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Block 4 of Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt is completed! The pattern was designed by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley, and these patterns were bought from Cross Patch (a super online quilt shop in Wales here in the UK_. The fabrics were provided as a kit from Cross Patch too, and includes fabrics from Makower UK and Tilda. Several techniques were involved in this 15" block - machine piecing, hand embroidery, hand applique and EPP. Only 5 more blocks to complete! 
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A mid-week day off means catching up on chores in my sewing studio! I've been busy preparing some EPP with these 1" diamond templates that I bought online from Sew and Quilt ready to make some 6 pointed stars. These will then appliqued into place on Block 4 of my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt. EPP isn't my favourite technique, but these pre-cut paper templates have certainly made it a lot easier, and no swear jar was needed!! Can't believe this block is almost completed.
A rather nice parcel was waiting for me when I arrived home from work yesterday evening. The Scissor Cozy is designed by the Australian designer Helen Stubbings - Hugs 'n Kisses - and was ordered direct from her website just a week ago. The pattern included all these teeny applique paper clam shells and an iron on stitchery transfer as well as a traceable one. The kit included these Tilda fabrics which are divine, the flex frame spring clip and the wadding. I'm going to have a very posh scissor case when this is finished!  I had the most fantastic day out on Saturday, as I'd been invited to visit a local quilt group to do a "show and tell" of some of my favourite quilts and a few of my smaller quilty stuff too. I had an amazing time, and I was thoroughly spoilt by the ladies of the group, as they made me feel like an absolute V.I.P. Not only did the ladies give me some lovely comments about my quilts, there was cake too - including the most delicious chocolate brownies that were just heavenly!  Block 3 is completed! I've been busy with other projects, so haven't really had time to devote to this one since the blocks eere pieced together a couple of months ago. The pattern is "Hearts and Happy Flowers" designed by Leanne Beasley. Bought as a 10 part BOM including fabrics from Cross Patch in Wales. Hand embroidered with Lecien Cosmo threads and hand appliqued. Those cute satin stitched hearts are tiny - they are embroidered onto 1" squares. The finished block size is 15" x 15" - just 6 more blocks to go!  Now that I've caught up with my UFO's I can get back to stitching block 3 of Hearts and Happy Flowers - last night I was able to make a start on those cute little satin stitched hearts when I was at my weekly quilting group. These are so cute, and son't take long to stitch, but there are just so many of them! Once they've been embroidered, I can add the 6 appliqued hearts and block 3 will be finished. Apart from finishing the embroidery on block 5, I haven't had this project out of my sewing box since I returned from a weekend retreat in Norfolk, back in November, and I've really missed it!  Exactly 2 years to the day that this gorgeous quilt top was pieced together, I've finally managed to do a photo shoot of "Flowerville" - this was pinned very precariously to my garden fence this afternoon, and I was crossing my fingers and toes that it wouldn't fall down before I managed to get a picture! "Flowerville" was a gorgeous BOM designed by the incredibly talented Australian designer Rosalie Dekker. Started back in December 2015, eventually the borders were added in January 2017. It has been made with some beautiful Tilda fabrics and each Dresden plate has got 36 blades! The handkerchief linen centres are hand embroidered using variegated Cottage Garden Threads. The Dresden plates were hand appliqued into place. This was custom freehand longarm quilted by J-Quilts back in 2017. At the weekend, after a long time of deliberating, I eventually added the quilt sleeve and a label. This is the first time since I had it quilted that I've actually hung it up and seen it from a distance - and I really am thrilled to bits with it!  Next weekend I'm doing a "show and tell" at a local quilt group, and I've been sorting out which quilts to take with me. "Flowerville" (designed by the incredibly talented Australian designer Rosalie Dekker) was completed back in 2017, and was sadly still lacking a label. (A label had actually been made and appliqued into place soon after it was returned from the longarm quilter, but I really wasn't happy with it, and it was quickly removed). So this morning I doodled several ideas, and finally decided to draft my own miniature Dresden plate for it...  ...using some of the leftover fabrics from the main quilt (these Tilda fabrics really are gorgeous) for the blades, and another leftover scrap for the centre, this label is exactly what I wanted. The words were written on the fabric freehand, with a fine nibbed Micron Pigma pen, then hand embroidered using a skein of "geranium" variegated Cottage Garden Thread, again left over from the main quilt. The label has been appliqued into place onto the back, into the centre of one of the quilted circles. My pile of quilts for the "show and tell" is growing - I just might need a trailer on the back of my car!  Back in 2017 I'd finished a gorgeous quilt, Bluebird Lane, by the Australian designer Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse Patchwork Design. It was longarm custom quilted, and had been on display at the Festival of Quilts, in Birmingham. The only thing that was missing from this gorgeous quilt was one of my hand embroidered quilt labels...  ...a few weeks ago I doodled some ideas, and this is the result! I'd pieced together some of the background fabric scraps back in 2017 ready for the label. I used an applique design from the front of the quilt (there are 4 of these birds in block 5) and added a few words which I hand embroidered. The completed label was finally appliqued into place this morning! I'm doing a "show and tell" at a local quilt group next Saturday, and this quilt will definately be coming along with me.  I love to display my quiltystuff in my sewing studio, and this cute quilted wall hanging "Sewing Day Sampler" was no exception! I'd bought this decorative hanger absolutely years ago, when having my own sewing space was just a dream. Mr F very kindly leapt into action with his power tools and fixed it to the wall whilst I was busy in the kitchen whipping him up some culinary delights to reward him for his handiwork!  |
 About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! 
 
 
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