This pattern, Welcome Home Pillow by Lynette Anderson Designs was purchased several years ago from Cross Patch here in the UK. I've used a piece of background fabric from my "Lynette" box of fabrics for the stitchery. A piece of lightweight interfacing has been fused to the back, and the design traced using a lightbox and a Micron Pigma pen with a very fine nib - my favourite is size 005 in a pale brown colour. I'm using a selection of DMC straded embroidery threads, in colours that were suggested in the pattern, with just a couple of substitutions. I always use a wooden hoop for my hand embroidery, to keep the fabric taut. This pattern uses very simple embroidery stitches, mostly back stitch, cross stitch, lazy daisy stitch. These sheep are filled with Colonial knots (I find these asier than French knots) which makes them look very woolly... ...the house, with it's embroidered veranda and windows, is hand appliqued into place. I've picked out 3 fabrics from Lynette's High Meadow Farm collection for the patchwork squares - these have been in my stash for several years so it was about time I put them to good use. These were also purchased from Cross Patch way back in 2017 as a bundle of fat eighths - they'd been packed away in one of my "Lynette" boxes of fabrics, and when I toook part in the Declutter Challenge earlier this year they were rediscovered - and this was the perfect project for them... ...the patchwork squares were machine pieced together and machine quilted using a dark green Aurifil 40wt thread. I've used a piece of fusible Vlieseline H630 for the wadding, that was leftover from a previous project. The embroidered panel was then pressed on a wool pressing mat with a warm iron, and hand appliqued into place on top of the quilted pillow front. I've used one of the feature prints from the High Meadow Farm collection for the back of the cushion - this has been lined with another print that was included in the bundle of fat eighths. As you can see, I've used the same neutral patterned fabric for the top half that I used for the stichery panel on the front of the cushion, and I've hand embroidered the name of the pillow, Welcome Home, along with my name... ...once the back and front were assembled with a zipper fastening, I've added a narrow double fold binding to cover all the raw edges. After machining this to the front of the cushion, the binding was then folded over to the back, and stitched in place by hand using a ladder stitch. I do love a stripey binding! This was constructed using a different method to the one in the original pattern, as I like to be able to remove my covers incase they need to be laundered... ...and here's my completed Welcome Home Pillow - I've filled it with a soft feather pillow. I always use pillow forms that are a couple of inches bigger than the size of the cover, to keep it looking plump. I'm hoping the recipient will enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed making it!
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Another quilt top that has been waiting to be quilted since the summer of 2023, is this pretty design by the Australian designer Lynette Anderson. This was originally purchased as a kit back in 2018 from Cross Patch - the kit included the pattern, and fabrics from Lynette's Peacock Manor collection. The hearts, which have been hand embroidered using a selection of Valdani variegated starnded embroidery threads, and the hearts were then hand appliqued onto the background blocks. I decided to keep the quilting very simple (arthritis doesn't allow me to do the more detailed quilting that I love) so machine quilted around each applique heart... ...then the blocks were all machine quilted using the stitch-in-the-ditch method. I've used Aurifil 40wt thread shade as it blends well with both the backing fabric and the fabrics in the patchwork blocks. The binding was machined to the front of the quilt, with neat mitred corners. The binding is folded over to the back, and stitched in place by hand using the same Aurifil 40wt thread that I used for the quilting, using ladder stitch... ...I'd bought the backing fabric, which is also one of the fabrics from the Peacock Manor collection, from Poppy Patch when the top was made in 2013, and had enough leftover for the quilt sleeve too. The picture below shows how I've pinned it in place, level with where the binding has been stitched in place. Once the top edge of the sleeve is stitched to the backing of the quilt, making sure that the needle goes into the wadding but being careful not to stitch through to the front of the quilt. Once the top edge of the sleeve is secured, the fabric is pulled up so the top of the sleeve is then level with the top of the binding, and the lower edge, along with the sides of the sleeve, are also stitched in place... ...and here's my finished quilt, ready to display in my sewing studio. I still need to stitch the quilt label, so Ill be doodling some ideas for that over the weekend.
My project for the past week has been to machine quilt this top that I'd pieced together back in 2022. The pattern is Anna's Lille Veggteppe, by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa, and wa spurchased as a kit from Lappedilla in Norway, way back in 2011. It was already layered with wadding and backing fabric, and I picked out a few Aurifil 40wt threads for the machine quilting - shades 2610, 2312 and 6010... ...using Aurifil thread shade 2312 for the top thread, and shade 2610 in the bobbin to match the backing fabric (along with a Schmetz Mirotex size 70 needle) I started off with a simple cross-hatch design. I didn't want to stitch over the hand embroidery, so there were lots of stops and starts. Once the cross-hatch was completed, I decided it really need a bit more quilting. so machined an outline around the birds, branches and leaves... ...I used the same style of quilting for the panel with the hand embroidered birdhouse. The patchwork blocks were quilted very simply, diagonally across each block... ...the fabric for the binding was included in the kit. I cut strips of fabric 2.25" wide, and joined them together using a diagonal seam. The binding was folded in half, and the raw edges lined up with the raw edges of the wallhanging. I've machined the binding in place using a 0.25" seam, then folded the binding over to the back of the quilt. The corners have neat mitred corners... ...the binding is stitched in place by hand using ladder stitch, using a single thread of the same Aurifil 40wt thread that I used in the bobbin for the machine quilting. I've used a piece of the backing fabric to make a very simple quilt sleeve. This was cut at 9" deep, and an inch shorter than the width of the quilt. The sides were folded in and machine stitched to neaten them, then the long edges were machined together, before hand stitching the sleeve in place. Some people machine this in place along with the binding along the top edge, but I prefer to add the sleeve once the binding is finished, as I don't like hand sewing through all of those layers... ...and here's the finished wallhanging, which measures approx 29" x 45". I still need to design a label for this one, so I'm doodling ideas for it, along with sorting out which fabrics to use. Luckily there are several pretty scraps that were leftover from the patchwork blocks, so I'll be spoilt for choice!
I've had these cute fabrics, Lil' Dinos and Lil' Biasplaid - both by Michael Miller Fabrics - for simply ages, and they're absolutely perfect for a project I wanted to make for a very special little boy. The pattern is Zip it Up 2.0 by ByAnnie which was purchased from Oh Sew Sweet Shop here in the UK. I've used Soft and Stable wadding for the main body of the bag, and a lightweight fusible wadding Vlieseline H630 for the pockets. I've quilted both the main body of the bag and the pockets very simply, using Auril 40wt thread in co-ordinating colours... ...this bag has several zippered pockets - I've used continuous zipper by the metre purchased from Zipper Station in a tan colour to match the fabrics. Once the main part of the bag was constructed, along with both internal and external pockets, bias binding is added to cover all the raw edges. I've added a cute "made by nanny" labels to the front of the bag... ...inside the bag there's a large mesh pocket and two smaller clear vinyl pockets. The edges of the mesh and the vinyl are neatened with binding before they're attached to the zippers... ...the larger pocket will be perfect for storing colouring books and a drawing pad. I've used a couple of different green fabrics from my stash for the lining and the binding. The binding is machined into place on the inside of the bag, then folded over and I've hand stitched the binding to the front of the bag... ...I've used green webbing for both the handle stabiliser and the handle. The back of the bag has a large zippered pocket... ...and there's also a large zippered pocket on the front of the bag. This will be perfect for my little grandson Rory to use to keep his colouring books, pencils and crayons in! Now I just need to find some suitable fabric to make one for his little brother Alfie!
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These cute labels arrived in the post today from Little Rosy Cheeks - they'll be perfect for sewing onto some handmade goodies for my two grandsons!
Today I had a few pieces of cotton/bamboo wadding to join together (I used fusible interfacing for this method of "Frankenbatting rather than a zigzag stitch) and will probably have a piece big enough for one of my quilt tops that is waiting to be quilted! #declutterchallenge2025
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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
March 2025
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