Quilted Cushions

I've been making quilts for years, having done a few courses back in the early 90's. Recently I started a City & Guilds in Patchwork & Quilting, although over the years I have picked up much of the basics, I thought that to do a qualification would help me in the future if I decide to teach the subject. With the C & G I have to carry out the work and then post it all on a blog for grading. If you would like to look at the work I've been doing you can see it at www.lindseytomsquilts.wordpress.com

I am also thinking about trying to sell my quilts etc on line. I have had an etsy shop in the past, selling children's clothes,but although I sold some items, I just didnt have the time to promote it and found that others were selling similar items on etsy at much lower prices. 

At the moment I am trying to build up a number of items which I think may sell on a website, when I get around to setting one up.

Here is one of the cushions that I have made, I love the 'flying geese' design for quilts and I also love plains and Liberty fabrics.

I quilted this cushion with a Sashiko style stitching using a very fine crochet thread.

  

Summer

Life is just so hectic, I can never seem to find the time to blog these days. 

Although I don't have children at school, the holidays bring a little more freedom as I don't need to help run the church toddler group. But that is only one morning a week anyway.

Later this week we head off for our holidays, a week at our caravan in Devon, catching up with family and seeing the grandchildren, the three of them will join us for a sleep over in the caravan :)

After Devon we will drive up to our cottage in Wales for a week.

I've just made this little jacket and have started the second one, for the twins. The sweet little booties are for Eugene who we will be seeing tomorrow. And I've covered the wooden coat hangers in Liberty fabric for the cottage. 

So the weather here just changed, so far we've had a pretty good summer, plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures, today it all changed, chilly and very wet. Hopefully the warm weather will return. 

I'm hoping you are all enjoying the summer and will manage much deserved rest.

                

                

Liberty Quilt

Back in 2012 I wrote this post http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Liberty

Well two years later I have finally finished my Liberty quilt. I will add, I haven't been making it all that time, I collected fabric and began making it earlier this year :)

I had also been given some pre cut squares, in two different sizes, so I joined those squares then made triangles and rectangles, backing the quilt with a sheet that my mother bought for my bed when I was 16 (obviously good quality to last all these years!) I hand quilted around each square, triangle etc and  then made bias binding from Liberty fabric, using one of those little gadgets which I had never used before but worked pretty well. All in all I am very happy with the outcome, I do love Liberty. 

We have just spent a few days over at our cottage in Wales and I took the quilt over to put on our bed there.

The weather was pretty chilly, the cottage is in Mid Wales and we are told that is the coldest area in Wales but with the heating on and the wood burner going we were pretty snug. 

And as you can see Molly enjoyed the quilt too

                                    

                                     

                                      

                                      

                                       

Liberty Quilt

I love Liberty fabric and have been collecting for my stash for a number of years. I have bought in sales, charity shops and been given pre cut squares. Due to these squares being of differing sizes it's not been easy to piece them together and make sure the joins and corners match. I decided to make some triangle pairs too which added to the challenge.....

However, amazingly when I came to attach the triangles they just fitted exactly around the edge. 

I have lots of fabric left and so need to think of which way to go next. I have a lovely vintage sheet from my Mothers house which I plan to use to back the quilt. And then I need to decide whether to hand or machine quilt it. I'm looking forward to this quilt being finished after waiting so long to starting it!

                  

bears

I know I probably shouldn't say this myself, but they are pretty darn cute

knitted bear

A few weeks back I bought a great knitting book by Debbie Bliss called Simply Baby

 I couldn't wait to make this sweet little bear. The pattern is just for the bear so I made up a pattern for her cardigan and skirt.

The bear is made from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn, the cardigan from a different brand of machine washable merino with a little vintage button and the skirt from my stash of Liberty cotton lawn. She is 15" high and I plan on making a boy bear with trousers

 

Gifts

While away we went to visit my nieces new baby girl, I made her a crocheted blanket out of natural cotton yarn and a liberty print bib.

Today is my friends birthday so I made her a tea towel from toile de jouy fabric and knitted her a cotton dishcloth, I bundled them up with a wooden scrubbing brush

 

I managed to visit a few sewing shops while away on holiday, this is one of my purchases...a pack of Moda solids. Thinking I may make a baby quilt for my Etsy shop

Bibs and Dummy Straps

I have been making more dummy straps, the top two are Cath Kidston fabric, and Liberty fabric bibs with cotton towelling backing. (I think I should of ironed the bibs before photographing)

Not sure I will be blogging for a bit as we are off on our hols on Thursday :)...will see how it goes. 

Wedding Quilt

My old school friend (we have known each other for over 40 years)is getting married in July so I have been mulling over in my mind what style quilt I should make for her. I kept thinking I would like to use just basic squares, knowing this would be quite simple and therefore quick to make but was wondering is this really just a bit boring? However, I just kept coming back to the thought that actually I really like basic squared quilts. I have a lot of Liberty squares that I am going to make into a quilt for myself...who knows when?

So I searched Amy Butler squared fabric and came across this beautiful quilt on http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2009/11/amy-butler-love.html

So now I know what I am going to make for my friend, I am going to buy ready cut Amy Butler squares from her 'Love' range...perfect!

Beach Robe

I expect many of you have seen one of these. I had one very similar colours to this when I was a child. I bought this robe some years ago in a charity shop. My daughter asked me if I would make her one with arm holes for when she takes her four year old twins and todder swimming. She can put it over her costume to keep warm and also have hands free to dry and dress the children. 

I couldn't find any exciting towelling at a reasonable price and so went for plain blue...Maggie will be pleased but Primrose will have wanted it pink :)

I went for a French seam as towelling frays so much.

 Measured and cut slits for arms

I used some Liberty print bias binding to bind the arm holes

Liberty Fabrics

I love Liberty, I love going into London to visit the store and I love what they sell...albeit a little expensive. Over the years I have collected quite a stash of Liberty cotton lawn. Lawn is a plain weave textile originally of linen but now chiefly cotton. It is designed using fine, high count yarns, which results in a silky, untextured feel. It is really good to work with.

I have some that is already cut into squares that I have been given and some in larger pieces that I have picked up at charity shops and when reduced in fabric shops. I plan on making myself a Liberty quilt at some point in the not too distant future :)

Back at the Laptop

I have been away from my laptop for a while. We had a good time away last week, a few days in Stratford upon Avon at a conference then to Devon to visit family. Some of which came back up with us to stay for the weekend. I was hoping to get lots of lovely photos of Stratford, being the home of Shakespeare but the camera that I took stopped working and the camera on my new phone isn't so good. I did find a great fabric shop selling Liberty at less than half price. I have quite a lots of Liberty collected over the years and plan on making myself a quilt at some point. I also picked up an advent calendar panel which I have planned for making up for some friends. The top two photos are of my disastrous attempt at free motion quilting...thought Hadley from Flying Blind would like a chuckle :)

I Love My Boys!!

Next Sunday we are travelling to South Africa to visit our eldest daughter and her family, they have set up and run http://www.project-o.org/ which is a Christian ministry caring for children orphaned through Hiv/AIDS here is their blog http://literallyalifeline.blogspot.com/

So today I went into London to meet up with our sons before we go, my husband couldnt join me because he was running the 'Dad's & Toddler' group at church. This is an old photo of my sons taken last year...I didnt manage to get one today. It is always great to meet up with them they know all the best paces to visit and our trips always include lots of food stops! We met at Borough Market and bought a coffee in Monmouth then popped in next door for a cake from Konditor & Cook We then walked along the South Bank, calling into the Tate Modern as we passed. After this Dominic went home to his wife and Ben and I continued into town, stopping at The Milkbar in Soho for a toasted salmon and cream cheese bagel. We hiked along Regent Street and stopped to look at the beauiful flowers on sale at Liberty. We looked around a couple of shops before I jumped on a number 10 bus back to Euston station to get the train home. Yet another great day out in London with my boys!!