Simple Folk

I have started a new quilt (!) I am allowed as per the rules of Meredith's 6 and 6 in 2018 challenge, to start 6 new projects this year if I also work on 6 old ones...

I have made great progress on a couple of my old projects ...

Another block completed for Lucy's River Terrace, making 2 so far

and I met my end of January deadline - Down the Rabbit Hole is a quilt top!! I need some help to take photos and it deserves a post of it's own :) but the top is done!

I was going to just back this and make it a coverlet, but now I am thinking it needs to be quilted?

Can anyone recommend a good lightweight wadding/batting for a summer quilt?

Just in time as the first part of Sarah's new 2018 BOM 'Simple Folk' was released today.  I have all my fabrics washed and pressed and I have started making templates for this first appliqué block.

I want to make a Nordic inspired quilt, as I lived in Stavanger Norway for nearly 3 years and love all things Scandinavian, especially the painted Swedish Dale Horses

I did a quick colour sketch when Sarah released  the fabric requirements.

My background is an off white on white hearts fabric (9109 Essential Hearts by Makower)

The rest of the red, white & Blue fabrics are from a FQ bundle of Nordic Stitches by Wenche Wolff Hatling for Moda Fabrics that I got in the Black Friday Sales.  The appliqué blocks have triangle corners, to form a second design with the pieced blocks. I want to use this iced blue.

I have started thinking about the fabrics I want for the appliqué Tulip

I like it but it is a little dull?

 I am now thinking that I need to add a little yellow/green like the painted horses - what do you think? just a little on some of the appliqué blocks to avoid everything being too matchy matchy?

I think I like this a lot more :) I will think about it for a day or two, in the meantime I will pull out  another oldie - 'Happy Days' and carry on with my hand quilting (Can you see my halo shining 🤣)

Bessie's Back!

My sewing machine is back from being cleaned and serviced, while it was away, I did some cutting, and today I was able to sew!

First thing I did was to sew these donated charm squares...

A baby topper , this will go to charity, but first I will bring this to quilt group and see if we have any bright fabrics for borders, nothing I have is suitable.

Then I pieced the background for the centre appliqué on Grasshopper, ready for when we start

Finally I made a block book to keep the blocks flat while I work on the quilt

I used this embroidery of Jasper in our garden that has been lying around since I finished it

I will use the block book I made for Happy Days to keep my simple Folk blocks in

All ready for the first blocks...

of course I couldn't have done it without my helper 😀

Quilt Planning

I have been spending time in my sewing room this week, tidying and sorting fabrics.  I am enjoying spending my time in the evenings finishing the appliqué on my 'Down the Rabbit Hole Quilt' I hope to have the final borders ready for when my machine comes back from service; I would really like to finish this quilt top by the end of January 😀

One of my goals this year is to keep reducing the number of WIPs I have, I find it overwhelming to have too many quilts on the go at the same time, by the end of this year I hope to have only one hand appliqué, one hand quilting, one machine work, one EPP,  project in progress at a time. I will see how that goes!

I don't intend to start any of these quilts just yet, but they have been floating around in my head for some time, and I wanted to at least get my ideas down.  I had the chance to visit a quilt shop yesterday;  I shopped from my stash first and then filled in a couple of the gaps.  The main reason to visit was to find a background for this quilt:

Sarah Fielke 2018 BOM 'Simple Folk"

I want to start this quilt at the end of January (If I can finish the 2017 BOM first!)

Inspired by Swedish Dale Horses

I managed to find a FQ bundle of 'Nordic Stitches' by Wenche Wolff Halting for Moda in the Black Friday Sales

The white I had on hand was too stark for the appliqué background, but it is extra wide, so will work well for the back, I found this lovely white tone on tone by Andover, I think the hearts are perfect!

I am ready to go :)

Sarah is offering 2 BOMs this year and I have signed up for both 😁 'Simple Folk' will be my machine project and the other is purely hand work, I really need to improve my hand piecing, this one doesn't start until February but I might start later, will see how my WIPs are progressing!

Sarah Fielke 2018 BOM Grasshopper

I have another FQ bundle that I picked up in the sales that I think will work 'Blushing Peonies' by Robin Picken for Moda

I found the perfect background in my stash - Andover fabrics Linen Closet Bees

I wanted some more oranges and yellow in there too, so I shopped my stash and was surprised at how many fabrics I found that might work 🤭

Jen Kingwell Golden Days

Jen has a new template of the month for this year, I don't have details of the final size etc yet as it is not issued until March, here is Jen's work in progress photo

I have signed up for the templates only option with a local shop; I need to give my version some serious planning, I doubt I will start this one in 2018 as I will probably want to hand piece it too!  I have some Jen Kingwell fabrics that I have picked up for a good price in various sales over the last couple of years, I will definitely use them somehow in my Golden Days, I'm just not sure how yet :)

Ever Increasing Circles 

This final quilt has been in my head in various guises for several years, I love circle quilts😀


I bought Trish Harper's pattern 'Irish Circles'  several years ago, and I am in the process of collecting Sue Daley's 'Round we Go' template/patterns at the moment.  I knew I wanted to make a circle quilt of some description but not an exact copy of any of these.  I spent a lot of time playing with designs and I think I have finally settled on a medallion style setting.

I have some Dutch Chintz fabrics that I bought a few years ago and have been waiting for the right project to come along, I also found some more 🤭 in my stash that might play nicely

I am drawn to complicated, hand piecing, hand appliqué, hand quilting, and I don't know if my hands will allow me to hand piece/quilt etc as much as I would like this year, some of these may have to wait their turn for a few more years or become machine projects, as I said at the beginning the main thing is to reduce the number of quilts in progress before starting any more 🤣

6 & 6 in 2018 Challenge

Having made substantial progress in reducing my number of WIPs by joining in with Meredith and Ann last year, I have decided to sign up again for 2018.

The challenge this year is 6 & 6 in 2018

Here are the rules from Meredith:

"What on earth??  we hear you asking.  Well, it’s simple.  We know many of you, as well as Anne and I, like to do new things as well as try to finish or at least get Substantial Progress happening on older projects.  Too often the bright, new, shining thing distracts us so to combat that in 2018 it will be a challenge of 6 old and 6 new.

::  The 6 old can be carried over from 2017 or if you’ve been a smarty pants if your list is cleared, you’re welcome to nominate 6 more projects.

:: The 6 new, well, you probably don’t know about them as yet, they’ll most likely be things that grab your attention during the year, so no nominations needed.

To play along, we will post about a new project on odd numbered months (i.e. January, March, May etc) and your nominated UFO’s on the even numbered months (i.e. February, April, June etc).

What do you think?  Would you like to play along?  You have until 1 January to sort out your 6 UFO projects – link party opens on 2 January.  Anne and I do hope you’ll join us again."

Here are my 6 old

1. Down the Rabbit Hole

2. Happy Days

3. Stonefields

4. Lucy's River Terrace

5. Dear Jane

6. EPP

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