Well I finally made a start on those 20 patchwork blocks for the Christmas Blessings wall hanging. This pattern is by the Australian designer Natalie Bird (The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs) and the pattern and fabrics were bought as a kit from Cross Patch in Wales. I'd started this earlier in December 2016, then had to put it away until the festivities were over. A few days at home nursing a heavy cold meant I was able to pick it up where I'd left off, although my titching was much slower due to my germ-addled brain not coping very well with the mathematics of cutting out all these pieces! These small patchwork blocks are just 3" finished size, so I pressed most of the seams open to reduce the amount of bulk on the seams. I used a Schmetz Microtex size 60 needle (really fine and sharp, excellent for precision piecing), Aurifil 50wt thread in a mid-grey neutral colour and a straight stitch needle plate... ...once the patchwork blocks had been pieced together, it didn't take long to add these to the applique blocks and finally get the borders added. Now I just need to get this quilted and the binding on, and it will be the first completed project for 2017.
0 Comments
Well the new year hasn't got off to the best of starts - I've had a dreadful cold for almost 2 weeks, and my get-up-and-go has got up and gone - so I've spent the last couple of days curled up on the sofa dosed up on Lemsips and Strepsils, snuggled under one of my quilts while I'm watching films and feeling rather sorry for myself. Even the winter sunshine streaming in through the windoow this morning couldn't lift my spirits! Hopefully normal service will soon return and I'll be busy sewing again.
If you follow my FB page "Nicola Foreman Quilts" you'll see that I've created an online sewing group that you can take part in to motivate yourselves into finishing off those unfinished projects that get started with lots of good intentions, then other more exciting projects get started, and the old ones get put to the back of your sewing cupboard! If you want you join in, the details are on my FB page - and you can add pictures there to show your progress. Of course I'll post pictures here of my sewing updates as usual, although I need to get rid of this awful cold that's been lingering for just a bit too long (I hope it's not the same bug that poor Queenie has got!) and has made me mislay my sewing mojo.
![]() I've been busy sorting out my list of half-finished projects that I really MUST concentrate on getting completed! Anyway, I've got the following projects on my list..... 1. Christmas Blessings (pattern by Natalie Bird The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs - the applique blocks are already completed) - I need to make about 20 patchwork star blocks, piece them together and quilt it and bind it. 2. Bluebird Lane (pattern also by Natalie Bird - so far this year I've completed the 9 applique blocks and pieced them together) - I need to make 42 star blocks for the border, piece them together, and take it to the longarm quilter!! 3. Flowerville ( pattern by Rosalie Dekker Designs - I've already completed the 9 stitchery centres) - I need to make the dresden plates, piece the quilt top together, and take it to the longarm quilter!! I've also got Leanne's House and Journey of a Quilter (both patterns by Leanne Beasley) - ready and waiting to go to the longarm quilter. My resolution for 2017 is to get these 3 main projects finished THEN maybe I can start something new. Oh and yes, I'll be keeping J-Quilts Longarm quilting rather busy again next year!! |
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
Blogs I followUK shopsThese are the UK shops that I use to purchase my quilting supplies - fabrics and threads etc.
Australian linksScandinavian links |