Innehållsförteckning för Issue 106 från Today's Quilter

We are in full Christmas mode here at TQ headquarters! We’ve filled this issue with some delightful Christmas projects, sure to bring joy to those making them... and those who get to enjoy them. We absolutely adore Andrea Gorman’s Santa Sack and all the little furry creatures helping St. Nick – what’s not to love!? And Jo Colwill has brought some county charm to our office with her wall hanging, depicting what a perfect, snowy Christmas would be like. The Deck the Halls quilt, featuring large wreath blocks made using Liberty fabrics, is a great project to make with a novice quilter. Not only do we love large blocks, but Amanda Little has given detailed instructions to ensure anyone can follow the pattern and get great results. Not feeling festive…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT We’ve all been there. As soon as the countdown to Christmas kicks in we start panic buying presents that are often discarded come Boxing Day. This festive season, why not break that high street habit and treat loved ones to something more meaningful and longer lasting? As crafters, we squeeze in as much time as we can for making, so think about treating your faves to some creative time as well, gifting them a unique experience rather than a physical present. Think craft workshops, classes, online courses, or – if you’re feeling generous – a creative retreat. MAKE TIME Experience gifts are growing in popularity as we realise an expanding mountain of stuff can’t always spark joy, but memories definitely can. And, by gifting someone time to…

Find the fabrics, accessories and more that you want from this month’s issue. SHOPPING FABRIC COLLECTIONS Juniper www.artgalleryfabrics.com Winter Botanical Collection www.woolwarehouse.co.uk The Magic of Christmas FQ Bundle www.fatquartershop.com Deck the Halls www.libertylondon.com BOOKS Christmas Quilting with Wendy Sheppard www.searchpress.com Classic Blocks Revisited www.searchpress.com Creative Two-Block Quilts www.searchpress.com Home Sweet Home Paper Piecing www.searchpress.com QUILT PATTERNS Patterns by Lynne Goldsworthy www.tqandlpqpatternshop.etsy.com…

Over the last 14 months, I have shared just about every aspect of making a quilt, except the two I consider the most important: blocking and squaring. Imagine hanging a quilt and the sides curl, or it looks more like a parallelogram than a rectangle! Both of those issues are addressed by blocking and squaring up your quilt. This month, I will discuss blocking, and next month I will share my tips for squaring up. So, what is blocking and how do you do it? Blocking is a technique that uses water to relax the fibres and help them return to their natural state. After all the cutting, stretching, folding, and stuffing that happens during the course of quilt making, it is a necessary evil. For years, I blocked my…

Who doesn’t love the countdown to Christmas? Each day brings you closer to the big day and all the excitement it holds. And an Advent Calendar makes the countdown even more exciting. Opening a window every day to find a surprise is all part of the fun. So, keeping this in mind, we took the idea and turned it into a quilt... because why wouldn’t we, and who doesn’t love a Christmas quilt!? Instead of windows, designer Lynne Goldsworthy has created little pockets that can be filled with sweets, toys or maybe something a little stronger... if you’re an adult, of course! Who says kids have to have all the fun? Lynne has also decorated all of the pockets with gorgeous designs to make this quilt something really special. So,…

Quiltfest North Until 8 October • On show will be the quilts of Gwenfai Rees Griffiths, work from the Region 13’s talented quilters, plus a Trading Day at Astley Village Community Centre, PR7 1XA on Sunday the 17th of September. 10.00-15.00 (Closed Tues & Weds)The Coach House Gallery, Astley Hall, Chorley PR7 1XA Dumfries and Galloway Annual Quilt Festival Until 8 October • Shambellie House sits in beautiful southwest Scotland on the outskirts of Dumfries. Surrounded by beautiful woodland and gardens, it is the perfect place to learn, relax and enjoy our third annual Quilt Festival. Entry £5 (inc tea/cake) – children under 12 freeShambellie House, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 3HQContact: quilters@shambelliehouse.org The Great Northern Quilt Show 29 September-1 October • Quilts and textile art will be on display and…

We’re sure readers will be delighted to hear that, commencing in the next issue, one of our favourite designers, Lynne Edwards MBE, will be presenting our latest Block of the Month (BOM) series. This exciting news gave us the perfect excuse to catch up with Lynne, whom we last spoke to in Spring 2020 when we were in a national lockdown. BRAVE NEW WORLD “That was such a strange period,” Lynne reflects. “On the weekend I’d been away teaching and by the end of the following week we’d been ordered to stay at home. But, like many others, I didn’t think it would last long and viewed it as a useful breathing space to get ahead with preparations for my regular local classes.” However, by Summer, despite the easing of…

BEHIND THE QUILT SNOW SIMPLE! “All of the blocks in this quilt are made to 6in square – that is to say, they will measure 6in square when pieced. A 5in square piece of wadding is basted to the centre of the back and the block is quilted. The edges of the block (each ½in wide) are then folded over, pressed and top stitched to the back of the block to create the 5in square pocket front. As all the fused pieces in the advent calendar are so tiny (e.g. the snowman’s scarf, the ribbon on the wreaths and all the numbers), they are attached using fusible web. Edge stitching would be too fiddly and risk destroying the shape of the pieces, so they are simply fused and quilted in…

THE FABRIC DECK THE HALLS Celebrate the magic of the festive season with Liberty Fabrics and their new fabric collection, Deck the Halls. Designed in two colour stories, the first, named Polar Magic, is a modern interpretation of frosty teals with pops of pink and bright cheery yellows. The second colour story offers a more traditional festive palette of ruby reds, forest greens, and warm creams, and is called Yuletide Cheer. Turn to page 32 to make a quilt featuring pretty wreaths using the collection. THE PATTERN AMONG THE PINES “The traditional Pine Burr block is one that isn’t commonly seen, which is surprising to me as I’ve always been very drawn to its exuberant spiky ‘feathers’ and lively form,” says designer Laura Pritchard. Laura has combined clever piecing with…

BEHIND THE QUILT A COSY & SNOWY SCENE “This quilt is inspired by our farmhouse and a lovely cottage snuggled away on Bodmin moor. For me, Christmas is a time of feeling cosy and sharing with friends, family and animals. The thought of snow is always magical but, in reality, not always very practical. So my quilts are a dream of the perfect Christmas where everyone is safe and happy. You can make this quilt from scraps – but you might need the snow background and night sky fabrics. You can enlarge or decrease the size of this quilt by making more or less trees – it’s all meant to be fun. I used a combination of pieced trees and hand appliqué for the house and the tree surrounded by…

BEHIND THE QUILT CHALLENGE YOURSELF! “This quilt uses two (2) blocks, which alternate across the design to create secondary patterns with the diagonal lines of half-square triangles. The second star blocks, which feature the small half-square triangles, are then framed by the diagonal lines of HSTs as well as by the beige circles – creating more interest in the quilt top. This quilt uses various techniques, including half-square triangles and curved piecing, so it is a relatively advanced and time-consuming design. The simple colour palette works well with the complex piecing and helps to simplify the design, allowing the eye to see the overall patterns in the quilt top. This could also be achieved by using warm and cool colours, dark and light colours or some other contrast method.” –…

SUGARED STARS HST AND PIECING TEMPLATES ACTUAL SIZE PLEASE NOTE: Templates include seam allowances. SCAN ME! Scan the QR code here, to go directly to the templates page on Gathered.how and Download all templates for the projects at full size! SANTA'S WOODLAND FRIENDS APPLIQUÉ TEMPLATES ENLARGE 200% PLEASE NOTE: Templates DO NOT include seam allowances. CHRISTMAS AT COWSLIP APPLIQUÉ TEMPLATES ENLARGE 200% PLEASE NOTE: Templates DO NOT include seam allowances. DOWNLOAD THESE TEMPLATES FULL SIZE Visit our blog: www.gathered.how/todaysquilter today! CHRISTMAS AT COWSLIP APPLIQUÉ AND QUILTING TEMPLATES ENLARGE 200% PLEASE NOTE: Templates DO NOT include seam allowances. CHRISTMAS AT COWSLIP APPLIQUÉ AND QUILTING TEMPLATES ENLARGE 200% PLEASE NOTE: Templates DO NOT include seam allowances. SCAN ME! Scan the QR code here, to go directly to the templates page on Gathered.…

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN LAYOUT AND FPP TEMPLATES ACTUAL SIZE PLEASE NOTE: Templates include seam allowances. Thank you for making this project from Today’s Quilter. The copyright of the patterns in this magazine are owned by or licensed to Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited and are for readers’ personal use only. Please DO not share them online (even for free) or copy them multiple times without our permission. Where selling crafts based on these patterns is permitted (usually only to raise funds for charity), we’ll say so on the page. Copyright law protects creative work and unauthorised copying is illegal. We appreciate your help. DOWNLOAD THESE TEMPLATES FULL SIZE Visit our blog: www.gathered.how/todaysquilter today! SCAN ME! Scan the QR code here, to go directly to the templates page on Gathered.how and Download…