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Is it too soon?...

Nicola

Sep 21, 2019

Is it too soon?...

Too soon to mention the 'C' word, that is...Christmas. Those of you of a more organised ilk will have the whole thing underway by now and be powering through your Christmas gift list. You must tell me how you do it (I'm asking for a friend). But, as the new school year begins and the nights start drawing in, if your thoughts ARE turning to some Christmas sewing I thought I'd do a little round up of Christmas tutorials. There are some small, quick projects, as well as some ide

Moda Bakeshop Summer Camp...

Nicola

Jul 21, 2019

Moda Bakeshop Summer Camp...

This is the second year that the Moda Bakeshop have hosted their wonderful Quilter's Summer Camp and this year we're at the beach. Since June the Bakeshop Chefs have been sharing their beautiful blocks along with their favourite seaside memories. Today is my turn and where else would I whisk you off to but Cornwall? Photos from our trip to St. Ives earlier this month... My block is based on that perennial British favourite: the Beach Hut. The place where we wriggle into sandy

Dala Horses: not just for Christmas...

Nicola

Jan 27, 2019

Dala Horses: not just for Christmas...

I’m blaming Trish. You see, just before Christmas I shared a tutorial for a Dala Horse block on the Moda Bakeshop, as part of their fabulous Countdown to Christmas (you can download a printable PDF pattern here). The lovely Trish - on Instagram - suggested a sew-along and I think I knew then and there that it was going to happen. Especially when I was staring at the scraps from my Sailing By sampler: hello Swedish blues and yellows. Also, I have no willpower. A casual, in-bet

The Sailing By Sampler...

Nicola

Jan 17, 2019

The Sailing By Sampler...

Welcome to a new Petit Four tutorial: my finishing instructions for the Sailing By Sampler quilt. As before, the tutorial is for those of you making all eight blocks but, of course, you can double up your favourites or substitute other Petit Four blocks to your quilt. The design for the blocks and the setting evolved together and I loved the idea of the Whale and the Lighthouse 'escaping' from their squares. As I mentioned in my last post, the blocks remind me of happy holida

Your favourite posts of 2018...

Nicola

Jan 5, 2019

Your favourite posts of 2018...

This seems slightly self-indulgent of me but, two and a half years and seventy-odd posts in, I was interested in finding out which topics you enjoyed most last year. When I started this blog my main aim was to introduce myself and support my customers with tutorials. It also gave me the chance to talk in more detail about my design inspiration, offer some ‘behind-the-scenes’ musings on running a small craft business and share ‘new-to-me’ tips and techniques. I was surprised t

Winterstweet Tutorial: Part Three...

Nicola

Dec 17, 2018

Winterstweet Tutorial: Part Three...

This morning I put the last few stitches in the binding of my Wintersweet quilt...just in the (saint) nick of time. You might remember the cushion I made as part of last years Moda Bakeshop Countdown to Christmas. You can find directions for making the quilt in Part One of the tutorial, here, ideas for fabric selection and quilting in Part Two, here, and a handy, downloadable PDF of the pattern, HERE. I have so many lovely things to share with you in 2019, but until then, Me

All wrapped up...

Nicola

Dec 13, 2018

All wrapped up...

Have you been opening the Moda Bakeshop Advent Calendar this year? My fellow Chefs and I have been rustling up some Christmas treats for you and my recipe has a distinctly Scandinavian flavour. The Dala Horse block can be made in two sizes - 6" or 12" - and there are oodles of options for fussy cutting your fabric or adding folk-inspired embroidery to give your Dalahäst an authentic, hand-painted look. EDIT: Download a printable PDF pattern for the Dala Horse Block here. You

Wintersweet Tutorial: Part Two...

Nicola

Oct 20, 2018

Wintersweet Tutorial: Part Two...

If you didn't catch Part One of the tutorial - which has the pattern for piecing your top - you can find it here. This time I'll be sharing my hand quilting plans and a downloadable template. But first I thought it would be fun to look at a couple of colour options for your quilt. Simply changing the background colour creates a more dramatic quilt. You could try the Moda Bella Solid in Etchings Slate that I used on my Spellbound Sampler, or opt for one of the delicious linen-

Wintersweet Tutorial: Part One...

Nicola

Sep 22, 2018

Wintersweet Tutorial: Part One...

Do you ever see fabric and think ‘I really must make something with that’? Silly question, you’re quilters, so of course you do. Well, a mere glimpse of Joanna Figueroa’s Christmas Figs and I started sketching. The design I was drawn to is an old one, the Irish Chain, which alternates plain and nine-patch blocks. I love Irish Chain quilts, they manage to be homely and elegant at the same time with a lovely balance between pieced blocks and negative space. The earliest example

Wavecrest Cushion...

Nicola

Sep 21, 2018

Wavecrest Cushion...

A very warm ‘welcome aboard’ if you’re joining me from the Moda Bakeshop, I hope you’re enjoying this month’s Building Blocks series and discovering new ways to use those scrummy pre-cuts. I was thrilled to bits to get the chance to share a tutorial for Half Rectangle Triangles as I love what they can bring to my quilts, whether it’s a steep roof, pointy beak or fluttering sail, they always add so much personality. Now, the best way I know to keep your piecing skills shipshap

It's all about the timing...

Nicola

Dec 23, 2017

It's all about the timing...

We rarely have snow in Shropshire, but this month it arrived right on cue as I joined the Moda Bakeshop chefs in their Countdown to Christmas. Each day in the run up to Christmas we have been posting a fun festive block, to be used together in a sampler quilt or individually in smaller projects. Sort of like an advent calendar without chocolate...which is slightly disappointing but it does involve fabric, so that’s OK then ;-) My design was inspired by a sprig of Holly and I

Festival Cushions...

Nicola

Nov 6, 2017

Festival Cushions...

The next tutorial I want to share with you uses just one Petit Four block and is based on the cushions I made for my Festival of Quilts stand. It's a quick, fun project that makes a 14" x 24" cushion: perfect for cheering up a bed or sofa. I made mine using my Honeybee Hive block and a new-to-me fuseable batting product by Quilters Dream called Fusion - bought here - which is ideal for small projects like this. I've tried similar polyester-based fuseables, but I find them unc

The Spellbound Sampler...

Nicola

Nov 2, 2017

The Spellbound Sampler...

Welcome to my first Petit Four tutorial: finishing instructions for your Spellbound Sampler blocks. My directions are aimed at those of you making all nine blocks, but there are also notes, at the bottom of the post, for adapting the setting to make a table runner with just three blocks. And next week I'll be posting a tutorial for a cushion which uses just one. When I designed the quilt I knew that some blocks would need light backgrounds and some would need a dark contrast,

From my sketchbook: Woodruff...

Nicola

Aug 25, 2017

From my sketchbook: Woodruff...

I was lucky enough to post another Moda Bakeshop recipe last month. A pretty Charm-Pack-friendly quilt I called 'Woodruff' (you can find it here). I made a similar quilt as a gift for my Mum, not long after I started quilting, which repeated the same block throughout the quilt to give a sort of plaid effect. I pieced that version with Charm Packs too, cutting all the little squares individually. So I was immediately drawn to this quilt, found on Pinterest... A very well-loved

Honeybee Hive Block...

Nicola

Jul 10, 2017

Honeybee Hive Block...

This week I'm sharing a tutorial to make our Honeybees a hive to call home (and if you're wondering what on earth I'm talking about, take a look at my last post). *EDIT: Scroll down to see how my lovely friend Jayne's has customised her Honeybee Hive with a hexie...* You will need:- 4 2½" x 8½" pieces and a 1½" x 10" piece of white/low-volume 2 3" x 5" pieces, 6 2" x 3" pieces, and a 1½" x 10" piece of background One 2" square of grey The template, a 2" scrap of card and a

Honeybee Block...

Nicola

Jun 30, 2017

Honeybee Block...

One of my dearest friends approached me a few weeks ago to ask whether I could help her customise one of my patterns. Her work colleague was injured in the Manchester Arena bombing and she wanted to raise funds for him by making a special quilt to raffle. The block she wanted to include was a Bee. The industrious Worker Bee has been a symbol of the city of Manchester since the C19th and, since the terrorist attack, has been adopted as an emblem of unity, strength and positivi

Hang by the chimney with care...

Nicola

Nov 23, 2016

Hang by the chimney with care...

You may remember me piecing some little Christmas trees last year, for my festive version of Homely Joys. My test block has spent the last twelve months sitting on top of my works-in-progress trolley (which is *ahem* rather overloaded) whispering "go on...make me into something..." and I've finally taken the hint. The vertical design of the block is perfect for the side of a Christmas Stocking and - more importantly - a stocking is an achievable project in the manic run-up to

Stepping back in time...

Nicola

Sep 14, 2016

Stepping back in time...

The lovely people at the Moda Bakeshop have let me post another tutorial - it's called Stepping Stones, you can find it here - and I thought it would be fun to share a little more about my inspiration for this quilt. Stepping Stones was inspired by a beautiful, hand-pieced Tumbling Block quilt-top in the Gawthorpe Textile Collection, made between 1875-1900. I first saw it in Gail Marsh's wonderful book 19th Century Embroidery Techniques - I bought mine here - which details it

Pinch me...

Nicola

Feb 22, 2016

Pinch me...

I'm slightly overexcited to tell you that I've written a tutorial for the Moda Bakeshop. It's for a quilt that I've called 'Speedwell' - you can find it here - because it goes together so quickly. So quickly, in fact, that since it was posted on Friday, a lovely lady called Jennifer has already made one. Which was a bit thrilling. The Bakeshop is a wonderful resource for quilters and quilt-shop owners. All the patterns use their popular pre-cuts and are ABSOLUTELY FREE. Which

Oh Christmas Tree...

Nicola

Oct 28, 2015

Oh Christmas Tree...

Christmas trees and country vicarages: a quilt for the festive season...

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