fabric & flowers

I've moved!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:26:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

If you find yourself here (meaning I haven't set up all my redirections successfully!) please check out my new website here........

fabricandflowers.co.uk

Thanks,

S x

Gem Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 10:33:00 +0000

I'm so excited to finally be able to share with you one of the secret sewing projects that I finished a few months ago!

It's a foundation paper-pieced quilt and I cannot pinpoint exactly where my inspiration came from.....I was playing around with different block ideas one day and loved how the use of colours/shades of each of the sections could create completely different patterns within the one quilt top. And there is also something immensely about the preciseness that you can get with FPP!

I quilted it simply with wavy lines - one of my favourites for adding lots of texture and bringing some movement into the structured design - and a simple line straight through the centre of the gems with a variegated thread to make it look like they were threaded on a string!

I keep thinking that a quilt made with different colours for each of the blocks - or maybe a scrappy version? - could be really fun. Maybe I should add that to the to-do list?!

It's available now in issue 51 of Quilt Now, which is full of lots of other fun patterns too....that's my reading for the weekend sorted!

S x

Today's sky::: beautifully blue, again!

A Green Quilt: Green fabric and Green wadding

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 11:15:00 +0000

A while ago (longer than I really wish to admit!), Boy 2 asked if he could have a 'Green Triangle quilt please, Mummy'. Of course, other things kept coming up and although I kept buying green fabrics when I saw them, I didn't really make much progress!!!

At the beginning of this year though, I decided that now was the time! I pulled out all the fabrics, looked at the notes I'd scribbled myself and set to for a massive chopping session. And then realised that my size measurements were based on when Boy 2 was a toddler, and promptly had to cut a load more!!!! At least it should last him a good while now!!! In all, I cut a total of 205 triangles (for anyone that's interested, the finished quilt measures 46" x 68") using the EZ equilateral 60* triangle which made life so much easier! I cut strips of fabric 5.75" wide from a FQ and then sub-cut into triangles using the template.

I used a mix of solids and patterns and I think they work quite well together, especially with the patterns allowing me to introduce a few different colours other than just green! Piecing triangles is not too tricky - particularly if you're using the template as it helps with lining them up - but in joining the rows I did have to let go of my inner perfectionist slightly! I'm not going to pretend that all of my points are perfect, but using lots of pins at each of the joining points certainly helped to get them generally okay!

When it came to quilting, I was a bit stumped, as my wadding roll has run out. I had a look around and came across the Dream Green wadding over at Cotton Patch as an environmentally friendly alternative which I decided to try out, given the growing concern about the amount of single use plastic that we are generating in our world.
(Note - I realise that the majority of fabrics I've used are not environmentally friendly, but I am working on using what I have rather than buying new where I can)

The wadding is made from recycled plastic bottles and for each pack that you buy, it tells you how much has been saved from landfill - this king-size pack is the equivalent of 28 plastic bottles! The wadding has a slightly green tinge to it, with a few streaks and I have to confess that if I was working on a quilt with a lot of white negative space I would be a little bit nervous about it showing through. Having said that, it looks greener when it's all rolled up, but once it's a single layer, it's almost imperceptible. Certainly, one to check before basting the entire quilt though!

The Dream Green has a lovely soft texture to it, doesn't shed too many fur balls and quilts beautifully. I felt a little bit nervous about it (I've always used a cotton batting) but overall I was really impressed. It has a slightly firmer structure to it that the cotton wadding - maybe you can see in the picture above how it stands more upright? Unlike some waddings' I've worked with, there's no obvious wrong/right side that I could see and the projects that I've washed have all come out really well with no greater than expected shrinkage, which is always a good thing!

There are only a couple of things that I'm a bit uncertain about: packaging wise, the wadding is sent in a plastic bag and, because I ordered it online it was sent in a further plastic bag. I couldn't see any information on the Dream Green leaflet or the packing to say that it's recyclable, so overall I probably came out as environmentally neutral in making this purchase, which is better than negative but there is maybe still room for improvement?

I also felt that there was some slight stretching of the wadding whilst basting some of my larger quilts, although I need to make a few more projects to confirm for sure. I admit that basting quilts is not something that I'm fantastic at. I baste my quilts on the kitchen floor, taping the edges down and using 505 spray, and noticed that on a couple of larger projects where I'm smoothing the quilt top over the wadding - and admittedly crawling around on top of the quilt! - I've ended up with slight ripples (or lettucing?!) around the edges of the wadding, and I've wondered if this is due to the synthetic nature of the material? And it doesn't seem to have the same 'bounce back' as the cotton waddings I normally use. Like I mentioned, I've been really happy with the quality and feel of the Dream Green and would use it again but for a bigger quilt, I would probably use my normal wadding until I've nailed a better technique of basting!

Quilting wise, I used a variegated Aurifil thread and serpentine stitched following the lines of the triangles. It means that even from the back Boy 2 cannot argue about whether or not it is triangle-y enough!!!

Have any of you used Dream Green? Of have any extra tips on how I can up my basting game?!

S x

Today's sky:::: cloudy and blue but beautifully warm!

Go Orange! Patchwork Cushion raffle for MyelomaUK

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:15:00 +0000

*** RAFFLE IS NOW CLOSED***

Nearly six years ago now, my Mum was diagnosed with Stage 3 Multiple Myeloma. It's a blood cancer - one I'd never heard of before - accounting for only 2% of all cancers and is treatable but not currently curable. If you would like to read more about it, please check out the Myeloma UK site here.

Mum continues to receive amazing treatment from the NHS, including Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, and a Stem-cell transplant. She recently started a further round of chemotherapy and I've been thinking about what could I do to help in some very small way?

When I was little, I spent ages crafting and Mum used to pretty much let me have free rein: at the beginning of the summer holidays she'd set her sewing machine up for me on the dining table, leave out her threads and just let me play. I wonder, now that I have children of my own, quite how my folks felt about us not being able to eat at the dinner table for six weeks, but nothing was ever said (to me, at least!) and I was happy.

Which brings us to this cushion! It's Myeloma Awareness week from 21st - 27th June and I thought I could share a little quilty love whilst also helping to raise awareness and funds for Myeloma research and support.....

I found some jelly roll strips in just the right colours - the Myeloma UK logo colours - and decided that a courthouse step block would be a great way of using the fabrics and making a statement cushion. I do admit to fussy cutting the plaid strip - they're not all exactly the same but I did and make sure that the 'V' of the plaid stripe was central.

I love sewing together these blocks, they're so quick - especially if you have jelly roll strips to hand! I started with a 2.5" square and then for the following rounds;

Round 2: two (2) 2.5" squares and two (2) 6.5" x 2.4" rectangle
Round 3: two (2) 6.5" x 2.5" rectangle and two (2) 10.5" x 2.5" rectangle
Round 4: two (2) 10.5" x 2.5" rectangle and two (2) 14.5" x 2.5" rectangle
Round 5: two (2) 14.5" x 2.5" rectangle and two (2) 18.5" x 2.5" rectangle

I stopped once I reached 18.5" as I think that's a good cushion size, but you could easily keep going: for each additional round, cut two (2) of the longest sized strips from the previous round eg. 18.5" x 2.5" and two (2) longest size + (2 x the finished height of the strips) eg. 18.5" + 4" = 22.5" x 2.5"

I've used fabrics by my favourite designer, Denyse Schmidt (for anyone that's not a quilter, that basically means I've used fabrics that are kept for either special occasions or just to be looked at!!!). The cushion cover finishes at 18" square, has a zip closure, is fully washable and can be used with an 18"-20" cushion pad.

If you would like a chance to win this cushion, please enter the raffle by popping over to my Just Giving page where you can get a ticket for just £2. The raffle will close at midnight on 27th June and I'm hoping to raise £250 in all.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any contributions that you may make.

S x

PS - I seem to be having problems with email notifications of comments not coming through so if I don't reply/you'd like to speak to me about something please do drop me an email and don't think that I'm ignoring you!

Today's sky::: a little bit cloudy, but sunny none the less!

A pencil case for your notebook - The Notebook Buddy!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 10:12:00 +0000

Today I'm sharing my latest pattern with you - a pencil case pouch that can be attached to a notebook or planner with an elastic strap - the Notebook Buddy!

I don't know about you, but I nearly always have at least one notebook with me at any one time, but trying to find a pen when I need it - and one that works! - is always the tricky part....

I've also been dabbling with bullet journaling this year to try and keep on top of the to-do list and stay motivated. I'm not the best at drawing though, so bought a few stencils to make my pages look a bit prettier but was then stuck with where to keep them, as not all notebooks have a pocket in them. And so the Notebook Buddy was born!

(PS - If you're interested in starting your own notebook or bullet journal, I've been really happy with the eco-friendly natural cork notebook, pictured above)

It's a slimline boxy pouch with a dividing pocket so that you can separate pens or have stencils in the back pocket and pens in the front, and an elastic strap so that you can slip it on the front cover of whichever notebook you're using.

I was showing it to a friend and she commented how if it was a little bit smaller to fit a phone, credit card and maybe a couple of pens it would be perfect for carrying the essentials around at work, so I obliged and created a smaller version for that very purpose!

The Notebook Buddy pattern includes two sizes with full-sized templates - one for the office essentials and one for notebook list making/journalling - along with two different sized divider pockets. This means that you can mix and match the insides of the pouch to fit your exact needs. Full sized templates are included with information on how to make a patchwork version (if you're using scraps or a directional fabric) or one main outer fabric.

The pattern also shows you how to adjust the elastic strap to perfectly fit the size of notebook you are using - A5 or A4. You can use one piece of wider elastic or a couple of bits of thinner elastic - you really can work with whatever you have to hand! And you can also have a play with some of the decorative stitches on your machine (you know, those ones that never get used?!) if you fancy making the strap more decorative.

I've also thought about leaving the strap off to make it a normal pouch, or may be used as a case for carrying crochet hooks and sock needles in? The possibilities are endless!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the #NotebookBuddy - if you'd like to make your own, you can find the pattern here in my Etsy shop, and if you do make one then please tag me so I can see!

S x

Today's sky::: beautifully blue and sunny!

Luna and Alfie Rabbit

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 10:43:00 +0000

Although there hasn't been much blogging, there have been quite a few makes and designs so if you don't mind, I thought I would show some of them over the coming weeks for Mondays Makes!

I'm starting off with the lovely Beattie and Bertie Rabbit that I made for my parents - named by them, obviously, but otherwise known as Luna Lapin and Alfie Rabbit!

I bought the book - Making Luna Lapin by Sarah Peel - as it includes the patterns for so many different items of clothing that you can really customise your Luna! I ordered a load of felt and some buttons for the eyes, arms and clothes from Sarah's website Cool Crafting as she very handily sells the felt in just the right size for a rabbit or a coat. I can thoroughly recommend the felt as it sews up beautifully by hand/machine and there are so many different colours to choose from!

I started off with Luna and used some Liberty fabric that I had to hand for the T-shirt dress with detachable bow. There is something both immensely satisfying (and at times, frustrating!) about sewing something so small! I found the trickiest bit to be sewing the sleeves in: I'm normally quite happy to go without pins but on such small seams I found it useful to pin/hand baste in position to prevent any fabric moving.

I did go a bit over the top by over-locking the seams on Luna's dress, but it felt like only the best would do for this little bunny: there is so much time and love that goes in to them and they have the potential to be heirloom pieces so I felt it was only right to make her as perfect as I could on the inside as well as the out!

The woollen coat is quite an epic sew with lots of little pieces, but the beauty of using felt is that there is no need to worry about fraying seams, just the occassional bit of bulk that occurs where you have lots of layers together. I finished the coat over a couple of afternoons, with the exception of the buttonholes. I was scared of doing them and ruining the coat!

Eventually I decided to do the buttonholes by hand: they are so small that I figured they wouldn't take long to do and if I made a mistake on the machine the felt would most likely be damaged by the stitching. After marking out the position, I used a pin at each end of each buttonhole - it was a bit like handling a hedgehog for the first couple of buttonholes! - a seam ripper to make the hole and then used blanket stitch to finish them off. Each one only took a few minutes in the end and although not perfect they work which is the main thing!!!

A few months later, I decided that I should really make an Alfie Rabbit for my Dad. I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but I spent a lot of my childhood at steam rallies as my Dad is passionate about steam engines and has a model traction engine himself. I decided it would be fun to base Alfie on what he normally wears on the rally field: brown work trousers, a shirt, waistcoat, necktie, pocket watch and the obligatory flat cap!!!

I drafted the cap myself over a couple of nights after looking at adult patterns for flat cap/Gatsby hats and the hood from Winter Cape in the Making Luna Lapin book. I made one out of scrap cotton first to get an idea of fit. There were four main pieces;

1 + 2. Front of cap & top/back of cap (bottom left): Cut 1 in main fabric and lining.

These were sewn together from the edge to the pin, between the pins and from pin to edge.

The gaps left between the pins are for the ears to fit through (as per the Winter cape)!

3. Side and Brim (top right): Cut 1 in main fabric and lining.

4. Peak of hat (top left): Cut 2 in main fabric.

To make the cap, I used the instructions from this tutorial that I found, the only difference being that I sewed pieces 1 and 2 together before joining piece 3. And once the cap was sewn, I ladder stitched the lining and outer fabric together for the ear holes and then stab-stitched between the peak and the top of the hat to bring the layers closer together.

The necktie was made using a shorter version of the detachable bow from the t-shirt dress in the book, with a popper to snap it together.

And for the pocket watch a little bit of chain from a necklace that was too long gave the perfect impression of something being hidden in a pocket! My Dad was over the moon with him and I confess to feeling just a little bit proud of him. It's so much fun when you can personalise things, one of my favourite things about making!

A couple of other people have mentioned how much they like them so there will probably be more in my future (Alfie only took me a week from start to finish, so I'm definitely getting quicker!) and Sarah's also got another book coming out in August 2018 - Sewing Luna Lapin's Friends - and I may have already ordered it.......Boy 2 mentioned something about a fox!!!!

Sx

Today's sky::: overcast and gloomy

Travel Design Board Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Thu, 24 May 2018 10:58:00 +0000

Hello! So, as we move towards half-term and with the summer holidays looming (honestly, doesn’t this year seem to be flying by?!) my mind always turns towards hand-sewing: something that I can take with me on days out or for when I can grab five minutes peace!

I love hand-piecing in particular and always use a design board to plan my block and keep it together during sewing. I used this great tutorial by Bee Lori for my board and would highly recommend it! It uses a thick cardboard which is great for use at home, but not so practical when you're out and about, so I came up with this roll-up travel design board. It’s a quick project, perfect for using up any wadding and fabric scraps that you have hanging around and probably took me an hour all in, including taking all the photos!!!

Finished size;
8 1/2” x 8 1/2”

Materials Needed;

Method;

1. Place bondaweb sticky side down on the wrong side of the outer fabric, in the centre leaving a 1/2” border all the way around. Press.

2. To position the fastening, measure 4 3/4” up/down (to find the centre line) and 4” in from the left hand side and mark with a pencil (Note: you can vary the distance but I would recommend 3-4” if you want to roll it up). If using a snap fastener, push the prongs through the bondaweb and fabric. Otherwise, use a pin/mark the right side of the fabric. Remove the paper backing from the bondaweb BEFORE attaching your fastening!!!

(TIP: once the backing paper is removed, the fabric is quite sticky so be careful with handling. I found it easiest to roll up the fabric in order to attach the snap fastening)

3. Place the wadding wrong sides together with the outer fabric, overlaying the bondaweb, and again leavings 1/2” border on each side. Press on the outer fabric to bond the layers together.

4. Fold each outer corner in at a 45* angle to meet the corner of the wadding, and then fold again. Pin in place to secure.

5. Starting on one side, fold the edge of the outer fabric in half to meet the raw edge of the wadding. Press. Fold over again to give a 1/4” binding around the edge of the travel design board. Press and pin in place.

6. Repeat on all sides - where the corners have already been folded this should give a neat mitred finish. A wonder clip on each corner helps to keep everything in place.

7. Wadding side up - and starting part way along one side - begin stitching just in

from the inner edge of the binding. It is best to take it slowly and, as you approach a corner, remove the wonder clip/pin, hold carefully in position (a seam ripper can help with this), pivot on the corner and continue until you reach where you started. [OPTIONAL] Add a second row of stitching just in from the outer edge of the binding.

8. To finish, place the Travel Design Board right side up and, using a ruler to ensure it is level with the previous fastening, mark 1/2” in from the left hand side. Attach the other half of your fastening.

Make it your own;

· To make a bigger/smaller Travel Design Board: chose the finished size of board that you would like and cut wadding and bondaweb to this size. Cut outer fabric +1” bigger on width and height.

· If you don’t want to use the self-binding method described above, cut all three layers the same size and then attach binding as you would normally for a quilt.

· If you are not keen on fastenings or don’t have any to hand, some other ideas are:

o Sew some ribbon in to the binding so that you can fasten the design board with a bow

o Use a button and loop closure

And there we are! I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial! If you make one then please do let me know and tag it #traveldesignboard on instagram so that I can see your makes, and do let me know if you have any questions.

Back soon,

S x

Today’s sky::: grey and rainy…. *clearly* nearly half term!!!

Helllooooooo........

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Tue, 22 May 2018 11:25:00 +0000

Hellooooo........is anyone there?!?!?!

It's been a fair while since I last blogged hasn't it?! It's been a crazy few years but I've started to miss this space so am having a bit of a dust down of the ol' pages and will be putting up some posts up......I've got lots of ideas of things I'd like to share with you.

In the meantime, if you'd like to see some of what I've been up to over the past few years (!) then please check out my Instagram @fabricandflowers and a few new patterns that I've recently launched in my Etsy Shop!

See you soon,

S x

Todays sky::: beautifully sunny

Getting ready to #coatalong

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 12:58:00 +0000

Hello there! Well, today is the start of the #coatalong and typically I have a small boy home sick and last week flew by with secret sewing and other family related situations taking up my time, so I've not been able to write the blog posts I'd been hoping too. Ho hum. I did spend some time last week putting together a Pinterest board with interesting articles I've found about pattern matching, coat-alongs and interlining which will hopefully be interesting to you - if you find any other articles let me know and I'll make sure to add them as well as link up each of my blog posts so that you can follow along if you fancy.

Follow Sonia Spence's board Coatalong on Pinterest.

So, excitingly, my second attempt at ordering coat fabric arrived yesterday. Woo hoo! I really love it and I think it's going to look amazing with the musical notes lining although I do admit to having slight (okay, many!) panic moments over pattern matching. What have I done choosing patterned fabric?! But I'm going with lots of prep and planning before any actual cutting....

Today I'm going to focus on finishing a couple of bee blocks that need doing and then I will begin cutting out all the pattern pieces. There are So. Many. Pieces!!!!! I fear it may take me all week just to do that! And then I'll make a start on a muslin.

There is no real schedule - partly because life is a little bit hectic and I don't want to over promise - and also because the idea is that we all sew at our own pace and give each other support. However, my plan is to post each week my plans, progress and failures (although hopefully there won't be too many of those!). See you soon,

Today's sky - overcast, grey and very rainy. Boo!

Would you like to #coatalong?

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 21:07:00 +0000

Have you got a wish list of things that you'd like to make? A quilt? A dress? A bag? Me...I have a wish list as long as my arm but one of the things I've been saying for - oooooh about three years now?! - is that I'm going to make myself a winter coat. It's become a source of amusement for Mr f&f each time autumn/winter comes along when there is no shiny new coat to wear. This year though I've decided to pull on my big girl pants and actually Do It (partly encouraged by the fact that my current coat is falling apart and I can't put anything in the pockets without it falling through the lining into Never Never Land. Very annoying!!!)

A couple of years ago I bought the Collette Albion Duffle Coat pattern but wasn't quite sure as it seemed like it would need quite a few changes to make it more feminine and then Grainline launched the Cascade Duffle Coat. Perfect! I've decided it will be my celebratory kids are back at school sewing project!

A chat on IG (where you can find me as @fabricandflowersuk) led a few people to say that they would also like to make a coat, and we thought it would be fun to sew along together in a #coatalong. Would you like to join in? It will be informal with everyone sewing the coat of their choice and helping/giving moral support to everyone else.

So, if you'd like to join in the fun (and maybe the odd bit of cursing!) all you need to do is come back early next week and I'll put together a blog post with an outline of the #coatalong with a view to starting Monday 14th September.

Have a great weekend,

Today's sky - some sun and still cloudy but no rain. Yay!

Recent goings on!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 19:27:00 +0000

My word, the last few weeks have flown by! I always forget how little I get to do sewing wise over the summer. However, a few secret-sewing projects have now been published so it's exciting to finally be able to show you these! First up are these giant pin-cushions that I made for a new to me e-zine, Make Modern Issue 7. It's a really good read with lots of patterns, articles and a modern medallion Block of the Month. There are some fantastic contributors in there so I'm really honoured to have made it in too.

Next up is a Colour Block cushion that is published in Issue 14 of Quilt Now. These blocks are a gentle introduction to improv and a great way of using up little scraps of fabric. There is also a scaled down version of the block to make a set of coasters.

Other than that very little has happened! There was the very exciting arrival of a new sewing machine which I had to have an immediate play on.....

...I used some Cotton & Steel scraps that I had lying around to whip up this little pouch and took the opportunity to play with some of the quilting stitches. It was lots of fun but I felt like a new sewist trying to find my way around the machine!!!! Hopefully once the kids are back to school (tomorrow!) I'll get some time to play and get back up to speed.

In the meantime there has been some stitching of a different kind with a small knitting project. I've made a start on a Hitchiker shawl, I'm a slow knitter but am hopeful that it will be finished for Autumn/Winter.

See you soon,

Today's sky - mostly grey with the odd splash of blue and lots of rain. Meh.

The last few weeks have been mostly about.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 13:09:00 +0000

...working on my Siblings Together Bee quilts: I asked for scrappy trip blocks when it was my turn with any colours. It's quite an eclectic mix to be honest! Its pretty much all finished now, so hopefully a ta-dah picture soon!

...visiting Alice Caroline fabrics for the open day of their new shop: you need to phone in advance to check they're around but if you're in the Cheltenham/Tewkesbury area it's definitely worth a visit! I was quite restrained and restricted myself to rummaging through the scrap buckets to get these beauties!

...working on my handpieced mini swap: as you would guess, this has been all handpieced and those little curves have been pretty tricky (the radius is just 1"!!!) but I'm pretty pleased with how it's looking so far. I just hope my partner feels the same!

...making lots of teacher gifts: somehow I've managed to make a total of thirteen dumpling pouches this week and a pencil case too. Crazy!!!

...cake making: Boy 2 is soon to be 5yrs and requested a "minecraft cake please Mummy". A quick search on Pinterest found me a pixel plan of a creeper and using my (cleaned!) 6" square quilting ruler was able to bulk cut the squares out!!!!! He seemed pretty pleased with it which was the main thing!

What a crazy few weeks! School has finished now so I think there will be more hand-sewing going on as I try to squeeze some sewing in amongst the craziness that is the summer holidays!

Guess I'd better get cracking!

Today's sky - overcast with regular showers...typical for the summer holidays!

A new pincushion

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:45:00 +0000

It's been another busy time....I've started to notice a rhythm to the school year and the lead up to the long summer hols are always hectic: me frantically trying to get things ready for kids who are going to be bored (or is that just mine?!) and lots of school events. Mixed in with some secret sewing and time has been flying!!! So it was a lovely surprise last week when a gift from Jessie at Sew and Quilt landed on my door mat.

Jessie has recently launched pre-cut paper pieces for EPP'ing - I think she's got all the shapes covered!!! - and I got the chance to try them out with this cute hexagon pincushion kit, the perfect project for a bit of relaxing sewing over the weekend!

I thread basted my hexies (through the back only) and have to say that the paper shapes are just the right thickness to make basting nice and easy and give a good shape but also strong enough that after removing them they are still good to use again which would be great for doing a bigger project, or maybe even another pincushion!

The pincushion is finished with a button through the center to give it a bit of a donut feel! I used a button for both sides because I couldn't quite decide which was my favourite so now I can choose depending on my mood!!!

If you fancy any paper pieces for yourself then do pop along to Jessie's shop - at the moment she's including a free Hexagon Pincushion pattern with every order! - I think I'm going to find myself another project for the summer, EPP is perfect for picking up and putting down whilst the kids are around.......

Today's sky - cloudy but sunny and warm!

DISCLAIMER - I was sent a free hexagon pincushion kit to try out, all opinions are my own.

Tova with a touch of Liberty

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 09:36:00 +0000

I don't know if it's because I was doing so much quilting in the lead up to Easter, but I've had a real craving for some dressmaking lately, and the Tova was high on my wish list! The one I'd made a few years back felt a big snug and the sleeves had always bugged me because they were at the length which meant that every time I stretched my arms they would get caught on my elbow!!!! So I dug this chambray out of my stash with the idea of making a light and floaty summer tunic. But it was a bit too see-through, so shirt it was!

I double checked the measurements and ended up making the Small again but the fit feels a lot better this time. The only thing that I can think is that first time round I wasn't so careful on my seam allowance (this pattern has a 3/8" seam allowance and I think I did french seams on my last one and it was one of the first garments I sewed, so there's always going to be errors, right?!) and that maybe the fabric shrunk a bit in the wash? To be doubley sure though, I used a scant seam allowance on the side seams....

I was worried that the chambray would look a bit too plain and after a bit of thinking came up with adding a touch of Liberty to the collar, placket and sleeve bands for a bit of contrast and fun. I'm really pleased with how it worked out and have to say it's lovely way of adding a bit of luxury - with only a little bit of fabric - to what could have otherwise been a fairly boring shirt. And it makes me smile every time I wear it (and squint in the sun too!)

So, deets:

Pattern::: Wiksten Tova

Size::: Small

Adjustments::: cut 2 additional placket pieces in Liberty, shortened the height of the collar by 1/4" and curved the ends (a la Kerry's Tova Along tutorial); lengthened the sleeves (although in all honesty I probably could have done with another inch or so!); lengthened the tunic by a few inches.

It was so much fun and I'm loving wearing it. I've already got another summer Tova dress planned (in Liberty Lawn, here's a sneak peek for you!) and then I also want to make a autumn/winter version a bit later in the year - I'm think Anna Maria Horner's Loominous might look lovely in a Tova, what d'you think?

Linking up with Sara's Dress-up Party

Today's sky - sunny and cloudy!

May

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 21:22:00 +0000

Gosh, I've been gone a while haven't I?! Things have all been hectic since Easter....daily life with the children seems to be getting busier by the term and I've been trying to sort some things out on the home front too. Slowly, slowly I'm making progress and you'll hopefully see me around a bit more!

Still, there's been quite a lot of sewing going on, especially of the dress-making variety. There was a sample quilt for Simply Solids for a new kit that they will be selling, a kimono using By Hand London's fab tutorial, a Chambray Tova with a hint of Liberty (more about this later in the week!) and some Wavy Coasters for a commission.

Probably the most exciting thing that happened this month was some secret sewing I'd done for Quilt Now being published and finding out that I'd made the front cover. I confess to squealing and jumping up and down a bit when I found out. Sooooo exciting! And the quilt in full.....

It was so fun to play with a bundle of Cotton & Steel! The pattern is foundation pieced and is a great introduction to the technique if you're new to it - I'd love to know if you have a go at making it.

Anyways, I think that's probably enough for tonight - will be back soon!

S x

PS - a special thank you to Debbie for the note you sent me! I'm afraid I couldn't respond as you're a no-reply blogger but please know that your message meant a lot. Thank you x

Today's Sky - cloudy

Little Lady Liberty Book Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 07:57:00 +0000

Hi everyone and welcome if you've popped by on the Little Lady Liberty (or Sew Pretty for Little Girls if you're in the US!) book tour. I jumped at the chance when I was asked by Stitch Craft Create as I'm a bit of a fan girl of Liberty fabrics!!!

The book is written by Alice Caroline who was introduced to sewing at a young age and is also a longtime fan of Liberty fabrics so much so that she now sells them! It's a beautiful book to look through, and covers everything from starting to sew, different techniques to colour theory as well as covering a wide range of projects from a hair scrunchie (which I think is the first thing I ever sewed!) to a bed quilt. Its the perfect book to look through with beautifully styled photos and a range of projects that the little lady in your life (and probably you too!) would like to sew. I particularly love the layered skirts, although I daren't show them to Little Lady as she will be hassling me immediately!

One of the things that I was inspired by were the butterflies that were scattered throughout the book and used in the curtains and lampshade project - they are so bright and cheerful and, given how pricey Liberty can be, the perfect way to make a few precious scraps go a long way.

I didn't quite fancy cutting out that many butterflies so instead used the instructions for the Orla Pencil Case, traced some butterflies from the back of the book and then spent a happy while arranging everything until I was happy!

The instructions were easy to follow, although I did make a couple of additions to the pencil case by putting in zipper tabs ends and boxing out the corners. And soon enough I had a couple of pouches and the desire to decorate all the things with butterflies!!!!

You can find a copy of the book here and if you'd like to make some of your own butterflies you can find some scraps here. And don't forget to check out all the other stops on the book tour;

Mon 2nd – Alice Caroline

Wed 4th – Crafting Not Cleaning

Thu 5th – Sew4Home

Fri 6th – Bloom

Sat 7th – A Spoonful of Sugar

Sun 8th – Fabricworm

Mon 9th – Pieced Brain

Tue 10th – Pretty Nostalgic

Wed 11th – Olivia Jane Handcrafted

Thu 12th – One Shabby Chick

Fri 13th – Sew Creative

Sat 14th – The Last Piece

Mon 16th – Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts

Tue 17th – Sew Crafty Jess

Wed 18th – Stitchery Dickory Dock

Fri 20th – Molly Flanders

Sat 21st – Fabric & Flowers

Sun 22nd – A Bright Corner

Mon 23rd - Follow the White Bunny

Tue 24th - Straight Grain

Wed 25th - Sew Justine Sew

Thu 26th - Tracey Jay Quilts

Fri 27th - Feather’s Flights

Sat 28th - Monkey Do

Sun 29th - Miss Print

Mon 30th - This Blog Is Not For You

Tue 31st - Sew Scrumptious

Thanks for popping by,

Today's sky - beautifully sunny. Hopefully it will stay that way as we've got an outside party later!!!

FULL DISCLOSURE::: Stitch Craft Create sent me an ecopy of Little Lady Liberty for review. All views are my own.

Behind the scenes::: an unwitting learner!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 16:33:00 +0000

Hello everyone! Are you ready for this weeks installment of Behind the Scenes?! Okay then, let's hand over to Mr f&f......

There are times (usually early in a Project) when my opinion is actively sought. Fabric swatches, colour palettes, patterns have all at some time or another been wafted under my nose for me to comment on.

Mrs F&F thrusts five different swatches of fabric at me: “Do these go together?”

Me: “Err, yes? Is this a test, or are you genuinely unsure?”

Mrs F&F: “Hmm. What about if I swap one out for this one instead?”

Me: “Can’t you just use all six of them?”

Mrs F&F: “No, stop being silly, this is important”

Now apart from the relatively short term anguish of navigating my way through these minefields, you could be forgiven for thinking that this has no lasting impact on my day to day living. You would be wrong. So very wrong.

I first noticed something was up 3 years ago, whilst attending a work conference. There were 200 or so colleagues attending a day long off-site series of presentations and rousing calls to arms by various members of the management team. Listening intently, sitting in the auditorium, I became distracted by a lady two rows away – not in *that* way – shame on you. No, I noticed this lady had on her lap a rather fetching tote bag made in Cath Kidston waxed fabric. I became quite concerned with how I knew not only the style of bag, but also the type and designer of the fabric used. I felt a bit light headed, and completely zoned out of the rest of the presentation.

Nowadays I regularly find myself well versed in fabrics and patterns, fat quarters, jelly rolls, bag designs, cut and fit of clothes. I even got into a conversation with work colleagues (female) regarding the position and use of bust darts in dresses. All of this has been absorbed via some sort of osmosis over years of having snippets explained to me before being asked for an opinion. As a gentleman of advancing years I am frightened that I may be losing key bloke-knowledge to make room for the continuing onslaught of sewing related data.

What if I lose the ability to list the Iron Maiden albums in chronological order, with year of release, so that I can classify the various feet which fit a Janome sewing machine, with their respective purpose? I suspect my new found knowledge would be of limited use in the pub with friends. I’d better go and revise, perhaps I’ll start with album number 4: Piece Of Mind (1984).

Hee hee, I have to say that I think this is my favourite of Mr f&f's observations so far - I will even confess to reading this through tears of laughter! - although I think he's going to have to absorb a lot more sewing info before he looses any music knowledge (seriously, he has hundreds of CDs, alphabetised too!)

Have a great weekend,

Today's sky - beautiful clear skies here, great for seeing the eclipse this morning!

Quilt Now Little Zippy Pouch Tutorial::: how to add zipper tabs

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 13:55:00 +0000

Hello everyone! How are you all? I'm very excited to have a project - Little Zippy Pouch - in the latest issue of Quilt Now (9), which came out this week. I had lots of fun working it out and, measuring around 5" (h) x 8" (w) x 3" (d) it's the perfect size for carrying make-up around although I think it could also make a fab project bag.

I made another Little Zippy a Pouch for a friends birthday last week and added zip tabs and thought I'd put up a tutorial just in case you would like to add them too.

To make the zip tabs you will need;

(1) 1 1/2" x 4" fabric

(1) 1 1/2" x 4" interfacing

Iron interfacing to the wrong side of the zipper tabs. Cut into (4) 1" strips along the long side

Optional - secure the open end of the zip together with a few stitches.

Taking two zipper tabs, place them right side together, sandwiching the zipper in between. Make sure that they are just on the other side if the metal zipper tabs so that sewing machine needles don't get broken!!!

Secure in place using a 1/4" seam allowance. I also completed another line of stitches at 1/8" for extra strength. Trim the zip.

Fold the zipper tabs back so that they are right sides together. Finger press/iron. Top stitch.

To add a tab to the other end of the zipper, use a ruler to measure 16 1/2" from the end of the zipper tab that you've just made and mark the zip.

Follow previous steps for adding the zipper tab. Once everything has been trimmed and top-stitched the zip should measure 17 1/2" in total from end to end.

Continue with the instructions for making the bag as detailed in the pattern.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch. And if you make one please use the hashtag #littlezippypouch as I'd love to see them all! And in the next couple of days I'll be announcing a #littlezippypouchalong on Instagram if you'd like some support/help along the way.

Have a great weekend,

Today's sky - overcast and miserable

Behind the scenes::: are there benefits of living with a sewist?!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:03:00 +0000

On this weeks Behind the Scenes Mr f&f is waxing lyrical about the alleged benefits of living with a sewist......

I rarely moan. I can live with the loss of the study to the fabric stash, and even the overflow of work in progress projects to the rest of the house. I try to be the supportive Mr F&F I hope you hear lots about. The upside of having somebody so skilled under our roof is that niggling defects in everyday items of clothing can be resolved with the merest wave of a needle and thread..... or so I thought.

I understand that these little jobs cannot hold the fascination of piecing a 70 x 70 quilt or shopping online for fabric. I did raise an eyebrow however when it took Mrs F&F 4 years to sew up a hole in the inside pocket lining of my main work suit. In the intervening years the jacket has absorbed countless receipts for expenses and at least 3 different biros who let go of their lids expecting the comforting embrace of the pocket. Imagine their anguish as they plummeted straight into the abyss of the suit lining (it’s no walk in the park fishing the blighters out either)! I’ve watched dresses, quilts, bags, cushions and more all come into existence whilst my pocket acted as a mini black hole.

It is now fixed, and is holding fast. The quality of the repair will undoubtedly see out the life of the suit, and most probably me. There’s a teddy bear in our utility room awaiting the skilled reattachment of an ear. NHS waiting lists are nothing in comparison to his predicted treatment date of July 2018.

As you can see Fluffy (the teddy bear in question!) has now had his ear reattached, finally! Is it bad if I also admit to using a Sharpie to label school clothes....I don't want to use my precious sewing time sewing on name tags!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Today's sky ● miserable, grey and raining. Boo!

Living with a sewist::: the birth of a quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 13:49:00 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so pleased you all enjoyed last weeks post about Living with a Sewist (you can read it here). So over to Mr f&f for this weeks Behind the Scenes.....

After a week of work it’s nice to spend some time at home, relaxing with a movie and a glass of wine. I have noticed, however, that as a project nears completion it requires more of our house be given over to it. It’s as if the successful “birth” requires the increased consumption of resources as the happy day of arrival nears. Of course, there are occasional “contractions” where things are forced back into the Sewing Room, but they quickly spill out again the following evening, spreading further than the night before.

I'm now used to watching movies from the sofa whilst Mrs f&f scurries about the floor between panels of material, muttering to herself about the best order for piecing them together, unpicking and disappearing to re-sew at the machine, before returning to continue. This normally culminates in a night or two where the entire kitchen floor is given over to the project and I have to either accept that the kitchen is off limits, or engage a Greg Rutherford long jump technique to make it across safely. Greg should consider training for Rio by jumping over pinned quilts with a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit!

I've learned the hard way that during these particularly tense periods there is no substitute for silence. My role is to make tea, and keep quiet, only offering gentle encouragement when prompted. Actually, that sounds quite a lot like my incidental role in the arrival of each of our Smalls, so maybe the whole birth analogy is a better fit than I first thought.

Mmmm, I can't be the only one that spreads out around the house......can I?! And I'm glad to report that Mr f&f has never actually attempted to long jump over my quilt basting attempts, woe betide him if he spilt tea on any fabric!

Have a great weekend everyone! Come back next week to find out what I (allegedly!) have in common with NHS Waiting lists......

Today's sky ● gorgeous blue with the odd cloud, most spring like!!!

Living with a sewist::: Threadgate

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 16:47:00 +0000

So, a while ago now, I asked Mr f&f if he would write a guest post for me: I was coming up to a blogiversary of some sort I think and had thought it might be quite fun. There was a fair bit of muttering from Mr f&f it has to be said, my blogiversary came and went and I kind of forgot about it. And then this email landed in my inbox one afternoon. I read it. I cried with laughter (clearly I think he's hilarious, that's why we married!) and then debated what to do with it....but I figured Hey! You're all sewists and just maybe you (or your other half) can relate to this! So, for the next few Fridays I'll be sharing some insights from Behind the Scenes. This week, we start with Threadgate.....so over to Mr f&f.......

“Wow!” People say.

“Your Wife is so talented!” They enthuse.

These people see the finished products, the shining exemplars, revealed in all their glory once they’ve been teased into existence over days, weeks, or in some cases months. Only a few of us live in the wake left by the fabrication of each Fabric-ation. Of course those who lavish praise on my wife’s creations and labours of love are right to do so. She is immensely talented and I am proud. Possibly more so due to the unique vantage point from where I observe the Sewist in her natural environment. The following are tales of life with a Sewist.

I suppose some Wives pick hairs off their Husbands suits when they return home from work, suspiciously checking colour and length to determine innocence or guilt, acting out a scene from CSI Vegas. My suit is littered with off cuts of thread, and colleagues at work regularly pluck them from me with an audible tut – clearly suggesting I pay more attention to my appearance. They cannot comprehend the deviousness of a thread-part. Like a virus they spread unseen into every part of your life. I found one in my new car only a few hours after bringing it home. I’ve found them in bed. I’ve found them in food cupboards. In a shameful episode I found a small piece of white thread sheltering in my own belly button whilst getting ready for bed. I’d started to panic it was a grey hair, and even now I’m not entirely sure if that would’ve been preferable. If the conditions for life are considered an ability to reproduce and colonise then I humbly suggest thread-parts are destined for world domination.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who inflicts their family members with threads?! Come back next week to see what Mr f&f (allegedly!) has in common with Greg Rutherford......

Today's sky ● beautiful blue skies with a few clouds

Smitten Quilt progress::: tips on always being ready to slow sew!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:54:00 +0000

Hello everyone! How have you been? We've just finished half term which was lovely but hectic with the Smalls. I so enjoyed my peaceful cuppa when I came home from the school run this morning, soooo relaxing! I did manage some slow sewing over the past week though and thought I would share some of my processes with you, just in case you're interested! I started out by cutting enough pieces for about 4 blocks: choosing fabrics is always the bit that takes me the longest so I like to play with different selections of fabric over a few days until I'm happy with my combinations. Then each of the block pieces were put together in their own ziplock bag, ready for the next stage.......

Marking up for hand piecing is the bit I'm finding trickiest (read boring!) at the moment! I don't trust myself to be able to eyeball the seam allowances well enough though so I'm going to keep persevering and am trying to embrace the whole process. A while ago I made myself a design board using Lori's fabulous tutorial and on the reverse side I stuck a sheet of sandpaper (this is a trick that I picked up from the lovely Jen Kingwell: if you lay fabric on the sandpaper it doesn't shift around whilst your trying to draw the seam allowances on). My board measures around 9" x 10.5" and is the perfect size for holding 6 small pieces at a time. First I mark each of the dots on the template using either a silver gel/frixion pen (depending on the colour of the fabric). For this diamond, I can then move the template down the shape slightly to match up three of the corner points (as pictured) and draw on my sewing line. I repeat this for the other 5 shapes then pick up the board, rotate it 180* and repeat the process. The sandpaper is so good at gripping the paper that I found the easiest way is to just tip the board upside down so that all the pieces come off! Then they all go back into the ziplock bag so that I have a project bag ready to go!

It did take a while to get my mini project bags all prepped and ready to go but I'm now set for a few weeks of slow sewing! And here are the blocks that I've completed so far....two Large Hexagon 1's and one Small Hexagon 3.

I hope this has been of interest to some you and if you have any other tips to share with me for hand-piecing, I'd really love to hear them!

Today's sky ● blue skies and cloudy. Could almost feel spring in the air today!

Slow sewing::: a new project

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 21:46:00 +0000

Did you all have a good weekend? Ours was good but boy am I looking forward to the school half term!!! There's been quite a lot of secret sewing going on (check out all those little squares - 240 2.5" squares.....I was almost wishing for a Sizzix by the end of it all!) for swaps and the like, so not too much to show.

I've also been pondering a new project......I know, another one! But there's a reason for this one! Life has been quite hectic recently, nothing overly serious just lots of things all building up and I confess to feeling a bit emotionally worn-out. Why is it that in the parenting books they always warn you about the sleepless nights but no-one really tells you about the emotional wranglings of guiding children through school?! Anyhow, what with stuff and some deadline sewing it got me to thinking about going s-l-o-w and taking time to enjoy the process. Back when I started the blog, it was to record the making of my Sky Blanket and one of the things I really enjoyed about it was making time to crochet for just 10-15mins a day, quite often after lunch with a nice cuppa. It became a lovely daily ritual and is something I've been missing. So when Amitie Textiles had a pattern sale a couple of weeks ago, I bought their new Smitten Pattern and ordered some templates from Amazon (they were a really good price but if you order them please be warned that they come from the States so take a little while to arrive!).

And last night I made a hesitant start.....I'm thinking of making it mostly out of Denyse Schmidt fabrics. I've been collecting a few ever since I started quilting although I'm not sure if I've got enough variety so I might add in the odd blender here and there. So this is a test version of Large Hexy One, all hand-pieced and my plan is to do a little bit each day, even if only for 5-10mins. I'm quite liking it so far!

Today's sky ● beautifully blue.....almost made me feel like spring is on the way!

Whoosh.......January's gone!

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:04:00 +0000

It's been quite a busy month really, although I can't quite believe that we're already in February! First up was the making of a snowdrop block. Quite a while ago now, there was a call on IG to help contribute towards a community quilt project: everyone who took part would send in a block, they would be joined into a quilt and be put on display at the Snowdrop Festival in Shaftesbury, 13th-22nd February. I went for quite a simple, delicate design - much like the the snowdrop! - and used fusible wadding on each of the petals to give them a trapunto effect before appliquéing them on to the background. If you do happen to go to the festival then I would love to see some pictures!

Theres been some secret sewing.....sneak peaks of a commission and a swap project.

Probably the thing that I'm proudest of in January is actually tidying my sewing space - I can now see surfaces and carpet (although I'm guessing it will only last until I'm halfway through a big project!). I still need to have a proper sort out of fabric but it is now a nice space to spend time in - this was taken late at night to capture the moment!!!!

And in my spring clean, I've put two tops on the 'to quilt' pile: first up 'A Study in Blue' for Boy 1. I started this last year and really want to get it finished before March as there's a bit a fabric which says 5 and in March he's 6 so I need to get a shifty on!

Next up is a William Morris quilt, this was finished back last year and is only the second or third quilt that I made. I like it but it's not as bright as some of my more recent quilts (I think I scarred Hadley for life when I posted this on IG!) and to be honest I've been stuck for inspiration on how to quilt it. Anyhow, Jo posted a sneak peak of a new quilt on IG (again with the IG! I'm over there quite a lot as @fabricandflowersuk if you'd like to follow me!) quilted in leaf pattern. That seems a perfect match with William Morris and then when I met with Carol this week she very kindly offered me a play on her longarm frame, so hopefully we'll get a date in the diary soon.

And finally, I made some more knickers! I've tweaked the pattern and attached the elastic in a different way. And guess what?! I'm going to be teaching how to make these in a couple of weeks time so, if you live in Gloucestershire and fancy an evening of sewing, giggling, a glass of bubbly and maybe a chocolate brownie or two then please do drop me a line as it would be great to see you.

Hope you all have a great weekend,

Sx

Today's sky ● mostly overcast but I have seen some blue sky!

2014: The year that...

noreply@blogger.com (Sonia) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:51:00 +0000

...was Speedy-Fast (although based on the fact that I'm doing my first post of 2015 on the 12th day you could argue that this year is going the same way!). There's so much sewing I did that never got blogged, either because they were private commissions or just because. This year I'm going to aim for shorter but more frequent posts!

...saw me having my first patterns published. So exciting! I've really enjoyed making and pattern writing for Simply Solids, Fat Quarterly and Quilt Now and hope to do more over the coming year.

...I took part in instagram swaps. They were so much fun - it's a great way for finding and getting to know lots of new quilty peeps, and my sewing room wall is starting to fill with inspiration! I've already signed up to another two - #ukminiswap and #makefriendsswap and I'm sure there'll be one or two more before the end of the year!!! You can find me on IG as @fabricandflowersuk.

...was thought provoking. With Littlest Boy starting school last September, I admit to having been thrown into a bit of a spin......Where am I going? What am I doing? and I'm still not entirely sure that I've got all the answers yet. I have at least now got a few ideas though which I guess is a good starting point so hopefully I'll begin tackling this next phase in my life very soon......(although there's always that WIP pile which doesn't seem to be going down to keep me busy!!!)

Hope you're all having a good start to 2015 and see you soon,

S x

Todays sky ● grey, miserable and very rainy