four-patch flip quilt
22 June 2018
I got to work with a glorious fat quarter bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Sweet Dreams collection to make this quilt. And I'm not afraid to say I'm smitten with it! The blue colourway of the prints were paired with Spot On in Teal by Makower, which lets the prints sing and coordinates nicely. Spots are such a happy print, so cheery and pretty. They seem to have a retro vibe but play so well with modern prints too, anyone else think that?
making and choosing
14 June 2018
Ready for another catch up! I've been sew busy, it seems round up posts are becoming habit. This space is where I record my makes, share progress and any tips I learn along the way... it's my makers diary if you will. And like a hand written diary it can be days between entries. It's enjoyable keeping up and documenting as much as I can and you get to find out a little more about the projects!
Most recently I finished a commission, I had made a personalised cushion for her elder brother so it was only right she have one too. It was really nice to do a little embroidery, simple back stitch with #8 WonderFil perle thread. Perle is great for embroidery on quilted items because it's nice and strong so will hold up with washing and the chunky look of the thread works nicely on prints.
The requested red and aqua combination works so well and I had fun choosing the fabrics. For the back I picked a seaside style red and white stripe, in nod to the one I made for her brother and embroidered it with her middle name. I'm pleased that the cushion has been happily received and hope they both use them for years to come!
⚞ DIY boho fabric hoop ⚟
07 June 2018
Whimsical, calming and a cinch to create! I'm going to show you how to make a fun 'no sew' fabric wall hanging, using only an embroidery hoop and strips of fabric.
You will need:
An embroidery hoop
Strips of fabric in various lengths
Optional: nail polish / paint
For this project I used a 10cm" hoop, which makes for a cute mini decoration but you could use any size - the bigger the hoop, the more scraps you can bust! I recommend using narrow strips but if you were making a mahoosive one you might want to use wider strips to make it quickly.
1. Divide the fabric strips by length, so you have piles of long and short strips.
2. Take the long lengths of fabric and tie to the hoop using lark's head knots. Starting at the bottom of the hoop, take your longest strip and fold in half length ways. Feed the folded end through the hoop and pass the ends of the strip through the loop created by the fold, creating a knot. Pull to tighten.
3. Continue tying strips, pushing them close together until you've covered the lower portion of the hoop. I created a sort of gradient, using the longest strips at the very bottom and getting smaller as I worked up the curve of the hoop.
4. Once you've covered about 1/4 of the hoop with longer strips you can move on to the shorter strips. Feed one end of a short strip through the hoop and tie with an overhand knot / single knot. If your strips are long enough you could tie a double knot but since it's a decorative hanging I wasn't concerned about the knots coming undone.
5. Continue tying short strips, keeping all the knots on the same side (i.e. the front or back of the hoop). Trim the ends of the strips after knotting to keep them even. You can completely cover the hoop or leave a section uncovered as I have.
6. The hoop becomes double sided and can be hung either way, with the knots at the back or the front depending which look you prefer! As an optional extra, if you have left part of the hoop visible, you can paint it or decorate it. I used my current favourite nail polish colour as it complimented the fabric well. It has a nice washed look and a lovely sheen! You could use washi tape wrapped around the hoop too. It would be easy to personalise and write someones name or a message... so many options!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - it would be a fun project to do with kids over the summer holidays or just for you to relax and enjoy a quick, simple make. It makes a very pretty, tactile hanging and I know I will be making more, there's a bag of fabric strings waiting!!
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