It's just over two (short) months until the Festival of Quilts. I've been sewing like a mad thing and managed to leave piles of fabric in most rooms of the house. Quilts on loan to quilt shops have winged their way home and new samples have been made. Props have been auditioned and the printers are on standby.
If you are thinking of getting a ticket to the Festival I have a discount code for £2.50 off the price of advance tickets - so that's £12.50 instead of £15.00 - just use the following code when prompted at the checkout: EX17
I've changed my mind about a thousand times as to what quilt will go where on my stand - not that I've got much room to play with - and came to the conclusion that I really ought to make things a bit harder for myself by making something new for the back wall. And hand quilt it...
My new quilt is called Pennine Star and, like many quilts, is based on a traditional motif called the Sanderson Star, designed over a century ago by Northumberland quilter Elizabeth Sanderson. The original called for 24 y-seams and 32 bias edges, which was - and will forever be - beyond my skill set. But I've tweaked the proportions and figured out a way of making it that requires you to match just 12 little points and I can certainly do that. And so can you. As soon as I've finished quilting - I'm nearly there - I'll take some cover shots and release the pattern.
My wonderful Instagram friend and fellow designer, Samantha Dorn of Aqua Paisley Studio, offered to test the pattern for me. Samantha lives in Australia, but that's the wonder of Instagram: being able to connect with kindred spirits around the world. This is her beautiful version...
Keep a lookout on Instagram next week: I'll be giving away a complimentary ticket for the Festival of Quilts. But I don't want you to feel left out if you're not an Instagrammer, so please get in touch by leaving a comment below and I'll pop your name in the hat. I'll be drawing a winner on Saturday, 10th June.
But in the meantime it's back to my quilting...
Nicola xx