Tilda Cottage Collection & Stitched Sewing Organisers

Inspiration is all around us and Christmas is one time of year I just can't contain my creativity. I love to fill my home with handmade decorations, quilts and cushions, home baked treats and handpicked foliage. Of course I love to make gifts to share too with friends and loved ones. All of this decorating and crafting means I have to be organised in my approach. I like to keep lists of gifts to make and buy, jot down notes for recipes and keep all my festive crafting supplies organised together so they are easily accessible.

The new Tilda Cottage collection arrives at the perfect time, just when I am allowing myself to begin the preparations for the festive season. It is serendipitous that one of my favourite pattern designers Aneela Hoey is also having a blog hop for her superb book, Stitched Sewing Organisers. So I decided to get a head start on my holiday preparations by making up some sweet storage for my craft supplies.

I used the Handy Fold Up Pouches pattern to make a little storage case for my threads I'm using in a new project (pop back later in the week to see which project it is!) I love the genius of this pattern, Aneela is so clever in her construction techniques. This little project took me 15 minutes, no wonder that I have several of them already made up for various uses! They also make darling gift pouches and in the Tilda Cottage fabric they really are adorable, the sweet little ditsy prints are prefect in this small project.

I also used one of the larger scale prints from the Cottage collection with some Mod Podge to up-cycle a lovely strong cardboard storage tray I had been saving (it is the box that my amazing rechargeable led hand sewing lamp came in, the lamp has been a revelation in cosy evening sofa stitching!). It is amazing what a little glue, a scrap of fabric and an old box can make.

I added a sweet little spool handle to the tray, made with a tiny Tilda wooden spool wrapped in some red thread and secured with some DMC Memory Thread. The box is perfect for storing my hand sewing threads in.

There are four colourways in the Cottage Collection, all with the perfect balance of Tilda's signature large and small scale prints that make the fabric so versatile.

You can shop the Tilda Cottage Collection over at Past and Presents (they have free UK shipping!) as well as the gorgeous new Tilda book Sewing By Heart and the quilt pattern and kits that accompany the new Cottage Collection - more on those later in the week!

You can also find some adorable free projects and pattens over on the Tildas World Blog which is full of charm and inspiration. I am planning the most adorable project using the Tiny Egg Hares pattern that I can't wait to show you!

If you would like more details on the Stitched Sewing Organisers blog hop you can find the full schedule, prizes and details here.

All fabrics used were supplied by Groves Ltd and stockist enquiries can be made by contacting them at groves@stockistenquiries.co.uk where they will be happy to assist you.

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Aneela Anthology Spiderwebs - A Finish

I started this quilt last year, well actually thanks to the accountability of instgram I know that I made just two blocks back in January 2013. I can't really say why I stopped at two, I was all excited, rushing out to buy a whole load of white solid yardage to make up the quilt. But then they sat on my wall, taunting me all year. They are pretty time consuming with all those little strips, and if I am honest I think I was finding it hard to cut up the last of my scraps!

Until I went on retreat in March with the best sewing friends a girl could ask for, Jo did a pretty good job at blogging about it (I was too exhausted from all the stitching when I came back!). I packed up all my precut and premarked white squares and a shoe box full of Aneela scraps along with my sewing machine and several bags of snacks and treats! We didn't leave the cottage for the whole weekend and stitched until our eyes were sore!

 

In the space of two days I managed to make enough blocks to get a fair sized quilt and put the top together too. All that remained when I got home was to quilt it, in a simple loopy fmq, and bind it. It is much smaller than I would usually make, but I had started to run out of scraps and it is still big enough to go across the bottom of a single bed nicely.

I really have loved every single line that Aneela has done so it is wonderful to have them all together in this quilt. It is backed with a vintage pink floral sheet that used to belong to my Nan, which makes it extra special. I started the quilt so long ago that Hello Petal has since been released so that's not included in the quilt. I guess I will have to make another one then!

 

If you are interested in making your own spiderweb quilt, I used the great tutorial by Heather over at House of A La Mode

I'll leave you with a thank you to my daughter who helped me take these photos (because I have a migraine AGAIN!) and a huge hug and a thank you to anyone who sent me any Aneela scraps all those moons ago to make my Aneela Sampler quilt, this quilt only exists because I couldn't bare to waste a single precious scrap of it! Thank you xxxxx

the one in which I 'fess up to several quilt finishes

So my lack of blogging recently means I have several quilt finishes that I haven't shown you. Some of which you didn't even know I had started.

I took some (very poor) photos a few days ago when the sun was out so I could share them with you. I think I got them all except the two Christmas quilts I made for the girls - as these are now packed away for next year.

Scrappy Trips. Finished and on the bed now since about the end of the first week on January. I am really glad I chose to put a dark colour running through the centre of each block, I like the way it highlights the diamond design.

Scrappy trips was made entirely from stash, bar the binding which cost me the princely sum of £2.49! Love love love this quilt. So do a few family members so I can see more being made in the future.

Backed with half of a duvet passed on from my mother-in-law. Not the most exciting print but I wanted something I already owned and low key for the back....the other half is being used for swoon, bargain!

Next up is my Aneela Quilt, finished before Christmas and I put off blogging because I am finding it really hard to photograph the quilting well!

I have lots of favourite spots in this quilt. There is this signature from the Fat Quarterly Retreat last year.

The quilting and the swirls and feathers are another of my favourite parts, I spent 3 days quilting this quilt and an insane amount of thread!

I just love free motion quilting, can you tell?!

The quilting and some of my all time favourite fabrics means that this quilt is my real treasure  one that I would definitely run back into a burning house to save! Huge huge hugest thanks to everyone who helped me make this quilt by sending scraps into me. I still have quite a few left and 'may' have started an Aneela Spiderweb quilt ;-)

Lastly (see you made it!) my new flannel quilt. I say mine because this is just for me! It is living on my little armchair in the studio and I have already been sitting under it when doing some epp, it is heavenly.

I have always lusted are a flannel quilt and I won a wonderful box of scraps from Katy, added a couple of half yards from the sale at M is for Make and just pieced the scraps together as I picked them up, no plan other than that. Hey presto, a quilt top!

You can just about see the quilting in this picture at the bottom. I tried an Orla Keily style stem design, along with some wavy lines (because I was tired of the stems, my arms where aching and I was running out of thread!) I am fairly happy with the fmq, especially now it is washed and you cant see my shaky mistakes so much!

I splashed out and backed and bound it with my favourite field study print, I would use this leopard in every quilt if I could somewhere!

Thank you Katy for the scraps that got this going, I love this soft snuggly riot of colour!

Getting Perspective

I've finished my Aneela Sample Quilt top!

I had loved every single minute of making this quilt top, from collecting in the scraps to making the blocks, probably because I think Aneela's designs are fab and each and every block was chosen because it was one I loved.

I was so excited seeing it come together, how could it get any better?

Well yesterday a surprise visit from my little brother (I haven't seen him since I stayed with him during the fqr in London) gave me the time to join the last seams and get outside in the sunshine for some photos, with eager helpers of course!

That;s when I got a new perspective. The quilt just looks so different from afar, I can't say how or why, it just does! Something about looking at it through a photo rather than up close on the design wall changes it. I love it even more!

It seems my helper just can't stop looking at it either (excuse the bed hair!)

Sigh, I love it!

 A perfect day chilling with my lovely brother, watching Dr Who and eating biscuits, I couldn't ask for more. Well, perhaps less of a breeze would be nice, apparently someone found it funny!

Hmm, not sure this is any better, but it makes me smile, I love that stained glass effect.




Of course now I have decided that the quilt top is utter perfection and far better than I could ever have anticipated I am too scared to quilt it! Guess that job will just have to go onto the final quarters FAL list to make me do it ;-)

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me scraps to go into this quilt top, I am going to treasure it forever, it may actually be my most favourite quilt, ever!

Polishing a turd

When picking out block designs for my Aneela Sample quilt recently I knew it just had to have a dresden in it, I love dresdens!

Luckily for me the Shape Workshop for Quilters has a desden plate block, complete with template. I duly sent my book to work with my husband to photo copy/enlarge the template as required. The book calls for 100% enlargement of the template for the 12.5" unfinished block.

Whether due to my husbands photocopying error, he assured me that doing it at 100% just made it come out the same size as the original, or a printing error in the book (seems unlikely to me, sorry husband!) but my dresden plate was NOT the right size for a 12.5" block, more like a 6" block! So having used up most of my Walk in the Woods charms, and not having any of that line left, I made up a different block with the tiny scraps left and he copied me the template at 200%, thinking this would give me the size I needed.

I got going again, moving onto a new fabric line using up the very last of my large Little Apples scraps i'd been sent, piecing some together as they were too small. It wasn't until I had joined about half of the blades together I realised this dresden was going to be far too big.

Oh S**T!

With most of my large scraps gone I had to abandon the dresden and do a different more scrappy block for the quilt :-(

If anyone can advise me at what rate I should enlarge the template in the book to be able to make a 12.5" block i'd be very grateful. Our photocopier only gives options for 100%, 140% and 200%.
100% comes out exactly the same size as the original (i.e too small) and 200% is far too big, giving me more like a 18" block. Is it our photocopier or the book that is in error?

My two mis-sized dresdens reminded me of Aneela's bloom quilt, being a bit pee'd off with the whole dresden thing by now I decided to turn my 'crap' into something that perhaps would look like it was done on purpose and not just rejects! I couldn't waste my wonderful donated fabric after all!

So for the better part of this week whilst getting over my migraine (seriously, it has taken a week and I can still feel the lingering's of it!) I have been 'polishing my turds'!

 I decided I couldn't be arsed to make  it worked fine without the third dresden plate to make it like a mini bloom quilt and put it onto my brand spanky new Madrona Road Memoir fq and hand quilted the hell out of it.

I echo quilted around the large dresden with embroidery floss and large stitches. I quilted straight lines under every second line of text with some crochet cotton in black. I love this because it is a little more subtle than pearle cotton or embroidery floss but stands out more than hand quilting thread on the spool.

I then used my finer hand quilting thread to quilt between each dresden blade and around the smaller dresden, doing this in the ditch so it was invisible. I love how you can see the design on the back. This is the first thing I have hand quilted entirely, I am so glad it was a mini!

Now I just need to decide what to bind it with, any suggestions? I am thinking plain black or dark grey perhaps.

I am not really here!

Well, just for today I am as a wonderful friend has loaned me their laptop :-)

I should be back to normal in a few days when the laptop part arrives now that I have been able to order it, phew!

Despite being a little cut off interweb wise I am still reachable from the outside world and I had some lovely post yesterday from Kelly, she is awesome, I love her!

Lovely little piles of scraps from each of Aneela's range, now I am sure to be able to get my quilt finished along with the charm pack of Sew Stitchy on its way from the USA. Thank you SO much Kelly :-)

Speaking of which I guess the Aneela quilt was really my only WIP, I have managed to move it along a bit in the last few days

All of the embroidery blocks for the top row are now complete and I just have 5 sampler block to make and then sash everything. The pieces of paper are noting which blocks are going where, so far I have decided on a constellation star (seeing as the one I made Hadley went down so well!) a dresden plate and a wonky star 9 patch (from Shape workshop for quilters). I just have to come up with 2 more...that's the bit that is slowing me down!

I have also managed to add quite a few projects to my WIP whilst having all this internet free time on my hands!

I blame Lucy for this one! I have finally caved in a decided to start a rose star quilt, I held off for so long as I don't usually do long term project but I just couldn't resist any longer! I got one made yesterday, I adore it and there is even brown in it. Perhaps making Hadley's joke mini has done something terrible to me, eeek!

I was so excited by my rose star block that I went and pulled all my most precious fabric from my stash for the rest of the blocks. I seem to have a lack of aubergine/browny prints though and I need more text fabric on a creamy/snow background...if anyone can suggest any current lines that might help? I am not sure if the sweetwater print I used is still available.

I have also made a new block for the Liberty Mini, just two more to make, these will come when inspiration strikes! Thanks to Lolly for being my churn dash muse, I couldn't not make some little ones after seeing her Brit Bee blocks popping up everywhere!

Finally, I have been asked to make some Christmas stocking for a friend - 6 of them! I can't believe I am sewing for Christmas so early but it was fun choosing fabrics with her. We settled on these prints from Kate Spain's Joy line.

That's not including 2 lots of bee blocks also to do this month. All in all, a lot more going on than I usually like, being a virgo and all that (read neurotic about having half finished things laying about!). Lets hope that laptop part does take a few days to get here so I can get a head start!

Out with the old.....

......and in with the new!

I have been sat in my sewing room in a general state of shock for a few days because I brought myself an early birthday present!

Ever since my numerous problems with my Pfaff earlier this year I have been saving and saving and saving....like mad! Then the lovely Kerry mentioned she had cause to sell her 'old' machine last month I hoped and prayed I would have enough.

I was a little short but she is so kind as she waited for me whilst I sold most of our family possessions off at car boot sales and on ebay to make up the shortfall! I made it, although we may be having bread and water for the next month as I might have used a little of the grocery money, ahem.

Even though I have been working hard to buy this for months I still cannot believe that it is mine, it is so shiny and new, has a little computer screen and beeps and talks to me, it is amazing. I'll let you know what I think of it when I have mastered more than a straight stitch! And yes, I am hoping that some of it's previous owners skill may rub off on me ;-)

I did put it through its paces with something I've been waiting to do for ages, the templates have been printed off for weeks now!

Wheel of Liberty

Yes, using more of my Liberty stash! I have decided to make a little mini with 4 blocks, I need 3 more and I can't think of what to do.....I only have very small pieces of Liberty  and I'd like as much neutral space in the blocks as in the circle of geese...any suggestions?

Uncharacteristically for me I abandoned that little project because of my indecision and hopped straight onto another new one!

I finally started on my Aneela quilt blocks, yay! I had/have no real plan for this quilt other than to use all 4 of the lines already out. I decided not to include Cherry Christmas, as adorable as it is (and I have to get some, no question) I wanted this to be a year round quilt.

The top row of the quilt will be 4 blocks (3 pictured above) each with an embroidery in the centre, the bottom row of the quilt (all 4 pictured above) will be the same block design but with a feature fabric from each line as the centre panel.

I will make another 8 blocks (2 more rows) in random block designs, a bit of a sampler I think. I have used all the Sew Stitchy scraps up so I am debating whether to get a charm pack so I can do 2  blocks in each line for the final 8....I am worried it won't have the balance I am after if I don't......lets hope I get some birthday money tomorrow, I know what it'll be going on!

I didn't need any birthday money to get this little gem today....50pence in the charity shop!

I had seen it last week for £1.50 and wondered if it might be useful for storing my spools of thread on, the basket I was using was a nightmare, getting all tangled every time I rummaged through it. When I saw it was reduced to 50 pence I snapped it up! I think it will be getting a lick of paint soon, for now I am just pleased to gaze at my neat spools, when I am not staring dreamily at my new machine that is.......

Bees and Post

I am now in 2 bees, both done for the month, except a signature block for Leanne in the Modern Stitching Bee.

Grannie block for Leanne in Modern Stitching Bee, I really wanted to keep this one for myself, loved the colours :-)

Grannie block for Leanne in Modern Stitching Bee

Uneven Stacked Coin Block for Lisa In the Stash Bee

Wiggles from the lovely Sarah

Little Apples from Sarah too for my Aneela Quilt and a selvedge for 'that' dress I am supposed to be making! Thank you so much Sarah for the fabric, I was starting to worry about not having any apples and perhaps having to leave it out, thanks to Sarah I don't have to now :-)

If anyone has any more Apples they don't want I'd really love some more, whether you want to swap or sell, just let me know.

Wiggles from Pamela French (sorry no blog to link too)

On the wiggly front I have now collected 94 which is amazing! I know there are a few on their way to me, I really hope we can get to 100, that would be so fantastic. A massive thank you to anyone who has made and sent wigglys.

No sewing today, just baking, gardening, sun bathing and drinking wine....speaking of which, the later requires more attention, tata!

Wonderful Wiggly Ladies!

Just thought I would give you a quick update on all the wonderful wiggly bags that have been coming in over the last couple of weeks

Kerry at Pennydog 

Kerry at verykeryberry

Sarah at Sewme

Oh no this is so embarrassing - I should really write this down as SOON as they arrive in the mail, but I cannot for the life of me remember who sent these, I hang my head in shame and if it was you then please accept sincere apologies from the donut head dufus that is me!

Susan at Canadian Abroad

Wonderful wiggles I am sure you will agree and very kind, generous ladies too! Thank you all so much, the kids are going to love them!

Susan as also super duper generous, lovely and kind (we all knew that already!) and sent me some amazing Sew Stitchy scraps (I would hardly call them that!) for my Aneela quilt. THANK YOU so much Susan!