Lovely Liberty Lawns

This one is speaking to me already!

I’ve just received this beautiful top for custom quilting and I’m itching to get on with it. But it is going to take me quite a while if I am to do it justice. So I thought I had better clear the decks of the other pieces I have been asked to quilt first, so I can devote some real time to it. Look at all that blank space to fill in!

Earlier this week I quilted the ‘Garden Quilt’, which we made at Studio Quilters last year under the guidance of Jean Hipwell. 

It looks so fresh and bright with its lovely flower beds, green gardens and ‘paths’ and I’m pleased with the texture of the edge to edge five pointed flower pattern, which is my current favourite all-over design. It just needs to be bound and it will be ready for our stall at the NSPCC Christmas Fair in November.  

Next one up is the scrappy ‘EPP’ hexagon quilt which we have been making by hand at our ‘at home’ afternoons. Yes – even I did some hand sewing! Susan has made a lovely job of setting them all together on a cream background. I will show you when it is done.

Somewhere down the line I will get back to my ‘Four in One’ project which is ready to quilt!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Hearts and Flowers and Fibonacci!

It’s been a fairly productive week one way and another. 

My little heart cushion was finished by the early hours of Sunday morning. It is something of my Mum’s that I have treasured and I’ve been meaning to make a special cover for it for years. I played with the embroidery stitches again and learned that the stitch around the binding is extremely difficult to unpick!

If I’d known I was going to become a quilter I’d have paid more attention to maths at school. But you’re never too old learn something new. On Saturday, I attended a workshop by Sheena Roberts for Connecting Threads where she demonstrated the ‘Convergence’ block by Ricky Tims. (The maths bit is Fibonacci’s series of numbers 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 etc where each number is the sum of the previous two.) We applied this formula to the ratio of sizes of strips cut from four squares of fabric which were sewn together then turned 90 degrees then cut and sewn again. The result is a pleasingly proportioned block with the four fabrics ‘converging’ throughout. Of course, I had to be difficult and start with smaller squares (purchased wrong size at Festival of Quilts). But Sheena was brilliant and worked it out for me. Here are my two blocks which I’ll probably make into a cushion for the NSPCC Christmas sale at Allum Hall in Borehamwood in November.

http://groupspaces.com/ConnectingThreads/photos/

Checkout our website for pictures of everyone else's.

Finally, I have just finished quilting this top for a lovely lady called Pat, having had to stop half way through because I ran out of bobbin thread. Her piecing was superb, every seam pressed the right way and no loose threads. This was my first attempt at this edge to edge design and it was such fun to do. I hope she likes it!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

Crumbs!

Treasured Scraps!

Many moons ago I dragged my daughter all the way to Dorking for the January sale at The Quilt Room. I think she saw a different side to me, as I unashamedly elbowed my way through the crowd to get my hands on all the bargains! She did quite well out of it too, as I bought all the bits she needed for her school design and technology project – a superb appliquéd Nursery Rhyme book (of which we were both very proud).

The best find of the day was a sample card of beautiful fabrics from the Mary Rose range from Quilt Gate. It had no price on it, but I was determined to have it at any cost. So when the lady at the till scribbled 50p on it, I paid up and got out of the shop before she could change her mind!

After several more years of just admiring it, inspiration finally struck and I made this Diamond Lattice quilt with some recycled cream linen from a Laura Ashley duvet cover and several similar fabrics I had managed to find in the meantime.

The result, though perhaps not my most accomplished piece, is still my favourite thing I have ever made. The fabric was so pretty and of course I saved every last sliver.

Today was the day those treasured scraps came out to play! 

My compulsion to use up the smallest bits (crumbs) first led me to make this crazy patchwork piece sewn straight onto wadding and then reverse appliquéd into this 7 inch heart block. It is intended as the centre of a cover for a small heart shaped cushion that used to belong to my Mum.  

The cut-out centre was covered with Heat n Bond Lite (which will be used for a later project). I left a good quarter inch of the adhesive around the inner outline which I clipped and then turned under and pressed. Finally, I tried out one of the many decorative stitches on my new Brother machine to finish and then trimmed away the excess wadding from behind.

This pleased me so much that I put the cushion project to one side and made another piece of crazy patchwork which I have just finished making into this little scissor / needlecase.

A productive day – I need to make more small things in between full size quilts!

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk   

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Celtic Jewel

Meanwhile - back in the loft....

‘Auntie’ and I have been busy again! One look at the beautiful colours in this top made by Mary and I knew it would be a joy to work on. As soon as she left it with me, I was straight up in the loft to load it on the frame.

Mary has an embroidery machine, amongst her other machines (she is a collector too!) She had stitched out a lovely feather wreath design in the snowball blocks and didn’t want too much quilting which might detract from it.

So I circled round the design with some simple curls and stitched the pieced blocks in the ditch. Then I had fun doing the freehand curly waves and leaves in the borders. Mary had also created a striking inner border with a pale gold coloured broderie fabric with plain black behind.

It is going to be a quillow for a relative who is off to University later this month, so I have the pillow panel to quilt too, as soon as it’s ready.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

Janet

www.englishquilter.co.uk