Blog Archives - Nicola Foreman Quilts

Wish You Well - Month 2 Stitchery

31/3/2020

The stitchery designs for month 2 of Wish You Well, the 2020 I Stitch Club by the Australian designer Gail Pan Designs have been hand embroidered using a variety of stranded cotton and perle embroidery threads. I chose colours to co-ordinate with my fabrics, and used a mixture of both plain and variegated threads to add a bit of interest. The 2 background fabrics that I've used are from the Super Bloom collection by Edyta Sita, and I've fused a piece of lightweight interfacing onto the wrong side.

Slow Stitching in the Garden

30/3/2020

The perfect way to block out all the chaos in my mind in the current situation we're in, is to sit in the sunshine in my lunch break, and add a few more stitches to this gorgeous project! I'm still making steady progress on the Circle Sewing Box, and I've now started the border of lazy daisy stitches and colonial knots along the outer edge. These Valdani stranded embroidery threads have a very subtle variation, and really are lovely to sew with. This is such a pretty pattern, by Lynette Anderson designs, and although I'm using the fabrics supplied in a kit from Lynette, it would look good stitched with fabrics from any of her gorgeous fabric collections.

Wish You Well - Block 1

29/3/2020

Here's the first block of Wish You Well - it's the 2020 I Stitch Club design, which is a mystery block of the month, designed by the Australian designer Gail Pan Designs and is available from her website as a PDF download. This combines a mixture of hand embroidery and applique (you can use whatever method of applique you prefer) and Gail uses a mix of vintage lace and doilies as trimmings. I've used a GORGEOUS selection of fabrics that are from the Super Bloom collection by Edyta Sitar, which were purchased from Cross Patch an online shop based in Wales here in the UK. There are 12 blocks altogether, measuring 10.5" x 16.5" and as it's a mystery quilt, I'll have to wait until the final block arrives before I know what the border will be like. I'm a bit late starting this BOM, as I joined up in January, so will make a start on the next block today, as the 4th pattern will be whizzing into my inbox on April 1st!

A Few Peeks at Block 1 of Wish You Well

28/3/2020

Here are a few peeks at the first block of the 2020 I Stitch Club called Wish You Well, designed by the Australian designer Gail Pan. It's available to purchase from Gail's website, as a PDF download so each month you're sent a pattern that included all the instructions, a full size traceable stitchery design and a bonus pattern. This is a nystery block of the month, and I'm using fabrics from the Super Bloom collection by Edyta Sitar, that were purchased from Cross Patch, an online shop based in Wales, here in the UK. I've used a selection of different embroidery threads, including perle cotton and stranded cotton. I'll share a picture of the complete block tomorrow!

Beautiful Perfect Circles

27/3/2020

I've used Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles templates for this applique. They were made yesterday, and once they had cooled down the templates were removed, ready for the next task of stitching them in place. The turquoise thread will be trimmed once the templates have been removed - this was the only colour polyester thread I had, but it won't be seen when the circles have been stitched down!...

...these circles were held in place with a couple of spots of Roxann'e basting glus, then hand appliqued using 60wt polyester thread in colours to mtch the fabric (the threads are Superbobs and come in a fabulous range of colours). These just need to be added to the top and side of block 1 and it'll be complete!

Wish You Well - Month 1 Stitchery

26/3/2020

Well I've finished the 3 little stitchery designs for the first month of Wish You Well, which is a mystery BOM by the Australian designer Gail Pan. Each month you are emailed a PDF file with a picture of that month's block, full size stitchery design to trace, and all cutting instructions. It's great for using up scraps, although if you're like me and you pass them on to other people, it's a great excuse to buy more fabric! It's taken me a while to get started on this as I was deliberating over fabrics and colours, but once I'd decided on the Super Bloom collection of fabrics by Edytar Sitar there was no stopping me! I particularly like these background fabrics that are part of the collection. I've used a variety of threads for the hand embroidery - perle, stranded cottons, plain colours and variegated - and I'm really pleased with my progress so far. My tasks for this evening will be to prepare lots of fabric circles ready to be appliqued into place. If you want to sign up to this, all the details are on Gail's website!

A New Project

24/3/2020

Sew - I'm ready to start a new project! A few months ago, I signed up to do this year's mystery BOM by Gail Pan Designs called Wish You Well. I didn't start it straight away, as I've been deliberating over what fabrics to use for ages, then I finally decided on the Super Bloom collection by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts, which I bought from Cross Patch. I've cut some fabrics for the first block and prepped the stitchery. Now I've just got to decide which colour threads to use, and I'll be ready to start stitching!
Oh and there are some fantastic examples of these blocks on a Facebook group that Gail has organised for people stitching these, and if you want to take part in it it isn't too late to join - there is lots of information on Gail's website.

Interwoven All Pieced Together

23/3/2020

All 50 sub-blocks have been stitched together! Pattern is "Interwoven" an optical illusion design by Helen Butcher. I'd made a few blocks back in February when I was on a workshop at Sew and So's of Bungay with Helen Butcher. There are lots of other "illusion" designs by Helen available to purchase on her website www.littlepatchpockets.co.uk and her instructions are the best! They are really well written, and brilliantly illustrated. Now I just need to order some fabric for the backing, and this wallhanging will be ready for quilting.

Interwoven Update

22/3/2020

Well as you can see from the picture below, the Worldwide Quilting Day was the perfect excuse to get busy in my sewing studio! The final 18 sub-blocks have been stitched and trimmed. I've just laid them out to check they're in the right order before stitching them together! This is "Interwoven" an optical illusion design by Helen Butcher, of Little Patch Pockets, that I started a few weeks ago on a workshop with Helen over at Sew and So's in Bungay. This has been so much fun to make - and I love the pop of colour from the orange batiks!

World Wide Quilting Day - 2020

21/3/2020

I can't believe it's a whole year since it was Worldwide Quilting Day 2019 and now here we yet again! Well it would be silly not to participate, and I've got my "Interwoven" sub-blocks to finish! Are you sewing today too?