Anderson - Country cottage quilting : 15 quilt projects combining stitchery with patchwork

To my dear husband Vince, who encourages me every day and thinks each new project is the best I have ever done! Thank you for always being there and for encouraging me to keep creating.

Thatched cottages and their rambling country gardens are a never-ending source of delight and were my inspiration for all the designs in this book. My love of cottages comes from growing up in an English country village, and the golden thatched roofs and colourful gardens are firmly embedded in my childhood memories.

With these memories in mind I have had great fun making quilts, throws, wall hangings, cushions, pictures, bags and sewing accessories, all with the lovely cottage and garden theme and I hope you will find some wonderful things to inspire you to pick up a needle and thread.

In the there is a lovely collection of sewing bag, needle case and scissor holder. The designs were inspired by my Aunt Junes cottage, whose home was a cosy place warm in winter with a fire in the hearth and a garden that was a riot of colour in summer.

The has a gorgeous quilt and matching cushion in lovely faded antique colours of blues, greys and creams, echoing the calming atmosphere of times gone by. Sixteen-patch blocks alternate with appliqud spool blocks, adorned with cheerful flowers and a cheeky bird.

The designs on a handy bag and little coin purse reflect my love of birds and the joy they bring. My mum is a keen gardener and our garden was always filled with many bird-friendly plants. In winter we filled the birdfeeders and cracked the ice in the birdbath so the birds could come for food and water.

In the a delightful cottage scene complete with a splendid walnut tree in bloom forms a wonderful design to decorate a really useful sewing case and a little needle holder. Felix the cat snoozes contentedly among the flowers.

The gives thanks for the humble bee, without which our gardens wouldnt exist. A charming wall hanging with a busy hive and towering delphiniums is decorated with appliqu, hand embroidery and yoyos for three-dimensional flowers. The design also appears as a framed picture worked just with hand embroidery.

features a lovely quilt decorated with individual garden scenes. The gardens of country cottages were famed for cramming all sorts of details into a small space. These little areas were filled with favourite flowers and well-chosen ornaments, bringing the garden to life. Two little flowerpot pictures are ideal to give as gifts.

The celebrates the simple pleasures of a garden whether its playing in the mud as a child, rolling in the grass, chasing butterflies or lying under tall sunflowers.

A magnificent quilt in ambers, rusts and blues is made from a block repeated and rearranged to create a design full of interest. A matching pillow using the same patchwork and appliqu block is perfect to cushion your head as you relax under the sun.

The combination of stitchery and appliqu is currently my favourite look and the designs in this book unite those hand skills beautifully. I love attention to detail: this can make my work look complicated but on closer inspection you will see that I only use basic stitches, making my designs achievable for all skill levels.

The patchwork in the designs is straightforward, with easy blocks and useful diagrams. I have used a fusible web method of appliqu and more traditional needle-turn appliqu, and the step-by-step text gives detailed instructions on both of these. You could use either method for the projects in the book. The techniques required are either described within the chapters or in the Techniques section at the back of the book. All the templates you will need are provided in the Templates section.

So many people adore quaint cottages and country garsdens and Im sure you will love the charming designs in this book happy stitching!

This gorgeous sewing set of bag, needle case and scissor keeper features a sweet thatched cottage and its flower garden. An enjoyable mixture of patchwork, appliqu and embroidery makes them a pleasure to stitch, and great to give as gifts too. You could make the projects individually or work them as a pretty trio.

The simple drawstring bag is the perfect size for your sewing work in progress just take it along to your sewing group, sit back and wait for it to be admired. I just love the needle case, with its tiny prairie points that set off the stitchery perfectly. There is a place to put your name and the year on the front, while inside there are pockets to safely store needles and threads. A sturdy scissor keeper completes the collection and is the perfect way to keep your scissors safe and easy to find.

This useful bag is so easy to make youll want to create lots for family and friends. The threads and stitches used for the little stitchery that adorns the bag are described at the end of the project.

Two pieces of dark brown print each 5in 10in (14cm 25.4cm)

Two pieces of brown floral each 8in 10in (21.5cm 25.4cm)

Two pieces of brown check for lining each 10in 14in (25.4cm 35.5cm)

Two pieces of blue print for casing each 2in 9in (5cm 23cm)

Cream textured fabric for stitchery background 6in (15cm) square

Tiny blue check for house appliqu 2in (5cm) square

Scrap of blue print for door appliqu

Ginger wool for roof 2in 2in (5cm 6.5cm)

Stranded embroidery cotton (floss): ginger, salmon pink, dirty mauve, black, aged red, moss green, grey and petrol blue (I used Cosmo threads but DMC equivalents are suggested in the instructions)

Fusible stabilizer (optional)

Fine-tipped fabric marking pen in brown

Cream cord drawstring 1yd (1.5m)

Template plastic

Light box (optional)

Tacking (basting) glue (optional)