More Medallion Quilt

I’ve been working hard at getting the Medallion Quilt nearer to completion, but with the school holidays and work it’s been taking longer than I had hoped.  I’ve now completed the drawings and patterns for the panels which surround the centre block.

It’s been a pleasure working on this quilt and I’m almost ready to start teaching – just a few additions and tweeks and getting the notes all sorted.

But here’s an updated photo, I’m sorry that the colours don’t look as vibrant as in real life, but at least you can see how it’s coming along – when I’ve got the outer borders on I’ll show you more.

Medallion Quilt – centre and first borders

Medallion Quilt

I’ve been working so hard to create a new ‘block of the month’ but in the form of a Medallion Quilt – where you start in the centre and work outwards as you go, each section on this project will be quilt as you go!  So far I’ve done the preliminary sketches, and I’m pleased to say I’ve already filled up two classes.  I’ve appliqued and pieced the centre block and the first part of the surrounding block, it’s taking time as I have lots of other work on at the moment as well.

For my quilt I decided the background should be a basic cream calico, I wanted an antique looking and traditional colourway for the quilt.  I’m using lots of fat quarters and scraps that I had in my stash already, and I’ve picked up a few fat quarters here and there to add to it, even been given a few charm squares, which I’ve already used.

My basic colours are old red, dull sage greens, and civil war blues, mixed in with a selection of old golds and creams.

The centre panel is appliqued. Next I added a pieced border to surround the centre and then some star blocks in the corners of a plain border.  Now for quilting, for speed I machined some straight lines with my walking foot and then free motioned a simple meandering pattern, I didn’t want anything to take away the effects of the applique, hand quilting would also look lovely but I just haven’t the time right now.

My next panel is to be positioned at the top of the block and is based on a tree of life, with fruit and birds on the tree, all in applique, with a small amount of embroidery for the small bird parts and on some of the fruit.   This is now quilted in the same pattern as the centre and will be added with a small sashing strip to the block.

I will continue in this way adding borders as I go until the final block/panel is added, all that will need doing at this stage is the binding – then it’s on the bed!

 

Hoping to get the chance to get some real progress going on this project, I’m really pleased with the panel’s so far and can’t wait to do some more, I’ll let you have some more pictures as soon as I’ve worked some more.  But for now here’s the start!

Daryl’s Spinning Pinwheels

Seem to have been so busy in the last few weeks (as always) meant to put this new quilt on for a while, but just never seem to manage it – well here it is.

It’s a new workshop this time in honour of Daryl, who comes to just about every one of my workshops – a real trooper I’d say.

The first workshop for this will be on Friday 1 August 2014, let me know if you’re interested as there’s a place still available.

As usual, I’ve yet to quilt it, but thought you might like a picture to see if you fancy making your own.

Morning Star Quilt

I have finished this quilt but don’t have a picture and it’s hanging in Yarnia so I can’t take one, but this is the centre section of the quilt without the borders, it’s a really fun quilt quite easy to make and uses four fabrics, but you could use up some of your fabrics and make it more scrappy.

 

There’s a workshop at Yarnia on 6 June, I think if you’re quick there’s a space left, looking forward to a fun day.

Love Letters

I’ve been so busy with quilt making in the past few weeks, had no time to update what I’ve been doing, but finally I have a picture of the love letters quilt – there is a workshop for this on 23 June at Yarnia.

It’s a pretty big quilt measuring about 88 x 66 inches and uses 20 fat quarters, you’ll have hardly any left over at the end which is always nice.  Looks so much prettier than this photo, will have to get some decent pictures sorted soon, want someone to lend me a beautiful bedroom for the afternoon and I can put the quilts on the bed and take pictures.

 

 

Love Letters Quilt

A sort of unplanned quilt has been started, well I’ve cut it out anyway.  A new fabric range arrived at Yarnia last week, it’s by Free Spirit and called Billet Doux – well it was love at first sight, not just me, lots of the ladies were oohing and aahing over it too.  The sort of fabric you just have to touch and of course own!

Today I finally bought 19 fat quarters, I will need one more but thought I would see how the quilt shaped up before making the decision on the last fabric.  Whether to go pink, green or soft grey.  Will see in a bit.

Home from a workshop this morning and I have the patchwork bug, I decided to get going straight away, I’ve now sorted and cut the fabrics, and to my surprise it only took 30 minutes, well a little less to be precise.  I’m just having a well earned cuppa and will be sewing shortly, more photo’s at that stage.

There is a workshop booked for this quilt already and I think there’s only two spaces left, if you fancy it then contact Yarnia to book.  It’s not on the website yet, so best get on the phone.  (01322 440611)

Here’s a couple of quick pictures to tempt you with the fabrics, best get sewing – will update soon.

Kate x

New Quilts are Coming …

Been so busy lately creating new quilts for workshops, happy to say some are now ready, others nearly ready and a few are still in my mind, but will soon be converted to quilts, ready to teach!

To start with I shall talk about Kirsten’s Quilt.  Kirsten is a lovely lady who seems to come along to just about every workshop I do, she often gives me ideas of quilts she would like to do at some time, and this one came from a picture in a book she had, we all loved it and I said I would be happy to get going on planning a new workshop.  Kirsten lent me the book and the instructions were paper piecing – not something I’m desperate to do at the moment,  I decided to have a think and created the quilt from my own pattern, a nice quick method too.  It was fun and a challenge which I really enjoyed.  I’ve dedicated this quilt to Kirsten.

There is a workshop already booked at Yarnia for this if you fancy it. (Yarnia.co.uk)

 

The current Sweet Lilac Blooms block of the month is coming to an end after the summer and I’m now in the creating stage of a new block of the month.  For a change this year it will be a medalion quilt, working with both applique and patchwork.  It will be quilt as you go, each month work will be done on the next round.  I’ve made sketches and I’ve started the centre square.  Will have pictures soon to show you how it’s all coming on.

I’m also working on a traditional Morning Star Quilt – using only four fabrics to create some beautiful stars and chain blocks.  Sewing is in progress and photo’s will follow shortly.

There’s also a new programme out for Hometown in Rochester, I will give more details of my workshop’s there for the Spring/Summer 2014 season in the next few days.  If you can’t wait you can always contact Hometown yourself to get a copy of the full workshop list.

If any of you are members of the Quilters Guild I’m doing a workshop at the Sevenoaks Regional Day on Saturday 17 May 2014, it’s Shadow Quilting.

I’m getting on with the quilts now so will post this and be writing more in the next few days – See you all again soon

Kate xx

Is Christmas Really Coming?

Well yes, Christmas is coming, I’ve been preparing for all the workshops for the Autumn Season and I have a few new festive classes this year.   When I started it was still very hot and seemed totally inappropriate to be making Christmas Baubles and Gingerbread Houses, but I struggled on and now the weather is getting chilly it seems more suitable.

I usually have in mind designs that I think will be liked and listen to comments and requests from my regular ladies.  So I started with some baubles in the form of an appique wall hanging, with a little bit of a patchwork border, I’m really into applique at the moment and I think it shows in some of the workshops coming up.

I’m really pleased with the finished wall hanging and pleased too that the customer’s like it and are already booking in for the workshop.

My next project was a table runner, seems that people really like to have one at Christmas time more than any other time of the year – so I had planned this for a summer table runner but changed the fabric choices into traditional Christmas fabrics and here’s the result, I think it looks really different from the usual straight sided runners and was a look that was easy to achieve.

Christmas Runner

My third new Christmas project was one that I had been asked for, it’s a wall hanging which includes a Gingerbread House, this has now become quite a big part of Christmas in Britain in recent years and seems a very popular choice.  It’s often hard to make something following a request as often the person has something in their mind which is different from what’s in your own mind, but I liked the idea anyway and started some sketches, I was pleased with the outcome so decided to enlarge the design and work on how to assemble it in fabrics.  Mostly it was quite simple to do, but creating the candy canes with a diagonal stripe and designing a whirly lolly were a little bit of a challenge, but I’m really pleased with the outcome for both of these ideas.

Just in the design stage here!

I’ve added borders and stitched all around the components, but didn’t take a photo before sending it off to Yarnia for the workshop advertising, will take a picture as soon as I can.

I’ve got a couple of new workshops too this autumn but in patchwork, the first is Blue China Plates, an interesting and easy design made to look like round plates on a white (or pale) background representing the table cloth, I really enjoyed making this quilt although I have yet to quilt it, but looking forward to teaching this very soon.

I’ve also re-created the swoon block – I’ve seen pictures and always thought it looked good but was unable to locate a pattern or instructions, but those who know me will agree I’m not easily beaten but such things and set to make a pattern myself, not so bad once I broke down the sections, there’s a few flying geese blocks and a few half-square triangles to deal with but it’s all sorted and instructions ready for the workshop, I’m pleased to say it got fully booked almost instantly, I will try and fit another date in when I can for those who missed out.

As you can see it’s one huge block, to which I’ve added a border, but of course if anyone wanted to put four together, maybe even in different fabrics with a co-ordinating background then this would look just great and would be double bed sized – might even do one that big myself!

In the meantime I’ve been working on quilting some of the projects from last seasons workshops, it’s always such a huge job and takes a good deal of time, it’s always worth the effort in the end though.  And of course time’s almost up for my Rainbow Quilters Challenge Quilt for 2013, I have another couple of weeks to finish that too, I can’t show any pictures as it’s secret, but will let you see when the judging has taken place, wish I had been able to devote more time to it, but I’ve not, so that’s it!

As for other workshops coming up, there’s a few repeats which have been popular in the past, I’m doing the quick trip for Christmas again along with the Christmas Wreath hanging.  The Rose Petals Quilt and Spring Country Lanes.

Rose Petals

Christmas Wreath Wall Hanging

All these quilts are coming in the Autumn for workshops

Made by Bubbles Cooper
Rose Petals Quilt

Well as you can see I’ve been quite busy and still have more to do, as soon as I have more pictures I’ll show them, in the meantime happy quilting!

Kate x

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I am currently trying to start my quilt for the Rainbow Quilters Challenge.  We all have a metre of the same fabric which needs to be included somewhere in the quilt, and we have been advised that the challenge this year has to be a quilt, it needs to be no smaller than one metre and no larger than one metre twenty.

I have had so many ideas so far and then rejected them, I don’t want to discuss too much with my fellow quilters as it’s meant to be secret, all I know is I ought to be getting on with it!

The fabric, which is now accompanied by other fabrics, which may or may not be included is sitting in a neat heap, looking pretty attractive, but so far I can’t make up my mind.

I have those middle of the night moments when I think ‘that’s it’  then by the time the morning comes I’ve changed my mind.  I’ve looked at many quilt blocks and quilt pictures for inspiration, but still can’t quite get round to cutting the first pieces.  If I had endless supplies of the chosen fabric I would just go for it and if it goes wrong, start over, but I only have the one metre and no more available.

Oh decisions, decisions!

I think tonight has to be the night were I make a firm decision and start cutting, at least a bit of it – will let you know shortly how it goes.

Chateau Pirouette Quilt

Chateau Pirouette Quilt

 

I have been very busy sewing in the last few weeks, I finished the Sweet Lilac Blooms quilt and moved onto this quilt called Chateau Pirouette (named after the fabric range)  I love the big roses! – it’s a basic block quilt with a number of borders and sashings.  I’m very pleased with how it has turned out.  I started with the center blocks, but felt it was looking a bit ‘green’, not the look I wanted, so I added the shocking pink to bring out the pinks in the flowers, have to say it’s not photographed so well, it looks better when you see it.

Quite a big quilt measuring 74 x 90 inches, really nice for a double bed, or even a king size!  I’m ready to quilt but it’s in the shop at Yarnia at the moment on show.  There is a workshop of course, but I think as of this morning there is only one space left – although of course if anyone else wants to join in I can always add another date.  It’s a two day course, with a few days in between where you may have a little homework but you should be able to finish the quilt top in this time if you don’t chat too much, often what happens on workshops if I don’t keep an eye on everyone.

I can’t decide how I’m going to quilt at this stage, thinking along the lines of a mix of machine and hand work, as the quilt is so big I may just get the walking foot into action and get the straight lines sorted first, then continue with a little free motion quilting in the blocks and finish with a hand quilted border – I have time to think about this though and I’m not going to rush into anything.

I love this fabric and will be making some small wall hangings with what I have left over.  Will of course show some pictures when they’re done.

 

I’ve also been working on developing a more advanced free motion quilting workshop, it takes a while to prepare for this sort of thing but the work has started so watch out for that later in the year.

Time seems to go by so quickly, especially when you’re busy, I have a nice new cupboard for my fabrics (well this is the second one) with glass doors so I can see inside without the need for too much rummaging – not yet had the time to completely fill it, will have to look in the other places I hide my stash and get sorting when I have a few spare minutes.

I have a competition quilt to make for Rainbow Quilters, not even started yet, and I’ve had the fabric since January, I’ve been collecting and will hopefully make a very small start tomorrow – will be keeping that under wraps for a while though until the competition is judged in a few months.

You can buy the fabric for Chateau Pirouette in Yarnia at Upper Belvedere, and even see my quilt there at the same time.  You can contact Yarnia at http://www.yarnia.co.uk