Here's one I made earlier!

 It suddenly dawned on me this morning that I had never shared my basket of flowers that I stitched a couple of months ago, using in the main gorgeous fabrics from Aneela Hoey's stunning Vignette collection.

The basket pattern I used, can be found in  Lori Holt's book Great Granny Squared, more copies due in to the shop soon!  It's been on my hit list for a while and was, as you would expect from Lori's clear and concise pattern instructions, a breeze to piece together.

The appliqued flowers were my own addition, but were simply made using various shapes from Lori's fabulous 'Bloom templates', which you can find HERE.  I used as always, my favourite interfacing method to prepare the shapes and then hand appliqued them using Aurifil 50wt.  The stems were made using my Clover 1/4" Bias Maker with the fabric cut on the cross to allow the stems to bend.

I spent and enjoyable few evenings hand quilting using a mix of of Aurifil 12 wt in various colours,  I'm particularly pleased with the black stitching, I think it really makes the colours from the fabrics pop.  Black interestingly seems to feature in quite a few up coming collections, 'Handmade' by Bonnie and Camille and 'Olives Flower Market' by Lella Boutique spring to mind.  For the majority of the quilting I simply followed the outline of the shapes, but I also had fun using different stitches to create texture and patterns.  My hera marker was as always a handy tool to mark out the cross hatching on the basket.

As always if you have any questions about the techniques, fabric or equipment I used, simply leave a comment below or pop me an email and I'll happily do my best to help!

Just before I go, can I just say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has joined our Block of the Month so far, mum and I are thrilled to have so many of you sewing along...we're certainly going to be busy with lots of cutting! 

I hope that you're enjoying the sunny weather.....I know one shouldn't complain, but boy isn't it hot!

See you next time.

A Little Happy Year ~ Block of the Month

Thank you so much for cheering me on with my Quilt Top....I can not tell you how much fun I've had planning and stitching it.  So without further ado.....here it is...

 My plans for some outside shots were swiftly abandoned  due to the wind ..... can you see my able assistants Andy, Jamie and Poppy holding the quilt down ....... I think some of my neighbours had a little giggle at our antics!

The quilt combines a gorgeous scrappy mix of lots of Tilda fabrics from collections old and new, including the latest collections Cabbage Rose and Memory Lane due for release later this summer!  The pretty Tilda's are combined with a selection of low volume text prints and blender prints, from design houses including amongst others Moda, Art Gallery Fabrics and Cloud 9, plus I've added in a soft white Bella Solid in to the blocks and for the borders.

I know from the emails that I've received there were quite a few questions so I thought it would be a good idea to do a Q&A......  

What is a Block Of The Month (BOM) Club and how does it work?

A block of the month is a parcel full of loveliness that you will receive directly through your letterbox each month for a year.  It will include all the fabrics and if required, English Paper Pieces required for you to sew that months block, plus of course, detailed instructions for how to piece each block will also be included.  To support, I will also be sharing tutorials and tips on here.

At the end of the year you will have received enough pretty fabric and instructions to make your very own 'A Little Happy Year' Quilt Top.

How big is the finished Quilt?

The Quilt measures 57" x 72"

How long will the Club run for?

The club will run for 12 months commencing in October 2016 and will run through to and including September 2017.

What techniques will be used?

The quilt combines a mix of Machine Piecing, English Paper Piecing and Applique*.

*I used the Turn Through Interfacing method for the applique, but you could use Needle Turn or Raw Edge.... it is entirely up to you.

Will I receive exactly the same fabrics as used in the sample?

Mum and I will as far as possible send the same fabrics as I used, if this is not possible then rest assured we will send something equally as scrumptious!

What threads did Sarah use?

I used Aurifil 50wt thread to stitch mine, both on the machine and for all the hand stitching.  We will be putting together  a selection of threads to co-ordinate, more information to follow.

What other supplies will I need?

Applique supplies depending on your chosen method, EPP supplies again depending upon your chosen method (but the papers will be supplied when needed), plus your usual patchwork and sewing related tools.

Can I purchase the pattern on its own?

No, not at this moment in time......many hours have been spent designing this quilt specifically for our inaugural Block of the Month Club......Sorry!

HOW CAN I JOIN?

Places for the club are limited and all our friends and customers from across the world are invited.

If you would like to join, we'll be opening the Club via the website on

Friday 15th July at 7pm GMT

Phew....are you still with me.  Mum and I hope that you will join us in stitching along and if in the meanwhile you have any questions, as always please do not hesitate to get in touch!

1930s Farmer's Wife QAL ~ #83 Poppy

Today I'm happy to be joining Kerry again on the 1930's Farmers Wife Quilt along.  My block this week is called Poppy, which obviously with a little Poppy all of my own I was keen to stitch!  I would hasten to add that my enthusiasm for the name did somewhat blinker my common sense and it was only when I stopped to have a look at the reality of piecing her, did I realise what I had let myself in for..... she was a tricksy little lady, just like her namesake!

Never one to shy away from a challenge I had planned on English Paper Piecing her, but having given myself a stern talking too decided to give Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) another go...not a technique that historically I have really enjoyed...that being said you can not fail to be astounded by the opportunities that the technique opens up when mastered.

For those who've not tried or come across Foundation Paper Piecing, in simple terms you print templates on to paper (those for the blocks in the book are found on the disc that comes with it) and then place your fabric behind and sew through the paper along the seam lines as shown. Once stitched you then tear the paper away leaving with you precisely sewn little pieces.

I may not have explained that particularly well and I'm certainly not able to demonstrate, but it just so happens that Kerry is herself a bit of a whiz when it coms to FPP so do go and visit her.  Another blog I like to read for stunning examples of FPP is Charise Creates and she also has a fabulous tutorial for fussy cutting in FPP which you can read here.

 I won't say that I loved every moment ( all 4 hours of it).... but I'm definitely up for giving FPP another go....watch this space.

Thanks so much Kerry for inviting me on the Blog Hop and I can not wait to see your finished quilt!

In other news, I've finished the A Little Happy Year Block of the Month Quilt Top, so make sure you pop back tomorrow for some more pictures and information on when and how you can join!