Blog Posts - Nicola Foreman Quilts

Completed Projects 2025

31/12/2025

I've had another productive year in my sewing studio, making a selection of quilty things, and even finishing off a couple of "older" projects that have been languishing in my studio for quite a while! If you click on the pictures below you can enlarge them. I'm hoping to spend lots of happy days sewing again in 2026, so I just need to give my sewing studio a bit of a refresh - I'm taking part in the Declutter Challange again in January, so I hope I can sew a couple of smaller projects inbetween the decluttering!

George and the Donkey - Quilted and Bound and Labelled

28/12/2025

Here's my George and the Donkey quilt - designed by Lynette Anderson - was originally started as a mystery quilt back in January 2023. I'd signed up to do this mystery BOM with Poppy Patch here in the UK, and I'd actually received the first pattern at the end of September 2022 but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to start it then. Each month another pattern arrived to make some beautiful hand embroidered and hand appliqued blocks, and what felt like MILLIONS of hexagons - until finally the quilt top was put together in May 2023. Then it sat patiently waiting while I deliberated over how to quilt it. Over the past couple of weeks, I've found an hour or so here and there and now it's finally completed. The cute red apple button was included with the first pattern of this BOM, and was stitched in place once the quilt was completed...

...the machine quilting has been kept simple, so it doesn't detract from all the pretty hand embroidery, and I've free motion quilted around all of the appliqued pieces. A few free motion quilted swirls and curls are set amongst the hand embroidery. The hand embroidery has been stitched with a variety of hand dyed variegated Valdani stranded embroidery threads...

...I've machine quilted around each of the 64 heagon flowers too! Once the quilting was completed, it was time to choose fabric for the binding, and I decided to use the same red heart printed fabric for the binding that I'd used for the centre of ALL of those hexie flowers - this frames the quilt nicely. The double fold binding was machine stitched to the front of the quilt, then folded over and hand stitched to the back of the quilt using ladder stitch. This gorgeous backing fabric was also one of Lynette's fabrics, and is from her Garden of Flowers fabric collection - it really is very pretty. I've added a hanging sleeve (made with a leftover piece of the backing fabric) to the back too, so it can be displayed on the wall of my sewing studio...

...one of my hand made labels has been stitched to the back of the quilt - I've used the butterfly and the bee motif from the front of the quilt, as well as scraps of fabric leftover from the quilt, as I like to reflect the theme of the quilt into the label for my special hand embroidered/appliqued quilts. I started my idea for the label by doodling some ideas on paper, then when I'm happy with the final design, I draw over the pencil lines with a fine Sharpie pen - this then becomes my template. The template is then taped to my lightpad (a very thin lightbox) and a piece of fabric is then taped or pinned to the template and the design can be traced onto the fabric. I prefer to use a Micron Pigma pen in a very fine nib, such as size 005 for this part - the ink is permanent so you do need a very steady hand! Then the hand embroidery stitches are completed, again using the same colour embroidery threads that were used for the main quilt. Once the label is completed, it is pressed and stitched to the back of the quilt, making sure the stitches don't go all the way through to the front of the quilt...

...and here's the front of the completed quilt. It will be displayed in my sewing studio in soon, once I've taken down my festive wall hangings and given my studio a good clean ready for making lots more projects next year!

Stjernedryss

26/12/2025

Several years ago I discovered the Norwegian designer AnnAKa - and I absolutely fell in love with her designs. This pattern is Stjernedryss - which translated means Star Sprinkles - and there certainly are LOTS od stars in this selection of fabrics! These were perfect for the special project that I wanted to make, and I'd actually chosen the fabrics before I'd decided which pattern I wanted to use. This tablerunner is pieced together and quilted very simply, then adorned with machine appliqued stars...

...I've used a neutral coloured Aurifil 40wt thread to machine quilt the centre of the runner, although if you look carefully you can see a couple of lines of machine quilting have been stitched with a metallic gold coloured thread, to add a little bit of sparkle. I've used Lite Steam-a-seam 2 for the fusible webbing, and I've used the same metallic gold thread to secure the stars into place, using a machine blanket stitch. The outer borders have also been quilted with a matching coloured Aurifil 40wt thread. The trickiest part of making this was the mitred corners of the binding, as the angles aren't the same as with a rectangular or square tablerunner, however I was pleased with the results...

...the single fold binding was then folded over and hand stitched to the back of the tablerunner using ladder stitch. I've also added one of my pre-made labels, which I sourced from Woven Labels UK...

...and here's the completed Stjernedryss tablerunner, before it was wrapped and gifted to a very special couple as a wedding gift. This was so enjoyable to make, I might have to make another one for me!

Tomtefar Med Ren - Nissefar Med Rensdyr

19/12/2025

Way back in 2011, I was gifted this gorgeous Tilda kit by a very kind Norwegian blogger called Hanne, who knew I loved Tilda products. I must admit when I first saw the instructions - which were written in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, with very limited diagrams, I felt completely overwhelmed, so packed it awy to make "one day" and finally that day has arrived! I decided I'd procrastinated long enough, so with the help pf Google translate I decided to make a start...

...the first thing I did was to make the Santa body - I really do love his smart stripey legs! Once the body was made, and all the pieces carefully through and stuffed, it was time to make Santa's outfit. This beautiful woolfelf was lovely to sew with. I dooesn't fray, so the hems didn't need to be neatened. The trim around the jacket and trousers is finished with a neat red running stitch, and I've embelished the jacket front with red buttons, rather than crosses that were suggested in the original pattern...

...this Santa really does have a very big, fluffy beard - the yarn to make this was included in the kit. His hat is embellished with a couple of holly leaves, and red beads for berries. I've used a black Micron Pigma pen for his eyes...

...the reindeer was next - again, the construction was reasonably simple thanks to Google translate! And this is obviously a female reindeer, as she has antlers, and male reindeer lose their antlers when they're rutting during the Autumn. I've also used the black Micron Pigma pen to mark her eyes, and her nose has been hand embroidered using satin stitch. The final flourish for her is a sweet wreath adorned with more red bead "berries" - again, all the bits and bobs for mking this were included in the kit...

...and here is the finished Santa and his sweet reindeer - I have absolutely LOVED making this kit.

Winter Playground - The Labels

6/12/2025

When I've made a special quilt that involves lots of hand embroidery and applique, I like to make a very special label to finish it off. Winter Playground was no different, and I'd been doodling some ideas fr the label for the past few weeks! I start off by sketching some ideas on paper with a pencil, then when I'm happy with the final design, I draw over the pencil lines using a very fine black Sharpie pen. The label template can then be used by placing a piece of fabric over the template, and using a lightbox and a fine pen, the design can be traced, ready for the hand embroidery. I use a Micron Pigma pen to trace the design onto fabric - the ink is permanent, so you do need a very steady hand. I prefer to use a pen with a very fine nib, size 005, in a pale brown colour. Using 2 strands of embroidery thread, the design is hand embroidered and embellished with applique. As you can see from the pictures below, I've used both a cute little bird and a rather cheerful looking snowman to adorn these labels. I've also used Karen Kay Buckley Bigger Perfect Circle templates to make the circular labels...

...and here they are, hand stitched in place on the back of the quilt. I've used a fine thread, and the stitches just go into the backing fabric and the wadding, making sure not to go through to the front of the quilt. Now t's time to tidy my sewing studio, ready to decorate it for the festive season!

Winter Playground - Quilting and Binding

1/12/2025

Once my Winter Playground quilt (designed by Lynette Anderson) had been layered up ready for quilting, I deliberated for a few days over the quilting - for me, this is always the tricky part! I started off with a couple of hand quilting ideas, but they didn't work out, so I free machine quilted it in small sections. Using Aurifil 40wt threads in colours to match the fabrics for the top, and a different colour in the bobbin than matches the backing fabric, I quilted it very simply to start with. Firstly, using a walking foot, I quilted it "stitch-in-the ditch" around each block, then using a dark green Aurifil thread I quilted a very simple cross hatch design on the small squares on the inner borders. Then I machine quilted aound all the applique - this was very time consuming, but it's really made the applique "pop" - and finally I had a bit of fun, and free motion quilted lots of swirls and curls on the background fabric...

...for the pieced borders, I machine quilted a simple cross-hatch design acros sall the small squares, but for the plain parts of the brorders I decided to do something a bit different. Using freezer paper, I cut out a selection of starrs - these were laid out on the borders, with the shiney side of the freezer paper on the fabric. Once I was happy with the layout, they were gently pressed into place with a warm iron - then I was able to machine quilt around the stars...

...I delved into my box of Lynette fabrics for the binding - this teal coloured check was perfect! Usung the double fold method, I stitched this onto the front of the quilt, using a quarter inch seam - again using a walking foot...

...the corners were mitred, and once the binding had been machined into place, the folded edge was turned over to the back of the quilt and hand stitched in place using ladder stitch. A quilt sleeve was made using a piece of leftover backing fabric, and this was also hand stsitched into place...

...and here's the completed quilt - I really am so pleased with this one! Now I just need to design a label to go on the back of the quilt - I've already been doodling some ideas, and will hopefully get it completed ready to dislay over the Christmas period!

Aspen Frost - Completed

30/11/2025

I was really thrilled with the longarm quilting that Daisy May Quilting did on my latest large quilt - this was made using two Aspen Frost layer Cakes, by Basic Grey for Moda, using the McGuffy pattern, which in in the book Schnibbles Times Two by Carrie Nelson. These stars and swirls really do look great, and the red thread really makes the quilting design pop! I've used the same Moda Grunge spot fabric for the binding that I used for the inner border of the quilt, and as you can see below, the backing fabric is also a red Moda Grunge fabric. I've added one of my ready made quilt labels that I bought several years ago from Woven Labels UK several years ago. I@ve stitched this in place diagonally across the corner on the back of the quilt, using a white thread for the label and a red thread in the bottom...

...now it's ready to be used during the festive season, when I'm snuggled up on the the sofa while I'm watching TV with either a mug of hot chocolate or a nice glass of Baileys with ice!

Aspen Frost - Quilted

26/11/2025

Whoop whoop - look what I collected from the longarm quilter Daisy May Quilting today! Back in September I pieced this gorgeous quilt top together whilst I was away on a quilting retreat - the pattern is called McGuffy, and is from the book Schnibble Times Two by Carrie Nelson. Each pattern in the book is shown in 2 sizes - a small quilt made with 2 Charm packs, and a larger quilt made with 2 Layer Cakes. The fabrics I used had been in my stash for a while - the Layer Cakes - Aspen frost by Basic Grey for Moda had been purchased from the Festival of Quilts way back in 2012, and the inner border is a Grunge Spot, also by Basic Grey. This was a leftover piece of fabric from when I'd had another festive quilt longrm quilted a couple of years ago, and I'll use the same fabric for this binding. I am absolutely thrilled to bits with this quilt, and hopefully I'll get the binding stitched on over the weekend. Even my grandson gave it his approval today, as he asked if we could snuggle up under it while we watched TV!

Winter Playground - The Borders

13/11/2025

I'm definately on the home straight now, with my Winter Playground quilt, designed by Lynette Anderson Designs. Finally it's time for the borders to be made - and this involves lots of cutting and stitching tiny squares together, for three "inserts" for the borders. Although I'd originally purchased a starter pack of fabrics when I bought the set patterns back in 2018, I've added lots of my own "Lynette" fabrics that I've accumulated over several years. to give it a better variety...

...these pieced borders give a bit more interest to the quilt than just using one fabric, and they're inserted on just three sides of the quilt. The fabric for the plain part of the border is a pretty star print, that is also one of Lynette's fabrics...

...there are a few wool appliqued starts on the original pattern, but I'm going to stitch these star shaped buttons on instead. These were purchased online from Minerva and will be sdtitched in place once the quilting is finished - I've just laid them in place for the photoshoot...

...and here's the quilt top, layered up with wadding and backing fabric. The fabric is a feature print from Lynette's Winter Playground collection, and the wadding is a bamboo and cotton mix. The layers have been spray basted with 505 spray. I've been deliberating over the quilting ever since I started this project, and finally decided to machine quilt it. Hopefully I'll manage to get this completed before Christmas, so I can have it on display, along with my other festive wall hangings.

Another Zoo Train Cushion Set

10/11/2025

A few weeks ago I made a set of these "Zoo Train" cushions for my grandson Rory. Obviously his little brother Alfie needed a set too, so I delved into my box of brightly coloured batiks, and Rory picked out these ones for his brother's cushions. I've used the same background fabric, a Makower basics, with cream starts on a pale grey background, purchased from Poppy Patch - a fabulous quilt shop in Northamptonshire. The applique shapes have been traced onto Lite Steam-a-Seam 2, and machine appliqued into place using a selection of 40wt Aurifil threads in matching colours...

...Rory chose all the fabrics for these cushions, and was adamant that his borther's name was made with this green spotty batik! I've used the same black and white striped fabric for the binding - this was purchased online from Fabric Love - and a cute little Made by Nanny label, from Little Rosy Cheeks which is also a UK company...

...and just like the previous set of cushions, these have a hidden zipper on the back, so the covers can be removed and easily laundered. I hope Alfie will like these as much as his brother likes his! Rory has got his in his "reding corner" in his bedroom, and this set will be in Alfie's bedroom. Goodness only knows what Rory will ask me to stitch for him next!