Village quilts 2 & 3

It’s been a few months since I shared my first village charity quilt, and back in May I wasn’t as on track as I’d wanted to be to meet my ‘one a quarter’ plan, but it’s amazing what a difference a couple of months can make, as here I am with the second and third of this style of quilts - and I still love making them so I think there will be plenty more.

But 2 & 3…

Mum came along to the July Saturday sewing group meeting with me and at that meeting I seemed to steam through topping up my house pile to make another top. I know I need 30 houses for each quilt top, so when I think I’m close and then find out I’m not as close as I thought, I put my foot down.

Anyway at that sewing group meeting I completed the top for the second quilt - and as you’ll notice one of the houses on the second row has a more modern take on the roof shape. It’s an oops, but an acceptable oops in this style of quilt, as well, not all houses look the same anyway do they?

VILLAGE 2 QUILT TOP

I enjoyed piecing this so much that over the next few days I completed the top for my third village quilt.

VILLAGE 3 QUILT TOP

I love how they look so different, but are so clearly the same design. Some fabrics are used in both quilt tops, and some will continue to feature for a quilt or two more I’m sure, while I’ve probably used the last of some in these quilts.

I decided it would be sensible to choose two different backings for these quilts, as it made sense to batch the remaining tasks. This led me to another ‘design decision’. I was keen to use the bluey/grey and white dot fabric with the yellow flowers as a backing for the final time, but if I added two borders I wouldn’t have quite enough. I guestimated that with a single border I could use it as backing, and even better I could use that material on the front too as a border, though I wasn’t quite sure how it would work as previously I’d used the cream border.

There was only one way to find out

So both quilts were basted and quilted, then trimmed ready for binding.

VILLAGE 2 QUILTED

VILLAGE 3 QUILTED

The patterned border makes them look quite different again, doesn’t it?

I like it though, and it’s persuaded me to be bolder with some of these quilts in the future. But discipline meant that I needed to finish these quilts before I’d let myself play with any future colour schemes, and I wanted to include both of these in my donation early in September.

VILLAGE 2 FINISHED

VILLAGE 3 FINISHED

I’m pleased with both of them and love how they’re both the same but also so different - and I hope that they’ll provide a hug to someone that needs one soon.

You can see my other quilts I’ve made to donate to Project Linus - a charity whose mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children, who are sick, disabled, disadvantaged or distressed through the donation of new, homemade, washable quilts and blankets.

New to my craft room in August

This month’s additions can be summarised as ‘too good to pass on’ and remarkably the majority of new things this month have either been free, a gift or very good value, though my final purchase of the month blew what would have been a frugal month - but it was definitely worth it!

Both the lace above and the ‘Fat Cat’ ruler below came via my patchwork group, some from the same stash sale as last month. The lace - something I’ve not sewn with yet - was £1 per card, and the ruler just a fiver. It’s designed for making patchwork cats, and the triangular shape is the cat’s body. While I’m a cat fan, cat quilts aren’t on my radar - but I did like the shape and have a project in mind. It’s one that’s not on this year’s list but maybe it may just sneak in.

The vegetable nets are from onions - red and the more usual sort. Usually I pick up bags of onions but this month MOH picked up these in the nets and I was like ‘oh why not’ I may be able to weave with those, and I think I can. They’re not as soft as the fruit nets, but for what I have in mind I don’t think it’ll matter.

Which is handy really as I’ve managed to snag a small weaving set, along with some other goodies from Hobbycraft. I was gifted a voucher as thanks for looking after our neighbour’s cats, which was totally unnecessary as I was happy with the cat chats and tickles, but very much appreciated. Though I went to my local Hobbycraft to suss out some of the items, especially the shears as I wanted to feel the weight of them, something you can’t do online. That I was able to do but many of the items weren’t available at the store so I ended up shopping for some in person and for some online.

The small embroidery stork scissors were part of the online shop, which meant our local DPD needed to ID me for the delivery - when I told him what was in there, and specifically the size of the scissors, we did have a chuckle. Rules are rules and safeguards are safeguards and all that, but it did make us smile.

I also learnt of a huge stash sale via my patchwork group which takes place in Chesterfield market place once a year, and this year it was in August. I was umming and ahhing about whether to go along or not, but with sixty market stalls full of very good value craft stuff I decided that I’d go along and see what it was like. Chesterfield is about an hour from us, and seems proper up North, but it was worth going and I’d look out for it again next year.

It was particularly good for large pieces of material which I plan to use as backings for my charity quilts. The white/pink flowered fabric is an Ikea print from 2005 and everytime I see an old Ikea fabric I’m reminded of how good their fabric was, I don’t know if it’s still the same though?

The green and lilac raindrop material is actually a single duvet cover, and the colours were just my thing. Since I’ve been home I’ve realised these colours are a really good match for my Mystery Block of the Month quilt which remains stalled. I wondered now if that’s because I’m not really onboard with the backing fabric I have, and maybe it’s that. I looked to see if this single duvet cover would work size-wise but it doesn’t - it’s wide enough, but not long enough and I don’t want to piece it with another fabric to make it fit, so I think I’m resigned to my original plan (which btw is absolutely fine, it’s just this one was better - well if it fitted anyway!)

The other two pieces will definitely be for those charity quilts, and it’s likely that some of the material will also make it onto the tops too. When I say these were good value, in total these four pieces of large fabric cost £7 and will do many more than seven quilts I’m sure.

Also good value were these balls of wool at 50p each - I’m almost knee deep in crocheted decorations for our tree dressing later in the year, and these will also be used for that along with more scraps of wool I’ve found that I didn’t have plans for. Our tree will meet its brief to be colourful, that’s for sure.

The final items that I picked up in Chesterfield were these two dies for £2 and the blue and white linen remnant for £1 - meaning in total I spent just £12 at the biggest stash sale I’ve ever been to - see what I mean when I said things were too good to pass on?

I’m not sure what I’ll use the blue and white linen remnant for, but it reminded me of the willow pattern and a jumper I knitted myself a long while back. I think it’s the memories of that jumper that meant this one was always coming home with me.

So that just leaves my final purchase of the month, and it’s another that I couldn’t leave behind. My long-time fabric store nemesis had a stall on Newark market last weekend, and so I thought I should show willing and support this, as having a fabric stall on the market is to be encouraged.

Sadly though I approached from the non-remnants side, after our visit up the church tower, and fell in love with this Indian block printed cotton.

Isn’t it beautiful? And very much ‘my colours’ - but at £12 per metre it wasn’t cheap. The big question was how much would I need, in the end I decided not to scrimp, as not having enough would be worse - and despite a conversation with some other ladies also perusing the stall who suggested making a skirt, decided to stick with my original thoughts for a dress. I like skirts, but when the fabric is so bold I struggle to pair items with them, and like to have versatile clothes rather than set outfit choices.

But anyway, it came home with me - and when I got home I looked out the pattern I had in mind, and then decided that that wasn’t right at all. But luckily - or at least fortuitously - a pattern sale dropped into my email box the next morning, and so I’m almost set. I’ll share the pattern next month as it’s not arrived yet.

So I really do need more time at my sewing machine next month, I’ve plans and projects that just won’t stop forming!

Thank you for joining me for another month in my craft room, please check out my previous updates for earlier additions, and remember to let me know below what you’ve added to your craft supplies this month.

Other makes update: August 2026

I’ve still not found a better name for my non-quilt sewing plans for the year, but I have found time to make some stuff since my last update in May, so I’m ok with that.

So let’s take a look shall we:

1 Pouches

Strangely only one completed this time round, and that one was using the flying geese blocks that were in the bag of pre-cut and pre-sewn items donated to my sewing group.

Out of the same scraps I’ve also made a patchwork drawstring bag, a bread cover and a small fabric storage box which didn’t go quite to plan!

So I’m claiming progress in the bags, experimental sewing and practical household items headings for these too because that’s where they fit don’t they?

2. A ‘take to’ sewing case

Still nothing to see here, I’m afraid.

3. A bag or two, or more

The drawstring bag for my bread might not have necessarily been the bag I had in mind for this section, but it’s a bag and it’s made so it absolutely fits here.

4 Experimental sewing and sewing for fun

There’s been some of this recently too - and it’s those scraps again. As I said above the fabric storage basket ended up smaller than I planned and I had to improvise on the lining, but not everything can go right all of the time can it? And to be honest I’m glad I messed up on something like this rather than anything else I’ve made these past few months.

There’s also been an update to dad’s birthday bunting, with a two to replace last year’s one.

5 Patchwork design boards

I haven’t yet put my learnings from the last update into practice, but they’re still on the list - and I’m sure once I start I’ll be wondering what took me so long.

6 Some practical household items

I think I’ve covered this above, multiple times!

7 Wearables

Well who knew that this would be where the most action would take place, certainly not me when I set my goals for the year. But since I last updated you I’ve finished my Sari dressing gown and started and finished in record time a dress. Who even am I?

Seriously though finishing these two items has given me loads more confidence to carry on sewing garments, which is good news as I’ve plenty of plans some of which I may actually start to put into production.

But in the meantime here’s two photos to end this post of my two wearables, and I’m really proud of both of them (especially as neither have fallen apart!)

I’m hoping that the heatwaves are mostly behind us, though I hear another could be on the horizon for early next month, and with the cooler days I’ll be able to spend more time sewing. I could definitely do with that as always I’ve got more plans than I know how to implement, but I’m sure I’m not alone in that.