Working with chintz in patchwork and other sewing projects.

Working with chintz in patchwork and other sewing projects.

Chintz has been used in patchwork since 17th century when it was imported from India.   I started using chintz in 1984 after receiving a commission from Charles Hammond Ltd and have been using it ever since.  Unlike craft cotton it is covered in a thin layer of resin creating a glazed effect.  The colours are vibrant and rich and slightly harder to hand sew.  Use a sharp fine crewel needle.  

Whilst chintz is a wonderful fabric to work with it does have its disadvantages.  

If you are buying chintz for the first time compare the glaze and quality from brand to brand, in general the more you pay the better your fabric.  Locate quality soft furnishing showrooms or curtain makers.  In past I have brought excellent quality end of rolls in markets but these finds are few. Buying online can be tricky, always ask for samples before committing to an expensive purchase. 

Try the rip test, the harder the pull the stronger your fabric.  Some chintz snags when you rip and I have found these brands to be inferior.  If the fabric rips easily avoid.   Compare density, richness of colour and general feel. Some chintz feels thin and fine but has high density weave and high in gloss, I have known these to be excellent quality.  Some chintz sold as cotton almost feels like polyester, so perhaps it is. Avoid sateen because it is more loosely woven.  In the past I have asked for chintz and been sold sateen, its something to watch for.  

If you are making an item that needs washing avoid red as it tends to bleed. Wash all your chosen fabrics first because chintz does shrink a bit and poor quality chintz looses its glaze.  Pre-washing is not necessary if making wall hangings or items that will not be washed.  The benefit being retaining the lovely shiny glaze.

Chintz is notorious for creasing these creases are very difficult to remove.  To an extent you can remove a crease by using the hottest iron setting, spray with a fine plant sprayer filled with water and not the sprayer on your iron.  If ironing strips of chintz hold the fabric taught and iron as you go along, this seems to help a bit.  If this fails camouflage, yes camouflage, there is always a way around it!

To camouflage a crease:  the simplest way is to run a straight machine stitch over the crease whilst the fabric is in one piece then use as per normal.  I love the extra texture this gives and also the surprise of seeing it blend into work.  If using small patchwork shapes I would not bother with this method, although if the crease becomes irritating hand embroider over it.  Another way is to machine couch wool over a crease.

So to summarise, look for a nice shiny glaze, a strong feeling texture with plenty of vibrant colour.  

good quality chintz

machine couch wool over a crease

Left: chintz patchwork. Right craft cotton patchwork

single line of machine stitching hides the crease

Do I need to spend time and money on a sophisticated website?

Do I need to spend time and money on a sophisticated website?

How much actual monetary value is gained spending time updating websites/social media?  I really wonder? My unsophisticated websites work fine, people email me,  can make purchases, phone to ask questions or arrange studio visits.  I achieve sales and people know where to find me.  Check these out if you are curious:  www.jackiewills.com,  www.patchworktemplates.com,  www.jackiewills.co.uk

The question is:  Do I want spend time updating websites and social media to compete with the latest trends, promotions and flood the airwaves with more images, hashtags and comments or spend the time working on textile art, pushing creative boundaries, accomplishing work which is dimensional, tactile and pleasing to some eyes.

I felt angst and pressure this morning returning from a refreshing sea swim thinking,  "should I be doing tech updates on social media/websites this morning when really I wanted to crack on being creative with my hands." Opening my studio door I found the answer glaring straight at me.  Pinned on my noticeboard was my first business card circa 1983, it is handmade, two hexagons are covered in fabric in the traditional hexagon patchwork format and hand sewn together, then sewn onto the card.  The background was crudely spray painted using a gold aerosol and the words are handwritten. This basic form of communication predates the internet, served its purpose perfectly as I remember people saying to me "oh, I will keep that, thank you."  Result, some 34 years later my work goes from strength to strength.

I think this answers my question.  No, I do not need to spend time and money on a sophisticated websites.  My basic websites will do very nicely indeed.   I would like to point out this is my personal view which works for me.  

Jackie Wills, first business card 1983.

Anonymous Chintz Patchwork Waistcoat by Jackie Wills

Anonymous Patchwork Waistcoat 

Last Saturday the postman delivered a large padded jiffy bag parcel with my name written in large felt pen, clearly not an online purchase!   I struggled to prise open the staples and peeped in side.  I could see a patchwork of strong chintz colours and embroidered thread, baffling but also a tad familiar.

The garment slipped onto the polished walnut table as I stared in silence and disbelief.   Yes, it was definitely a waistcoat  I created more than 20 years ago, inspired by the windows at Buckfast Abbey.

A beautifully typed letter slipped from  the garments folds.  Some of the words are reproduced below:

"Dear Miss Wills

We brought this waistcoat from you at an Exeter Cathedral Summer Fayre many years ago.  We couldn't bear to just give this to a charity shop.  It's a beautiful into which you clearly put a huge amount of time, effort, skill and devotion.  It's still in excellent condition so we are sending it back to where it will be still loved and appreciated.

With sincere thanks for this waistcoat and for the time it belonged to us.

Very best wishes

Anon"

Anon, if you read this I am sincerely touched and hugely overwhelmed by your gesture,  I will keep it and wear it myself as it fits a treat!  A happy reminder of past stitches, time and creativity.

Thank you.

Rotary Cutter and Cutting Base Rotary Mats. Do I need one?

Rotary Cutter and Cutting Base Mat.  Do I need to one?

This blog maybe a little controversial.  It is prompted by an email received from one of my customers this week.   In brief she was having difficulty using these tools to cut fabric.   The question was long winded and I spent some time drafting a reply.   Time took over and I decided to respond the following day.   Re-reading my draft in a different light after sleeping on her words, I realised my answer should be much simpler.  In short .... Dear Mrs T,   Do you really need to use a rotary cutter and mat for cutting fabric?

I came to this conclusion after thinking about my own experience with a rotary cutter and mat.   My first encounter with these tools occurred in 1990.   I was given a set by a lady whom I had been giving classes to in London.   A very generous gift at the time and I could not wait to try this new technology.  At the time  I had 20 sewing years behind me so using new tools was going to be revealing and possibly challenging.  I tried.  I tried many many times.  In short the rotary cutter scared me.  The exposed blade, just one slip of a finger, just seconds away from a wound.

Far easier to rip a strip of fabric and trim the edges with trusty safe scissors.   Twenty four years later and the rotary cutter remains in my drawer, through fault of my own, abeit a bit rusty.  The blade is still sharp.  I am sure one day I will return to it and with the aid of you tube video clips learn to use it properly, perhaps concluding "how did I manage without it".......  

The mat has been great, how did I manage pre-1990?     I currently have several laying around my studio.  Finding it hard to throw the original one out as it still has plenty of life in it yet.  Having a mat with inch grid and diagonal lines has been incredibly useful for all sorts of projects, mostly cutting stencils or paper using a basic craft knife.  The mat and cutter shown below are my gift from 1990.  Its true to say that the sewing technology of 1989 has survived. 

Create a patchwork quilt using large hexagons. Start with a spare curtain and design as you go. Part 1.

Create a patchwork quilt using large hexagons.   Start with a spare curtain and design as you go.

My last blog published a few days ago explained this would be my last hexagon quilt.   I would like to take this opportunity to show how to design a hexagon quilt without a pattern in mind.  On this occasion I am using a Laura Ashley Gosford Cranberry curtain measuring about 88" x 88".   I purchased two pairs for the bedroom, one window was smaller so split one curtain in half.  I hoped the spare curtain would make a bed throw but unfortunately it creased rather badly and started to irritate me.  Hence one of the reasons to make this matching quilt for the king size bed.

I want work to grow fast so I am using 10cm hexagons (each side measures 5cm).  I want the colours of the large flowers in the design to feature.  Designing cannot begin until I know how many large flower hexagons can be made from the curtain.

Place curtain on ironing board and iron.  Place a paper template over a flower and cut around giving at least 1cm seam allowance.   Its a large piece of fabric so I set a target of cutting 35 hexagons a day, and covered the paper templates with the cut flowers in the evening.   As a rough guide it took me about one hour to cover 30 hexagons.  Fortunately few distractions!

Keeping the remnants from the curtain for future use in the patchwork quilt.

Hexagon paper templates can be purchased from www.patchworktemplates.com if you do not wish to cut your own.

Part Two of the creation and design process will follow shortly.  Thinking ahead I have just remembered some fabrics that have been waiting for a project like this.  Must sort them out!