Hand Sewing Hibernation

plus a freebie pattern from a friend!

I don’t want to add to the constant complaints about the weather in the UK this winter but the endless grey skies and rain did start to get me down a few weeks back. Surviving the Scottish winter sometimes feels like living in a cave and it can be hard to stay motivated and cheerful.

In the end I just decided to give in and try hibernation instead. This has involved me starting a number of new hand sewing projects while listening to a lot of podcasts and audio drama and staying warm and snuggly inside.

And it actually worked, I kept my sanity through the worst and in the last few days the weather has improved and spring feels just around the corner!

And now I have many lovely projects to share with you today…

Dream Bird Family Portraits is an idea I have been percolating for a while. My Dream Bird patterns were released two years ago and are still incredibly popular.

But in my head I kept wanting to put the birds into an ornate picture frame. I’m imagining them as portraits of beloved ancestors which adorn the staircases of their country houses.

I created five of these framed portraits, three are still in progress. My plan is to mount these on A4 boards and sell them as mini original textile artworks at my forthcoming exhibition at the Scottish Quilting Show in Glasgow next month.

If they prove popular I can always make more for a future shop update. I’d love to know your thoughts on them! Are they too insane even for me?!

At QuiltCon in 2019 I attended a workshop with Timna Tarr on making quilt maps. I started a large map of our 7 acres of re-wilded woodland which we call ‘Shangri la Farm’.

It was of course all needle-turn appliqué and I only ever got a small amount finished. Years went by while it languished in a bag…

Since 2019 we have changed so much of the depicted land, including completely rebuilding our house, and that meant I lost the motivation to find it and finish it.

I found my sample the other day by accident and decided to cut my losses, literally. I cut the map down to the bit I had completed and started adding randomly shaped pieces of scrap fabric. I then started stitching all over it in the style of my recent Stitch Wanderings.

I am going to call this a Map Wandering and will continue to work on it now until it is a pleasing piece of textile art with a vague ‘map vibe’.

Meanwhile The Thread House Academy rolls on month after month and up next is our final class of the year, Karen’s Folk Garden Quilt.

I have been such a fan of this design since Karen first showed Lynne and I over a year ago. My first introduction to appliqué was this sort of mola inspired reverse appliqué back in the early 1990’s. In fact the first class I ever taught was this subject to my local quilt group at the time.

I really love Karen’s design aesthetic and the simple but effective motifs she draws. So as soon as she had finished her template sheet I used elements from her full sized design to make this smaller panel (which is about 16”).

This was a lovely, soothing project to work on. I used the beautiful Artisan Cotton from Windham Fabrics along with Aurifl 8wt cotton. I haven’t decided yet whether this will be a pillow or a wall hanging.

Folk Garden Quilt single class is now for sale and can be bought by clicking on the button below. The class goes live on March 1st.

In other Thread House Academy news we have just announced the date for this year’s Free Taster Weekend. This is when you get to ‘try before you buy’ with 3 exclusive tutorials which are available to watch over the weekend of 25/26 April. This is also when we launch our prospectus for the year ahead with an early bird discount.

I will share more info next month (including the subject of my class!) but for now just save that date!

Now for that freebie I promised…

Nic of Craftapalooza has come up with a wonderful idea to collaborate through newsletters. She is teaming up with a different creative every month to do a sort of introduction swap. Basically I tell you all about her and she introduces me to her readers.

Nic Vaughan is the designer behind Craftapalooza Designs, based in Perth, Australia. Nic is known for handwork-forward patchwork with a big love for applique, hand piecing, and slow stitching, all in the name of “stitching glimmers of joy into patchwork and quilts”.

As part of our collaborative share, Nic is bringing her free Tea for Me quilt block to you. The sample shown was stitched using needle turn appliqué, but you can use any appliqué method you love, including fusible or machine appliqué. Download the free PDF, pop the kettle on, and settle in for some cosy stitching. Click the link in the button below, enter your details, and the pattern will be emailed straight to you.

I do hope you will enjoy getting to know more about Nic through her website and newsletters!

I will leave you with yet another folk art doll. Well you didn’t think I’d be able to stop making these did you?!

I had a sudden urge to try one using printed fabric so delved into my vast stash of Liberty tana lawn to make this sweet little bird. She came out a bit smaller and thinner then her brothers and sisters but just as cute!