I have to admit that I am developing an obsession with textile designs – be it floral, spotted, stripes or plain – you name it, I want to try it out. Some may see this as a bit of a problem, particularly when buying good quality fabric is certainly not easy on the old purse strings.

However, I have found a solution which I am extremely pleased with:

My name is Mrs D and I love patchwork.

There. I said it. If you love all kinds of fabric designs and all colours of the rainbow but (like me) are completely indecisive, the answer is to buy lots of different fabric designs in small quantities and start creating your very own patchwork project.

When I think of patchwork, I think of quilting. In my mind, the two go hand-in-hand. In strict crafting terms, patchwork is the act of sewing small sections of fabrics together to create a larger end-product; whereas quilting involves “layering up” and creating a sandwich of fabric, cosy filler (such as wadding) and more fabric. More often than not the fabric used in quilting has been created using patchwork – hence the easy association of the two terms.

Having found a new love (sorry Mr D!), the natural progression is that I must learn how to quilt. Whilst there are hundreds of online quilting videos and tutorials (many of which serve as brilliant sources of reminders and tips), for me, nothing quite beats learning the old-fashioned way. Yes, I have enrolled myself on a quilting course.

Over the coming weeks, I will be learning how to make a lap quilt – a size much more palatable to a novice quilter than the daunting idea of making a double bed quilt! Before tackling even a lap quilt, however, I have been trying my hand at some quilted cushion covers. I daresay my quilting techniques (currently a combination of internet tutorials and artistic licence!) will benefit immensely from lots of refining on my course.  Nonetheless, I am having fun trying and am delighted with the results so far.

Pink and grey quilted cushion by Mrs D

I would love to know your thoughts!

Mrs D xx