My Journey Quilt using Vlieseline 276.

If you’ve met me before at a show, in a class or on our wonderful retreats you may well also have met my Mum. We started our quilting journey together well over a decade ago at a local quilt shop and, as the saying goes, didn’t look back. From quilt shows to exhibitions, local quilt shops to working on the magazine. My quilting journey took me many places and my Mother, Nanny Pat as she was known to all, was by my side. Until last year. We all have to go at some point, and her loss was sudden and, although she had been a little unwell, certainly a shock. 

It took awhile for my quilting mojo to return but when it did, I was drawn to hand sewing. Always a comfort to me. I have entered what I like to call my Baltimore phase. Every now and again I discover a different area of quilting and spend some time learning the processes and techniques before moving on. A true ‘butterfly’ of the craft. I really enjoy hand work so the tradition of needle turned appliqué suits me. I had been designing a Baltimore cushion for a workshop shortly before my Mum passed and it was as I was trying to gather myself after the event that I was inspired to use my Mother’s stash. When clearing her sewing room I found a box labelled ‘small pieces’.

The cushion was completed purely from her fabrics and this then led to another idea – a quilt, again using only her fabric scraps, Baltimore style using symbols from our lives. From Bristol to Monmouth, each element holding a meaning. 

The quilt was in the draft stages of design when I noticed that the theme for the Quilts UK show at Malvern was to be ‘Journey’. It seemed fate that I should try and get it finished in time. (Working to a deadline does help with finishing a quilt!) And so I began.

Baltimore quilts frequently have boats and bridges, both easily found in Bristol and Monmouth. Bristol Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain were must haves, along with the Monnow Bridge and the ship symbol which commemorates the contribution to medieval ship building by the town of Monmouth, situated as it is close to the Forest of Dean. If you ever visit Monmouth you will see the Monnow Bridge at the bottom of town. As you walk over this, look to the left hand side and you will see a stone carving of the ship which I used as my source for the ship on my quilt. 

As a child, I’d always loved the Unicorns which adorn the roof of the Council House on College Green in Bristol, sparking golden in the sun as they did in the 1970s when I first saw them. This became the central top block of my quilt. After this came the Cat. I’d lost my beloved siamese, Neo, in 2022 so he had to make an appearance to stand for all our lovely animals over the years. 

In my late teens, my parents became landlords of a couple of public houses, The Black Horse on Old Market Street, followed by The Antelope in Stockwood. Interesting times as they say, and the Bristol Blue brandy glass helped show this period of my life. Bristol Blue, again another big part of the Bristol story, and both Mum and I enjoying a good brandy many a Christmas.

There were just two more blocks to make. The first had to be where I am now with my little business Strictly Quilting and, as my logo is a sewing machine, this had to be added. (I did love the way the gold hand embroidery echoed the old Singer machines – I felt this worked really well!) Last, but not least, were the two Collared Doves in the centre of the quilt. There was more symbolism here. For my wedding, Mum and I cross stitched all of the invitations and Orders of Service with a dual dove design and, as luck would have it, I have two Collared Doves which live close and frequently visit my garden. They are so lovely and it seemed right to include them.

But now we come to the reason for my blog, long as it is! I had been kindly sent some Vlieseline 276 Natural Cotton White wadding to try out and, as I was planning to free motion quilt I thought it was a good time to try it out. I double layered it in the quilt. By ‘knocking back’ an area with denser quilting, the double layer adds volume to the ‘puffy’ areas. The wadding was lovely, soft and fluffy with no noticeable bearding probably because of the scrim which helps bind the fibres. This is a cotton wadding and, because it is beautifully white, worked well with my light coloured quilt. Definitely a bonus. You can sew by hand or machine with it and the maximum quilt spacing is 10 to 20cm. 

This wadding is also part of Vlieseline’s Up-cycling collection – should be no surprise to patchworkers but the main question is have I used up my Mum’s small scraps box? Answer – No! There’s so much left I think I could make another five of these quilts and that’s just from her ‘small scraps’. She was much better than mean, only purchasing for the project she was starting. I now must admit that I feel sorry for my boys when the time comes to clear my sewing cabin! I’ll have to make a list of who and where to send it all…..

Special thanks to Vlieseline for allowing me to try the wadding and you can find more product information here.