Anything Goes! - Scrappy String Quilt

Strip Quilt Block Tutorial

December's issue of Sewing World Magazine is available in shops now and I have two projects featured, the first of which is this 'Anything Goes!' scrappy string quilt.  As the name suggests, there's absolutely no design rules to follow, which makes it the perfect way to use up all those miss-mash scraps from your fabric stash! 

The navy central strip of each block gives the eye a rest and provides unity, allowing the rest of your fabric choices to be completely random.  The scrappy approach also creates the opportunity to stitch the most wonderful memory quilts.  My family love to snuggle under ours, pointing out fabrics from previous projects and outgrown childhood clothing!

The blocks are first stitched using a foundation square and then trimmed to size, so there's no boring measuring (or even accurate sewing!) needed and the whole process is super quick!

The finished quilt can be any size, I just kept going until I had run out of the middle strips that I was cutting from a little dress my daughter had worn as a toddler.....So my quilt ended up big enough for more than one person to curl up under!

My son is holding it up in these pictures and he's at least 6'2" and as you can see it absolutely engulfs him!

The December issue has a total of 10 gorgeous projects waiting to be stitched and I'll share my second contribution with you all very soon!

Valentine's Applique Wall Hanging Pattern

Sewing World Magazine February 2017

February's Sewing World Magazine is in the shops now and features lots of lovely Spring and Valentine's projects for you to sew, including my floral 'Loving Hearts' applique wall hanging;

The magazine has a pull out section with full size patterns for each of the makes, along with step by step colour photos and easy to follow written instructions.

Wall hangings offer a great way to display mini-quilts and I use a really simple method to create the casings to hold the dowling hanger (or old knitting needle!).

The quote comes from a traditional Greek proverb and is perfectly complimented with hearts, flowers and vines.  Not surprisingly I designed it to include lots of raw edge applique and free-motion embroidery, as they're my absolute favourite techniques!

The use of black, both in the stitching and binding, adds a really contemporary feel to the hanging and it would fit into any room whether modern or traditional!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Upcycled Shirt Quilt - Finished!

Pinwheel Blocks

 Blogging has taken a bit of a backseat over the last couple of months as family life has a habit of getting in the way!  I've still been stitching though, including a number of 'secret' projects which will be published in various sewing magazines over the next few months.

I've also been working on an upcycled shirt quilt which was inspired by this absolutely stunning quilt made by Debbie over at Serendipity Patch.

As I didn't want to directly copy Debbie's fantastic work, I decided to stitch more obvious traditional pinwheel blocks which suit the quilt perfectly.

I laid all my finished blocks out on the double bed in our guest room so that I could rearrange them into a pleasing 'random' fashion. However, our very naughty cat was obviously jealous of my attention being lavished on something other than her!  At first, this simply translated to her lying on top of the blocks but, having failed to distract me from the task in hand, she then decided to attempt to completely shred the blocks by scratching them vigorously with all four clawed feet!

Some of the blocks ended up with caught threads and runs and had to be swapped for new ones but the quilt is now finished and the perfect size for multiple occupants to snuggle under whilst sat on the sofa in front of a roaring fire! 

Keeping Cosy

Hot Weather Crafting!

We're having the hottest weather in a decade here in the UK and I'm sweltering whilst stitching a cafetiere (French Press) cosy and quilt but I'm not about to complain!  

We were given this 'Marks and Spencer' coffee set by a lovely friend earlier this year and Mr. Larkin found the coffee pot to be the perfect size for his desk at work.  My sister-in-law has a big birthday coming up, so I bought another set and stitched her a little personalised cozy to go with it.

It features cute appliquéd versions of traditional British biscuits including Jammy Dodgers, Party Rings, Nice Biscuits and Pink Wafers. These names probably mean nothing to overseas readers but for many Brits they invariably conjure up childhood memories.  Here's a potted history for those not in the know;

'Jammy Dogers' have been an iconic British biscuit for over fifty years, and were originally named after Roger the Dodger from The Beano.  The 'Nice' biscuit is a coconut flavoured delicacy which was first mentioned in an 'Army and Navy Co-operative' price list in 1895. Wafer biscuits have been around even longer and sailors used to be given a basic version as part of their daily rations but the Edinburgh based bakers 'Crawfords' made them sweeter and added bright pink colouring.  'Fox's Party Rings' are an iced fancy created in 1983.

Sweet treats for a sweet sister-in-law!

It's been a busy sewing week, as I've also written two features for upcoming articles in Sewing World Magazine and, in-between times, started my first ever 'proper' quilt!  I kept drooling over the fabulous creations made by all my bloggy friends and thought it high time I finally gave it a go.  I dutifully cut six hundred rectangles and started stitching.  It took just two blocks to discover that a pair of loose weave upcycled linen trousers did not equal a crisp finish!  Undeterred I rummaged in hubby's wardrobe and found an old blue shirt with a (very) worn collar to go with the equally well used duvet set I had already sliced up.  At this point the quilt dimensions shrank as I was only able to get 100 rectangles from the shirt, although this will probably be quite big enough for a first effort.

My big confession is that I am not loving quilting!  It took me hours and hours to starch and prepare the thin and out of shape upcyled fabrics before even beginning to cut the strips.  I then had an afternoon piecing before I got bored - I've got another couple of projects to finish but I guess I'll get back to it by Friday (perhaps).