everyday best

Do you keep things for best? I do, or did. I'm trying to break the habit of a lifetime and use all those favourite objects, in particular fabrics.

I have a stack of beautiful fabrics I'm too afraid to cut into, which is ridiculous. I bought them because I want to use and see them, not to open the 'suitcase of fabric' and just stroke it now and again.

So I'm on a mission, to use my favourite fabrics in projects I will use and enjoy regularly.

First off the work bench is this Ruler Cosy, for storing and protecting my quilting rulers. I'm always afraid of dropping and chipping them, especially when transporting them. This does the job perfectly and uses lots of favourites from my stash. 

My new 'everyday best' rule applies to essentials too, my old Liberty peg bag finally fell apart after 11 years of good service. So I've made a new one, this green on natural linen makes my heart skip a beat, so I have something to make me smile whilst hanging out the endless amount of laundry.

Now it's time for a cup of tea, in the fancy vintage china I rarely use, well it is Friday after all!

cool colours, calm improv

I'm in love with this quilt, it seems to be very calm and soothing. It's not my usual colourway of choice, but I'm finding it very pleasing. Duck Egg blue seems to have that effect on me.

I made this up as a sample for a recent show I attended, it's improv, as you can see and I didn't labour too much over the placement of the prints and solids. Once you let go and just cut and sew, cut and sew, you begin to see your work in a slightly less 'control freak' sort of way, or at least this is how it works for me.

I used four colours of Kona cotton and a selection of my stone and duck egg blue prints. I cut the solids into strips and the prints into chunky rectangles and a few strips. I marked out on the floor (no fancy design wall here) roughly the size I wanted the quilt to be so I had somewhere to lay out my pieces after I had stitched them together. 

I then roughly laid out my blocks, of varying shape and size to create a strip which was the full width of the quilt. I joined up the blocks, adding and trimming as necessary, until I had a full width pieced together.

I repeated this process until I had enough strips for the full quilt and then joined all the strips together.

The back has a one off printed panel positioned slightly off centre. I printed this in stone and duck egg blue with the different designs overlapping and creating interesting patterns.

This is a cot sized quilt, 115cm x 125cm. At some point soon I'm hoping to take custom orders on these. 

I have a red one planned next, I'll keep you posted and I may even remember to take some progress shots!

Improv Quilting

At the last London Modern Quilt Guild meeting Shevvy talked to us about Improv Quilting. When quilting this is how I like to work, I like to make things up as I go along, swap and change things around and be led by the fabric and colours rather than make several identical blocks. I like to have movement within a quilt, to have different piecing throughout and I love the appearance of a random layout, though this actually takes a lot of thought and playing around.

I'm working on this Improv Quilt at the moment, I used only red, bright pink and white fabrics and tried to keep it simple and random. It just needs binding so hopefully I'll be able to show it to you soon.

The quilters that inspire me the most are the ones that have their own style and put together quilts in an original and interesting way. Ashley at Film In The Fridge is one of my favourite quilters, her quilts are all so different and she has a wonderful way of using colour and creating interesting designs with fabric.

This one, Cascading Pools has a wonderful balance of colour and neutral spaces. Have a look at her blog, you'll be inspired.

Lu Summers is another inspiration when it comes to improv quilts, her book Quilt Improv is packed with blocks, tips and inspiration to get you started. Remember this one? It's one of my favourite quilts.

I've put together a mosaic of some Improv quilts that are inspiring. I think I'm going to have to try some improv curves, these ones look so good!

Click on the links to see who made these -

1. Assembly, 2. Improv. Blocks, 3. improv curve mini quilt, 4. wool improv quilt, 5. Keeping Eden, 6. add a border plus plus, 7. "Up Down" Quilt with Facing Finish - Detail, 8. Improv / free form quilt block number 5, 9. Quiet improv quilt

Shevvy talked about how some of her Improv quilts have grown from the desire to use up her scraps, tiny as many of them are. Shevvy pieces them together, sometimes chops them up again, mixes them with solids and plays around with colour and design until she's got a quilt she's happy with, there are many examples on her Flickr page. I got a bundle of her tiny triangle scraps at the last meeting and my challenge was to make a block with them.

This is what I came up with, I tried not to overthink it and just added a few rectangles to these tiny triangles that were mostly pieced together. I'm not mad about the finished block, it's too busy for my taste, but I absolutely loved the process and trying something new. 

dressmaking

I've started the year pretty well with sewing projects, January is always a productive month for me. I love the fresh start, the quieter pace post Christmas, the ease of getting back into routine after a few weeks of crazy.

I started with some dressmaking, for me. It has been a long time goal of mine to sew myself a vintage inspired wardrobe, and I'm getting there, but it is painfully slow. So to have made two items in the first week of a new year has pleased me immensely. 

First was the boatneck top, from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. I'll be making more of these as it's quick, easy and looks pretty elegant for everyday wear. I'll make a few adjustments on the next one, but overall I love this.

I've had this floral fabric for ages, I bought it with a full skirted fifties dress in mind, (I still have enough fabric and may well make a dress too) This gathered dirndl skirt is super easy to make, it's basically two rectangles of fabric (front and back) and a waistband, there is a tutorial over on Gerties blog here. I used the full width of the fabric, 142cm for both the front and back and I love the fullness it gives. Roll on summer, I can't wait to wear this.

I got this new old pattern too, I'll need to adjust it I should imagine but I'm looking forward to getting started on this. View C  was the most popular over on Instagram and it's my favourite too so I'm on the hunt for the perfect fabric for it. 

Voyage Quilt

Before I dashed off on summer adventures with the family I finished this quilt, 'Voyage'.

I'm super thrilled with this one, the coloured panels are handprinted with my designs and the background fabric is Eclectic Elements, 'Documentaion' by Tim Holtz, a wonderful print of old receipts, travel documents, tickets etc 

I added curved corners to the coloured rectangles, I love the softness it brings to the design, these was easier to sew than I had expected too.

  

The quilting is mostly straight(ish) lines by machine. I couldn't resist doing a few extra lines by hand with perle thread, using colours to compliment the rectangles. If I had more time I would hand quilt all my quilts, it adds such great depth to the finish.

I had a deadline looming though (always the way), I made this quilt as my contribution to the London Modern Quilt Guild's stand at the Festival Of Quilts this August. 

It was so exciting to see it there, alongside so many inspiring quilts. It was a wonderful opportunity to have a really good look at fellow members quilts too, there was such diversity within our stand.

I am filled with enthusiasm and lots of ideas for new quilts, though I am reminding myself that I still haven't finished the two quilts I started for my girls last September. One of them is three quarters quilted, the other still to be basted... and Winter is coming. I am going to have to hold back and crack on with these before I start something new, or at least that is the plan. 

Michael Miller Challenge

I've finished two, yes two quilts in the last week! Nothing like deadlines to get me moving. 

This one is the Michael Miller Modern Quilt Guild challenge. We were given the printed fabric and you can make anything, as long as it's quilted. 

I have been playing with curves lately and thought it would be fun to see if I could insert the printed fabric into a hole in the solid grey. Turns out I could, and I like this a lot, so I expect you'll see more that are very similar soon(ish).

I love the simplicity of this, though I probably could have been more adventurous with the quilting. I find deciding how to quilt something the hardest part.

So this has been my creative space lately, lots of finishing. It feels good! 

celebrate with 20% off

I have been busy lately building up stock and attending local craft markets with my hand printed fabric and small items made with the fabric. 

This has been great fun, I have had a wonderful response and met lots of lovely new people. When you work from home it's very nice to actually get 'out there' and meet real people!

I have gradually been adding some of the stock to my Etsy shop, there are some new designs and colours and I'm pleased to say I have sourced a beautiful new natural coloured linen to add to my basecloth range, things are looking good!

To celebrate finally getting to this stage I'm offering 20% off in my Etsy shop until Sunday, just enter the code Make20 at the checkout.

 A little peak my set up, can't wait to do it again soon!

my creative space - many, many unfinished projects

My creative space is overflowing right now, it's always the way at this time of year as I try to squeeze in as much as I can before school finishes for the summer.

These are a few of the 'in progress' projects dotted around the house right now.

I started this capelet by Leila and Ben earlier in the year, I did finish it, but it didn't fit. So one of the ladies at my local crochet group unravelled it while I wound up a giant ball of yarn whilst trying not to sob. I'm nearly finished, again, I think it'll fit this time.

A slouchy bag for summer, it was unfinished when I started this post, though I've completed it now, I'll post a picture soon(ish).

A new quilt, mixing my hand printed fabrics with some gorgeous Eclectic Elements fabric. The binding is on and this just needs hand finishing, I must admit I love this one and can't wait to finish it. 

There are many more projects lingering around, I'll be back once I've made some progress. 

Egg Cosy Tutorial

I've been last minute Easter making with the girls, we used fabric pens and my tutorial to make some cute Egg Cosies.

I think they turned out pretty well!

This is a quick project and a fun way to practice sewing curves. These make sweet gifts and it's a great way to use small amounts of your favourite fabrics in everyday items. You can print off the free egg cosy pattern in the patterns section on my in-progress new website.

To make this egg cosy you will need:

15 x 25cm of coloured felt

15 x 25cm of printed cotton or linen

40cm 18mm bias binding

matching thread

Cutting:

- Cut out the template.

- Fold the printed fabric in two and pin the template to the fabric, lining up the grain line on the pattern with the straight grain of the fabric (parallel to the selvedge)

- Repeat with the felt, I usually only cut one layer of felt at a time for a more accurate finish

Sewing:

- Place one piece of printed fabric face down on top of each piece of felt, pin along the straight edge at the bottom and sew the felt and print together, with 1cm seam allowance. Repeat so you have a front and a back.

- Open the pieces flat and press the print away from the felt, then fold along the bottom edge and press the felt so it is under the print enclosing the seam you have just sewn, do this for both sides. You now have the front and back of your egg cosy.

- Placing the felt sides together, pin both halves of your egg cosy together.

- Stitch around the cosy and join the pieces together, about 2-3 mm from the edge of the fabric.

- Leave about 3cm of the bias binding overhanging and pin your binding around the edge of the cosy, then stitch in the crease all the way around, back tacking at start and finish. Trim the binding so you have approx 3cm of binding at each end.

- Flip the binding over to the other side of the cosy.

- Pin the binding to your cosy at the top of the curve, ensure the binding is laying flat.

- To finish the binding, fold the 3cm overhang towards the cosy, so it is level with the bottom straight edge of the cosy. Hold this firmly and then fold your binding over to cover the raw edges of the cotton and felt, tucking in any raw edges of binding as you go. This can be a little fiddly, but take your time and pin as you go if you find it helps. Fold in and pin the other end in the same way.

- Finish by stitching your binding down, close to the edge of the binding, back tacking it at the start and finish to secure your work.

Notes:

I used 18mm bias binding on the pink hexadot cosy and 25mm bias binding on the green butterfly print cosy. Personally I like the proportion of the 18mm, but either size does the job. A narrower binding is a little snug to fit around the layers of felt and cotton. There are lots of tutorials on how to make your own bias binding, I like Lola Nova's, don't forget you'll need a bias binding tape maker.

Have fun making these, don't forget to post your images to my facebook page or tag me on IG so I can see your creations, happy sewing! 

I'm planning on adding more tutorials, but if there is something you would like to see a 'how to' on, shout out and I'll see what I can do.

Happy Easter, enjoy the long weekend.

a tale of two quilts

Last September I started to plan a quilt each for my girls. I asked them separately to choose one fabric from my stash and I would plan a quilt around their choice. Remarkably they each chose the same fabric in different colourways, this Kaffe Fasset design Tile Flower. 

I decided on a simple square design and I used colours to complement their fabric choice. I wanted to include lots of fabric I had printed and slowly built up enough in a range of colours to make two single bed sized quilts. 

I gave the girls three blank squares each and some fabric pens and let them draw or write whatever they wanted to capture their 6 and 8 year old selves in these quilts. 

Missy Big did a self portrait, a drawing of her sister, her favourite teddy and doll and a heart.

Little Missy put all her favourites in one square, bunnies, a rainbow, butterflies and all our ages, in another a heart and the other one is a crazy ramble of jumbled words and numbers, which sums up her active mind and jump before looking attitude perfectly.

These squares make my heart ship a beat when I look at them.

I'm hand quilting these, so it's slow but happy progress. I'm using perle thread in a bunch of cheery colours and wiggling lines across the quilt.

I am loving making these, but I can hardly wait to see them being snuggled under, used to make dens and dragged across the floor like I didn't spend a gazillion hours making them.

Throughout the process of making these I made a new friend in the school playground. She was so inspired by all my quilt talk she made her first quilt for her Mum, a double sized quilt, in about a month and took it to her in South Africa over Christmas. 
We had lots of frantic "how do I do..." chats at pick up time and somehow she got this finished in time, I'm so impressed! There are two embroidered hand shapes and a drawing by each of her children in this. Needless to say her parents were thrilled.  

Stunning isn't it! I love her almost 3 year olds contribution. She most definitely has the quilting bug now and is planning her next quilt(s). 

Linking in with My Creative Space, so glad to see this back again, I missed it so!