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Spellbound Sew-along: week 5
Merveille du Jour When I started drafting a bat block for the Spellbound Sampler - we’ll be meeting him next week - I realised what wonderful wings I could make with traditional dresden fans. And then, of course, I tried to think what else I could use them for: birds’ wings and cobwebs, yes, but surely not butterflies or moths? Although most British butterflies and moths are hibernating or migrating by the end of October, there is whole family of moths who emerge in the dy

Nicola
Jun 28, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along: week 4
Toadstools Beloved of childrens’ book authors, the Toadstool has long been imagined as the home of various pixies, fairies and elves. The...

Nicola
Jun 21, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along: week 3
Moon & Star Our enchanted garden is lit by a waning crescent moon. Far away from the constant glow of streetlights, moonlight makes the...

Nicola
Jun 14, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along: week 2
Pumpkin A familiar symbol of autumn abundance, the Pumpkin is an essential part of Thanksgiving feasts in Canada and the United States. The seeds were taken back to Europe by explorers and by the end of the C17th it had found it's way into our fairy-tales, as Cinderella's magical carriage. The pumpkin block from my first sampler EDIT: Although the sew-along has finished, you can still use the weekly posts as a guide and sew with a group of friends. You can find the Spe

Nicola
Jun 7, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along: week 1
Gothic Gatehouse When designing the blocks for the Spellbound sampler I pictured an abandoned garden at dusk in late Autumn. As nature...

Nicola
May 30, 2018


From my Sketchbook: Auriculas...
EDIT: You can now buy this pattern as a PDF here or as a Paper Pattern here. I have a new quilt in issue 36 of Today's Quilter this...

Nicola
May 25, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along: preparing your fabric
EDIT: Although the sew-along has finished, you can still use the weekly posts as a guide and sew with a group of friends. You can find...

Nicola
May 22, 2018


Spellbound Sew-along...
Are you ready for a summer sew-along? My lovely friend Andrea - from the Willow Cottage Quilt Company - and I will be making a Spellbound...

Nicola
Apr 21, 2018


The Sewing Quarter...
Back in December I was writing about the serendipity of snow and about things that happen just when you need them to. Well, a few...

Nicola
Apr 17, 2018


From my Sketchbook: Hearth & Home...
EDIT: You can now buy this pattern as a PDF here or as a Paper Pattern here . As an idealistic architectural student - many (many)...

Nicola
Mar 23, 2018


Spellbound...
Edit: All of the posts & tutorials from 2018's Spellbound Sew-along can be found here. I've finished my Spellbound Sampler Quilt at long...

Nicola
Feb 6, 2018


Present and correct...
I love making Christmas gifts but the secrecy required nearly kills me, so it’s really good to finally share what I was making in...

Nicola
Jan 8, 2018


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...

Nicola
Dec 23, 2017


A Festive Table Runner...
EDIT: You can now buy this pattern as a PDF here or as a Paper Pattern here. My subscription copy of Today's Quilter arrived last week...

Nicola
Nov 14, 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...

Nicola
Nov 7, 2017


The Spellbound Sampler...
Edit: All of the posts & tutorials from 2018's Spellbound Sew-along can be found here. Welcome to my first Petit Four tutorial: finishing...

Nicola
Nov 2, 2017


Introducing Petit Fours...
There has been lots of thoughtful discussion on Instagram recently about making what YOU really love, combining projects and fabrics in...

Nicola
Oct 30, 2017


Sticking my beak in...
I had an email from one of my lovely customers, Jessica, this morning. She's been making my To Skye quilt and was having a few problems...

Nicola
Oct 2, 2017


Exhibiting at the Festival of Quilts...
I promised you a detailed post on preparing for and exhibiting at the Festival of Quilts and here it is. I'll apologise in advance if...

Nicola
Aug 29, 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...

Nicola
Aug 25, 2017


All the fun of the...Festival...
I've been home for two days but my head is still spinning from everything I saw and experienced at my first Festival of Quilts as an...

Nicola
Aug 15, 2017


Simple Hand Quilting Ideas...
A warm welcome if you've joined me from the marvellous Moda Bakeshop . Here, as promised, are my favourite tips for those of you considering hand quilting your Woodruff Quilt. Or any quilt, for that matter. I love hand-quilting and find it very relaxing. I particularly enjoy the transformation of three separate layers of fabric - feeling their weight draped over my palm - to one continuous piece of quilted fabric, which somehow takes on a life of its own, feeling lighter i

Nicola
Jul 25, 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...

Nicola
Jul 10, 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...

Nicola
Jun 30, 2017
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