We have lift off!

I have been working hard for months behind the scenes preparing for the launch of our new online shop on the Nellie's Niceties website. I'm ridiculously excited to share that I have had seven of the patterns professionally printed in A4 booklet form. I think it's really nice to be able to hold a pattern every once in a while rather than having to scroll through it on a screen.

 

The following designs are now available:

Kaleidoscopic - full instructions and templates for a foundation pieced quilt, suitable for all abilities.

Granny Crosses - full instructions for strip pieced quilt and cushion, suitable for all abilities.

Shields EPP - full instructions and templates for EPP cushion, suitable for all abilities.

Sneaky Stars - full instructions for lap size and cot size quilts, suitable for all abilities.

Anyone for ice cream - full instructions and templates for lap size quilt, suitable for all abilities.

Candy Twists - full instructions and templates for lap size quilt, suitable for all abilities.

Doris Project bag - full instructions for fully lined drawstring project bag with options for pockets and straps. 

 

All of the above designs are also available in PDF format from our Payhip store if you prefer an instant download. There are also 2 PDF only template sets which are only available from our Payhip store:

Kaleidoscopic template set - Kaleidoscopic template and colouring sheet with no written instruction, suitable for people with experience of foundation piecing.

Shields EPP template set - Shields EPP template sheet and colouring sheet with no written instruction, suitable for people with experience of EPP.

 

 

More information on each of the patterns can be found on the relevant product listing page.

 

You will also be able to purchase Jess' Rose Blackout range of note cards in our new website store and Jess is hoping to increase her range later in the year. 

 

To celebrate the launch of our website store we are offering a 20% discount until the end of March. Use code LAUNCH20 in any of our stores for 20% off everything.

 

We really hope you'll like the look of our new store and we'd love to hear any constructive feedback. Please bear with us if there are any hiccups in the early stages of the launch.

Catch you soon x



Save the date

Friday 11th - Sunday 13th November 2016. I've lost my final marble and taken a stand for Nellie's Niceties at the West Country Quilt and Textile Show.

I'll give you all the fun details nearer the time but there will be lots of updates along the way as I share the samples I'm making for the stand. I'm off to lie down in a darkened room and question my sanity. Catch you soon x

Radio silence

Well my plans for regular blogging really haven't gone all that well. I have been busy sewing and sharing progress on Instagram but that hasn't translated into blog posts. To those of you who still frequent these parts I'm sorry that you've been neglected. I will try harder, honestly.
I stepped in as an "Angel" for the Pillow Talk Swap Instagram edition so I've had a few fun days stitching up this cushion. I resized the templates from my Kaleidoscopic quilt to create this 18" square cushion. I used Aurifil to echo quilt in the diamonds for a subtle look, there was already plenty going on with all the different fabrics.

 It was slightly painful sending this one off today, I really hope it will be loved by the recipient. I couldn't resist taking a shot of it with the original Kaleidoscopic quilt.

I will be releasing the pattern for this quilt and a stand alone foundation template version very soon so please do keep an eye out for news shortly if you're interested. Catch you soon x

Quilt Non 2016 - Mini Trellis block part 2

If you missed my original post earlier today you can find it here. I've stitched up my Mini Trellis block this afternoon over on Instagram but I thought I'd share the process photos here as well in case you wanted to see how the block goes together. I pulled a selection of fabrics from Karen Lewis' Blueberry Park range for Robert Kaufman.

I prepped all the pieces before starting to speed things up.

I marked, cut and pieced each block separately to avoid getting in a muddle...

..stitched using an old needle and shortened the stitch length to 1.3 to aid in removing papers later.

Trimmed a scant 1/4" seam within the block as the pieces are quite small.

 A couple of stitches in the seam allowance on the outer edges of the block help to hold the fabric in place when piecing the elements of the block together later.

I speared the relevant matching points with pins to make sure the alignment was OK before stitching. Before pressing I removed the paper from the seam allowances along the join to help it lay(lie? who knows?) flat.

Repeat with the other half of this section of the block.

Then there was the simple matter of making three more before the light vanished....I didn't succeed. It was dusk by the time I finished so the colours look vastly different but the block is still pretty.

So there you have it. One finished Mini Trellis block. You can find the free pattern download here.
I'd love to see your version so if you use any of the following hashtags I'll be able to find yours on social media #minitrellisblock #nelliesniceties #quiltnon2016
Catch you soon x

Wonderland

My pattern testers have worked their magic for me again. Huge thanks to Trash, Sally, Elisa, Ellisa, Darla, Maria and Michelle for producing all of these gorgeous blocks!

I've designed the blocks to be very quick and effective for a single project or used in multiples to create a stunning quilt. There is no foundation piecing and all the blocks are designed to be chain pieced to speed things up when making multiple blocks. As the patterns are in pictorial format there is very little written instruction, as such the patterns are suitable for people with at least a basic knowledge of patchwork techniques.

I'm delighted that the pattern testers all enjoyed the pictorial format of the Easy Peasy Wonderland blocks pattern. Maria and Trash had tested the Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler for me previously so they knew what to expect and weren't disappointed. Phew! It's always a bit  nerve-wracking sending patterns that I've designed out into the wild so I'm always relieved to receive positive feedback.

This time around I have prepared patterns for the individual blocks as well as a combined pattern so that if there is a particular block that takes your fancy you're not committed to having to buy all of the blocks. All of the blocks have a colouring sheet for testing colour placement before cutting into precious fabric!

The Eat Me block pattern contains the block in two sizes 6" and 12".

The Drink Me block pattern also contains the block in two sizes 6" and 12".

The Flamingo block pattern contains the instructions for a 12" block.

The Top Hat block pattern contains the instructions for a 12" block.

The combined pattern has all four of the blocks and the suggested block layout for the quilt top I'm making. It's also available with a saving of £1.50 compared to buying each of the blocks separately. Who doesn't love a bargain?

I'm still plugging away at my Easy Peasy Wonderland Quilt so it'll be a while before I can show you my finished project so here's a little progress shot.

 

We'd love to see anything you make with these patterns! You can use the hashtags #nelliesniceties and #easypeasywonderland on social media so we can find your pictures.

Catch you soon x

In the works

I've been having fun playing with a new easy-peasy quilt design - The Easy Peasy Wonderland Quilt. This one has been brewing in my head for a year or so and I just hadn't found time to put it into action, so, it was most serendipitous that Katarina Roccella released her Wonderland fabric collection with Art Gallery Fabrics at the end of last year.

I'm loving how the blocks are looking so far. I've made Drink Me, Eat Me and the Flamingo, next on the list is the Top Hat. Here's a sneak peek at the layout I'm working towards.

The pattern is almost ready for sending out to testers so if you have free time this month and fancy testing for me leave a comment below or email me reene@nelliesniceties.com and I'll contact you when the pattern is ready.

The tree is up...almost

I've been hand stitching again this week. I drew up another cross-stitch/embroidery design - a Christmas tree and made it small enough to fit  in a 3" hoop.

There is loads of texture in this mini as I used lots of different 3D stitches to add a bit of personality to what is a very simple design.

I'll be hanging this mini up on the tree along with two other minis I've made - a garland and a slightly over-weight dove of peace.

If you fancy having a go at the Christmas tree yourself you can find the FREE chart in our Payhip store. Catch you soon x

Fa la la la la la la la la

That's obviously Deck the Halls! Once upon a time before patch-working I was crazily addicted to cross-stitch and embroidery. Yesterday I got the urge to cross-stich so I quickly drafted a plan for a basic garland and stitched it up in no time.

I used a gorgeous check from Loominous by Anna Maria Horner as the background and perle thread for the stitching. I have to admit I love the simple effect. Because I'm feeling rather generous I've put the chart on Payhip as a free download so anyone can have a go if they fancy it.

I'm currently stitching up an embroidered version using bullion knots and other bulky stitches to get a bit of texture. I'm also waiting on some ridiculously tiny embroidery hoops to arrive and I intend to fill them with mini embroideries to put on the Christmas tree so expect to see more free downloads in the near future.

 Catch you soon x

The Easy Peasy Mini Tote - Free pattern

When I released the Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler I mentioned that I was going to make a Santa sack from one of the blocks. Well, amazingly, I have actually finished it! It's approximately 10 1/2" x 13 1/2", so a decent size for little gifts and for little ones to fill with their favourite possessions when they want to tote them around. I have visions of dinosaurs and Lego being carried around in this one when Christmas is over.

This fantastic dotty print from Gardenvale by Jen Kingwell was the perfect snowy background for the nutcracker block. I wanted to make sure the bag was going to be up to the task of toting toys for a decent amount of time so lining was essential. I used another print from Gardenvale to pull everything together.

This mini tote took less than an hour to make so it's a perfect last minute make. As making this made me feel festive I thought it might be fun to share how I made it so you can make your own!
You can download the PDF pattern free here. I'd love to see you version if you make one so please feel free to email a picture to reene@nelliesniceties.com or use the hashtags #easypeasyminitote #nelliesniceties on social media. Catch you soon x

The Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler

Yvonne, Emily, Katie, Trash, Mandy, Tina, Paula, Mary, Sue, Virginia, Rosie and Maria did me proud.

Thanks to my trusty pattern testers I'm releasing the Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler pattern today!

Here's a badly lit photo of my finished quilt top. I used Kona solids and the stripy prints from Tula Pink's Elizabeth range for this cheerful kid friendly version.

I've designed this quilt to be a very quick project. There is no foundation piecing and all the blocks are designed to be chain pieced to speed things up when making multiple blocks. The Easy Peasy Sampler is made up of multiples of 5 simple blocks: Nutcracker, Candy Cane, Christmas Tree, Star and Stack of Presents. Here are Yvonne's cute print versions...

 

...and Trash's.

The 12 page PDF pattern is in pictorial format so there is very little written instruction, as such it is suitable for people with at least a basic knowledge of patchwork techniques. 

The pattern testers have all enjoyed the pictorial format and have found it very straight-forward to follow, I hope that you will agree. Here's an example of the page layout.

If you don't have time for a full quilt you can use any of the individual blocks as the starting point for smaller projects e.g Santa's sack, cushion cover, table runner. Simply refer to the individual block construction diagrams for cutting instructions and you're good to go. I'm going to turn this little chap into a Santa sack for Mackinlay.

 

 

The blocks are really simple and lend themselves to being blinged up if that is your thing. Yvonne went to town on this little nutcracker block.

 

 

To celebrate the release of this pattern we're offering it for sale at a 50% reduction until the end of November, so grab a bargain now! You can find it in our Etsy and Payhip stores.

 

We'd love to see any projects you make with the pattern so please do send us a picture or use the hashtag #easypeasychristmassampler on social media.

Catch you soon x

Help!

Hello all. Sorry for the blogging gap, again! I've been very busy recently and blogging fell off the to-do list to save my sanity. One of the things I've been busy doing is putting together a pattern for my Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler.

I have actually made the quilt top but haven't managed to get a decent picture of it yet because of the grey and gloomy light we've got at the moment. Hopefully I'll manage to get a decent shot soon!
I've finally finished drafting the pattern and now I'm after some help testing the pattern.

If you can commit to making one single block of your choice from the sampler by Sunday evening (15th November) then I'd love your help. In return for making the block you will receive the full PDF pattern for the sampler. All I'll need from you is a decent photo of your finished block that I can share when I release the pattern next week. The quickest blocks take less than an hour from cutting out to finish so I'm not asking for a great deal of your time. If you've got time to spare between now and Sunday I'd really love your help! Leave a message here with your contact email or email reene@nelliesniceties.com and I'll get back to you. Catch you soon x