Julia McLeod, quilt maker, teacher and author of Patchwork Luxe shares her tips and tricks for deconstructing a necktie.
Julia is an author and quilt maker specializing in making quilts from rescued textiles, particularly silks. Neckties, saris, kimono and furnishing fabrics all find their way into her quilts. Born and raised in England, Julia worked as a menswear textile designer in the woolen- and worsted mills of Yorkshire and Scotland, and later for a company on Savile Row, in the heart of London’s bespoke tailoring industry. She moved to New York City in the early 1990’s, and America has been her home ever since.
Julia McLeod’s book, Patchwork Luxe (from C&T Publishing) will help any quilter master the challenges of piecing patchwork with silk fabrics. If you’re a quilter with a stash of gorgeous silk fabrics from your travels; have a bundle of neckties from a retired or departed loved one, or have a precious garment that you just can’t part with, this book is for you! Bring those silk treasures out into the light and sew something beautiful!
Many quilters collect silk textiles but limit themselves to piecing with cotton fabric because cotton is so much easier to work with. Silk fabrics are prone to fray, stretch, and slip. They can be frustrating to sew when using conventional piecing techniques, yielding results that are poorly pieced, puckered, and covered in loose threads. With an emphasis on working with reclaimed textiles, Julia McLeod shares techniques that tame silk’s challenging qualities and let you create gorgeous silk quilts.
In Patchwork Luxe you’ll find:
• A brief history of sericulture, silk fiber and fabric
• Examples of the most common types of woven silk fabrics, where to source them and how to prepare them for piecing
• How to distinguish silk from synthetics
• Tips on cleaning silk fabrics and looking after silk quilts
• How to choose and apply fusible interfacing
• Traditional machine piecing with silks supported with iron-on interfacing
• Crazy piecing using Julia’s technique of pieces, pairs, patches and panels
• Fabric Foundation Piecing three ways; Drafting your own, using pre printed foundations, freestyle foundation piecing.
• Applique and reverse appliqué using silk fabrics
• 9 Projects that use the techniques taught in this book
• Luscious, inspiring photos of quilts made by Julia and her students
Buy your copy of Patchwork Luxe from C&T Publishing, your favorite quilt shop or online
bookseller
Join Julia’s mailing list by visiting juliamcleodquilts.com
Follow Julia on Facebook or Instagram at Julia Mcleod Quilts
Contact Julia if you’d like a signed copy mailed to you within the USA for $35 -
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