Rozel quilt

Here are some more details about my project in Make Modern issue 65.  If you're not already a subscriber, you can subscribe here (affiliate link) 

The project uses one layer cake almost completely with just backing, wadding an binding to add.

My 97 year old father accompanied us for a trip to a local beach to take the photographs. He didn't really understand why we were taking photos, but he helped move stones to anchor the quilt as it was very windy and had a hat with a friend of mine who had just finished her morning swim. He enjoyed the trip out but unfortunately passed before I was able to show him the article and project.

Make Modern issue 65

 

Today Make Modern Issue 65 is published, and I have this joyous Ruby Star Society strawberry quilt included as a project. More information about my quilt on Monday. If you're not already a subscriber you can subscribe here (affiliate link)

We'll start at the beginning, given that seems the most logical way to progress. How about this beautiful cover quilt? Shifting Symmetry, designed by Vasudha Govindan features a simple colour scheme and a single block. HSTs and HRTs are all that’s required to make this stunning quilt – proof that sometimes a finished design is much greater than the sum of its parts.​ ​ ​

That's just our cover quilt! Here's a little collage we put together to show you all of the beautiful projects we have just waiting for you in the pages of Issue 65! Quilts Galore!

This issue we meet Makers, Sue Bone and Jennifer Marks, make beautiful and bold quilts, and motivate you to draw inspiration from art into your next quilting project.

Plus ... just by reading this issue, you have a chance to win a fantastic prize! Check out the competition on page 12 and enter for your chance to win for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Indelible by Anna Maria Textiles + a $100 Fat Quarter Shop gift card! The competition is open to readers worldwide and the lucky winner will be announced in Make Modern Issue 66. 

Ruby Star anniversary quilt

My version of the Ruby Star Society anniversary quilt is complete with 100 blocks and a secret X in the middle to represent ten years. I had intended to stitch ten blocks a month to complete it by the end of 2025 but a got carried away.

I ordered a Ruby Star sateen wide backing from Sew Hot in a recent sale. It is such a smooth feel. I used a fast feather pantograph to quilt an allover pattern and bound it in a Ruby Star blue speckled fabric.

Friday Finish - Moda blockheads 6

Last Wednesday block 6 of Moda Blockheads 6 was released but the block isn't speaking to me, so I caught up with block 5 this weekend. This block is from Chelsi Stratton, and I chose my scrap bag of reds to use for this block. 

The red and white fabric lifts the whole block. I now have eight blocks complete and I'm ready for block 7.

 

Monday Make - second Aspen dress

 

Last week pretty much nothing was achieved due to two days in London for appointment and the passing of my father on the Saturday before Father's Day. Despite being 97, it was a shock to all and it is very quiet without him ringing many times a day.

Thank goodness for a prepped project compete with matching zip, instructions and thread. This is just the dress that I need now that the weather has got much warmer, I love this dress, but it is better suited for a fabric that is virtually double sided such as a linen, as there is no facing inside the bodice so the reverse of the fabric can be seen.

I even had a matching label picked out which i put in the skirt seam just above the pocket.

I have a pair of shorts already cut out, ready to be pieced together, but first I need to finish my Ruby Star anniversary quilt.

Friday Finish - embroidered jacket

 

I had a vague plan for this collection of embroidery patterns which was either to make a tote using the individual smaller designs or embroider this design on a jacket. I was shocked when I loaded this design onto my embroidery machine - 78,000 stitches, 27 colour changes and 207 minutes of stitching! As a beginner machine embroiderer my machine is set to its slowest speed though.

I hooped up some sticky washaway stabiliser and cut away the topping. I marked the cross hairs on the jacket which I hoped would iron out! No bulldog clips to hold the sleeves and front of the jacket so I improvised with two Sew Quirky slap bands.

It took almost half of the time to get to a stage where progress could be seen, and once the teal detail on the flowers had been added, it really came to life. There were lots of jump stitches to remove, iron on stabiliser trimmed away and the washaway stabiliser washed away. I decided to do a quick 30 minute wash to remove any of the remaining washaway. I even remembered to add a label to the back yoke.

I also lined the middle panel of the jacket to cover the stitching and found a white Kona that I had screen printed with a feather design. I am very pleased with how this came out and it's a perfect summer jacket.

WIP Wednesday - A Quilty Little Christmas

 

Another of my larger Guild UFO challenge pieces that I started working on whilst waiting for a jacket to embroider for this month's UFO. There are four smaller mini quilts which I plan to combine with blocks from other projects to make another ladder quilt. 

I started with the 4" gingerbread blocks as there was very little preparation. Just two background fabrics, pink fabric for the door on one house and the felt from the embellishment kit.

I then completed the blocks for a Quity Little Christmas apart from two fill in blocks. I will need to add quite a few other blocks to make a ladder quilt so I will make extra blocks from other projects and fill in blocks one a layout is chosen.

I have just two more bocks to embroider for the third mini quilt. I have made good progress and will now focus on my Guild UFO challenge piece for June before returning to this project.

Monday make - Pumpkins and potions

I have finished my Pumpkins and Potions ladder quilt. I just need my husband to build me a ladder now as I haven't been able to source a wide quilt ladder in the UK. I finished hand stitching the binding last Wednesday and dallied on adding the lights and the other embellishments. I love the felt and lace bats.

I did the holes around the 31 block for the lights but didn't like how they looked so I added hot ix rhinestones instead.

I also didn't add the string of beads to the chandelier as I prefer the crisp lines of the embroidery. I am happy with the project and like the extra pops of pink and yellow that I added.

Friday finish - Moda blockheads 6

I am participating in the Moda Blockheads sewalong for the first time. I am using scraps on a black polka dot background. My intention is to donate the completed quilt to Quilts for Care leavers. Block 2 was released on Wednesday and it’s lovely to have a quick stitch alongside working on larger projects.

 

June 2025 plans

This month, I really need to finish projects! We have just two days away this month in London. Two quilt finishes is not unreasonable to expect from myself.

The Ruby Star Society anniversary needs to be pressed again, quilted and bound.

My pumpkins and potions ladder quilt is ready to quilt the borders and in the ditch. Then bound.

I am joining in with Moda Blockheads 6 which is one or two blocks a week. I have raided my scraps for the first two blocks on a white spot on black. If I should run out of this fabric, I will add in some other black fabrics as well. I sorted my basket of grey and black fabrics last week and I have more black fabrics than I had expected.

I have made a start on another large Guild Challenge UFO - Have yourself a Quilty Little Christmas. I plan to make further progress on this and make it into a Christmas ladder quilt.

Our Guild UFO Challenge for June has been chosen and it's embroidery designs from the Homemade Collection by Tula Pink from OESD. I'm going to look in the charity shops for a white denim jacket to embroider this on the back.

May 2025 finishes

 Although great progress was made on ongoing projects, I only finished a couple of projects during May.

My first finish was my Guild UFO, and I made this butterfly mini quilt for SCBU using two Dresden plate blocks pieced on my embroidery machine.

I stitched and finished this free chart from Primrose Cottage Stitches.

My big finish was this piece for Quilts 4 Care Leavers made using foundation pieced blocks and set on point. I used the Malachite pantograph which a customer chose for her quilt having seen mine during a Guild Show & Tell.

I made this Swedish star for our contribution to a local Christmas Tree Festival, and I have one more that I made doing a demo. Our Guild Christmas challenge is to make a draft excluder which I will not be participating in.

My last quick make for May were two Lennon glasses cases by Center Street Quilts. I also crossed off making an optician's appointment from my to do list.

Friday finish - Lennon glasses pouch

 

My strawberry addiction continues with two versions of the Lennon glasses case by Center Street Quilts. I thought I was so clever using double sided premade bias tape which I bought in Glasgow. I even added some of my strawberry labels. However, I hadn't realised the corner world mean you'd see both colours. Never mind, they're finished and in use. I should now book a checkup with the optician too.

WIP Wednesday - Swedish stars

I knew today was going to be busy with an 8.25am blood test, a 9am appointment with an estate agent and then I'm on cake duty at our morning quilt group too, until an email was sent to us all with a reminder that I was doing a demo of the Swedish star.

We participate in a local tree festival every year and Astra uses decorations from previous years on the tree. Every two years we make new decorations. This year we have decided to make Swedish stars in a red and white colour scheme.

I used the following free tutorial How to Make Scandinavian Star Ornaments to make one ornament and have made up a kit of fabric strips and tools to do the demo. This is a great pattern whether you use pper strips, fabric strips or perhaps even 1" wide ribbon.

Monday make - selvedge panels

Lizzie and I will be going on our next sewing retreat at the end of July (ie in two month's time). Lizzie's first question when the retreat facebook group opened up was - what project are we doing together? Rosie Taylor Crafts released a new pattern last week which we decided was perfect for retreat. The Sew and Tell case has an optional selvedge front so I made up two panels yesterday to use for the case. 

I've never used selvedges but I have a lot of them put aside. I have cut the selvedges with 1" of the patterned fabric and I had also pressed them and put them all together in a bag. I selected those with strawberries and predominantly pinks and blues in them.  Though the large background strawberry selvedge threw me as it is the opposite way around to all of the other selvedges. I cut two rectangles of Bosal foam to size and stitched the selvedges down.  I trimmed them down to the size of the Bosal and stay stitched around the panels. 

They are now put away with the printed instructions and strawberry labels in a zip lock bag. Nearer to the time I will kit up the project with other fabrics, vinyl, zips and snaps ready to make on the first day of the retreat. 

I have also been doing some prep to progress two other projects. I have ordered some backing for the Ruby Star Society anniversary quilt in a bank holiday sale. The quilt top now needs to be pressed ready to quilt.

The Pumpkins and Potions ladder quilt by Kimberbell Designs is now pieced together and I have added borders to all four sides. I now need to add wadding to those borders ready to quilt the border and between the blocks. I found a black and white off cut of backing which is the perfect size for this quilt and I have loaded the backing ready on my long arm.

I have also started looking at my next large project on my Guild UFO list, which is A Quilty Christmas, also by Kimberbell Designs. I plan to make it into a Christmas ladder quilt and need to embroider a block a day or spend one day a week stitching multiple blocks. I located the embellishment kit so that is also bagged up ready to start. However, I should probably focus on finishing my two quilts in progress first. I also have a pair of shorts cut out which should be a fairly quick project to complete.

Friday finish - more pumpkins and potions

 

I had decided to work on this project during May, and I am really pleased with my progress. This is the Kimberbell Pumpkins and Potions ladder quilt using the Kimberbell embellishment kit and my own choice of fabrics. I had completed section 1 last week and finished section 2 last night.

I hadn't read the instructions completely before starting the project so I hadn't realised that the potion bottles were made in two stages, the first being water soluble fabric. I have only used this once before so I decided to embroider all of the other blocks first. I am thrilled that I have now finished all of the blocks including the potion bottles. They weren't complicated but  I did one at a time and took it slowly. 

The owl is also cute and includes a vinyl cloche. I'm now ready to stitch the blocks together, but first I need to sort out a small plumbing issue and I hope that Google will be my friend.

WIP Wednesday - Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

 

I know I'm too late for St Patrick' Day 2025, but I thought I'd start another of the free stitch Friday patterns from Primrose Cottage Stitches as the Spring pattern was a quick stitch. What was I thinking! This pattern is stitched on 36 count Platinum Edinburgh with Cottage Graden Threads. I have none of the called for as I generally stitch on 32 or 28 count fabric. I thought I'd use a 40 count fabric instead!! I think this might be a slow stitch one over one on a bright day. 

I also chose the floss from my stash and the Weeks Dye Works green is called Lucky so I think that's a perfect choice. I have a small start so far. I must remember to track where my Irish passport application has got to in the system via the provided QR code.