Making Cushions!

I am a big quilt kinda girl - I normally work on baby quilts, lap quilts and one for beds.

But I need to make cushions to demonstrate how a patchwork block can be quilted and turned into a cushion cover for the courses I am teaching and the bi-monthly course I am teaching over the course of a year at Prema Arts from July.

So I took the Bow Tie and Diamonds block I designed last year and used some fabrics from the Notting Hill fabric range that I bought a little while ago. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out!

I loved the grey with the bright colours of the focus fabric, and I edged the cushion with some bright orange Kona fabric.

For backing I used some lovely darker grey from my stash, so that the contrast with the front and edging is really cool!

I am now bitten by the cushion making bug! Luckily we really need some cushions in our living room, so I turned a WIP into a cushion cover rather than a sewing machine mat!

It looks so cool! I love it!

More swirls - I love swirls!

So they look pretty good on our sofa and the boys have already been lounging on them and using them in dens, which means they are hit!

I see many more cushions in the near future!

Linking up with Plum and June, Let's Get Acquainted!

Grey Skies!

At the moment the skies over England are pretty grey- we did see sunshine for a few hours last week!

Now it is back to grey!

When I made the secret quilt last week I backed it with some gorgeous greys from my stash, so I have now  been window shopping for greys...

I love these little elephants from The Eclectic Maker. I used the blue version in a quilt I made for a lovely little boy last year. I can see using these in a quilt soon...

I am a caffeine addict - it is what gets me through the days! So when I found this fabulous fabric with coffee pots and beans from The Village Haberdashery I just fell in love! The Modern Home line all look so lovely in fact!

The Architextures line has hit the quilting world with a huge bang! It everywhere and everyone is talking about it! I have been adding bits of it to orders of other fabric and this one is one of my favourites. Backstitch has a fab selection of fabrics from the range, including this one.

I love this one! I have used it in blue/green version and it is gorgeous! I love the birds on the spokes and and the feel of the organic fabric. M is for Make has green too....

I love Sketch! I am using it more and more in quilts, it blends in so easily and this charcoal version is perfect for adding texture. Simply Solids has a wonderful selection of Sketch fabrics.

So go shopping for grey and embrace the grey skies!

FMQ: Needles

Free Motion Quilting is such fun, but only if it works!

To get machine quilting smoothly there are a few things to make sure you have.

The first step is the right needles.

Sewing machine needles are all different and have different uses - jean needles for jeans, leather needles for leather... get the idea?

So don't start FMQ without getting the right needles.

But which ones do you need?

I love using 2 different ones: Quilting Needles and Titanium Topstitch Needles.

Quilting Needles from The Eclectic Maker

Quilting needles have a slim, tapered point and thicker shaft for going through multiple layers so are perfect for going through a quilt. These needles work through the layers smoothly and I keep the tension on my machine at 4-4.5.

They don't last long though, maybe 8 hours before they need replacing - you will know because your machine will skip stitches. 8 hours fly by once you start FMQ on a quilt, believe me!

Titanium Needles from Simply Solids

The Titanium Needles are super strong and last longer than the quilting needles. They are perfect for FMQ because they larger eye and deeper groove so they slip through the 3 layers.

I do find I need to loosen off the tension a little bit when I use these needles so make sure you need to test on a practice piece before you start work on your quilt.

The titanium needles are expensive in comparison to the quilting needles, but are worth it because they last much longer.

Hope this helps!

On Tuesday we will look at threads!

FMQ

Over the next few weeks I have 2 patchwork classes getting ready to have a go at Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) and to help with reducing my paperwork pile as well as to enable my lovely students to access the info I am going to be giving them I thought a series of blog posts would be a good idea!

So what is FMQ?

It is machine quilting with no rules - well that is how I like to think of it!!

It is a way to be to creative and finish your quilts by adding texture and design beyond patchwork - and there are no rules!

But there are some things that will make your FMQ go much more smoothly....

So the topics I am going to cover are:

• Needles

• Thread

• Feet

• Design

• Trouble Shooting

All of these things can affect your FMQ and result in frustration!

Each post will have some hints and tips as well as the best place to get supplies in the UK.

If you want to keep track of the posts, make sure you follow the blog and post any questions in the comments so I can help to answer your questions!

So tomorrow we will start our FMQ journey by looking at Threads!

Monday Planning...

Mondays over the last couple of months have started with a review of the plans and quilts I have in progress. Generally after the school run I just go for a quiet and civilised coffee in town with my diary, work planner and quilt design book.

It may sound like an indulgence, but when you work from home, you sometimes need space from the general clutter of your life to get some perspective. Add into that being a lone parent with no break from the kids, it becomes even more urgent to escape and think in a space that is neutral!

So this morning was about working through this weeks diary for mini scouts, Cubs and work. So many projects to get finished and plans to organise... I try to keep my to do lists down to 5/6 things, not too overwhelming, but enough to feel like I am making progress on the bigger list lurking in my head!

This week is about lesson planning for a new course starting next Monday morning in Cheltenham, basting maxi's quilt and making an oilcloth bag for a friend.

Plus working on the blocks for the patchwork series at Prema Arts that is due to start in July....

This is block 3. It is quite complicated to piece, but really satisfying!

I like to keep busy....

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted at Plum and June

Sunday Reading 03 March 2013

Good morning!

I had 5 little boys in the house creating mayhem overnight, so I hid in my room whilst trash the kitchen, living room and everywhere in between! So I am a bit behind today with Sunday Reading - you can always escape into bed and read them tonight!

Sunday comes around so quickly these days, but I have three more fabulous blogs for you explore!

Last week was Quilt Con in the States and images of the event flooded IG and blogs, which made me very jealous!  All those talented quilters in one place with fabric...

But I discovered Craftsy had filmed some of the classes and put them onto the site for free! Yup free! So I have been stealing 5 minutes at a time to watch them. One of the classes is by Jacquie Gering one of my favourite quilt designers and bloggers.

Her talk is so relaxed and interesting. It is amazing to be able to listen to a voice that I read every week. Jacquie's blog is full of fabulous quilts and inspiration, so go check it out!

Next is a wonderful blog by a British Quilter, Very Kerry Berry:

I love the fresh image of this blog and the wonderful pictures Kerry takes of her quilts and sewing. There is a whole page of wonderful tutorials to try and some wonderful tips on blogging. It is lovely to read and is a great source of info on fabric shops. You need to add this blog to your list of blogs now!

Just 2 this week - they are enough to fill your Sunday evening whilst avoiding chores!

Have fun!

Secret Sewing!

In the past week I have been majorly distracted by a project that I started so late it is almost funny!

I can now share the project as it has been received and liked!

Today is a major birthday for one of my closest friends. She is an amazingly special person who I met when I was 16 and who has helped me through more scraps, heart ache and icky situations than anyone else in my life.

Hilary was my mums best friend and is a link to her. She took me in when I needed a place to run to whilst my mum was ill. She held me up during the last years of my mums life and she held my 3 babies and told them my mum loved them.

She is my boys honorary grandma and my boys call her gorgeous girls their older sisters. She answers my calls anytime and listens. She laughs with me and gives the best hugs in the world.

My world without her would be empty.

Sometimes we don't speak for weeks, but I know she is always there and will fight my corner when I need her to.

So with her big birthday coming I knew I wanted to make her a quilt, but what?

Just before Christmas when I delivered the Tula Pink Snow Ball quilt to her eldest daughter she requested a heart quilt. She has finally met the most amazing man, who treats her the way she should be treated and they are perfect together.

I didn't want the project to be too soppy, but a heart seemed like a good idea.

When I saw the pixelated heart on Blue Elephant Stitches, I know it was perfect. But it had to be big enough for the pair of them to cuddle under...

So I pulled all the turquoise from my stash along with creams last Friday morning and set about cutting and piecing the front...

The design needs 225 squares and I cut mine 5".

The front took most of day, but I was so pleased with it when I checked it out on Saturday morning - sometimes you need space to work it out!

All of the colours are so calming and Hilary's favourties, so I knew I was on the right track!

The backing was more of an issue. I had raided all my calm turquoise, which meant the stash was looking pretty thin and I can't afford to buy more fabric, never mind wait for the deliver...

So I hit the pile of grey and built a backing from the FQ in that pile, along with some Kona Solids:

It is such a lush backing!

When it came to quilting I knew I wanted to keep it soft and gentle, so I opted to hand quilt it with Perle Cotton and just quilted it sparsely:

Over all I am pretty chuffed with it! I bound it with some lovely grey fabric from the Simply Color range and sent it off with everything crosses that she would like it...

Luckily she did!

Not the best photo I know, but this was Thursday and time was tight to get it to her by today...

I hope it gives her years of joy and they enjoying cuddling under it together!