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.

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.