Blog Archives

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!

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Gertrude The Garden Angel

12/5/2020

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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!

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Maisonnette Papillons

7/5/2020

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I'd bought this cute little kit from Coast and Country Crafts and Quilts a few weeks ago, and yesterday afternoon I spent a coiuple of hours putting it together. This kit is called "Maisonnette Papillons" (Butterfly House) and is made by The Bee Company, and included the painted wooden frame, fabrics and trimmings including embroidery threads, lace trimming and decorative buttons. Once the hand embroidery was completed and the buttons were stitched in place, I glued some wadding onto the house frame, wrapped the linen around a piece of thick card, and glued them together with craft glue. I used some Clover Wonder Clips to hold it all together for an hour until it was completely dried, and this is the result...

...two decorative buttons are attached to the top of the wooden frame with paper wrapped wire, and I used a loop of this on the back to use as a hanger so this can be displayed on the wall of my sewing studio, or it can stand on the windowsill. A few hand embroidered flowers are scattered over the front of the butterfly house, and I added some colonial knots to the lace trimming.

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Wish You Well - Block 5

5/5/2020

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Here's the 5th 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). I've used a GORGEOUS selection of fabrics for this project, 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...

...a selection of embroidery threads have been used for the hand embroidery - Cosmo, DMC and Valdani, in an assortment of colours, both plain and variegated colours. Gail uses a mix of vintage lace and doilies as trimmings, and I've added a piece of vintage lace to mine...

...these circles have been made using Karen Kay Buckley perfect circles, and have been hand stitched in place using a very fine thread. I've made a few circles with some broderie anglais fabric to use for this project (I stitched one on blocks 2 and 4). This fabric is incredibly old and was a sample piece I'd bought when I was making my daughter her Christening gown back in 1992.

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April Bonus Project

3/5/2020

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I've finally made one of the bonus projects from this year's I Stitch Club by Gail Pan Designs. This needlecase was the bonus project with the April block. It's been hand embroidered, hand quilted, and embellished with vintage buttons and lace trimmings. I used a variegated perle thread for the hand quilting that was part of the Welsh Spring Collection from Cross Patch...

...I've used the same fabrics for this needlecase that I'm using for the quilt blocks, from the Super Bloom collection by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. I've added a few extras inside the needle case too - a clip for my scissors and a wool felt needle keeper in a dusky pink colour to match the fabrics...

...Ive added a raw wood button to the tab that the scissor clip is attached to, these were bought from Lynette Anderson's stall at the Festival of Quilts many years ago, and I found them tucked away in my button tin when I was choosing some buttons to stitch on the front of the needlecase, and it seemed perfect to add it as a final flourish to this project.

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A Little Peek at Some Embroidery

1/5/2020

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Ohhh look what was waiting for me when I arrived home from work yesterday evening! This is the next part of this year's I Stitch Club, "Wish You Well" by Gail Pan Designs and I couldn't resist making a start on the stitchery. The background fabric is from the Super Bloom collection by Edytar Sitar, ad the rest of the fabrics are used in the blocks for this quilt. I'm using a selection of embroidery threads of this project - Cosmo, DMC, Valdani - in both plain and variegated colours.

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Forward>>

A Soldering Iron and Sequins

Gertrude The Garden Angel

Maisonnette Papillons

Wish You Well - Block 5

April Bonus Project

A Little Peek at Some Embroidery

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