Journal Quilt 2009 February

I can really notice what a very short month February is. There does not seem enough time to fit in all my monthly commitments but at least I have my Journal Quilt finished. I actually started it at the same time as my January one but sewing on all those buttons took longer than I had expected.

These JQs are for the Contemporary Group of the British Quilters' Guild and we're doing them sized 6 x 12" this year (they can be orientated horizontally, vertically or a mix of both) and mine are dedicated to the Edwardian actress Marie Studholme

Quite a few years ago I met a fellow embroiderer with the last name Studholme and she collects silk postcards. When we got talking and when I revealed my passion for the pretty lady postcards from the turn of the last century she told me about her namesake and how she had been pictured on numerous cards. So as soon as I got home I checked my collection and discovered I had about 5 or 6 cards of her already.

Since then I actually search out her cards on Ebay and in antique shops and postcard fairs and to date I now have 133. And only very few doubles! She really was a very popular girl in her day (the early 1900's) and on the postcards you can see her often in the various costumes she wore to appear in Lady Madcap.

This is one such postcard which I have scanned into my machine and then digitally manipulated to make colour variations of it. These were printed onto Transfer Artist Paper (from Transfer Artist, by Lesley Riley) and ironed onto hand-dyed fabrics in the same shades. I love the fact that transfer paper allows you to print on already coloured fabrics and love the soft handle that this particular transfer paper maintains for the fabric.

The 3 different versions were stitched onto the red background and vintage (and I think very old) lace was added around the pictures as well as size 11 seed beads in matching colours. And then for some reason I felt this piece needed vintage buttons so I started stitching them on, and on....and on!!

Border has been done as for the January JQ, with transparent ribbon.