Feathers Quilt for Siblings Together

I finally had some time to finish a quilt this weekend! This is a version of my Feathers Quilt that I've made during the last three years that I've been teaching this workshop.

The pattern was in Love Patchwork and Quilting issue 9 (and it made the cover!), and has been one of my most popular quilts. Every time I've taught it I've made a couple of blocks and now I have enough to make another quilt.

I know I will have people asking me if they can still get this pattern and all I can say at this stage is, yes, if you hang on till July (all will be revealed in a couple of months).



I've decided to donate the quilt to Siblings Together (more on this below) which meant it took the pressure off me as far as quilting was concerned and I could have a little fun with it.

So I've been trying a little 'doodle quilting'. Basically it's a kind of greatest hits of my previous FMQ patterns! I've just ranged from motif to motif, doing anything I please, with loops and spirals to travel between.

It's a great way to loosen up and try some new variations and it also means you get less bored!

It was a bit of a warm up for me as well as this is the first full sized quilt I've made this year. I'm about to make quite a few more over the next couple of months so this was really helpful.

This took me about four hours to quilt in three sessions, using my trusty Pfaff QE 4.0 domestic machine and of course some gorgeous variegated pink Aurifil 50wt thread.

The thread shade is number 4660 and it is quite dark in places against the light background (a Carolyn Friedlander print from 'Doe').

In fact I was worried it was way too dark and standing out too much while I was quilting it, but my husband gave me the thumbs up so I pushed on through and now I like it. I also think it will be fun to follow the meandering lines and pick out all the different motifs for whichever young person ends up with it. I'm hoping it will be stimulating but meditational at the same time!

It's backed with an old duvet cover, and I've used a neutral thread in my bobbin rather than the same as my top thread.

We are having the most incredible weather in Scotland at the moment, with day after day of clear blue skies. So I just had to drag the new quilt around Shangri la Farm for a bit of a photo shoot.

We also have a lovely new garden bench, situated behind the Gothic Arbour which faces on to the pond.

As I mentioned this quilt is going to the Siblings Together charity and is the first of three or four quilts I am planning to finish before this summer's camps.

If you don't know about this charity and the wonderful work they do to bring children in care together with their siblings for summer camps every year, then please read about it here.

They need around 100 quilts a year and so are always looking for donations.

Can you help? A charity quilt is a great way to practice your FMQ, or try out some new designs. Letting yourself loose on a whole quilt worth of practice can really push on your FMQ skills. I think people are often put off doing FMQ as they don't want to ruin a beautiful top they have just finished. But if you can put something together out of scraps or orphan blocks then you can take the pressure off yourself and just go for it. Your quilting will really benefit!

And you have the pleasure of knowing that you are making a huge difference to a disadvantaged child's life by making something homemade and precious just for them.

For those of you local to me - are am hoping to organise free transport for a huge box of quilts sometime in the summer (once I've confirmed deadlines with ST), and will be happy to include any quilts provided. Maybe you'd like to donate one but are put off by the cost of postage? If so get in touch and we will try to coordinate a Scottish Siblings Together Quilt Drive.

OR do you make regular car journeys from Scotland (or North of England) to London? Or know someone reliable who does? Maybe you could help too!

A Month in the Country BOM

As we are just over half way through I thought it would be nice to have a catch-up with my Block of the Month for Today's Quilter magazine. 

Every month I design two blocks inspired by my surroundings at Shangri la Farm, the seven acre smallholding where I live. The blocks are accompanied by a diary-style article and illustrated by my husband's wildlife photos. I wrote initially about the BOM here with a bit more here.

We are up to month seven in the magazine but I am currently making month eleven at home. Initially I had hoped to do a monthly post on the blog but alas, I could never quite get my act together! But here are all 14 blocks so far on my design wall. They will not necessarily end up in this order and there'll be some sashing involved but you can get a fair idea now of the finished quilt I think.

Let's zoom in on some of those blocks, working backwards from the current issue which features my favourite bird...

...the blackbird! Above is Mr Blackbird encircled by Rowan leaves, and below is Mrs Blackbird with accompanying birch leaves.

These are both needle-turn applique so will be slowing down participants a little this month! It's been wonderful to see versions of the blocks cropping up on social media, the BOM seems to be going down really well with lots of the readers - phew!

Last month the blocks featured our Shangri la Farm wildlife with my take on the Bearpaw block (appropriate!) but using native British animals. This one is 'fox and stoat paw'.

And below is 'badger and hare paw'. I just love the way the magazine has been styling the blocks! Unfortunately I don't always manage to get hold of the published photo of both blocks, hence the use here of my slightly rubbish snaps like the one above. However now my own photo styling has improved so much I don't really have an excuse for rubbish photos!

Back in February I focused on spring flowers with the blocks that I think are my favourites (so far!).

This tulip block worked like a dream, even though I was tight up to a deadline. Some days everything just works out! And some days nothing does, but the best thing is that you usually remember the former and forget the latter.

And during the design process for this block I had one of my (even if I say so myself) genius ideas! I realised that if I turned the tulips upside down they would become snowdrops!

Would you like to see a few sneak peeks from the months to come?!

Next month we have mini birdhouses!

The following month we are doing tiny FPP to make wildflowers...

...and then we are making patchwork feathers! And there are still three more month's, with blocks planned but not yet made, to keep you guessing a little longer.

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this project, it really has my creative juices flowing every month. Also I love sharing this part of my life with so many quilters all over the world. It makes me feel closer to all of you 😊

Jo on Tour 2016!

Tickets and workshops are now ready for booking at the Festival of Quilts 2016 website!!

And this year I am one of the tutors!!

Yes, I am teaching a 3 hour workshop as part of the Quilt Academy programme on the Thursday (11th August), and as it is my first time it would be lovely to have some friendly faces in my class!

I will be teaching Biscornu with embroidery...

You can book a place here.

And in other news - There will finally be a Modern Quilt category at the FOQ this year!! So start thinking about which quilt you are going to enter or start planning to make one!!

Last year I did quite a bit of 'travelling teaching', even going as far as Sweden! This year I am staying a bit further to home and my only other 'gig' will be in Jersey this June!

I am teaching a workshop for the newly formed Jersey MQG, and then a one-off workshop for my Feathers Quilt at the Harbour Gallery, St Brelade on Sunday 26th June. You can buy a ticket direct from our website here.

I am taking my best friend Liz to Jersey with me and after the weekend of teaching (luckily Liz also quilts!) we are having a few days holiday to celebrate our joint big birthdays - can't wait!!

But before that we have the excitement of the Knitting and Stitching Show in Edinburgh!! So if you are more local to me then don't forget to book one of the amazing workshops, check them all out here.

I will be teaching this cute yo-yo flower hoop in a workshop every day, learn how to make yo-yos, and how to needle-turn applique in this easy and fun class. I will also be demoing Biscornus ever day in the Creative Living Theatre.

And if you haven't bought tickets for the event yet then you can get a £2 discount by quoting MODERN when you buy them!!

Hopefully I will get to see some of you while 'on tour' this year!

Going on Tour!

Are you in the London area? Would you like to come along to a workshop taught by yours truly at The Village Haberdashery??

I am going to be teaching my Feathers Quilt (as featured on the cover of Love Patchwork and Quilting earlier this year) at their shop in West Hampstead on Saturday 28th March 2015 and tickets are on sale here right now!

Above are some of the blocks made at my last Feathers workshop at myBearpaw HQ. I've already seen a few beautiful finished quilts made from these. It was one of the best workshops I've taught and all the students loved making the blocks.

So would you like to join me next year? There are only 6 places and I am hoping for a sell-out gig.
And if this works out well maybe I will be visiting a venue near you one day!

Fresh Sewing Day

My participation in Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day usually totals about one a year, mainly because I either forget or else feel I have not really achieved enough in the last month for a whole post.

But May 2014 has been a productive month with 3 quilts finished and shared. That's my Dresden Porthole (bottom middle), Feathers (top left and bottom right), and Stitch Gathering Ticket Quilt (middle left).

There's also some class samples for the Stitch Gathering (Patchwork Dog and Improv New York Beauty Block) and Fat Quarterly Retreat (that round pincushion is sitting on a mini 'Bread Basket' thread catcher, one of the classes I'll be teaching there).

Plus a Granny Square block. This is the block I have chosen for my month in our Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild Bee. I still haven't got round to posting about our new Guild, but it's coming up soon I promise!

And I both started and finished some crochet, my Ripple Baby Blanket on the right is complete, and I have a long way to go with the Popcorn Flower Blanket on the left.

As I am in the middle of one of my Modern Sampler Quilt evening classes a new sample block seems to get added to the pile every week. Chunky Crosses above and Botch Handle below. I nearly have enough for another 2 quilts now *sigh*

So a pretty big haul by my standards. And linking up to Lynne's Fresh Sewing Day.

I am off tomorrow morning for a few days in Bath with my sister. I am going to visit the Kaffe Fassett exhibition at the American Museum and I promise to take lots of pics for a post when I get home!

Feathers Quilt

I can't tell you how much I have been longing to show you my Feathers Quilt!

I made it for Love Patchwork and Quilting Mag a few months back and this issue finally hits the newstand today.
And I made the cover again this month! So chuffed!!!

This felt like an important commission as the magazine asked me to specifically make a version of this type of quilt. I had a look at the other Feather Blocks around, specifically Anna Maria Horner's gorgeous version. But I found them all a little fiddly for me so my main focus was to simplify the design and make assembly easier.

Putting the blocks on point and making it all quite scrappy has hopefully given it a different slant. Making the feathers fatter was also something I thought important (so you can see as much as possible of the lovely fabrics!).

The magazine did a fantastic job with the photography and styling (as always, it's one of the things I love so much about this publication!)

I'd actually forgotten about the extra blocks I'd made for cushions and was really surprised to see them. I was also delighted to see on instagram that Di has already made her own version of the cushion! So at least I know the tutorial works!

And then there's my quilting. I'm afraid all modesty goes out the window here as I am just so pleased with my FMQ - I just didn't know I had it in me to do this! I know there are many far superior FMQ'd feather designs out there (in fact I was spurred on to give it a try after seeing an exquisite example brought along to our Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild - more on this in a later post), but for me this is a huge leap forward.

This is definitely my new favourite quilt (that I've made) and I'm so pleased I can at last share it with you.
I love working for Love Patchwork and Quilting and am really proud to have my designs in such a gorgeous magazine, one that I devour myself from cover to cover.
A few more bits of info, the backing is Amy Butler French Wallpaper and the binding is from Windham's Collage line.

Hopefully a few more of you will have a go at this pattern, and as always, I'd love to see the results.
And I've got a few other things going on in this issue which I will share in my next post.