Friday 12 December 2014

The Queen Bed Baby Clothes Quilt

 
It seems that once I started offering my customers quilts made with baby clothes I couldn't stop. They are such a special item and so full of memories for the parents and a real keepsake.


I must say I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love creating something so unique and special and talking to the mums about each item and the memories they have......BUT working with so many different types of fabrics can be a quilting nightmare. I do back each piece with iron on stabiliser but in order for the quilt to remain soft I choose a very lightweight one so there is still a lot of stretch you need to deal with when sewing. My trick - go slow...very slow...and pin your pieces....


I must admit putting all these little pieces of clothes together is fun and my favourite part of he quilting process is putting the binding on. There is a real sense of achievement at this stage.


To break up the busyness of the quilt I added two plain borders. A smaller border to frame the quilt and a larger one to soften the overall look of the quilt. The quilt is backed with a soft blue flannel and being Queen size is the biggest baby clothes quilt I've attempted and hopefully the last - they just are so time consuming.

 
Make sure you come back soon as I will be posting an easy step by step guide on how to make a baby clothes quilt in the coming weeks !!
 

Till next time....happy sewing....

xx Jenny

Saturday 6 December 2014

Reindeer Table Runner

As I was scrolling though instagram I noticed a post asking if anyone would like to participate in a Fat Quarterly designer challenge with fat eighths of Pine and 25th by Basic Grey for Moda. I quickly added my email with a resounding yes please !!

I'm happy to say I got my little bundle in the mail of fabrics and went about to design something Christmassy.


I came up with my Reindeer Table Runner. This makes the perfect statement for Christmas adding that festive flavour to any room of the house.


The little deer were raw edge appliqued using fusible web and machine blanket stitch. I also added some ric rac for that extra festive cheer! All the instructions are available in this months Fat Quarterly Magazine here. The Fat Quarterly magazine is a digital magazine with many cute but practical handmade patterns so why not take a look at what they have to offer.

I'm also pleased to tell you that the wonderful team at Fat Quarterly released this year their "Quilt Colour Workshop" book where they share the secrets of using color in your quilting. Learn a practcial approach to colour theory, from quilts and cushions, to wall hangings, table runners and bags. Very easy to follow and each lesson builds on the previous one.

 
I'm linking up with these fun places today Crazy Mum Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.
 
Till next time....happy sewing....
 
xx Jenny