Jennie's Threads

Early on in lock-down, Berene Campbell of Happy Sew Lucky released a new pattern - Hello Friend. She originally released it through a select number of fabric shops, as a way for them to raise some money in lock-down. Our guild, North East Modern Quilt Guild, decided to support this and arranged a swap - each member who wanted to join in had to buy the pattern and then make the block in colours and fabrics they felt reflected them as a quilter. We then swapped the finished blocks amongst the participants and each recipient chose to finish their block in their own way. This is the version I made - it had to be a rainbow didn't it, really? And I loved the black rainbow sprinkle fabric for the background. My finished block went to Jules @juleskerry_s And I received this beautiful block from Dona @creativeaccountant - I love it and it's a totally different colour scheme to what I would pick for myself - a really citrussy yellow and turquoise. I decided to hand quilt it and added a ...

For the last few years I've watched the Fussy Cutting Sew Along on Instagram. It's hosted each year by @naomialicec and each year there is a different EPP shape used for the weekly blocks. I've loved seeing what was made, but never joined in. Until this year. This year shape is houses - slightly elongated pentagons which tessellate together to form a cross - add four squares to the corners and you get a square block. I liked the idea of this as for each week I only need to cut 4 pieces (in the past it's been 6-7 pieces which results in lots of holes in fabric - something I still struggle with when fussy cutting). But four pieces is manageable - it doesn't wreck an entire fat quarter. So I dipped my toe in the water and started. And you know what - it's addictive making these little 4.5 " blocks each week. We're now half way through the year and I've made at least one block each week - I've made more blocks some weeks, as at the end of June I had...

Last Summer I joined a block of the month programme run by Sarah Edgar at Pretty Fabric and Trims. It wasn't my normal sewing - it involved Liberty Fabrics and ditsy florals and applique.  But it also involved English Paper Piecing and embroidery which definitely is me. I absolutely loved every minute I spent working on this project, so I signed up for another block of the month - 12 blocks over the course of a year to create A Happy Little Year quilt. The blocks are chunkier than the Summer Sampler - after all I'm making a full size quilt rather than a mini quilt, and the fabrics aren't Liberty, but still very different from what I would normally pick. There's EPP, applique and regular piecing and the blocks are coming together beautifully. Receiving the package each month is such a treat - full of pretty fabric all beautifully wrapped up, and the instructions are always clear and beautifully presented. It's a brilliant mix of blocks I can throw together with an ho...

We're now 10 weeks into lock down! Back at the beginning lots of fabulous lockdown sewing patterns and sew-alongs popped up! All of them were soooooo tempting. Fortunately I'm able to still be working full time. Unfortunately this means I couldn't start lots of new projects. But it didn't stop me starting a few! And this embroidery pattern by @tinkerellen seemed very achievable! So achievable, in fact, that I made two!. The rainbow one is for Mia and the pink, stitched in a single DMC variegated thread, is for Jess. I also made Jess an extra hoops as her wall was looking a bit bare compared to Mia's! I get a lovely bundle of Kona cottons each month from Sew Hot and the pink bundle was just begging to made into something ombre! Simple piecing and some chunky hand quilting - this is a 14" hoop (I think) so her wall is definitely less bare now!

Well you can tell how behind I am on blogging, can't you - we're heading into the final month of quarter 2 and here I am only just rounding up Quarter 1! It's funny how sometimes life just runs away with you! You would think we'd all have more time with the current lock down, but it doesn't seem to be working out that way! But Q1 was quite successful, so I think it's worth documenting: I finished some quilts! First up, Fancy Forest . I love this quilt - there were times when I wasn't sure, but when I pulled it all together, the rainbow just shone! And then there was this, rather special quilt - my Tula Nova, started on my day with Tula Pink! The Meadowland quilt - finished as part of the sew along and gifted to my niece. And the Blueberry Park hexies quilt. I finished a couple of tote bags: Yarned and Dangerous for my Mother-in-law And All the Single Ladies for me Then there were a few smaller items: the tubs for my Mum And the tubs for us Some placemats ...

Well this finish has been a while in the making. Two years in fact. I started it on a whim and made a couple of blocks and then put it away. Over Christmas I got a sudden urge to work on it again, and I very quickly made enough blocks for a small lap quilt and put it together while away for work in January - hence the poor hotel lighting! Then I had to decide - keep it small or keep going. I started with a fat quarter bundle and still had some left so I just got on with cutting, cutting, cutting. I cut as many more blocks as I could from the fabric I had left, but it was soon apparent that there were a couple of fabrics I loved most which I had used quite heavily in the section of quilt I had already made. In the interest of balance (and because they were my favourite prints) I put out a call for help on Instagram - and some fabulous people helped me out - thank you @jenthepiecemaker and @the_orriginal! The final quilt top is 10 x 10 blocks (the blocks are 6" finished). I ba...

Another finish for you tonight! Back in March 2020, whilst Josh was napping and I was enjoying maternity leave, I was stroking a new parcel of Tula Pink Pinkerville fabric, wondering what to make with it. I'd just missed the Meadowland quilt along on Instagram and finished quilts were popping up everywhere. I took a deep breath, told myself it was only fabric, and cut up the entire bundle! Eek! It was a 20-piece fat quarter bundle and I needed 20 fat quarters. It was meant to be! In the space of an afternoon it was cut out. I was all enthusiastic. For four blocks. I needed twenty, but I lost steam and once I'd gone back to work last June, I didn't pick it up again all year. Then just after Christmas a new Meadowland quilt along was announced - the perfect shove in the right direction. The plan was five blocks a week - there were a couple of weeks where it was close to the wire when I posted my blocks, but I kept up and by early March I had a finished quilt top. ...