Blog Posts

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 16

24/3/2025

Day 16 of the Declutter Challenge is all about focussing on our unfinished projects. I've got a few quilt tops that I've made but still need to be quilted. The thought of pulling them out and making a list felt quilt overwhelming, but that's just what I did. And yes, I still love them all so I definitely want to fnish them.
Some have been layered ready for quilting, and some still need backing fabric to be bought and a quilting plan made, something that I seem to spend ages deliberating over, and not actually getting them done!
Anyway, here's the list of quilt tops, with the year they were made - and hopefully there won't be quite so many on this list by the end of the year!

Spring Tulip Tabletopper - 2020 - no idea how to quilt this one, needs wadding and backing.
Wish You Well - 2020 - layered and ready to hand quilt.
Woodland Secrets - 2023 - layered and ready to machine quilt.
In Full Bloom - 2023 - layered and ready to machine quilt.
George and the Donley - 2023 - no idea how to quilt this one, needs wadding and backing.
Anna's Lille Veggteppe - 2023 - layered with wadding and backing, but no idea how to quilt this one!
Many Thanks - 2024 - no idea how to quilt this one, needs wadding and backing.

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 15

23/3/2025

0 Comments

Day 15 of the Declutter Challenge is probably the challenge that I've found the hardest to do - it's finally decluttering our kits and pre-cuts. I can never resist a beautiful kit, and other the years I've amassed quite a collection. In January 2022 I made a list of all the kits I'd bought, and I was working my way through them when I realised that my tastes had changed, and some of these kits really weren't ever going to get made, so it was time to klet some of them go. Doing this challenge has given me the permission I needed - and once I'd made that decision that I was going to let some of them go, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders! The kits that I've kept will be the ones that I really, really, want to make, and the ones that I'll pass on to other quilters will hopefully give them pleasure.

Today was also about sorting out pre-cuts - I don't have many of these, as I sold most of the Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls and Charms packs that I'd collected, a couple of years ago. I'd kept some Layer Cakes that I was going to use to make a specific pattern with, and that's still my plan, although it hasn't happened yet! Hopefully I'll take them with me when I go on a quilting retreat in September, although watch this space incase I change my mind!

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 14

22/3/2025

0 Comments

Day 14 of the Declutter Challenge is having a rest day, or dealing with a hotspot. I've really enjoyed this challenge, and although it hasn't taken long to do the daily challenges, my studio is looking fresher and tidier and I'm pleased with the results. I've used today to rearrange the pictures and wallhangings that I have on display in my sewing studio, ready for Spring - it's surprising what a change around makes!

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Vintage Paisley Stitchery Bag

21/3/2025

0 Comments

I needed a hand embroidery project to take with me on an up-coming holiday, and I couldn't resist this lovely kit from Cross Patch - the Vintage Paisley Stitchery Bag. The kit includes the pattern, all the fabrics for the bag, handles and lining, the zipper AND a spool of perle thread for the hand embroidery. The panel is pre-printed with the stitchery design, so all I had to do was add an embroidery hoop, a needle and scissors, and pop it in my suitcase! While I was away on holiday, I made a start on the hand embroidery using the Finca perle thread that was included in the kit.These are very simple stitches - back stitch, some lazy daisy stitches and a few Colonial knots...

...once the hand embroidery was completed, the panel was trimmed to size, and the pieced border was added. These pretty 2.5" squares are all by French General for Moda.The front of the bag was then layered on to a piece of fusible wadding (Vlieseline H630, also purchased from Cross Patch) and was hand quilted very simply around the edge of the panel, with a neutral perle thread. The sides and the base of the bag are made from piecing more of the 2.5" squares. The back has been machine quilted in a simple crosshatch pattern...

...when the quilting was completed, the bag was pieced together. The lining was added, and the zipper inserted...

...the fabric handles were machine stitched in place. This is the first time I've made this particular type of handle, and it was a really simple task - although I might add some flexible plastic tubing to give them a bit more structure...

...and here's the completed bag. This small tote bag measures approx 16" x 12" and is 2" deep, and will be perfect for keeping my project bags in.

0 Comments

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 13

20/3/2025

0 Comments

Day 13 of the Declutter Challenge is all about decluttering our notions - ribbons, buttons, snaps, and zippers. I didn't realise how well organised I was until I watched todays video - thanks to a selection of Really Useful Boxes that each have separate compartments. These are stored on top of my large Ikea Kallax unit, so they're out of the way of my day-to-day sewing, but within easy reach when I need them.

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 12

18/3/2025

0 Comments

Day 12 is all about our sewing stations. I use another Ikea Malm desk as my sewing station, which my Bernina 570QE sits on along with a plexiglass extention table. Both the desk and the extension table are easy to keep clean, I just wipe over them with a damp cloth regularly. I keep my sewing machine feet in the Bernina toolbox that came with my machine, and that stands on the desk to the side of my machine. My "spare" machine is my Bernina 230PE that I use to take to classes - this is stored in a travelling case under my desk due to lack of space, and is regularly cleaned and kept in good condition.

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Declutter Challenge 2025 - Day 11

17/3/2025

0 Comments

Day 11 of the Declutter Challenge is all about your ironing and cutting stations, along with your irons, cutting boards and rulers. I use an Ikea Malm desk that is my primary cutting and ironing station. For cutting , I use a large 24" x 36" cutting mat, which I wipe over regularly with a damp cloth to remove loose threads and fibres. I've a selection of rulers, which I store on my cutting station in a ruler rack, and smaller ones are kept together in a shallow tray, so they're easily to find. A couple of tapemeasures are also kept on my cutting table, again within easy reach.
For my ironing station, I use a small table top ironing board and a wool pressing mat. A domestic iron does the job of pressing. A bottle of spary starch is also kept on my tabletop ironing board.

#declutterchallenge2025
#jgidqdeclutterchallenge2025
#reclaimingmyspace2025

0 Comments

Spis Fisk

10/3/2025

0 Comments

Another Norwegian project from my VERY long list of kits - and another set of placemats! This pattern - Spis Fisk (translates as Eat Fish) is also by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa, and the kit which included the pattern and all the fabrics inclding the the backing and binding, was purchased from Lapp-Elisa, in Sweden. Although the instructions are written in Norwegian, the pattern is very well illustrated, and was simple to put together. The instructions are for raw edge applique, and I've used a small black button on the eye which will be stitched in place once the placemats are completed. This cute fish-themed fabric is from the Fish Tales collection by Annie Brady for Moda...

...the wadding that I've used is my favourite one for tablerunners and placemats - Vliseline H630, whith is a thin felted polyester fusible wadding which quilts very nicely. I tend to buy this by the metre from Cross Patch here in the UK. The machine quilting has been kept very simple, with lines of echo quilting around the fish heads and tails. The centr panel has been machine quilted in straight rows half an inch apart, using the edge of the walking foot as a guide...

...I've used the star print to bind the placemats with a single fold binding, machined to the front of the mat then folded over and hand stiched to the back. Two mats have this cute fish print for the backing, and two have the orange fabric. I've added a label to the back of one of the mats, stitching it in place diagonally across the corner...

...and here are the completed placemats, ready to be wrapped and gifted to a very special friend.

0 Comments

Vårlige Tulipanhus

3/3/2025

2 Comments

Another project that has been on my to-do list for a VERY long time is this set of 4 placemats - the pattern is Vårlige Tulipanhus (translates as Spring Tulip House) and is by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa. This pattern was in issue 01/2011 of the Norwegian magazine Quiltemagasinet, and both the magazine and this super fabric kit was purchased from Lappedilla in Norway back in 2011. The pattern, although written in Norwegian, is relatively simple to make, as the instructions are well illustrated. I've used Lite Steam-a-seam 2 for fusible webbing. Once the shapes were traced onto the back of the webbing, the shapes were cut out with a small margin around the traced line, fused onto the back side of the fabric, then cut out exactly on the drawn line. The backing paper is peeled off, the shapes are pressed into place, then when everything is in the right place, a warm iron is used to fuse the shapes into place before machine stitching around the edge...

...there is a large picture in the magazine showing the layout of the windows, doors, tulips and leaves, so it is easy to replicate this with the fabric applique shapes. I machine stitched the appliqued shapes using a black Aurifil 40wt thread. I like to use a thin wadding for tablerunners and placemats, my favourite is a fusible felted polyested wadding, Vliseline H630, which I buy by the metre from Cross Patch - this wadding quilts nicely, and isn't too bulky. The placemats are made using the "birthing" method - the backing fabric is laid right side up on the wadding, the placemat is laid right side down. Once all layers have been pinned together, I've machined all around the "house" a quarter of an inch from the edge, leaving approx 5" opening for turning through. Once the placemat has been turned through, it is pressed, the gap is then hand stitched closed, and machine quilted...

...I'm really pleased with how these look, especially as they're a gift for a very special friend. I hope she enjoys using them as much as I enjoyed making them!

2 Comments

Flying Santa Tablerunner

25/2/2025

2 Comments

Back in 2016 I purchased this kit for the Flying Santa Tablerunner from Lynette Anderson's stand at the Festival of Quilts, here in the UK. The kit included the pattern, and all the fabrics needed, which were from Lynette's Festive Fun collection. I didn't have time that year to make it, and it was packed away where it has been joined by several other kits and time has sped by rather quickly than I expected! Anyway, a few weeks ago I finally made a start on it. I decided to use a raw edge applique for this project, using one of my favourite products, "Lite Steam-A-Seam 2" for the fusible webbing. I've used Aurifil 50wt thread in colours to match the fabrics, and machined the shapes into place on the background fabric an eighth of an inch inside the raw edge...

...once all of the applique shapes were stitched in place, I then completed the hand embroidery, using 2 strands of DMC stranded embroidery threads. These tiny buttons from my button tin were perfect for the eyes of the reindeer. The jingly-jangly bells will be stitched in place once the machine quilting is completed...

...as you can see, I've machine quilted the background very simply, using the lines of the trellis pattern on the fabric as a guide. This meant there were lots of starts and stops, and lots of ends of threads to sew in, but I was really pleased with the finished result. The bells were stitched in place on the reindeer collars as planned...

...I've used the same fabric for the borders and the binding, and agian the borders have been machine quilted very simply. A narrow single fold binding has been machined in place to the front of the tablerunner, folded over and hand stitched to the back using ladder stitch. I've added a pre-made label to the back of the tablerunner, across one of the corners...

...these pictures show Santa and his reindeer flying around the tablerunner. The original design has a fringed trimming added between the appliqued centre and the borders, but I wasn't happy with how it looked, so removed it before I quilted the tablerunner..

...now it is finished, this tablerunner can be packed away ready for Christmas - it's going to look super with a few more decorations on my dining table!