If you didn't catch Part One of the tutorial - which has the pattern for piecing your top - you can find it here. This time I'll be sharing my hand quilting plans and a downloadable template. But first I thought it would be fun to look at a couple of colour options for your quilt.
Simply changing the background colour creates a more dramatic quilt. You could try the Moda Bella Solid in Etchings Slate that I used on my Spellbound Sampler, or opt for one of the delicious linen-look blenders, like Makower’s Linen Texture to add another layer of interest.
If Christmas greens aren't a colour that suits your decor, replace them with those same rich greys: so elegant.
Or reverse the colour scheme by picking out the Irish Chain in a light neutral on a softly coloured background. Red seems to go with everything doesn't it?
And now for the quilting. If you've never hand quilted a project before, I hope you'll find this post really useful. For this quilt I am going to combine two of my favourite techniques: a crosshatch and a motif, in this case an intertwined heart motif.
The supersized crosshatching simply follows the diagonals formed by the nine and four-patches. I then drew a cross with my water-soluble marker at the centre of the red nine-patches to help position a heart motif {cut from an old cereal box}. You can download my template here.
Having finished the crosshatching, I made a start on the hearts this morning. And it's not even November, so I should finish in plenty of time for Christmas decorating. Famous last words...
{PS: You can download a PDF copy of the Wintersweet pattern here}
Nicola xx