Monday, 1 December 2025

Christmas Scrap Quilt

Checkerboard quilt made from scraps and 2nd hand cotton. Pet quilt for sofa. Binding: leftover Moda jellyroll strips and 2nd hand lime green. Green: 2nd hand x 2. gingham: leftover from making a 1940s apron. Stripe: leftover Moda from facing a jacket.  White: leftover white on white prints. Backing: 2nd hand Dashwood Studio. Batting: 2 layers prewashed cotton flannel. Straight-line quilting in white Gutermann thread.




Friday, 28 November 2025

Tula Pink 100 Blocks (36)

From April! I managed 36 blocks from 1 layer cake, I selected the first 36 blocks from the Tula Pink book, but left out one that was ugly, and any that needed triangles as they're not fun! Next time I use this book, I'll start from the back. Moda Primitive Gatherings, Rustic Gatherings. I will probably sash them with white.

Wednesday, 26 November 2025

Tote Bags x 4

Gifted fabric - Minerva supplied 2m Minerva Exclusive cotton duck for review. I chose this geometric park print, I liked the colours and it's not too busy. 

The green hearts cotton for the pockets and pocket linings is second hand. Green Moda fabric purchased in a Christmas sale last year.  I interfaced the cotton duck in light interfacing and quilted with serpentine stitch for the front and back. I also cut the bag and straps in two parts, with added seams to preserve the directional print.  I edge stitched both, but unpicked the boxed corner topstitching on the left bag and pressed flat at the side seams for a softer look for this more drapey (than twill)  fabric.

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Gifted sewing for a local person.

Ramie stonewashed linen in a raspberry shade, purchased 2yrs ago, I interfaced all the outer except for the top inside facing as I wasn't using a snap. I quilted serpentine stitch to hold the interfacing and edge stitched the boxes sides on one of the bags.


Sunday, 16 November 2025

Layer Cake Ottoman Quilt

Quilt for dad's antique ottoman/sofa. Lucy loves to sleep on this!  I purchased a Regency Blues Moda layer cake in a sale last year, they're so expensive to purchase at full price, so when they go on sale, there are sometimes prints I don't like so much, I just left those out for fabric scrap and used spare layer cake blue and beige prints I saved from layer cakes leftover from charity quilts. I used white on white yardage and for the border a grey with feather/sprigs? Print (Benartex). Green backing Windham fabrics Light grey Aurifilthread in a serpentine stitch. Batting 80/20 Sew Easy crib size. Pattern is Tango from Fabric CafĂ© Double Focus.


Sunday, 14 September 2025

Canvas Tote Bags



Cotton canvas gifted by #Minervadotcom fir review. Thank you. After making the storage cases, I made Laura Ashley Simplicity 9814 #sewingpattern hand bag style totes. Mr W uses his #simplicity9814 every weekend as an #overnightbag. I interfaced the top and bottom of the bags, the hands, and the front and back pockets.
2nd hand: orange (my current favourite colours are cream, yellow and orange - Mr W said "Fallon colours") quilting cotton, Andover fabric. Leftover: the grey cotton canvas and the coral Art Gallery Fabric. Black zips were purchased for making cushion covers a few years ago.

Friday, 5 September 2025

Antique Wood Trunk

After/before antique wood chest/trunk, no lid, torn and chipped veneer, which was glued down and stapled down in places, and I didn't remove the metal. It's expensive to find real wood and cast iron

Hot towel, iron, chisel to remove veneer. Washed. Sand with electric sander. Oak varnish.

Measured sides, sewed a bag with drawstrings from a cotton suiting I had in the attic, cream  with white pinstripe, I like neutrals as they're good for small spaces, everything matches, unisex.



Sunday, 17 August 2025

Recycle - Denim Shopper

2 x Mr W's old jeans (grey and charcoal, 2 x 2nd hand cotton placemats and 2 x cotton 2nd hand napkins for pocket linings, 2nd hand cotton for bag lining. 

I interfaced the handles, bag and top of pockets. As I was using jeans, I had to cut the bag outer in 2 parts with a seam allowance and piece. I topstitched the handles in charcoal Gutermann thread and medium grey for the bag.

I edgestitched the bottom where the box corners meet, but pressed the sides down for a softer look. 

Mr W is going to take this to the craft fair for handmade shopping!


Saturday, 16 August 2025

Storage Packs

I made two cotton canvas storage bags the same in the size large. This size fits fat quarters bundles!

Useful and reliable basket weave cotton from Minerva for review - thank you. Both sides of this fabric are pretty similar, so you can make bags without linings, then just bind the raw edges inside, or outside as per the pattern, if preferred.
I didn't have soft and stable, so I used light interfacing for the grey pieces. Instead of a mesh lid, I cut 2 of the bottom panel for each bag.
The lining is seersucker I purchased 2nd hand "1960s/1970s.
I used zip tape and fastened on the endings myself, firstly, a 36-40 inch metal zip is £10 each and secondly, I wanted to make a few bags in different sizes, including navy blue packing cubes for my friend who loves outdoors.
I added a folded in half square of grey canvas as an overlap to the end of the zip, as I cut them too short (pattern advised to hang the zip off the end of the bag, and I had cut the zip tape exact).
There is a video for instructions but I didn't use it as I've made a lot of purses and tote bags, and many bindings!
Now to decide which pattern to use for the remainder of the fabric! It could be anything, craft or clothing.
I used yellow and grey print Art Gallery Fabric poplin for the binding.





Sunday, 20 July 2025

Denim Shopper

Mr W's new denim shopper. Tote / shoulder bag made from a deadstock remnant of soft denim, only had enough for 1 bag. The cotton lining is 2nd hand, it arrived with a quilt top made by someone else I purchased & quilted/bound for charity. I interfaced the facings and the top of the pockets, but usually interface the whole outer. I edge stitched the creases.




Monday, 30 June 2025

Checkerboard Baby









No pattern. 9patch quilt made to replace a sunny yellow babyquilt I donated. Layer cake: Moda Coriander Quilts Cosy Up, without the gingham as I used those for a different quilt. 

Backing: Windham fabrics, grey with yellow flowers. Border: yellow thatched Timeless Treasures Fabrics. Binding: brick print Art Gallery Fabric 




Monday, 26 May 2025

Positively Charming


Positively Charming sewing pattern from #corianderquilts #coreyyoder  51 inch x 59.5 inch.

1 day to cut the fabric, pieced a weekend and few evenings, 2 days to quilt and bind. This quilt is cost effective as you can use 1 charm pack or 1/4 layer cake as I did. Mint green is a different change to white backgrounds and I was able to use blue for the backing without worrying about colour run too much (use colour catchers, cool temperature, take out of the washing machine straight away).

Quilting: approx 2 by 4 inch straight-line grid in aqua Glide thread.

Moda layer cake by Sherri and Chelsi 'The Front Porch'. Background and backing Benartex.

Should have used a lower tension with this high loft 2oz wadding, only noticed the tension in the sunlight photos! I will redo part of the binding that waved a little, again noticed in photos.

Saturday, 24 May 2025

Checkerboard Baby

Checkerboard baby quilt no pattern (just 9 patch). Fallon sleeps on this every night. A few days to piece, then just 1 day to quilt and bind! 1 Moda later cake, Sweetwater "wishes", which I think is from 2014, had that on the squares I left off. Turquoise polka on white yardage Makower. Binding yellow thatched Timeless Treasures. Backing pink lambs Benartex. Quilted straight-line every two squares and then criss cross through those boxes. I cut the layer cake squares into 3 strips and strip pieced, I cut them 3 1/4 inches and I needed to cut the white with blue polkadot to centre the red. I like the way it created despite making one block (or two blocks with the colour variation). I think it is 45.5 by 53 inches.