Friday 2 May 2014

LE: Circling Stars


The stars are fiddly work, but there's no doubt about it - once you have them made, they look wonderful. Like all the applique in this quilt, preparation is key: create a production line and keep things on track. 

Another thing I will suggest is to always make 1 or 2 extra pieces, sometimes fabrics can just look wrong at no fault of your own - it might be the angle of the print or some other detail that creates a distortion - I often move around my shapes, even those made from the same fabrics as the details can vary, so always have one extra for swapping over. 


These are stars but they look like leaves in their individual pieces, there are 6x leaves to each star. When you have 6x leaves neatly turned, thread them onto a needle. The fraying you see here is from fabric turned back, the fronts are clean and precise!


thread them on, keeping any colour order as desired, so that they are all sitting on the length of the needle


thread through neatly and on the same point of each, which is slightly to the side of the centre point


thread your needle through the 6 leaves


create a loop with your thread


and gently pull
but as you pull, arrange the stars into their correct shape, so that they don't bunch


guide the leaves into their correct position and pull the thread fully


Now turn over your star and secure the position with a few neat stitches


front and back of the star


The biggest advantage of doing it this way is that you can create a star production line and then sew down all your stars at once. It saves you from stitching down 6x individual leaves directly onto the fabric to 'create' the star, this way you create the stars before your sew the shape down and this makes neater shapes. Of course this is just my own method and every quilter will have their own style and preference. 


Did you make these stars? How did you sew them down?

Wednesday 30 April 2014

WOW: LE centre circling stars

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday 

I am growing more and more in love with this quilt, if that were possible

So much hand stitching, so many stars, I feel all starred out! I chose assorted scrappy fabrics for the crown, but for the stars I wanted to emphasis the compass colours again as a kind of unity because my hearts are pink and the flowers will be colourful. 

This means that the corner vases will have to be in the browns or scrappy. I will know when I get to that point. I had thought about pulling out some fabrics earlier and setting them aside, but I know now that LE will decide, I'll just go with what feels right on the day. 

On Friday I'll be posting how I made my stars in further detail...



What's Your WOW? 



Wednesday 23 April 2014

WOW: After Easter

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

How was your Easter? I'm at that time in life where my DDs have finally taken over celebratory baking, so I'm somewhat free of the kitchen. The cleaning? That's another matter, and it looks like I have some extra vacuuming to do before the house is back to normal. 


I think I'll get on with some hand sewing today. I can spend hours on LE and have nothing to show for a whole days work, it slowly inches along...

What's Your WOW?


Wednesday 16 April 2014

WOW: Love Entwined, spread the word...

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays


I probably don't have to tell you that the Love Entwined: 1790 Marriage Coverlet has really touched my heart. It's an extraordinary quilt and I think it's so important to Georgian, Women's, British, Textile and Quilting history. I could talk about it all day, but I've already discussed my thought on this quilt at length in previous posts and you can find these in the Love Entwined Page at the top of this blog if you are interested. 

Let's not forget that this quilt was found after the efforts of ordinary quilters like you going out there and looking for it. That's an extraordinary accomplishment. 

I want everyone who is interested to be able to take part in this adventure. For this reason, I have left all the missed blocks up in my Group and they will remain free and available until the BOM is completed. This means anyone who is interested can make this quilt for free.

I don't want anyone to miss out on making this extraordinary quilt, so if you've been looking on, go ahead and try it for yourself

If you're new to applique, consider incorporating a LE block into your next quilt (acknowledging the source). Or, consider using an LE block for a project such as a table runner or cushion. The quilt is full of beautiful motifs you could use in smaller projects and as long as you acknowledge their source, you are perfectly welcome to do so.

If the quilt is too large for you, consider making just the centre square (blocks 1-7 as pictured above) as a beautiful wall hanging. 

Perhaps you or your local quilt shop could start a LE Quilting Bee in your area? It's full of applique techniques for the learning and the pattern is free to all my Yahoo Group Members. Why not get together to make it? 

It's my desire to see interest in this quilt revived - I believe our only hope in ever discovering more about its maker and her life is if more quilters discover just how special this heirloom quilt is. That might spike the interest of a historian or someone who has access and experience in searching out specific records. This quilt is full of clues, we just need to have access to the tools which would allow us to read it. 

Please, if you can, be a part of spreading the word on this quilt and a part of making the discovery of its maker happen.

What's Your WOW?

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Love Entwined Part 11 is Launched

Here we go again: we're back to making two borders
this month, and what a beautiful set they make!

Border 3 is all about entwined leaves; and in Part 11 this month, the top border has an ongoing flower / element / angel design whereas the bottom of Border 3 finishes with a bird. I have been charmed by this bird in the bottom corner, it's the only difference between the two blocks and immediately caught my eye when I first came across this quilt. Maybe because I always sneak a bird somewhere in my quilts designs too. Of course, this bird isn't so much snuck in as it is simply an extension of the elements of this design.

I have spent a long time looking at Border 3 and I still don't have answers to the questions it has posed, so I'd love to hear your opinions


You might wonder, as I often have when considering the original, what the elements used in border 3 stand for? It’s interesting to consider if the shapes running along all of border 3 are angels, guardians...or something else? These were drawn from the original as closely as possible and they do have this head/wing shape.

Originally I thought they were candlesticks,
then I changed my mind to Angels. 

What do you see?

Of all the borders, Border 3 speaks to me as being the work of a person: someone with beliefs, values and ideas about their world. Someone who sat down and actually made this coverlet. It's easy to forget sometimes, that this coverlet is imbued with someone's personality. Sadly, I can't tell you anything more about that woman, so we'll have to let her design choices speak for her.

I don't know why I like this block so much, perhaps because it's so unexpected and modern looking


This is the central element, I think it's so charming


Of all the blocks in this quilt, those in border 3 strike me as the most hopeful and remind me that this was the marriage coverlet of an unknown woman; someone very real, not just an idea. These design elements are a direct extension of her hopes and fears for the remaining days of her life.

More than any other part of the quilt, these blocks remind me that we are re- creating a piece of history; handling an unknown woman’s legacy whilst creating our own heirloom.
So I invite you, as always, to make these blocks meaningful to you.


‘Love Entwined 1790 Marriage Coverlet’ is a Free 18 Month Historic BOM
Each ‘block’ of the month is released monthly, on the 15th of each month. All ‘blocks’ are available for free 
All ‘blocks’ are available for download via my Yahoo BOM Group only

Monday 14 April 2014

Pomegranate at Sydney Royal Easter Show 2014


I love it when members send me pictures of quilts they've made using my patterns, its a real honour to see what's been made and how. I also love it when I stumble across quilts out there, by chance.

I really appreciate it and I have to take a moment to thank everyone who sends me quick emails to let me know where they've seen a quilt or where I've been in a magazine, many don't realise that I don't always know my quilt's been re-published or that one of my patterns have been exhibited. Honestly, I'm often the last to know!

Thank you for taking that moment to contact me!

This morning I was sent this image of my pattern 'Pomegranate' behind glass at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I wish I could tell you who made it, but I don't have that information.

If you do make anything of mine, consider sharing it in our Group so we all ohhh and ahhhh over it! It's too good not to share.

Wednesday 9 April 2014

WOW: Free Easter Rose Table Runner

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays 

It's that time of year again and this year I'm delighted to offer Easter Rose as the 2014 free Easter Project 

Blue and gold is such a classic combination and I have some beautiful gold stash fabrics that would really pick up on the dinnerware and vases we have on the table at this time of year... but the pink patchwork style below could look so good all year round. And then there's the red and pinks option of the first image..You see my dilemma? Of course, it wouldn't really feel like a pattern of mine without some colour scheme deliberation, would it?!
Each year I offer a free Easter project to members of my Yahoo BOM Group, this year I am releasing this table runner pattern. You can find it in the Group files area. It will be available for free to members until April 30th. 
What's Your WOW ?



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