A Quilt Cover with Embroidered Cutout Work...turned into a Quilt

Coffee with two good friends this afternoon...spent putting the world to rights...

It took a while...it was nearly 7 'o' clock when we left! No wonder it was getting dark outside!!

Just what I needed. My head is clear. I have a plan in place with things I need to do. Always a good thing in my book!

Years ago I used to work for a family company that had a reward system where you were given vouchers to spend in a gift catalogue. I chose this quilt cover with embroidered cut out work. King size...and a king size job of ironing!

And...it was a mammoth task getting the quilt in every time I used it! I own up to trying the 'climbing in the cover to get the quilt in' method...and getting myself lost in there!!!




I decided on a solution...as...it is far too pretty to spend it's life in the airing cupboard hidden away. I turned it into a good old fashioned quilt.





I cut the cover down to edge of the pattern to make the quilt a more manageable size...used the back of the cover as backing material to the front of the cover to show off the cut-out work...used a low tog quilt I no longer used for filling...and sewed it all to a backing material. That's a very 'in a nutshell' description!



Until tomorrow,
Nic xx

A Shoal of Gingerbread Fish Biscuits for School

A day spent cutting out again...material for cushions...picture backgrounds...all done in Furniture Magpie's workshop space....

My lovely Mum came to help me today... and brought with her a gift from my youngest niece, little Miss H...

...Gingerbread Fish Biscuits! She baked them to take into school. I was given the last four little fish.

Photographed on one of the retro tables in the workshop.



There are no longer four fish... Very yummy. Well done Miss H!

Then back home to do a few hours admin work...and spend some time on one of my own sewing projects!

Until tomorrow,
Nic xx

Bonded Impressions...part 1

I was burning the midnight oil last night...sewing into the small hours... actually I should say ironing...as I was doing the preparation for my applique work.

I wanted to get as many of my Christmas cards...small pictures...and medium pictures prepared for sewing as I could.

Then today I was working from Furniture Magpie...designing...measuring...cutting material. I'm back there tomorrow to finish cutting...then it really is on with the sewing! My studio is full of little Christmas Trees and I want to see them finished!

A few years ago I went to a workshop called 'Bonded Impressions', held by Claire Tinsley at Step by Step in South Molton.

She has won awards with her quilt-making. See her website: www.clairetinsley.co.uk for examples of her work.

We had the opportunity to choose a flower from one of her quilts and turn it into an individual piece.

Click on this link 'These are a few of my Favourite Things' for a picture of her quilt.

I chose to do the Magnolia flower from the top centre panel...though I was nearly swayed by the Poppy!

It's not quite finished. Every so often I get it out and add some more shading to the flowers or hand-stitch some more silver highlights.

Then I just need to bind the edges and hang it on my wall!




Until tomorrow,
Nic xx