Bisa Butler’s portraiture and quilting artworks
It was a pivotal moment when Bisa Butler combined portraiture and quilting to create her first eye-catching artwork, and she’s embraced quilted portraits with gusto ever since. Inspired by African American history, family dressmaking traditions and uplifting colours and patterns, Bisa’s art quilts bring forward stories from the past with vibrancy and texture. Like many […]
Selvedge: Emily Jo Gibbs
The beauty of making portraits, much like writing profiles, is that it’s a chance to really think about and appreciate the person you are depicting. This is what Emily Jo Gibbs loved about embroidering her first portrait, which was of her son Fred. She then created a portrait of her other son, Bill, which led […]
Road Test: Janome Continental M7 Professional Sewing Machine
Playing with a new model of sewing machine is always enjoyable, but this machine was so much fun! The Janome Continental M7 Professional is a heavy-duty, well-thought-through sewing machine. While it may have the word Professional in the title, it certainly has all the attributes a home quilter would want as well. Given the length […]
Know Your Product: Irons
They say that asking a quiltmaker to hem your pants is like asking Picasso to paint your bathroom. And there’s a similar concept when it comes to irons and ironing. How many of us know the joy of ironing newly purchased fabric or pressing just-finished patchwork blocks, but abhor tackling that mountain of shirts and […]
In the Studio with Jen Jones and her collection of Welsh quilts
Many of us use one end of the dining table for our quiltmaking. Others have been able to move into a spare bedroom once the children have grown up and left home. And the very fortunate have space in their homes for a purpose-built, dedicated, professional-quality studio. There are very few, however, who have not […]
Technique Tutorial: Freezer Paper Piecing
There are two methods that I will share here: one is using freezer paper as the actual templates for each shape and cutting them individually. This technique eliminates the need to transfer the sewing lines to the wrong side of the fabric — you simply use the edges of the freezer paper as your sewing […]
Armchair Travels of a Textile Lover: Chris Jurd goes to India
Well-known Australian quilter, regular Quilters Companion contributor and textile lover, Chris Jurd was the guest leader of the 2019 Quilters’ Tour of India. Organised by Quilters Companion and Travelrite Australia, the group set off from Sydney mid November and returned 16 days later – after a trip of a lifetime. We asked Chris to share […]
Rulers and Templates with Anita Ellis
My last article was all about the ins and outs, and the dos and don’ts, of quilting with rulers. I hope you managed to read it and take in some of the information. It can seem tricky at first, but remember that the longarm quilter you may be comparing yourself to will have many years’ […]
