selfsewn

Big Kiss Quilt tutorial

2020-05-08T12:25:00.011+01:00

Welcome dear friends to

the Big Kiss quilt sew along.

My gift to you to keep you present.

This 50 inch quilt is made of 4 IDENTICAL blocks.

This is a tutorial for one block.

Sewing the quilt has now been added below.

The block is basically a 25 inch giant string pattern,

there will be waste fabric,

I do hope you think its worth it.

You can find my secret tip for choosing fabrics on my Instagram Big Kiss highlight.

(you dont need to join instagram to view)

You will need 12 fabrics, all different or alternating.

High contrast fabrics work well as do a mix of solids and patterns

Vintage fabrics, old bedding and unloved yardage can all be useful.

Don't be afraid to stitch fabrics together if you find you dont have enough.

You will need a quilters ruler with a 45 degree line

or the ability to make a square paper template with a 45 degree drawn line.

All measurements are in inches.

All the strips are 3.5 inches wide

with 1/4 inch seam allowance included.

The finished width once sewn will be 3 inches.

The above picture gives you the starting measurements in inches.

You'll notice they come in pairs.

I like to cut strips in pairs.

Cut the fabric with the grain, cutting on the bias should be avoided.

*I highly recommend cutting one block at a time,

in case you want to tweak anything after sewing your first block.

Fold your strips in half and iron or mark with a water soluble pen

This gives you a temporary guide line for sewing your strips together accurately.

You might like to label your strips at this point or take a photograph for you to reference.

Starting with the two longest strips

pin wrongsides together at the fold/halfway point

You might want to pin the whole strip

depending on your machining skills.

Referring to your photograph or labels

continue pinning at the fold and sewing in the order with strips decreasing in size.

Sew with the usual 1/4 seam.

I always stitch with a 1/4 inch foot.

Do not iron until you've sewn the entire block,

otherwise you will lose your fold markers.

See how the fold lines all match.

Now you can iron your seams.

I pressed my seams open because my machine prefers less bulk.

I'm actually recommending you do that now

as its easier makes sewing the blocks together.

Cutting the block

(Full cutting the block tutorial video is now available

on my Instagram highlight circle

called Block cutting.)

The most important and satisfying part is cutting the block into a square.

The diagonal size of this block is approximately 36 inches

(see above)

You should mark either end before you cut.

I have been overly generous

with the strip lengths,

you could stretch your diagonal to 37"

you will waste less fabric and make a slightly bigger quilt.

Check that your cutting lines will make a square and that there is full coverage either side

and top and bottom of the block.

Do this with the opposite corner too.

Please don't cut until you understand!

This is where the 45 degree ruler is needed.

Line up your ruler with the mark you made before on the diagonal.

Always start with this part of the block.

If you are scared of cutting or are unsure you could mark with a water soluble pen, or pencil.

Line up the 45 degree line on the centre of your block and cut.

Continue lining up the 45 degree line as you cut your way along.

With the first side cut spin your ruler round to cut the next side,

once again lining up the 45 degree line.

Making sure that your cut side is always square with the ruler markings.

Ta dah!

Hopefully you have a beautiful big block that measures 25.5inches.

(or larger)

*Please note that it does not matter if your square isnt exactly 25.5

its only important that its square.

If you had trouble with the cutting you can always resquare your block with your ruler.

I have made this block with quite a generous fabric allowance,

you may find after sewing your first block that you could slightly reduce the lengths of your strips for less waste,

but that is entirely up to you.

All thats left for you to do is make 3 more exactly the same.

Now that you have the idea, you could easily enlarge or reduce this pattern.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your makes

and sewing our blocks together to make the quilt.

Please save all your kisses for me #bigkissquiltsal

I have now added a full video tutorial on how to cut the block,

find it in my Instagram highlight circle labelled Block Cutting.

Stitching the blocks together

Now that you have four blocks

its time to make a quilt top!

Begin by pinning two blocks together

Place a pin at every seam taking care to match them both sides.

You may find they don't perfectly line up,

you should be able to wriggle the two so they do.

Simply sew together with a 1/4 inch seam

and press open.

Make sure you sew the right two matching sides

Its so east to pick up the blocks and sew the wrong ends together!

When joining the two halves together,

start pinning from the middle and work your way out.

I put a pin through both points to make sure I didnt sew over them.

Sew the halves together and press the final seam.

After pressing you may find your blocks have slight discrepencies

like I have here.

Dont worry!

Line your ruler up with the correct edge and cut off the extra fabric.

DO NOT get carried away with trimming

because if you cut too much you might lose your square

and have to resquare the whole quilt

Another small example.

Hopefully by now you have a finished quilt top

so sit back and admire your work.

Congratulations!

Another variation using the same blocks is the Hug quilt

Or I quite like This way up

Thankyou for joining me on this journey

Blowing you lots of kisses.

Please remember to tag your quilts

#bigkissquiltsal

to see or not to see your stitches

2020-02-20T11:09:00.001+00:00

This one of six has been a lesson on finding the right thread.
Whether you're happy to show a few stitches
or want them completely hidden is a personal preference.

Generally I use an offwhite or a pale grey thread,

which are usually okay if I'm piecing patterned fabrics.

I have used darker threads in the past when I'm stitching dark fabrics.

And so we have the dilemma of stitching dark and light together.

I am a pretty lazy stitcher, in that I like a long continuous thread with few knots.

However I'm not keen on the white showing through the green.

I tried a medium blue but wasnt keen on the stitches showing on the paler fabrics.

So I've taken the decision to sew quality stitches,
afterall I am in no rush,
so mindful stitches it is.

Apologies for the colour of my photographs

the green I have used is really green in real life.

Check out my Instagram page for true colour pictures

lets start at the very beginning

2020-02-11T14:44:00.000+00:00

Last summer I went to the Festival of Quilts

and met my friend Rachel.

Yep I met Rachel from Stitched in Color

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever actually meet

the lovely Rachel who I've known online for years.

Minutes after our meet

we were sat next to each other oohing over the antique quilts

being shown by Christopher Tate from the

Antique Quilt Company

I partitculary loved the intricacies of the tiny hexagon quilts.

And so the seed was sown.

As you know I like to make my own templates,

however

finding precut papers in tiny sizes from

Sew and Quilt

was a shortcut I was willing to take.

An idea began to form in my head,

the easy option would be to go for the 'pretty' route,

but you know thats not really me.

I began to struggle with the idea I had,

I knew what I wanted the quilt to look like,

I just needed solid inspiration.

And so I have finally vowed to make a Charleston Farmhouse quilt

and stick faithfully to their colours and ethos.

Charleston Farmhouse is the beautifully hand decorated

home of Vanessa Bell and friends of

The Bloomsbury Set.

The descriptive I'm working towards is

a quilt that Vanessa Bell might have bought from

Tinsmiths beautiful store

I have chosen to sew purely with Kona cotton solids

(purchased from WoolWarehouse UK)

I feel this quilt will be busy enough without added patterns.

Colours for reference

Starting at the top left.

spice, wasabi, ballerina, kiwi, stone,

curry, parakeet, pepper, silver, holly,

creamsicle, cerise, pickle, candy green,

mango, mahogany, buttercup, gumdrop,

bluegrass, biscuit, maize, glacier.

There have been and will continue to be many decisions

regarding the design and colour.

I hope you will follow along with

the rollercoaster ride I feel this quilt will take us on!

Calling this quilt 'The Vanessa' quilt for now.

a new hope

2020-02-03T15:26:00.002+00:00

hello

I have missed this little space of mine.

I have been lost in the world of fast-o-gram

for too long!

I am still english paper piecing

and currently working on a

half inch hexagon quilt.

This will be my quilt diary.

I shall be sharing more details and decisions

but for now I just want to get this first post published

and get on with stitching!

Christmas stocking embroidered label tutorial

2017-11-27T12:37:00.002+00:00

When Mary aka Sunnydaysupply asked me to design a stocking

that could be personalised,

this was my idea.

My Sleigh bells ring candy cane stocking

is just my example.

You could embroider a name or a place,

whatever you fancy!

This is an embroidery tutorial,

not a stocking tutorial.

Pop over to Sunnydaysupply for a super easy stocking tutorial,

it will change the way you make stockings forever!

Okay so to begin with I drew the diagonal lines as a guide,

and then used picmonkey on my phone,

as I did with my felt stars tutorial.

I lightly trace the words.

As you can see I had a few issues with those 'gs' going over the lines.

I will adjust as I go.

I have already drawn diagonal lines on my stocking template

(for a printout see sunnyday stocking tutorial)

I find writing the wording onto the paper stocking

a good idea for perfect placement.

I used a window to trace the words.

Call me mad, but I did indeed English paper pieced

my stripes!
I find its less wasteful and for me quicker than messing around on my sewing machine.

I imagine in the future I will machine the stripe.
Tip* its helpful to number your strips before you cut them up.

Once you've assembled your stocking,

you will need to transfer the wording onto the fabric.

This is where that perfect placement on the paper template really helps.

As with all my labels I use a water soluble fabric marker.

Remove the paper templates,

and stitch away!

I have used a perle cotton 8 thread,

stranded embroidery thread works well too.

The main idea here is to keep your stitches small,

especially round the curves.

They don't have to be perfect,

but if you find you've gone a little wonky

unpick!

Once all the stitching is complete,

dab the letters with water to remove the soluble pen.

Give a light press, making sure the lighter seams lay

on the darker side.

Now you are ready to make your stocking!

Hop on over to Sunnydaysupply

click on the link to their blog

where you will find their easy stocking tutorial

along with lots of inspirational ideas.

I have hand quilted my stocking and added pom poms.

You can do whatever you fancy!

How about a couple of felt stars?

As an alternative to embroidery why not make felt letters

as seen in my previous tutorial
If you're on Instagram remember to share
with #sunnystockingsal
we love to see your ideas!

Festive felt stars tutorial

2017-11-13T12:39:00.000+00:00

Greetings.

Its been awhile hasn't it?

What better way to make a come back than with a tutorial!

My pal Mary aka Molly Flanders

is having a Christmas patchwork stocking sew a long

and has asked me to make some simple add ons to personalise your makes.

Check out the stocking tutorial at the blog SunnyDaySupply

And then come back here for extra inspiration.

These felt stars are super super easy

and really quick to make!

As with all my labels I start with an alphabet font that fits the occasion.

I have used PicMonkey

You can also image search 'alphabet' or 'alphabet colouring pages'

Save the image you want onto your phone, computer or you can print it out (at your chosen size)

Repeat these steps for the stars.

You will need two stars per badge.

I use my phone as a lightbox to lightly trace the letter with a soft pencil.

( do this at your own peril)

Decide on the size you want and cut out the letter.

Trace around the letter with a pen.

Make sure you flip the letter over so the ink marks will be hidden on the inside.

Okay call me controversial, but Ive glued my letters with PVA!

You can most definitely stitch your letters,

I just wanted to make this a fun project

with not too much sewing.

I have sewn a pin onto the back of the second star.

This is not necessary if you intend to hang your stars like decorations.

I used contrasting colours for the backs, the letters and the stitches,

you can use complimentary colours if you prefer.

At this point you could just stick the stars together as seen above.

Ive chosen to make them a little more special.

Stitch around the edge with embroidery thread.

Add a little stuffing if you like.

And that's it!!

It really is so simple.

Once you've made one, it becomes a lot quicker

to make lots more!

These stars can be used to personalise anything,

I'm thinking parcels, garlands or decorations for your tree.

Don't forget to hop on over to

SunnyDaySupply

for this stunning patchwork stocking

my festival of quilts entry

2016-08-05T12:18:00.001+01:00

Yep you heard it right,

I have entered, my first ever quilt show!

I feel quite insane now the Festival of Quilts is upon us.

I just wanted to give anyone visiting the heads up.

I havent entered for any sort of fame,

I've entered as a life goal,

and because I'd like to share this quilt with

my friends and followers.

Please be kind....it is not one of those perfectly machined quilts

Its 100% handsewn and hand quilted.

The Exhibition runs from 11th to the 14th of August

at the Birmingham NEC UK

I will be attending on Sunday afternoon.

Thanks again for stopping by

Clare x

The name game!!

2016-02-01T13:19:00.002+00:00

Way back in 2013 I was invited by Cindy from Liveacolorfullife

Many months and many quilts have past,

but today's the day....finally!!

Cindy was horrified to discover that although I'd dutifully responded

somehow I got lost along the way.

Now the Name Game has been resurrected

I'm thrilled to play along.

Thank you Cindy...of course I'm still speaking to you! xxx

Pop over to Liveacolorfullife

for some new pictures and some old words!!

I've joined a quilting bee

2016-01-13T12:03:00.001+00:00

Thank you for all your lovely comments regarding my last post!

I'm touched that there are so many of you still reading.

I've been invited to join a small quilting bee.

We're called Bee Adventurous Quilts

mainly (or so I thought) because its a travelling bee,

but actually I think we are supposed to be

adventurous with our quilting....so this is how I ended up epp my starter block

whoops!!!

I have never been part of any sewing bees

so I'm feeling adventurous already!

This is going to be a year long project for the six of us,

I shall keep you updated on our progress.

Like I said I English paper pieced this 'pine burr' block

mainly because it would be a hot mess if I attempted this on he machine!

I'm posting this and a little sketchbook

which I've enjoyed doodling in

this week.

I cant wait to get started...bet you cant either xx

acceptance

2016-01-06T10:44:00.001+00:00

Hello Happy New Year!

I've been pondering the meaning of my life....

deep, I know for a new year.

The decision is to accept what is and move on.

My word for 2016 then is acceptance

nothing grand.

Not a passive acceptance,

but an understanding of life.

Accepting that when I'm having a bad day

I will live through it

as there will be better days ahead.

Accepting that we will never have children.

(that one was tough to write)

Accepting change.

Accepting that whether I blog everyday or just sporadically

you are still there... I appreciate this beyond words.

And if you are not, I accept that also..

My first acceptance of 2016 is to understand your frustrations over Instagram.

I accept that I've not been sharing my work here so much.

Todays pictures are of my current wip

The basic pattern is more widely know as 'lapassacaglia'

Instead of sticking to the original pattern, I'm making it up as I go.

If you fancy a go there is a book

by Willyne Hammerstein called Millifiori quilts

available at SewandQuilt

Also available are the paper pieces,

as you know I generally make my own,

but I ACCEPT that sometimes a little help goes a long way!!

Irish chain quilt reveal

2015-11-23T15:06:00.002+00:00

It's been awhile hasn't it?

Well here's a shed load of photographs

of my Irish chain quilt...

hope this makes up for my absence.

xxx

The nitty gritties

My inspiration for this quilt came from a film or a tv program

(wish I could remember)

I've really fallen for this quilt as I've been snapping away,

however I've decided this will be a surprise for my Mum....

kinda hoping she won't like it!

The pink scraps are a random selection, some new some vintage,

one batik from Canada a gift from my Mum

one from my friend Mary in the US

even some from Devon.

The backing and binding are a vintage sheet and are of the softest buttery texture!

The squares measure 3 inches

which means the quilt measures 72' x 60' which covers 3/4 of a double bed.

I've hand quilted (in the hoop) Dresden flowers in the pink spaces

and leaves in the green.

The thread is an anchor perle cotton 8

in shades of cream and pinks.

Wadding as usual is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton blend.

And finally the name....there was label on the vintage sheet backing

that named it as 'spring maid'

The fact that the quilt was put together in spring, plus the spring green

and the Irish connection I thought it seemed appropriate!

Oh and in case you'd forgotten who the quilter was

see below!

Thanks for stopping by

Clare

xxx

The Complete Quilter ~ a book review!

2015-06-22T11:48:00.002+01:00

Well here's a bolt from the blue!

My friend Jessica Alexandrakis has written another book,

who knew?

Not just another book but another beautiful book!

What I like about her new book is that it's not filled with lots of big projects

that you just wont make.

No, this book is all about making blocks

and fitting them together to make

simple but beautiful quilts.

Okay so if you are an experienced quilter

you may find it a little simplistic.

However, I love that the blocks are all sewn

with different techniques

giving you the chance to pick up new skills

as well as giving you a refresher of old ones.

I've tried to give you an idea below,

of course there are many more beautiful ideas,

but I must leave some surprises for your perusal!

Funnily enough I've been wanting to try a quilt made using this applique technique.

Might have to try this one.

There are approx 22 tecniques ranging from

curved piecing,

foundation paper piecing,

needle turn applique,

improvisational string piecing,

to no waste flying geese.

As well as teaching you all these new tricks

there's all the usual 'how tos'

from fabric choices to quilt assembly.

There are five highly ageeable/usable projects including the sampler quilt above.

When it makes it into book shops I highly recommend

having a flick through, it's a lovely read,

especially if you're new to quilting books.

If you can't wait until then it will is available via Amazon

The release date for The Complete Quilter in the UK is today!!

The expected release date for the US and Canada

is late July.

For more information contact Jessica aka LifeUnderQuilts

Also available Quilting on the Go.

An 'all you need to know' guide to English paper piecing.

Star of Wonder quilt reveal.

2015-06-05T10:44:00.001+01:00

I can now say I have a Christmas quilt!

Take a good look and then try and forget it

until December!!

I can also now tick off Red and White quilt

from my list of 'must makes'

I knew exactly the look I was going for with this quilt,

everything had to be simple.

I began with some Kona cotton 'lipstick'

purchased from Simply Solids.

Thankfully I did a prewash as this colour has a tendency to bleed

and boy did it!

The white fabric is a new vintage sheet that apparently

belonged to my Nan.

I've used my favourite 60 degree diamond template

to create the stars using the English Paper piecing method.

I matched the red thread for the stars

therefore you cannot see any whipstitches at all.

The diamonds measure 2.5 inches per side.

The quilt measures approx 50 x 70 inches

which is a great size for a sofa quilt.

The wadding is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton blend

purchased from The Cotton Patch.

The backing and binding came from a Kirstie Allsopp bedding range.

I hand quilted the entire quilt with simply lines about an inch apart.

I used Anchor perle 8 cotton

purchased from Sew and So.

I finished with a label naming my quilt

Star of Wonder

which is a nod toward Christmas.

It took me approximately 15 weeks to stitch,

I think the simplicity of the colour definitely helped

and the need to complete it in plenty of time

so I could hide it away

for a long period before bringing it out in December!

spring!

2015-04-07T10:06:00.003+01:00

xxx

I thank you

2015-03-31T11:22:00.001+01:00

Just a quickie to thank you all for your thoughts and feelings.

I've been learning a lot about myself

and I'm okay with having the odd rubbish day.

I have grown to like my own company over the years,

which isn't bad...

I have learnt that by not confronting your fears

instead of making yourself feel better

you just exasperate the problem.

I hope by talking about these issues

I am able to help some of you come out of the dark.

I wouldn't say I'm giving up blogging

because I do love to share my quilt reveals with you all,

I may be a little intermittent.

As you can see I have reached the point of no return with this quilt!!

Hopefully I shall blog next week

fingers crossed for sun.

I really do appreciate the time you take to comment,

Clare xxx

Is there life in this old blog yet?

2015-03-19T10:16:00.001+00:00

When you've been blogging so long that you cannot remember

how long you've been blogging,

I think its fair to have unblogged moments...

The blip in my blogging has coincided with a blip in my mental health.

Although I am gathering myself together

I am realising that living my life online has consequences

that lead me away from reality

making me less inclined to leave the house.

I understand that we dip in and out of this world,

I've just spent far too long dipping in...

I know that I can't be alone with this issue

I also know that its not healthy for me.

I'm not really sure where I will go from here.

I am active still on Instagram

(apologies again for those that aren't)

Quilting is keeping me sane....I think?!

That and meditation and breathing exercises

which I'm discovering via the free app destressify.

If you've been suffering with anything

be it mental or otherwise

I really recommend giving this a go...

its changing the way I think.

I'll leave you with my current sewing efforts xx

My flowers for Eleni x

Thanks for listening and take care of yourselves xxx

dreams and wip for 2015

2015-01-18T16:17:00.001+00:00

Well now before January has totally slipped by

thought I should share my hopes for this year.

My list of 'want to make' is somewhat short especially as I already have one

under the belt!

However projects like the one below

just creep on in.

This flying geese project is just a few hours old.

Flying geese are very much on my radar for 2015

they are such a joy to make,

and when kind friends send you beautiful fabrics

its so easy to set off on a new journey!

I'm quite in love with the idea of marrying up

the vintage sheets from AdaBea with the beautiful *Molly Hatch fabric

that Mary sent me.

*Ask Mary aka MollyFlanders for availability.

2015 projects

1 flying geese curtains for my sewing room (above)

2 epp red and white star Christmas quilt

3 plaid and denim flying geese quilt

WIP

1 Irish chain (top completed last week!)

2 Orphan block

3 Liberty clamshell

Quite a neat little list really,

though I'm sure there will be more added!

On a personal front I'm hoping for a less anxiety filled year,

for this I am learning to run

which I have found wonderful for my mind

and for positive thinking!

Looking forward now to cracking on with it all

Thanks for your enduring generosity.

Clare xxx

An overdue thankyou!

2015-01-15T15:24:00.001+00:00

I have been thoroughly spoilt this winter,

words fail me...the generosity of online folk is astounding!

I do of course participate in the giving...

but always feel like I get way more in return!!

So a big thank you to..

Mary aka MollyFlanders

Susan aka Patchwork n Play

and AdaBea aka VintageSheetAddict

I really cant thank you ladies enough

you spoil me xxx

optimism and a new year

2015-01-05T10:37:00.001+00:00

Hello dear readers and a happy new year!

Its been a while hasn't it?

I've been lost in the world of instagram,

which I know annoys some,

so I shall try to stop by here at least once a week.

To be truthful I needed a break from the blog,

I do find blogging sucks up so much of my time,

and with instagram I can find more time to be creative

with a needle and less keyboard action.

I feel 2015 is a year for optimism,

I've languished too long in the land of 'what ifs'.

So less self deprecation

and a little more unashamed cheering!

Clare xxx

firecracker quilt reveal

2014-11-12T12:41:00.003+00:00

This must be some kind of record for me

three quilt reveals in one year?!

My camera does not like red

apologies if my pictures burn your retinas!

Enjoy...you know the protocol..

The juicy bits.

Firstly I'm shocked that I finished this all in one year

especially as its hand pieced and hand quilted!

This quilt began after I had a purge on all my scrap fabrics.

Some how I had all these heavy woven fabrics

rather than throw them out I decided to make something from nothing.

The red and the cream were given to me by my Mum (as they do).

The denim was a skirt that I ripped.
The turquoise was a curtain from my last home.

The navy floral was a junk shop find

and the stripes came from another quilt back.

The quilt backing is a vintage sheet from the same junk shop.

Quilt measurements 75" x 60"

diamonds 8" at the widest point.

Quilted with cream anchor perle cotton 8.

I quilted lines that exploded out from the middle star

to add extra fireiness.

Lastly the name.

I soon realised as I began this quilt that I was going to keep it

red white and blue.

As my birthday was a big one this year

I started to call it my celebration quilt.

But then my friend Mary

told me that people whose birthdays fall near July 4th

are called lil firecrackers.

And so I found the perfect name!!!

ps. this quilt is so heavy...man!

back in the hoop

2014-10-23T10:34:00.000+01:00

For a couple of weeks now I've been

quilting quilting quilting!!

I first hand basted the quilt sandwich with my favourite
heirloom 80/20 cotton blend wadding

and a perfect vintage sheet from my stash.

I find it works well to roll my quilt like a scroll when I'm basting

so I'm not distorting the layers by kneeling on them.

Painted that wall mustard in summer!

I have returned to the hoop.

I was a renegade for awhile...that was until

I realised it was okay to have more than one thread on the go!

I'm also using masking tape to guide my lines,

I'm not looking for perfect spacing

but straight lines are a must for this quilt.

Multi threads (Lucy!)

I have chosen to exaggerate the explosiveness of the design

with the perle cotton 8

I hope I made the right decision.

It reminds me of that White Stripes

Seven nations army video.

four cornered firecracker

2014-10-09T12:24:00.000+01:00

What a perfect day for a quilt shoot!

This is my english paper pieced firecracker quilt top.

As its a heavy doodeee piece I was worried the quilting may be tough.

But no worries, this little sample was easy enough.

I have found the perfect backing

from my stash (of course)

Its a vintage sheet

not one of those soft over washed ones

but quite a heavy draped one....

love it when a plan comes together

especially without leaving the house!

The wadding is 80/20 cotton blend which I get from the cotton patch.

And the animation was made at gifmaker.me

summer exhibition

2014-10-02T09:57:00.003+01:00

Autumn is in the air today

lets look back to my mini exhibition

in my garden!

Can you spot the falling quilt?

Celebration, firecracker or magic carpet?

2014-09-08T12:33:00.005+01:00

Wow its been awhile since I've shared any progress of this project.

Another quilt made entirely from scraps,

this time I'm using heavy duty fabrics.

I had been putting off making the corners of this quilt,

but I've done it, no biggie!

As I mentioned this quilt is entirely made with remnants,

so I stumbled for a while trying to find the last piece.

I tried the floral above, but found it lacking the punch.

So I stuck with a solid heavy canvas

which adds more strength!

I still have some way to go...

as they say...'Rome wasn't built in a day'!

And so to the name?

It began as a celebration quilt but then my pal Mary

said that my birthday in July made me a lil firecracker....

..but now I think it looks like a magic carpet!!

economy block reveal

2014-09-02T13:19:00.001+01:00

Yay a quilt reveal!

This is my economyblock quilt.

There are many others like it,

but this one is mine....

..more details below.

I began making this quilt to join in with the whole economyblock along,

having failed to join in with the trip around the world quilt along.

I thought it would be a good way to eat up my scraps,

so this quilt give or take a few sweet fabrics

is entirely made from old fabrics or remnants.

I really wasn't too fussed on fabric selections,

I just made sure I chose ones with a good tonal balance.

I was loving it so much that I decided to make it Kingsize for our bed.

Throwing the rule book out really opened my mind

and made the whole process such fun.

In my head I could see black quilting,

so that's what I went for.

I hand quilted using a perle 8 cotton,

I was a little worried about how the stitches would look

on the vintage sheet backing,

but when they are 'en masse' they don't seem so harsh,

still horribly uneven, but I'm living with that.

Each block measures 7.5 inches

and there are 90 in total!!

I went with a solid binding in ~~Ron~~ burgundy,

so as not to compete

but also it's what I had.

I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 wadding

which makes quite a light quilt.

and finally...

I've named this quilt Pearl Jam

after my favourite band.

I finally got to see them live this year after twenty years.

I hope this quilt keeps bringing back the memories of

the best gig ever and to celebrate a wonderful year x

ps. thanks to my fabric donators,

you know who you are xx