Nesting and barn walls: more essentials for quilting

It is a deeply grey day, and now the rain is teeming down, washing all the colours of the world away. But early this morning I managed to get a photograph of my latest quilt top before the rain began to descend, braving the proleptic leaden skies and chill dampness in my eagerness to record another show and tell.

And this is the entirely unedited result.

A trick of the light

That damp grey autumn light filtered through the camera's beady eye has done the weirdest thing to the colours of this quilt, making them appear eerily dayglo and intense against the sinister grey-green backdrop.

The fabric is Rose Parade from Moda, and the pattern is PS I Love You from Sweet Jane , (photographed upside down so you won't notice the deliberate mistake, entirely the fault of Radio 4, which distracted me so much when cutting out blocks that I cut out a 10in and 11in, rather than two 10.5in. Hmm, you may say, and so did I, but very cleverly I sewed the selvedge edge trimming back on, and most of it will disappear into the binding, honest).

So this brings me rather to another essential for a quilter - a suitably photogenic place in which to photograph your quilts. I hanker after a barn wall like Amy's or even two tall sons at home to stand behind holding it up for me in the sunshine ... All in short supply here at the moment.

But before I am accused of being too morose, I should like to engender some positive associations in connection with the use of the seam ripper. No longer need you experience thoughts of anger, despair or destruction when you catch sight of the little stiletto in your sewing box.

I saw the light when I did a sewing course at the London College of Fashion some years ago - it was supposed to teach the amateur to sew in a professional manner, and I am sure that I am not one of the success stories, especially as we weren't allowed to use pins, and I still harbour a lingering attachment to pinkind. But the trick I remember is the use of the seam ripper, not for ripping seams, because of course real pros don't do that, but to guide the fabric through the machine, like so.

Some gentle guidance

The clear piecing foot with the handy little guide at the right is a godsend - and allows me to whip out the pin at the last minute (again using the seam ripper as a grab), so the needle does not hit the pin.

I think she needs to clean the fluff from her machine ...

The seam ripper really comes into  its own with those lovely little nested seams - I love the concept of nesting seams: the terminology, the cosiness and togetherness of the concept, and with (sshh!) two pins and a seam ripper, no squiffy nesting, no underside seams jumping back the wrong way.

Nesting

I must go now - the Head Chef has come up with the most divinely delectable variation on the best flapjack recipe ever, and having eaten some for morning coffee, I plan to consume quantities for lunch. Let me know if you would like the recipe, and I will be sure to photograph some before I eat them all up ...