I’ve said it before, but that really is a great name for a great shop.
My favourite and most visited shop for all my sewing notions.
It was back in the summer when I saw this lovely linen in the window at Aberdashery, the new cushion covers that I’ve been thinking about for a while came instantly to mind. The design, the colours and the texture fitted my vision so well and when I saw the plain bottle green linen the finished cushions were perfectly formed in my imagination. It’s just terrific when that happens. BUT
At the time I had a project underway; a project that had been interrupted a number of times and that I was determined to get finished by Christmas. But more about that in another post.
My idea for the cushions was patchwork in a
Piet Mondrian style
using the plain green to frame the patterned fabric.
I’ve used this idea before for these mono cushions in the sewing room. Clearly I do rather like them, the design is very adaptable and I think really effective.
So having planned to make four different cushion tops, made rough sketches of the proportions of the blocks and decided that they would be framed by half inch borders it was time to start measuring and cutting. I planned for quarter inch seams throughout and the cushion tops came together really quickly.
I wanted the cushion tops to have a little more stability than the linen alone so each one was attached to a lightweight wadding and I stitched around the inner edges of the blocks to give definition.
Four finished tops
Time to make the backs.
I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for buttons and have a huge collection but I also like to use self covered buttons. My go-to style for cushions has become an envelope back with buttons to close. Like this:
It was useful to have made them like this before, I was able to use the measurements for the two halves and for the deep hems and for the placement of the buttons.
Then there are buttonholes of course
My next decision was just an impulse. It was that two of the cushion backs would be made completely with the patterned fabric but the other two would be made with half patterned and half with the plain green linen.
Did I mention that I also have a lot of thread! Again I inherited my Mum’s sewing notions and my MiL’s too; then there have been a couple of random mixed bags from Abakahn when I’ve visited their amazing store in Mostyn on the North Wales coast. This is my blue/green collection where I found a perfect match. Obviously!
Have you tried self covered buttons? Great for all sorts of projects and so very easy.
Self covered buttons
The uncovered button bases are easily available in a large range of sizes from haberdashers and they have full instructions on the packs and no special tools are needed. I have to say I find the larger sizes less fiddley and they are more suited to my projects.
The fabric
The fabric has to be pushed into the centre of the button so that it catches on to the little teeth, you just keep pushing around the circumference until the fabric fits snuggly – sorry I forgot to take photo of this stage but it’s really self-explanatory. Similar plastic bases are also available. I have to say I think the matching buttons are rather classy.
I’m really pleased with the cushions, they were intended for the Spring when I started but I think I’ll leave them just where they are.
And now I think I’ll take a step backwards and write about the much interrupted ’Growing Together ‘ quilt project.
Cushions are such an effective and easy way to update a room or to give it a seasonal vibe. If you would like any support to get started on making new covers for your cushions drop me a message.
The last few days have been bitterly cold with a fierce icy east wind, the ground has been frozen solid and although I had gardening plans they’ve been on hold.
So we followed the necessary parts of our lockdown routines and then the rest of the day loomed ahead.
Thank goodness for sewing is all! An ideal time to get up to date with writing the blog and to finish the Tumbling Blocks quilt.
Just yesterday I finished writing up the story of ‘Football Fan’ and in it I wrote that Nova had asked for two quilts for her girls. So this is the story of the second quilt ‘Tumbling Blocks’ so far.
Once again I was given the freedom to choose the design with purple and green being the colour choices for this one. I knew that there would be plenty of choice and after showing Nova an inspiration piece I had an idea of the tones and began the search. I was collating the fabrics for both quilts because it was inevitable that another lockdown was coming.
Here is the eventual fabric pull. I was rather surprised to find nothing suitable in my stash but then really pleased to find all but one of these fabrics in Aberdashery the wonderful shop right here in town. Something vital was missing though and when I found the green with white leaves online I knew that was it. It balances the other greens and lifts the whole pull. It’s sometimes a bit of a risk buying on line but I have to say that now I have a range of reliable quality suppliers I buy from I never worry about it.
Aberdashery, Market Street, Aberystwyth
I’ve wanted to try the ‘Tumbling blocks’ pattern for a while, I love that ‘box’ illusion. I looked around for a pattern and found one in a back copy of ‘Love Patchwork and Quilting’ magazine.
Their patterns clear and comprehensive. Even so ‘Tumbling Blocks’ did need concentration when it came to the piecing and there were some moments!
I did eventually get the hang of the sequencing and the blocks were put together in rows and the the rows joined. The back was to be plain purple so I put together a row of blocks to add interest to the back.
Time to make the sandwich.
The ‘sandwich’ is when you layer the quilt top, the wadding and the backing together. All three layers need to be lined up and perfectly smooth and flat. Sounds simple really – not always. This one was quite well behaved. Having layered them I began pinning from the middle, moving outward an smoothing the quilt as I went.
Now it’s time to quilt. I’d been planning this all the way through and had decided on free motion quilting with a sort of daisy chain . The daisy chain would begin in one corner and move down the quilt, branching as it went. Free motion is when the machine’s grip of the fabric is turned off and the operator moves the fabric to ‘draw’ with the needle and thread.
What hadn’t decided though was about that thread. I had a multicoloured, mainly green and purple thread that could work well but I just couldn’t make up my mind so eventually I did an Instagram poll and went with the result, a very decisive ‘YES’ for the variegated thread. Get me using an Instagram poll!
This was clearly going to be far more visible on the back of the quilt which was good, it would leave the blocks speak for themselves on the top and give interest on the back.
There was only the binding left to do now having measured, cut, pressed it in half along it’s length I sewed it to the front by machine then as always hand finished the back.
Just before Christmas a friend asked me to make a little drawstring pouch big enough to hold her car and house keys. Of course I said yes but not until the quilts were done. So as hand sewing tends to happen in front of the TV in the evening there was time on a rainy day for a little pouch.
So ‘Tumbling Blocks’ is off to it’s new forever home to continue it’s story and I’m taking a break from sewing to re-decorate the sewing room. Now there’s an undertaking.
When Nova asked me to make two quilts for her daughters I was more than happy to take on a winter project, but I have to admit that when reality bit I realised that planning and making two quilts at the same time was a big undertaking.
A big job in normal circumstances but at the time it was evident that another COVID lockdown was looming and I really ought to sort out my fabric choices pretty quickly. Once that was done I could relax get on with the task in hand.
The brief gave me lots of leeway, the designs would be up to me but I was given specific colours to work with. One quilt was to be purple and green (simple request, lots of fabrics to choose from).
Butthis is a little different, and a first for me, a football shirt in a quilting blog! Mmm!
The other quit was to be for Nova’s football fan daughter in her team colours .
I thought this might be a little more challenging and started with a little bit of research. I posted the colours on Instagram and it seems it could be one of two well known teams. Who knew .
I turned to Moda Bella solids to use for background colours to start with and was very happy when these two perfect matches appeared in the fabric list. These were my starting point for my fabric pull.
I do love a fabric pull.
It’s so exciting, all those lovely fabrics to choose from. It all quite makes my mouth water.
It is also intensely nerve racking! Are the tones right; the values; is there enough contrast; is there something that just makes all the colours pop? And that’s just the colour. Do the fabric designs suit the project; the intended recipient; do those designs work together? That can be made easier by choosing from a designer range but I also like to shop local so although that option is fairly simple when shopping online, small local retailers can’t begin to stock whole designer lines so its up to the maker to get creative with choices.
I always begin with my stash, let’s face it, it’s fairly extensive so there is usually something to start with . And it j ustifies my self awarded status as ‘fabric curator’.
I found two suitable fabrics in my stash, the really pretty and perfect match bue and burgundy floral print and the cream with a burgundy flower that would be a good low volume addition. I didnt have much of either of these but a design was beginning to form in my mind and I would be able to incorporate both. The rest of the fabrics were sourced locally.
Making the blocks
My design plan changed a couple of times from ny early first musings. Then the Bento Box block came to mind one, it was one I’d used before and I decided to base these blocks on that design.
Here’s one I made before.
bento box block
The block begins with a square then it’s pieced around with strips, every block is made up differently and quaerterd then the quarters get mixed up. Easy.
I made up the large 12inch blocks in the same way in different colourways and then quartered them but rather than mixing the different quarters up and piecing them together this time I pieced them into the blue background ‘off kilter’ then pieced the quarters back together.
The blocks came together quickly. Nice …..
The reverse shows the sashing strips which were trimmed randomly after piecing.
…. and then of course the quilt top was done. I love seeing a quilt top here, hanging over the banister with the light behind and looking like stain glass windows. Or is that just me!
Do you think it looks like stained glass windows?
There were two tricky points in making the quilt. One was when I realised I didn’t have enough of the 30’s blue I’d chosen for the back. A quick mooch about online soon made me realise that it must have been a lockdown favourite. It was a relief when I found some but having ordered it a phone call from the supplier meant a quick re-measure and a re -think and a plan B was needed.
Plan B was to use remaining fabrics to add some blocks to the backing. It slowed things down considerably but I liked the result.
The second tricky moment turned out to be slightly more serious. I put together the quilt sandwich. Quilt top, backing and batting in between and began the planned quilting which was to be ‘stitching the ditch’ (sewing along the joins in the piecing to join the layers together) part way through this my machine suddenly began sewing tiny stitches and then just refused to sew at all. I systematically went through all the things that I knew that could go wrong but eventually had to admit there was a real problem. Fortunately, in spite of lockdown, our local servicing workshop in town was open. Unfortunately it was beyond her knowledge too.
So a phone call, a description of the problem , packing up my machine and organising a DPD pick-up and my machine was off on a trip to Swansea and my old machine was brought out of retirement to finish the job.
So here is the finished ‘Football Fan’ and I’m pleased to say it’s gone off safely to it’s forever home. It was a fun quilt that I really did enjoy working on it.
And my lovely Pfaff? Still in pieces on a workbench in Swansea I’m afraid. It’s turned out to be quite an unexpected and complex problem and requiring a replacement part and …… it’s lockdown!
I was still working on Florence’s cot quilt, ‘Woodland Creatures’ when a Meadowland block caught my eye on Instagram. One comment led to another and I had something new to think about.
“Couldn’t possibly start another project now!” “Ah, but I’ve never done a quilt along.” ” Oh for goodness sake, finish one project before starting another!” “But quilt alongs are paced and focussed.” “I’ll just have a quick look.”
You get the picture. I talked myself into it. I really wasn’t difficult to persuade and actually I was right. It was very easy for this to sit alongside the ongoing project. And of course I didn’t know then that lockdown was on its way!
After the initial prevarication I headed off to check out Then Came June and the Meadowland Quilt and I so liked the look of what I saw. A block that was very pleasing to the eye, some new and exciting skills to learn from Meghan Buchanan and a great community support network through Instagram. It wasn’t long before I was downloading the pattern and checking out it’s easy to follow instructions and some new tips and ideas to enhance my quilting experience.
Next steps
I had an idea of my colour palette. Having just painted our bedroom in Farrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue, inky blue was my new favourite colour and I wanted a minty green with it.
I found the absolutely perfect inspiration fabric right here in my local fabric shop in town. Aberdashery here in Aberystwyth (isn’t that just the best name) . It is Elephant Garden by Print Fresh for Clothworks and I love it. The colours are fabulous and the little metallic note just tops it off.
For the fabric pull I looked first at the navy and minty green and then the minor notes. I don’t always use the inspiration fabric in the pull but I loved Amy Voloshin’s elephants so much I had to in this case.
The fabric pull is so exciting but nerve racking too. I ended up with a mix of a couple more from the range (bought online) more from Aberdashery and the rest from my stash. Great sense of satisfaction and self congratulation when the stash justifies it’s existence!
The whole Quilt Along experience was great; it was motivating and supportive – from the weekly emails to the supportive comments for our weekly Insta posts – it was great fun. The pattern and instructions made it possible to skip ahead but I decided to stick with the schedule (makes a change) and it gave me space to continue to work on my WIP.
Quarter inch feet
Number 1
Number 2
Chain piecing
Tools of the trade
Quarter inchpresser feet! Absolutely invaluable. Without these my seams would be all over the place and if there is one must for piecing it is that seams have to be a quarter of an inch wide. Have to be!
The first foot gives that perfect edge to edge seam and the second allows you to sew exactly a quarter of an inch either side of a line,
Chain piecing is a simple organisational tool for putting pieces together one after another in a continuous line without breaking the thread until all the similar pieces are together then separating them at the end. Speeds things up tremendously.
I think the best learning of the Quilt Along was Meghan’s method of creating no waste Half Square Triangles. It’s really simple and really does save fabric. But it’s not for me to pass the method on but I have used this HST method succesfully since.
The blocks came together quickly and 5 blocks a week were very manageable.
I was pleased with the tips for piecing directional fabrics.
There have been trying times on that front!
Elephants!!
All the elephants standing proud and marching to meet each other. None of them standing on their heads or lying down! Hooray!
reverse of block
Love it when I get the reverse as tidy as this one! Clean and flat and no twists! Just showing off!
The next part of the process is another tricky one. Arranging the blocks. Oh, the combinations are endless. should they be random: should they follow a repetitive pattern; should they be colour blocked? This time I decided on a graduated blocked layout. Then of course there is endless shuffling, I take photographs of each layout I try and then spend a while looking at them to make my final decision!
Blocks become rows
I always hang my rows in front of the long window on the landing. Don’t you think they look like stain glass with the light shining through?
We have a Quilt top
The rows are together and as long as the previous stages have gone well everything should line up and suddenly there is the overall design. The art, or is it the maths, of cutting up fabric and sewing it back together !
I enjoy working out my own patterns but when you work to someone else’s pattern there is always something new to learn and the best way to consolidate that learning is to put it into practice again. While I was working on this a little adaptation of the block was forming in my head for Olivia’s ‘Pink Jungle’ quilt for her new big bed. Before moving on to the next stage I had to just try it out. Here we go again!
Olivia’s new quilt inspiration was a printed panel of jungle creatures. The plan was that each creature would be at the centre of each block. Measurements needed adjusting to the size of the centrepiece.
Batting and Backing
Batting (wadding) is a natural bamboo and the backing is a single piece of extra wide backing cotton which I was able to buy from Calico Kate in Lampeter. This is a bit of a departure for me as I usually create a back. It was nice not to have to think about lining up front and back and making the ‘sandwich’ was much quicker.
For the uninitiated the ‘sandwich’ is the quilt top, the backing fabric and the filling! The layers have to be perfectly flat and perfectly joined. They are pinned together using special pins ready to begin the quilting. I use my landing for this bit, there is plenty of space and the light is good.
Quilting
I do my own quilting . It is very amateur but wanting to do this got me into patchwork in the first place. I love absolutely total free motion quilting but the options are endless. I had decide on a mixture of ‘stitching the ditch’ – sewing into the join between pieces – and some medallions on the plain squares created in the blocks. I was using white thread, I could have been kinder to myself sewing on to a navy background but I didn’t want a dark thread on the top.
My quilting varies at the best of times but I do find that keeping on quilting is the the way to good results – and I hadn’t been doing a lot. I was rusty and my quilting was jerky. So it’s not perfect but it’s homemade and it’s all my own work.
Home
So when it’s resting I think the quilt will live here in our bedroom because I like how it looks when I glance into the bedroom. it looks good folded in different colour aspects here and it will be handy to grab for using around the house.
I’m really happy I decided to join in the Quilt Along. Would I do it again? Oh yes!
Florence is growing quickly and suddenly she’s ready to move into her own room so I wanted to make her a quilt of her own for her cot.
I’ve had the Moda ‘Thicket’ panel for some time and it seemed just right for her quilt. After a little bit of research around quilt patterns and blocks to complement the individual creatures I settled on a wonky log cabin block with primary colour and of course black and white logs. A quick look at my scraps made me rethink the primary colours to bright colours.
I was glad I had recently sorted my scraps into colour boxes, it made the selection for the blocks so much easier!
A word about black and white. Bold black-and-white images are great for young babies because they stimulate the development of the optic nerves, teaching the eye muscles and brain to coordinate and function properly. I’ve noticed that they are also naturally drawn to them in the early months in particular.
Rabbit was first up.
I really liked the block.
Once the first block was complete just a little bit of planning was needed to make sure the animals were all going to be central and it was off we go. Later I wished I’d spent a little more time planning the orientation of the black and white and the colours but in the quilting world I’m a relative novice and it’s still a developing skill. Next time!
I like to hang my blocks on the ‘washing line’ as I go. It helps me spot potential problems in improv blocks and generally refine my colour combinations if necessary.
I could see a little problem developing here. My final log (on the left of each block) was having to compensate for my over cutting the other logs. It would be easy to put right and get a more balanced block.
Coming together.
The blocks were quick to put together once the fabrics were ready.
Then it was just about finding the best layout. It can take time! This was when I wished I’d thought more about the orientation of the black and white and colour. Note to self. It’s all in the planning!
Next up the backing for the quilt.
Here’s the layout.
Lovely Aberdashery (isn’t that the best name for a haberdasher’s shop in Aberystwyth) had just the right wadding, an eco-blend suitable for a baby quilt.
The front the wadding and the backing were pinned together to make the quilt sandwich and so it was on to the long job of actually quilting. ‘Free motion’ quilting was always a skill I wanted to grasp and I love the challenge, but it is a challenge and needs patience, concentration, a steady hand and nerve! One of the earliest free motion patterns I learned was stippling and early attempts were dreadful. I’m pleased that its now one of the patterns I frequently turn to.
I stippled around each of the woodland creatures and then stitched around each animal for definition and ‘stitched the ditch’ (sewed exactly into the seams) between each animal and the ‘logs’ and the each block with a cross stitch continuing with the black theme.
You can see this best on the back of the quilt.
The final step is the binding and for this quilt it had to be a black and white binding attached to the front by machine then hand finished at the back. I really enjoy hand finishing a quilt, its a final contact with the finished article and needs to be done at leisure, usually in front of the TV and definitely with thimbles. There’s nothing attractive about red spots on a quilt and stabbing fingers with needles is not recommended.
As halloween 2019 approached I recalled having seen some really funky pumpkins when I was browsing on Pinterest. I have quite a bit of orange fabric in my stash so I thought I’d take a closer look. I found a template on the Positively Splendid website. This is a great place for freebie patterns and, I discovered on this visit, you can sign up for email updates.
Once I had the initial segment shape I found it east to scale the size to make the bigger pumpkins I wanted to make.
Lots of lovely juicy oranges
The pumpkins were a really easy little project and could be made up in next to no time. Once the fabrics were selected and cut out they were sewn into two half-pumpkins, the two halves became a whole and were ready for stuffing!
I had a simple system for choosing the fabric for each pumpkin:
2 solid/fairly solid segments
2 dense patterned segments
2 loose patterned segments
Segments were sewn together in 3s to make 2 halves of the pumpkin
Right now the completed pumpkin looks for all the world like a deflated beachball!
Nearly there
Probably the only slightly tedious part of the making was stuffing the pumpkins. I used polyester wadding and just carried on until the pumpkin felt about right and then hand stitched the opening.
I used two pieces of fabric and stitched around the edges and then added veins, then I decided on double stitching just for a bit of definition. the stem was a little cylinder cut on a diagonal along the top edge and stuffed.
Leaves
Completing
All that remained was to pull the pumpkin into a more pumpkin shape. I chose to use 2 strands of embroidery thread from the orange skein; stitched it into place at the bottom of the pumpkin ; stitched into place at the top, and keeping in place in the centre of the segment, tightened it until the shape looked right. This was repeated for each segment. Finally the stem and leaf were stitched into place.
This is definitely a fun, easy and speedy little project. It was popular with the family. I ended making not only my own but a set for my granddaughter and my daughter and a friend. There may be more next year!
We didn’t spend a lot of time on the beach on our most recent trip to Spain and we didn’t ride our bikes down to the sea as often as usual either, but I did carry everything I needed to the beach in Aguadulce in the bag that I made in Mel’s class in Capel Bangor.
Back in Capel Bangor in pale and watery March it looked almost too shockingly bright but on a sunny Spanish beach it wasn’t a bit out of place.
Well, the connection is not about cycling at all but the lovely Moda ‘Pedal Pushers’ fabric designed by the mother and daughters Jung that caught my eye in the days before we started making Mel’s brilliantly designed, multi-pocketed bag.
Here’s the whole 1950’s inspired ‘Pedal Pushers’ range:It was, of course, the red and aqua end of the range that caught my attention. A combination that always draws my eye.
The mini-patch, quilted back pocket shows all of my selection with raspberry ‘Wicker’ and sky ‘Floral Crest’ as my main fabrics.
I had a real sense of satisfaction putting the bag together, putting a range of skills to use, getting the inner and outer pockets in place and finding that everything fitted perfectly – thanks to Mel’s clear instructions and direction of course. Left to my own devices it probably would have been assembled and reassembled numerous times!
And as always our group worked happily and supportively; having lots of fun and, on occasion, really getting down to some serious work!
And when it came to going down to the beach in sunny Almeria with all the necessary paraphernalia my bag was light and easy to carry and not just a brightly coloured beach bag but a practical, organised super-bag. Oh! And the soft padding meant it also served as a soft place to lay my head!
I think my beach dress just serves to prove a point about my current colour preferences!
Among my Christmas presents this year was a treasure chest from one of my lovely friends. Inside were lots of yummy foody things. All locally produced. There were speciality mustards and marmalade, a raspberry couli and a strawberry and kirsch jam produced just at the top of our road and we’d never tried it! There were holly leaf Sarah Bunton Chocolates made just by the narrow gauge train station at Devil’s Bridge. We often take visitors up there so I’ll definitely be calling at the shop in future. There was a lovely little pot, and (how well my friend knows me) a fat quarter of Annali teal floral.
Now as it happens I have had some of this lovely Dashwood Studio range by Stephanie Thannhauser in my stash for some time. This new FQ was just the inspiration I needed to get busy with it.
I also wanted to try a Lynne Goldsworthy design I’d spotted in ‘Love Patchwork and Quilting’ magazine (issue 16) and this fabric seemed just the thing. I needed a bit more than I had for my plan to make a bed runner and cushion covers and turning to my stash again I found some pieces of Eloise Renouf ‘Bark and Branch’ left from a previous project and I chose one for the sashing and one to add to the piecing for the runner. I’d think about the cushions later.
The design for Honeycomb Hexies looks quite complex but Lynne’s instructions combined with the diagrams and illustrations were great and there wasn’t too much work for the seam ripper. I did get carried away on my first row and was merrily adding hexies as if I was making a full size quilt, but I think that shows that the design was simpler than it looks.
The half-hexagon, sashing and triangles were pieced in rows, then mirrored by a second row. Once the rows were pieced they were sewn together in pairs and then the whole top put together. It was a really pleasing process and I loved seeing the pattern emerging.
Here is the runner pinned ready for quilting.
When it came to the cushion covers I decided on one central hexagon with a border in a grey multi and the sashing fabric.
Because this was more of a feature block I tried matching the join in the two halves. It’s not a bad job but it was fiddly so two matches was enough thanks!
I found the multi-grey in the sale in Aberdashery, I used another for the cushion backs.
The quilting needed to be simple, I’m still practicing but I think it’s getting a bit more even overall. Here’s the reverse, simply because it shows up better.
There are so many great designers and quilters out there. Dashwood Studio have some great fabric designers on their books, I’ve recently bought FQs of another great range, ‘Suffolk Garden’ by Brie Harrison. So exciting. They’ll definitely bring the garden into the house.
I find myself following some terrific blogs from designers who generously share their work. Lynne Goldsworthy is one of these. Find her at Lily’s Quilts where she has posted lots of tutorials, among them another great hexie quilt, ‘Hexagon Park’. I’ll certainly be following her fabulous blog as well as looking forward to her contributions in LPQ. So much to look forward to!
When the ‘Flurry’ collection arrived I knew it wouldn’t be long before I put it to use and when I began making the table runner I wasn’t really in a hurry, it just turned out that way! The design was uncomplicated; putting it together was effortless and I thought the clean lines need plain quilting, which took no time at all.
I began with one and a half inch strips of the whole range of flurry colours, sewed them in groups of five then cut them into blocks. It was so quick!
I wanted a grey to set off the colour range (always a favourite) and went to look for something in Aberdashery and as usual found just the thing. A simple grey and white mini-stripe and to complement it perfectly another of the multi-coloured threads that just lift the quilting beautifully.
The checkerboard design was swiftly pieced
and in no time I had a sandwich and was ready to quilt the snappy, wavy lines. So simple.I cut more strips and cut them into randomly sized lengths to make the binding and there it was, complete in only a couple of hours over a few early evening, pre-dinner sewing sessions. Never was anything (made by me) so speedily done!
I picked up a package from the Royal Mail depot in Llanbadarn today. Early morning golf means missing the post and it couldn’t have been our usual postman. If it had been he would have left a message, schlepped up to the shed at the top of the garden, struggled with the fastening contraption on the door and popped the package in a plant pot!
Not a very glamorous building is it? Not nearly as attractive as the 1901 (only just ER not VR) Post Office building in Great Darkgate Street in town.
I often study the mosaic signage sipping coffee in a window seat in Costa just opposite.
Well whatever the building looks like as soon as I saw the blue plastic package excitement mounted because I knew exactly what was inside. I didn’t even get as far as the car (here’s a place where you can park right outside) before ripping it open to feast my eyes on the colours inside.
The whole range of playful spottiness – fifteen of them altogether – ‘Flurry’ from Dashwood studios and ordered from Simply Solids online fabric shop on Saturday. I think this lovely simple range caught my attention in LPQ magazine this month and when I searched for them online …. well as I said, irresistible.
I particularly love the aqua/teal/green fat quarters. No surprises there then!
I don’t think these are going to sit in my stash for very long, in fact I’ve already started imagining a summer table topper for the kitchen.
I wonder if I’ll use all 15 colours? I wonder if I’ll try out the my new ‘Quiltology’ App to plan my design? I wonder how soon I can start?
