Journal Quilt 2009 December

Despite all my good resolutions I only finished my last Journal Quilt for this year today. And I do think myself that the JQs this year have not received the full attention they deserved from me. There is just so much to do, so little time to do it in, and my lists are getting ever longer so I have made the decision not to sign up again for the Contemporary Group JQs next year. I might still make them but I don't want to feel pressured about them. They are after all meant to be a pleasure, not a burden. Now all I have to do is try and control that clicking finger of mine!!

I've been making them solidly since 2004, and in some years I have even made more than one set for different purposes. In fact you can see one of my Venice JQs (the one featured in this blog's banner) in the most recent edition of the Fabrications magazine (issue 63) where it is advertising the upcoming travelling exhibit of Journal Quilts on the theme Travelling Tales, with Grosvenor Exhibitions. I love making them and have learned an awful lot from them and there is no doubt in my mind that you will see more on this blog, just not in an organized fashion.

The JQs this year were all dedicated to the Edwardian music hall actress Marie Studholme who features on a great many of my vintage postcards and the image you can see on this one is no exception. She was printed on organza inkjet fabric sheet (from Crafty Computer Paper) and for once I used Bondaweb to adhere her to the background (with additional stitching of course!). This was made of a brown furnishing fabric, quilted with a decorative machine stitch in variegated thread. I added lots of flower beads as well as flower decorations, vintage trim with pearls couched on top, brown lace, vintage buttons adhered with sequins and a size 11 seed bead.

I'm going to put all the JQs for this year together into one quilt and I wanted to have her name somewhere on the quilt so I have added it on this JQ and it will find its place in due course. Around the name size 11 gold seed beads were stitched on.

This quilt has a lot of dimension which meant I had to photograph rather than scan it. Hence you might not be able to see all the details that well. Apologies for that!!