Nicola Foreman Quilts - BLOG

Stolen!

26/5/2018

STOLEN!! My friend Julia who owns Cross Patch had a fabulous stall at Malvern. She works incredibly hard making kits and samples for shows, and she provides excellent customer service. Unfortunately this happened to Julia's sample...
..."I had all my journal kits with me at Malvern with the samples on the front of the stand, unfortunately some lovely person 'borrowed' this sample and has failed to return it, as you can imagine I was not amused"😡

Linen and Batik Tote Bag

19/5/2018

These turquoise and teal batik scraps work really well with a piece of linen that I had leftover from another project. The quilt-as-you-go method was used for this, using a variegated King Tut quilting thread in shade 927, and a Schmetz Topstitch size 80 needle. I used a Clover Hera marker to mark some straight rows for quilting these scraps, and also used the edge of the walking foot as a guide for quilting inbetween the rows...

...these batiks have been mixed together to make a gorgeous pocket panel. The top stitching has been completed with King Tut variegated quilting thread shade 927, which is the same thread that I used for quilting the centre panels and the bag handles...

...this shows the inside of the tote bag (this was turned inside out for this picture) - Ttis is based on the pattern Perfect Quilted Tote by Elizabeth Hartman, but I've altered the dimensions to make a larger tote, and altered the construction of the pocket panel to make it simpler - I didn't measure any of the pocket pieces, I just used pieces of fabric that I had already cut. I also added a very handy key ring...

...and here's the outside of the tote bag. The bag wadding that I used is quite stiff, and gives the bag great structure (this was purchased from KIS Quilting Ltd in Ipswich). Cotton wadding was used for the bag handles, I love the different textures of the linen and batiks - and absolutely LOVE these colours!

Linen and Batik

18/5/2018

Linen and batik in shades of teal and turquoise teamed with a variegated King Tut quilting thread are ready for my next project. Variegated threads work well with batiks, and I've got several spools of King Tut thread in my collection. I prefer to save them for the front of my project, and just use a plain ghread of the same weight in the bobbin.

Topstitch Sewing Machine Needles

17/5/2018

Schmetz Topstitch needles size 70 and size 80 are my favourites for machine quilting. The larger eye makes machining with thicker threads a piece of cake! This box of 100 needles arrived in the post today from Barnyarns - bulk buying is so much more reasonable than buying individual packets.

Tilda Quilted Tote Bag

14/5/2018

My favourite quilted projects are definitely bags, and I'm always trying to improve my techniques, and trying out different combinations of fabrics. I recently bought some bag wadding from my local quilt shop, and was keen to try it out on a tote bag - this was based on one of my favourite tote bag patterns, the Perfect Quilted Tote by Elizabeth Hartman. This shows the outside of the bag - I used some left over Tilda fabrics (these were left over from my Flowerville quilt that I'd finished last year), and all the quilting was done with a neutral coloured Aurifil 40wt thread. This quilt as you go method is really simple, and looks very effective. I used some denim for the top and bottom borders (recycled from an old pair of jeans)...

...on the inside, a neat facing covers the top seam keeps everything looking neat. I've added a sew-in snap fastener, as I'm not too keen on magnetic fasteners - some of them can be really strong and can tear the fabric, even if it's reinforced. And this snap fastener matches the fabric really well...

...I bought this pattern a few years ago, and I've adapted the way the pocket panel is made so the pockets are much larger, and much simpler to make than the original instructions. The lining of the bag is also very scrappy, so I could use up all the left over pieces of my fabrics! I didn't measure any of the pocket pieces, I just whatever pieces I already had. I've also added a key ring so I can clip my keys in my bag so they're easy to find when my bag is full of essential stuff...

...the bag wadding was a bit tricky to pin as it is quite structured, so I used Clover Wonderclips to hold the sides and bottom together. I made a scrappy handle too, and I'm really pleased with the finished result. Now I just need to make a small quilted pouch to go with it!

Tilda and Denim - Upcycling!

13/5/2018

Playing around with some gorgeous Tilda fabrics (these were left over from a couple of quilts I'd made, Simply Blessed and Flowerville, both designed by Rosalie Dekker). I teamed these scraps with some denim - a too-large pair of jeans was ideal for this, and there's plenty left over for more projects in the future. Lots of simple machine quilting with a neutral coloured Aurifil 40wt thread and a Schmetz Topsitch size 80 needle and I'll soon have a great new bag!

Peacock Manor

11/5/2018

Peacock Manor is now available! This collection of fabrics is by Lynette Anderson Designs, and a gorgeous kit arrived in the post yesterday from Cross Patch in Wales - all ready for stitching Woodland Secrets (pattern also by Lynette). It might be a few weeks before I get a chance to make this one - the projects on my cutting table are building up!!

Hearts and Happy Flowers Threads

9/5/2018

These gorgeous Cosmo threads arrived in the post today from Gum Valley Patchwork in Australia, ready for stitching "Hearts and Happy Flowers" by Leanne Beasley. Although Cosmo threads are available in the UK, it's always difficult getting the colours that I need! The patterns had already arrived several weeks ago from Cross Patch in Wales, and now the threads are here I can start to plan the first block, ready for sitting in the garden with some hand stitching projects.

Blue Butterfly Bag - More Stitchery

8/5/2018

As you can see, I've almost finished the stitchery for the Blue Butterfly Bag by Gail Pan Designs - this has been hand embroidered using hand dyed Cottage Garden Threads. This very subtle variegated thread was included in the kit that I'd bought from Cross Patch in Wales - now I just need some inspiration for the quilting!

Helmingham Hall

7/5/2018

This Bank Holiday weekend has seen uncharacteristically good weather, and it's been far to nice to stay indoors sewing! So today I've been enjoying this glorious sunshine with a day out at Helmingham Hall with Mr F, followed by a cheeky cream tea. Perfect!