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Quilting and Patchwork by Alma Schwabe

27 October 2007

At the 27 October craft market, Alma Schwabe demonstrated some of her patchwork and quilting skills. She showed some techniques and a wall-hanging idea that is most useful during the Christmas Season.

Alma

with a backdrop

of  her

quilt designs

Detail of one panel 

Christmas quilt

Fun designs with fabric

Christmas theme

winter Christmas

Is there a

quilt in your

Christmas

stocking?

White Christmas

Alma's Story

Quilting remains a popular pastime of many artists who choose fabric, needle and thread to paint pictures in collage or impressionist vein, using patches of colour or designs, to create wall-sized images that carry all manner of messages, or are simply decorative and eye-pleasing

Alma Schwabe is one of the Country Craft Market's long-standing members. For over 20 years, she has been sewing quilts for her stall at this Southey's Vines event. "In this time", she says, "I have sewn hundreds of quilts."

Of course quilting is in a way a misnomer, as the real work goes into the design and sewing of the patchwork picture which is then layered with quilting material and backings. "My big quilting machine takes care of the final past of the job," say Alma, "the task of sewing the layers together in a quilt patterm."

Alma was a physical education teacher not more than 15 years ago, and admits that quilting is a far cry from her earlier profession. Alma's interest in quilting comes from the time, some 25 years ago, when her family lived in the USA. "Quilting is an enormous hobby in the USA, and I was soon introduced to this fun pastime."

Alma tell that the USA produces the best quilting fabrics. "Not only is the quality excellent, but the variety is endless" she explains. Also books abound and new ones are being published all the time. This resulted in Alma deciding to import fabrics and books from the USA, as the local supply was meagre and of lesser quality. She now holds large stocks at home from where she sells the fabrics and books as well.

Even after 20 years or more, Alma says she still loves quilting, and hopes for many more years on enjoyment from this interesting hobby.

At her demonstration, Alma showed a process to make a patchwork Christmas tree. "I cut fabric with a rotary cutter", she advised, "and then sew the strips together into a patchwork that forms a tree." She told us that this is a quick cut-and-sew method that produced good results in a short time.

Last Updated 19 October 2008 12:46