New Pre-Cut Paper Packs and a New Road Trip Cushion Kit

As my collection of curved EPP kits grows, as does my range of paper shapes, all designed by myself and cut on my trusty Brother Scan N Cut. Not only does it allow me to cut any shape I wish, but I can also add drawn guidelines to the shapes before they are cut - genius!

The kits are proving quite popular, especially with my Newsletter subscribers - but once you have a kit and are completely addicted, you may want to make more versions, so I thought I should start supplying the papers on their own. 

Designed to work in conjunction with a pattern or previously purchased kit, these papers don't include the instructions for construction. However, you can always watch my free Curved EPP Cushion YouTube tutorial for a comprenhsive guide to curved EPP - the templates for which are included in the new collection. 

As well as two size of Hexies and a 60deg Diamond, there is the Crescent shape used in my Overlapping Circles cushion, a small Dresden Plate, and the Flower temps mentioned above. This week I have also added the papers used to make my Christmas Wreath table mats.

Talking of curved EPP, I couldn't resist making a new Overlapping Circles Cushion kit from Alison Glass's new Road Trip fabrics - these abstract prints in luscious jewel colours look amazing backed onto Robert Kaufman's Essex Yarn Dyed Metallic linen - it's so glittery!! This kit comes with all the fabrics for the front, pre-cut papers and full instructions.

Until next week, happy sewing everyone!

Linking up with Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers and Needle & Thread Thursday

Instagram Giveaway!

I'm slowly but surely getting through my packing up for next month's (eek!) Festival of Quilts, I'm so pleased that I outsourced my printing, the boxes look much more professional with the sticky labels. So much so, I've decided to host a Giveaway, which includes the last of my free tickets to the show.

For your chance to win your choice of my Overlapping Circles Cushion kit, plus two tickets to this year's Festival of Quilts, pop along to Sewmotion's Instragram page, follow me, like the post and tell me which cushion you would choose if you were the lucky winner. You can then tag some friends for more chances to win. Good luck everyone!!

Meanwhile, I've finally finished my Rainbow Rings quilt - full reveal coming soon, but here's a little taster of the big-stitch hand quilting, the texture is amazing - I love it!!

Linking up with Let's Bee Social and Needle & Thread Thursday

Pre-Cut Paper Excitement and a New Cushion Kit

I have recently acquired a new toy, and I'm so excited!! A friend and fellow EPP addict was telling me about how her wonderful husband and boys had treated her to a Brother Scan N Cut machine for her birthday. Ooo, I asked, what does that do? Well, she said, as well as appliqué shapes and card making designs, she was also hoping she could scan and cut out all the templates for my Curve Motion Medallion BOM she's currently enjoying. WOW I said, really?! This I needed to know more about. So once home I started googling this amazing machine, and low and behold, Create & Craft were running a special on the latest version. I took this as a sign!

So this is my new baby, and so far, it's been amazing! Having watched numerous YouTube tutorials, I've got my head around the Canvas online app where you can download and manipulate your own designs, before sending them to the Scan N Cut via wifi, then it will draw certain lines before cutting out others. This means I can draw the necessary guidelines on each shape first, before they are all cut with the press of a button!! How great is that!

I've also found a slight heavier paper to use, a 120gsm, which should help get sharper points when glue basting. So, from now on, all my EPP kits will have pre-cut papers included, no more fiddly cutting out before you can get down to some sewing. Looks like I have even more work to do before Festival of Quilts now! haha!

In other news... I have now uploaded this new Overlapping Circles Cushion into the Sewmotion shop - this version is made in Edyta Sitar's lovely Blue Sky fabrics, and looks so soft and pretty against the light grey Essex Linen. You can learn more about this and all my cushion kits here.

I'm off to the garden for some EPP in the sun - have a great week everyone.

Linking up with Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers and Needle & Thread Thursday

My Curved EPP Movie Tutorials

I've been planning to make some how-to videos for a while now, but just haven't had the time to sit and learn something new. But with my obsession with curved EPP threatening to take over my life, I thought it was about time I showed the world what all the fuss was about, so I sat down and learnt how to use iMovie and made my first series of short tutorials. And what better place to start than with this gorgeous fussy-cut EPP Flower Cushion.

There will be four tutorials in all, the first one below starts with fussy-cutting each of these simple shapes, and then glue-basting them using a Sewline glue pen. I know there are traditionalists out there who prefer to thread baste, but you really can't get nice smooth curves around your shapes without using glue, and believe me, once you have pieced your shapes and removed the papers, you would never know glue was ever there!

So if you would like to get stuck into this lovely hand sewing project and have some beautiful fabric to hand that's crying out to be fussy-cut, let's begin by downloading your free paper templates by clicking here. Then click below for the first instalment - enjoy!

Join me next week for the second instalment in which I show you how to hand piece your shapes using a flat back stitch, until then, have a great creative week everyone!

Linking up with;
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

A new Overlapping Cushion Kit - & a surprise birthday trip

This curved EPP nonsense really has taken over my life, I went to finish my latest cushion on the machine this week and realised how long it had been since I sat there! So next month's free pattern is definitely going to be a machine-sewn quilt, honest!

For now however... I couldn't resist making a second version of my Overlapping Cushion kit, this time using these gorgeous rich prints from the Coonawarra Red collection by Helen Stubbings.

This block is actually one that features in my Curve Motion Medallion BOM quilt, I loved it so much I needed to use to in other projects. Thanks to glue-basting, these curved shapes come together quite easily, and surprisingly quickly. They are then appliquéd onto a linen-look cotton from Sevenberry's Japanese collection making this a very sumptuous cushion indeed. What's more I've now added a Sewline gluepen and cotton thread for piecing to both of the kits, so you can get stuck in as soon as you open the box! These kits are £29.00 each, and if you subscribe to the Newsletter you can get 15% off before the end of the month.

As I mentioned last week, Justin was whisking me away for my birthday, I knew not where... well after a couple of red herring turns towards the Newcastle ferry terminal and the airport (!) we kept going north to the beautiful town of Alnwick, home to Alnwick Castle where they filmed the Harry Potter films. Unfortunately the castle was closed until March, but that's just an excuse to return!

Alnwick Castle

We walked around the town on the Friday, and popped into the famous Barter Books. This wonderful second-hand bookshop is situated inside a glorious old Victoria train station, complete with miniature trains running on tracks over our heads and a cosy fire-lit cafe in the old waiting room. Needless to say, we spent a few hours in here. 

Barter Books, Alnwick

Justin had then booked us a gorgeous cream tea at our hotel, The White Swan, followed by a lovely evening meal in their Olympic dining room, so called because its whole interior including the beautifully carved wooden panels, mirrors and ceiling were originally part of the Olympic ship, sister to the Titanic. Apparently the owner of the hotel went to the auction after the ship had been decommissioned, and decided he wanted to buy this whole room, then came home and built the hotel's dining room to accommodate his new purchase. The room is certainly very impressive!  

The Olympic Dining room, The White Swan, Alnwick

On the Saturday it sadly rained... all day! So we went on a little driving tour up to Berwick, crossed the border into Scotland - again, we plan to return in better weather - then heading back down we stopped at Bamburgh Castle, crossed over the causeway onto Holy Island, finally stopping at Seahouses for the best fish and chips I've had in a while.

Berwick Viaduct and Bamburgh Castle

That evening we went to The Plough, a beautifully restored coaching inn dating back to 1896, where they serve food from their renowned Jolly Fisherman Craster menu - I had the Bouillabaisse which was just amazing! 

On Sunday the sun was back, and on Stitchscape's Diane's recommendation we stopped at Alnmouth bay on our way home, and wasn't disappointed, what a beautiful beach for a morning walk, thanks Di! 

The stunning Alnmouth Bay

So if you're ever in the northeast of England, head a little further up past Newcastle and explore the wonders of Northumberland, you won't be disappointed, even in the rain!

Linking up with:
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Midweek Makers at QuiltFabrication
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation