Blog Archives - Nicola Foreman Quilts

Home and Heart Pillow

28/11/2015

This is my latest project - Heart and Home Pillow by Lynette Anderson Designs. I really prefer kits, as I never seem to have the "right" piece of fabric, and this kit was ordered from Lynette's shop in Australia, Little Quilt Store. It contained the pattern, all the fabrics and the ric-rac trimming. It didn't take long to piece the squares together for the centre, and add the borders on...this is quilted very simply, in a cross hatch design. The stitchery design was traced using a lightbox and a Micron Pigma pen, and a piece of weaveline lightweight interfacing was fused to the back. A selection of DMC threads were used for the hand embroidery, and a cute "Miss Kitty" button finished it off. This was then appliqued to the front of the cushion...

...I altered the pattern a bit as I prefer an enclosed zipper in the back of cushion cases, and I used a strip of the same fabric to make a narrow binding to cover all the raw edges. Here's the finished cushion - another lovely project from Lynette. She really does design beautiful projects.

More Apliquick Tools

28/11/2015

Mr Postman delivered these goodies today - I've been using the apliquick rods for the past year, and they really are absolutely brilliant! I've had the tweezers and small scissors on my wishlist for a little while now, and when I saw these on sale at The Fat Quarters in Northumberland, I couldn't resist them any longer! I've got a few "big" applique projects on my to-do-list, and these will be put to very good use when I'm busy with fabrics and threads and applique paper. Also, I'll be able to keep all my apliquick tools together in one of my sewing cases that I use specifically for applique projects.

United Stitches - Piecing Rows Together

22/11/2015

Once all the pieced blocks were made - flying geese, stars, strip sets, log cabins, appliqued hexagons, four-patches and fussy cut squares, I stitched a few of the rows together. This is as far as I can get for now, as the remaining 12 stitchery blocks will be delivered 2 blocks per month, and once they arrive I can get them embroidered and get another row stitched up! This BOM is called United Stitches, and is by Rosalie Dekker Designs. She also designed this fabric collection too, called Chirpy Lola - and the stitchery blocks have been arriving in the post, 2 blocks per month, since January, from Under The Mulberry Tree in Australia. I've also ordered the border and binding fabrics from there too, so once the main part of the quilt top is completed, I'll be able to get the borders on, then it will be sent off to my local long arm quilter ready for her to add her special magic on it!

United Stitches - Log Cabins

21/11/2015

The last pieced blocks that needed to be made for United Stitches were 5 scrappy log cabin blocks. This BOM is by Rosalie Dekker designs, and has been made with a selection of blocks, using a variety of techniques - hand embroidery, machine piecing, and hand applique. The pattern suggests making these log cabin blocks using a foundation-piecing method, but I decided to stitch them normally, using a fine Aurifil 50wt thread and a Schmetz Microtex size 60 needle. The centre block was made with a 1.5" square, then 1" strips were cut from this gorgeous Chirpy Lola fabric, and the log cabin blocks were quickly pieced together.

United Stitches - A Few More Blocks

19/11/2015

I spent a couple of hours on Wednesday morning piecing a few more blocks together of United Stitches by Rosalie Dekker Designs. This Chirpy Lola fabric (also designed by Rosalie) is absolutely gorgeous to sew with, and using some of this handkerchief linen in some of the blocks works really well too. Unfortunately I couldn't spend the whole day stitching, as I was meeting up with a friend for coffee, but I'm hoping to get a few more blocks pieced together over the weekend while Mr F is working.

United Stitches - Applique

17/11/2015

On Monday evening I packed my bag ready for Sewing Group with a few appliqué essentials. Chirpy Lola fabrics, fusible appliqué paper, apliquick rods, Sewline gluestick and Roxanne's Basting Glue. I was going to be busy making hexagons to applique onto 4.5" blocks, and as you can see I had a very productive evening. These will be used for the United Stitches quilt (pattern designed by Rosalie Dekker Designs, and Rosalie designed this fabric range too). I've also ordered the border fabric from Under The Mulberry Tree in Australia, which is where the BOM has been coming from each month, so once the blocks are completed there will be no excuse for not getting the borders on!

United Stitches - US019 and US020

15/11/2015

I've finally caught up with all the embroidered blocks of United Stitches that were sitting in my sewing bag, waiting to get stitched! This gorgeous BOM is by Rosalie Dekker Designs, and was ordered from Under The Mulberry tree in Australia. I'm expecting the next 2 blocks to arrive in a few weeks, and I've made a start on the pieced blocks too, so I can hopefully get another couple of rows pieced together soon. These blocks have been stitched with Cosmo threads, and once the stitching is completed, they are trimmed to size - that's very simple with the template that came with the starter pack. I'm going to do some hand sewing next, on a few blocks that have an appliqued hexagon, and will share some pictures of those soon!

United Stitches - More Pieced Blocks

14/11/2015

These gorgeous Chirpy Lola fabrics were bought from Under The Mulberry Tree when I first signed up to a BOM called United Stitches by Rosalie Dekker Designs, a few months ago. These fabrics are also designed by Rosalie. I'd already made some flying geese and some strip pieced blocks last week, and this weekend I made a few more - pin wheels, shoo fly and a fussy cut block were needed to complete the first row of this wall hanging. Then I made some 4 patch blocks too...

...I machine-pieced a few more strip sets together, and cross-cut them to make a few scrappy blocks. These are all 4.5" squares, making a 4" finished size. These colourful blocks were then stitched together with a few stitchery blocks to make another row. As you can see I had a really productive day! I still have several more blocks to piece together, but I'll save those for another weekend!

United Stitches - US017 and US018

13/11/2015

Once I was on a roll with stitching these small blocks, I was eager to get the next ones completed! US017 and US018 make up part of the United Stitches BOM by Rosalie Dekker Designs, and these didn't take long to stitch at all. These just need to be trimmed to size, and I'll be ready to stitch the next 2 blocks - then I'll be up-to-date before anymore parcels arrive from Under The Mulberry Tree! I'd planned on making a few of the pieced blocks using Chirpy Lola fabrics over the weekend, and will share a few pictures of my progress tomorrow.

United Stitches - US015 and US016

12/11/2015

Hurrah!! I'm now officially halfway through with these small stitchery blocks of United Stitches by Rosalie Decker Designs, and I've nearly caught up with the outstanding blocks that have been waiting patiently in my sewing bag! These cosmo threads are beautiful to stitch with, and really do have the most beautiful sheen. I bought these direct from Australia, from Under The Mulberry Tree. Now I'm halfway through, I really must stitch a few more pieced blocks, and I'll share some pictures of those very, very soon!