Another little package through the letterbox...

Yesterday this is what came through my letterbox

Can you guess why I needed these lovely colours?  Where are they for?

No I'm not going to show you today but soon I hope...soon!

Are you like me?  If you see a whole lot of colours on-line but you don't know which one to get as you cannot match the colours to what you are working with - do you just order the lot?  

Couldn't resist it!  But then I like collecting things so cotton perle thread is my new collection.  

If you use cotton perle thread for quilting, which is your favourite colour?

Nicky

Old Quilt Books - but new to me 3!

This is another post about some second hand books I bought by Jan Halgrimson from Abebooks (previous posts relating to them here and here)

I think this book is my favourite of the three, 'Scraps Can Be Beautiful, a collection of over 100 quilt patterns suitable for using scraps'.  There are just so many beautiful blocks here and the more I look at and make quilts the more I seem to be attracted to the scrappy kind as I can pack more fabrics in and lots of colour.

Some of my favourites (so far) are here below:

I think this could look absolutely stunning with the right colour combination although Jan notes that it isn't really a beginner's block despite the name.

another tricky one - lots of bits and curves too but look at those gorgeous tulips - one to aim for I'm thinking! 

I liked the simplicity of this one as there is only one piece for block and border but I think this one could sing with the right light/dark fabrics!

  

And lastly I have picked out this one as Jan says it is perfect for a beginner!  I don't know it and it looks like it would make other patterns too when blocks are joined together, which is fun! 

These are not the only ones I like but an overview of some I do not recognise that interest me. 

Unlike the previous book I looked at, Patching Things Up, these blocks only come in one size although I'm sure the majority could be re-drafted if required.  There are also several pieced blocks to be appliqued onto a background square or circle and some applique blocks too.

As ever I have found interesting and varied blocks in Jan's books, certainly ones I do not know.  It will be a while before I can get started on one of these unless it is just to try it out. 

But which one would you start with?  


And do you have any favourite old quilt books I should be looking for?

Nicky   

Old quilt books - but new to me 2!

I recently bought these second hand books by Jan Halgrimson from Abebooks:  Quilting - Start to Finish;  Scraps Can Be Beautiful; and Patching Things Up.

I posted about these books previously here !

I am focussing on the third book Patching Things Up today.  This book contains over 150 full size quilt patterns, many in two or three sizes, a mixture of pieced and applique designs.

Here are a couple of my favourite designs, the first is called Cassiopia.  I like the background pattern made when the four blocks are put together, plus the fact that you can use up your small scraps making this design. 

This pattern is called Spinning Star and can be continuous or made into a hexagon - looks quite different depending on which setting is used.

 

Both blocks have curved pieces so a bit more of a challenge and I would probably hand stitch these. 


I'm not sure which one I would like to do first.  They will have to join the queue of projects I want to start once my UFOs are out of the way but there are plenty of others in this book which are just as tempting...

Nicky

Old quilt books but new to me!

I recently followed up something I read on Carolyn Forster's blog , about some out of print quilt books she has collected, written by Jan Halgrimson.

I bought three of Jan's books through the services of Abebooks UK and am very happy with my purchases.  One came from a book shop in the UK but the other two came all the way from the US.

Here is a photo of all three:  Patching things up, Scraps can be Beautiful and Quilts - Start to Finish 

But I want to focus on this book today

Quilts - start to finish has twenty quilt patterns with quilting designs included and is co-authored by Shirley Thompson. 

It has an introductory section which gives brief instruction on how to make a quilt - including piecing, applique, trapunto, layering, basting, quilting and binding  

Now I want to show you something inside:

This is a scrappy Indian Hatchet block.  The instruction for making this quilt are quite brief so maybe unsuitable for a beginner but for the more experienced quilt maker all the information is there including templates, yardage, border sizes and quilting patterns, even a brief description of string piecing...

I would like to make a quilt using this scrappy block  - I think it could look very different depending on the scraps used and how you organise them.   Something to think on and collect scraps for....

Do you like old quilting books and which ones would you recommend and why?

I love our new books and am inspired by them but I do also love old books and wonder who owned them and whether they made anything from them - there are no marks to indicate anything on this one.  I may be the first...?

Nicky

It's not too late for Spring bunting!?

I have already shown you my little lambs which were waiting on more ricrac!

Sorry wrong picture!  Here's the right one:

Well I received my blue ricrac braid as ordered from Daisy Chain Designs, a UK on-line shop selling patterns, trims, ribbons, buttons etc.  It took a little while to arrive, as the kind Sue explained in her handwritten note, because she went away over the bank holiday weekend - who could blame her with such lovely weather too!    Anyway she included two FQs of fabric in my order for waiting, I guess, which was very welcome!

It was a quick project as the little flags had already been cut out and I'm beginning to get the hang of this bunting thing having done several before.

This time I made my own binding out of blue plaid.  And hey presto another cute strip of bunting.

A closer view:

If you think this is the last lot of bunting coming your way, then think again - I have just discovered a whole lot more hallowe'en fabric which I haven't cut up yet. 

But is it destined to be bunting or not to be bunting - that friend Hamlet is the real question...????

Nicky

Crochet cushion finished!

As I told you the crochet cushion cover was waiting for a cushion pad to be finished.  I found an 18" feather pad at Design a Cushion!  A UK company with products made in the UK!   They were certainly quick in delivering all the way 'frae bonnie Edinburgh' so I didn't have long to wait.

I only started making this on Saturday evening and it was finished the following Friday - that's good going for a procrastinator like me!

So tada!  I changed this:

Into this......!

....with a bit of help from Nicki Trench, Rowan wool and Design a Cushion!  Thanks people I really enjoyed that and guess what I ordered two cushion pads, not just one, so I can do it all over again.....or something different!  Any suggestions cushion lovers????

What has been your favourite cushion project - I know there are lots of them out there...?

Have fun with your cushions today!

Nicky