I cordially invite you to join me and my lovely friend Andrea from the Willow Cottage Quilt Company as we don our Easter bonnets and best dresses for a nostalgic new block of the month programme: the Spring Cottage Sampler...
My inspiration for this year's quilt can be found just along the lane where I live: Spring Cottage was the beloved home of Shropshire poet and novelist Mary Webb. Mary spent many happy hours tucked under the veranda at Spring Cottage reflecting on the garden that she'd created and the ravishing view over the Shropshire Hills. Through her eyes we'll be celebrating the lyrical beauty and rural traditions of Spring.
Spring Cottage photographed circa 1930...
Spring Cottage - our sixth Block of the Month programme - will run for nine months, from November 2024 until July 2025. Our Block of the Month participants can choose between beautifully packaged monthly or full kits, which contain an exclusive early access pattern book and everything they need to create the nine original Spring Cottage sampler blocks, along with an exquisite pieced setting. The quilt will be made with my favourite techniques, which include conventional machine-piecing, creating angles with placement templates and simple embellishment with trims and embroidery. As always, we'll also be spoiling you with a few lovely surprises.
...images from our moodboard: from left to right,
Tilda Fabric's Easter Bunny | John Henry Dearle's Meadow Sweet | Vanessa Bowman
Pinterest | Alles und Anderes blog | Sara Midda
The quilt will finish at approximately 70" square and this year we'll be sewing with Tilda Fabric's delightful new seasonal basics collection, Creating Memories: we've chosen a selection of prints from the spring and summer palettes. Reservations will open on the 13th of August, so put the date in your diary and sign up for our newsletters if you'd like a reminder!
a selection of prints from Tilda Fabric's Creating Memories collection...
The programme also includes a special password accessed blog - where I explore my inspiration for the blocks and explain the techniques we use - along with new filmed tutorials, which were a great success last year. Andrea and I are incredibly privileged to sew with the most talented and supportive block of the month participants and we're hoping you'll be inspired to dust off your fanciest bonnet and join us!
Nicola xx