Patience is a virtue...

.. that I don't possess but thankfully Sarah does. About 6 months ago I held a giveaway over on Instagram and Sarah was the winner. The prize was a custom cushion made by yours truly. Sarah highlighted some of my designs that she liked and then left me to get on with it. Sarah was particularly fond of two of my quilts, Never Forgotten and Kaleidoscopic, so I figured I'd make something that included elements of both of them. What I forgot was that improv is not a speedy process for me, hence this cushion being 6 months in the making.

I started by making a Hexiestars block with fabrics left over from my Kaleidoscopic quilt and built random blocks out from there. I had to walk away from it at my first attempt as I just didn't know how I wanted it to develop. Yesterday I picked it back up after a long absence and once I got into my stride it didn't take long at all to finish it up. I crazy straight line quilted with a variegated green Aurifil thread which melted into the background beautifully.

I love the way it turned out and I'm hoping that once Sarah receives it she will think it was worth the wait. 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

Quilt Non 2016 - Mini Trellis block

Julie Dueck of The Intrepid Thread is hosting a free online community event on Instagram for those of us who are not attending the annual Modern Quilt Guild's convention (Quilt Con) in the USA this weekend. There will be tutorials, challenges, games, prizes and shopping discounts from 18th -21st February. You can follow along on social media with the hashtag #quiltnon2016

I'm one of the hostesses and have revised a block from the Nellie's Niceties Mystery BOM to share on Instagram - Mini Trellis.

To make a 6" Mini Trellis block like this you will need:
Four 3" squares palest pink
Four 3" squares baby pink
Six 1 1/2" squares mid pink
Four 2 1/4" x 1" strips baby blue
Four 2 3/4" x 1" strips baby blue
Eight 1" x 3" strips baby blue

You can download the free pattern here.

I'm going to be sewing along on Instagram (reeneatnelliesniceties) if you want to see how the block comes together.
Edited to add: You can see the process pictures here.
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.

Happy new year

Happy new year folks! I had great intentions of blogging every day this year and it's now the 6th so clearly that's one resolution down the pan already. Thankfully my other resolution was not to make any more resolutions so I'm winning on that front. I hope your year is shaping up to be a good one so far. Catch you soon x