Summer Stroll Quilt in Ombre Confetti

I've been itching to make a rainbow version of my Summer Stroll quilt ever since I first released it two years ago. The original quilt was in my Summer Blush fabric range for Riley Blake Designs, which are now long out of print, so it was time to update this pattern with new fabrics. I simply love, love, love the vibrant, gem-like colours in this quilt! The fabrics are Ombre Confetti by V & Co for Moda.

The construction method uses half rectangle triangles (HRTs) - if you look carefully in these WIP pictures that I previously shared on Instagram you can see the units. If you've never sewn with HRTs before don't be afraid - there's nothing to them, and the pattern has clear illustrations showing you how.

The original pattern included only 12 print fabrics (two triangles from each fabric) to minimize waste. I updated the pattern so you can now use 24 fabrics (a different print for each triangle), whilst also keeping fabric waste low. Both options are now included in the pattern so you can choose whichever method you prefer.

Pop over to my shop now to grab your PDF pattern! As an added bonus it's also on sale this week - happy sewing dear friends!

Embroidered Cottage | New Mini

The new issue of Homespun magazine is out in shops and on the cover is my Embroidered Cottage project! This is my third time being on the cover of Homespun, but the thrill of it never gets old.

I thoroughly enjoyed designing and making this project which combines a number of techniques - raw edge applique, 'drawing' with thread and hand-embroidery. This is a project you can make on a regular sewing machine - an embroidery machine is not required. The coloured fabrics are applique pieces backed with fusible web - I use Heat'n Bond Lite but other brands such as Vliesofix or Wonder Under could be used also. These pieces are fused onto the background by pressing with an iron, and then outlined in black thread on a regular sewing machine set to free motion mode with an open toe / darning foot. The flowers are added on in the final stage using two simple hand embroidery stitches (french knot and straight stitch). It may look like a complicated project, but it really isn't - just follow the simple steps and let go of your 'inner perfectionist' and you will end up with a charming piece of art.

The second project I wanted to show you today is my new mini quilt, which I made by sewing together the 6" blocks I've been making for the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge. These are all classic quilt blocks (tutorials are available - search for #rbdblockchallenge on Facebook or Instagram for the details). The fabrics are the blue and pink prints from my Rhapsody collection. I finished the mini by matchstick quilting it, which always looks so nice with the texture it creates.

Life's beginning to return to normal here - a new form of 'normal' at least... South Australia has done extremely well with COVID 19 - eradicated in fact, we've had zero cases for quite a few weeks now. We still have some restrictions remaining but normality has resumed in most parts. Schools have gone back several weeks ago and kids' sports and dancing have resumed - which means I get LOTS of crochet time in the car again! So I decided to start a new blanket, using the gorgeous Nature's Walk Pattern by Sandra from Cherry Heart. Oh I love this so much! I'm using Scheepjes Stone Washed 4 Ply for it and here's my colour palette. It was a struggle to find all the colours I wanted locally so I had to order most of it from the UK, and it took 2 months to arrive. But well worth the wait.

Until next time, happy sewing dear friends!

New Fabric Collection: 'Fleur'

I'm so thrilled to introduce my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake Designs - Fleur, shipping August 2020.

Fleur is the next chapter in my fabric design story which remains forever inspired by flowers and the beauty of nature. I'm very blessed to live on a picturesque farm in wine country - surrounded all around by vineyards where we keep chickens and grow fruit trees. The peaceful rural setting and my own orchard and flower gardens continue to provide me with endless inspiration for my dainty floral designs. Fleur is a bright and cheerful collection with bold, vibrant colors spanning the whole spectrum of the rainbow - a versatile modern collection suited well for quilting, garments, home decor, totes and bags, and all manners of small sewing projects.

At the time of writing this post I'm still waiting for sample yardage of Fleur, which should be here any day now - unfortunately the package was delayed due to COVID19.  So I've put together some examples using the wonders of digital technology to give you a feel for how the fabrics would look incorporated into sewing projects.

There are three quilt patterns that accompany this collection - 'Alice's Garden' and 'Fleurette' are traditional machine pieced designs, with 'Lilac Posy' including a combination of traditional machine piecing and appliqué techniques. Paper patterns for all three quilts can be ordered directly from Riley Blake Designs or from my pattern distributors Creative Abundance.

Thank you for popping in to see my new fabric line today and I hope you are as excited about it as I am! Look out for it in shops in August (September in Australia). If you are a shop owner who will be carrying Fleur please do drop me a line at sedef@downgrapevinelane.com so I can thank you and also add you to my list of stockists. Have a lovely day dear friends!

'Handy Dandy' Pouch Tutorial | Fabric Stamps

Last week I realised I badly needed a small pouch for my crochet hooks, as I keep leaving them all over the place, and often have to fish around for them at the bottom of my crochet project bag. Does anyone else ever have that problem? The first pouch I made turned out so cute I made another one, this one for my spectacles (which I also keep losing). And I thought you may want to have the pattern to make your own so I'm sharing the tutorial on the Sew Can She blog today. This is a great website for free patterns and tutorials - a treasure trove in fact. You may want to bookmark it!

These skinny pouches finish at approximately 3” x 9” – they are the perfect size for not only hooks and spectacles but also you can use them for pencils, toothbrush/paste, or even make up brushes. They are so handy and pretty – which is the essence of ‘Zakka’, a Japanese design aesthetic that combines usefulness with beauty. A lot of my designs feature Zakka elements – I love the style!

You can find the tutorial here. Please tag me on Facebook or Instagram if you make them as I would love to see how yours turned out! In keeping with the Zakka theme I also made two stamps from the fabric scraps from this project (the pink one) as it was just too sweet to put in the bin. And once I made two I couldn't stop and I had to dive into my tiny scrap bucket to make more - they are totally addictive.

I had a few people ask me how I made them so here's a super quick tutorial for you! I first backed both the colourful scrap fabric and a larger white piece of fabric with fusible web. I use Heat'n Bond Lite brand but you can also use other brands such as Vliesofix, Wonder Under etc. I then neatly trimmed the colourful scrap with a rotary cutter, peeled the backing paper and ironed it onto the white fabric. I then trimmed all around the perimeter with pinking scissors, leaving the paper backing behind the white fabric on. When it's time to use them in projects you can peel off the backing and fuse it onto your project then. A cute way to add decorations to projects, or you can even make a mini quilt made entirely of stamps. Enjoy!

Cat Plushies

My son Alex has a best friend called Tom who's just as much nuts about cats as he is, and it was Tom's 10th birthday last week. Alex asked me to make matching cat plushies for both of them. I love that they're still little enough that this is not 'uncool' (yet!).

The white spotty one is Tom's plushie (Alex chose the colours) and the pink is the matching one I made for Alice - of course she had to have one too. Hers is a girl so has eye lashes. I also made a light blue one for my son later that night but it was too dark by then to photograph.

You can get the kitty and fish patterns from Minki Kim's shop.

I've also finally added more sewing machine bookmarks to the shop - in all four colours! These keep selling out every time I restock and it took forever since the last restock to get supplies in to make more, with all the COVID 19 mail delays. Sorry for anyone who's had a long wait!

Till the next post dear friends, stay safe and keep sewing!