Nursery Rhyme Quilt Progress

Guess which quilt block I am currently working on at the moment?






Truth is I'm a bit behind because this week my email crashed grrrrrr! and I had a publishing deadline from Australian Country Threads. Hope to have the finished block to share with you soon.

Warmly Lenna

New Block of the Month Pattern Block Four

A lovely old Grandfather clock and a little cheeky mouse make up the theme of block four in my new block of the month quilt pattern. You guessed it, it's Hickory Dickory Dock.

One of my passions is collecting old furniture and memorabilia. My parents always had a fascination for old things and I have many a fond memory spending hours at country auctions. Often this was not as idealistic as it sounds. Many a day was spent in stifling heat and dust waiting , waiting waiting for that treasured item to come up in the sale. But during these outings I learned a lot from Dad about what to look for in a quality piece. And before long I also had the bug and started dragging my poor husband off to as many sales as I could find.

So when it came to thinking about the Grandfather clock my little mouse would scamper up, I knew it had to be old. I am constantly amazed at the attention to detail and craftsmanship found in old furniture. And clocks are among the best examples.


Do yourself a favour and spend a few minutes to admire the beautiful detail on these Grandfather clocks.
















































































And here is the top of my clock.
















Then there was consideration for the little mouse who would go running up the clock until the hour of one. Would he be white?






















Or would he be brown?















Or maybe Gray or maybe Tartan































Here's what I decided.

















I had heaps of fun creating this block.





















Stay tuned for the next one in the block of the month pattern series, it's coming soon.
Until then.
Warmly Lenna

New Block of the Month Pattern Block Three

Rolling around at sea in a pea green boat is the inspiration for the third block in my new block of the month quilt pattern. You guessed it it's the Owl and the Pussycat. Such a strange combination when you consider the temperament of a cat compared to that of an owl, which is probably why this delightful pair get along so well.





















The version above has the pussycat looking ever so formal and here is another version which brought a smile to my face.
















I have to confess that I am not normally a cat lover although I could easily find a place for this little fellow in my home.
And here is yet another whimsical interpretation that I have included here because it is so unusual.
















I have to confess that when I started sewing my version of The Owl and the Pussycat I got so carried away with the design that the boat was almost brown...how could I. We all know that it was pea green after all.
And here is a peek of my Owl looking warily at his companion.





















Who is the Cat.





















And they are bobbing along amongst the waves having a delightful time.





















Which is your favourite block so far?
Stay tuned block four coming soon.
Warmly Lenna

New Block of the Month Pattern Block Two

My new block of the month pattern is slowly emerging and I am excited to share with you block two Hey Diddle Diddle. For those of you unfamiliar with this nursery rhyme it involves a cat and a fiddle, a flying cow, a little dog, and a dish running away with a spoon.

















Hey Diddle Diddle had always been a favourite of mine. I think it has to do with the novel idea of a cow flying over the moon. Being a country girl at heart I just had to include the cow in my design.
Seems this cow flying concept has inspired many an artist and craft enthusiast.















I even have a cup cake to share with you whose maker obviously enjoys this rhyme as well.













And here is a glimpse of my version in needle and thread.














And a little village below.














Hope you like it.
Any guesses as to which one I will be revealing next?
Stay tuned. More block of the month pattern blocks coming soon.

And for those eager to start making this quilt I am planning on launching the set of patterns and monthly pattern program in September.

Chat again soon.
Warmly Lenna

New Block of the Month Pattern Block One

For the last few weeks I have been busy sewing the first blocks for my new block of the month pattern. I am trying to be a lot more disciplined with my pattern writing and have made a new rule for myself. I am only allowed to sew up 3 blocks at a time and then I must write the patterns to correspond. As you can imagine the sewing is much more fun and in previous years I have made the mistake of sewing the entire quilt before typing a single pattern. Very naughty.
I just get carried away with the creating.
Although I take down notes I find that I struggle to remember everything which makes the whole pattern writing task very tedious. So please help me to stay on track.
This week I am proud to report that 2 1/2 blocks are complete and two pattens are written, so far so good!
As promised I am excited to introduce to you my first block based on one of my favourite nursery rhymes Humpty Dumpty.
I had fun researching for this block and thought I would share with you some of the wonderful images I came across.



































As you can see lots of Humpty Dumptys in all shapes and sizes.
Here is a glimpse of my very own Humpty Dumpty complete with checked pants and purple buckled shoes.
















He sits happily on his brick wall amongst the flowers completely unaware that at any time he could fall!


















Here he is peeking out.




And here is the full block.














As you can see I have used a combination of needle turn applique and hand embroidery. My two favourite techniques.
However last week a few keen Redworkers contacted me and inquired as to whether I could release this pattern as a Redwork project as well. Is this something that would appeal to you?
Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Would you like to see my Nursery Rhyme quilt in a Redwork version as well?
I would also be keen to know what you think about Block One Humpty Dumpty.

Stay tuned because next week I plan to bring you block two.
Anyone want to guess what nursery rhyme I have based it on?
Chat with you again soon.
Warmly Lenna

PS I have just released two new patterns on the Stitching Cow website, click here to take a peek.
They are currently featured on the home page

My Block of the Month Pattern Research

Here are some of the lovely nursery rhyme illustrations that have inspired my new block of the month pattern. They are all taken from this book.
Hope you enjoy them!




The inside cover





























































Just wonderful aren't they?

The good news is that block one of my new block of the month pattern is complete, I'll share it with you in my next post.
I thought it might be interesting to post each block as I am working on it and feature the nursery rhyme it is based on as well.
So stay tuned for Humpty Dumpty coming soon!

Warmly Lenna

Nursery Rhymn Quilt Ideas

For the past couple of weeks my mind has been a swirl with ideas for my new block of the month quilt which will be based on nursery rhymes. I've had heaps of fun looking through favourite nursery rhyme books trying to decide which ones to include. There are so many to choose from and I have fond memories of singing them to my children. My  Miss Eight (almost nine) is very excited by my new design sketches and has eagerly made her suggestions as to which ones to include.

I discovered this image on Flikr today which took me back many years to my childhood. I wonder if Mum still has this album lying around somewhere. I used to play it often.
Does anyone else recognize it?