Quilt-along in November
01/11/2015 § Leave a comment
Over on my Houzz projects page, I’ll be posting photos at the end of each week in November so you can track the progress of two memory quilts that I’ll be creating.
I hope you’ll follow along and enjoy seeing the quilts transform from 2 bags of cherished baby clothes into 2 patchwork quilts …
cherished baby clothes
On Thursday, I’ll be another year older. Not that I mind – I’ve always loved Bonfire Night!
This year I’ve treated myself to a wonderful present – a new toy for my sewing studio! I’ve already unwrapped it and tried it out but you’ll have to wait till Wednesday to see it!
Looking forward to a bit of sparkle!
Adaliza
Indian Summer by the Sea
02/10/2015 § 19 Comments
I’ve come away to spend some time by the sea and the collies and I have been blessed with the most amazing week of weather – high tides, sunshine, fishing boats and beach walks, wide blue skies and magical sunsets …
the highest tide of the year
lookout duty
dozing on the job
sometimes it’s all too much
A quilt has been finished – I sat outside overlooking the harbour whilst hand-stitching the binding and then promptly took the quilt for a walk up onto the coastal path, for a late afternoon photoshoot …
and I’m hoping to link up with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday later on today. The quilt is a commission and perfectly captures the colours of the waves, sky, sails, white horses and seagulls.
Walks along the coastal path every day have meant that precious memories have been revisited and laid peacefully to rest …
there’s no better place to be.
Adaliza x
~ ~ ~ please leave a comment, it’s one of the best bits about blogging ~ ~ ~
Walk in the Park – Quilt Commission
19/09/2015 § Leave a comment
When someone commissions a patchwork quilt, it’s the beginning of a journey …
They have a picture in their mind of a patchwork quilt …
I don’t know what they’re seeing …
We chat and I try to capture their mind’s picture …
pinks and a farmyard
trees and blues with oranges and a touch of red
we’re almost there with this one using the tree fabric as the focus for the quilt
We started chatting about farmyards then colours and the fabric that I’ve named Walk in the Park won over, so I collected some additional pieces over the summer that I thought would co-ordinate well with it.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve worked quietly and consistently on a quilt for a very special little girl and here’s the moment it all came together …
those final couple of photos, taken outdoors look a bit ‘washed out’ – in fact the quilt colours were strong and it was a melody of blues and greens with pinks and soft pumpkin hues all flowing through the patchwork.
I really loved making this quilt – I loved working with those colours and the baby girl, in her mother’s arms couldn’t stop staring at the colours when the ribbon was untied and she first saw her quilt. I hope her quilt, complete with her name embroidered on the front, will become a memorable part of her homelife as she grows up.
I’m teaming up with finish-it-up Friday over on crazy mom quilts and am looking forward to strolling around to see what everyone else has finished.
Enjoy the weekend
Adaliza x
Edited to add – J’s testimonial and feedback on her commissions:
“I wanted to give my niece and daughter a special quilt which they could learn to crawl on and would keep for years but I’m useless at sewing so I couldn’t do it myself. Adaliza asked me to suggest themes which would mean something to the children. I chose the seaside for my niece (because she lives on the coast) and ‘a walk in the park’ for my daughter. Adaliza was extremely sensitive to the colours and styles I wanted and sent lots of pictures of fabrics and colour combinations to choose from. She even looked for new fabrics to enhance the effect.
Adaliza created stunning, dynamic quilts which have a wide range of patterns and images to enjoy and talk about. They are genuine works of a art with a bright, fresh feel, which the children can interact with and play on for years. She also designed and made an embroidery cushion for my cousin’s wedding which marked their occasion in a non-sentimental way which felt right for them and a small personalised cushion for a friend’s daughter which I was proud to give.
She was professional to work with, produced flawless work and encouraged me to feedback openly so the process felt creative and exciting. I would recommend her to anyone wanting to give a special, individual present which is good value, unique to them and genuinely comes from the heart.” JG
~ ~ ~ please leave a comment,
I’d love to hear what you think about Walk in the Park quilt
and what you’re up to at the moment ~ ~ ~
Quilt Store …
13/04/2015 § 3 Comments
latest quilts, now in stock in my Quilt Store …
just click on a photo to go to the individual listing with details about the fabrics, dimensions and lots more photos of each quilt
Maycombe cot quilt
Folk Art Farmyard
Walk in the Park
Sailing By Quilt
Hill and Dale Cot Quilt
Hill and Dale Quilt
Homestead Folk Art Patchwork Quilt
Adaliza x
Memory Quilts …
07/10/2014 § 2 Comments
Way back in the late Spring, I met someone who had a very special project in mind – Memory Quilts. We arranged to meet and I’d asked her to bring along some of the fabrics – I admit to gasping a little when her car boot was opened and tubs of baby clothes lurked within! I love making quilts – and this lady had a wealth of memories wrapped up in these fabrics so I accepted the commission and four quilts were poured over and created. Here they are …
18th Birthday Quilt for a fisherman – see the Mirror Carp?
A quilt for a vet – spot the cows!
A special pea-pod pendant captured in silver stitches
Happy Memories – garden birds, baby clothes, favourite dresses & personalised patches
18th birthday Daughter’s Quilt
I appliquéd 18 hearts into the design
Such a pretty quilt
I’ll do a post about especially about making Memory Quilts one day as the processes involved in creating them are very different from making ‘normal’ quilts. It’s a privilege to be trusted with so many special fabrics that hold someone’s personal memories and sometimes the fabrics are far more difficult to work with than usual patchwork cottons but the end result is a unique journey – for both the commissioner and the quilter.
Here’s what Catherine, commissioner of 4 Happy Memories Quilts, has to say:
‘I am leaving a belated and whopping THANK YOU for my beautiful 4 commissioned quilts. You know how much I adore them all and that I cried when you gave me every one of them. For you to finish 4 huge quilts in a very short time frame that I gave you was simply astounding. You realised my dream of memory quilts made from the weirdest bits and pieces of fabric that other quilters would not touch with a barge pole, let alone a needle!You took on this simply mahoosive project during a particularly difficult time for yourself and never once wavered in your determination to do the most amazing justice to all of the beautiful clothing. Your finished quilts with their personalised embroideries were so gorgeous and mine took pride of place on the wall at my recent wedding. Everyone who has seen them has said how amazing they are and now friends are collecting clothing rather than selling it on.
I always wanted to be able to see the beautiful childhood memories and not have them stuffed up in the loft. What you have made for us has surpassed every vision I had and given me the chance to move on with my life and keep my memories in my quilt.
The twins had theirs for their 18th birthdays and my daughter has taken a little bit of home off to university. I could wax lyrical about you all day Val. I have come to know you well and consider you to be a great friend – kindred spirits perhaps. My love and thanks always.’ Catherine. ‘Thank You so much for your kind words. It was my pleasure. I loved making each one.
Wishing you all many more – Happy Memories’. Adaliza x
August Quilts
10/09/2014 § 2 Comments
For a photofest of quilts that I finished in August – just click on the photo!
August Quilts
If you’re in Hampshire this weekend, then pop along to Alton on Saturday 13 September and meet me and my quilts at the Makers’ Market – the Farmers’ Market is also in town so there’s lots to see and buy!
Adaliza
Luxor
17/08/2014 § Leave a comment
Hold on tight – we’re off to have a flavour of ancient temples set on the banks of the River Nile …
in a quilt!
I had a scrap of amazing fabric. It’s been hiding in my fabric stash for many, many years – probably 15 at least. There it is, under the name label above – Nile was the name printed in the selvedge edge. That set me thinking late one evening – I gathered rich and vibrant fabrics around me and blocks started taking shape.
I love this quilt. I needed a WOW fabric to set it alight and the vintage gold panel fitted right in, as centre squares and whole blocks. It positively shines in the sunlight.
It’s the sort of quilt that Poirot would have used as he dreamed of solving a mystery!
I’m working on 2 completely different quilts at the moment – one’s called Coast and the other’s called Siesta. I’ll be back soon with photos for you. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.
Adaliza x
Quilty catch-up
04/08/2014 § Leave a comment
Have you noticed the “2014 Quilts” menu on the left of your screen?
I’ve been keeping a month by month quilting diary of the quilts completed each month. This is July’s stack of 9 quilts:
Nine quilts completed in July
From the bottom up ::
Summertime :: Love Nest :: Tuscany :: Summer Meadow :: Mazurka :: Little Giraffes ::
Campervans (with pinks) :: Retro Spaceships :: Campervans (without pinks).
More photos and chat here.
Phew!
I’m in full production here now, for the Winchester Cathedral Christmas (YES – CHRISTMAS) Market where earlier in the year I was dancing around when I heard my application for a log cabin stall in the British Crafts Village had been accepted. There are so many applications for spaces and I was over the moon to have been given the chance to trade at such a super venue in Winchester.
I’m planning a cabin full of quilts and cushions with Christmas stockings and a few other seasonal makes too. I’ve decided that I’ll have to close my order book early this year – traditionally I accept orders for Christmas quilts right up until early November – but this year I’m going to be strict so that I can build up my stock.
I have a few more orders to be getting on with before my stock-building can continue this week. And I thought I’d be taking it really easy when I finished teaching a year ago!!!!!
Right – I’m off to do some cutting out in the sunshine on the patio. It’s SOOOooooo good to be able to take my making outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun on my back. I’ve enjoyed many happy sunshine sewing hours this summer – long may the warmth continue.
Hand-stitching the binding of a king-sized memory quilt, in the dappled shade of the apple trees.
If you’re on holidays then have a wonderful time.
Adaliza x
A very special quilt commission …
30/12/2013 § 2 Comments
A couple of months ago, I received an enquiry from a guy in London who wanted a Christmas quilt for his grandfather … “I’d like a bed quilt for my grandfather who is almost 90 years old”. What a wonderful idea for a unique present, I thought – yes, I could make a quilt for his grandfather.
I asked for some more details and gleaned a little more information about a very special farm that had once belonged to the old man’s family. I was told that …
“He reminisces with great fondness about his grandparents’ home – a farm in rural Wales, called Withy Hill. I don’t have a photo of the farm, but it’s up a rough road, surrounded by fields. His family worked hard on the land and must have lived a simple life in their stone cottage”
We had a chat and decided not to have an actual farmhouse on the quilt, the fabrics would work together to create the storytale of rural life – I had a free hand to choose. Yay! A visit to the amazing Country Threads Patchwork in Bath – we had a jaunt there for a couple of days in early December, as a bit of a pre-Christmas treat – and Jan’s fabrics, as always, held all the answers.
Withy Hill Farm quilt
I chose a palette of soft russets, with some touches of olive green and blue (there was a duck pond at the farm) and my favourite white cotton for the patchwork top. Taupe fleece, sage polka dot for the border and a name label would all work together to create the quilt.
Fabric key
From the many quilts I have made this year, this will be one I’ll always remember. I too have descended from generations of farmers in Wales and I felt as though I was weaving some of my history into the quilt as I worked. The grandson was delighted when he received the quilt, as was his grandfather on Christmas Day …
“Thank you so much for my grandfather’s quilt. The colours are amazing, so subtle and superbly balanced. The key you provided gave me great insight into your thought processes when designing and creating this quilt. My grandfather was speechless and there was a tear in his eye when he saw the name label. This quilt means a lot to both of us.” Mr AU, London
I love making quilts, as you may have realised if you’re a regular reader! I particularly love creating special quilts, taking ideas and turning them into an heirloom patchwork.
I’m currently working on another special quilt – one for us at home this time. It’ll be the project that sees me from one year to the next. I think it’s going to be called ‘On a cold and frosty morning’ and will include my favourite Scandinavian colour palette!
Adaliza
Adaliza 