modern quilting
Showing posts with label modern quilting. Show all posts
stockings + top trend
You don't need me to tell you that the year so far has been crazy! I'm ready to settle down for a cosy, quiet winter. I still have a few projects to sew and if you're anything like me, you might have a few projects to sew this season too!
Last year I created a tutorial for these simple patchwork stockings. A calm colour palette was called for by my girls (who are the users of these stockings!) but you could make them festive with Christmas prints or whatever colours fit your home.
The fun addition of pom poms and tassels add whimsy and hopefully these pretty stockings will grow with them, as they are not too kiddish and nicely neutral.
You can get the free pattern for the stockings HERE at gathered - with not much fabric you can create two different modern patchwork stockings! One uses a cool bias stripe effect and the other is made up of easy half square triangles and rectangles.
🌈 rainbow star purse
Colour has a big impact on us, it can affect our mood and bring us happiness, especially when its in the form of a rainbow 🌈 We currently have three rainbows displayed in our windows for passersby to spot and smile about! I don't usually work in rainbow order (more on that later) and in fact I don't even arrange my fabric stash by colour but I do enjoy playing about with colour and the satisfaction that comes with choosing fabrics for a project.
Today is my stop on the book tour celebrating the launch of 'Modern Rainbow Patchwork Quilts' by Paula Steel. I am thrilled, not only because Paula is a real life friend who I have had the pleasure of spending time with in our little craft group and I am chuffed to bits for her, because she has created such gorgeous projects in this book! It will entice you to create and the projects in the book include quilts, cushions and mini projects, such as the purse I made. She has thorough and really useful guides for colour, tools and techniques, which makes it super accessible for everyone. Paula's writing style is so personable and honest, just as real as getting great advice and tips from a quilty friend that knows her stuff! It would be hard not to feel happy reading it, I found myself nodding a lot and smiling, I was really inspired.
The project I picked out to make is the rainbow star purse, here is Paula's original from the book:
credits: photography Jesse Wild @wildjesse and stylist Jaine Bevan @jainebevanstylist
Cleverly Paula used waterproof fabric for the lining on hers so it's perfect for a washbag. I didn't have any nice waterproof fabric though so mine is regular quilting cotton. And now for my confession...
traditional + modern epp curves
Isn't it always fun to start sewing a new pattern or project? When I found out we were working with Paper Pieces for this months Aurifil Artisan challenge, which is English Paper Piecing, I was super happy. They have a huge range of paper shapes and you could spend a day browsing their website looking at all the possibilities, thinking up patterns and imagining blocks. As soon as I found the Joseph's Coat pieces I knew I had found my project. I have never made this traditional block and I enjoy sewing curves, it's also a pretty design that becomes more interesting as it expands. I'm going to show you my layout and how I handle sewing epp curves.
For shapes like these you can't beat the accuracy of machine cut paper pieces and when shapes are curved I really do like to use acrylic templates for cutting. It makes the job so much quicker with a rotary cutter and of course it's super helpful if you want to do fussy cutting, as you can reposition the template and clearly see the area you are cutting.
keith haring wholecloth quilt (in progress)
This month's Aurifil Artisan challenge was to make a wholecloth quilt. I was sent fabric and thread to work with and given free reign to create. There were a few ideas swimming around my head but when we went to the Keith Haring exhibition in Liverpool recently I couldn't resist doing hand quilting inspired by his designs.
This is an incredibly playfully stitched project and there are elements I absolutely love and also some lessons learned.
I was sent solid fabric in the colour Haze, Painter's Palette Solids by Paintbrush Studio. It's one of their 2019 colours of the year and it a beautiful grey blue. It looks different in the photos because of the time of day they were taken but the one below is possibly the closest to real life. The piece I'm stitching on is about 20" square. Aurifil also sent me a spool of 12wt thread, in #2612 Artic Sky - a lovely soft grey.
Sewing ✖ Orange Peel
This is the stack of quilts I took to Leicestershire and Rutland Guild, where I was invited to give a talk and teach a workshop. It's always exciting and slightly nerve wracking for me to visit somewhere new. All the ladies that weekend were so welcoming and it was great to arrive on their Area Day at the end of last month. It began with everyone working on their own projects and there was a wonderful show and tell. I really enjoy seeing peoples creations and hearing stories of how it was made. Sadly I didn't take pictures but it was a lovely mix of quilts, bags and more. All quite different and all beautiful! Later I did manage to snap this gorgeous pincushion, I would like to try the technique used on the top here as it's so pretty (sorry the lady's name who made this escapes me, please leave a comment if you know or if it was you and I will add credit).
There was a delicious shared lunch and in the afternoon I gave a talk about my journey and experience as a quilter. I have had nice feedback, it was fun for me looking back over some early makes!
On the Sunday it was time to teach my Crossed Orange Peel pattern and it was so awesome to see everyone creating beautiful blocks sewn by hand. It's lovely to teach a class where people can sit and chat without noise from the machines, there's a certain calm that washes over as people hand stitch.
It's hard not to admire all the fab notions, storage and bits that everyone has with them, not to mention the fabric! I like seeing what things people find useful and the handmade items they use while sewing. this clever thumb pincushion is one, with the bonus of a bobbin of thread and a cutter!
There was never going to be a complete quilt in a day, though the progress was really impressive and all the blocks looked fabulous and very neat. Classic William Morris, Japanese woven fabric and an array of modern prints, they are all unique and wonderful.
You can really get a sense of how fabric placement can change the design. Fussy cuts work beautifully and using bright, dark or tonal shades can easily make different parts of the block stand out.
Imagine these blocks repeated, mixed with similar variations or contrasting joining blocks to make the quilt pattern. Beautiful!
If you'd like to make your own Crossed Orange Peel blocks or quilt, you can find the pattern - with a free hand piecing guide - HERE.
It was a scorching hot weekend (similar to the current heatwave) so thank you to everyone that attended! Thank you all for being so welcoming, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend. Special thanks to Sarah for organising my visit and for being such fun company.
Christmas in July
I realise that some people are very prepared for the festive season and there are beautiful homes that are seasonally decorated throughout the year. As much as I admire that preparedness and seasonal living, it isn't something I've done much of. We have banners for certain celebrations, I made pretty spring bunting (free tutorial here) and, of course, we have Christmas decorations. Part of the reason I haven't taken the plunge into changing up the quilts and cushions we use depending on the season is because we don't have a lot of storage space! Despite that though I think it is lovely to be able to celebrate at different times of the year and to have things around the house that represent those special days or changes in season. Today I'm sharing some makes I created for 'Christmas in July' on Sewing Quarter. What I really like about these projects is that they could all be used throughout the year (with maybe a tweak or two!).
I made the Snow Crystals quilt pattern by Pam and Nicky Lintott. It's 72" square and is made up of a lot of HSTs. It's one of those quilts that the more you look, the more different sections stand out and the play of colour value results in a cool 3D appearance.
The pattern it creates is really striking and I like how the corner sections really frame the quilt well. It almost looks like staggered cubes and blocks.
Blue and white is such a classic combination (a close second to red and white in quilts I think?) and, while it has an icy snowflake look, it certainly doesn't scream Christmas! It would go perfectly with blue and silver decorations when it's that time of year though.
Next is a Bargello Christmas tree skirt, designed by Sally Stevens. I managed to get a picture of the back as I was making it but not the finished item - then I got a brilliant shot of Vicki wearing it so there's that below too! I wanted to show the back because that swirl looks so good. It could easily become a table cover if you covered the hole in the middle with an appliquéd circle of fabric. And if it were made with various shades of red, you could create a lovely ombre swirl and then again it could be used year round.
It now occurs to me that I sound lazy not wanting to change up the home decor (that might have something to do with it!) but for those of us with already full houses it makes sense not to have to pack everything away!
The final Christmas make I'm sharing uses a favourite, traditional Dresden Plate cushion. This pattern is by Kristyne Czepuryk and cleverly uses extra wadding to give the Dresden centre and outer sections more dimension.
The fabric is the Joyeux collection by Makower and I like that they've used bright pink and lime in a Christmas range, just look how fun these reindeers are with different coloured noses!
If I were to make this as a 'permanent but could be festive' cushion I would make it with neutral colours that had touches of metallics (like Modern Background Luster by Zen Chic). That way it could live happily looking chic throughout the year and then more Christmassy when surrounded by glittery tinsel!
While one day I might have more space to get creative with makes for every occasion, for now I will make do with bunting, flowers, candles and sewn projects that suddenly look festive in combination with those smaller decorative touches!
buttercup and roses & building blocks quilts
The Card trick quilt block is one of those traditional blocks that looks so effective and more complicated than it really is. The block is constructed using two different sized triangles that make up interlocking squares.
Despite the fact the colours were incredible difficult to capture, this combination of Anna Maria Horner's beautiful Social Climber print with a golden yellow, the greens and spotty pink, make a vibrant and pretty quilt.
There was a lot of trimming going on as I was piecing the blocks and the leftovers make fun triangle confetti!
I chose to cut the triangles from squares, for speed and ease, rather than use the templates. To watch the Sewing Quarter demonstration click here.
It's a cute baby sized quilt, the pattern in the book does add borders and it would look amazing as a larger version with more repeat blocks. The secondary diamond pattern is really pretty too.
Thank you to my husband for being a helpful quilt holder ♡
On Friday's Sewing Quarter show I demonstrated another quilt pattern, completely different to the one above, using subtle Scandinavian style prints and neutral blenders.
It has a nice crisp look with a white background and my favourite has to be this stripe print.
The pattern, Building Blocks Quilt from Baby Quilts by Anjeanette Klinder, creates lovely big blocks and it was quick to put together. Although it's named 'blocks' I thought the corner pieces look like a twisted pretzel and so I rotated some of the prints to give a knotted effect, it's a good way to add a sense of movement too.
The quilt kits were extremely popular and you can see the demo for this quilt here.
It's Saturday, which means we will be having our weekly instagram craft along tonight ✄✄✄ Follow me here for all the details!
linking up to crazy mom quilts for finish it up friday
☾ what a change ☽
Over the summer I had fun on instagram with Stitched In Color. Rachel's use of colour always inspires me and she runs exciting mosaic contests on her blog - it's always fascinating to see the fabric collections people create! This challenge was a bit different because it encouraged you to dive into your stash, to create and play with fabric, and to create fabric stacks with what you already have.
We collaborated over the themes for the #30 days of fabric stacks challenge, though Rachel already had a list ready because she's a pro at themes! Some were straight forward and then there were a few that took a little more thinking about, it really was an excellent way to explore your stash. Thank you to Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory for sponsoring 30 Days of Fabric Stacks and allowing there to be amazing prizes. Bobbie Lou's offers a fabulous selection of vibrant, eclectic fabrics. It was perfect to allow a 'cheat day' for the challenge, allowing everyone to use a photo of fabric from Bobbie Lou's when they weren't able to create a stack from their stash.
So although the challenge is over I thought it would be a good idea to put all my fabric stacks together and see what they look like. I really learned a lot from doing the challenge... what I like, what I don't, the colours I'm drawn to, the colours I use the most from my stash. And even more meaningful discoveries like how so often I go with my gut feelings and that they're near enough always right; fabric holds memories, which is more important to me than the print; and I actually have finally been able to define my style in a way that makes sense to me.
That's my style... I don't have one, I have several... actually nearly all of them! My style doesn't fit neatly into a genre. I'm dancing around the margins, appreciating modern, retro and traditional fabric and designs. My style is my mood, idea, feeling and instinct. It always evolves, adapts and is pretty random. I have a miscellaneous style and I'm happy to finally claim that as my definition!
I also love that this looks like an improv quilt.
While it might seem odd, being able to confidently state what my style is has been incredibly freeing. I don't have to over think anything and can trust my instincts. I felt like overhauling a few things after that, one was my blog (I hope you like the new layout!) and next I would like to work on my sewing space. It's too messy to function right now.
If you missed the challenge I still suggest going to take a look at the themes, just play around with your fabrics and see where it takes you!
I also love that this looks like an improv quilt.
While it might seem odd, being able to confidently state what my style is has been incredibly freeing. I don't have to over think anything and can trust my instincts. I felt like overhauling a few things after that, one was my blog (I hope you like the new layout!) and next I would like to work on my sewing space. It's too messy to function right now.
If you missed the challenge I still suggest going to take a look at the themes, just play around with your fabrics and see where it takes you!
Dutch Tulips quilt along
It's Sew Emma have a new quilt pattern, Dutch Tulips and I am joining in the quilt along to make pretty spring flowers! The quilt pattern can be made in four different sizes: crib, lap, twin and queen. The blocks come together easily and it is so fun choosing fabric combinations to create the tulip.
The bold combination of prints is the result of raiding my stash / scraps along with some new fabric. I love the rope text print with the striking stripes and the black and white print reminded me of the anthers of a tulip!
I chose the petal prints first and then couldn't find a green that worked well with them for the stem and leaves, so instead I decided to use this blue Denyse Schimdt fabric, which works well with the background fabric too.
I chose to machine appliqué the leaves, though you could sew them by hand if you prefer. The soft pale blue Aurifil #2847 was perfect.
I am making this into a cushion cover and haven't yet decided on a layout. I may make another tulip block and then decide!
What fabric would you use for this quilt?
Head over to the Jolly Jabber to see the two quilts made by Fat Quarter Shop and visit all the other bloggers to see their versions - they are all beautiful and very creative! There is also a giveaway to win your choice of It's Sew Emma patterns, click here to read more!
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