Nicola Foreman Quilts
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The Happy Stitcher - Completed

30/11/2019

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Here it is - The Happy Stitcher (pattern by the Australian designer Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs, purchased from Cross Patch) is all ready to display in my sewing studio. This has been hand appliqued using the Apliquick method, and hand embroidered using Cosmo stranded embroidery threads. It was a bit tricky trying to photograph this, as it's very long an narrow, measuring approx 12" x 32" - and this picture was taken with it laying on my sewing table...
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...these pretty fabrics are mostly from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK and were leftover from my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt. The quilting was kept very simple, just mostly stitch in the ditch, and around the circular applique shape...
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...if you click on the photographs, you'll enlarge them so you can see the detail. Once the wallhanging had been quilted, the hexagons were appliqued into place...
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...I've added a narrow sleeve on the back, ready to display this fun wallhanging on the wall of my sewing studio. I've also added a small hand embroidered label - embellished with a few hexies that were surplus to requirement! ​
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Handknitted Socks

27/11/2019

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My lovely talented sister Ericka Eckles knitted these GORGEOUS socks for my birthday last month and I totally forgot to share a picture of them. My tootsies are super warm and cosy in these! She's got lots of amazing knittied goodies on her Instagram page if yont to have a look!
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Hearts and Happy Flowers Labelled

26/11/2019

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While I was away recently on a quilting a retreat, one of my projects was making labels for my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt. This seemed very appropriate as I was piecing some of the blocks for this quilt last year when I was at the retreat too! I used the designs from block 10 of the pattern (Leanne Beasley always includes great ideas for quilt labels in her patterns) and wrote out the words freehand. The initial design was sketched with a pencil, when I was happy with the finished design, I drew over the lines with a very fine black Sharpie pen. The design was then taped to my light pad, and I traced the design onto a piece of fabric, using a Micron Pigma pen. This ink is permanent so you do need a very steady hand. Then The design is hand embroidered - I used the same colours of Cosmo embroidery threads that I'd used for the front of the quilt...
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...it's a bit time consuming, but it's the final part of the quilt making process, and I like to put as much effort into making the label as I've put into making the quilt! These have now been appliqued into place on the back of the quilt, and I've added a couple of hearts that were surplus to requirements when I was making the quilt blocks a few months ago.
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Layering Up The Happy Stitcher

23/11/2019

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​Are you having a sewing Saturday? I've been stitching the scalloped borders on my "Happy Stitcher" wallhanging. This will be spray basted and machine quilted very simply, just stitch-in-the-ditch. This pattern is by the Australian designer Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs and is available from Cross Patch in Wales...
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...the fabrics for this are leftovers from my Hearts and Happy Hearts quilt, and are mostly from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK. The hand embroidery is stitched using Cosmo stranded embroidery threads, and the applique has been completed using the Apliquik method. Once the quilting has been completed, I'll applique this little group of hexies into place. I made a few extras, and these will be used to embellish a small label for the back of the wallhanging.  
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The Happy Stitcher - Applique and Embroidery

20/11/2019

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The Happy Stitcher pattern by the Australian designer Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs (the pattern was, as usual from Cross Patch, an online shop based in Wales, here in the UK - and yes, it IS my favourite online shop) was one of my stitching projects while I was away on a quilting retreat at the weekend. The applique (all made using the Apliquick method - I gave a few demonstrations of this while I was away too) has been stitched in place and the hand embroidery has all been stitched using Cosmo stranded embroidery thread. The fabrics, and threads, were left over from my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt - the fabrics are mostly from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK and really are very pretty. 
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Hearts and Happy Flowers Revealed!

17/11/2019

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Here's my Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt (pattern by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley) that I collected earlier this week from J-Quilts. Janette has worked her usual magic with free hand custom quilting and it really is very pretty The binding is now on, and this had it's first reveal yesterday evening when I was doing a "show and tell" at a quilting retreat I'm on...
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...and here are a few close up pictures of the freehand custom longarm quilting. If you click on the pictures, you'll enlarge them and see the amazing work that Janette does. And all of this freehand too! I'm absolutely thrilled to bits with it. The kit for this quilt was supplied from Cross Patch, (an online shop based in Wales here in the UK) using fabrics from the Katie Jane collection by Makower UK. The hand embroidery was all stitched with Lecien Cosmo stranded embroidery threads.
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Binding my Hearts and Happy Flowers Quilt

13/11/2019

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So this evening I'm hand stitching the binding in place on this beauty  that I recently collected from J-Quilts Longarm Quilting. Janette has been working her magic with freehand custom longarm quilting, and it it lovely to have my quilt back home again. This Hearts and Happy Flowers quilt is designed by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley and is made with a variety of techniques - machine piecing, hand applique, EPP, and hand embroidery. I've used Cosmo embroidery threads for the hand embroidery - these threads have a beautiful sheen to them. Most of the fabrics used for this quilt are from the katie Jane collection by Makower UK, and were supplied as a kit from Cross Patch, an online shop wased in Wales, here in the UK. 
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My Stitching Things - Hand Embroidery

10/11/2019

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This was the perfect project for stitching while I was travelling to Scotland for my hols. "My Stitching Things" pattern is by the Australian designer Gail Pan Designs. Before I went away, I traced the design using a lightpad and a very fine tipped Micron Pigma pen (my favourite sized nib is 005) and fused some lightweight interfacing to the back. I used a spool of Presencia Finca perle thread for the hand embroidery - although the no 16 was a bit too fine, so I just doubled the thread. I'm really pleased with how this looks - and now I'm back home, I can get this project finished. I'm off on a quilting retreat next weekend, so this project will definitely be in my sewing bag. I'm going to take a few smaller projects with me, rather than a large one, as there will probably be lots of chatting and catching up with friends that I haven't seen for ages, which might distract me from stitching anything too ambitious!
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    About me...

    Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! 
    ​​I live in Suffolk, not far from the coast, surrounded by the beautiful countryside.  
    ​If you want to share or pin any of my pictures, please link back to my blog.

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    Blogs I follow

    A Quilt Lady
    A Quilting Life
    Abyquilt
    Anne-Grethe's quiltblog
    Anne Marie Quilt
    Bente Malm Quilte-Design
    Bloom
    Cinderberry Styitches
    Daisy made it
    Dilly Dimple
    Karis Quilterier
    Evas Quilterom
    Erickaeckles
    Fantasia Yarns
    Gail Pan Designs
    Hanne's Quilt Corner
    Halfpenny Home
    I'm a Ginger Monkey
    J-quilts
    Just Jude Designs
    Kviltstina
    Leanne's House
    Liv Aagots Quilteblogg
    Lily's Quilts
    Litamora's Quilt & Design
    Lynette Anderson Designs
    Merete's Quiltestue
    Mona's quiltblog
    Pam's Paradise Stitching
    Pia Si Sia
    Random Ramblings
    Sigrun's blog
    Sølvi's blog
    U-handblog
    ZewNice

     UK shops

    These are the UK shops that I use to purchase my quilting supplies - fabrics and threads etc.
    Bramblepatch
    Buttonberry
    Coast and Country Crafts
    Craft Den
    Cross Patch
    Emma's Fabric Studio
    Fiona's Fabrics
    Glenroy Designs
    Halfpenny Home
    Hulu
    J-quilts
    KIS Quilting
    Patchwork Chicks
    Quilter's Cloth
    Quilters Haven
    Sew and So's
    The Eternal Maker
    The Fat Quarters
    The Quilt Room
    U-handbag

    Australian links

    Cookies and Cream Craft
    Homespun magazine
    Little Quilt Store
    Quilt Fabric Delights
    Under The Mulberry Tree

    Scandinavian links

    Lapp-Elisa Quilts HB
    Lappedesign
    Lappedilla AS
    Myquilt
    Northern Quilts
    Quiltegården
    Quiltekroken
    Quiltemagasinet
    Quiltespecialisten
    Sy-Sammen