A Finished Baby Quilt

There is great excitement in my family at the moment as my sister, Sally, is pregnant. When she announced it, my other sister, Vicky and I knew straight away that we wanted to make a baby quilt for the little one. We had both been trying our hand at english paper piecing and I had seen a beautiful star pattern that I thought would be perfect. We didn't (and still don't) know if it is going to be a girl or a boy so we thought a rainbow of colours would be ideal. 

We bought all of these fabrics from A Patchwork Garden in Sheffield. Once we started piecing, we thought a few more patterns were needed, so we also used scraps from previous projects.

Now, I have to be honest, making the diamonds wasn't so bad, but I wasn't very good at sewing the stars together. I couldn't get the points to join perfectly and there wasn't much room for error. That is where Vicky stepped in and saved the day, she has the patience of a saint!  

Quilting and binding, however,  I can do. We decided to quilt in a semi-circular pattern, to match our rainbow theme. We started by drawing round a small bowl and then machine sewed the width of the foot outwards. I really love the effect and it's surprisingly simple to do. The photo above was taken quite late on one evening and I have that crazy 'we're close to the end' look on my face. 

For the binding we chose a bright turquoise polka dot. I think one of my favourite parts of this quilt has to be the backing fabric. 

It's called 'Raindrops' by Timeless Treasures and I think it looks like it was made specifically for our quilt. Again, it goes with our rainbow theme perfectly. 

We gave it to Sally yesterday, she and her husband both love it and we're so pleased. I can't wait to meet the little bundle of joy and see him or her all wrapped up in their new quilt. She kindly sent us some photographs of the quilt in babies new bedroom, and personally, I think it looks lovely!

Vintage Sheet Swap UK

Hi All! Just a quick one to let you know that I will be taking part in Mary Emmon's vintage sheet swap. If you want to get involved, all of the information that you need is available here. I can't wait to see what the postman brings in March!

Chevron Quilt

I have finally finished my chevron quilt with 5 days to go before my best friends birthday. I hope she is pleased with it! After debating what to do for the backing I decided to give her a sneaky text asking what her favourite colour is. She said red or turquoise so I have included both in the finished item, I am hoping she hasn't put two and two together and realised why I was asking!

For the quilt top I used the back to black bundle from M is for Make. The backing and binding are Better Value Plain Cottons from Seamstar in Cyan and Red. These fabrics are extra wide and definitely good value for money.

I chose to keep the quilting fairly simple and sewed half an inch either side of the chevron. I bought a walking foot a few months back and this was the first time I have properly used it. I can't believe what a big difference it made, I don't know how I managed without it before! 

This is only the second quilt that I have finished and it's certainly not perfect. Hopefully my friend won't be looking too closely at some of the wonky seams, after all it's the thought that counts, right? 

Chevron Quilt Top

Today I finally finished my chevron quilt top. It has to be completed in time for my best friends birthday in July, so I really need to hurry up and start quilting. I think I am going to use Moda extra wide dottie quilt backing in either aqua or red. I just hope that she likes it! 

I also went to a few car boot sales this weekend and picked up some new to me items. My favourite has to be this bundle of fabric scraps from the 1950s to the 1970s. My personal favourite has to be the pink fabric with the turquoise houses or the painted dancers. The whole bundle cost me £2 which I think is a bit of a bargain. I just need to decide what I want to do with them. 

I also picked up this large JAJ pyrex casserole dish. I have never seen this particular pattern before and I can't seem to find much information about it online, do you know what it's called? 

And finally, my wonderful sister bought this stunning 1970s maxi dress for my Etsy shop. It is beautifully made and the colours are amazing, I tried it on in the hope that I might be able to keep it for myself but unfortunately it doesn't fit me. It will be listed just as soon as I find my missing tape measure!

A weekend in Instagram

I had a lovely 4 day weekend over the bank holiday and it had almost started to look like summer here in England. Obviously it's back to grey and raining again today, we can't enjoy ourselves for too long! Here are some of my most recent instagram pictures to show you what I've been up to.

First of all, when I saw this in my local shop I couldn't resist buying it. My plan was to save it but the coke was calling me so I ended up drinking it about 2 hours later. Typical!

This is our shower, finally in place and fully functional. I can't tell you how good it is to have a shower when you have only had the option of a bath for over six months. Oh the efficiency! Also, if you are planning on getting a new shower then I absolutely recommend a rainfall shower head, they're wonderful.

 

I'm not the biggest fan of having my hair cut, I always get frustrated when I go in with a clear picture of what I want and come out with something completey different. I used to have white blonde hair and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately my hair all snapped off and since then I have tried loads of different colours but am never satisfied. I had some blonde highlights done and decided to have a fringe cut. Even though it's not white, I'm really pleased with how it looks, it's a miracle!

 

My sister is considering opening her very own Etsy shop selling patchwork quilts. She has a real talent for it and I think she would do well. By way of encouragement I have given her a bunch of fat quarters from my vintage sheet collection to get started with. Don't they look great together? Now she has no excuse!

 

My fabric parcel from M is for Make arrived, I was really eager to get started so it didn't take me long to get cutting...

 

I have decided on half square triangles but then there are so many different arrangements to choose from that I can't decide. I think I have narrowed it down the one above, or the one below...

 

...which do you like best?? I had a bit of an accident and managed to cut a rather large amount of white fabric on the small side so my project is on hold until I buy some more. That's what happens when it get's to midnight and you are still crafting. My brain just switches off!

 

And finally, my lovely friend May came up from Reading so we decided on a late night road trip to Surprise View in Derbyshire. It was lovely catching up with her, I miss her a lot when she is down South.

If you fancied following me on Instagram, you can find me @annalucyradford
 

One Finished Vintage Sheet Quilt Top

I am very pleased to show off my finished vintage sheet quilt top. What do you think??

My boyfriend took this first picture for me, he didn't tell me that my bun was poking out of the top (and this was the best of a bad bunch, bless him!)

The quilt is in a chequerboard pattern, I had originally planned to make the whole thing out of mini 5" squares but I ran out of some patterns of fabric so I had to change my plan, I am pleased with the end result.

I bought a number of fat quarters from the lovely Vintage Sheet Addict shop on Etsy. The rest are sheets that I have picked up from charity shops and jumble sales along the way. I just love the bright colours and bold floral patterns of sixties and seventies fabric. You can also see the rather lovely vintage wedding dress that I recently bought, it will soon be listed in my etsy shop, as will the ever growing collection of pyrex which is seems to be taking over my little shelving unit.

Now I just need to decide on some backing fabric and get basting, which I have to admit is my least favourite part of quilting, although I do love seeing it all come together in the end.

Thanks for stopping by!

This week...

This week I bought myself some lovely vintage fat quarters from Vintage Sheet Addict on Etsy. I have already started cutting them up in to 3" squares for my quilt. I can't wait for it to all start coming together. The fabrics are all rather fabulous patterns, bright colours and in great condition so they will be absolutely perfect.

I also bought myself this rather cute glass container from a charity shop for 99p. It has a blue house one one side and a pink house on the other, I have no idea where it came from originally but I am using it to keep all my mini fabric scraps together.

What crafty projects are you working on at the moment?

Triangle Quilt Top

I have finished my triangle quilt top! I am really pleased with how it looks so far. Now I just need to splash out on some backing fabric and get busy quilting. I have visions of polka dots! The solids are all by Kona and the grey chevron is by Riley Blake.

Linking to Finish It Up Friday!

Vintage Sheet Quilts

As I am in the process of making my own vintage sheet quilt, I thought I would share some of my favourites from around blogland...

I love the addition of the white fabric and how clean and crisp this quilt looks. Check out yellowhouse72 on Flickr.

I love this yellow and orange quilt from ducky house. I have just ordered some fabric from her etsy shop, it's well worth a look!

Triangles <3 This was sold on MiaDolce's etsy shop. I would love to be the lucky owner of this quilt!

The bright colours and cross pattern in this quilt are fabulous. Made by gingercake.

This lovely pink vintage floral number would be perfect for a baby quilt. Found at SewChic.

And finally... how stunning is this quilt? The olive green is just perfect! Found on girls don't behave's flickr.


Have you made a vintage sheet quilt? I would love to see them, please share your links! x

Vintage Sheet Swap UK

I have been amassing a small collection of vintage sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers over the past couple of months and decided it was time to put them to good use.

I am cutting out 3" squares to make a patchwork quilt. After I started I realised that my colour palette was a bit limited, so I wondered if any of you vintage lovers out there would be interested in a vintage sheet fat quarter swap? I have plenty of fabric left over - they are all cotton or polycottons that are clean and washed - some are slightly faded but I think that it adds to the charm!
I was thinking of keeping the swap mainly here in the UK but if postage costs are reasonable then I would happily send elsewhere.

If you have some fabrics that you would like to swap, I would love to hear from you! please email me - minnievintage@yahoo.com

New Fabrics

In preparation for my next quilt, I ordered myself some new fabrics from The Village Haberdashery. Most are Kona Solids in peach, black, white, peapod and aloe. The chevron design fabric is by Riley Blake. I can't wait for them to arrive!

 

I am hoping to make it in to an isoscoles triangle pattern like these stunning quilts...

found here: see kate sew

found here: blue is bleu

Wish me luck!

My First Quilt

I am very proud to present my first ever completed quilt! The fabric is from Amy Butler's 'Lark' range which is currently on sale in John Lewis. I thought that I would start with a fairly simple design, and so cut the fabric in to 6 1/2" squares. I laid it out in a random pattern of 8 squares by 11 squares. The finished quilt is 164 x 120cm.

I bought the backing from Fletchers Fabrics in York. I had originally wanted to buy another pattern in the Lark range, but upon measuring my quilt I had made it too wide and needed an extra wide fabric. The turquoise and purple spot was perfect at 140cm.

I decided to stitch the ditch and sew diagonally across each square. Because the fabric has so many patterns, it's not the easiest to see but it's there, I promise!

 The pink spotty binding is from another Amy Butler range called 'Soul Blossoms'. I bought a metre from Grace and Jacob in York. I would definitely recommend having a look in if you are ever in York as they have a huge range of fabrics and they are all lovely. I think I would happily have one of everything.

I think this quilt will now live happily on my sofa ready for me to snuggle under when I am watching films. 

And if I ever run out of uses for it, there is always the option of wearing it as a cape...

It's definitely not perfect but I love it nonetheless and I have to admit that I have well and truly caught the quilting bug. I am already coming up with ideas for my next one! I should also say a massive thank you to my sister, Sally Thought Sparkle, for teaching me how to quilt and for being (mostly) patient of my very slow sewing.