Christening Cushions.

A few months ago a friend asked me to make 2 cushions as Christening Gifts for the twin boys she nanny's.

We decided on red and blue initials with hand embroidered names for each. Nia also gave me a personalised message which I stitched on to the back.

Look how neat and tidy the zippers look! Thanks to a great tutorial from Kelbysews!

Anyway...since making these 2 I've made a few more! 

One for Mabel...very pink and girly and colour wise quite far out of my comfort zone, as I have 2 boys and most of my orders have been for boys! 

My most recent one was for a little boy called Jack. I love the way it turned out! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lisa x

Autumn

Autumn is the daughter of a friend of mine, Jen. We used to teach together. She and her lovely family now live in Switzerland, just outside Geneva, and we keep in touch through Facebook. 

Jen Got in touch at the beginning of the year and asked if I would make a memory quilt for her youngest daughter, Autumn. It was the first long distance order I've taken. The first one where I haven't actually spoken through the items of clothing for the quilt. Did this present any problems? Not when you get a parcel like this!

Jen had packed clothes in bags labelled Must haves and optionals. She had also put post-it note instructions on individual items so I knew how to use them, as some items are going to be used for Autumn's big sister's quilt at a later date! Simple! 

Simple log cabins was the request, so I decided to make each block low volume vs bolder prints/colours. 

When all the blocks are stitched together they form crosses. 

Jen had included clothes that she had worn while pregnant, as well as tartan fabric to represent her Scottish husband's heritage, and fabric with red Maple Leaf Hats on it to represent her Canadian background. 

I quilted with straight, diagonal lines and a little stippling in the borders.

I hand delivered this special quilt to Autumn and Jen when they visited London. She was so excited to see it, and to sleep under it! Quilts like this take a lot of time and effort to create, and it's so rewarding to see a little person (and their mom) genuinely thrilled with the results! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lisa x

My first Swap!

A little while ago I signed up for

a mini quilt swap hosted by Kristi at Schnitzel and Boo. 

It is the first swap I've signed up for, so I had very little idea of what was involved.

Basically, you get a form to fill in with info about your favourite designers, colours, inspiration etc, and also little things you just like! You then get assigned a secret partner to make a mini quilt for. Exciting! 

I was paired with @MissyMotown, a fellow quilter from the UK. When I saw Tula Pink listed as one of her favourite designers my whole decision making process was easy! 
Salt Water from my stash + a mini quilt pattern by Megan Bohr (Canoe Ridge Creations) called Round and Round and off I went! 

I love how the simplicity of the pattern allows Tula's stunning fabric to shine through! I decided to quilt with simple straight lines and am quite pleased with the result!

For the backing, I went with good old Ikea Britten Nummer. And I used leftovers from the piecing to do a scrappy binding, and of course added a label so in 100 years time the owner of this little beauty will know where it came from!

As well as the mandatory miniquilt, all partners include extra "treats" in their package. Tamla (@Missymotown) got some Reece's chocolate cups, some fun stationary and a teabag holder. She received her package today and by all accounts is pleased! I am so relieved! 

I would recommend a swap of this kind to anyone! It's been such fun! I've made some new virtual friends from all over the world, which can only be a good thing! 

Tomorrow I'll share some pics of the mini I received all the way from Aus! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa x 

Union Jack Cushion

One of the little things I look forward to each month is my Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine popping through the letter box!

If you haven't come across it yet, you should find a copy! It is chock full of amazing projects and this month is no exception! With all the bits and pieces that go on in life, I rarely get a chance to do more than browse this magazine...let alone make anything. But with friends visiting from the US, I had the perfect excuse! 

Pat and Carol are US friends who lived in the UK for a few years. They messaged to say they were stopping over for a day or 2 on their way to Sicily, and would we like to meet up? When I spotted this Union Jack Cushion by Lynne Goldsworthy (Lily's Quilts) I knew it was the perfect pressie for Carol! 

I chose the Chloe's Closet line 30's playtime...it's so lovely and fresh.

I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to paper-piecing, but this came together really easily. Lynne's instructions are clear and easy to follow. 

It always amazes me how crisp and clean cut corners are when paper piecing!

I wanted to keep the quilting on this clean and crisp, just like the piecing. BUT straight line quilting is not my forte. I am far more comfortable in the perceived randomness of stippling or loops. 

Enter my "new" hera marker! Get one. The end! 

Seriously though, this little marker is fabulous. I was so skeptical about how useful it would actually be...I mean it doesn't actually make a mark, or does it? What it does make is lovely deep, strong creases which just 'fade' into the background once the stitching is there. 

I have never had such straight lines- EVER! Buy one if you don't have one already!

I used good old Ikea BRITTEN NUMMER for the back. I love the simplicity of it. 

I so enjoyed making this cushion, and Carol was so pleased with it. I already have plans to make some, somehow combined with the South African flag, for my boys...but that's a blog for another day! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lisa x

Gracey completed!

Phew...

It's finished! Well, actually it has been for a while now! I've just been rubbish at blogging about it! This is going to be a very picture heavy post, but I'm sure you'd rather see photo's than read! 

I used Aneela Hoey's gorgeous line, Posy, to make this pretty, girly quilt for a friend's new(ish) baby girl! I love the soft colours and the sweet drawings.

I hand embroidered the name on front. Although it's pretty simple really, I did use a tutorial from Sarah at Fairy Face Designs for some tips. I love how it adds a really personal touch...plus it's super relaxing to do in front of the tv!

I quilted all over with a loop pattern which is fun to do and a bit more interesting than a simple stipple!

I love the candy cane binding. I definitely see more of this in future quilts!

The backing for this little quilt was a no brainer. I used this cute fabric from the Posy line. There is so much to see and find in this design...I love it! 

So, there you go. Gracey's quilt is officially in South Africa waiting to be collected by it's new owner. I can't wait to go over and meet her myself soon!


Thanks for stopping by.

Lisa x

Better late than never! (This blog post...not the quilts!)

Jacob and Oscar's quilts are done. And they are just gorgeous! Bright and cheerful, which is perfect for the dreary Autumn weather which has descended upon us! 

I adapted the same pattern (Framed by Camille Roskelly, from her book Simply Retro)for both quilts. It is the perfect pattern to use for showcasing the motifs from special clothes. 

Each quilt had a "star" item. Jacob's had the rainbow onesie and Oscar's had the lion onesie and I used these as inspiration for the backs.

Let it be said, I LOVE these quilt backs! Seriously...love! I can't pick a favourite. They are just so bright and cheery

Each quilt has it's owners name on the back, pieced from scraps of clothes...again, LOVE!!!

I feel so lucky that I get to take these clothes and all the precious memories they hold and create something lasting from them. Not only because I love doing it, but also because I love seeing how much it means to the moms. What better way to keep all those baby memories fresh than with a nice warm quilt to snuggle under?!

I hope you enjoy your snuggles Jacob and Oscar! 

Lisa x 

Gracey

Gracey is a special little person who I haven't met yet. She is the new baby of a good friend of mine and my best friend's brother! 

When she was born, I was super excited! I have 2 boys, most of my friends have boys and most of the memory quilts I've made have been for boys! So the fact that there was a new girl on the block (even if that block is in faraway South Africa) was exciting cos it meant I could make something pretty! 

I had a few Posy mini charm packs sitting in my stash and knew they were the perfect choice! I love all the colourways and prints.

I have stitched them into a simple checkerboard design and added a panel with her name embroidered onto it. I used Sarah over at FairyFace Design's tutorial for some great tips on hand embroidering and love the extra something special it brings to a quilt.

All I have to do now is add the sashing and baste, bind and quilt it. Hopefully that will happen in the next few weeks.

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lisa x