Welcome to the British Sew-a-Row

Doing anything this summer? Fancy joining me and four of my dearest quilty friends to make a beautiful heirloom quilt to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee? We have a summer of sewing goodness in store for you and we'd be so thrilled if you joined us. So, without further ado, welcome to the British Sew-a-Row...

We've designed a row each using our favourite quilting techniques and our themes are, of course, very British! Let me introduce you to my friends and their gorgeous rows...

Afternoon Tea by Jo Westfoot of The Crafty Nomad

Jo is a Pattern Designer and Patchwork & Quilting Teacher. She has been helping customers develop and improve their sewing, patchwork and quilting skills for more than a decade and finds it truly rewarding to see students progress and be more satisfied with their makes. She specialises in modern designs using bright rainbow fabrics.

Jo has designed a set of four Foundation Paper Pieced blocks that explore the delicious subject of Afternoon Tea. You can find her PDF Pattern here.

The Royal Row by Yasmeen K Branton of Sand & Stars

Yasmeen designs and creates hand appliqué patterns, tutorials and runs workshops through her business Sand & Stars. Her passion is for everyone to learn how to do needle turn hand appliqué; to build skills, confidence and enjoy this therapeutic technique whilst creating beautiful projects.

Yasmeen has designed six blocks for you to choose from, all interpreting Royal iconography in her signature needle-turn applique. You can find her PDF Pattern here.

London Baby! by Sonia Spence of Fabric & Flowers

Sonia is a quilt designer that loves exploring new techniques and slow stitching combined with modern quilting. She has been featured in popular magazines such as Love Patchwork & Quilting and Mollie Makes. When not creating, Sonia can be found trying new crafts or walking the dog.

Sonia's row is an homage to the London skyline, recreated in a combination of applique, conventional and paper piecing. You can find her PDF Pattern here.

Conversation Starter by Lou Orth of Lou Orth Designs

Lou is a creator of modern quilt and sewing patterns, from Oxfordshire, UK. She loves creating modern and original designs and carefully constructed patterns that make your sewing projects effortlessly fun!

Lou's Foundation Paper Pieced row is a celebration of the iconic red telephone and post boxes. You can find her PDF Pattern here.

And finally, my row, Raining Cats & Dogs

My row draws inspiration from our minor obsession with the weather and our darling pets and employs conventional piecing. Find my PDF Pattern h ere.

All of the PDF Row Patterns are available for the Earlybird price of just £6 each until the 15th of May.

Because on the 16th we'll be starting...

The British Sew-a-Row sew along

Quite the tongue-twister, but we are so excited for the summer of sewing we have planned! We've broken the sewalong into two-week sections, so that you have time to explore the techniques in that row with the designers and make a good start on each row. We're going to encourage you to take your time and enjoy the process as we create this special, celebratory quilt together. Here's the schedule: -

16th May - Raining Cats and Dogs with...me - Machine Piecing and Dresden Blocks

30th May - Conversation Starter with Lou Orth - Foundation Paper Piecing

13th June - Royal Row with Yasmeen K Branton - Needle turn hand applique

27th June - Afternoon Tea with Jo Westfoot - Foundation Paper Piecing

11th July - London Baby! with Sonia Spence - Raw edge applique, curves and FPP

In the meantime, you can make a start by purchasing and downloading the row patterns and choosing your fabrics. Many of us will be leaning towards a classic red, white and blue palette, but your choice of background can make a huge difference: I've picked out a favourite Moda Bella Solid in Ruby Ice for my background, but here's what my friends are planning...