I’m back at work this week but I made good progress with my secret garden quilt over the last couple of weeks. I’ve stitched another two smaller blocks which go above and below the entrance to the garden, these were quicker as not only are they smaller, but they less densely appliqued. We get long-tailed tits in the garden, they’re tiny little birds, a bit comical looking, they tend to be in small flocks of say a dozen birds. We see them flitting from shrub to shrub through the garden until they reach the feeders…

I realised after I had stitched everything down that the blackbird didn’t have anything to perch on, his leg was meant to reach the leaf below. I decided my blackbird could be standing on the path, so I added some feet and I think he looks fine.

I decided to join the two blocks on each side, so I had to trim as much of the stabiliser as much as I could. The stabiliser is there to support the fabric when you’re doing a lot of dense stitching or when the fabric isn’t quite heavy enough. Before quilting it ideally needs trimming back. I used my duck-billed scissors round the sides and then my applique scissors further in. This is what the back looked like after I’d gone round the edge…

Yes, it’s pretty messy! As I’m sure you can imagine, trimming is not a job to be rushed! I try and also trim any dark threads that are likely to show through at the same time. After a bit of work this is what the back looked like.

I find the block presses a lot better after the excess stabiliser is removed. I stitched the two sets of side panels together, I need to add a little stitching over the seam so I don’t have stems hovering in mid air, I might add another buddleia bloom and a hollyhock flower too.

I laid out my two sides with the top and bottom ones and I’m really pleased with it. I’ve just got the final central block to do, which actually doesn’t seem to have as much applique on. I’ve just to decide what animals to put on it. I think I’ll cut out some dogs and see how they look, three could be a bit excessive!

In case you’re wondering, the quilt is about 27″ square when it’s finished, it’s a decorative wall quilt rather than a bed quilt. If you love the style of these quilts do have a look at the Raggedy Ruff website, she’s got some beautiful designs.