Blog Archives - Nicola Foreman Quilts

Tealicious Fabrics

26/5/2020

Last week this GORGEOUS selection of fabrics arrived in the post from Cross Patch, an online shop based in Wales, here in the UK. These are from the "Tealicious" collection by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched. I've ordered the perfect pattern to use with these, fingers crossed it'll arrive in the post later this week! Our postal service has been under an enormous strain over the past few weeks, and our wonderful postal workers have been doing an amazing job, escopecially when they deliver parcels like this one!

It's A Lovely Day

25/5/2020

These are the 2 patterns I was playing around with on Sunday - "Anna's Sminkepung" by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa is my favourite pattern for making cosmetic bags, and I've added the stitchery design from another small bag pattern - "It's a lovely day" by the Australian designer Gail Pan Designs...

...and here's the result of mixing up those patterns - this was hand embroidered with Cosmo embroidery thread and embellished with ric-rac tri, held in place with colonial knots. I've ,ade several of these bags, and they're really useful. This one is a gift for a colleague's birthday - I really hope she likes it, as I don't think she knows about all the quilty goodies that I make!

Stitching on Sunday Morning

24/5/2020

I've been playing around with a couple of different patterns this morning, mixing it up a bit. This floral stitchery design is "It's a lovely day" by Gail Pan Designs, and has been hand embroidered with a red Cosmo embroidery thread.The ric-rac trimming is held in place wiht lots of colonial knots, and these fabrics are from thw Katie Jane collection by Makower UK.

Vintage Sewing Club - Month 12

23/5/2020

The final month of the Vintage Sewing Club (a gorgeous Cottage Garden Thread club) arrived in the post from Cross Patch yesterday. These are really lovely for hand embroidery and these colours are so vibrant! Mirboo Lily, Bush Lily, Tangerine and Muscat - they're absolutely GORGEOUS.

A Mothers Love

21/5/2020

My latest project is this cute design. The pattern is A Mothers Love, by the Australian designer Anni Downs of Hached and Patched, and was bought as a kit from Poppy Patch. The kit included 2 skeins of Cosmo embroidery thread as well as the fabrics...

...I used the Apliquick method for the applique shapes, and a small decorative hanger completes it nicely. It measures approx 5" x 10" so didn't take very long to put together. This is rather bittersweet, as I was going to make it for my mum for her birthday, but sadly she passed away suddenly at the weekend. So instead, this will hang on the wall in my sewing studio with a collection of other small stitchery designs.

Garden of Angels

18/5/2020

So here's my latest project - "A Garden of Angels" - Lilly, Rose and Marigold. This pattern is designed by the Australian designer Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched, and has been in my "box of assorted patterns by Australian designers" for absolutely ages. The stitchery blocks have been hand embroidered using a selection of Cosmo embroidery threads, and I've used a few fabrics from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK...

...this has been machine quilted very simply with a light grey variegated King Tut quilting thread, just stitch-in-the-didtch aroiund the borders. The quilt sleeve needed some tweeking, as the decorative quilt hanger is about an inch too short, for this particular design. The original pattern used just two of the angels for the wall hanging and one for a cushion, but I decided to put all three together, and it's now displayed on the wall.

New Project New Label

16/5/2020

I've almost completed my next project - I just need to sttich this label in place, stitch on a narrow quilt sleeve, and it will be ready for a photoshoot. I like to hand embroider my quilt labels that go on hand embroidered quilts and wall hangings. Usually the labels are a bit larger and more intricate for my embroidered quilts, this one is a smaller label for a smaller project. I've used a scrap of fabric left over from my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt, it's from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK, as I've used some other left overs from the same collection for the project itself. The cute little sewing machine is a design by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched as the main project is also designed by her, and was machine pieced and machine quilted. I'll share a picture of the completed project tomorrow!

Laminated Stitch

14/5/2020

Back in December 2018 I was on a "Laminated Stitch" workshop with Alexandra Waylett over at Elm Farm Studio. As the name suggested, our stitched work was laminated, then stiched again, and embellished. Well after the workshop I'd packed all the bits and pieces away, waiting for an "arty" day to complete it, and I finally got around to finishing this project off on Tuesday! I added threads and sequins, and had a super time playing around with all these bits and pieces...

...I'd bought a large shadow box from Hobbycraft ages ago, and some card to mount the lamnated pieces on. I used some stitcky clear mounts on the back of each piece - I'm just hoping they don't fall off! I'm really pleased with how this looks - just goes to show what you can do when you're pushed out of your comfort zone!

A Soldering Iron and Sequins

13/5/2020

I spent a few hours yesterday being creative with a Margaret Beal soldering iron and some sequins, and this GORGEOUS bundle of threads (threads and sequins were bought online last year from Stef Francis). I'd been tidying my storage unit in my sewing studio, and came across a laminated sttich project that I'd started back in Drecember 2018 when I was on a workshop with Alexander Wylett, over at studio Elm Farm Studio. I've been waiting since then for some creative inspiration to strike so I could finish it! Anyway, a few hours later and I'd got it finished and framed, resdy for a photoshoot. I'll share some pictures on Thursday!

Gertrude The Garden Angel

12/5/2020

This cute pattern "Gertrude The Garden Angel" is designed by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched, and was bought as a kit recently from Poppy Patch, here in the UK. It's a small wallhanging approx 10" x 15" that is easy to make, and doesn't take up too much space on the wall! This kit included the pattern, and all the fabrics including the backing and binding fabric - all I needed to add was the wadding andf the embroidery threads...

...I added some lightweight fusible interfacing to the back of the stitchery fabric and used a selection of DMC threads for the hand embroidery. Gertrude has now got her boots on ready for a day in the garden! This just needs a press on a wool mat, and it can be layered to the wadding and backing fabric, basted and machine quilted...

...and here's Gertrude, enjoying the sunshing in the garden! A narrow quilt sleeve has been stitched to the back of this wall hanging, so it can be displayed on the wall of my sewing studio. I've got several other patterns by Anni Downs, and most of her books too, so look out for more of her angels coming this way!