So this is a bit exciting! Tonight I get to finally introduce my latest quilt pattern to you all and share all the wonderful photos taken by my incredible testing group. I say finally because this quilt was a long time in the making. Sickness has plagued me the past few months and so much has been put on the back burner, it is so lovely to be finally crossing things off my to do lists and moving forward again.
Now about this quilt. The Blustery Day quilt is Fat 1/8th friendly and designed for confident beginners. To make it I used Liberty of London prints I have gathered from my monthly subscription to the Ava & Neve Liberty Society which has been an amazing way to build my Liberty stash. I am determined to use my prints and not keep them languishing on a shelf so there are lots of lovely makes happening here, some for me and some for the shop. After all beautiful fabrics need to be used not collected. For the background I used a charcoal grey Art Gallery solid called Moonstone which I think gave the quilt a really modern feel despite the fact the blocks are so classic.
The quilt is designed with the idea of falling leaves and you have the option of either following the pattern exactly or doing a random version. Once you have pieced the leaf blocks the quilt comes together quite quickly and the top can easily be made in a weekend.
And how perfect is it made in Liberty!
I backed and bound the quilt in another Art Gallery fabric – oval elements in saffron. It added the perfect modern edge. Art Gallery fabrics have such a beautiful feel which are perfect again lawn. For the quilting I did a series of straight lines 1/4″ apart, skipping the leaves so that they puff out slightly. I think when the quilt is washed and dried they will really come into their own.
I had such a lovely time taking photos around our township – I am discovering I have a real thing with old doors and stone walls. There is really nothing better than taking a quilt outside and out of a more traditional environment. I also way prefer them draped than laid out, which means it isn’t always so easy to see the full design but they look so much more alive.
This photo was taken at one of our many amazing coffee places – Goodness Coffee Co. This was originally the blacksmith shop and I love that they kept the building as intact as possible. Sadly she was closed so no interior photos. The photo taken on the red door above is next door. It was the Blacksmith’s house and built in the 1850s, then it became a service station for a while before reverting back to a dwelling. I don’t think I have given my area enough credit for the cool parts but I am slowly changing that as I venture out for photos- there really is so much to learn here.Ok one last pic of mine before I move on to my amazing tester photos – seriously though it is so hard to resist a shot with Liberty in it! My testers did an amazing job – AMAZING. It was incredible to see the different versions they all came up with, each so different to the other yet equally as striking. I wish I could share 100 images because choosing just one from each nearly killed me. I will share more on my social media though over the coming weeks because they are too good not to share.
I love Heather’s version – such classic fabrics and perfect for the American Fall season. I could absolutely sink into the plaid backing. She chose to do her own version for the layout and those leaves in the centre look like a wee wind has just started to pick them up off the floor. She sent me some amazing photos too – I could do a blog post just on them alone! You can find Heather on Instagram here.
Once again Joanne didn’t disappoint, I am so lucky she agrees to test my patterns with each release! I love the ombre effects of these leaves against the orange background. Perfect for some Halloween snuggling. You can find Joanne on Instagram here.
Emily has become a lovely friend of mine on social media. We have been talking for a while now and she has done some beautiful work with my patterns. She has a genuine talent for quilting and always picks lovely fabrics – Tilda seems to be her greatest love at the moment but it is easy to see why. Against the white this is a such a lovely quilt and as always she photographed it perfectly! You can see Emily’s work on Instagram here.
Tracey and her daughter Chantelle made their blocks using the Old New 30s range from Spotlight. The finished quilt is just gorgeous but I love seeing them all in a scattered pile like this. Chantelle is a teenage quilter and does such clever work, as does Tracey. I love that they share this hobby together and hope I get lucky with one of my 3 at some point. You can find her on her Facebook page here.
How amazingly vibrant is Linden’s version of the quilt -she used some pretty amazing fabrics and everything just pops. It is always great to see your pattern made in fabrics you would never pick yourself because it really sparks your own creativity. Now I want to make all the quilts in all the bright colours! You can follow Linden’s amazing quilting work on Instagram here.
And last but definitely not least is this gorgeous image from my friend Michele from My Georgie Boy. I love this liberty print so much and this image is so simple I had to include it. Michele’s whole quilt top uses this liberty print and is just stunning, like all her work actually. I am lucky to call her my friend, she is such a talented one to have and she always wows me with her work. You can find Michele and order quilts from her on Instagram here.
So my friends that is a wrap! I cant believe I am releasing my 6th quilt pattern this year! It is such a lot of work but so rewarding and I really do love this new direction I am headed. Only problem is every time I finish a pattern I have an idea for 20 more. I guess it means I have enough ideas for 20 years of quilting though.
The Blustery Day quilt pattern is available as a PDF in my store here. It is available for immediate download and half price for a week to celebrate its arrival into the piccolo family. Paper patterns are coming too as I know many of you prefer this option. I will be sure to update this post when they are ready.
Ok one more sneaky pic before I go because I love this one Heather took so much! I think I need to do a whole quilt shoot based around Adelaide statues now although I don’t think I will find any as cool as this one!
Sarah xxx
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