On occasions The Queen requires a stand in for her duties, for example during her annual trips to Balmoral to shoot Quilt Police with The Honourable FFiona FForde- Fffaaffingham - Fingummy. In order to facilitate her enjoyment of such potential 2012 Olympic sports, the Queen has appointed Lesley Hagon as Official Royal Quilting Buddy. The Queen wishes to add to her occasional attempts at humour a greater design and challenged based content to this site and as such the ORQB has been given a mandate to make an exhibition not only of herself but also of her challenge progress as and when it happens. Both The Queen and the ORQB hope you will join in with the game.
ORQB is not known for being backwards and as such she has in fact posted her post already. The Queen hopes that she will be welcomed as an occasional correspondent. In case any reader wonders what qualifications are required to become a ORQB, The Queen can confirm that her appointment came after she escorted the Queen onto the Festival of Quilts bus and entirely unselfconsciously uttered the words, "Oh, by the way, I've brought a spare bag for me to carry your shopping."
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Monday, 18 August 2008
Taking up the challenge
As Offical Quilting Buddy the responsibility of , advising on purchases, overseaing the viewing of exhibiting quilts, assisting in the transporting of said purchases and supporting the justification of making said purchases is taken very seriously. Duties are carried out with great enthusiasm and with much goodwill and joviality.
The Queen , in her generosity allowed the Quilting Buddy to make the first choice with regard to the contents of the Festival Challenge and inspiration struck as the royal personage and the non royal personage gazed at a quilt of blue. Fabric of a similar rich hue had been spied at Maggie Relphs stall , a favourite haunt of both and this was deemed a suitable start to the quilt play. The full content of the challenge is on now on display.
One event at the Festival must not be allowed to pass without comment. Mr Ricky Timms, a noted quilter from the New World (and a man!) was granted an audience with Her Majesty. She and the Official Quilt Buddy attended a dinner that allowed the said Mr Timms to entertain Her Majesty with his amusing tales of family life and tunes played on the pianoforte. The next day she gave him her time and attention whilst he outlined his working methods and new ideas that he has brought together under the title of Raphsody Quilts and having ascertained that August was Her Majesty's birth month presented her with a small gift of free subscription to his website .The Official Quilting Buddy was at great pains to assure Her Majesty, through gritted teeth , that there was no envy generated by this simple but thoughtful act, although in future the Official Quilting Buddy will ensure that her birthday also falls in future in whichever month Mr Timms identifies for rewards.
It must be said that Mr Timms was indeed honoured with Her Majesty's undivided attention, as the previous day Her Majesty had been forced to rest her eyes during a meeting with another quilter who failed to keep her suitably entertained. Attendance at classes held by Mr Timms are to be encouraged.
The official Quilting Buddy is now tasked with seeking inspiration in design. The search begins.
The Queen , in her generosity allowed the Quilting Buddy to make the first choice with regard to the contents of the Festival Challenge and inspiration struck as the royal personage and the non royal personage gazed at a quilt of blue. Fabric of a similar rich hue had been spied at Maggie Relphs stall , a favourite haunt of both and this was deemed a suitable start to the quilt play. The full content of the challenge is on now on display.
One event at the Festival must not be allowed to pass without comment. Mr Ricky Timms, a noted quilter from the New World (and a man!) was granted an audience with Her Majesty. She and the Official Quilt Buddy attended a dinner that allowed the said Mr Timms to entertain Her Majesty with his amusing tales of family life and tunes played on the pianoforte. The next day she gave him her time and attention whilst he outlined his working methods and new ideas that he has brought together under the title of Raphsody Quilts and having ascertained that August was Her Majesty's birth month presented her with a small gift of free subscription to his website .The Official Quilting Buddy was at great pains to assure Her Majesty, through gritted teeth , that there was no envy generated by this simple but thoughtful act, although in future the Official Quilting Buddy will ensure that her birthday also falls in future in whichever month Mr Timms identifies for rewards.
It must be said that Mr Timms was indeed honoured with Her Majesty's undivided attention, as the previous day Her Majesty had been forced to rest her eyes during a meeting with another quilter who failed to keep her suitably entertained. Attendance at classes held by Mr Timms are to be encouraged.
The official Quilting Buddy is now tasked with seeking inspiration in design. The search begins.
Festival Challenge products
Stage one of the Challenge is successfully completed - the shopping!
Despite splitting up at one point and secretly buying goodies for the other we both actually bought stuff that the other had seen and added to their own personal shopping list!
we have
1. One one half meter each of handdye from the Chicago school of fusing.
2. 5 FQs of African style fabric from The African Fabric Shop
3. One packet each of turquoise/ green thread and of brown threads from Oliver Twists
4. One half roll of lutrador
5. One pack of peacock green Angelina both from Ario
6. Two elephant buttons.
The Queen and her Quilting Buddy will post progress in due course.
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Festival game
The Queen invites you to play along with her new game. It is especially invented for anyone got to Festival of Quilts this week but can be played by anyone going to any quilt show anywhere or even at your local shop. All you need is a partner to play with.
The Official Royal Friend is Lesley and we will be playing by the following rules at Festival:
1. Establish a kitty to whatever value you can afford and a starting player.
2. The starting player chooses any product that catches her eyes as being irresistible. Fabric, paint, embellishments - anything. You buy one each from the kitty.
3. The second player chooses something equally irresistible to go with it. Kitty buys one for each of you.
4. Starting player chooses... and so on until the kitty runs out. That way you will probably get something you wouldn't have chosen to work with as a challenge but not something that is hard to use with your other materials.
5. Each of you go away and make a design of your own. Let the materials dictate what you do. We are going wall hanging sized with our kitty of £60. but you can agree terms of your own.
6. Set a reveal date where you surprise each other with how you interpreted the end results.
7. (And this is the important bit) enter your quilts in the next show you can. If you like explain the game in your description but the idea is that you had a whale of a time at a show that would not have existed if people didn't exhibit things, so its pay back time!
The Queen will reveal her ingredients post Festival and in due course (our reveal date is not set yet but is likely to be November) the end results. The Queen would love to see and post links to your results if you play along at any time in the future.
The Official Royal Friend is Lesley and we will be playing by the following rules at Festival:
1. Establish a kitty to whatever value you can afford and a starting player.
2. The starting player chooses any product that catches her eyes as being irresistible. Fabric, paint, embellishments - anything. You buy one each from the kitty.
3. The second player chooses something equally irresistible to go with it. Kitty buys one for each of you.
4. Starting player chooses... and so on until the kitty runs out. That way you will probably get something you wouldn't have chosen to work with as a challenge but not something that is hard to use with your other materials.
5. Each of you go away and make a design of your own. Let the materials dictate what you do. We are going wall hanging sized with our kitty of £60. but you can agree terms of your own.
6. Set a reveal date where you surprise each other with how you interpreted the end results.
7. (And this is the important bit) enter your quilts in the next show you can. If you like explain the game in your description but the idea is that you had a whale of a time at a show that would not have existed if people didn't exhibit things, so its pay back time!
The Queen will reveal her ingredients post Festival and in due course (our reveal date is not set yet but is likely to be November) the end results. The Queen would love to see and post links to your results if you play along at any time in the future.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Stash busting tips
The Queen is highly amused by LA Quilter's failing stash busting attempts recorded on her blog. This weeks tally:
Busted: 288.00 yards
Purchased: 554.75 yards
Net YTD: <266.75> yards busted
Clearly my citizens need Royal stash busting tips:
1. Re-calulate.
Switch to metric. 266.75 yards is only 243.91 meters. See- a much lower figure already.
2. Re-organise
Take every fabric in your stash that might go in a project you have on the go. Everything. So if you have eight pieces of potential backing and ten possible bindings gather them all up. Place them all together in a project box/sack/ car boot/ shed/ whatever it fits in. Bingo. Not stash anymore- a work in progress.
3. Re-deploy.
Put the fabric under the floorboards. Not stash anymore. Insulation.
4. Re-locate
Team up with another stash challenged buddy. Take a chunk of your stash to her house. Let her have it visit her for a while. We all like to pet and stroke fabric. She'll babysit for you. She'll even pet sit. You've got to bet she will stash sit. Of course you will have to reciprocate but you have to give her stuff back so it can never be amalgamated into your stash, now can it?
5. Re-define.
LA Quilter said,
"One thing occurred to me yesterday. I have always been so sentimental about my stash. I've cherished it like a beloved pet. Those FQ towers were way too pretty to actually use. The Robyn Pandolph closet made my heart go pitty-pat when I opened the door."
The Queen decrees that such fabric shall not be defined as stash. It was created by a designer who spent a lot of time paint and effort to get that end result. It is Art. Frame it. Display it on a plinth.
6. Remember
To pre-wash your fabrics. We know we should but do we? No? And why should we? Because if you take that fabric off the shelf and place in the wicker basket - bingo! Not stash anymore. Laundry.
7. Record
Fabric changes every year. Imagine what a social record of textile design is in your cupboard. Take a square of each and keep it in an album. Say you have 175 fabrics. 3 inches square of each is a reduction of - well, I have no idea, but I am sure it is some kind of reduction.
8. Re-position politically
Sign up to the Communist party. Now your stash doesn't belong to you. It belongs to all your comrades equally. Of course it is your duty to the People to store it.
If none of the above work stash can always be sent to the Queen who will give it a good home.
Busted: 288.00 yards
Purchased: 554.75 yards
Net YTD: <266.75> yards busted
Clearly my citizens need Royal stash busting tips:
1. Re-calulate.
Switch to metric. 266.75 yards is only 243.91 meters. See- a much lower figure already.
2. Re-organise
Take every fabric in your stash that might go in a project you have on the go. Everything. So if you have eight pieces of potential backing and ten possible bindings gather them all up. Place them all together in a project box/sack/ car boot/ shed/ whatever it fits in. Bingo. Not stash anymore- a work in progress.
3. Re-deploy.
Put the fabric under the floorboards. Not stash anymore. Insulation.
4. Re-locate
Team up with another stash challenged buddy. Take a chunk of your stash to her house. Let her have it visit her for a while. We all like to pet and stroke fabric. She'll babysit for you. She'll even pet sit. You've got to bet she will stash sit. Of course you will have to reciprocate but you have to give her stuff back so it can never be amalgamated into your stash, now can it?
5. Re-define.
LA Quilter said,
"One thing occurred to me yesterday. I have always been so sentimental about my stash. I've cherished it like a beloved pet. Those FQ towers were way too pretty to actually use. The Robyn Pandolph closet made my heart go pitty-pat when I opened the door."
The Queen decrees that such fabric shall not be defined as stash. It was created by a designer who spent a lot of time paint and effort to get that end result. It is Art. Frame it. Display it on a plinth.
6. Remember
To pre-wash your fabrics. We know we should but do we? No? And why should we? Because if you take that fabric off the shelf and place in the wicker basket - bingo! Not stash anymore. Laundry.
7. Record
Fabric changes every year. Imagine what a social record of textile design is in your cupboard. Take a square of each and keep it in an album. Say you have 175 fabrics. 3 inches square of each is a reduction of - well, I have no idea, but I am sure it is some kind of reduction.
8. Re-position politically
Sign up to the Communist party. Now your stash doesn't belong to you. It belongs to all your comrades equally. Of course it is your duty to the People to store it.
If none of the above work stash can always be sent to the Queen who will give it a good home.
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