Jennie's Threads

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 ...

This is the quilt I was going to finish when I finished my Tula Nova. Luckily I had a day off a week later and this was top of the pile! Two years after I started it, my Fancy Forest quilt is now a finish! I started this quilt as part of the Elizabeth Hartman All The Animals Sew Along hosted by @gnomeangel in 2018, but I only got as far as the foxes and the rabbits. In Autumn last year, I picked it up again and pushed it over the finish line - a finished quilt top. I love the rainbow effect - which I wasn't sure was working at the half way point. I love the owls - I've made loads of these blocks now, yet I still managed to sew one together wrong. I was away at the Sewing Shindig Retreat that weekend, so I couldn't just recut the pieces I messed up. We had such a laugh about my little mistake, which I didn't realise until I'd finished piecing my owl, that I decided to leave him and not redo. So I have 7 mean owls and one slightly sheepish one! I think he's...

Two weeks ago I had just got home from a really fabulous weekend. It was full of laughter, sewing, amazing food, very generous gifts and some of the most amazing people! I spent the weekend in the middle of nowhere near Church Stretton in Shropshire for the Sewing Shindig. Two and a half days of nothing but sewing and eating! It was lovely to meet, or catch up with some of the lovely people I chat to online every day! Not my photo - Pennie's! There was the option of taking two classes: I decided not to do the full day class and instead worked on my Fancy Forest Owls - here they are all together - one is a little sheepish - we were talking too much and I had a bit of a whoopsie. But he's so cute, and resulted in such laughter that I couldn't bring myself to unpick him! I also worked on my Kinship quilt, my penguin parade quilt, my tall tales quilt... on the second day I took part in a brilliant class with @mrs_moog - more on that in another blog post. I saw so many ...

This year I've been sewing along with Angie @gnomeangel in the #elizabethhartmanalltheanimalssewalong with varying degrees of success. The first project was Fancy Forest - a project from my list. I made the foxes, the bunnies and a few hedgehogs and then I fell behind. The next planned project was The Kittens, which I decided to pass on. Then up was Awesome Ocean, another project from the list, and one which I had already bought the background for. February rushed past in a blur and I didn't make any blocks. March started, and looked like heading in a similar direction! And then @gnomeangel launched a challenge. The Kittens and Awesome Ocean during March. One of each block  to a tight schedule. Well, I love a challenge. So I bought the pattern for the Kittens Quilt, because Jessica will love (not sure why I discounted it in the first place...). I even had fabric already in my stash for the backing (and wait until you see the backing fabric!). There are five kitten pat...

Having spent a lot of last year making blocks for various Fancy Forest quilts, I've found that I've lost momentum. I still really want a full size Fancy Forest quilt, but I'm accepting a slightly slower pace. I've already completed the foxes, and now I've got bunnies. Next up are the Hedgehogs - they are cut and ready, and then the owls - fabric is selected. But also, Awesome Ocean starts soon - do I stick with the slow-moving Fancy Forest or do I make a start on the Awesome Ocean - this is a totally new pattern for me and may be more inspiring. #elizabethhartmanalltheanimalssal

Over the last year I have made quite a few Fancy Forest quilt, or variations using just a single block. Every time I've finished one, and shown Mia and Jess, they have been disappointed to discover that we aren't keeping it, and it's being given away. Last summer I decided to make them a full size Fancy Forest quilt, and a full size Awesome Ocean quilt, and it just so happens that Angie @gnomeangel is hosting a quilt along! Conveniently, she is also including the Greenhouse pattern in her quilt along, which I want to make for me, so expect to see one of those in the coming months too. I've planned out my colours and you'll be surprised to see that I'm sewing up a rainbow! The quilt along has a pretty vicious pace to it, and I'm well behind. The plan was to have all the Fancy Forest blocks completed by the end of January, then spend February finishing the quilt, before embarking on Awesome Ocean at the start of March. Well, I've finished the foxe...

I'm squeaking in a final finish before the deadline for linking up finishes for Q4 of the 2017 Finish Along before I compose my Q1 2018 goals. This is the second Fancy Forest baby quilt I've finished and is about 6 months late for it's recipient! The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman. I've used fabrics from my stash for the most part, and the grey background is from a fabric range called To the Moon and Back by Lewis and Irene. It's quilted with a 2" cross hatch, and backed with a grey duvet cover! And finally, dark grey binding to frame it. This will not be the last time you see a Fancy Forest this year... Mia and Jess both like this pattern, so I'm planning on making a full size Fancy Forest for us to keep! This is a Finish Along finish for Q4 2017. You can find my original list here .

This was my second Allie Owl baby quilt of the year and my final finish for 2017. I pieced the owls back in October, quilted it in November and finally bound it on Christmas Eve! No idea why it took quite that long. The background fabric, which is also the backing fabric, was a destash bargain - 3 metres for a snip. I matched the fabrics for the owls to this fabric and then bought the bright yellow binding to set it all off. This is a baby quilt for friends - the baby arrived in the summer, so I'm my normal six-months late! This is a finish from my Quarter 4 Finish Along list .

I am definitely getting my money's worth out of Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest Pattern. This year I think I've made 6 separate quilts using the pattern or parts of the pattern, and I haven't made the big full size one yet - that's for 2018! This is yet another quilt using the Allie Owl block. Back when I made an Allie Owl baby quilt using just 3 owl blocks, not-so-subtle hints were made by my mother-in-law that she would like one. And then I found the absolute perfect fabric. It's called Feathers and Letters and is by Indigo Fabrics. It's not a make of fabric I'd ever come across before or since, but it was just so perfect that I trusted the shop that was selling it and ordered 3 metres. In our family, a feather symbolises my late father-in-law, and the colours in this fabric were just so.... Linda! I selected the fabrics for the owls based on the colours in this print. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a bundle of Shot Cottons seemed to mat...

Time for the final rush of finishes for the quarter! This is just one of the many baby quilts I'll be making this year and it's for a friend who had her second child, a boy, back in March. I made Preppy the Whale for his older sister, so it felt right to return to an Elizabeth Hartman pattern for him. As I said in my earlier posts about quilts, using this pattern - I'm getting my money out of it - I think this is just the first such baby quilt! I used a grey with stars on for the background - it's from To the Moon and Back by Lewis and Irene and I need to buy more! All of the animals are made from solids, mostly Kona. I quilted a 3" cross hatch in pale grey. I showed the girls this quilt yesterday morning. Mia loved it and gave it a hug, and Jess kept saying "Wow". It's just as well I've picked up some fabric to make us the full size quilt very soon! This is a Finish Along finish. You can find my original list here .

I know! Another one! I often find that I pair quilts up, and work on them side by side and finish them very close to each other. This one is the partner of the Owls quilt I shared earlier. And it's appropriate, because this quilt is for the sister of the little boy who is getting the owls quilt. Sadly, she has had to wait a little longer to get hers - 2 years. Better late than never? This is another quilt made using the Fancy Forest pattern by Elizabeth Hartman and I picked out just the firefly block and set 6 of them in a column. The background is Kona aqua and the corals are all from my stash: Figures by Zen Chic, Fossil Ferns, Architextures Cross Hatch and a random polka dot. I really struggled with the quilting on this one. To start with I stitched in the ditch around the fireflies, then I did a stipple in all the background using a variegated aqua thread. It looked dreadful. I unpicked it all. I decided to quilt it like the owls and did a 3" cross hatch in the...

Yep - you read that right - a finish! 2017 is turning in to the year of the baby around here and that means a lot of quilts need to be made. I tend to work in arrears, so the recipient of this quilt was born in January. So only 6 months late - which is about average for me! A few months ago I bought the Fancy Forest pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. At £22 it was about the limit of what I would pay for a pattern to be honest. But I am going to make sure I use it. This quilt uses just the owl block, and I picked the layout myself. My next finish will show you just the fireflies. I have another quilt in the works which is just the foxes. Then I decided to actually follow the pattern, and I'm making a baby quilt as shown, using all the animals. I know there will be another baby owl quilt in the summer, my mother-in-law has already requested a full size owl one (and I've found the perfect fabric for the negative space), and my eldest daughter has made it very clear that she does...