Friday 27 March 2015

The Linen Cupboard Quilt


I love the opportunity of supporting local quilters and designers so when I saw Emma Jean-Jansen's new range "The Linen Cupboard" I knew I needed to create a funky quilt with it. Check out my previous blog showing the wonderful diversity of fabrics in the range here.


I set about designing and constructing a quilt with this lovely range. I was given a brief of creating a quilt with a Hexie theme so decided to simplify the process by using equilateral triangles to form the hexies.
 
 
In keeping with the triangle theme I had my wonderful longarmer, Donna quilt this one with a design called tangled triangles.


Given all the contrasting colours in the quilt I decided to bind with a trusty old favourite, black and white stripe.


I must admit binding is now becoming my favourite part of the quilt making process. I enjoy hand sewing in front of the television and I think it's also because it is a sense of overall achievement when you know the quilt is almost done.


The final quilt will be available to see in full and make yourself soon, as it will be published in Down Under Quilts magazine in Australia in May. Unfortunately I have only been able to show you a few sneak peaks here.

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

Saturday 21 March 2015

Out to Sea


Today I wanted to share with you a nautical inspired quilt made from the beautiful Michael Miller Littles collection. The fabric is super sweet with anchors, boats and lifesavers and also includes some great complementary dots and stripes.


I had fun making this one up adding 3 sailboat blocks as a feature in the centre.


The quilt is cot sized and would make the perfect edition to any little boys room.


In keeping with the nautical theme the quilt was quilted with an all over wave design by my longarmer, Donna.


I backed this one with Britten Nummer fabric from Ikea. It is 150cm wide so is perfect backing for cot quilts and requires no joining.


This quilt was featured in Patchwork & Stitching nautical inspired edition.


If you would like to purchase this quilt it is available in my shop here.
 
I'm linking up with these fun places today Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.
 
Till next time....happy sewing....
 
xx Jenny

Thursday 19 March 2015

Pathways - A Table Runner in progress

I'm excited once again to be working on another little project for Fat Quarterly magazine this month - the brief was simple make something with curves.
 

I have always been worried about curves and have tended to shy away from them so when this opportunity came up I grabbed it. I ordered myself a drunkards path ruler and away I went.


I must say I was really surprised at how easily and quickly these blocks came together and it has inspired me to start my own King bed quilt for my bed at home. I will make sure I blog some progress shots of that too.


I was sent the fabric which had amazing green and blue tones so decided to team it up with some charcoal shot cotton I had in my stash and I was very please with the result.


Some simple but effective straighline quilting 2cm appart and I can wait to show you the completed runner out in Fat Quarterly soon.


Till next time....happy sewing....
xx Jenny

Friday 13 March 2015

The Friendship Patch


A few months ago I was asked if I would like to provide Down Under Quilts magazine with a Christmas inspired quilt. I had already made a cute little advent calendar wall hanging for Love Sewing Australia here so I wanted something simple yet effective.

I decided I would make a quick and easy quilt using traditional quilt blocks (friendship patch block and four patch block) and classic red and white colours but not use Christmas fabrics. See the fabrics I used here. I figured that this way the quilt could be utilised all year round and not packed away in the cupboard after the festive season ends.


The result was my Friendship Patch quilt seen here on the cover of Down Under Quilts Christmas edition.


I'm very proud of this one as I love simple clean lines and it's a quick yet effective quilt and fits perfectly on a single bed. It would look fantastic in a red and white inspired little girls room (pity I only have boys).


The quilt was quilted by my longarmer, Donna with an all over stars design. I even made a few extra blocks to feature on the back of the quilt.


This quilt is currently available for sale at my shop here.


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

Thursday 12 March 2015

A Whale of a Time - Work in Progress


A few months back I posted about some gorgeous fabric from a range here called Marine Too by Dan Stiles for Birch Fabrics which also happens to be 100% certified organic premium quilting weight cotton.

I was totally in love with this fabric when I first saw it that it spend a number of months in my display cabinet and become one of those fabrics that we just look at and don't want to cut up !!


Well guess what I did cut it up well just a little. A lot of this fabric features very large prints so I was looking for a quilt pattern that would utilise large blocks that would feature the fabric rather than distract from it.

This is where I want to mention the fabulous Jera from Quilting in the Rain. Like me she has young children and like me only gets to sew when they are sleeping for that few hours during the day or at night. Often I find lots of piecing and large quilts difficult to complete as I am always starting and stopping and as a result I lose my momentum and sometimes my interest. Well not anymore !!


Her fabulous book Quilt as You Go Made modern is a fresh approach to quilting for us busy people and features some great patterns that make putting a quilt together any size a quick and easy process. The blocks are simple and effective.


Making up a block at a time and quilting it gave me a sense of completion every step along the way and the sewing together was simple and easy. The pattern I used for my quilt was called "Rainy Days". I found that I could keep my large prints features and just added some of my white jelly rolls strips I'd had lying around for a while.


I'm loving this quilt so far and all I need to do is back with some super cute whales from the collection and I think some bright red binding too.


If you want some simple and fun quilts to make I really recommend you purchase this book as there wasn't one project in the book I didn't want to try!!

 
Linking up at Freshly Pieced for WiP Wednesday! 

Till next time....happy sewing....
 
xx Jenny