Fleurologie quilt take 2

February 20, 2015May 26, 20152 Comments

A rare sunny day this week was too good to miss. It was the perfect excuse for me to take a stroll along the canal nearby and photograph my latest quilt.

Bella Solid in off-white was used for the sashing between the blocks of colour cut from my last Fleurologie layer cake. I just love the Fleurologie fabric collection. It is bright, colourful and just so pretty. This is the second quilt I have made using it.

This one however is very different in style from my first Fleurologie quilt. The white sashing makes this quilt more subdued whilst the hot pink binding (as seen earlier with the corner trimmer) provides a strong border to the quilt that frames it perfectly. I spent ages checking various fabrics at Fabric HQ before deciding that this pink – Kona Solid in Bright Pink – was just right.

The pattern, called Ruby, Pearl and Opal, is available free on the Moda Bake Shop website. Although there are a number of small pieces in the pattern, it was an easy design to put together. It would be a good one for beginners to try as there are no seams to match up (yay!)

I even broke out of my comfort zone and made the “equally snazzy pieced backing” which I agree does look rather lovely.

For the long arm quilting, I chose a design called Curlz. I haven’t used it before but certainly will again. It gives a lovely overall texture to the quilt with just the right weight to it.

So there you have it; a beautiful quilt measuring 146cm x 177cm. One that any girly girl would love.

A Christmas quilt

December 26, 2014May 26, 20151 Comment

My sister-in-law has been going through some difficult times of late. Not eating properly and little sleep doesn’t help either. For the times you can’t be there in person, a quilt shows you care by providing comfort and warmth. When wrapped in a handmade quilt you really are surrounded by love and Christmas is the perfect time to give a gift of love.

My sister-in-law loves autumnal colours and this Honeysweet collection by Fig Tree and Co contained all the colours she loves best. The reds and greens also look suitably Christmassy.

The pattern is from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. It is an easy design to put together and I love the way the blocks create an optical illusion, appearing to float in the background fabric.

A cherry fabric from the Eden collection by Nel Whatmore was used for the backing and a stylised flower design was chosen for the long arm quilting.

The binding fabric is from the Honeysweet collection. I couldn’t source this one in the UK and ended up ordering it from the USA. I’m glad that I made the effort to find it as it tones perfectly with the Cherries fabric. Being a perfectionist has its benefits.

My sister-in-law loved her quilt. All of it. She loved the colours and the design. She loved the soft feel of it. She loved the cosiness and warmth. As soon as she pulled the quilt out of its wrapping, she curled up in the armchair, pulled the quilt over her and fell asleep for an hour. The healing has begun.

The making of a quilt

November 2, 2014May 26, 20151 Comment

A handmade quilt is such a personal thing. This is the story behind the making of this one.

It started with the backing fabric, a gorgeous fabric by Cosmo Cricket from their Odds and Ends collection. I loved it and I knew my niece, who is a big fan of inspirational quotes, would love it too.

During a recent visit, I took my niece into the local quilting shop and asked her to choose five fabrics for her quilt. As she lives in Australia and I live in England I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I would like. Our trip to the quilt shop was therefore a great opportunity to spend time together and for me to get to know more of her likes and dislikes.

So, I learnt that red is her favourite colour, that she doesn’t like overly flowery fabrics and prefers more quirky designs. After much deliberation, these are the fabrics she chose and I think they look great.

Fabrics (left to right): Perch by Timeless Treasures, Rural jardin by French General (Moda), Lost and found red stripe by Riley Blake, Folk tale birdcage by Riley Blake, Velo fleurs by Timeless Treasures.

A few days later I went back to the shop without my niece and, with the help of Merrilyn from Threadneedle Craft, chose a further four fabrics. This is the final fabric selection, just right for a young teenage girl.

Fabrics (top row left to right): Lost and found red dot by Riley Blake, Perch by Timeless Treasures, Red stripe by Sweetwater (Moda) (middle row left to right): Rural jardin by French General (Moda), Lost and found red stripe by Riley Blake, Folk tale birdcage by Riley Blake and (Bottom row left to right): Daisy (maker not known), Velo fleurs by Timeless Treasures, Folk tale fairy by Riley Blake.

Back home and it was time to get cutting. For the quilt top, I used a random arrangement of strips eight inches wide, varying in depth between two and four inches. I first laid out the strips to check that I was happy with the flow of the colours and designs before sewing, rather than relying on chance that the strips would work well when sewn together haphazardly.

The final step, basting and quilting, was expertly done by a local long-arm quilter. I chose an overall quilting pattern featuring stars as it reflects my niece’s name.

My niece now has a quilt that she loves and uses every day. She sleeps with it at night, snuggles into it when watching tv and uses the quotes to inspire and encourage her. Her quilt is soft and warm and lovely. And it is a true reflection of her. She can use it throughout her life and have something beautiful to pass on to future generations. And what could be better than that?

Scrappy jelly roll quilt

September 29, 2014May 26, 20152 Comments

How pretty is this fabric collection by Moda? Called Fleurologie, it is a beautiful mix of aquas, greens, pinks and yellows with just a splash of a dark, bright blue to liven it up.

I have been having a real thing with jelly rolls recently. Not satisfied with one jelly roll, I used two of them to make this scrappy style quilt.

The backing is a bird lover’s delight incorporating images of small British birds. A small stylised leaf was used for the long arm quilting; with cream thread used on the front and olive brown on the reverse.

And for the finishing touch, I used my favourite squared elements fabric in yellow for the binding.

At 173cm by 175cm this quilt is a very versatile size. It would look fabulous on a sofa or bed and is the perfect partner for snuggling up with a good book or when watching tv.

Jelly roll quilt

September 20, 2014May 26, 2015Leave a comment

I love this quilt. It’s bright. It’s colourful. It’s cheerful. Even the backing fabric, from the Happi range by Dena Designs, echoes the theme.

The pattern is a traditional one called stacked coins but traditional doesn’t have to mean old fashioned. It looks very modern when made up in these bright, bold fabrics.

I used this Honey Honey jelly roll, another Moda pre-cut, to make the quilt. Jelly rolls contain 40 or 42 fabric strips, each two and a half inches wide and cut across the width of the fabric. As with layer cakes, they are a good way to play with a full fabric collection as there is a least one strip of each design in the roll.

After cutting, the jelly roll strips were sewn into long columns and then set within a jewel purple sashing which shows the colours off beautifully. To complement the bright, cheerfulness of the quilt, it was long-arm quilted in a giant daisy pattern using a variegated pink and mauve thread.

The quilt binding, using the green checked fabric from the Honey Honey collection, is a little deeper than I generally use but I think it suits the larger size of this quilt. At 184cm by 169cm, it makes a perfect picnic blanket or would make a fabulous gift for a young woman off to university. And of course, it would look great on a bed or sofa too.

Bluebird Park quilt completed

September 12, 2014May 26, 20154 Comments

Here it is. The quilt I made from the Moda Bluebird Park layer cake is now finished and I am so pleased with the final result.

Bluebird Park really is a most charming fabric collection featuring whimsical animals (I love the rabbits), balloons and bicycles. And the colours are so pretty too with a lovely mix of teal, yellow, tangerine, grey and green.

The hydrangea fabric in teal from the same collection was used for the backing fabric and I chose the textured yellow for the binding. Dancing hearts seemed the perfect choice for the long-arm quilting design and it shows up so well after washing – that little bit of shrinkage producing a lovely vintage puckered look.

The finished quilt measures 150cm by 130cm, the perfect size for a lap quilt or for throwing over a sofa. It is currently on display at Fabric HQ in their fabulous new shop at Layby Farm, Stoke Mandeville, HP22 5XJ.

Layer Cake quilt

August 6, 2014May 26, 20152 Comments

Recently I have been experimenting with some of the many pre-cut fabrics available. Moda is the king of pre-cuts and my latest quilt is made from one of their layer cake fabric collections.

Layer cakes comprise 10 inch squares of fabric cut from one fabric collection with 42 fabric squares in each pack. They are a great way to try an overall collection as there is at least one square of each of the designs with multiple squares of many of the plain or small patterned fabrics. I chose to use this one called Bluebird Park by Kate and Birdie Paper Co. which features whimsical designs of bicycles, rabbits and birds.

One downside with pre-cuts is that you may find that a favourite image on the larger designs has been cut through the middle. I find this the most frustrating aspect as it is these designs that I find myself itching to fussy cut to pick out a particular part of the design. However this is a minor quibble.

Before cutting, I squared up each fabric swatch to ensure that it was 10 inches square. It is probably not really necessary to do this however I find it helps ensure accuracy when cutting and sewing the blocks. Initially I had planned to use the layout for the Basic Math quilt on the Moda Bakeshop and cut my squares accordingly.

But then I changed my mind, mainly because I couldn’t decide which fabrics to leave out (the Basic Math quilt only uses 40 fabric squares), and decided on a variation of what I have since found out is called Disappearing Nine Patch. Basically the original layer cake square is reassembled with different fabrics in each of the four positions and then neighbouring blocks are rotated.

After much fiddling about with the layout, the quilt top is now finished and ready to go to the long arm quilter.

A practical baby gift

July 17, 2014June 1, 2015Leave a comment

A special letter arrived the other day. It was a thank you letter from Claudia and included some lovely photos of her enjoying the quilt that I made for her. Thanks Claudia. I am so pleased to know that you liked it.

This is another baby quilt that I made recently and it has already been purchased as a gift for a new mum. I think it will make a wonderfully versatile and practical present.

The size, approximately 27 by 30 inches, is perfect as a play mat, changing mat or pram blanket when the baby is little. It can be folded and rolled small enough to fit into a bag so the quilt can go wherever they go. Being made from 100% cotton makes it so easy to care for. Just give it a short, cold machine wash and dry it flat or pop it in a dryer on a low setting. It will come out as good as new.

Once the baby gets a bit older, the various woodland animals will be great for playing games of i-spy. It will make a colourful addition at the end of their big bed, as a wall hanging or thrown over a chair. A useful and beautiful gift for any baby.

Congratulations! It’s a beautiful baby girl.

June 17, 2014June 1, 2015Leave a comment

I fell in love with this gorgeous Maman Petites Filles fabric as soon as I saw it. Even the fabric information on the selvage is lovely.

I could not resist using it in a baby quilt and here it is. A simple strip design in a selection of fabrics in peach, chocolate and cream that co-ordinate beautifully with the little girls admiring the new arrival. Just pink enough without being too sugary-sweet.

It is backed with a cuddly, soft organic cotton flannel from Cloud 9 and a pretty pink fabric from the squared elements range was used for the binding.

This quilt was made for a friend who has recently given birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Hello Claudia. Welcome to the world.

A quilt for Kate

April 11, 2014June 1, 20151 Comment

This quilt was commissioned for a lovely girl to celebrate her 14^th birthday. She is a great fan of Cath Kidston and all things vintage. The fabrics, all from the Petal range by Tanya Whelan, fit the brief for a shabby chic style perfectly and the dancing hearts long arm quilting design complements the romantic theme.

Here is the quilt in situ. I love how the large patchwork blocks showcase the full blown roses on the fabric. It looks fabulous on the bed but is also the perfect size to snuggle into when reading or watching television.