Anderson - Country Style Quilting

www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk

my beautiful granddaughter, who I can't wait to teach to stitch just as my grandmother taught me.

The happy song that the little birds in this world sing for us never ceases to make me smile and I hope that the birds featured in some of these projects make you feel happy too. The little bird reminds me of all that is good in the world and he features in many of my designs. I can almost draw him with my eyes closed! From big quilts to the small projects, I have had such fun drawing and stitching them for you to enjoy. A big thank you is due to my wonderful team of stitching helpers. My absolute favourite is the heirloom quilt of the future, the Hexie Heirloom Quilt, made from the hundreds of appliqu birds that I have made during my Apliquick tool demonstrations in classes around the world. This quilt has special memories for me, and my husband and I are looking forward to having it on our bed one day. I hope making the projects in this book will bring special memories to you, too.

There are fourteen lovely projects in this book for you to make, including bed quilts, throws, cushions, wall hangings, sewing accessories and table linen. The projects are my usual mix of techniques, including patchwork, appliqu, hand embroidery and machine quilting, and are suitable for a wide range of abilities. Do read all the project instructions before you start a project, to familiarize yourself with what is required. The projects use a 14in (6mm) seam allowance, unless otherwise stated. The Valdani threads that I have chosen to use for many of the projects are hand dyed. I love the subtle shading and variegation of colour throughout the skein, which lends itself to my designs superbly. DMC alternatives are provided for you, if required, in the Materials & Equipment section.

Imperial and metric measurements have been given in the book, with metric in brackets (parenthesis). The projects were made using Imperial measurements, so the best results will be obtained using this system.

At the start of each project there is a You Will Need list that describes the fabrics needed and the quantity. I frequently use my own fabrics for a project, and these choices are often suggested in the project text, but you can, of course, use others if you prefer. The Daisy Chain Cottages Quilt was based on a specific fabric range, so a more detailed list of the fabric I used is given for that quilt. Fabric quantities are based on a 42in (107cm) width of fabric, unless otherwise stated.

Drawings have been given to illustrate the stepped text where necessary. These are not to scale but are just intended to support the text

All of the projects have the instructions, diagrams and photographs you need to make them successfully. There are a few techniques that are common to many of the projects and these are given in a section at the back of the book. It is a good idea to read through this section before you start any project.

Appliqu and embroidery are favourite techniques of mine, especially traditional needle-turn appliqu. The projects can use either needle-turn appliqu or fusible web appliqu. Both methods are described in detail in the Basic Techniques section. Just remember that needle-turn appliqu requires a small seam allowance around each motif, usually 18in14in (3mm6mm). Fusible web appliqu does not need a seam allowance because the edges are normally oversewn in some way, usually with blanket stitch. If using the templates for fusible web appliqu you will need to reverse (flip) them before use.

One of my favourite parts of quilting is the appliqu and stitchery, so most of the projects use templates. These have been provided full size in the Templates section at the back of the book.

I have had fun using fabrics that I have designed for the projects in this book, and its wonderful to see how nicely the different collections have mixed together to create a scrappy look for some of the projects. I hope you have fun creating some fabulous projects for yourself, your family and your friends.

The little appliqu birds in this quilt were all made whilst demonstrating the Apliquick tools at various workshops around the globe. I wanted to keep the little birds to remind me of the many lovely people that I met on my journeys and came up with the idea of combining them in a wonderful scrappy-looking quilt. I have given a suggestion for the fabric requirements but feel free to add a larger mixture of fabrics to your quilt the more the merrier! The quilt does take some time to make but the result is an heirloom piece that Im sure you and your family will be delighted with for decades to come.

The smaller project in this chapter is a lovely pillowcase using only three of the bird blocks. It matches the quilt and makes a gorgeous addition to any bed. Iassorted cream-on-cream d bed pillow.