A sea, sun and sand quilt

kite flying on the beach by Green Star Quilts

Here in Lincolnshire we have the most wonderful safe and sandy beaches and in the summer they make a great place to visit with children. Our seaside towns are very traditional, lots of shops selling buckets and spades, whirly windmills in bright colours and every sort of ice cream possible. The donkey rides are a huge attraction and because the landscape is flat, the sun seems so high in our big skies. Fish and chips for lunch, a walk along the seafront, lots of dogs swimming in the sea and such enormous happiness from burying your feet in the sand..... it all makes a very special day out.

children on the beach

 So even though the weather is still chilly and the snowdrops are only just out, I have been making a seaside inspired quilt. Here is the first block:

star block for seaside quilt

It is a picture quilt with lots to look at and retro camper vans for the trip to the beach.... I fussy cut the campers from a printed fabric:

camper vans at the beach

The shell were inspired by these I saw in a shop window:

Amonites in a shop window

The colours of the quilt are bright and sunny, using lots of different fabrics from all the tiny pieces saved in the sewing room. I save every tiny scrap with Bondaweb on it from other projects and they are so useful for things like tiny strings of bunting....

beach huts by Green Star Quilts

The local people on the coast are very friendly and make every effort welcome people and their dogs...

The quilt top is nearly finished now and ready to be quilted:

Seaside quilt top by Green Star Quilts

Boats, fish, swimmers, bikes are there and daffodils, a Welsh flag and The White Rose of York to show the family history of Emily who will own this quilt soon. I am just about to quilt the top now and will show you the finished quilt next time.

So in this pale spring sunshine, I hope you have felt a little warmer for a few minutes reading the blog,

Happy quilting this week,

Kind regards,

Sue

PS. I so enjoy reading your comments, they make a happy part of my day, so thank you for saying hello, I will answer them all on the comments bit and visit your blogs if possible too.

Peaches and cream fabrics for a cot quilt

Amy is expecting her second baby in May. She is decorating the nursery in peach, white and cream colours and has asked me to make her a matching cot quilt. We have found some Moda fabrics called Storyline, these designs are so sweet, castles, balloons, stars and tiny birds, all in peach, pale yellow and turquoise colours. We have decided to use the taupe, peach and yellow colours ways and add some extra plain fabrics too. 

Storybook fabrics by Moda

I bought a charm pack from The Cotton Patch so we would have lots of choice with the patterns in the range. We trialed some other fabrics and Amy decided which ones she would like..... 

peach fabrics

I decided to divide some of the squares into four to add interest with the smaller squares. Here is the finished quilt:

Cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

This quilt measures 106 x 118cm ( 41.5 x 46.5 inches)

I took the quilt up to our nursery here for the extra photos..... we are expecting another baby in our own family soon too and I am so excited! Being a granny is the best job! Our antique wicker cot has been waiting so long for another baby to fill it.... No pressure though daughters....!

peach coloured quilt in antique wicker cot

Our house is early Victorian and just right for these photo shoots which are one of my favourite bits of blogging and taking photos.... I renovated every inch of that fireplace myself!

peach quilt with wicker cot

The back of the quilt and the binding is the softest American unbleached calico.

wicker cot with sheepskin and cot quilt

The Aconites are out in the garden, the birds are getting really interested in the nest boxes, new babies there too soon, it feels as though spring is just around the corner. 

Husband has felt the need to turn the compose heap, a sure sign that Things Are Starting in the gardening calendar. This is my signal that large amounts of Gardener's Cake is required too! 

Lots of you still have snow so armchairs and seed catalogues call, but I hope you have lots of time for quilting this week,

 Kind regards,

Sue

 

A memory quilt for Sarah

Sarah has been storing baby clothes for a long time. Her boys are big boys now, a long way on from babyhood and yet still the little clothes are in the bag, too precious to give away.... But recently she asked me to make them into a quilt, just for her. So many memories, happy, sad, tough times, wonderful times, laughter and tears, they are all in that bag. So here is the block I chose, a simple one as lots of the fabrics are t shirt materal:

simple block for a memory quilt

The quilt grew really quickly and soon the blocks were all made. I trialed blue for the sashing strips , these helped to keep the blocks a stable shape...

memory quilt blocks all laid out

Here is the finshed quilt which measures 54 x 69 inches:

Memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

In the corners are appliques of favourite toys, Bunny and Teddy, both much loved. As I took this photo, a pale wintery sun sent a ray across the quilt. There is snow here and it is so cold, so I left this photo with it's sunshine rather than waiting for a more matt photo finish, as it cheered me up.

On the quilt label, Sarah has chosen to add a quotation from Dr Suess:

'Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory'

And that's what memory quilts are for really.

detail from a memory quilt

Now, this week I also need some advice from you. This quilt is quite heavy and I have developed a really achy shoulder and neck. It has been coming on for some time and of course I ignored it as you do! Now I am wondering if I should change my work table. It is an old kitchen one so my machine is quite high up. That's good if you want your nose near the stitching for applique, but not so good for the shoulders when quilting, which feel as though they are near my ears most of the day!

The quilting table

Do any of you use a Sewezi Table? Are they worth the cost? Do you have any good tips for sore shoulders? I have four big quilts to make over the next two months, so please help with advice,

Just going off to do some shoulder exercises now, drink coffee and eat a comforting choccy biscuit ( or three) with more aspirin,

Kind regards,

Sue

Spring chicks and a hyacinth inspired quilt

Hello and thanks for dropping in to see what I have been making this week. So far I have finished the hen and chicks baby quilt and here it is, a crib size measuring 93 x 80 cm and 36 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches. Just right to tuck around a new baby in the buggy or car, or to use as a play mat. Some of my customers hang this size quilt on the wall too. 

Hen and Chicks quilt by Green Star Quilts

Just to finish last weeks tutorial, I have quilted around the shapes very close to the edges and then free motion quilted with a wandering stitch over the white areas of the quilt.

And just a few ta dah moments.....

detail from Hens and Chicks quilt by Green Star Quilts

I love the egg yolk yellow of the chicks against the blues of the other squares... 

backing fabric for Hens and Chicks quilt by Green Star Quilts

The backing fabric is a turquoise blue with white polka dots. I use a lot of spotty fabrics as I like the retro look they give....

 Hens and Chicks quilt by Green Star Quilts

and it gave me a chance to look in our box of vintage Britton's farmyard animals to find the right livestock for the last photo...I do so love this bit, finding the right thing to add to the photo....

Hen and Chicks quilt with Britton's farmyard livestock

Does it make you think of Easter somehow? Hummmm chocolate eggs, now there's a welcome thought! 

Also this week my indoor hyacinths are in full flower. I would love to tell you that I am super organised, planted the bulbs before Christmas, kept them cool in the basement and brought them out when they started to flower.... I would love to, but being super unorganised ( and honest), I missed that bit out completely, went to the market, bought two pots, planted them into a bowl with extra compost and hid the plant labels! 

But the colour of hyacinth blue is so special and I have so many scraps in the sewing room, so I have started a hyacinth blues and greens quilt which will be a wall hanging for my kitchen. 

Here is the block... The white stars remind me of snowdrops with pointed petals...

Hyacinth quilt block by Green Star Quilts

This is the quilt so far... can you see that I have broken some random squares into smaller ones to add interest...

I'm not sure how big it will be in the end but I have enjoyed using 3 inch squares of my favourite scraps and the pile is getting smaller amazingly. It is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle on the back to get all those seams to butt up together without gaps... well there are a few I have found...

Hyacinth quilt top

Here are some of the fabrics used:

Hyacinth blues and greens in 3 inch squares

I wish I could say that no hyacinths have been harmed in the taking of this last photo, but yes, the right hand one did fall off and the stem broke, the other two flopped over in sympathy and look a bit sad.... oh well, off to the market again to buy the next two pots...

Hyacinth flowers and quilt top

It is freezing here in Lincoln today, no snow, but foggy and so very cold and I can't wait for the real spring to come. I will show you the (hopefully) finished quilt next week and also tell you about the monster king sized one which I am making over the next month. 

Happy sewing to you all this week,

Kind regards,

Sue

Bondaweb your chicken and quilt it

Here is the tuorial about how to use Bondaweb which is a fabric glue on a dissolvable web with a paper backing. There are other makes of a similar product, but this is the one I find easiest to use.

First draw your hen and chicks, just a simple shape is best to start with. Look in children's books, birthday cards, magazines for shapes and inspiration...

Pattern for hen and chicks by Green Star Quilts

Put your bondweb sheet over your pattern with it's paper backing uppermost. The glue side feels bumpy, the paper side feels smooth. Remember that your finished fabric shape will be the mirror image of your drawing, so turn it over if you want the hen facing the other way. Trace  round all the pieces of your pattern through the Bondaweb with a pencil.

Bondaweb tracing

Bondaweb shapes drawn out

Carefully cut around the shapes leaving a tiny margin at the edges. Handle the Bondaweb gently to stop the backing peeling off. Place your Bondaweb shapes bumpy (glue) side down on the back of your fabric. Iron carefully with a hot iron, no steam, and protect your iron by using baking parchment over the shapes just in case you have put one down glue side upwards, in which case it will stick to your iron.... trust me, I have done this loads of times!

Bondaweb shapes ironed onto fabric

Allow to cool down from the iron's heat, then cut your shapes out with sharp scissors on the pencil line.

Fabric shapes with Bondaweb backs

Peel the backing paper off the back of the shapes

paper backing is peeled off the shape

Now you are ready to place your shapes on the main fabric of the quilt, positioning them where you would like them to be on the finished quilt top.

Fabric shapes ironed onto quilt top

Iron them down carefully, using the baking parchment between your iron and the fabric. This helps to stop the pieces moving and protects your iron. Add the hen and chicks wings by repeating the ironing method.
Now your pieces are ready to be stitched down. I use free motion stitching but if you are not confident you can use a straight stitch slowly on these simple shapes.
When your hen and chicks are stitched down, you need to add some legs...

Chick with legs by Green Star Quilts

Now you are ready to layer up the quilt top with the wadding and backing fabric and quilt the whole top. 

I will show you the finished quilt in the next post. Have you been able to follow this tutorial ? I don't write many and hope I haven't missed out anything! If you are still bemused by Bondaweb and your pieces are stuck to the iron, do leave a comment and I will answer on the comments page...

I hope this is all helpful, I love this method and use it on most of my quilts,

Happy stitching this week,

Kind regards,

Sue 

A Noah's Ark quilt for Phoebe

The New Year is well underway and I am only just back in the sewing room. Bed has been the best place for me, with a horrid cough, and a desperate need for a new nose which doesn't sneeze all the time..... so this is a very late greeting of Happy New Year to everyone who reads my blog. 

Bridget commissioned a first bed size quilt for Phoebe and I have just sent it off to her in time for the Christening. This is the first Noah's Ark quilt design I have drawn and made and I am really pleased with it. It brings together my farmyard animals with their wilder cousins, with the ark in the middle. 

Noah's Ark quilt detail by Green Star Quilts

I decided to have one of most of the animals so there could be most species as the quilt is smallish. Choosing the fabrics and colours for the animals is always fun. I try to get the colour roughly right but don't worry too much about horses being flowery or cows being starry, although it is important to make the zebra strippy. 

Noah's Ark quilt detail by Green Star Quilts

When everyone is in place, I stitch round each animal and add some detail about feathers or muscles. The eyes for everyone are added last. When all the stitching is complete, then the top is layered with the wadding and backing fabric.

Noah's Ark quilt detail by Green Star Quilts

I love doing the free motion quilting which makes the animals stand out more. Here is the finished quilt which is already sold. The binding is a scrappy one made of two different fabrics, pink with spots and pink with white stripes:

Binding detail from Noah's Ark quilt by Green Star Quilts

 Phoebe's name is on the bottom:

Noah's Ark quilt by Green Star Quilts

Sheri asked me how I applique shapes onto the quilts and I wondered if you would like a blog about it? Just leave a comment and I will take photos for a blog post  as I make the next quilt which has chickens on it. Then we can do it together.

Urrrrgg, sniff, cough, I hope none of you have this cold too, but if so those tissues with Aloe Vera in them are wonderful!

Happy quilting in 2015 to everyone,

Kind regards,

Sue

Happy Christmas and a year of quilts

As I panic about the size of the turkey ( too big for the oven...) and the lack of presents

 ( still to be bought by a frantic  shopper...) the dust in the house ( will it be noticed by visitors...) and the need for decorations in all areas... I decided to count the quilts. All the quilts, cushions and one notice board made this year for commissions and for my family and here they are, after a struggle to master Picmonkey editing,  so that I could make this collage....

Quilts made in 2014 by Green Star Quilts

There is one final quilt to show you this year. It has been made because of the kindness of Nancy and Sally at Fabric Rehab who sent me a free gift in a parcel of fabric I ordered from them. You can visit them here  they have some lovely fabrics....

Christmas fabric from Fabric Rehab

I added some green Enchanted Forest fabric:

Christmas fabrics

I made simple log cabin blocks with random width strips, using up some scraps too and lots of odd bits of wadding which I glued down firmly before quilting it all over with a squiggle design...

here you can see the odd bits of wadding 

Here is the layered quilt:

log cabin blocks

Now for the arty photos I thought...I hung the finished quilt on our evergreen hedge but the background was too dark....

Christmas quilt by Green Star Quilts

It was freezing outside so I beat a hasty retreat inside to take better photos...

Christmas quilt hanging on the bathroom door

and then the close up ones....

scrap pieces binding

This one is my favourite although it shows up my variable stitch length!

Add caption

At last I got to the sofa where it and I intend to stay over Christmas... with my scrap velvet cushions too.

Christmas quilt on the sofa

So now I just want to say Happy Christmas to everyone who visits my website and blog. You come from all over the world, some of you are friends, maybe others will become so. It is also just fine to enjoy a visit, stay a little while and feel connected to another quilter for a few minutes in a busy day. Thank you too for all your comments and kind wishes over the year. 

Next year I wish for a more peaceful world and the safe arrival of another little one in our family. I hope you have a lovely break too,

Very best wishes,

Sue