July 2025 makes

 July was an odd month with few finishes despite going to the Modern Quilt Club Retreat. I did finish putting the binding on my Folk Art Sampler by Art East Quilting and was able to donate it to Gill for Q4CL.

Olive and Flo Handcraft were the quilt shop at the retreat so I was pleased to be able to tell Saira that my Ruby Star Society Anniversary quilt was complete

I am keeping up with Moda blockheads 6 and it is great to do some deep stash diving or use up scraps combined with the black spotted fabric. I am making only one of each block and will eventually make the blocks into another quilt to donate to Q4CL.

And because no one needs to see me in a pair of shorts, here is the label I added to a pair of Tilly and the Buttons shorts which have kept me cool in July. I think I need another pair.

Folk Sampler

This was an easy finish at the Modern Quilt Club retreat last weekend. I just needed to machine stitch down the binding. Then it was ready to donate to my friend Gill for Quilts for Care leavers.

Hearts of friendship

At Caesarea Quilters on Monday, we were asked to make two hearts to make a lap quilt for a member. I suggested we also add two squares of fabric to alternate with the hearts, so the quilt grows quicker. 

The brief was a blue heart on a white-on-white background. 7" unfinished so they can be trimmed down to 6.5" I almost made the classic mistake and used a white on cream. Fortunately, I spotted my error. I love the combination of the Bonnie & Camille blue fabrics on the Alison Glass background.

I was going to pack this for retreat, but it took less than an hour to complete so it's now ready to be mailed to the organiser.

 

2024 folk sampler

This is the folk sampler 2024 by Art East Quilting. I had fallen out of love with the project and it had been abandoned. I am off to Cleckheaton again for the Modern Quilt Club retreat this weekend so I decided to pull out the project and see how many more blocks would be needed to make it up to the size specified by Quilts 4 Care Leavers.

I laid them out on the bedroom floor and was pleasantly surprised that I had the central medallion pieced as well as a few of the columns. 

The perfect size for Q4CL is 44" x 70" and I was thrilled to realise I just needed on small filler block to bring it up to the right size. I abandoned any other projects and pieced the blocks together.

The top is now pieced together and ready to quilt. I need to find a suitable backing and quilt it over the next two days. Then I will trim it ready to pack for retreat and cut the binding ready to apply at retreat.

 

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.