Summer holidays mean that there isn't quite as much time to sew, but I'm still doing my best!
Plum Quilts
My quilting story as it unfolds.
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
More Sampler
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Back to my sampler quilt
Still working with blues and slightly off white, and still loving the colourway!
Moving on from just half square triangles to include quarter square triangles too.
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Side Project 2
This is my project half way though the sewing, where I have all the fabric pieces cut out ready, and neatly in the piles relating the paper segments they belong with, with just one set 'in progress' by the machine needle.
Segments sewn together, and the paper removed - now we are getting somewhere!
I left it for a while to see if I wanted to move from a square block to a rectangle, which I decided would be better for my giraffes.
Each block finished at about 2" x 3".
Nothing like perfect, but charming enough to make me smile!
Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Side Project 1
I couldn't find a textured background that I wanted for this pink kitty, so ended up using silk, off cuts inherited from my MiL
The design (errors in it all mine!) is based on an image of a wooden puzzle that I found on the internet, by Suekatcook in 2020.
However, when I went back to check the source, I found that Julie Fukuda has a blog post in 2012 where she shows how she designed the pattern, based on her cat, Pearl, which she was making as a mini quilt!
Isn't it fabulous? I think that the design of tessellating shapes is really interesting.
Wednesday, 9 July 2025
And Again!
These are paper pieced. I'm not a fan of having to trace all the papers, it turns out, as I never think that they are particularly accurate. However, there isn't an option not to if I want to make the blocks, so I've made them, then ironed them as flat as I can get them!
Oops!
I wondered about re-making it, but decided that it told more of a story of this being made between other projects if I owned the error - so it now has a chunk of iron on interfacing supporting it from behind, and a tiny satin stitch over the cut lines on the front.
I managed to keep the rest of the blocks whole!And these conclude all the raw edge applique blocks in the book, so I've finished the set with another paper pieced one.
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Still Sampling!
Still enjoying the blue and white!
Lots using half square triangles in this batch.
And by way of a change, a raw edge applique block and an EPP block!
Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Back to my sampler blocks
These are the first four that look at using paper piecing.
There are some pretty blocks there, aren't there?
And I'm really enjoying all the blues together!
Still having lots of fun with these!
Wednesday, 18 June 2025
A Quilt Finish
Approximately 63" square, from a free pattern called Layer Cake Custard Quilt Pattern - available here from FatQuarterShop.
I adjusted the pattern slightly - their version is 63" x 88" - but it was a very straightforward pattern to make, and has made me take a long hard look at my (now depleted!) stash of blues!
I enjoyed the quilting too - adding different flowers and some hearts to the quilting.
Here's one of them.
And another really simple one.
And a heart (on this fun cat print!)
Backed with a floral print, with a green inset strip.
And bound in a dark blue batik. I'm due to give it to the intended recipient on Friday - fingers crossed that she likes it!
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
More Sampler Blocks
These were the next three blocks that I made.
Now I've got a spare block, but also, from photographing them like this, an idea of how a full quilt of these blocks would look, which might well be something that I come back to!
As I said, very relaxing!
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
So, I started a thing.
When I'd been working through my stash of blue fabrics, finding which one's I could cut out a 10" square from, I ended up with this (rather untidy) pile of fabrics. Almost all had started life as Fat Quarters, most had parts missing already.
Rather than put them back into the FQ stack, I decided that it was time to cut them into my 'scrap storage' sizes, ready to use.
So, that's what I'm planning to do!
I still have the quilt to make that I was originally cutting 10" squares for, of course, but also I run this project alongside it, and later decide whether it remains an 'as and when' project that's easy to pick up and put down, or whether it gets some dedicated time.
I'm so pleased that I thought of doing this before either putting the fabrics away or cutting them up any further!
Here are the first three blocks - they start simple, and I'm expecting them to get slightly more complex.
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Technically.....
......I haven't yet reached the end of 'the100dayproject', however, I was enjoying it so much that I got a bit ahead of myself, so, a week earlier than it should be completed, here is my 100 mini blocks of plant life all put together.
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Books!
I have, however, been spending my pocket money on a couple of books that I thought I'd share.
They only arrived yesterday, so no reviews on them from me yet....
This first one is one that I'm going to use as a regular 'palette cleanser' - where I will use some of my scraps, a coherent background, and time between projects to make a block or two until I've worked through the book. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking I'll do.
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Even more plant life!
Some of them are fast to do - the freehand machine one are very fast once you have the idea - but sometimes the paper pieced ones seem to take a while, but perhaps that's because my brain is on a bit of a go slow when I'm doing things in reverse!
Let's see what I come up with for the final 30 blocks!
Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Back to More Plant Life!
These are blocks 51 to 60. Over half way!
I'm still enjoying these! It's nice having a good stack of these 3" blocks!
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
For a change....Animal Life!
As you can see, I chose my favourite African animals.
I started with the centre roundel, but decided that it needed a vulture, and then added a tortoise to balance the bottom binding.
It's been a fun make!
I went for randomly placed circles (the giraffe head was the first one, which was a deliberate placement), in a thread colour slightly darker than the fabric..
The colours are more true in the photo above than in this detail photo.
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Even more little Plant Life
Yes, I'm up to half way through the 100 day challenge (in fact, in real life, a little further on - my blog will catch up soon!).
Still having fun choosing from my fabric scraps and embroidery flosses!
Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Still more little Plant Life
The next ten - 31 to 40.
The first eight show case plant life as shown on different fabrics in my stash. I'm not sure about including all of these. Time will tell!
Wednesday, 9 April 2025
More Little Plant Life
But stay tuned, as there are more of these 3" blocks coming down the road!
Wednesday, 2 April 2025
Is it finished.....
....... if it hasn't got a label yet? It's been put to one side whilst we debate the name and the wording for the label, but essentially it's finished!
It's 60" square - lovely for wrapping up in, not quite the right shape for a bed - which is a nice size for me to quilt.
....and flowers. Some like this, some a bit simpler.
The backing wasn't quite wide enough, so I inserted a strip of the main fabric from the front, and used the same for the binding too.
It all ties together quite well, I think, with a mostly floral theme, but using different colours and different scales throughout.
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
More small things....
Here are blocks 11 - 20.
The cross stitch ones will be mounted on to fabric squares - but I haven't done that yet! Too busy creating them!