Blog Archives

Another Butterfly Bouquet

30/7/2014

I've recently finished the quilt top "Down In The Garden" and had quite a few scraps left over, and decided to put them to good use to make another cushion. Using the "Butterfly Bouquet" stitchery pattern designed by Leanne Beasley, and the left-over embroidery threads from DITG I set to work. This pattern had an iron-on transfer as well as a traceable pattern. I've used this pattern a few times already, (I made a cushion for my mother-in-law and also one for my colleague, Emma, instead of a real bouquet of flowers!), but still managed to get another copy out of the iron-on sheet. This was much quicker than tracing it onto the background fabric...

...stitching early in the morning is my favourite stitching time, and it's surprising how much I can get done without any of the usual daily distractions. I was able to take this picture once the stitchery was complete in MY garden amongst the sweet peas (I ccould smell them while I was sitting stitching in the conservatory)...

...appliqued butterflies added the final flourish to this project. Scraps of fabric were then cut and pieced and quilted very simply. I used my favourite white Aurifil thread for this project, a Schmetz Topstitch needle, and a longer than usual stitch length. In no time at all I had a lovely textured piece, ready for the next stage of sewing. Wool wadding was used for this project, and it quilted absolutely beautifully. I used a piece of the feature fabric (Grandmothers Flower Garden by Rosalie Quinlan for Lecien) for the back of the cushion cover, and used a concealed zipper fastening. The cream fabric is left-over curtain lining, and was also used for the stitchery background too...

...I found a red/white spot fabric in my stash that was just right for the binding, and added one of my labels into the side seam - and hey presto - a new cushion! Here it is tucked among the plants in the garden. This is a present that will last a little while longer than a bouquet of real flowers, and is for someone special who really likes handmade gifts.

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Down In The Garden - A Slideshow

26/7/2014

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Well I thought I'd try something different on my blog! Here's a slideshow, showing each completed block for "Down In The Garden" designed by Leanne Beasley. This was a 10 part BOM that I bought 4 years ago from an online quilt shop called Buttonberry, that has since closed down. There is a list of stockists pf Leanne's patterns on her website if you want to make one too. I initially started this quilt last summer, and it's been a real treat stitching these blocks. Once this has been quilted (it's going to J-Quilts soon for some custom work) I'll show some pictures of the finished quilt.

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Down In The Garden - Quilt Top Finished!

24/7/2014

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As soon as Block 9 of "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley) was finished, I was really keen to get the blocks all stitched together, ready for the borders. The feature fabric used in the border is "Grandmothers Flower Garden" by Rosalie Quinlan, and the red/white spot will be used for the binding. I used a neutral coloured thread for piecing the blocks together, and used the same thread for sewing on the borders too..

...a narrow cream border frames the blocks, then a wider border in the feature fabric is added, and finally another cream border. This feature fabric is used in the blocks, in the yellow and pink colourways, and here it is in green...

...and here's the completed quilt top, photographed in MY garden! It was quite blustery yesterday evening when I took these photographs, and this was the best picture I was able to take! I've decided to get this one custom-quilted by Janette as her work really is simply stunning. There are quite a few scraps left over from this project, and I have the perfect project in mind for using some of them up. I'll share pictures of that at the weekend.

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Down In The Garden Block 9 Complete

23/7/2014

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Whoohoo!! Block 9 of "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley) is completed! This was bought as a BOM 4 years ago from an online quilting shop here in the UK (no longer trading unfortunately - I do miss those Buttonberry girls) and each moth a pattern arrived in the post, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a ribbon. This block is made up of several mini-blocks and combines piecing and applique and stitchery. The churn dash blocks were all made when I stitched the first block, and these dresden plates were applqued next. I chose to stitch a Suffolk Puff in the centre as my own twist on the pattern (Leanne used a fussy cut circle but that just wasn't doing it for me!)...

...buckets of herbs were next and an appliqued heart was hand stitched into place and finally another pretty birdhouse, with embroidered vines and flowers. A skein of "Larkspur" variegated hand dyed "Cottage Garden Thread" was included with this BOM and it is absolutely gorgeous...

...and here it is - Block 9. The borders will be next, using some of the beautiful feature fabric "Grandmothers Flower Garden" by Rosalie Quinlan. That's next on my list of crafty projects, and I will share pictures of the completed quilt top at the weekend.

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Pinwheel Puffs - Aster Manor

22/7/2014

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This quilt pattern is called "Pinwheel Puffs" and was made using a Jelly Roll called "Aster Manor" by Three Sisters for Moda. The pattern was part of a programme called "The Breakfast Club" which was held at my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven. Each month we made a different quilt using 2.5" strips of fabric. Of course you could just cut the strips yourself and use your stash, but it was much more fun to use a Jelly Roll and Moda certainly has a huge selection to chose from. I'd made this top and put it away as I wasn't really sure how I wanted it quilted. A few weeks ago I took it over to Jeanette who has a wonderful longarm quilting studio, and just look at the wonderful quilt I've collected from her!...

...I didn't have any left-over strips from the "Aster Manor" Jelly Roll that was used to make this quilt top, but I just happened to have some brown tone-on-tone fabric from the "Peace on Earth" collection (by the same design team, 3 Sisters for Moda) lurking in my stash. I used 2.25" strips, and I used a quarter inch binding. The quilting design I chose is called "Entangle" and Janette used a chestnut coloured thread, which has blended in beautifully with the backing fabric. Clover Wonder clips are perfect for holding the binding in place ready for hand stitching - I always managed to stab myself when I used pins - this is a much safer method!!.....

...once the binding is sewn onto the front of the quilt, it's secured into place on the back with hand stitching. It was a glorious morning on Sunday, so I sat outside in my garden with a mug of tea and enjoyed the view while I was stitching...

...and here it is in all it's glory -this quilt is approx 44" square. Unfortunately I have no idea whether this pattern is still available, or whether The Breakfast Club is still available to join. If you are interested in the pattern, I'd suggest contacting your local quilt shop for more information.

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Mexican Fiesta Eggs - Sunkissed

21/7/2014

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This quilt pattern is called "Mexican Fiesta Eggs" and was made using a Jelly Roll called "Sunkissed" by Sweetwater for Moda. The pattern was part of a programme called "The Breakfast Club" which was held a few years ago at my local quilt shop, Quilters Haven. Each month we were given a pattern to make a quilt top using 2.5" strips of fabric. Of course you could just cut the strips yourself and use your stash, but it was much more fun to use a Jelly Roll and Moda certainly has a huge selection to chose from. It was great fun seeing how different everyone's tops looked depending on what Jelly Roll they used! I'd made this quilt top a few years ago and put it away as I wasn't really sure how I wanted it quilted. A few weeks ago I took it over to Jeanette who has a super longarm quilting studio...

...I've used the left over strips of the Jelly Roll to make a scrappy binding for this quilt top, and as it's a smaller quilt (approx 44" square), I used a quarter inch binding, machined it into place on the front of the quilt, and hand stitched to the back...

...the quilting design I chose for this one is called "Embellish" and a bright pink quilting thread was used, which looks great with the pink, orange and lime green colours of the fabric...

...and here it is in all it's glory. Unfortunately I don't know if these patterns or The Breakfast Club programme is still available. If you are interested in trying to get a pattern, I'd suggest contacting your local quilt shop, to see if they can help.

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Down In The Garden - Block 9 Prepped

20/7/2014

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The final block of this quilt "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley) has been prepped and is ready for the hand stitchery. After sorting out the fabrics the stitchery designs were traced - I use a brown coloured Pigma Micron pen, and yes I'm LOVING my new lightbox!!...

...and then the mini blocks were pieced together, ready for stitchery and applique. This block has some lightweight fusible interfacing (I use Vilene H180) fused to the back to give it some "body" - and now I'm off to make a cuppa and settle down in a comfy chair with my new glasses and make a start.

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Down In The Garden - Block 8 Complete

19/7/2014

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For those of you who also follow my FB page, you'll know that I've been busy stitching early in the mornings, while I've been enjoying the peace and quiet before everyone starts to get up and get ready for work. Those early starts have been very relaxing, and very productive! The pattern allows for this block to be personalised with your name, and I can almost smell that bucket of mint...

...one of the mini-blocks is a fussy cut block using the feature fabric (Grandmother's Flower Garden, by Rosalie Quinlan), and a pair of blue birds are perched among the cherry blossom...

....this block features another watering can filled with hand-embroidered flowers and bright red butterflies are dancing among them. These were machined into place using raw-edge applique. Block 8 of "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley) is now complete, and I must admit I can't wait to make a start on Block 9 sometime over the weekend!!

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A Little Sneak Peek...

17/7/2014

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I had a VERY busy day yesterday, and part of my day was spent over at the Longarm quilter's studio, J-Quilts, as I was dropping off a couple of quilt tops that needed to be quilted (Janette's work is AMAZING) and also I collected a couple of quilt tops that I'd left with her a few weeks ago, and she certainly has made them look beautiful. Each quilt was made with just one Jelly Roll. The first one was made with "Sunkissed" by Sweetwater for Moda, the pattern of the block is called "Mexican Fiesta Eggs" and the quilting design is called "Embellish". We chose a bright pink thread for the binding. The second one was made with "Aster Manor" by 3 Sisters for Moda, and the name of the block is called "Pin Wheel Puffs". This one was quilted with a design called "Entangle"and a chestnut coloured thread. (If you click on the pictures below you can see them enlarged). Both of these patterns were part of a programme called The Breakfast Club, and unfortunately I don't know if these patterns are still available. I shall spend my weekend binding them, and then I can share some pictures of the full quilts.

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French General Fabrics

16/7/2014

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Do you like "French General" fabrics? I'm dropping these quilt tops off at the longarm quilter today. These patterns were part of a programme called "The Breakfast Club" that my local quilt shop took part in a few years ago. Each month a different pattern was made using 2.5" strips of fabric (Jelly Rolls were ideal for these patterns) and I taught a few of these classes. These quilt tops were pieced together and used as class samples. The first one was made with a "Rouenneries" Jelly Roll by French General for Moda, and the pattern is "Mexican Fiesta Eggs"...

...and this one was made with a "Rural Jardin" Jelly Roll by French General for Moda, and the pattern is "Pinwheel Puffs", again part of "The Breakfast Club" programme. I've had lots of questions about these patterns before, but I don't know if they are still available to purchase. Ohhhh and another reason for going to the longarm quilter today? To collect a couple of quilt tops that she has worked her magic on - I'll post some pictures of those next week, once I've had a chance to sew on the labels and binding!

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<<Previous

Another Butterfly Bouquet

Down In The Garden - A Slideshow

Down In The Garden - Quilt Top Finished!

Down In The Garden Block 9 Complete

Pinwheel Puffs - Aster Manor

Mexican Fiesta Eggs - Sunkissed

Down In The Garden - Block 9 Prepped

Down In The Garden - Block 8 Complete

A Little Sneak Peek...

French General Fabrics

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