Tuesday 20 October 2020
Free to Quilt: Hanging Garden
Free to Quilt: Hanging Garden: Out Of The Blue! I love how my quilting best buddies have started to actually design their tops with me in mind! This beautifully pieced top...
Hanging Garden
Out Of The Blue!
I love how my quilting best buddies have started to actually design their tops with me in mind!
This beautifully pieced top, which Val was commissioned to make for her friend Lesley as a baby quilt, is a great example. Val knows that I like plenty of blank space to get creative in, so she added extra deep borders top and bottom. No surprises - there were feathers!
An unusual fabric choice for a baby quilt, it was a jelly roll by Robert Kaufmann, and some of the prints were very reminiscent of Liberty. But they went together so well in this rather sophisticated layout called 'Hanging Garden'.
Then, out of the blue, I had a call from a nice lady called Marion, whom I'd never met. A member of Amwell Quilters (a group I visited a year or so back) had given her my details. She had a disappearing nine patch that she was making to donate to a charity called Quilts 4 Care Leavers. This is a worthy cause that I also plan to donate to soon.
She had got as far as layering it and had kind of run out of steam - so could I finish it for her? Of course I was happy to.
Unfortunately, she had already spray basted it with adhesive, which is not what you want for quilting on a frame. So I had to ease the wadding out and press the top and backing again before loading it all up. Sticky Ironing board!!
At first I thought I would quilt it with bubbles to pick up the circles in the print. But somehow it was so bright and colourful, it just came out flowery - Go with the flow!!!!!!!
Last little piece .....
As our carefully planned programme for Studio Quilters went out the window this year, because of lockdown, I thought I should start my planned scrap project off with the group now, albeit a bit late.
I have given out sections of a 'strippy' scrap quilt to everyone, to be assembled as a group effort and longarm quilted by me (long distance) next year. I hope that the finished quilt can be donated to the Quilts for Care Leavers too.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Tuesday 25 August 2020
Free to Quilt: Celtic Knot
Free to Quilt: Celtic Knot: Self Indulgence! This striking quilt started off the year for the ladies at Studio Quilters and pushed us to the limits of our sk...
Celtic Knot
Self Indulgence!
This striking quilt started off the year for the ladies at Studio Quilters and pushed us to the limits of our skill (and patience!)
Susan did all the preparation and reminded us of the technique for bias appliqué. We got ourselves in knots trying to follow the pattern and most of us took our blocks home to sort them out in the calm of our own sewing rooms!
All of our perseverance paid off though and, soon enough, everyone returned their finished blocks. Susan and Debra then worked together to set them into this beautiful background layout. The narrow white sashing really lifted it. Great job!
Then it was over to me for quilting. After I had stitched in the ditch to stabilise the whole piece, I set about enhancing the individual blocks by stitching around the knots to make them pop. This was slow work as I had to stop and start 13 times in each block. But once that was done, I quickly added ribbon candy in the wider sashing. I love that texture.
And relax! ...... Having saved the best bit for last, I indulged myself with this continuous feather border.
Susan kindly added a wide border for me to play in!
This was some serious fun!
Once I started this bit, I just couldn't stop. One continuous line, three times round; spine, top and bottom feathers.
A lovely texture on the back if I do say so myself.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Self Indulgence!
This striking quilt started off the year for the ladies at Studio Quilters and pushed us to the limits of our skill (and patience!)
All of our perseverance paid off though and, soon enough, everyone returned their finished blocks. Susan and Debra then worked together to set them into this beautiful background layout. The narrow white sashing really lifted it. Great job!
Then it was over to me for quilting. After I had stitched in the ditch to stabilise the whole piece, I set about enhancing the individual blocks by stitching around the knots to make them pop. This was slow work as I had to stop and start 13 times in each block. But once that was done, I quickly added ribbon candy in the wider sashing. I love that texture.
And relax! ...... Having saved the best bit for last, I indulged myself with this continuous feather border.
Susan kindly added a wide border for me to play in!
This was some serious fun!
Once I started this bit, I just couldn't stop. One continuous line, three times round; spine, top and bottom feathers.
A lovely texture on the back if I do say so myself.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Thursday 6 August 2020
Free to Quilt: Inner Circle
Free to Quilt: Inner Circle: Dawn to Dusk It was only yesterday afternoon that Carole M (from Connecting Threads) dropped off this charming little ...
Inner Circle
Dawn to Dusk
It was only yesterday afternoon that Carole M (from Connecting Threads) dropped off this charming little quilt top for me to finish.
She has wanted to do an Irish Chain for ages, she told me. Although the floral fabric was not one of her favourites; set against the crisp white on white, it looks so fresh and the perfect frame for her delightful appliqué.
The weather forecast promises another scorcher on Friday, so I was determined to get on with it while the loft was still bearable.
My first task was to stabilise the whole quilt with lots of ruler work in the pieced blocks. Then I could fill in the open spaces with a free motion design. I was in the mood for circles and I mixed up the sizes for a lovely texture.
Of course, I found room for some feathers around the hearts.
I made good progress yesterday afternoon and set to it first thing this morning. I cracked on all day and finished it in time for tea!
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Dawn to Dusk
It was only yesterday afternoon that Carole M (from Connecting Threads) dropped off this charming little quilt top for me to finish.
She has wanted to do an Irish Chain for ages, she told me. Although the floral fabric was not one of her favourites; set against the crisp white on white, it looks so fresh and the perfect frame for her delightful appliqué.
The weather forecast promises another scorcher on Friday, so I was determined to get on with it while the loft was still bearable.
My first task was to stabilise the whole quilt with lots of ruler work in the pieced blocks. Then I could fill in the open spaces with a free motion design. I was in the mood for circles and I mixed up the sizes for a lovely texture.
Of course, I found room for some feathers around the hearts.
I made good progress yesterday afternoon and set to it first thing this morning. I cracked on all day and finished it in time for tea!
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Sunday 2 August 2020
Free to Quilt: Continuity
Free to Quilt: Continuity: Too Much Fun! This is officially my favourite way to quilt - free flowing, continuous lines. Val's lovely fresh aqua a...
Continuity
Too Much Fun!
This is officially my favourite way to quilt - free flowing, continuous lines.
Val's lovely fresh aqua and yellow quilt was beckoning today, so I braved the heat in the loft. It actually wasn't too bad. I've used this feathered swirl design on a couple of Val's quilts already, but it seems (to me) to really suit this style of patchwork.
She kindly left me a nice wide, crisp white border to play in! I have worked out how to quilt the whole border all the way round in one continuous line -
and it really is the most fun!
Earlier in the week, I quilted this beautifully pieced antique looking top made by Margaret (one of the Rayner's Lane ladies).
It features lovely Civil War style fabrics.
This quilt demanded a bit more ruler work - Margaret showed me the original quilting design in the magazine article.
But I put my own interpretation on it -
for example, substituting ribbon candy for the cross hatching.
The texture looked lovely from the back.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Too Much Fun!
This is officially my favourite way to quilt - free flowing, continuous lines.
Val's lovely fresh aqua and yellow quilt was beckoning today, so I braved the heat in the loft. It actually wasn't too bad. I've used this feathered swirl design on a couple of Val's quilts already, but it seems (to me) to really suit this style of patchwork.
She kindly left me a nice wide, crisp white border to play in! I have worked out how to quilt the whole border all the way round in one continuous line -
and it really is the most fun!
Earlier in the week, I quilted this beautifully pieced antique looking top made by Margaret (one of the Rayner's Lane ladies).
It features lovely Civil War style fabrics.
This quilt demanded a bit more ruler work - Margaret showed me the original quilting design in the magazine article.
But I put my own interpretation on it -
for example, substituting ribbon candy for the cross hatching.
The texture looked lovely from the back.
and it really is the most fun!
Earlier in the week, I quilted this beautifully pieced antique looking top made by Margaret (one of the Rayner's Lane ladies).
This quilt demanded a bit more ruler work - Margaret showed me the original quilting design in the magazine article.
But I put my own interpretation on it -
for example, substituting ribbon candy for the cross hatching.
The texture looked lovely from the back.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Wednesday 22 July 2020
Free to Quilt: Pretty as a Picture
Free to Quilt: Pretty as a Picture: And Gill's Miniature Marvel. So far this month I have had the pleasure of finishing two exquisite tops. The fir...
Pretty as a Picture
So far this month I have had the pleasure of finishing two exquisite tops.
The first was this medallion quilt, with its immaculately needle turned batik leaves, by Stasha's friend, Elizabeth. She left me plenty of space to play in. I had fun working my feathers in around the leaves and hand embroidered stems.
There was even room for some curls in the inner border. She does such lovely work; one day I hope to meet her in person.
Then it was on to our Gill's incredible Scrappy Irish Chain...
What a stunner!
The nine patch units FINISH at 1.5 inches. That's even smaller than I do!
Gill asked for a fairly loose design on the main pieced section, so I did an edge to edge trailing flower and curl.
After putting our heads together, Gill decided to add a wide outer border of plain white. This gave me the perfect opportunity to show off! I completed the whole border in one continuous line.
I DID enjoy that!
The pretty Edyta Sitar print on the back finished it off nicely.
A lovely going away present for her daughter.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Then it was on to our Gill's incredible Scrappy Irish Chain...
What a stunner!
The nine patch units FINISH at 1.5 inches. That's even smaller than I do!
Gill asked for a fairly loose design on the main pieced section, so I did an edge to edge trailing flower and curl.
I DID enjoy that!
The pretty Edyta Sitar print on the back finished it off nicely.
A lovely going away present for her daughter.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Saturday 27 June 2020
Free to Quilt: Full Stretch
Free to Quilt: Full Stretch: Don't do anything by halves! I knew this was going to be a big job for Rose, but I didn't know it was going to be so ...
Full Stretch
Don't do anything by halves!
I knew this was going to be a big job for Rose, but I didn't know it was going to be so bright!
This huge quilt was Rose's interpretation of a block of the month project organised by Sandy. It features a set of large intricate foundation pieced circles set into 20 inch blocks. Not content with that, Rose decided to add a border with smaller appliquéd circles.
I confess, I skipped this project myself. That much foundation piecing is more than I could face. And true, I'm not really a fan of Kaffe Fassett prints, they are altogether too gaudy for my taste. But look how cleverly Rose has set them against a grey background. They stand out beautifully!.
Then the contrast between the light and dark greys - so effective!
I made several thread changes to blend in with the colours of the circles, and in the background I used a variegated mauve.
It truly was full stretch on my frame, about as big as I can handle, which left no room for my tension straps at the side. So I had to be very careful not to get any pleats in the back. The other challenge was the inevitable fullness in the pieced circles. But I managed to contain the billowing effect by anchoring each design, with 'stitch in the ditch' and radiating long curls.
With my spiral swirls in the background, it all made for an interesting combination from the back.
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Friday 5 June 2020
Free to Quilt: My Treasure Quilt
Free to Quilt: My Treasure Quilt: True Colours At last I've made time to finish off this project for myself! It all started off about 15 months ag...
My Treasure Quilt
True Colours
At last I've made time to finish off this project for myself!
It all started off about 15 months ago with an evening of playing with tiny inch-wide scraps of my most treasured fabric. They got put to one side for a while, but from time to time I added to them until they grew into log cabin blocks.
The project kept getting pushed further and further down my To Do list, while I got on with jobs for other friends and quicker projects of my own. But in the back of my mind, I planned how to take it forward.
I knew I wanted lots of open space to quilt in and also that I wanted to use my Apliquick tools for some ambitious appliqué.
This is a much slower way of doing it than the usual fusible method. All these pieces had to to be hand sewn on to the top, which took days and days.
But it was well worth the effort, though, as it really stands up from the surface. The bias strip vine was machine stitched on.
When it came to the quilting, I wanted to take my time over it and go for maximum texture.
The first bobbin wound okay, for some reason, but after that I had terrible problems with it slipping out of the tension discs. In the end, I just pinched it through my finger and thumb! But I had no issues with it in the machine.
I used two layers of wool wadding for the fullest loft. I don't know how well it will wash, so I will have to keep it pristine! I also tried out the 'Microquilter' 100 weight thread I bought at FOQ, so that I could do more intense quilting without too much thread build up.
The first bobbin wound okay, for some reason, but after that I had terrible problems with it slipping out of the tension discs. In the end, I just pinched it through my finger and thumb! But I had no issues with it in the machine.
Once I got going, it was just days of self-indulgent freemotion quilting.
The rest of these pictures are just me showing off!
The appliqué really 'pops'!
The back is pretty too!
Happy Quilting Everyone - Stay safe and keep cheerful!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments. Please share on Facebook, Pinterest etc.
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