Twelve Hearts Patchwork and Appliqué Wall Hanging

Here is my latest wall hanging: made from a mix of machine sewn patchwork, hand appliqué and hand quilting. I was aiming for a colourful mixture of fabrics with a 'scrappy', improvised look. 

Making
The individual rectangles are pieced, then each has a heart sewn to it. The rectangles are joined (after much deliberation about the layout!), then the top is sandwiched with a wadding and backing layer before quilting begins, using embroidery threads for added touches of colour. I added some Czechoslovakian matte glass beads in three places, to add a further layer of interest. A binding is added, along with a hanging sleeve on the reverse, and finally, my maker's label.

This piece is available for sale in my etsy shop. 

Nine Eggs - Making A Textile Art Wall Hanging

This piece has just been listed in my Folksy shop.

It was inspired by the lovely fresh eggs that my own chickens lay. We have kept chickens for over 10 years. We have two hens at present, (Connie and Lily, below), and a cockerel called Monty. A friend once commented that he spoke to his hard boiled egg every lunch time, because "each one is an individual". That thought stuck with me, and here is the result.

The first task was to tea-dye the lovely antique, woven fabric that I wanted to use for the background to each 'egg'. I then chose the fabrics that I wanted to use for the eggs. I chose a subtle palette, which is rather different to my usual bright colour schemes.

Each egg was hand cut to be slightly different in size and shape from the others. The 'eggs' were hand appliquéd to the background rectangles, then the individual rectangles were machine sewn together.

The front was ironed, then sandwiched with cotton wadding and a backing fabric, pinned all over, then hand quilted in cream and black threads.

Next comes trimming to size, and the binding - a fabric which I overdyed - it has a subtle brownish black colour. This is half attached by machine, and half by hand stitching.

The hanging sleeve is also attached at this time, and then the 'Fire Horse Textiles' label is added to the reverse.

Finally, a hanging dowel is sawn to length and sanded on the ends to prevent splinters.

Rather a windy day when I was taking the photos!