YAY !!! Its that time of the year ...

[Pearl]

But how can you accurately cut a tube of fabric ????? 

But it's only like two layers of fabric (or 4 at the seams).

[Iminei]

Mmmnnnnn ... 

Well I'm on a sewing no go for the rest of this week and my strata are safely hung in the sewing/wardrobe/art/spare room along with the sweat shop (aka the ironing board) and what with the two humungous Really Useful boxes I bought to transport and store the quilts to FoQ there is barely any floor space to stand on now ...

but at least its tidy! 

[Iminei]

Well I did it, but I hope I did it the wrong way as it was a real faff!

It was Sakar who analysed, and with her young eyes saw, that in the half of the square there were decreasing numbers of squares .... 7, 6, 5, 4 etc



So after she had left our shores I had a go ... What a palavar undoing the rows of the strata I had sewn but it came out like this ....



and sewn together ...



I can see I need to replace the 2nd lightest red with something with more white but I think the rest of it is ok! Will have review the other strata too.

[Bodgeitandscarper]

I read these threads, then wonder why, as I have absolutely no idea what's going on.  Why did you sew the fabrics in strips then presumably undo them to cut them into squares??  in simple terms for the more dense??

[Iminei]

I have no idea either BS,

You sew the strata and then cut the strips across the lines of fabric, giving you the 1" squared strips of fabric ...

How Jan gets the unique look of the block is the thing! I'm hoping she has a quirky lil trick to alleviate all the faff and make it simple bimple!

I will let you know after the workshop.

[Lowena]

Have you been to your workshop yet?

[Iminei]

Next Saturday Low.

[Iminei]

I come back to you with news from the joyful Jan Hassard workshop I attended last Saturday!

It was a WS for her Strips Galore Design ......



Close up ....



So this is what we are aiming for .... G U L P !

Now I like to (try and) be ahead of the game so had a practice which resulted in this ...




Which tho' quite nice was of course completely wrong....

Back to the drawing board and with help from the younger eyes of Sakar and the combined knowledge of the DarkSiders we correctly guessed it was a bargello type thing and I produced a practice piece amidst much grumbling about fiddly unpicking and resewing ...  we got to this ...



Now I was not impressed at all  as it was quite labour intensive and frustrating as you seemed to be undoing much of the sewing done before etc...

So I went to the WS with two of my strata and some mixed feelings! I needn't have worried, i had a lovely day, met some new friends and had a gas with Jan and like minded ladies!

Yes, as ever with Jan's classes there is a quirky lil trick .. tho I still cant quite work it out ..

You cut EIGHT counter cut strips from your strata, separate at a point going down the strata each time,



then resew each of the now two strata which make each half of the finished block of SEVEN (that's right from Eight!!!) strips.... and then join the two halves on the diagonal (here shown in my Green strata)



Where has the EIGHTH strip gone ????

SO I have made a few of these and they are simple and quick, the worst part is joining the two halves on the diagonal. There is a lot of bulk with all those seams and matching the points is difficult to say the least.

Here are four full blocks pinned together ....



So I think this will make something rather nice, and also know it will be a long term project!

and as ever, later on today, I shall be back at the Emporia desperately searching for the lightest green in my strata (as shown above) as I have run out....

and I know I wont find it in the Emporia either as I didn't get it from there. It was part of a strange bundle of green strips from some small outfit called the Craft Cotton Company and they dont stock that make, so I will be raiding the stacks searching for something with that fabulous zing of lime ... but with not too much yellow ..... Wish me luck!!

BTW ... if you have any of this fabulous fabric (its a spring green paisley pattern on a lime background by the Craft Cotton Company) and are willing to sell or know where I can get it please do speak up, thx !

[Sewingsue]

WOW just WOW!

[Iminei]

Time to revive the monster I started in September .....

This project has been haunting and taunting me from the dining room wall since September and yesterday ... not in the best of moods I decided to confront it and break its back.

Originally the design calls for multiple colourways  ...



This is a Lady's, Jane, that I met at the workshop, she found it very slogworthy too but look how well shes done ...
Bravo Jane!!!

but I wanted to see if black and white wall hanging might pack a punch ... and I also made up some Red and Green strata.

But what I have found myself working on the past two days is the Green. I found a replacement for my original green in a zesty frosted Lime (fairy frost I think ...  which I have already run out of again!)



This is just the squares pinned (badly) together in a pattern I quite like.

Now I like this, I think it has a bit of a WOW to it, (but dont look too closely as they are buggers to join at the centre diagonal, but I think Its Ok) ... However Its going to have to be BIGGER as it measures under (well under) a metre wide or high ... I reckon another 24 (Groan  ) blocks might do it .... One more row all round!

Now Why might I want to put myself through the misery of making more strata .... to cut up to make more blocks, I wonder????

and the thought is I might make another one in the B&W,



These are the four blocks I did waaay back in September which does look stunning as I have the right gradation on the fabrics ... and then maybe another in the red, if I sort out the too dense red third fabric from the lightest, and I might have found that too .... But Oh God its a lorra, lorra work!!!!

[Sewingsue]

I like all the versions, but the two colour ones really work well.

One of those patterns that tempt you - till you start and realise what is going to be involved.

[Ploshkin]

I'm missing one of the pictures again - can only see the b & w one.  It reminds me of the first time I ever watched snooker - on a black and white tv!

[Lowena]

I'm missing the first picture too
The lady who does the workshops - Jan Hasard isn't it? only seems to do those coloured strata blocks  Does she ever do anything else? I've seen her work on FB and it's very samey 

[Ploshkin]

They're both very different but I like the black and white one.  I like the texture that the various patterns give it.  But, with both of them, would more of it dilute the wow factor?

[Sewingsue]

http://www.janhassard.co.uk/