Instagram News
Not the brightest of days here to start the week, so here’s a star to brighten it ☺️. Sawtooth Star is one of my all time favourite blocks and this one is especially scrap friendly. I’ve had a play on the layout app , you can swipe to see what would happen if I stitched more 😂. Always so many ideas, and so many scraps! #patchwork #patchworkblock #quiltblock #scrappypatchwork #scrapbusting #scrapblock #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #quiltersofinstgram
If you’re planning ahead for quilt shows next year, @grosvenorshows have fifteen of my scrappy quilts on display this spring! All alongside the usual lovely offering of inspiring quilts and quilt shops! Hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you at the different venues! The first is in Newark! #patchwork #scrappyquilts #stashbustingquilts #scrapquilt #patchwork #patchworkquilt #quiltshow #grosvenorshows #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts
Braving the cold and the damp I got a picture of my finished Coffee Cups quilt 🤓. This was inspired by the quilts I saw at Festival of Quilts last year, and the details of it are in the previous post. Lovely to see it all flat instead of scrunched up on my lap being quilted! Hope you all have time for some coffee in bed this weekend under a cosy quilt? #patchwork #vintageinspired #teacupquilt #coffeecupquiltblock #coffeecupquilt #patchworkquilt #utilityquilting #mennonitetacks #quiltersofinstagram #handquilted #handquilting #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts
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
And with the frosty nights and mornings, I’m back to sitting under my tea cup quilt to get it finished. I’m quilting in rows of Mennonite Tacks using Valdani 12 wt perle 🧵🤓. Lots of stitch suggestions and ideas for utility quilting in my books, Big Stitch from @searchpress and Farmhouse Style Quilting from @landauer_publishing 🤓. I do love a bit of utility quilting 🧵. #patchwork #quilting #quiltinprogress #handquilting #utilityquilting #mennonitetacks #quiltersofinstgram #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #valdanithreads
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
And that’s a finish, well all bar the pressing 🤓. So this distraction of a block was inspired by a magazine cut out from a good few years back. Swipe to see the process.
I loved that little snippet of a quilt that I could see. In the back of my mind I knew I had a pattern for that or something similar (Jan Halgrimson to the rescue ☺️). It turned out to be similar, but easily adaptable. Once cut I’ve actually altered the orientation of the big triangles, but I may yet stitch another block like the original on the bed. And now on to my quilt binding ! #patchwork #quiltblock #handpieced #handpiecing #handstitched #handstitching #scrappypatchwork #scrapblock #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #quiltersofinstgram
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
Having fun this week supersizing the Envelope Quilt blocks 🤓. It’s one of the QAYG techniques in my book from @searchpress and it’s a fun class too. Instead of using 5in squares I’ve used 10in squares as my starting point. The blocks are about 13in finished, so should stitch up quickly once I’ve quilted them. Swipe through to some images of the stitch I often use tho join them. It’s from a book on Japanese reversible patchwork, or look at the old images from an antique sewing book. I love an old sewing book! The size of the blocks was inspired by a quilt I saw in a magazine and clipped it out! I do love a sunny portable quilt as you go project ☺️🧵. if you fancy a look in person and you’re not on the class tomorrow at @pincushion_pantiles , then pop along to chat with me when I’m at @ladysewandsewhenley all day next Saturday 🤓🧵. #patchwork #envelopequilt #scrapquilt #quiltinprogress #quiltasyougo #qayg #quilersofinstagram #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #searchpress
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
A miscellaneous selection of things that have inspired me over the last month. It’s not always the obvious, quilts and blocks. It’s sometimes something quilts different and it all goes into the mixing pot, and somehow might pop out in a quilt at some stage. What’s catching your eye today? #creativity #inspiration #makersgonnamake #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts
You know how I love a good book 🤩. Well two more were add to my inspirational browsing this weekend. Quite different to each other and with at least one of them I’m guilt free only looking at the pictures 😉.
Pull of the thread was talked about on @hapticandhue and is by @sheilafruman. It fits right in with my research for a proposed trip to Uzbekistan next year with @stitchtopiauk 🤓. The second by is pure stitchy indulgence by @hikaru_noguchi_design @darning_by_hikaru_noguchi and has already lead to some ideas going off on a tangent. Care to share any books that are inspiring you this week? #book #books #inspiration #cantbeatagoodbook #booksdontwritethemselves #textilebook
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
When you only have little pieces of the fabric left , you do what you have to 🤓🧵. This is patchwork after all 🤣. #properpatchwork #patchedpatchwork #patched #usewhatyouhave #wastenotwantnot #sustainablesewing #carolynforster #carolynforsterquilts #quiltersofinstagram #quiltinprogress
Throw back Thursday 🧵🌧️. I’ve been on a bit of an appliqué roll this year . Lots has inspired me and I’ve been enjoying learning new techniques. Over the years I’ve always done a bit of appliqué, and this block and the following quilt are one such example 🤓. The block was from a book on old US quilts where lots of my ideas come from. Unintentionally I stitched it in colours that make think of it as a Christmas quilt 🤷♀️. I still think this folk art style of appliqué design is my favourite ! #throwbackthursday #appliqué #appliquequilt #handstitched #handstitching #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
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
