Inspired by Edna, embroidered birds by Kiara Johnson

In this second graduate showcase post from those I saw at the Harrogate Knit & Stitch show, I’m sharing the work of Kiara Johnson who was inspired by her great granny Edna and a box of vintage treasures found in the loft. The box contained bird guides and intricate embroidery patterns and Kiara said she wanted to use her great granny’s lens to explore both craft and nature but with her own modern twist using machine embroidery and beading. And the results are stunning.

Kiara said ‘birds stand out in her collections and symbolise freedom, connection and fleeting beauty’ but can also evoke unease and signal loss, which are ‘elements that echo the love and loss of my granny’s life.’

But her work also draws attention to the reduction of birds in our gardens, and so she wants to observe the uniqueness and beauty of all British birds ‘from the pigeon to the lesser spotted woodpecker’.

I wish I’d got more photos, and clearer ones at that, but trust me the detail on each of these pieces is absolutely amazing.

The Nectary, inspired by beekeeping

* I was invited to the Gardeners’ World Live show and provided with a pair of tickets to the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

I was reminded of this garden as I put together my top 10 posts of last year, as my roundup of the show featured on that list, and instantly I was transported back there and once again being intrigued by the seed swap cabinet, and more.

In fact I was so intrigued by this compilation of ideas that I abandoned my usual structured approach of reading and photographing the garden’s info first. As I discovered when I was editing the photos for this garden, that was the last thing I did - there was just so much to see!

The garden was designed by Kate Patrick, The Messy Allotmenteer and was awarded a Silver Merit Award, so it seems I wasn’t the only one fascinated with this space.

On the info board, when I read it, I learnt that the garden is a ‘sustainable space celebrating connections between skilled artisans, local businesses which features nectar-rich blooms, heirloom vegetables and UK-grown, wildlife-friendly plants.’

If you look closely you can see the stained glass in the greenhouse, which aims to blend colour therapy and plant growth while the handcrafted willow and recycled emphasises sustainability.

There were opportunities to learn about bees from the beekeeper along with a demonstration hive, watch the willow weaver creating garden art and the coppersmith making metal flower teams. That’s not all though the coppicing team were demonstrating cleft oak work and the moss balls held by macrame also had a demonstration area next to the garden.

There was so much effort and output in this garden, and if none of the crafts were your thing then you could join the discussion on how to encourage biodiversity and introduce wildlife habitats into small spaces. Or you could just enjoy the beauty of the whole space and take time to breathe.

I don’t know about you but a taking a look back at this garden was exactly what I needed on a gloomy January day!

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was quite a show! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to this year’s show throughout the year - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did the show.

Sue Jennings' One Block Wonders at the Newark Quilt Show

Last weekend it was the Newark Quilt Show, the first of the year - and one that’s particularly a favourite of mine, not least because it’s just ten minutes up the road. This year I didn’t have a shopping list in mind, so forgoing my own advice, but I was happy to have a wander round before wandering round again and deciding what to buy - I’ll share more about what I left with in this month’s what’s new in my craft room post soon.

I did however know in advance that I wanted to do one of the workshops, choosing Shabby Chic Rosettes with Kate Crossley - and that meant I needed to be there early on so that I could claim my place in the first come, first served booking system. And mission accomplished, I’ll share more from the workshop in a separate post - but it was fab, and for a change I finished one of the rosettes there and then with another (still) to finish at home.

Getting there early also meant that I could wander around the quilts displayed and take pictures much more easily than later in the day as I discovered, and so I decided to make the most of that.

Today I’m sharing some stunning quilts, which are known as one block wonders. I’d heard of them, and seen a few but didn’t really know much about them until now. They’re quilts which as the name suggests use a single block, and that’s usually six repeating triangles joined to make a hexagon, using the same parts of a design from either several panels of fabric, or the pattern repeat.

It’s easy to see why they can be referred to as kaleidoscope quilts, but they also divide the quilting world though I’m not really sure why. As I said before they are stunning, though if truth be told I’m not really a fan of panels generally, but here how Sue has treated them may almost change my mind. I do much prefer the floral versions though, so maybe she won’t after all, but I can still appreciate the work and artistry that is evident in all of her quilts.

Sue Jennings began quilting about 13 years ago as therapy after a head injury and says she’s an ‘eclectic quilter’. When she first tried the One Block Wonder about seven years ago it wasn’t the happiest experience, but tried again about two years ago after seeing some lovely fabric, which was more successful as you can see.

WILD BLOSSOMS OBW, SUE JENNINGS

The fabric above - Wild Blossoms Ombre by Robin Pickens - is the fabric that inspired Sue to dip back into One Block Wonder quilts after the abortive attempt seven years before, and says ‘it was made by cutting strips then triangles from six repeats of the yardage’.

The fabric below is Brassica by Philip Jacobs, and Sue liked the yellow, blue and pink combination but could only find a small amount of the fabric. So not wanting to cut the peaks off the hexagons she added some solid fabrics at the top and bottom. Again, this was made by cutting strips then triangles from six repeats of the pattern.

BRASSICA, SUE JENNINGS

Sue then joined a Facebook group for these types of quilts which she says ‘opened her eyes to the possibility of using fabric panels instead of yardage’ to make these quilts. And those which follow here are my favourites (after the two pictured above) which were on display at the show, there were probably as many as I haven’t included and they were all stunning - I know I keep using that, but they truly were.

The mermaid below was her first attempt at a One Block Wonder from seven panels by Josephine Wall named ‘Call of the Sea’ and Sue says ‘this quilt had a steep learning curve’ - I’d say!

MERMAID, SUE JENNINGS

ARE YOU HAVIN’ A GIRAFFE 2? SUE JENNINGS

Sue has made two of these quilts, and it was the strong design on the panel and the saturated colours which attracted her to the panel by Rubin Design Studios. I also see the attraction to the strong colours, and somehow I think the approach of these quilts make them pop even more.

The Steampunk Raven is one of Sue’s favourite quilts, and it’s easy to see why - but she says she loves birds with attitude! Again it uses seven panels from Rubin Design Studios in Colorado. This was a great choice to show in Newark which holds two Steampunk festivals each year, and which we’ve not yet managed to get along to see firsthand, yet!

STEAMPUNK RAVEN, SUE JENNINGS

MYSTICAL PANTHER, SUE JENNINGS

The Mystical Panther panel is another from Rubin Design Studios, and the attraction for Sue here was the intense stare of the big cat. Sue treats her quilts as art, and they are intended to be hung on walls - and each of these made from panels would make a huge impact on your wall, wouldn’t they?

MYSTICAL ELEPHANT, SUE JENNINGS

The final quilt I’m sharing by Sue is another from a panel by Rubin Design Studios - I’m learning as I write this post that I’m also attracted to their panels, and that if I’m ever in Boulder, Colorado I should avoid their studios or else I might find myself with multiple panels and a plan for something similar!

For this quilt Sue has also changed the colour of the elephant’s eyes, as she thought ‘the orangey red eyes on the panel made the elephant look angry’ and no one needs an angry elephant on their wall do they, so she painted over them using textile colour. You’d never know would you?

They really are stunning, I’m still in two minds about the panel versions, but those two at the top of this post I’d happily accept one like that. I’m not sure I’m ready to make one though - my list is already too long, and I really don’t need another challenge just yet, but I guess never say never!