Sue Spargo's "Folk-tails"!

Earlier this year I worked on a  woolen quilt for a client, the pattern taken from Sue Spargo's Folk-tails, which was published this summer. 

All 119 pages not only give the patterns for what you're about to see - they also delve into Sue's love of Africa, and are complete with African folk-tale short stories. 

I hope you enjoy the 'before and after' pictures of this incredibly appliquéd, layered and embroidered woolen quilt.

The "before" pictures:   Try to soak in all the beautifully handcrafted work!

I cannot imagine the hours and hours and hours it took to create this piece. Click on each photo to zoom in on the embroidery, the vivid colors chosen, and the lively theme.

I have to admit that from a longarmers' perspective, the quilting design of a 100% woolen quilt can be overwhelming. However, if two ground rules are followed, design is simplified and appropriate.

1) Try to avoid quilting through embroidery whenever possible (on woolens and any quilt having embroidery)...

2) On woolen appliquéd pieces, try to minimize quilting onto layers. The quilting focus is to use background stitching as a complement to the quilt, and to stitch around what has been appliquéd. Larger areas will certainly need stabilizing/defining, but as a general rule, stay off heavily hand-stitched appliqués, such as have been used in this quilt. 

You can see the quilting challenge! It is a thrill to consider designs...

Did I succeed with my ground rules?  The 'after' pictures follow with commentary by the author, Sue Spargo, on what inspired her to create this wild, woolly quilt.

  Africa is deeply embedded in my soul. 

 Childhood memories continually fill my mind…

...the beauty of the land that is rich with wildlife and wild land.

I can feel the hot African sun and dry breeze on my skin, the warm, rough sand beneath my bare feet...

...the smell of the bush veld — dusty and dry and filled with the scent of the animals that live there. 

 

I can see the sky so clear and so blue. 

Nightfall brings a massive river of shimmering stars that span the sky. 

Masses of tall grasses camouflage the seemingly endless numbers of animals that live there. 

The land is spotted with dense clusters of trees; the bare branches of the Baobab look like roots extending to the sky. 

I hear the songs of a thousand birds during the day...

...and the silence of a pitch black night is at times broken by the roar of a lion which shakes my body and cuts straight through my soul.   

To start on your Folk-tails project, go to http://www.suespargo.com/store-detail.php?cat=12.  You can also order the kit.

What an intense pleasure it was to quilt!