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And that’s another finish for 2023. The teacups were inspired by the vintage quilts I’d seen at Festival of Quilts in 2022. It’s been made with all the Tilda Dots, Essex linen and some prints too. Backed with gingham, batting is Hobbs 80/20 . It’s quilted in Mennonite Tacks and I used Valdani perle cotton 12wt. It’s such a cosy quilt, very much a Tea In Bed quilt! Hope you’ve had some quilt finishes to end the year? #patchwork #teacupsquilt #utilityquilting #patchworkquilt #handquilted #handquilting #cosyquilt #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

I’ve been sorting and tidying my fabrics, as is the way when you purport to be a quilter 🤓. I came upon fabrics set aside for a long forgotten project. I’d made a few blocks but not really ‘felt it, so moved on. Those blocks I put in my orphan block tub, and the fabrics were then looked through with new eyes. As usual it’s about what and why you discard, rather than what you keep. So after that process with a new quilt top in mind, I began the stitching. (Well, after the ironing and the cutting 😊). And this is my result. Inspired by a vintage quilt, the scrappiness and the block size, and now laid out on the design floor. Initially I was keen to put this together and quilt as a whole, but really? It’s so easy for this to be QAYG and make life whole lot easier ☺️🧵. And for those of you who need to ask, the strips were cut 2in and I think I did eight circuits 🤓. #patchwork #quiltinprogress #scrapquilt #usewhatyouhave #logcabinquiltblock #logcabinquilt #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

Join me for my last class of 2023 🤓. I’ll be at @pincushion_pantiles on December 6th for a lovely day of hand stitching and little bag making, there might even be coasters involved! Either way it will be a lovely day of semi festive stitching 😊. We’re exploring all the stitches and loads of designs of Chicken Scratch embroidery (aka Broderie Suisse)! Be warned, it’s very addictive ! Hope you’ll be here to stitch with me! #handstitching #embroidery #chickenscratchembroidery #stitchingtogether #chickenscratch #broderiesuisse #simplebag #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #pincushionpantiles #pantileslowerwalk #tunbridgewells#libertytanalawn #libertyscrapchallenge #libertycraftclub ...

And here’s some cross stitch on the patchwork . It’s quite subtle, an experiment really. I think I’ll be doing more of this, and bolder 🧵. Are you going off on a stitching tangent with anything at the moment? For inspiration pop over to @mandypattullo and @evahanda.se 😍. #patchwork #crossstitching #crossstitch #embellishment #handstitched #handstitching #inspiration #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

Incase it’s grey and wet where you are, here’s a Variable Star block to brighten your day/screen. Hope you get a chance to stitch today, and if it’s bright and zingy perhaps you’ll share it with us 😊. #brightenyourday #patchwork #quiltblock #quiltersofinstgram #starttheweekright #scrappyquilt #quiltinprogress #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

I’m realising that I take fewer pictures of my finished quilts when I can’t put them on my washing line 🤦🏽‍♀️, (because it keeps raining, not because I don’t do laundry).
So here’s a bit of a quilt on a sofa, a finish from last week that was immediately put into action on top of the person on the sofa ☺️.
It’s a bit of a out on limb quilt for me. I’ve embroidered a patchwork basket pattern on to squares of vintage embroidered table linen, then pieced them together. Quilted by @longarmquilterchris , and you can see this quilt in her video on her page 🥰. Always nice to see an idea come to fruition 🧵🤓. #patchwork #patchworkquilt #quiltersofinstagram #vintageembroidery #vintagetablecloth #handstitched #handstitching #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #quiltfinish
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I’ll be at @ladysewandsewhenley this Saturday to chat quilts and talk about my books with you all! Im bringing some stitching to keep my hands busy, anyone who’s coming along have anything in particular they’d like to see? It will from my QAYG book or the Hand Piecing book, or perhaps some Big Stitch 🧵🤓 @searchpress . Looking forward to seeing you there, and bring any stitching you’d like to share with me 😁. #patchwork #patchworkquilt #quilting #handquilting #qayg #ladysewandsewhenley #searchpress #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

Nothing like a bit of cosy hand quilting to start the day off right 🧵. Some Mennonite Tacks to keep the layers together, working up fast as Utility quilting should 🪡☺️. #handquilting #handquilted #utilityquilting #mennonitetacks #quilting #quilted #scrappypatchwork #stringquiltblock #wastenotwantnot #sustainablesewing #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

And todays quilt inspiration is one of my favourite antique quilts. My all time favourite block, and then so many different fabrics 😍. Enjoy, it’s nearly the weekend ! #patchwork #patchworkquilt #antiquequilt #antiquepatchworkquilt #antiquepatchwork #oldquilt #quiltinspiration #carolynforstar #carolynforsterquilts ...

Catching up with the Double Windmill quilt top today. I’m stitching it from the @libertyquilting collection Arthur’s Garden. I’ve just started sewing the seventh block of the intended sixteen and I’m loving seeing how the different placement of prints gives us different patterns. The original vintage one that inspired me has some blocks entirely from one print. I’m wondering if I’m brave enough to do that too? Keep a look out on my stories to see how things are coming along 🤓🧵. #handpiecing #handpiecedquilt #handstitching #handstitched #quiltinprogress #quiltersofinstagram #libertyquilts #libertyquilting #libertycraftclub #scrappyquilt #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...

Blast from the past 😍. I was looking for something cheery to post today, but this popped up and it is actually the colours of today, and I loved stitching it, and now I’m wondering where it is, and why don’t I stitch more large diamond and hexagon quilts again 🧐. So not where I was going with this post, but sometimes you don’t know where it’s going until you start 🧵. #patchwork #patchworquilt #hexagonhappenings #landauerpublishing #hexagonpatchwork #onepatchquilt #machinepieced #taupe #scrapquilt #carolynforsterquilts #carolynforster ...

Today I took time to do one of my favourite things, sewing patchwork from recycled fabrics. I used one of my husband’s shirts (it’s ok, he’d let it go 😉), and a tea towel to make my blocks for @afullenglish group quilt #teambearpaw24 🧵☺️.
A pretty quick stitch, although I did confer with a quilty friend 😘. So if you’d like to be involved in a group quilt for next years Quilt Festival, this was a lovely way to do that. It will be fun seeing what other repurposed fabrics crop up in Chris’s quilt! #patchwork #quiltblock #reusereducerecycle #sustainablesewing #usewhatyouhave #sewyoursash#groupquilt #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts
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An oldie but a goody! How to stitch a Japanese knot bag, all from a post a while back! ...

And on another hand stitching note, I’m thinking of a little chicken scratch embroidery day before Christmas comes. Perhaps a day when we can make a gift bag embellished with our stitches, or something just for ourselves 🧵🤓. #chickenscratchembroidery #chickenscratch #handstitched #handstitching #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts ...