Last year I started this BOM "Down In The Garden" by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley. Lots of techniques were used to complete Block 1 and I am so thrilled with it!! Piecing mini blocks, fussy cutting, more piecing to make the large block, stitchery, stitchery and MORE stitchery, and my first time of using Cottage Garden threads - hand dyed stranded cotton, already cut into lengths and absolutely divine to sew with!... ...well I really enjoyed the stitchery, but put off doing the rest for several months. These mini-dresden plates were a bit tricky (I'd never actually made a dresden plate before, so turned to my very crafty sister for some expert help). I didn't really like the middle discs as per the pattern, so made some Suffolk Puffs instead, and this was secured into place with a dab of Roxanne's basting glue before being stitched down.The applique hearts have been sewn into place with a very small slip stitch using a neutral coloured silk thread...... ...this really does look so pretty - goodness only knows why I didn't prepare these dresden plates and hearts last year. Although the first one took a little while to master, I decided to get the other 3 made while I still had my machine threaded! Now to get the butterflies on Block 2 stitched into place!
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Well I really couldn't resist opening the packet of Block 3 of "Down in the Garden", designed by Leanne Beasley. I'd bought this BOM a few years ago and finally made a start on it a few weeks ago. I've already completed the stitchery on Block 1 and Block 2 but haven't yet done the applique (hearts and mini-dresden plates and butterflies). After sorting out the fabrics, I traced the stitchery blocks with a Pigma pen size 01 (this is a permanent pen so you do need a very steady hand). Then the mini blocks were pieced together with a churn dash block that had already been prepared (4 of these were made at the beginning, with Block 1) and finally a piece of stabiliser was ironed to the back of the block. It's now ready for the stitchery and I'm using DMC threads for this.
Well stitching Block 1 was a dream - the mini blocks pieced together easily, I'm really pleased with the stitchery and I've just got the applique left to do. I decided that as there a few hearts and mini-dresden plates and butterflies to applique onto this quilt, I'd make them up en-masse, and hope to do that very soon. Meanwhile, I was really enjoying the stitchery, so made a start on Block 2 and it all started off so well. I was stitching the 2 small bluebirds, and had problems with satin stitching one of the beaks. I just didn't seem right, and so I very carefully unpicked it. The second time it was even worse! So again, I tried to unpick it very carefully - except that I wasn't careful enough and ended up with a hole in my fabric!! Disaster!! I thought I could make it better, so I poked the frayed threads through to the back of the block, and fused another small piece of interfacing to the back of the stitchery, and redrew a larger beak and started stitching - but the threads frayed even more and it looked worse than ever! Even BIGGER disaster!! Honestly, I was getting a bit niggly. So there was nothing for it - the mini block itself had to be unpicked and I cut a new piece of fabric, traced the design on it and VERY CAREFULLY stitched those beaks. (I bet Leanne Beasley doesn't have these problems!) However, things still weren't going to plan. When I laid Block 1 and Block 2 next to each other I realized that I'd used the same fabric for two pots of herbs - one in Block 1 and one in Block 2 - that would be next to each other!! I can tell you by now I was REALLY niggly!! Well I decided that I would always notice it (even though my friends said it looked ok!!) and unpicked THAT mini block too. Phew!! Anyway, the stitchery is nearly complete, and then I can make a start on block 3. After I've made some applique pieces of course!!
Block 2 of "Down In The Garden" is all prepped and ready to go! I struggled a bit with block 1 when I was tracing the stitchery design, then I remembered that when I did "Butterfly Garden" a few years ago, I traced the stitchery on the small blocks before I joined them together - so that's what I did this time, and found it so much easier! Then I pieced all the mini-blocks together, ironed the fusible interfacing onto the back of the whole block, and I was ready to start stitching! .
Well just look what I've got here to play with!! A few years ago (2010) I ordered this beautiful BOM from an online quilt shop called Buttonberry - they have sadly closed down, but they did stock the most amazing patterns by those wonderful Australian designers that I am so fond of! This one is called "Down In The Garden" and is by Leanne Beasley. Each month a parcel arrived wrapped in tissue paper with a lovely letter from Emma and Lisa (I do miss those Buttonberry girls! Emma and Lisa also included a little treat with the letter too - I really used to look forward to these parcels arriving every month!) and inside, tied up with pretty red ribbon was the pattern and fabric and stitchery stabilizer - everything you needed to complete each block..... .....as well as the patterns and fabric, I had been sent the fabric for the borders and the binding and even all the skeins of DMC embroidery thread. So there was nothing to stop me from making a start! Unfortunately at the time I was really busy stitching my other Leanne Beasley quilt, "Butterfly Garden" so DITG was put away each month. And that was 3 years ago. Well I've been catching up with all my unfinished projects with the "Tour de Fibre" group, and it was about time I started something new. I love stitchery, so this seemed the perfect "new" project!..... .....some of the fabric in this kit is "Grandmother's Flower Garden" by Rosalie Quinlan for Lecien and you know how much I like Lecien fabrics!! I pieced the main part of the block together, and then traced the stitchery design over the top. I use a Pigma permanent pen for this, and usually use a pale brown colour. 2 strands of embroidery thread will cover this, but you do need a steady hand. Once the stitchery design was traced, I then ironed a soft lightweight fusible stabilizer to the back of the block (this was all included in the kit too!) and then I sorted out the embroidery threads into a small portable case, as I'm going to take this with me to Birmingham. I'm hoping to do a little bit of stitchery in the evenings while I'm in the hotel to pass away the time. I'll show you how much progress was made when I get back!
Time for another "oldie" - this wall hanging was made in 2008, and is a pattern called "A Patchwork Village" by the Australian designer Rosalie Quinlan - and is a mixture of both patchwork and stitchery..... ...this was purchased as a kit from an online store called Buttonberry (sadly now closed down - Emma and Lisa sold the most fabulous Australian patterns, and it was where I got hooked on Aussie patterns and stitchery!). This shows a close-up of one of the 9 stitchery blocks. This was machine quilted by me, very very simply, using the "stitch-in-the-ditch" technique with a white Mettler quilting thread. This wall hanging has been folded away for far too long - I really need to display this on one of my walls as it is so pretty!
A couple of years ago I started this quilt "Tail Feathers" by Australian designer Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches fame. I'd bought this as a block-of-the-month kit from Buttonberry, (an online store that has since closed down) simply ages ago. This involved lots of piecing - it was made with a Honeybun (Patisserie by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda) lots of applique and lots of embroidery with varigated threads. Anyway, it wasn't going to be a quick quilt to make, and I finally finished the quilt top in the summer of 2010. It was left folded in a box, as I really did not know where to start in machine quilting it. It really was a project that was quite beyond me!... ...then I discovered Janette, who has a longarm quilting machine - and she has woven - or should that be quilted - her magic and made a beautiful quilt absolutely stunning. We chose the quilting design "Debs swirls" for this quilt, which reflects the swirls of the birds tail feathers and the round curves of their bodies. Janette chose a soft yellow coloured thread that has blended beautifully across the muted colours of this fabric, and the design leaves the quilt with a lovely texture... ...here I am slaving away attaching the binding - I used more of the Patisserie fabric for this, having already chosen an extra wide cream tonal fabric for the backing (Aster Manor, by 3 Sisters for Moda).... ...and finally the binding has been slip-stitched into place by hand. I've also hand embroidered a label for the back. and added a quilt sleeve for hanging it too. Do you know, I am so thrilled with this quilt - it looks absolutely FAB-U-LOUS!!
This was started a long time ago - back in February 2008. I'd bought this as a block-of-the-month kit from Buttonberry, (an online store that has since closed down) simply ages ago. This is a design callled Butterfly Garden, and was designed by Leanne Beasley. I had originally attached the flowers and hearts with needle-turn applique, but apart form the butterfly it looked disastrous!! It was put in a cupboard, and every month the next block arrived, but ...I'd lost my mojo for it!! Last year my FB friends May Britt and Hanne had made a challenge with each other to complete a mini block each week, and May Britt invited me to join them!!..... .....I painstakingly unpicked the applique, and decided to use a lightwight steam-a-seam to attach the shapes, and completed the applique with my sewing machine, using a buttonhole stich and a different coloured thread to match each piece of applique!! .....I finally finished the quilt top in the summer of 2010, when I decided it was quite beyond me to attempt to quilt this darling, so it packed back in it's box yet again..... .....then HORRAY!! I discovered Janette, who was able to work her magic with her longarm quilting machine, and hey presto! She brought this quilt to life..... .....she picked a silver thread which blended beautifully across the pastel colours of the quilt - and used the Hearts in Bloom quilting pattern for this one, which picks out the hearts and flowers perfectly..... .....I machined the binding into place on the front of the quilt, then hand-sewed the binding to the back. The red binding fabric is the same one as some of the appliqued butterflies and frames the quilt beautifully. Glad I've got some nice sharp needles for all this hand sewing!..... .....drum roll pleeeease - here we are - Butterfly Garden completed at long last! Thanks Janette - you have worked wonders on this quilt! Whilst searching through my stash for something suitable for making Christmas presents, I found some fabrics that I had bought last year and had forgotten all about!!! Firstly some "Figgy Pudding" by BasicGrey for Moda yardage from Buttonberry... ...more fabric from Buttonberry and more "Figgy Pudding" - 4 Charm packs (enough to make a decent size quilt) and lastly, even more Charm packs - this time it's "Merry and Bright" by Sandy Gervais for Moda, from The Bramblepatch.
Last year I started a BOM called "Tail Feathers" by Cinderberry Stitches. Every month it arrived from Buttonberry beautifully wrapped in tissue paper with a neat little gingham ribbon tied around it - well, I made an impressive start and each month completed the block before the next one came and things were going great until month 5 - I sort of lost my sewing mojo, and then every month the packages were put away in a box..... in August I dusted them off, and decided to get on with it - here is the centre block - a mixture of piecing, appliqué and embroidery. And here is the finished quilt top - the fabric used is "Patisserie" by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda. Now to get it quilted!! I made the most of the autumn sunshine this morning to get this photographed :)
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July 2023
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