Amelia’s Magazine | Silversmith me: Jewellery upcycling workshop at the Papered Parlour

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Echolocation
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

I cannot tell a lie: I went into Ada Zanditon‘s presentation with high hopes, order especially after I ran a huge pre LFW interview with her describing what to expect from new collection The Cryoflux.

Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

Ada Zanditon The CryofluxAda Zanditon A-W 2011
Ada Zanditon deep in conversation.

On entry to the On/Off space I was ushered towards already packed seats. Ada was deep in conversation on the front row but it was unclear what was going to happen until she urged those near her to get up and touch the clothes, arranged on a series of awkward mannequins across one half of the room. At which point everybody got out of their seats and descended on the area at the front, immediately blocking the wall just as her short film started playing. I looked at the clothes briefly, then tried in vain to watch The Cryoflux film over a sea of heads before leaving for another show.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux film faceAda Zanditon The Cryoflux film

This was a compact collection compared with previous seasons. Taking inspiration from the extreme climate in Antarctica The Cryoflux features plenty of complex pyramidal cutting, a technique for which Ada Zanditon has become well known. We have already run multiple images of the gorgeous orange red ‘flame’ wool coat, which picks up on a key colour theme for the next season, but the dominant colouring of The Cryoflux was icy blues, whites and a deep navy.

Ada_Zanditon CryofluxAda_Zanditon Cryoflux

My favourite piece was the stunning showpiece dress, replete with a layered waterfall of printed silk inspired by frozen ice formations. I was also struck by a particularly beautiful geometric necklace, another collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery
Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery in collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

We have been massive supporters of Ada Zanditon for several years now and we were blown away by her show last season. In short I really like Ada’s design aesthetic and ethical outlook… but I’m afraid that this proved to me once and for all that presentations are a difficult beast to get right. She had spoken of her desire for people to get up close and personal with the collection, which is all well and good, but journalists want good images, and it’s very hard for mannequins to provide this – pretty girls in pretty clothes will always win head and shoulders over a bony angled mannequin, however bony said girls are likely themselves to be. It felt as though this presentation was aimed at the needs of buyers rather than press.

As for the promise of a surprise when we entered the room, I still have no idea what this was, though other people have assured me that there was an ice sculpture in the room somewhere. I never saw it, thanks to the density of the crowd in attendance. Despite Ada’s protestations that this was the best possible way to showcase her A/W 2011 collection I left feeling sadly underwhelmed. Please bring back live models next season Ada!

You can read more about Ada’s views on sustainability here, and she does of course feature in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

I cannot tell a lie: I went into Ada Zanditon‘s presentation with high hopes, sale especially after I ran a huge pre LFW interview with her describing what to expect from new collection The Cryoflux.

Ada Zanditon The CryofluxAda Zanditon A-W 2011
Ada Zanditon deep in conversation.

On entry to the On/Off space I was ushered towards already packed seats. Ada was deep in conversation on the front row but it was unclear what was going to happen until she urged those near her to get up and touch the clothes, diagnosis arranged on a series of awkward mannequins across one half of the room. At which point everybody got out of their seats and descended on the area at the front, site immediately blocking the wall just as her short film started playing. I looked at the clothes briefly, then tried in vain to watch The Cryoflux film over a sea of heads before leaving for another show.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux film faceAda Zanditon The Cryoflux film

This was a compact collection compared with previous seasons. Taking inspiration from the extreme climate in Antarctica The Cryoflux features plenty of complex pyramidal cutting, a technique for which Ada Zanditon has become well known. We have already run multiple images of the gorgeous orange red ‘flame’ wool coat, which picks up on a key colour theme for the next season, but the dominant colouring of The Cryoflux was icy blues, whites and a deep navy.

Ada_Zanditon CryofluxAda_Zanditon Cryoflux

My favourite piece was the stunning showpiece dress, replete with a layered waterfall of printed silk inspired by frozen ice formations. I was also struck by a particularly beautiful geometric necklace, another collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery
Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery in collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

We have been massive supporters of Ada Zanditon for several years now and we were blown away by her show last season. In short I really like Ada’s design aesthetic and ethical outlook… but I’m afraid that this proved to me once and for all that presentations are a difficult beast to get right. She had spoken of her desire for people to get up close and personal with the collection, which is all well and good, but journalists want good images, and it’s very hard for mannequins to provide this – pretty girls in pretty clothes will always win head and shoulders over a bony angled mannequin, however bony said girls are likely themselves to be. It felt as though this presentation was aimed at the needs of buyers rather than press.

Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

As for the promise of a surprise when we entered the room, I still have no idea what this was, though other people have assured me that there was an ice sculpture in the room somewhere. I never saw it, thanks to the density of the crowd in attendance. Despite Ada’s protestations that this was the best possible way to showcase her A/W 2011 collection I left feeling sadly underwhelmed. Please bring back live models next season Ada!

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 EcholocationAda Zanditon A/W 2010 EcholocationAda Zanditon A/W 2010 Echolocation
Previous Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 collection Echolocation. Illustrations by Joana Faria.

You can read more about Ada’s views on sustainability here, and she does of course feature in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Illustration by Avril Kelly

There’s something about coming out of the Tube in an area where you’ve never been before. I realise this is an extremely London-centric point, buy information pills but bear with me – when you find yourself spat out onto a brand new street it’s like discovering a different city. But then you look up and see the familiar roundel and you know that yes, malady it’s still London. It’s interesting how so many of us seem to come to London to experience all the variety, only to entrench ourselves in one specific part of the city. Some (who, me?) may even develop a few prejudices about certain other parts of the city too, as if London were some sort of microcosm of the world … Actually that last bit’s about right, isn’t it. ‘There is in London all that life can afford,’ Samuel Johnson famously said, and it’s very true. But still, going all the way to Clapham on a Saturday morning? South London? Really!

But last weekend I went to Clapham for the very first time, because that’s where the Papered Parlour is and I’d been looking forward to their silversmithing class for weeks. I surfaced from the Tube at Clapham Common, curiously peeking around while the nice man with the coffee cart ground beans from scratch to make my espresso. The Papered Parlour is just up the road, hidden behind a plain door in a side street. Claire and Louise, the workshop’s founders, weren’t there, but my fellow would-be smithers and I were welcomed by Hana and our teacher, Caren Hartley.

Upcycled jewellery by Madi

Jewellery upcycling, or recycling of old items, was the theme for last Saturday’s seminar. We each poured out our bags of old, neglected jewellery, hoping Caren would be able to help us make something usable out of it. I’d brought two rings I was hoping to fix, having broken both of them within weeks of each other after having worn them every day for years. I’d also brought some broken brooches my grandma had given me, as well as a few other pieces I wasn’t wearing. Having just told the group we could not use heat on any item that wasn’t pure silver or gold, Caren shook her head at my beloved moonstone ring. ‘You can’t heat anything with a gemstone as it will break,’ Caren said. Araldite glue it is, then.

My mother’s old floral pendant also got the brush-off from Caren: ‘That’s pewter, it would melt before you could do anything with it.’ This is the main danger when working with old jewellery, as you haven’t made it yourself and hence you can’t be completely sure about the metal composition. Caren studied the pendant, curved and prone to annoying swinging, concluding: ‘You could flatten it, with the mallet.’ Mallet! I was expecting delicate tools, tiny adjustments and boiling frustration, but it turns out silversmithing includes plenty of hammer action.

Caren Hartley

The next few hours went by in a flash. After my mallet fun I got the little pliers and snippers, changing the broken grandma brooches into pendants. Rough edges were smoothed down with the metal files – silver is quite soft when you’re working with it. Silversmithing is also a surprisingly dirty activity, with the suds from my hands running black as I washed before the cake break. It can be dangerous too – judging by the fact they made us sign some sort of release before letting us use the saw.

The blue flame by Naomi Law

Halfway through the day we were introduced to the blowtorch, used not only to join pieces of metal together but also to prepare silver to be worked on. Heating up the metal to reach ‘the cherry red temperature’ loosens the molecules within the silver, Caren explained, meaning you can work on it. My main task with the blowtorch was to mend my ring, a little lady who wraps her legs around your finger. I’d got the ring half price at a craft fair nearly ten years ago, and worn it every day until the poor girl broke her leg. High street silversmiths haven’t seemed very keen on sorting this for me though, and now that I’ve seen how it’s done I can see why: it’s fiddly.

I put on the leather apron and the protective goggles, ready for the big moment. ‘Now, angle the flame away from me, as I will be holding the leg piece,’ Caren said as I lit the torch, wondering if she gets paid extra if a student maims her. But as the little lady turned cherry under the blue flame, everyone’s digits remained intact and the metal leg was back where it belonged. Okay, so it sticks out a bit more than it did before, but a little tap of the hammer and Bob’s your uncle.

Caren and Eva by Avril Kelly

I left the Papered Parlour with eight new pieces of jewellery, having altered or mended old things I either couldn’t or wouldn’t wear. My hands were aching as I counted up change for another espresso from the cart, about to go back to the familiar side of the river. As I stood on the platform waiting for my train, I absent-mindedly ran my thumb along the lady-ring. She’s back, and I fixed her all by myself.

Result!

The Papered Parlour is in Clapham: 7 Prescott Place, London SW4 6BS. For more information about the spring workshop schedule see our listing – there are more silversmithing workshops to come, plus printmaking, sewing, photography, quilting and how to make your own shoes. Also, the Papered Parlour is putting on two mini-festivals at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green this spring: ‘Ethical fashion in the age of austerity’ is tonight (3 March) and ‘It’s your write!’ is next month (7 April) – for more details see our listing here.

Categories ,Avril Kelly, ,Caren Hartley, ,Clapham, ,craft, ,jewellery, ,london, ,Madi, ,Naomi Law, ,recycling, ,silversmith, ,The Papered Parlour, ,Upcycling, ,workshop

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Amelia’s Magazine | Silversmith me: Jewellery upcycling workshop at the Papered Parlour

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 Echolocation
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

I cannot tell a lie: I went into Ada Zanditon‘s presentation with high hopes, order especially after I ran a huge pre LFW interview with her describing what to expect from new collection The Cryoflux.

Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

Ada Zanditon The CryofluxAda Zanditon A-W 2011
Ada Zanditon deep in conversation.

On entry to the On/Off space I was ushered towards already packed seats. Ada was deep in conversation on the front row but it was unclear what was going to happen until she urged those near her to get up and touch the clothes, arranged on a series of awkward mannequins across one half of the room. At which point everybody got out of their seats and descended on the area at the front, immediately blocking the wall just as her short film started playing. I looked at the clothes briefly, then tried in vain to watch The Cryoflux film over a sea of heads before leaving for another show.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux film faceAda Zanditon The Cryoflux film

This was a compact collection compared with previous seasons. Taking inspiration from the extreme climate in Antarctica The Cryoflux features plenty of complex pyramidal cutting, a technique for which Ada Zanditon has become well known. We have already run multiple images of the gorgeous orange red ‘flame’ wool coat, which picks up on a key colour theme for the next season, but the dominant colouring of The Cryoflux was icy blues, whites and a deep navy.

Ada_Zanditon CryofluxAda_Zanditon Cryoflux

My favourite piece was the stunning showpiece dress, replete with a layered waterfall of printed silk inspired by frozen ice formations. I was also struck by a particularly beautiful geometric necklace, another collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery
Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery in collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

We have been massive supporters of Ada Zanditon for several years now and we were blown away by her show last season. In short I really like Ada’s design aesthetic and ethical outlook… but I’m afraid that this proved to me once and for all that presentations are a difficult beast to get right. She had spoken of her desire for people to get up close and personal with the collection, which is all well and good, but journalists want good images, and it’s very hard for mannequins to provide this – pretty girls in pretty clothes will always win head and shoulders over a bony angled mannequin, however bony said girls are likely themselves to be. It felt as though this presentation was aimed at the needs of buyers rather than press.

As for the promise of a surprise when we entered the room, I still have no idea what this was, though other people have assured me that there was an ice sculpture in the room somewhere. I never saw it, thanks to the density of the crowd in attendance. Despite Ada’s protestations that this was the best possible way to showcase her A/W 2011 collection I left feeling sadly underwhelmed. Please bring back live models next season Ada!

You can read more about Ada’s views on sustainability here, and she does of course feature in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

I cannot tell a lie: I went into Ada Zanditon‘s presentation with high hopes, sale especially after I ran a huge pre LFW interview with her describing what to expect from new collection The Cryoflux.

Ada Zanditon The CryofluxAda Zanditon A-W 2011
Ada Zanditon deep in conversation.

On entry to the On/Off space I was ushered towards already packed seats. Ada was deep in conversation on the front row but it was unclear what was going to happen until she urged those near her to get up and touch the clothes, diagnosis arranged on a series of awkward mannequins across one half of the room. At which point everybody got out of their seats and descended on the area at the front, site immediately blocking the wall just as her short film started playing. I looked at the clothes briefly, then tried in vain to watch The Cryoflux film over a sea of heads before leaving for another show.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux film faceAda Zanditon The Cryoflux film

This was a compact collection compared with previous seasons. Taking inspiration from the extreme climate in Antarctica The Cryoflux features plenty of complex pyramidal cutting, a technique for which Ada Zanditon has become well known. We have already run multiple images of the gorgeous orange red ‘flame’ wool coat, which picks up on a key colour theme for the next season, but the dominant colouring of The Cryoflux was icy blues, whites and a deep navy.

Ada_Zanditon CryofluxAda_Zanditon Cryoflux

My favourite piece was the stunning showpiece dress, replete with a layered waterfall of printed silk inspired by frozen ice formations. I was also struck by a particularly beautiful geometric necklace, another collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery
Ada Zanditon The Cryoflux jewellery in collaboration with Luca Romanyi.

We have been massive supporters of Ada Zanditon for several years now and we were blown away by her show last season. In short I really like Ada’s design aesthetic and ethical outlook… but I’m afraid that this proved to me once and for all that presentations are a difficult beast to get right. She had spoken of her desire for people to get up close and personal with the collection, which is all well and good, but journalists want good images, and it’s very hard for mannequins to provide this – pretty girls in pretty clothes will always win head and shoulders over a bony angled mannequin, however bony said girls are likely themselves to be. It felt as though this presentation was aimed at the needs of buyers rather than press.

Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie
Ada Zanditon A/W 2011 The Cryoflux by Ankolie.

As for the promise of a surprise when we entered the room, I still have no idea what this was, though other people have assured me that there was an ice sculpture in the room somewhere. I never saw it, thanks to the density of the crowd in attendance. Despite Ada’s protestations that this was the best possible way to showcase her A/W 2011 collection I left feeling sadly underwhelmed. Please bring back live models next season Ada!

Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 EcholocationAda Zanditon A/W 2010 EcholocationAda Zanditon A/W 2010 Echolocation
Previous Ada Zanditon A/W 2010 collection Echolocation. Illustrations by Joana Faria.

You can read more about Ada’s views on sustainability here, and she does of course feature in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Illustration by Avril Kelly

There’s something about coming out of the Tube in an area where you’ve never been before. I realise this is an extremely London-centric point, buy information pills but bear with me – when you find yourself spat out onto a brand new street it’s like discovering a different city. But then you look up and see the familiar roundel and you know that yes, malady it’s still London. It’s interesting how so many of us seem to come to London to experience all the variety, only to entrench ourselves in one specific part of the city. Some (who, me?) may even develop a few prejudices about certain other parts of the city too, as if London were some sort of microcosm of the world … Actually that last bit’s about right, isn’t it. ‘There is in London all that life can afford,’ Samuel Johnson famously said, and it’s very true. But still, going all the way to Clapham on a Saturday morning? South London? Really!

But last weekend I went to Clapham for the very first time, because that’s where the Papered Parlour is and I’d been looking forward to their silversmithing class for weeks. I surfaced from the Tube at Clapham Common, curiously peeking around while the nice man with the coffee cart ground beans from scratch to make my espresso. The Papered Parlour is just up the road, hidden behind a plain door in a side street. Claire and Louise, the workshop’s founders, weren’t there, but my fellow would-be smithers and I were welcomed by Hana and our teacher, Caren Hartley.

Upcycled jewellery by Madi

Jewellery upcycling, or recycling of old items, was the theme for last Saturday’s seminar. We each poured out our bags of old, neglected jewellery, hoping Caren would be able to help us make something usable out of it. I’d brought two rings I was hoping to fix, having broken both of them within weeks of each other after having worn them every day for years. I’d also brought some broken brooches my grandma had given me, as well as a few other pieces I wasn’t wearing. Having just told the group we could not use heat on any item that wasn’t pure silver or gold, Caren shook her head at my beloved moonstone ring. ‘You can’t heat anything with a gemstone as it will break,’ Caren said. Araldite glue it is, then.

My mother’s old floral pendant also got the brush-off from Caren: ‘That’s pewter, it would melt before you could do anything with it.’ This is the main danger when working with old jewellery, as you haven’t made it yourself and hence you can’t be completely sure about the metal composition. Caren studied the pendant, curved and prone to annoying swinging, concluding: ‘You could flatten it, with the mallet.’ Mallet! I was expecting delicate tools, tiny adjustments and boiling frustration, but it turns out silversmithing includes plenty of hammer action.

Caren Hartley

The next few hours went by in a flash. After my mallet fun I got the little pliers and snippers, changing the broken grandma brooches into pendants. Rough edges were smoothed down with the metal files – silver is quite soft when you’re working with it. Silversmithing is also a surprisingly dirty activity, with the suds from my hands running black as I washed before the cake break. It can be dangerous too – judging by the fact they made us sign some sort of release before letting us use the saw.

The blue flame by Naomi Law

Halfway through the day we were introduced to the blowtorch, used not only to join pieces of metal together but also to prepare silver to be worked on. Heating up the metal to reach ‘the cherry red temperature’ loosens the molecules within the silver, Caren explained, meaning you can work on it. My main task with the blowtorch was to mend my ring, a little lady who wraps her legs around your finger. I’d got the ring half price at a craft fair nearly ten years ago, and worn it every day until the poor girl broke her leg. High street silversmiths haven’t seemed very keen on sorting this for me though, and now that I’ve seen how it’s done I can see why: it’s fiddly.

I put on the leather apron and the protective goggles, ready for the big moment. ‘Now, angle the flame away from me, as I will be holding the leg piece,’ Caren said as I lit the torch, wondering if she gets paid extra if a student maims her. But as the little lady turned cherry under the blue flame, everyone’s digits remained intact and the metal leg was back where it belonged. Okay, so it sticks out a bit more than it did before, but a little tap of the hammer and Bob’s your uncle.

Caren and Eva by Avril Kelly

I left the Papered Parlour with eight new pieces of jewellery, having altered or mended old things I either couldn’t or wouldn’t wear. My hands were aching as I counted up change for another espresso from the cart, about to go back to the familiar side of the river. As I stood on the platform waiting for my train, I absent-mindedly ran my thumb along the lady-ring. She’s back, and I fixed her all by myself.

Result!

The Papered Parlour is in Clapham: 7 Prescott Place, London SW4 6BS. For more information about the spring workshop schedule see our listing – there are more silversmithing workshops to come, plus printmaking, sewing, photography, quilting and how to make your own shoes. Also, the Papered Parlour is putting on two mini-festivals at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green this spring: ‘Ethical fashion in the age of austerity’ is tonight (3 March) and ‘It’s your write!’ is next month (7 April) – for more details see our listing here.

Categories ,Avril Kelly, ,Caren Hartley, ,Clapham, ,craft, ,jewellery, ,london, ,Madi, ,Naomi Law, ,recycling, ,silversmith, ,The Papered Parlour, ,Upcycling, ,workshop

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Amelia’s Magazine | Contemporary Patchwork and Quilting at Papered Parlour with Cassandra Ellis

Papered Parlour-Quilting class
Papered Parlour fabric blooms at the Quilting class. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Since I went to the fantastic V&A quilting exhibition last year I have become somewhat fixated on learning to quilt myself – god knows when I will find the time to actually create said quilts, buy but I’m a major hoarder so I have bags and bags of scrap fabrics lurking in my cupboards just yearning to be given a creative use… the result of encouragement from my mother to make my own clothes during my teenage years. She too has bags and bags of fabric stashed in her loft. Thus it was with some excitement that I enrolled on one of the Papered Parlour quilting workshops, which have been selling out super fast in these thrifty times.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class
Papered Parlour-Quilting class
Papered Parlour-Quilting class

The Papered Parlour HQ is located on a characterful side road just off Clapham High Street, far from the trendy hustle and bustle of east London. It’s a haven of creative inspiration with vast skylights flooding the premises with sunlight. The Papered Parlour Contemporary Patchwork and Quilting courses are run by Cassandra Ellis, a former interiors stylist from New Zealand, long settled in the UK, and currently making a living from her quilting obession. She sells in Liberty and Anthropologie and is available for personal commissions.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class
Papered Parlour-Quilting class
Louise serving tea when we arrived.

Cassandra doesn’t adhere to the modern school of quilting, which demands high prices for complicated patterns and carefully pre-selected rolls of brand spanking new fabrics. She instead encourages the time honoured approach of upcycling fabrics that can be found lurking somewhere in most homes, so all participants were asked to bring along our own fabric scraps. I had a good old rummage and brought along a nice selection of brightly patterned fabrics, the remains of mine and my mother’s dressmaking during the late 80s. I can still remember each dress, so they bear a lot of significance for me, and well reflect my tastes, which as you might be able to predict veer somewhat towards the colourful and highly patterned.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
Cassandra Ellis

On arrival at Papered Parlour we were all treated to a lovely cup of tea in a pretty vintage teacup, then Cassandra sat us around the large table and introduced us to the basic quilting equipment: a cutting mat, ruler and the all important rotary cutter. Moving around the room we all told stories about the fabrics we had brought with us.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis

One lady had brought a remnant from her wedding dress and the shorts she had been wearing when she gave birth to her first child: the combination of cream embroidered silk and denim sweatshirt material making for an interesting patchwork effect. Another had ambitions to finish off a quilt that her nan had been making and one had brought a shirt that she had bought with her husband on honeymoon, which she laughed that he had since grown out of. Apparently a woman at Cassandra’s class once incorporated a bra into her quilt, and she has also been asked to make a quilt from the clothes of a deceased child, which must have been an emotional project to work on. Another lady with a terminal illness attended her class intending to make a quilt as a last gift for those she loved.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
Rotary cutter and cutting mat.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis

Cassandra laughed that most people plan to make their first quilt for a friend but often end up keeping it… although they all have to be passed on one day. She also pointed out that even when the same fabrics are used it’s scary how indicative of ones personality a quilt is. Without even realising it my quilt reflected similar colours to the clothes I was wearing on the course, a phenomena that often happened when I was creating print designs at college.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis

Cassandra’s aim is to reclaim the art of quilt making as intuitive and non frightening… so we were all presented with easy to follow block patterns (the smaller more manageable parts that make up a whole quilt) to start playing with. Soon enough everyone was knee deep in fabric samples, some of which were provided by Papered Parlour, purchased from a local store called Fabrics Galore that sells Liberty ends of roll. Cassandra helpfully advised those nervous about their colour choices, but naturally I got stuck straight in and was soon buzzing out multiple blocks on my sewing machine.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis

Halfway through the afternoon we stopped to enjoy a delicious old fashioned sponge cake encrusted with lots of fresh berries from Cakesisters of Clapham Common: perfect sustenance for the busy creative bee.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
Choosing my fabrics and putting them together. I could tell you a story about almost every one… that blue one at the bottom with the ditzy pattern is an off-cut of a dress I made when I was 17 to attend my aunt’s wedding. Or now I come to think of it… did my mum make it for me?

One man at a previous quilting class was so excited that he whacked out multiple quilt blocks before being hit by a truck cycling home. Luckily my own hasty output did not predicate the same outcome, though said fella was by all accounts pleased to be kept off work, enabling him to finish his quilting project. Myself? I hope to make my four colourful blocks into a big square pillow… but who knows when I will find the time…

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis
My final four blocks.

Cassandra Ellis was an excellent and inspiring tutor and the Papered Parlour the perfect place to kickstart what I hope will one day become a proper quilting hobby. If you too would like to make the most of your fabric scraps then make sure you enrol for the next batch of Papered Parlour classes, which are sure to book up just as fast as the current ones. Follow the Papered Parlour on Twitter for updates. Check out Cassandra Ellis on her Haven Workroom blog.

Papered Parlour-Quilting class Cassandra Ellis

Categories ,Anthropologie, ,Block Patterns, ,Cakesisters, ,Cassandra Ellis, ,Clapham, ,craft, ,Cutting Mat, ,Fabrics Galore, ,Haven Workroom, ,Hobby, ,liberty, ,New Zealand, ,Papered Parlour, ,Patchwork, ,Quilting, ,Quilting Class, ,Quilts, ,Rotary Cutter, ,Upcycling, ,va, ,Wedding

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