Zink Patch Mid Pop Mix booties
At International Quilt Festival on the walkway between
the George R Brown Convention Centre and the Hilton Americas

Just a fabulous amazing carpet - Paula Nadelstern inspired design in the Hilton Americas

Ketz-ke Wildcard tee; Andrea Moore Endless Love trousers;
United Nude Lev Wrap Lo red shoes
Closer to home at the Theatre Royal Hotel, Kumara

Silhouette Patterns Marie's Sweater top;
Andrea Moore Endless Love trousers; Trippen Klee Navy Lace-ups
At the old Denniston coalmine

The Denniston Incline
Photos top to bottom, left to right: the marshalling yard on the Denniston plateau;
"Q" wagon at the start of the incline; over the top and on the way down;
gash in the landscape where the track used to be

The Denniston incline was a railway track used to move the coal from the mines on the Denniston plateau to the railhead at sea level. The incline plunged 548m in a distance of just 1670m, with some grades as steep as 1 in 1.25 (80%). Now the regenerating bush is reclaiming the incline - the gash in the landscape evidence of where the railway used to be.

The Stonemountain and Daughter visit

As both the pattern and the yarn dyed ikat came from Stonemountain and Daughter (S&D) I took the coat back for a visit on my recent trip to the States. I only had one night in San Francisco on the way up to Portland and normally I make the trip to Britex Fabrics but this time I braved public transport to journey out to Berkeley.

I am absolutely sure I took photos of both the inside and outside of the shop but none exist now. So either I dreamt taking photos or they were somehow deleted.

My shopping at S&D was extremely restrained and mostly either for my class with Peggy Sagers in Portland or Houston IQF classes. Only one yard of fabric came home with me a velvet devore which I thought would pair well with another one yard piece in my collection. Of course now that I have the two fabrics together I am not so sure. The colour works relatively well but the print in the new fabric (on the left) is too heavy for the fans and cranes fabric.

Devore Velvet: left - recent acquisition from Stonemountain & Daughter;
right - long ago purchase from eQuilter which has always been too precious to use

Maybe I should use both pieces independently as the overlay for either Silhouette Patterns #197 Kendosa's top or #105 De la Renta's Top. Hmm food for thought.

Anyway back to S&D. If I do a similar trip again I will stick to visiting Britex. For me Britex is the candy store so much wonderfulness to touch and drool over. Yes the fabric is expensive but as a souvenir from a trip that doesn't matter. On the other hand I would love S&D as my local fabric shop they have so many fabrics that I would sew with everyday - AGF knits, kantha, ikat, Japanese linen, cotton etc. In choosing where to visit in person the big difference is I feel comfortable shopping for fabric on-line at S&D. I am very rarely disappointed by what arrives in my parcel. Conversely I love visiting Britex in person but would never order anything on-line (well I did once I ordered more of the lining I had just bought in-store). In modern sewing parlance (for me) Britex is the frosting, S&D the cake.