Quilting the Green Star

Thursday 8 December 2016

Memory quilts in Spring colours

This month I have made a larger than single bed size memory quilt for Lauren. Her children's clothes were such happy colours, sun, sand and seaside holidays kind of colours and they made a lovely modern style quilt which I was really pleased with, it is amazing how the colours all complimented each other and came together so well! I think we need a few of sunshine reminders at the moment. I keep thinking 'Nearly there,very nearly there ', as I draw the curtains at 4.30 pm, so early in the afternoon and nearly at the shortest day and then positive thinking all the way to Spring and hooray, new flowers in the garden and buds on the trees and sun, that lovely, delicate and so welcome spring sunshine!

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

There's something about memory quilts which makes me feel so close to the families I make them for, it is such a personal thing to send someone your baby clothes to cut up.The trust they have that I will make something lovely from them is a huge compliment and I take it really seriously.

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

I really enjoyed doing the swiggly quilting ( this is a very serious quilting term) too !!

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

I have just finished a second smaller quilt for Lauren too, made from leftover little pieces of fabric and some that didn't fit in the first quilt.

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

And tarahh, at last I have got the hang of machined binding and those tricky folded corners, even with a scrap pieced strip.... after I realised it is important not to get a seam on the corner..... impressive eh?

I have just sent off to the USA a quilt for Karen and will show pictures of it next time. This photo is a little corner...The parcel hasn't arrived with her yet so I don't want to spoil her surprise!

Happy quilting on these dark winter days, keep eating chocolate and don't over do the Christmas shopping,

Kind regards,

Sue

Monday 22 August 2016

A Trip Around the World cot quilt

After eight months our household is slowly getting back to normal. Eldest daughter and young family have moved into their renovated house in up hill Lincoln with new floors, beautiful new kitchen and classy grey walls downstairs. Even Ronnie the Rubber Plant has gone to his new corner, although today he has had a little change of earth, courtesy of The Boy, now fifteen months old and keen to explore all gardening opportunities! Younger daughter is renovating a house too with the help of her Viking, now fiance ( yes, we are utterly delighted about this recent news) and a small dog. All is going well.....

Our house is slowly returning to it's pre Christmas 2016 state, before The Return of Everyone and Their Furniture to us. It has all gone so well and in eight months and with five cars juggling for space on the drive, six adults, two little ones under five, not forgetting the small dog all at home, there have been no arguments and we are all still friends. We have been very blessed and I miss them all, but not the tiredness which was overwhelming at times!

Quilts have been made and finished in minutes snatched here and there, but now I hope for more time to think and plan the commissions for the rest of the year.

A Trip Around the World cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

Here is my latest quilt, made for Chris to give to her soon to be born grandchild:

A Trip Around the World cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

I really love the thought that our Team GB is returning from the Olympics with so many medals and quite by chance I have made a sporty quilt in red, white and blue with cyclists, sports balls and London icons on it! How clever is that??!

A Trip Around the World cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

The quilt measures 50 x 50 inches, 127 x 127 cm and here is the backing fabric....

A Trip Around the World cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

This week I am starting a memory quilt commission and also gardening for England! The wedding next year (all very exciting !!!!) will include a big garden party here. That's not a 'garden party' rather a 'lots of people in the garden' party..... think woodland plus tables and chairs! No pressure then, just a garden pulled up to National Trust standards.... from rather below the level of a meadow with jungle attached. I have just bid for and won a wooden garden table and chairs which will be my next renovation project too and we will need miles of bunting I expect.....

From now on I hope to be back to blogs at weekly intervals, I have missed you all and the gentle fellowship of other quilters from all over the world, thank you for waiting for me to come back,

Kind regards,

Sue

Friday 8 July 2016

A Memory Quilt and a mended chair

I have been away from Blogland for over a month and it seems a very long time. Each week I have thought about a new page and found I have nothing new to say. Sometimes it is just like that and you have to wait for a while I guess. In the sewing room I have been slowly making a memory quilt for Noah, which has been a joy and a delight as I cut up his little t shirts and turned them into simple blocks.

Memory quilt block by Green Star Quilts

This will be a single bed size quilt with lots of loved pictures from the t shirts, little pockets and buttons, wiggly bits and dangly legs, Martians and cowboys....

Memory quilt block by Green Star Quilts

Here are all the blocks.....

Memory quilt blocks by Green Star Quilts

At the moment I am quilting the seams in the ditch to hold it all together. It won't be the flattest quilt ever but it will be very loved indeed....

Memory quilt block by Green Star Quilts

Last week I rescued a chair! The poor thing was dumped in a car park, the seat split, the canvas rotted so I put it in the car and took it home. I thought it could be my first attempt at chalk painting!! I didn't take a photo of the 'before' but here is the' after' and I am absolutely delighted with the end result. It is perfect for the summer house near the vegetable garden!

Chalk painted rescued chair

The new canvas came from my local fabric shop Fabric Corner......

Chalk painted rescued chair

As it is near the vegetable patch (well if the vegetables would just get on and grow), it is perfect....

Chalk painted rescued chair

I can't wait to have time to sit in it.... maybe soon and if it is, at last, sunny too, glass of wine and seed catalogue in hand....

Chalk painted rescued chair

Thanks for stopping by to read this, a rather slow diary of the week, the quilt will be finished soon,

Kind regards,

Sue

Friday 13 May 2016

Hen and Chicks Quilt Wallhanging

This week I have been making a little wall hanging which will be a Christening present for Liz to give baby Evelyn Rose. It is a smaller version of one of my cot quilt designs with extra rabbits added and has a hanging sleeve on the back for a rod to slide through so it can be hung on the wall.

I'm really pleased as I had all the fabrics in stock so it fits in with my 'using things already bought' policy for the year.... Ha ha, I bet I can keep at one going for a whole year surely, because quilters don't buy fabric they don't need do they?!

Hen and Chicks quilt wall hanging by Green Star Quilts

I'm really happy with this little quilt which measures 25 x 27 inches ( 65 x 70 cm ) and hangs nice and flat too. The backing fabric is pale yellow with a white polka dot and the binding is scrappy, using bits left over from the main quilt.

I tried a smaller font for the appliqued letters this time and they fit nicely onto the smaller width of the sashing at the bottom. It's quite hard to find fonts which are good for applique and don't have copyright too and I looked for ages before I found this one.

Hen and Chicks quilt wall hanging by Green Star Quilts

I love the pale blue fabric with tiny chicks on it too.

Hen and Chicks quilt wall hanging by Green Star Quilts

The legs and the circle around the sun are hand stitched with thickish thread making sure there are no loose ends of thread which would show through the white fabric.... well there is always one I miss and have to pull through the fabric with a needle. It reminds me of trying to get splinters out of fingers!

Hen and Chicks quilt wall hanging by Green Star Quilts

Now a question.... does anyone have experience of having an Etsy shop? I am thinking of changing the way I do things and wondered if an Etsy shop would be a good idea, but I don't know anyone who has tried it.... Do you have to put a lot of time into social media to make your shop popular? I love writing the blog and taking photos of the quilts and running my website, but that's enough media for me! What I really want to do is make more quilts with my time!

Please tell me your thoughts and experiences of selling in this way. I would really appreciate your advice!

Brrrr, winter is back here and I'm wearing two jumpers and a waterproof jacket for walking the dog! My corgette plants are sulking in the greenhouse and I have lost hope of the sunflowers germinating before being eaten by mice. A very thin squirrel in making raids on the peanut bird feeder, to the delight of our little one, who watchs his antics avidly while throwing his breakfast across the kitchen.... please summer come soon!

I am off for a day retreat quilting tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it,

I hope you have something lovely to do this weekend too,

Kind regards,

Sue

PS. As usual I am linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts finish up Friday and Nicky at mrs Sew and Sow

Friday 29 April 2016

Springtime Bicycle Ride quilt

This week I have finished my second brick blocks quilt and have called it Spring Bicycle Ride. The colours are soft spring shades, pale pinks like old fashioned tulips, the pale yellows of early narcissi and fresh willow greens. The fabrics are from lots of scraps, in fact lots and lots of scraps, even some with bicycles on in yellows and greys. This quilt makes me feel happy, it makes me think about country picnics, soft summer dresses, sailing along on my old fashioned bike with the wind in my hair and a large bar of chocolate in the basket, oh yes I can feel the sunshine on my back..... well actually it is freezing here and winter has returned this week, but a girl can dream!

Here is the finished quilt:
Measurements: 40 x 52 inches 101.5 x 132 cm
Bricks block sizes are cut 3.5 x 2.5 inches and 3.5 x 5.5 inches

You can read about how to make this quilt if you scroll down to the 8th April blog.

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

I so enjoyed making this quilt, it is easy sewing and just right for quick piecing and it gave me a chance to play with colour choices and balance. It often surprises me how unusual fabrics can sit happily beside others and I love the feeling of putting a colour jigsaw together and the delight when it 'goes right'.

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

The wadding is Warm and Natural 80/20 and the quilting is in the ditch on every seam and then an added row through each brick vertically. The edges are bound with white fabric with a small yellow spot.

The quilt is for sale on my website.

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

The backing is from my local fabric shop and I don't know what it is called but it is a lovely pink with ferns and leaves in white:

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

I took the quilt off for a rather chilly photo shoot with my bicycle....

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

Our garden is full of Spring flowers now, Bluebells and Primulas seed all over and Cowslips are naturalising in the grass. It is so pretty and there are wallflowers just arriving in bud now too....

Spring Bicycle Ride quilt by Green Star Quilts

On a warm afternoon we took his babyship down the garden for a first ever crawl on sun kissed grass... oh I so love his fat baby feet!! And he was so amazed by the grass too!

baby feet on new grass

Are you enjoying the spring flowers in your garden? Oh I hope it is sunny and warm with you and not so cold and rainy as it is here,

Happy quilting this week, think of me as I am scrabbling through my scrap baskets for the next quilt, I am determined to reduce the fabric mountain this year,

Kind regards,

Sue

Saturday 16 April 2016

A finished woodland animals cot quilt

Today we woke up to two inches of snow on the ground and a bright sunny day with a brilliant blue sky. The blue tits and robins have been taking a huge amount of seed from the bird feeders and are clearly looking for tasty snacks for their young. I also saw a great tit with a beak full of brushed off fur from Nemi the dog, it looked so funny, a blue and yellow great tit with an orange furry beard! A lovely soft nest lining though! Yesterday I saw an adult tawny owl in full daylight, a sure sign they are also raise young ones in our garden and I am so so pleased!

This week I have finished the woodland animals cot quilt. I have really enjoyed making this quilt from scraps of favourite fabrics in the sewing room and very appropriate for the time of year too.. Here it is all finished:

Woodland animals cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

The measurements are 45 x 39.5 inches ( 114.5 x 101.5 cm)

25 fabrics all cottons which are new/modern prints, vintage, and from my stash collection

91 large bricks and 78 smaller bricks to make the design

wadding : 80% cotton 20% polyester

The backing fabric is Babes in the Wood Dragonflies in pale grey by Such Textiles, I love this fabric and it is just right for the animals on the front of the quilt.

This quilt is for sale on my website on the Buy Now Quilts page

Woodland animals cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

I have quilted in the ditch on all the seams. I dithered over this, but decided to keep the quilting plain as all the prints make it look very busy.

Woodland animals cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

I love taking the photos when the quilts are finished, trying to get them to look interesting but clean and modern...

Woodland animals cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

and a bit arty too.... I don't have any training in photography, I have just read loads on the internet and a few books. My favourite book is The Crafter's Guide to taking Great photos by Heidi Adnum and I hope I am improving slowly! Have you read any good books or blogs which have helped you with your photos? I'd love to know.....

Woodland animals cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

I like this pattern so much I have started on a summer themed one too called Summer Bicycle Ride. Here is the top and I will have more photos next week...

Summer Bicycle Ride quilt

Have you got snow in your garden? It seems it is vests on again for the time being, no summer skirts yet,

I hope you have a lovely weekend though,

Kind regards,

Sue

PS. I am linking up with Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts Finish Up Friday
and Leanne at She Can Quilt scraptastictuesday

Friday 8 April 2016

Beginners scrap fabric quilt

My scrap fabrics basket is like the magic porridge pot in the fairy tale, it seems to fill up overnight by itself and no matter how many bits I take out, it never gets less full and sometimes it overflows..... My biggest problem is me. I find it so hard to throw away the tiniest scrap. I'm a scrap squirrel, keeping everything just in case.... So this year I have made a resolution to tackle the sewing room scrap problem. No fabric shopping unless absolutely necessary ( Ha Ha!) and only to complete quilts made from scraps.

one of many scrap fabric baskets at Green Star Quilts

So this week I have been starting with a Scrap Brick quilt with all my woodland fabrics. It is a great pattern for beginners and easy to cut the pieces. These are the piece sizes:

Brick sizes by Green Star Quilts

I put the pieces up on the design wall as they are cut. They are arranged in rows:
Row 1: horizontal smaller rectangles
Row 2: vertical large rectangles
Repeat these two rows to make a quilt top of any size.

Brick pieces on design wall by Green Star Quilts

When I had lots of bricks on the wall and the colours looked balanced I started sewing them together, pressing the seams in alternate directions so they sit together snuggly.

seams pressed in alturnate directions

This fabric the adventurous daughter brought me back from Alaska. She has been to the Iditerod dog race there, lots of snow, lots of dogs, sleds, people who love racing dog teams and a very interesting history too. You can read about it here. Sorry, I don't know who makes this fabric, there was no selvedge printing.

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The colours are soft spring yellows, blues and greens, so I took the four complete rows of the top into the garden...