Kit or Miss
Published in Issue 23, June 2013
Reviewed and Written by Jangill Designs
This kit is supplied by Perfect Patchwork (www.perfectpatchwork.co.uk) who have both and a presence on WowThankYou (www.wowthankyou.co.uk).
First Impressions.
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| Amethyst Stained Glass Batik Wall Hanging KIT |
I saw this kit advertised at Craftfest (www.craftfest-events.com) and must admit to falling in love with it straight away. It’s just the colours I love and I have a soft spot for stained glass, which I thought this replicated really well.
I ordered on a Thursday lunch time, hoping to have it with me at the weekend. Sadly, it wasn't posted out till Monday and arrived the following day.
On opening, I was impressed with the quality of the fabrics, neatly cut to size. Backing fabric, wadding and binding were all provided, as well as embroidery thread, beads and charms for embellishing.
I was not quite so convinced with the instructions which had poor photography and were printed single sided on a sheaf of A4 paper.
Skill Level.
If you are happy using a sewing machine, then as a first quilting/patchwork project this would be a beginner level. As a general sewing project, it requires some knowledge and is therefore intermediate.
Getting Started
The main panel of the project is made up in a quick and easy method with no need to sew the pieces together. The shapes are traced off the provided pattern onto bondaweb which is then ironed onto the provided fabrics. The fabric provided was just enough, so care needs to be taken to make sure you complete this stage correctly. The pattern pieces are ironed on to a calico panel, then bias binding used to cover the joins and giving the stained glass appearance. Again, there was just enough binding.
The next stage is to baste the panel to the wadding and embellish. For me, this was the scary bit, because the only instruction was embellish as desired. The photographs were to poor to see any examples. However, once I got over the “fear factor”, I rather enjoyed doing exactly what I wanted.
Making Up
The next stage was to add borders, first a black one then a wider toning fabric. Both these stages were very straight forward. To finish a calico backing is added and the quilt bound at the edges with black fabric. This was the only time I had cause for concern with the fabric provided, as the pre cut pieces varied in width along the length, sometimes to less than the 2” required. A piece of calico was added while binding to provide for hanging.
InstructionsAlthough I managed to complete the piece, I found the instructions a disappointment. A set of numbered stages would have been helpful as I found it easy to lose where I was up to, especially as the pictures were in pairs and not numbered for easy reference. The quality of the pictures means that you can’t see the detail which would have helped to clarify the instructions. For instance when sewing on the bias binding, should one row down the middle be enough, or should it be stitched close to both edges?
Skills Learned
As I have never made a quilt before, or done any patchwork, this was always going to provide some learning opportunities. I was hoping to do some sewn together patchwork but this project uses a simpler method with the bondaweb. This is quite a common method for decorative items and saves a lot of time. The project does, however, introduce you to putting a quilt project together, including binding. The methods used are not the most advanced (no mitred corners for instance) which makes this a great beginner project. This is slightly at odds with the lack of instructions or examples for embellishing.
Value for Money
This kit cost £14.95 plus postage.
I was impressed with the quality of the contents and considering how well the finished item turns out, this is great value for money. You could obviously get all the components together yourself for less, but care has been taken here to provide beautifully compatible colours and designs of fabric. You also get the design and instructions.
Finished Item
I am quietly pleased with my first quilting attempt and I’m eager to do more, especially with some proper patchwork. The hanging looks great on my wall. Because the components were of good quality, the piece looks eyecatching and bears up under inspection.
Time to complete
Complete in a weekend without too much trouble.
Conclusion
Good points: Great quality components, good value for money.
Bad Points: Not informed that would not be posted for 3 days, instructions
Overall I really enjoyed this project and am keen to do more. If you don’t fancy having a go yourself, Perfect Patchwork sell completed hangings for a very reasonable sum.
We have heard back from Perfect Patchworks Flick who says..
“Constructive feedback is not only welcome, but invaluable as an opportunity for improvement, so thank you. I have taken on board your comments with regard the instructions (imagery has already been dealt with) but I will explore other improvements. The delay in posting the kit is due to the fact that all kits are cut to order, so apologies if this is not clear at the point of sale. I am delighted that you were pleased with the quality and value for money. Kind regards Flick (Perfect Patchwork)”
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