After pressing the quilt top, lay it
on top of the batting, right side facing
up, and baste the three layers
together with safety pins (for machine
quilting) or thread (for hand quilting).18
Quilt as desired. Samantha’s
quilt was professionally quilted
with a Cloudy Sky design by Lisa Kerr
of Stars Hollow Quilts.19
When the quilting is complete,
trim the excess backing fabric
and batting^1 ⁄ 4 in outside the edge of
the quilt.20
Join the seven binding strips
end to end with diagonal
seams to make one length, trim them
to^1 ⁄ 4 in and press them open. Fold the
strip in half, wrong sides together
and long edges matching, and press.21
With raw edges together, stitch
the binding to the edge of the
quilt with a^1 ⁄ 4 in seam, mitring the
corners as you go and referring to the
Binding Diagrams on page 63 for details.22
Turn the binding over and
stitch it by hand to the back of
the quilt. Label and date your quilt.SAMANTHA’S
SIMPLIFYING TIP
I actually made the bows on
my quilt using two overlapping
triangles, but I’ve simplified
things in these instructions
and have provided a single
shape for the bow.SAMANTHA’S TIDY
TIP I recommend grouping all
your fusible-web appliqué shapes
in a zip-lock plastic bag for safe
keeping. As well as preventing
any from going missing, it also
keeps the pieces neat and tidy.04
PROJECTSAMANTHA GREEN
Have you been stitching since you were very
young? My mother taught me to sew on her
big old Pfaff machine when I was five years
old. I delved straight into making clothes for
my dolls from scraps of fabric, yet I remember
feeling confused why these teeny tiny dresses
didn’t fit over the dolls’ big heads! Thankfully,
I wasn’t deterred and continued to sew items
for my dolls. Then, at the age of 10 and with
the help of my aunt, I made my very first
patchwork quilt.
How did you feel when you first started
sewing? Apart from the dress vs dolls’-heads
debacle, I remember feeling this excited
creativity sweep through me, as I pored
through craft magazines and books, feeling
like I could make anything I wanted to. So,
as a result, numerous projects were started
and never completed. My attention span
in my childhood was quite short.
Has your response to your craft changed
much over the years? I still feel that same
creative excitement that I can create
anything I want, but it’s now tempered with
the maturity of sticking with a project from
start to finish. Well, most of the time, anyway.
What is it that keeps you creating? We are
all born with the ability to be creative, inwhatever form that may take. For me, my
creativity comes from within. It’s something
I can’t ignore or deny, even if I wanted to.
I find I tend to feel unsettled or agitated
when I haven’t been able to express my
creativity in some form for a few days.
Do you teach your skills? m fortunate I’
enough to teach patchwork lessons at the
sweetest craft shop, Crumbz, located in
Healesville, Victoria. I thoroughly enjoy
teaching and helping women to feel
empowered with their craft and ability.
Are you involved in much online crafting –
blogging, Instagram, Pinterest etc? I really
value the online community of patchworkers,
crafters and sewists, be it through Instagram
or blogs. I’ve met some wonderfully talented
people through these forums, and I enjoy
sharing my little corner of creativity with
others. Pinterest is a dangerous place,
though, likened to a black hole! As soon as
I get on to Pinterest, I can get lost and spend
hours trolling through photo after photo of
clever tips, creative ideas or different styles.
Do you make a lot of projects for your
children? s soon as I finish a new quilt, either A
my son or daughter will declare it to be ‘their’
quilt. Even if it wasn’t actually intended for
them. They get quite possessive over the items
I make and really enjoy sleeping under my
quilts or wrapping themselves up in them while
reading. I always try to make them handmade
gifts for their birthdays or Christmas, such
as cushions, library bags or clothes. Their
encouraging words of delight of “Mummy
made it for me” are such a joy.
What other creative outlets do you like to
make time for? I enjoy being creative with my
kids, be it through nature play, drawing and
painting or cooking. I also really enjoy
spending time in the garden, interior
decorating and creating items for our home,
from wooden planters to a sandpit for the kids.
What do you wish for your creative future?
To always have my creative work enjoyed,
loved and appreciated by my family.Gett ing to know ...
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