Works in Progress

Lately, I've been trying to take stock of my work and actually admit to myself how many projects I have on the go at this moment in time. I then sigh, put them back where I found them and carry on with a current favourite. This is not good! I know for many of my fellow quilt bloggers, documenting their UFOs (unfinished objects for the uninitiated) and owning up to them encourages them to get working and get stuff finished, so I thought I'd give this a try. Here goes…

I bought this gorgeous EPP pattern called Perpetual Spring, from Flossie Teacakes as a summer project. Even though it's my go-to project beside the sofa, I am making very slow progress – though having just got into Scandi-noir series The Bridge I’ve realised it’s impossible to sew and read subtitles at the same time! It may also have something to do with the colour... I'm really not a pink person! So I'm planning on adding some orange and yellow flowers into the 'bouquet', and as friends on Instagram have suggested, maybe even some lime green!

This next one is an idea that’s been rolling round my head for a while and I’ve finally got it cut and sewn. Unfortunately I can’t show the whole thing here, as I’m over the moon to say this cushion will be featured in Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine next year! Yay!! Though I will be developing this curved hexy idea into larger blocks and playing with the layout soon.

Another EPP project – do you see a running theme of unfinished projects here – is one which some of you may have seen at the Harrogate Quilt Show. Not one for standing still, this was my ‘portable project’ for that weekend. Now the piecing is complete, I really need to get this sewn onto a backing and get it quilted!

Then of course there’s the projects that haven’t seen the light of day in a while… a second version of my Side to Side pattern using Kona Solids, a new pattern based on HSTs, my Triple Goosed cushion using this fab foundation-pieced pattern from Jeli Quilts, and my recent adventure into curved piecing... I’m not going to even mention my La Passacaglia! 

Ah well, at the end of the day, I think I would much rather have too much to do than have nothing at all, I know these projects will get finished one day, just maybe not yet :)

How do you deal with your UFOs? Do you leave them out where they can't taunt you, or do you hide them away in the 'one day' pile? Please let me know, if only to tell me I'm not alone! 

This week I'm linking up with these great parties:

Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts 
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt 
Handmade Monday at Lucy Blossom Crafts 
Building Blocks Tuesday at Quilter in the Closet 

Never Stop Learning

I am a great believer in the adage that you should never stop learning. Not only do new experiences keep your brain working, but it also helps build confidence and provides a great feeling of wellbeing, which can only make you happy, right!?

So having spent far too much time lately staring at the Mac screen or cutting up fabric for kits, I decided to take a whole day to myself to learn something new. I actually ended up trying a couple of new things – foundation piecing using freezer paper, and sewing curves!

Inspired by Jo Avery’s New York Beauty pattern in last month’s Today’s Quilter, I thought it was time to try these curves I’ve been seeing all over Instagram. I then remembered that one of the classes I have on Craftsy was Playing with Curves with Ann Petersen - a class by a very talented lady who takes you through everything slowly and methodically – highly recommended. 

Anyway, I thought I’d just refresh my memory on foundation piecing, and found that Ann's method uses freezer paper and that she doesn’t actually sew through the paper at all… this I had to see!

 

I got stuck in and soon found my rhythm, so much so that I forgot to take any photos of my process! Next time… I think I do prefer this method and it was a joy to just peel back the papers at the end rather than all that ripping. I will do a tutorial on this method for a future project, but for now, why not pop over to Craftsy and have a browse through their classes, they really are worth every penny!

Back to the block... so once the pieced arcs were complete, next came the curves, and they weren’t actually as bad as I thought… I have made some Drunkards Path blocks before, and these were just the same. A few pins and a very slow pace at the machine, and they came out ok. Phew!

 

Unfortunately I only have fat quarters of these bluey greens, my mum who claims she ‘doesn’t do colour’ bought them for me, and I think she did pretty well! So I think this may be a cushion, and I will try my hardest to not lose it in a box and to actually get it quilted!

So do you feel inspired to learn something new? Why not have a look through my free tutorials and see if something catches your eye? 
Even better, you could subscribe to my Newsletter to recieve a free pattern based on pre-cuts, every month straight to your inbox? Click below to subscribe.

For even more inspiration, pop along and visit these great Linky parties;

Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation 
Building Blocks Tuesday at Quilter In The Closet 

Lovely HSTs and another published quilt!

I recently came across this method for constructing Half-square triangles (HSTs) by the wonderful Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily's Quilts, and wondered if I could adapt it for bigger sizes. After playing around with Illustrator and my quilter's ruler, I worked out the measurements needed, then had a play with some fabric, and couldn't believe how easy this method is. And what's more you don't have to trim down all those squares at the end - how many hours I have wasted?!! Because this is more or less foundation piecing, your sewing is so accurate that your squares come out the size they should be, unlike the two-squares-together method, which can come out a little wonky. 

Admittedly this method only works if you want a lot of identical HSTs, which many patterns do call for, but would not work for scraps or charm squares, we’ll have to stick to trimming down for those I’m afraid.



Anyway, I was so happy with this find, that I have written a little tutorial here to share the love, together with full-size templates for 2”, 2½”, 3”, 3½”, 4” and  4½” finished HSTs, and a handy table to work out how many HSTs you'll get from different cuts.

When writing PDF patterns and templates, I always print them out just to make sure they fit on the page at 100%, then realised that not everyone works on a Mac, or has Acrobat Reader, so I have also written a how-to guide on printing at full scale.

On another subject altogether, I was, and still am actually, feeling quite chuffed with myself this weekend. I have a quilt featured in July’s edition of British Patchwork & Quilting, and its none other than my mammoth Bargello quilt I designed and made for John Louden & Co! This was a bit of a mathematical nightmare to be honest, but I’m so pleased the mag used my graphics as well as the table to show which row goes where. All that head rubbing and muttering was worth it!

This quilt is made from John Louden’s range of Tie-Dyed effect fat quarters, which create this beautiful colour spectrum, just what we in such a dark and dank June! Did I miss summer??

I also have a very nice mention in P&Q's News and Views section - big smile!!

Update: Just in case you were wondering what on earth I was going to do with all those HSTs.... 

I’m linking up with Tips & Tutorials Tuesday over on Late Night Quilter, Let's Bee Social on Sew Fresh Quilts, and finally Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday - come and visit for lots more inspirational ideas and general quilt loving. 

Thank you for visiting, your comments are always welcome.

Every Scrap is Sacred!

I have dedicated this week to developing my quilt kits. These have been in the back of my mind for years, even before working for Doughty’s! Now that I have a few patterns under my belt, I feel it's time to move on to pre-cut kits. I do love a pre-cut, and having spent time helping customers choose colours for their projects, I know that not everyone is confident when it comes to colour co-ordination. Enter the pre-cut - where the hard work of matching fabrics is all done for you and you can get on with the sewing!

After much deliberation, I have settled on what fabric I want to use, and am now working on getting some of the million ideas that go around my brain daily onto paper! As I am determined to actually try out all my patterns before publishing them, I like to practice with my own stash first before cutting into anything new and ‘special’. Today however, I really have outdone myself! 

A few months ago I ran a quilt workshop for Doughty’s on my Whirlwind of Colour quilt – one of my designs for John Louden. Before the class I had to pre cut some jelly rolls using my Sizzix Big Shot Pro and their four-strip die… a very nice bit of kit! Anyway, I tend to cut a metre of fabric at a time, so the only wastage are thin strips cut from the folded edges and I put these in a bag with a half-hearted idea of doing something with them one day... sad I know!

Now, as I was sitting with my sketchbook the other night, half an eye on the TV, something stirred at the back of my brain, and out popped this…. Something to do with all those strips!

I knew some of the block would have to be foundation-pieced, but felt to have the whole centre strip done like this would drive me mad when it came to taking the papers out. So I decided to try something I’ve not done before – string piecing, or stitch-and-flip I think some call it. I made up a couple of panels using muslin as a foundation. I then drew up the foundation block, worked out the measurements for the white strips and grey triangles, and made up four gorgeous looking blocks, don’t you love them!!!

I think I’ll border it in white, or maybe grey, I’m not sure… but definitely with more strips for the binding. Just goes to show, every scrap is worth keeping! Oh dear, what have I said!?! 

There will be a pattern for this very soon, once I've turned it into something... so watch this space.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings, thanks for stopping by – your comments are always welcome. Today, I’m linking up with Let’s Bee Social over at Sew Fresh Quilts, and Freshly Pieced’s WIP Wednesday.

A guide to Foundation Piecing

I think I mentioned in an old post how long it took me to get my head around foundation piecing - a long time!! Now me being me, having learnt the technique I then felt the need to design my own foundation pieced templates and started out with one of my favourite shapes, the 60deg triangle.
I just love the way these can turn into large hexagons without having to play with annoying Y-seams.

I designed the block below together with a second triangle which turned into my first quilt pattern for sale, Hazy Hexies. This new pattern includes all the cutting and sewing instructions you need to complete the quilt top, but also expects you to know the basics of foundation piecing... just in case you don't, this blog post is going to help!

So, here's what you need - a cutting mat and rotary cutter, an Add A Quarter ruler (more on this in a minute), a piece of medium-weight card, your paper template, and the fabric pieces - measurements for these will be in your pattern.

An Add A Quarter ruler is a very handy tool when foundation piecing as it has a slight lip ¼”  in from the edge that sits up against the folded fabric when cutting your seam allowance. You'll see what I mean in a minute. If you don't have one of these, if you're careful you can use a normal quilter's ruler, just use a steady firm hand to keep it in place when cutting.

Foundation piecing is kinda sewn back to front, you pin the fabric on the reverse of the template and sew on the marked lines on the front, you'll get the hang of it, promise!

1. Firstly turn your template over and pin your first square in place, right side up, ensuring that it covers Triangle 1 completely with at least a  ¼” overhang on each side of the triangle. A handy tip is to hold your triangle and fabric up to the light with the paper facing you so you can see the fabric edges through the paper. Pin your fabric in place.

2. Flip over your template and place your piece of card to the left of the first sewing line - the line between Triangle 1 and 2. Fold back your template over the card to reveal your fabric underneath. Now place your Add a Quarter ruler so that it's lip sits up against the card and trim the excess fabric.

3. Turn your template over again, and place your second fabric piece on top of the first, aligning it with the edge you just trimmed and pin. Go to your sewing machine, reduce your stitch length to about 1.4 or 1.5 – this helps you get the papers out afterwards. Starting in the seam allowance, sew along the drawn line, ending in the opposite seam allowance. Turn over and either finger-press or gently iron the seam flat.

4.  Flip over again, and as before, place your card to the left of the line between Triangle 2 and 3, fold back the paper template to reveal the fabric, butt the Add a Quarter ruler up to the card and trim the excess fabric.

5.  Flip over, place your third fabric piece along the seam you have just trimmed, checking that the fabric edges will cover the whole of Triangle 3, pin into place (the more experienced you get, you'll find you can just hold the pieces in place and won't need to pin) and sew along the drawn line, again starting and finishing in the seam allowance.

6. As your third triangle doesn't touch the fourth, you don't need to trim this just yet. Do the same with Triangle 4 and press seams flat. When you're folding your paper template back you may find that you have stitches from when you stitched over into the seam allowance holding you back. Simply pull the fabric away to loosen the stitches so the paper can lay flat.

7. You just need to trim your template now - I tend to use my quilter's ruler and line up a ¼” mark with the edge of the template, then trim, rather than using the dotted line on the paper, just to be sure I get an accurate seam allowance.

Congratulations! You have completed your first foundation-pieced block! Why not have a go my Hazy Hexies pattern which features this and another triangle, together with solid triangles which are sewn into rows to create large hexagons!

Linking up with Late Night Quilter's Tips & Tutorials Tuesday