Blog Archives - Nicola Foreman Quilts

Flowerville - The Front And The Back

29/6/2017

Well I was nearly giddy when Janette at J-Quilts sent me these fabulous pictures this afternoon! My Flowerville Quilt has been expertly freehand longarm quilted and it really does look amazing! This quilt was designed by the Australian designer Rosalie Dekker, and Janette has made it look absolutely stunning! I'd bought this as a BOM from Under The Mulberry Tree in Australia, and the first block arrived in the post back in September 2015. After a slow start, I kept up with all the hand embroidery each month, then put it to one side, and finally completed the dresden plates and the borders in February 2017. These Tilda fabrics were lovely to sew with, and a selection of variegated Cottage Garden Threads were the perfect accomplishment...

...and as you can see, the back is as beautiful as the front. I absolutely LOVE this quilt, and can't wait to see it properly when I collect it from Janette's studio on Saturday.

Fernhill - All Pieced Together

28/6/2017

"Fernhill" - the quilt top is finished! This gorgeous pattern is by Lynette Anderson Designs. I'd bought this as a kit from Cross Patch in Wales back in April. All the machine piecing has been done with Aurifil 50wt thread. This was hand appliqued using the applique paper and glue stick method with apliquick tools. The hand embroidery was all done with Weeks Dye Works threads. These cute hand painted wooden buttons will be stitched into place once the quilting is completed.

Flowerville - More Freehand Longarm Quilting

27/6/2017

When I saw this Flowerville BOM back in 2015 I just knew I wanted to make it! I ordered it from Under The Mulberry Tree in Australia - although it was available here in the UK, UTMT provided all the gorgeous Tilda Fabrics and Cottage Garden Threads to complete this project. This gorgeous design is by Rosalie Dekker Designs, and was a real pleasure to make. Flowerville has been in the very safe hands of Janette at J-Quilts, and as usual her quilting is absolutely STUNNING. It won't be long before this quilt is back home and I can get the binding made and a label designed.

Flowerville - Freehand Longarm Quilting

26/6/2017

Earlier this year I finished the Flowerville quilt that I'd been working on (pattern by Rosalie Dekker Designs, bought as a BOM from Under The Mulberry Tree in Australia) and I've been sent a few pictures from Janette at J-Quilts, who has been working her usual magic with some freehand longarm quilting - and as usual she has done something amazing! These Tilda fabrics were really lovely to sew with, and the Cottage Garden Threads are simply gorgeous. I'm really looking forward to collecting this one from Janette's studio soon!

Weeks Dye Works Threads

25/6/2017

My current "quilt" project is Fernhill (a gorgeous quilt pattern by Lynette Anderson Designs) and Lynette used Weeks Dye Works threads for the hand embroidery on her original quilt. There is a conversion for DMC colours on the pattern, but I wanted to try these hand over dyed threads for myself. I managed to find a UK supplier, Peakside Needleworks, and ordered the colours that Lynette suggested. These threads have unusual names, such as Indian Summer and Schneckley, Molasses and Caper. The variegation on these threads is very subtle, and they really are lovely to sew with. The only problem is the cost, as there is just 4.5m on a skein (DMC has 8m per skein) and they're almost 3x as expensive as DMC (depending on where you buy your threads from) so I'll have to save these ones for very special projects!

Fernhill - Vine and Flowers

24/6/2017

I've spent this afternoon in my sewing corner with my Fernhill quilt (pattern by Lynette Anderson Designs). Several narrow bias strips were pieced together to make a vine that curls around the inner border of my Fernhill quilt. The vine was held in place with a few spots of Roxanne's basting glue, then hand stitched into place with Aurifil 80wt thread and a Clover Black Gold applique needle. Once the vine was secure, the Suffolk Puff flowers that I'd made a few days ago were also hand appliqued into place, and finally a few leaves and a couple of bees were hand embroidered, using Weeks Dye Works embroidery threads. This is the first project that I've made using these threads, and I really love the subtle variegation of them. These gorgeous fabrics were in the kit that I'd bought from Cross Patch. Julia has put a super kit together. These fabrics are absolutely gorgeous.

Fernhill - Log Cabin Blocks

22/6/2017

My Fernhill quilt, (pattern by Lynette Anderson Designs) is coming along rather nicely. Lots of narrow strips were cut and pieced together to make these small log cabin blocks. These fabrics were from a kit that I'd bought from Cross Patch in Wales, and Julia never disappoints with her selection of fabrics. These can now be added to the embroidered blocks that I'd made back in April, and then I'll be ready to add the applique shapes and a rather curly bias vine!

Fernhill - Suffolk Puffs

21/6/2017

The sewing group at Busybee Stitching is having a break for a couple of weeks, so I was spending a rare Tuesday evening at home. I'd bought a variety of sizes of Clover Yo-yo makers a few years ago, and they really do make sewing Suffolk Puffs a very simple procedure! So there I was, sitting in the garden, sewing Suffolk Puffs with these gorgeous fabrics and sipping a tall G&T. A perfect evening! These will be appliqued onto my Fernhill quilt when I've machine pieced the first few blocks together.

Fernhill - Applique

20/6/2017

Fernhill is a gorgeous pattern by Lynette Anderson Designs, and I'd bought a kit including the pattern and a gorgeous selection of fabrics from Cross Patch in Wales back in April. (Julia puts some fabulous kits together - I wish I had her eye for colour!) Well I'd made a start on the embroidered blocks, then other projects and life in general got in the way. I went along to the Rendlesham Sewing Group this week and needed an easy hand sewing project to take along (it was far too hot to use a sewing machine!) and this was the perfect project to put in my sewing bag. The 4 animal templates were traced onto applique paper, cut out and fused onto the back of the fabric and the edges were turned over with the aid of a glue stick and apliquick rods. Next step is to make a few - well 28 actually - Suffolk Puffs. Then hopefully it will be a bit cooler at the weekend so I can get my sewing machine out and make some log cabin blocks too.

A Sneak Peek at Scandinavian Christmas

17/6/2017

Over the fast weeks I'd been busy stitching Scandinavian Christmas, a beautiful quilt designed by Lynette Anderson. I'd originally bought the set of patterns fore this quilt from Patchwork Chicks here in the UK. This was made with some gorgeous linen and a selection of fabrics from Lynette's newest festive collection, "Frosty Friends" - this fabric range should be available in shops soon! There was lots of hand embroidery and hand applique and lots of precision piecing with these 3" churn dash blocks! Anyway, it's now in the very capable hands of Janette J-Quilts, who does the most amazing freehand custom longarm quilting. It's so exciting seeing how this quilt is coming along!