A Project That Takes Its Time
100 Days | 08
Stitching: Making a start on quilting my Raystitch Hovea jacket
This is a project that definitely takes its time.
It’s the collaboration I’m doing with Raystitch as a guest maker… oh my, it’s a dream! They gave me run of the shop to choose fabric and I can make anything I like with it. I have nearly fallen over with happiness several times.
Project: Megan Neilsen Hovea quilted jacket
Fabric: Bamboo silk, and a Ruby Star Society cotton for the reverse.
Bamboo Silk is the same cloth I used in Sewing Bee’s West Africa week for my episode-winning boubou, and obviously fell hard for it, so decided this had to be the main event. I think the Raystitch team were worried I might drool over the many bolts of cloth but I held it together and just spent hours stroking all the colourways and makes on the samples rail. It has such a nice handle, so soft and I decided I’d try a different kind of make this time.
A quilt project seemed like a good contrast to the floaty drape of my boubou, and I love the variations of the Hovea, so that was pattern decision made. But here’s where my hesitation instantly kicked in – how to quilt it? Machine or sashiko, close stitched or sparse and spread out? Making loads of little samples with different techniques helped me break the impasse by choosing some tiny, safe next steps. Low risk, max loveliness!
I absolutely love all these little patches and they really helped me sense which technique will be best for look and feel of the fabric. Sashiko stitching keeps more air and bounce in the layers, where machine stitching tends to squash it tight and it becomes a different beast. I think this is what I’ll go for:
It also helps the fabric play in the light more – so much more nuance and tone by creating this bumpy, ruffled texture.
Out of the machined options, the freehand onion shape pattern is my favourite but I think I’m going to follow through with the exact antidote to the speed-freak world of Sewing Bee, and opt for this by-hand method, and take as much time as I want to with it. Precious, precious work, and a real celebration of something so positive that came out of the Bee for me.
Today’s project – I’ve cut out the pieces with a wide margin, pinned together with bamboo / cotton batting, and am marking out lines to follow with needle and thread. I’ll just do this with silk and batting, then when it comes to adding the cotton reverse will probably use some knotting for that. I’ve found a better colour match embroidery thread and am using three strands at a time for my stitching.
All in all, I can’t wait to pour a huge amount of gentle love into this project. It doesn’t matter if it takes time – we have long miles of travelling ahead as we journey back from Ceps next week.
Plenty of comforting stitch therapy. That’s what’s inspiring me to stop being stuck now!
{ think about: }
The smallest, safest next step to help overcome a fear.
