Thursday 21 April 2016

Quick and Easy Quilts Blog Tour: Modern Feedsack Stars & a Giveaway!

I've been waiting for what feels like ages to see Lynne Goldsworthy's new book Quick & Easy Quilts and now it is finally here I have really enjoyed seeing how she's grown as a quilt designer.   Lynne is a prolific quilt maker and Quick& Easy Quilts is deceptively clever book: each project is packed full of tips and tricks to speed up your piecing, increase your accuracy and produce a quilt that looks harder to achieve that it actually was!


I loved the cover quilt, 'Modern Stars', and I knew it was a perfect fit for my stash of feedback fabrics which have been waiting for a simple effective block to make the most of their gorgeous colours and prints.  I starched the fabrics with a gentle non aerosol starch before cutting as feedbacks are very soft and easily distort and stretch out of shape. 


I made a fabric throw (quilt top and batting fabric with no batting or quilting, top stitched edge) rather than a quilt as I use a lot of these as pretty covers for boxes of musical instruments and toys in my day job- I run group music classes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.  This means I will get to enjoy looking at beautiful fabrics during my day job as well as when I'm at home!  I made a nine-block version of the quilt- each block is 14" finished- and I adapted the border sizes to fit. 


I precut all the fabrics out using nine prints, one main background (Linea Texture by Makower) and a little extra Makower Linen Texture as I ran slightly short.  All the half-square triangles are made using a full size template from the book which produces eight accurate HSTs in minutes, I'm not kidding, it was seriously fast with minimal trimming.   This technique is also a great introduction to foundation paper piecing at it's simplest. 


My top tip for removing paper when foundation paper piecing is to tear the template part way along the seam line and then remove from the seam.  This reduces the strain on the stitches especially at the start and end so they won't come loose.  I've used this tip a lot for my Farmer's Wife blocks.


It's a great book for someone who's pieced squares together and sewn a beginner quilt and wants to progress and pick up skills and tips. It's also a handy resource for more experienced quilters who might need to whip up a baby quilt or pillow at short notice, that's what I'm planning for my copy!


You can see many of the projects inside the book on Kyle Books website and enjoy perusing Jan Baldwin's excellent photography.  I especially like that each quilt/project is shown in a styled shot and also in a flat overhead full-sized photo so you can study the layout and details close up.  The other stops on the blog tour also include some beautiful new versions of projects from the book.


I have a copy to giveaway and entries are open internationally, as long as I can find your email to contact you, you are eligible to win!  To enter, comment below and tell me about an vintage or older fabric that you have in your stash- good, bad or somewhere in between. Add an extra entries for each share on social media- write a comment adding where you shared- Facebook, Twitter etc. Winner will be contacted and announced Sunday 24th April. *Comments are now closed*.

{Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for taking part in this blog hop.  It was my decision to make something from it.  All opinions and content are my own}

sib blog

61 comments:

  1. I have what I think is an old feed sack, that I picked up on a flea market. I still really haven't found good use for it, since the colors are a bit too strong, and the print is a bit off. Another find is a great one, a map with aeroplanes and old suilcases that I love!

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  2. I don't have anything vintage at all but I do have a sari I bought about 15 years ago in Sri Lanka that I plan to make clothes out of - there is loads of yardage there!

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  3. I have some vintage fabric but the thing about vintage fabric, it doesn't come from a range or have the designer on the selvedge! I love it because it is quaint and holds so much history in its weave!

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  4. Collecting vintage fabric has become a barely restrained passion - I particularly love old floral barkcloth fabrics and vintage Sanderson floral cotton fabric. I like the process of reclaiming fabric from an old curtain. ATM, I have a pair of vintage barkcloth curtains which are a kind of khaki green/brown with large water lilys on them - even though the background is sort of dingy, they still have some appeal to me. I'm thinking of recovering my garden chair seat pads with them. domesticgoddess76 at hotmail dot com

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  5. I have a few meters of silk my grandmother have me. It's absolutely beautiful and I'd love to find a use for it but I'm so afraid to work with this very slippery fabric!

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  6. I inherited a few interesting bits and pieces from my grandmother last year, including fabric used to make various dresses for my mothers wedding

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  7. My favourite vintage fabric is from @gertrudemade A wonderful scrap bundle that I will eventually turn into a quilt!

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  8. What a lovely book! My vintage stash consists of just a couple of pillowcases that belonged to my late mum. I can't bear to cut into them but I'm sure when I feel more confident of my skills and find the right project I will eventually be brave enough. They are only a coupl of pillowcases after all!

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  9. I have early fabrics of Amy Butler and I have my Mothers' table clothes that I used when I was young. I'm 67 now I'd love to win this book. jlblvn at gmail dot com

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  10. I have someone's maternity dress stashed away for fabric!

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  11. I have some vintage Liberty someone gifted me (she used to own a fabric shop in the 70s) I am terrified to use it though!

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  12. I have just used some indigo blue fabrics I bought in Japan when I visited there with my 6 year old son. He is now 24! I don't know why I have waited so long. It is lovely in an improv table runner from last years Stitchgathering. Carol W crlwilkie@aol.com

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  13. I started quilting so I would use my hoarded stash - some from the 40's - 60's that was my lovely mother's. Then I too got carried away with feedsacks and now have so much fabric and projects on the go that I know I am out of control! BTW love this book

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  14. I have lots of scraps from some of my mum's dresses from when I was little, some of which were made from her mother's fabric stash! Great way to incorporate meaning and love into your sewing projects :-)

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  15. Mom mom gave me her small stash years ago. It brings back wonderful memories everytime I use one of them in a project.

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  16. I have some lovely delicate vintage fabrics with petite little floral prints on them, that I have stashed away in a vintage suitcase from my last visit home. Many my mother purchased even before I was born! I simply can't bring myself to sew them up, they're too precious. :)

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  17. I have some of my grand parents clothes to stick in a few projects. My grandmother made me a sailboat quilt for my kiddos birth and the sails were of my grandpas plaid shirts he always wore. I absolutely love it and seeing those brings back so many memories of time spent on his farm.

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  18. A great idea for old feed sacks. The covers won't be excessively worn. Love Lynne's work and would love to have this book.

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  19. I have pieces of fabric from the sixties, and every decade since. I studied dressmaking as one of my A Levels. Being short, only 5 feet tall, I found it easier to make my own clothes rather than trying to find something that fit. I've kept scraps from everything I've ever made for myself and my 2 daughters, and now my 2 grandchildren. Recently, I've taken up patchwork and made my eldest daughter a quilt using all of the fabric scraps from garments that I made her whilst she was growing up. She loves it.

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  20. Oldest fabric are some Thimbleberries prints from about 15 years ago!

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  21. I've been sewing since I was tiny - long enough to declare those fabrics "vintage". I collect wherever I happen to be. One if my faves is the tatting my grandmother made for our ruffled slips. The slip has since passed on, but the tatting was carefully unpicked to re-use (or pet). On my travels, I look for fabrics too.
    Thanks for the giveaway.

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  22. I have a beautiful vintage Liberty fabric that I want to make into a skirt. But I need to improve my skills a little more!

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  23. I have no vintage fabric, but I do have four vintage quilts pieced by my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mother and my aunt. I treasure them for the fabric, workmanship and design.

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  24. I was given a lot of fabrics so I am unsure of their vintage. I have only been quilting for about 4.5 years, so I have not purchased anything long enough ago to call it vintage, LOL. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  25. My niece bought me some hideous fabric at a garage sale when she was young. She was so excited to give it to me that even though she'd be horrified by it nowadays, I've kept it.

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  26. I don't have anything vintage, but I do have a few bits of reproduction from Moda's 30s playtime fabric line.

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  27. This Canadian thanks you for an international giveaway! I have some cool fabric featuring the Cambell's soup kid, a chubby reminder of my childhood. I've used small bits in many projects and it's lasting a loooong time. Morpalm@shaw.ca

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  28. My very few vintage pieces were given to me :) lisahamann@hotmail.com Thanks for the chance

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  29. Dear Kerry! thank you for open this awesome giveaway, internationally!
    I received an awesome feedsack fabric from Marilyn (Spiecedcoffee) in a Flickr swap! ������
    my email silort@uol.com.br

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  30. I have some vintage fabric but I have been using it up. I am getting older now and I need to start using this stash.

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  31. I don't have anything I would call vintage, but have plenty of old fabric from when I started quilting over 20 years ago. Unfortunately back then I didn't always check the fabric content, so now I'm trying to get rid of the stuff that's not 100% cotton.

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  32. have some vintage quilt tops that belonged to my mother in law, great quilt tops

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  33. I have bins (BINS) of feedsack pieces. I am always looking for great patterns for them and you found a great one! Thanks!

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  34. I have lots of flour sacks from my grandma's stash!

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  35. ME TOO, I HAVE SOME OLD FLOUR SACKS OF MY GRANDMOM'S! SO FAR I'VE JUST FONDLED THEM AND NOT MADE A PROJECT- LOL! THANKS YOU FOR A NEAT GIVEAWAY! msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  36. I'm sad to say no vintage stashes only vintage style print, I have vintage style dress though 1950's style full petticoat love it my hubby got me my fav polka dot blue one couple of years ago and I love it. X

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  37. I have some old prints (maybe 15 years old) that are very intricate and feature some cool borders. I still love them but haven't used them!

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  38. This looks like a fun and fast quilt to make. I have some fabric I inherited from my mother in law's stash. I did use one large piece to use as a backing for a quilt but I have a brown floral for which I have no idea how to use it.

    anndunn24(at)gmail.com

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  39. I have some white embroidered cotton vintage bed sheet that my mother in law gave me.
    This quilt is so beautiful.

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  40. I have bits of vintage fabric from our family's sewing in the past. And a whole quilt made of them on my bed.

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  41. I have some vintage cotton fabrics that were my great grandmothers - waiting for the right project to use them in!

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  42. I have a paper bag full of blocks I cut from old clothes and curtains back in the early '80's, including the cardboard template from a graham cracker box. Such great memories. The fabrics are a mix of upholstery fabric to voiles! I've learned so much since then. ;-)

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  43. I love quilting tips - anything to make my quilting more accurate or less fiddly! In terms of old or vintage fabric, I'm such a new quilter. I do have some older Heather Ross and some original FMF and Hope Valley. Can you tell I've not been quilting that long? I do have two quilts my grandmother hand stitched - they are my most precious possessions.

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  44. I have only been quilting for 7 years so I don't really have any vintage fabric, but I love using the 30s reproductions.

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  45. I have a small stash of 70's and 80's fabrics that I picked up from a garage sale. I do hope to use them one day! jecrobertson@gmail.com

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  46. I have some fabrics that were given to me by a dear sweet friend..she was 84 at the time. the fabrics had been HER Momma's!! There were also some hand stitched quilt blocks in the box. They are such treasures to me, because she was like a Grandma to me..such a Blessing she was.

    Thank you for chance to win your Give-a-way! & for sharing your quilt! Love it! :)

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  47. My aunt sent a box of fabric that belonged to my grandmother. Some of it is authentic feedsack, others are indestructible polyester. There are half-finished blocks in there, and templates made of cardboard and patterns cut from 1930's newspaper pinned to fabric that looks like second-hand clothing. I love this box and I'm determined to carve out a week during which I'll do nothing but quilt from the fabric in that box, and think of my Grandma, and be thankful for me aunt who thought of me when she was clearing out the basement.

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  48. I shared this on Twitter, where I am @wordygirl11.

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  49. I bought some fabric from a closing down market stall and one still had a very vintage selvage so I googled it and they actually sell prints of it at the V&A museum! X

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  50. I have some fabric nestling amongst my stash which was used by my nanna almost half a century ago to make me a party dress...too precious to use..but lovely to spot as I search for other fabrics. In a recent quiltalong swap, i was lucky enough to have received a pincushion made with original 1930s feedsack fabric too! Thanks for the chance to win. Wendy

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  51. I have some fabrics from the 1950's from a friends mom's collection and a few vintage sheets, one is going to be a backing on a large table topper I'm quilting this weekend. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  52. Thanks for reviewing this book I may have missed it were it not for your review.

    The star quilt is so simple and elegant
    colleen1990@yahoo.com

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  53. What a gorgeous quilt!! My oldest fabric is pretty young... a fq bundle from 2009 Millhouse Inn fabric Fig Tree by Moda
    Susie

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  54. Thanks for sharing your quilt. I also have some vintage feed sack fabric as well as some recently aquired vintage sheets. You have certainly provided inspiration on what can be made from them!

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  55. My vintage fabric is a piece cut from the hem of a dress I wore every Saturday night in the 60's to go roller skating.We all wore mini dresses then and this dress was too long!The collar and cuffs were white and The fabric is black with small multicoloured roses.I met my Husband for the first time wearing this dress so it has very special memoriess attached!

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  56. When I was teaching I donated all my sewing fabrics to a shelter. So, my oldest quilting fabric is 9 years old. I am using it next in a quilt. It looks very dated to me so I am enlivening it with bright colors elsewhere in the quilt. I try to use my fabric very responsibly. It isn't cheap. It uses lots of energy to produce. Thus I should use it with care. The quilts will be used forever. One quilt I made for one of my sons 34 years ago is now the favorite play and picnic quilt of another son's family now. It only has one small hole in it. I never knew it would last so long!

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  57. I have a lot of old fabrics that my grandma gave me :)
    mmyheartishere@gmail.com

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  58. For years, 1930's reproduction was my favorite fabric. Three years ago I discovered feed sacks on etsy and they are now my passion. Most quilts I make are traditional blocks using the 30's, 40's, and 50's feed sacks. I call it my happy fabric. Patty Mc

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  59. I have an old feed sack that was my grandmother's. It is off white with a few stripes in it, not really very pretty, but I'm glad it's mine!
    tstanulis@verizon.net

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