Have you had a chance to purchase a copy of Kerri Horsley’s new book Lovely Little Patchwork yet? I was fortunate to get my hands on a copy of the book prior to its official release date thanks to the kind people at Tuva Publishing and so I have had plenty of time to absorb and be inspired by Kerri’s lovely little projects.
When I was asked if I would like to sew something from the book and share it with all of you as part of this promotional blog tour I was quick to say yes! When I first browsed through the pages I was pleasantly surprised by how many projects appealed to me. For this blog tour I chose to flip to the Winter section of the book (since it has been cold and dreary in my part of the world as of late), and I decided to make Kerri’s Ice Skating Girl Pillow.
While the original design calls for an embroidered centre piece I chose to forego that element both because my embroidery skills are a little subpar at best, and also because I wanted to use the pillow on a sofa in a family space where I know sweet delicate handwork wouldn’t fare too well ;). But that is one of the things I love about the projects Kerri has designed – they can easily be adapted, personalised or simplified for all skill levels and taste.
I have wanted to create various red and aqua pillows for my sofa for sometime so I decided to stick to the original colour scheme and raid my scrap bins for red, pink, aqua and low volume fabric, but because I haven’t been quilting for very long my scrap fabric is rather limited and I was worried that my narrow scrap choices might make the end result a little too busy.
For the primary colour prints I decided I had a reasonable mixture of small scale, medium scale and geometric prints. Since I was making a pillow and the pieces were to be relatively small I decided not to include any large scale prints in the selection. As an added bonus, at least one print from each of the colour categories contained an accent colour that linked backed to another colour creating a cohesive feel to the overall palette (eg. there is a pink fabric that has red strawberries on it and similarly there is a red fabric with aqua flowers on it etc.). While the low volume assortment of fabric meant there would still be a ‘busyness’ to the scrappy feel, I decided that the fabric selection felt harmonious and I began to piece the block.
I followed Kerri’s instructions precisely and had no difficulty in constructing the block. Kerri generously oversizes the cut pieces in order to ensure there is plenty of wiggle room for trimming – a method I am always grateful for because it practically guarantees a successful outcome.
One of the things I did do by following the instructions which I normally wouldn’t do is press all the seams open. As a general rule I only press my seams open on very limited occasions so this exercise caused me to stop, think and pin way more than I would usually. I can definitely see why pressing the seams open was an advantage for this particular block – there are many intersecting points and this method ultimately reduced the bulk at those intersections, but I’m certainly not going to be an ‘open seam convert’ anytime soon since aligning open seams can be slippery work – ;P!
Do you prefer to press your seams open or to one side? I am interested in hearing what others like or don’t like and think about either method… (I asked the same question earlier today on Instagram and have found the comments insightful!)
After an afternoon in the studio I had 2 completed blocks ready to be quilted – I decided that if I was making 1 block then I may as well make 2 (and give 1 away), after all it seems reasonable to assume that it takes as much time to make 2 identical blocks as it does 1! At least that is what I tried to convince myself of, even though it is completely untrue – twice as many points always takes me at least twice as long – I am SO slow – LOL!!.
Using some 1.5″ blue painter’s tape as a guide I quilted 45° diagonal lines across the pieced block creating a simple crosshatch grid. It’s easily my favourite way to quilt small projects.
While I was initially tempted to use a red or aqua print for the binding I found the calming influence of the taupe stripe to be the perfect finishing touch.
I only really detoured from the instructions when it came time to make the pillow back. Kerri uses an envelope closure for her pillow forms, but I personally like to use a zip – purely personal preference!
In the end I was really happy with how the pillow and mini turned out – I love the kaleidoscope feel to the overall design :). What do you think?
A few weeks ago I also made the Cross Stitch Sewing Book from the Spring section of the book and shared some of my progress on Instagram. Here are some progress images in case you missed them earlier…
It was another fun and successful project that wasn’t too difficult and yet still allowed me to learn a few things along the way.
If you like fun and light-hearted projects with a touch of whimsy, then you will most likely love this book – it’s a great one to have in your collection.
Thanks for stopping by today – I truly appreciate it! While I am not going to win any awards for ‘most frequent blogger’ any time soon I am diligently working behind the scenes to create a website that functions as it should and has content worthy of your time. This website has been a long term project for me and while I am happy that I am at least now ‘live’ there are still lots of issues to be resolved that I am slowly working through and so I appreciate those of you who overlook the flaws and drop by to see what I have been up to.
My goal has always been to provide content that is valuable and informative. I try to share my thought process and the behind the scenes choices and actions that lead to certain outcomes as a way to help and encourage others. What I would love to know is what sort of content you like to read about on quilting blogs? Are you just scrolling through the pretty pictures or are you in search of ‘more’ – and if you are in search of more then what exactly would you like to find?
Leave me a comment and let me know what you love most about blogs, what you would most like to see on this blog, who your favourite bloggers are or how you like to press your seams and one lucky person will receive the mini quilt I made as a thank you for your input.
There are still lots of blog stops left on the Lovely Little Patchwork blog tour and you can follow along on Instagram too by searching #lovelylittlepatchworkblogtour or by following the makers below :).
Here is the info…
I like to read sewing related blogs which shows the creative process, why those fabrics, why that design… I follow blogs on bloglovin so if you blog every 2 months it is not a problem for me.
I love reading about your process and your photos are gorgeous. You can never have too many! Always love to see you pop up in my feed!
Great post, Samantha! Such a great pillow and mini quilt. I love a blog with lots of pictures and you delivered! I especially loved the idea of using painters tape as a quilting guide. Brilliant!
My seam pressing depends on the project…lights and darks, matching points, matching seams etc.
That is one gorgeous pillow! I only press my seams open if I know there are going to be a lot of intersecting seams. Otherwise, I like pressing to the side. I love pretty photos, but I also love tips and tricks, tutorials, and techniques (all the T’s!!) I really like reading the story behind the quilt patterns too.
Love Love LOOOOOVE your Pillow!! I love Blogs that show how to do things, Tips, pictures, and chatter like I have just spent time with a special friend! 🙂 Thank you for tip about Painter’s Tape for your lines! How cool is that!!!
Thank you too..for chance to win your Give-a-way!! 😀
I press the seams to one side 🙂 I like to red tutorials and QAL and also giveaways.
Hi Sam, I love your blog, and just realised we are close neighbours both living here in the hills…forgive me for being so slow to catch up lol! I’m a fan of all your work. Thanks for the tip of using the masking tape as a guide…that’s so useful!x
Sam,
I love both your pillow and mini quilt. I am relatively new to Instagram but because of blogs like yours I have learned so much. Thanks for all the great information you share with us.
As usual i love your beautiful patchwork and color selections. I am too far for you to ship to me, but wanted you to know I did come and read your post. Youre an inspiration!
Hi! I read a few blogs, Dolly Henry, SewMimi, ASpoonful of Sugar, MinkiKim, and YOU! I mostly press open since I do lots of patchwork and don’t like quilting bulky intersections😜
I also use the “tape trick” and love it for keeping me from going wonky 😂 Even with a walking foot I can’t get it “straight”.
I adore your pillows since they have some of my coveted Vintage Modern in them! And I’m all about the AQUA!!!
Thank you for your blog and a very generous giveaway!!!💠💠💠
Kim
I read blogs from time to time, but not as much as I used to. Since Instagram has become so big, I use it more often. But I often follow links from there to stories, tips and giveaways on blogs. Your mini is lovely and my favorite colors. Would love to add it to my collection!
I use to read blogs all the time. But I very rarely do that anymore because of time constraints. I am faithful to going on IG at least once or twice a day though. That’s how I try to keep a finger on the pulse of the creative community.
I prefer pressing seams to the side (that’s what I always did and I usually stitch in the ditch to quilt). That said, I’ve been trying to expand my techniques so lately have been experimenting more. I still find I do a better job lining up the pieces with the seams pressed to the side but maybe I just need more practice. I love reading blogs – I just don’t have enough time to read as many as I’d like to as I find more people to follow on IG.
I love reading blogs with gorgeous fabric combo ideas and trendy tutorials! I’ve only just begun quilting so I’m still learning and buying all these beautiful fabrics nonstop. I’m in a summer sampler currently and sometimes the directions tell you to press open, some say press to opposite sides, and other just say press. Anyways, I think it’s all about preference
I saw your lovely pillow on IG and just had to hop over to see your blog. It’s beautiful and I love everything about it. Blogs with lots of excellent pictures are my favorite and yours fits right in there. I guess I press most of my seams to one side since I do a lot of stitch in the ditch quilting. However, every once in awhile a quilt top calls for seams pressed open. It’s all fun either way!
I love blogs, but I don’t read them as often as I used to. I used to diligently read Camille’s blog until she stopped blogging and went to IG. I get so inspired reading blogs, and I love tutorials!!!
I press seams open if there are lots of them that would make it to bulky to press to one side.
Thanks for the chance to win this lovely mini! It’s gorgeous!!!
This pillow is so beautiful!! I love the pattern and the fabric choices. Thank you for sharing your quilting techniques.
I don’t read many blogs anymore. I really like when there is something interesting (or pretty!) on IG that direct me to a blog. I feel that blogs are updated less frequently nowadays so an IG update is nice.
I do like when helpful tips are on blogs-there is more room for step by step helps.
I simply love that blogs are “more”. More pictures, more words. You excel at both, so your blog is just wonderful!
I love reading blogs and seeing all the new fabrics!!
Love the mini quilts !
I love reading blogs and seeing all the new fabrics!! Instagram is also good to follow when I don’t have enough time to read an entire post.
I really appreciate the insights into patterns. It helps to know what to expect when I see something I think I want to make. And pretty pictures are always welcome. 🙂 I admit I tend to look at Instagram more than blogs lately, but blogs are still a nice resource for more detailed info. And thank you for the painters tape tip! I will absolutely be using that in the future.
I don’t read blogs much anymore… Because a lot of the people I use to follow don’t blog anymore… If I see something on Instagram that interests me I will open their blog. A little bit of everything Ü
I used to read blogs and write my own but Instagram seems to have taken over my life. I need to get back to it though. I love Maureen Cracknell’s blog, she’s always been my favourite. I like blog posts that share a bit of the personal life of the blogger as well. I always try to press my seams open, this may not always happen, but that’s the goal! I love your blog, your photos are great!
I love reading blogs!! I learn so much, such as different ways to do a quilting technique. I really like using painter’s tape as a straight line stitching guide. When pressing seams, I prefer pressing the seams to the side. I am a long arm quilter and prefer the seams pressed to the side so I can stitch in the ditch on the low side of the seam. Blogs I like are Green Fairy, Fabric Mutt and Debby Brown and the news that they share. I love tutorials that include free patterns too!
I love getting free patterns and seeing what people are working on their blogs.
Amazing blog and an amazing book i realy wana buy it .. The mini quilt and the pillows are so beautiful 😍❤️
I love to read blogs with my morning coffee. I find quilting inspiration from the many different ones that I do read. Instagram is great but I like the story behind the scenes.
I read a few blogs regularly, yours, A Quilting Life and Click, Click Sew. Others, I read occasionally when I come across them.
I like it when there are tutorials with lots of pictures. Your pictures are eye candy.
I still follow quite a few blogs via Bloglovin’, although many do not post as frequently, myself included. I like Instagram too, but I like blogs that show the “whole story” of a quilt. From start to finish, fabric pull to finished project; that’s my favorite blog post to read. And I try to read what has been written, especially if the author tells a story about why / how the quilt was created. 🙂
I love Instagram (a lot!) but I still enjoy going and reading a blog post to find out more details, see more pictures etc. I wish IG made it easier to click on a link, read a blog post and then go back to where you were in your feed. I screen shot then go back later in the day to read the interesting things. I follow a few blogs but not many. So keep on reminding us on IG that you have blogged more details about something! ❤️
I love blogs that show finishes, wips, tutorials along with a bit about themselves. I’m not following many blogs that are full of promotions as it seems the personal touch just isn’t present there.
I know what you mean about pressing seams open. I don’t do it often but it’s really helpful with a lot of intersecting points.
I like to press to the side whenever possible- I love blogs that share a little of the process and then the finished product.