Dailylike - a beautiful Online Store.

Have you heard of Dailylike? I recently discovered this beautiful online shop stocking the sweetest fabrics, trims, buttons, bias tape, fabric tape and all things paper.  They also stock a lovely range of Homewares and Gift wrapping needs.   

With all of my Quilting and sewing I am always on the lookout for fabrics that are unique and very good quality to add to my stash.  Sometimes I am after fabrics that haven't been seen everywhere and offer fresh prints and colours to work with.  The fabrics that Dailylike have are all wrapped into bundles of 3 Fat Quarter packs and all co-ordinated and matched beautifully to provide lots of inspiration for lots of projects.

They also stock beautiful items like this Small Wire Basket as well as Laminated Fabrics, Canvas and so much more.

If you find choosing colours to go together tricky then these bundles will be perfect for you as they are all matched and work well together or on their own. There are a variety of different textures within the fabrics to to add more dimension to your work.

I just adore Ribbon, Cotton Lace and trims.  I love incorporating different textures into my sewing and these trims are just so delicate and will look great especially on Zakka style projects.

Buttons, Buttons and more buttons all perfectly fabric covered buttons and made into sets to match your fabric bundles.  I especially think these fabric buttons look great for clothing but certainly would look great on any project.  

Dailylike have very generously offered all my readers a 15% discount on all purchases using the code- TIEDWITHARIBBON at the checkout.  Coupon code is valid until 24th December, 2015 which is great for you to stock up before Christmas.  They also offer flat rate shipping.

Jemima x 

The Farmers Wife 1930's Quilt-A-Long - #46 Jewel

Welcome to The Farmers Wife 1930's Quilt -A-Long.  I am sharing my tips and techniques to make block #46 Jewel with you all.  I was thrilled to be asked by Angie of GnomeAngel to participate an an official blogger together with Fat Quarter Shop.

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W; RRP $28.99 – Click here to purchase.

It took me a long time to settle on which fabrics I would use.  I brought out a few collections like my Cotton and Steel, 1930's Reproductions and a few others but finally settled on some fabrics from my Liberty of London collection inspired by the colours of pink, yellow and red.

ENGLISH PAPER PIECING

I love English Paper Piecing (EPP), I love the time taken to hand sew each stitch and how perfectly imperfect each stitch is.  I find it relaxing as well as a great way to take my sewing with me out and about on long car trips, waiting for my girls when they are at activities or just as a way to spend some time winding down.

I think that if you are going to spend time hand sewing then make sure you have the right tools and equipment to make the process easier and enjoyable.  These are MY favourite Notions and Tools for any EPP project.

Aurifil 50wt Thread

Glue Pen

Rotating Cutting Mat

Clover Binding Clips

Clover Applique Sharps size 9

Olfa Rotary Cutter

Quilters Wonder Wheel 

(adds a 1/4in seam allowance around shapes)

Pre cut Papers and Templates 

in what ever shape or pattern you are using

Small Embroidery Scissors

Thread Basting versus Glue Basting - I really think this is just personal preference.  For this block I have chosen to Glue Baste.

Invest in good tools and equipment, for example you don't want to have inferior thread snap, break or shred for all the time you spend hand sewing and using needles that glide through your fabric will be much easier.  

#46 Jewel

FREEZER PAPER EPP METHOD - For this block I am using Freezer Paper to make my Templates.  You can of course use regular paper to print out your pattern and use but I hope to show you a technique you may have not seen before for English Paper Piecing.  This method makes it easy to keep pieces for each fabric together and stops the paper from moving about while you are basting.  Also because you will be dealing with Mirror Image pieces in this block it makes for easy cutting out without having to worry about which pieces to mirror on the fabric and getting muddled up.

Step 1 - This block does not use common pre-cut paper shapes or templates such as hexagons, diamonds or pentagons like in many English Paper Piecing projects so you will need to make your own Paper Shapes for this block.  I use Reynolds Freezer Paper and after printing off the Completed Block Template from the CD, trace the entire block carefully onto the paper side of the Freezer Paper using a sharp lead pencil and ruler.

Step 2 - Take your chosen fabrics for each of the pieces and number the pieces on the Freezer Paper pattern according to co-ordinating fabric number - in this block I numbered my Pink fabric 1, Floral fabric 2 and Yellow fabric 3.  Carefully cut out the Freezer Paper pattern pieces as accurately as possible to make your template shapes for your block.

Step 3 - Place the shiny side of the Freezer Paper to the wrong side of the fabric, leaving enough space around each piece to later cut out a 1/4in seam allowance.  Press the shapes to the back of the Freezer Paper and they "stay" in place on the back of the fabric without moving.  Cut out each of the shapes using your Rotating Cutting Mat and Rotary Cutter with a 1/4in seam allowance ready for Glue Basting.

Step 4 - Glue Baste your shape using your Glue Pen.  Do not trim any "tails" as you move these out of the way of your paper pieces as you sew.

Step 5 - To sew your pieces together place them with points/corners matching and right sides facing.  Put a Binding Clip at the opposite end to hold the points. Whip Stitch towards your binding clip keeping your stitches just through the fold of the fabric and not lower in the paper (otherwise you will not be able to remove these later).  Try to keep your stitches nice and even so that they are less noticeable.

Step 6 - Continue to English Paper Piece all the pieces together as shown in the pattern to make the block.  Binding clips are also fabulous to help you meet the intersections with the pieces so that everything lines up. 

Step 7 - Once you have sewn all the pieces together you can carefully remove the papers by lifting the seam allowance from the papers and peeling the Freezer Paper off the back of the fabric. Press the seam allowances back into position to sit flat and Press out, the outside seam allowance to make your block to correct unfinished size.  

I hope this Freezer Paper technique shows you how easy it is to sew with Mirror Image Pieces in your blocks.  Hand sewing your blocks does take time so enjoy it and the more you do the better and more confidant you will become with this technique.

Some of the other Blocks you will find this month and the talented Bloggers behind them are

03/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

05/11/2015: Cat @ Cat + Vee

05/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

06/11/2015:  Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts

10/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

11/11/2015: Nadra @ Ellis and Higgs

12/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

13/11/2015: Raylee @ Sunflower Quilting & Sherri @ A Quilting Life

17/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

18/11/2015: Jemima @ Tied with a Ribbon

19/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

20/11/2015: Gemma @ Pretty Bobbins

24/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

25/11/2015: Cassie @ Cassandra Madge

26/11/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

27/11/2015: Lisa @ In the Boon Docks & Anita @ Daydreams of Quilts

Happy Sewing

Jemima x 

Lecien Flower Sugar - Butterfly Charm Boxes

Flower Sugar by Lecien Fabrics is one of those iconic ranges that each year just keeps getting better and better.  This range - Flower Sugar Fall 2015 will be in stores in May 2016 and I have been asked by Lecein to one of their Flower Sugar World Ambassadors - getting to make and design with upcoming ranges to inspire your creativity.  I love the mix of prints within the colours with florals, checks, spots and all co-ordinated to work together like a dream.

I have a list of all the creative things I see that I want to make and I knew this bundle was perfect to incorporate two of these.  Firstly I have been dying to make some of Lilly Ella's (@lillyellasworld) Butterfly Charm Blocks.  Her free Tutorial is excellent and I just adored making this Foundation Paper Pieced Butterfly.  

Using the Butterfly Charm block as my inspiration I turned it into "The Square Box"  by Amber Crawley (@simplelovequilts).  Let me warn you these Boxes are addictive and with the beautiful Lecien prints it was easy to mix and match the fabrics to achieve the look I was after.

I even fussy cut some of the prints to make the most of the delicate florals with not only the top of the Aqua Box but also for inside the smaller box and lid.

Flower Sugar is definitely one of those ranges that is timeless and will be a loved addition to your stash and well worth the wait.

Happy Sewing

Jemima x 

Liberty Hexie Kisses Quilt

I am a big fan of Liberty Tana Lawn - that is no secret so getting to work with some of these beautiful Liberty fabrics from Alice Caroline is pretty much the equivalent of sewing heaven.

Alice Caroline Fabrics is one of my favourite online stores for Liberty of London fabrics.  There selection is amazing and this stunning Liberty Rainbow Bundle is set to be made into a quilt I have had on my list to make for a while.  They stock all the latest collections and have lots of bundles to choose from to build and grow your own Liberty Collection.

Hexie Kisses by Jen Kingwell has been on my "to make" list for a while and these Liberty fabrics are just perfect for this design.  I just love how bright and vibrant these colours and prints are and this quilt will be made for all those Summer nights when there is just a slight chill in the air. I am using this Grey Bobo as the diamonds for this pattern.

All machine pieced using Auriful thread #2021, the trick with this quilt as all the cuts are sewn on the bias is to starch your quilt as you iron and pin, pin, pin!

You can see why it is called Hexie Kisses with the pattern making large X's through the pattern.

With the quilt top now all together I am sending this off to be professionally Long Arm Quilted.  I am going to use Quilt Lite for this project as I want it to be a summer weight quilt which will make it light, soft and drapey.  It will fold up quite small with this Batting and it will be just perfect at night when it it just a little cooler through summer.

Jemima x 

Tutorial - How to Reverse Applique

Yule Tide Tree Skirt Sew A-Long

For all those that have joined us on the #YULETIDESAL it has been lovely to see all of your progress with your own Tree Skirts.  There are lots of lovely pics to date from creators all over the world.  You can check out the #yuletidesal hash tag over on Instagram.

This week we are working on the Reverse Appliqué for the Stars and this can be a little tricky so below I am demonstrating the how to with some photos along with instructions to help you out.

Step 1 - Trace out the stars pattern from the templates onto your Vliesofix (Heat n Bond).  Iron (according to the manufacturers instructions) onto the back side of your tree skirt above the trees or houses.

Step 2 - Carefully cut out the Stars through both layers of Vliesofix and fabric.

Step 3 - Peel back the Vliesofix and place your matching fabric cut out with the right side of the fabric showing through to the front of your Tree skirt.  Press in place.  Make sure your fabric covers the Vliesofix completely or you will have a big mess on your iron.

Step 4 - Sew around the outside of your stars with your chosen method of stitching.  I chose to simply sew around the stars with straight stitch on my machine using a cream Gutermann Sulky Thread.

Hope that helps show just how easy Reverse Appliqué is to do.  It is effective and gives your project just something a little extra special.

The Yule Tide Tree Skirt Pattern is available for PDF download here at my Store or Wholesale through Creative Abundance if you are a store looking to carry this pattern.

Happy sewing

Jemima x

Shadow Stars - Quilt/Play Mat Tutorial

Earlier this year I was thrilled to be asked to join the Penny Rose Design Team.  Being able to design and create projects with upcoming and current ranges is great fun and hopefully inspires you along the way.

I absolutely adore making children's quilts - and with the beautiful range "Toy Chest" to create with, these prints reminiscent of the best things in life as a child - who would not love sweet chicks, cute birds, sailing boats, mice with their cheese and so many other fun prints.  Here is my Tutorial to make this Shadow Stars Quilt for yourself.

Shadow Stars Quilt

32in x 40in

1/4in seam allowance included

Fabrics based on 42in Width of Fabric (WOF)

Fabric Requirements

20 Fat 1/8ths Toy Chest fabrics

1.25yds White spot fabric

3/8 yd of Binding fabric

40in x 48in batting

40in x 48in backing fabric

Cutting Instructions

From each of 10 Toy Chest Fabrics for the Main Stars cut 

1 - 4.5in x 4.5in square

8 - 2.5 x 2.5in squares

From each of the remaining 10 Toy Chest fabrics for the Shadow Stars cut

4 - 2.5in x 2.5in squares

4 - 2.5in x 4.5in rectangles

From the White spot fabric cut

10 - 4.5in x 4.5in squares

120 - 2.5in x 2.5in squares

40 - 2.5in x 4.5in rectangles

From the binding cut

4 strips at 2.5in x WOF

Assembly Instructions

1. To make 1 Main Star take a 2.5in x 2.5in Toy Chest Square and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.  Lay the square right sides together on a white spot 4.5in x 2.5in rectangle.  Pin in place and machine sew in place.

2. Trim away 1/4in after the sewn line.  Press the Triangle out.

3.  Repeat step 1 and 2 for the other side.  

4. This is now a Flying Geese unit and you will need to make 4 per fabric for each of the 10 Main Stars.

5. To each side of 2 Flying Geese units, pin and sew a 2.5in x 2.5in White Spot fabric.  Press towards the main print.  Take the other 2 remaining Flying Geese and pin and sew to either side of the 4.5in x 4.5in Main Fabric square.  Press towards the Flying Geese units.

6.  Sew the unit together as shown above.  Repeat to make 10 Main Star fabric blocks in total.

7. To make 1 Shadow Star you will need 1- 4.5in x 4.5in White spot fabric square, 8 - 2.5in x 2.5in White spot fabric squares, 4 Toy Chest 2.5in x 2.5in squares and 4 Toy Chest 2.5in x 4.5in rectangles.  

8. To make the Shadow Stars repeat steps 1-6 as above to make 10 Shadow Star Blocks.

9.  You will now have 10 Main Star blocks and 10 Shadow Star blocks.  Arrange these in a 4 x 5 formation until you are happy with the placement of the fabrics and colours.

10. Pin and Sew the first row together making sure to match up all the points so that your seams sit nicely. Press seams towards the "darker" or Toy Chest fabrics.  Sew each of the rows together and then sew all the rows together. 

11.  Sandwich your quilt.

12.  Machine Quilt or Hand Quilt as desired.  I machine quilted mine using a loopy Free-Motion design on my sewing machine all over the quilt.

13. Bind your quilt - take the binding strips and join them end to end.  Press them in one direction.  Then press the entire strip in half length ways with wrong sides facing.  Start about half way along one of the sides of the quilt, metering the corners as you go.  Stop about 6 inches from where you started.  Join the ends and cut off the excess.  Continue sewing the binding to the quilt top.  Trim the backing and wadding, fold over the binding and slip stitch into place along the back seam line.

Happy Sewing

PS - isn't my niece a cutie!

Jemima x