Doodling in April

Spring has sprung – and our Doodles for April are over on their own page as usual. This month we’ve chosen Fools Square. Intentions were really good to have maybe even made the block in actual fabric, but intentions are not always reliable! So, no fabric block to show you here but, instead, some virtual colour and fabric variations from EQ8.

And in the hope that the inner workings of WordPress are indeed working, you can download a colouring sheet for a Fools Square quilt here.

And if you fancy making your own 10 inch block, or even the quilt you have just designed from the colouring sheet then you can find links to rotary cutting charts, templates (if you prefer) and general piecing guidelines on our sister site Meadowside Designs.

EQ Doodles – March

Click over to our Doodles page for some ideas using the seasonally appropriate Tulip from North Carolina block – we’re trying hard to showcase more applique this year and this block is a real winner. Barbara included the block in a Hand Stitched Sampler taught at The Corner Patch a couple of years ago – here it is before and after quilting.

Patchwork & Quilting magazine

Lovely surprise this week – we have an article in the March issue of Patchwork & Quilting magazine!

So, we’ve given all staff at C&B Towers the rest of the day off and we’re going to sit quietly with coffee and cake and enjoy reading.

Pick of 2020

Our long-running Scrappy series of posts has reached the finish line so for this final Sunday of 2020 we’re showcasing our pick of this year’s Electric Quilt Doodles.  Fresh Doodles will be arriving each month in 2021 – stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Pattern Friday

There’s another free pattern over on Meadowside Designs today. This one is (so far) a virtual quilt courtesy of Electric Quilt.

Head over there to download the instructions and for more ideas on colour and design.

Scrappy Sunday

A slightly different take on scraps and scrappy this time – Barbara was reviewing her many “in progress” “not yet finished” “only ten years since it was started” projects and started thinking about using scraps of time.   As in always having a small bag with handsewing within reach so you can put in a few stitches in those little scraps of time waiting for appointments, on the train, at the airport etc.  And you can use other scraps of time at home to prepare patches, marking out, cutting out and pressing.  EPP projects in particular are perfect for this approach and stitching on the move, keeping your hands occupied and your blood pressure down.  

 The blocks shown below were handpieced (not EPP) over the course of one year, mostly during one 2hour train journey most weeks.  Cutting and marking pieces ( which were scraps from an earlier project) was squeezed into ten minutes here and there at home.  The block is one Barbara knows as Antique Rose Star, and has since proved a very popular class.  Still waiting for it’s final setting, this remains one of Barbara’s favourite “in progress” projects.

Scrappy Sunday

This week’s scrappiness is all wrapped up in one very small quilt.  The inspiration came from a vintage “cheater” cloth used in an equally vintage quilt – just too good to ignore!

Chris drafted the pattern using our beloved Electric Quilt program (find out more at UKQU as well as the pattern links) and Barbara raided her scrap bag for the scraps needed to piece it.  Look really closely and see how many different fabrics Barbara managed to  put together to make this – probably more than you might think at first glance.  One of the main themes of these Scrappy posts is that you can make almost any mix look good if you keep a balance and a style and you can see that here – many different repro shirtings and a mix of black and red prints with no two blocks being identical.  Here’s another shot of the same piece basted ready for quilting –

– and you can just about see that the scrap concept was carried through even to the borders.  

 

 

Scrappy Sunday Stars

Due to a lack of scrappy quilts in Chris’s cupboard this post is brought to you thanks to the wonders of Electric Quilt! One of our favourite blocks is the Ohio Star.

But on its own it isn’t very interesting turned into a quilt. And even if you do alternate colourings it still fails to excite that much, although it is much better. Adding sashing can improve things too.

But . . .  what about scrappy stars? We seem to have a number of so-called orphan blocks left over from class and workshop demonstrations. What would they look like put into a quilt?

 

Perhaps sashing would help a bit – if you have enough bits in the scrap bag. Or an on-point setting maybe?

If you fancy making the block you can find some instructions for a 9inch one here.

 

Not Scrappy Sunday

Just a quick reminder – in case you have used up all your scraps and need more fabric – the grand Fabric Sale and Quilt Show is on this Sunday (Jan 19th) at Nantwich Civic Centre from 10am – 4pm.

Maybe see you there?

Scrappy Sunday – bits and pieces

First, more scrappy hexagons – if you remember the Sixties then you may well recognise some of the fabrics in this hexagon top – 

How amazing that this beautifully stitched piece was stitched by an 11year old! 

Next, a little scrappy piece Barbara unearthed while searching for some other long-lost project.  It just needs a little quilting so it has been put on the growing “to be quilted” pile.

And the final scrappiness for this week showed up on Barbara’s worktable yesterday 

-a few leftover strips and a very mixed bag of shirting scraps, and currently no clear idea of what they may become.  Caffeine and chocolate may be needed to assist the creative process!