A link into the world of patchwork and quilting
Well! It's been nearly a month since I last posted. In that post I reflected on several years of developing my patchwork-quilting hobby into a business. My conclusion, based on an overwhelming weariness with marketing in particular, was to step back from 'business' in...
Well! Dull, grey rainy days do have a silver lining! Namely: the outdoor conditions are ideal for cracking on with sewing room projects 🙂 Although not so good for photographing said projects, but I've done my best in the poor lighting circumstances... I am really...
As I set up my machine for quilting I kept thinking of little pieces of information to share. I must still be in teaching mode! What follows isn't a full tutorial by any means rather a series of tips in a 'stream of consciousness' format. So, here we go.... First the...
I have made lots of patchwork tote bags over the past six years - in fact 'How to Make a Patchwork Tote Bag' was the first sewing class I ever taught! The fabric totes last well, withstanding being scrunched into handbags and frequent visits to the washing machine....
I'm on another quilty mission! This time I'm trying out spray basting as an alternative to my usual pin basting method. I've chosen to 'mash up' the spray basting techniques used by two successful quilt designer/tutors, Christa Watson of Christa Quilts and...
I began following the English Country Garden QAL in February 2021. I did intend to make all nine blocks and create the quilt-as-you-go quilt top... But best intentions and all that...I've got to the back end of 2021 with just four of the blocks completed. I enjoyed...
Scrappy Scrap Basket. The Why? I often use scraps of fabric as an on-going leader-ender project. I have a bin of scraps within easy reach of my sewing machine and select a couple of scraps to stitch together each time I start or finish chain piecing patchwork units....
The three layers of a quilt sandwich are temporarily held together, basted, to keep them in place during the process of quilting. I think it's safe to say most quilters find basting a tedious necessity. I choose to pin baste, with varying degrees of success, and have...
Hand sewing projects have the great advantage over machine sewing of generally being mobile activities. Even if 'mobile' only means moving from room to room or sofa to armchair within the home! Which is basically as mobile as sewing projects can be in current Covid...
The Basket of Blooms applique is continuing to give me opportunities to learn and practice new techniques. This week I made the yo-yo embellishments. First time making these and maybe not entirely successful as the holes in the centres look rather large - perhaps I...
