*There is a great video tutorial on Lynette's blog demonstrating how to use the apliquick tools.
Sewing Friends is a pattern designed by Lynette Anderson, and combines her usual mix of applique and stitchery. I bought this kit from Coast and Country Crafts and Quilts, here in the UK and the kit contains the pattern, all the fabrics for piecing and applique (also designed by Lynette and are from her "Quilters Garden" collection), the beautiful painted buttons to embellish it with AND the embroidery threads too. I used a Micron Pigma pen to trace the pattern onto the stitchery background, fused a small piece of weaveline on the back, and I was ready to start stitching... ...I used a small wooden embroidery hoop to keep the background fabric taught. These hand painted buttons are the perfect embellishments... ...two of these mini-blocks also have applique, and my friend Teresa very kindly loaned me her apliquick rods to have a play with. I really haven't got to grips with needle-turn applique, and recently discovered the applique apaper and glue stick method with I found much easier. So I had a go with these rods, and quickly became addicted - so much so that I ordered my set from The Fat Quarters... ...once these mini-blocks were completed, I was able to get the main block pieced together. This kit uses this beautiful fabric range "Quilters garden" (also designed by Lynette Anderson). I used a fine embroidery thread in pale grey by Mettler for the piecing, along with a Schmetz Microtex size 60 needle for the piecing... ...then changed to a Schmetz Topstitch size 70 needle and an Aurifil thread 40/2 weight for the quilting. I changed the pattern slightly and made the back with an enclosed zipper, I used some extra "Quilters Garden" fabric for the cushion back and the binding... ...here it is finally completed with a nice plump feather cushion pad inside. This really is so pretty. I'm getting quite a collection of Lynette's cushions for my sewing corner - poor Mr F is worried that I may soon need a special sewing room all for myself! And my daughters are worried that the next time they come home from uni I might have taken over one of their bedrooms!!!
*There is a great video tutorial on Lynette's blog demonstrating how to use the apliquick tools.
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I was clearing out sewing corner, and found a few scraps of fabric left from a quilt that I'd made earlier in the summer (it was called "Down In The Garden" by Leanne Beasley). I'd already made a cushion for my sister with some of these scraps, and had just enough fabric left to make another one. I traced a stitchery design (also from the same quilt pattern) onto a couple of plain pieces of fabric, and then it all together randomly. The stitchery design was then completed by hand... ...the cushion top was layered with a muslin backing and a piece of Quilters Cotton Dream wadding (select weight) in between. This was quilted very simply with straight rows 1/2" apart, using my walking foot as a guide. I've used my favourite quilting thread for this - Aurifil 40 wt - and a Schmetz top stitch needle size 70. I really like the ribbed effect of the quilting, and the Aurifil thread is just wonderful to sew with. Once the quilting was completed, I added some machine-appliqued butterflies... ...the bodies and antennae were then added (this was done very simply with back stitch). A spotty binding finishes this off, hand stitched to the back of the cushion, and one of my labels is added to the back too. i really loved this pretty yellow Lecien fabric that I used for the top half of the cushion back... ...and here it is - another scrappy cushion completed!
I've been playing around with a selection of white and cream fabrics, and lace trimmings, and printing vintage pictures onto fabric (I always use EQ printable sheets that I buy from my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven). I made a scrappy log cabin block and added more fabric in random shapes and sizes until I had a piece that was approx 18" square. Once I was happy with the layout, it was layered onto a piece of muslin with some wadding inbetween (I used an off-cut of Quilters dream cotton wadding, select weight that was left over from another project) and spray basted the layers together using 505 spray. I quilted the layers together, and free motion quilted a large angular spiral on the log cabin block... ...once the quilting was completed, I machine appliqued the vintage picture into place, and stitched a few vintage buttons randomly. 3 rows of lace trimming were finally added. The front and back of the cushion were layered up, and the binding was added... ...I used 2 fabrics for the back of the cushion (I think this adds a bit of interest to the back, and like things that I make to look pretty on the back as well the front!) and used a concealed zipper as the closure. This looks really neat, and had a small label sewn into the side seam too... ...and here's the finished cushion. A plump feather cushion is used to fill this out. It was time for a quick photoshoot this morning, as it was raining when I finished this yesterday, then it needs to wrapped up for my baby sister who has a birthday coming up!
Last year my friend Lynette's son Eddie married his beautiful bride, Emma. I had started a very special gift for them soon after the wedding, using one of their wedding photographs, then I was distracted by other projects, until finally a few weeks ago it was completed. Initially a selection of vintage fabrics, lace and buttons were collected together. I'd printed the photograph onto an EQ printable fabric sheet (I buy packets of these from Quilters Haven). This project was quilted very simply with lots of straight rows using the quilt-as-you-go method. Some cream lace was added, and some vintage buttons from my button tin were used to embellish it... ...the back was made with some sepia-toned fabric depicting vintage ladies in their lingerie and also some fabric that had once been a Laura Ashley duvet cover (I'd had this as a wedding present many years ago and although it had seen better days, I was still able to put it to good use). A zipper is hidden under the flap, and one of my labels was added to the side seam before the binding was stitched into place... ...and here is the finished project - this was posted out to Emma a couple of weeks ago, and arrived safely in Australia in time for their 1st wedding anniversary.
Last year at the Festival Of Quilts in Birmingham I bought a gorgeous kit to make a cushion, The Orange Tree, designed by Lynette Anderson. The kit included all the fabrics needed (Secret Garden, also designed by Lynette, for Lecien) and a hand painted button to embellish the cushion. The front of the cushion was soon pieced together, and then I traced the design using a brown coloured Pigma Micron pen... ...I made a start on the stitchery while I was staying in Birmingham for this year's FOQ (I needed something to keep me occupied in the hotel in the evenings!) and it wasn't long before the stitchery part of the cushion front was completed. DMC embroidery threads were used for this project... ...next was the applique - I'm really not a fan of needle-turned applique, but I'd watched Lynette and Teresa using this applique paper at FOQ and thought I'd give it a try. I ordered this from Patchwork Chicks after I'd returned home from FOQ - the shapes were traced, cut out, and fused to the wrong side of the fabric. I used a glue stick along the edges of the fabric, then turned the fabric over very carefully. Lynette uses apliquick rods for this method of applique. A couple of dabs of glue held the shapes into place whilst I slip stitched them into place with a neutral coloured silk thread and finally embroidered the lintel over the door and the windows... ...the cushion front was quilted very simply (stitch-in-the-ditch was perfect for this) and the hand painted button was sewn on as a final flourish. I made the back of the cushion using the fat quarter that was included in the kit added with some fabric from my stash, as I prefer an opening with a zipper. Single-fold binding covered all the raw edges (I hope Lynette approves of my changes to her gorgeous design)... ...and here is the completed "Orange Tree" cushion - as you can see, it has pride of place in my sewing corner in the garden. I really have enjoyed stitching this, and can't believe how much I've enjoyed this method of applique too!
My daughter Alice is working for Lynette Anderson at the Festival Of Quilts again this year. The show is held at the NEC in Birmingham, and is on from Thursday 7th Aug through to Sunday 10th Aug. We're travelling to Birmingham on Wednesday, and I needed to prepare some hand sewing to take with me. Last year at the show I'd bought a lovely kit from Lynette Anderson Designs, called The Orange Tree, and as it was still waiting to be opened, it seemed like the perfect project to take with me this year! The kit contained the pattern and all the beautiful fabrics ( "Secret Garden" which was also designed by Lynette, for Lecien) to make the cushion, and a hand painted button too. Firstly the fabrics were cut and pieced together, then using my new light-box I traced the design using a fine Micron Pigma pen, then ironed a piece of fusible interfacing onto the back of the fabric. I just needed to add a few more sewing supplies to my sewing kit, some embroidery threads from my thread box, and it was ready to pack in my travelling bag. It's always useful to have some hand sewing to take on long journeys, and maybe when I'm having a rest from ohhhing and ahhhing at all the quilts, and shopping, and stopping off for tea and cakes with friends at the show, I'll sit and do a bit more stitching. If you see me you must stop and say hello ;
I've recently finished the quilt top "Down In The Garden" and had quite a few scraps left over, and decided to put them to good use to make another cushion. Using the "Butterfly Bouquet" stitchery pattern designed by Leanne Beasley, and the left-over embroidery threads from DITG I set to work. This pattern had an iron-on transfer as well as a traceable pattern. I've used this pattern a few times already, (I made a cushion for my mother-in-law and also one for my colleague, Emma, instead of a real bouquet of flowers!), but still managed to get another copy out of the iron-on sheet. This was much quicker than tracing it onto the background fabric... ...stitching early in the morning is my favourite stitching time, and it's surprising how much I can get done without any of the usual daily distractions. I was able to take this picture once the stitchery was complete in MY garden amongst the sweet peas (I ccould smell them while I was sitting stitching in the conservatory)... ...appliqued butterflies added the final flourish to this project. Scraps of fabric were then cut and pieced and quilted very simply. I used my favourite white Aurifil thread for this project, a Schmetz Topstitch needle, and a longer than usual stitch length. In no time at all I had a lovely textured piece, ready for the next stage of sewing. Wool wadding was used for this project, and it quilted absolutely beautifully. I used a piece of the feature fabric (Grandmothers Flower Garden by Rosalie Quinlan for Lecien) for the back of the cushion cover, and used a concealed zipper fastening. The cream fabric is left-over curtain lining, and was also used for the stitchery background too... ...I found a red/white spot fabric in my stash that was just right for the binding, and added one of my labels into the side seam - and hey presto - a new cushion! Here it is tucked among the plants in the garden. This is a present that will last a little while longer than a bouquet of real flowers, and is for someone special who really likes handmade gifts.
Well Alice is settling in at uni, but she's missing Jasper and he's missing her too! Anyway, she asked me if I could make her a cushion with a picture of Jasper on it - and of course I was happy to help out! I chose some fabrics that I'd bought from the Festival of Quilts back in 2011 and hadn't used, as I really didn't know quite what to make with them. I really love this "doggy newspaper" fabric! This photograph of Jasper was printed onto an EQ printables fabric sheet, and after soaking and rinsing and drying flat, it was ready to use. I quickly rotary cut some pieces of fabric, and started to piece them together, using the quilt-as-you-go method... ...I added one of my labels to the front of the cushion rather than the back, and stitched it through all the layers of the quilting. Then I added the binding - I cut strips of fabric 2.5" wide, and used the double fold method. This was machined onto the front of the cushion, and was hand sewn to the back using ladder stitch - here you can see the mitred corners... ...the back of the cushion is made with some more of the "doggy newspaper" print and black/white polka dot fabric. A clever flap covers the zipper - this is a smart technique, and one that I now use for all my cushions!... ...this is the completed back of the cushion, showing the binding too - I'm really pleased with this and hope Alice will be pleased with it when I give it to her later today, as I'm off to Norwich for a shopping trip, and we're meeting up for lunch! Oh and if you want to see bigger pictures of this cushion, just click on any of the smaller ones to enlarge them!
My husband's brother and his wife are celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary today, and so I've been rather busy making their present. I borrowed one of their wedding photographs from my mother-in-law, which I then copied onto an EQ printable fabric sheet, and gathered together a collection of fabrics and lace and buttons and set about making it... ...I made the cushion using the quilt-as-you-go method, and added an assortment of buttons - some of these were the ones my mother-in-law gave me, and then decorated the cushion with some lace fabric and lace trimming too... ...it always looks "sew" much better once it's filled with a nice plump cushion pad! I normally use feather ones, but this one is foam, and does the job just as well... ...then I inserted a covered zipper on the back and added one of my labels too. I then machined the binding into place, and hand finished this on the back. Then it was time for the photo shoot out in the garden. Happy Ruby Wedding Anniversary Stephen and Betty!!
It's Tuesday again and so it must be "Sew Cute Tuesday "- hosted on the Better Off Thread blog, you'll find lots of gorgeous crafty stuff - and each week Janice features her favourites from the previous week - and I'm really excited, as this week Janice has featured my "Sew Laugh Love" picture that I had completed!! Anyway, this week I'm adding a picture of the Memory Cushion that I made at the weekend - there are other pictures on my blog here that show this cushion in progress! Now I'm going to grab a cuppa and browse at all the other lovely "Sew Cute Tuesday" goodies - why don't you join me?
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About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! Archives
July 2023
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