English Country Garden - My Union Jack Quilt and a Giveaway

Where did the week go, is it really Thursday, I lost a day somewhere!
I have not blogged for some time! House hunting and  moving and a sick dog! .
So apologies up front this is going to be a long post.
Here is a sneak peak of what I am about to share!
 
Where did the week go, is it really Thursday, I lost a day somewhere!
I have not blogged for some time! House hunting and  moving and a sick dog! .
So apologies up front this is going to be a long post.
When I started my first quilt what I really wanted to make at the time instead of a 9 patch block was a union jack quilt.  But being new to quilting I could not find a pattern for one, I came across the Victory garden quilt pattern online and absolutely loved that version but inexperience put me off making it. 

Then I played around having a go at paper piecing a few months later and managed to make a Union Jack Cushion.

I absolutely hated the paper piecing aspect of it and it took me absolutely hours to make with an awful amount of mistakes and wasted fabric, so I gave up. But not before trying one more time using traditional colours.  I never did do anything with this block!


BUT that Union Jack quilt would not get out of my head and so when it was my month  for the Stars in their Eyes Bee I decided to have another look online to see if I could find a pattern.
I also played around with Union Jack Pincushions, more photos in the link.


BUT that Union Jack quilt would not get out of my head and so when it was my month  for the Stars in their Eyes Bee I decided to have another look online to see if I could find a pattern.
I found one on an online store Whims and Fancies  but it was not the right dimensions so asked  Soma the designer of the pattern if she could make me a pattern with the true proportions - 1:2 of the flag.  She designed a flag for me that has a finished block of 8x16 inches.
Unfortunately I ended up needing it slightly bigger and didn’t have time to get in touch with Soma to redraft it again for me,  so instead I ended up using this pattern designed by  Traceyjay Quilts.  It is not the true 1:2 proportions that I originally wanted but pretty close. The block measures 12x18   So if that doesn’t bother you then I recommend using that pattern as its also free. 
But if you want to make your flags authentic then I would use the Flying Union Jack Pattern by Soma of Whims and Fancies, the proportions are true to the Union Jack Flag, having 1:2 proportions and it is only $2.50 and I am sure if you want a different sized Union Jack then Soma would be happy to oblige. Its also an easy pattern to follow.

And be sure to also check out her gallery Whims and Fancies on Flickr . If you’re a Doctor Who fan (which I am) Soma and a friend did a  Doctor who along (sew along ) for a Doctor Who quilt.  Here are a couple of blocks included in the quilt along.

I really wanted to take part in this but at the time I had a sick dog and was moving house, but you can still take part and find more details here.

GIVEAWAY

Soma has kindly sponsored a giveaway of  one of her paper piecing patterns. 

Geese around the Sun

Geese Around The Sun is a star and flying geese quilt pattern to make an 18" x 18" wall hanging. So if you would like to win this pattern: Here's How to enter

• Leave a comment telling me about your experience of paper piecing and what if any projects you have completed using this method.
• Follow me on Facebook, there is a button at the top to do this.
• I will randomly choose one winner from all of the entries below.
• This giveaway is open to everyone, all over the world.
• I will randomly choose a winner by 10pm CST on 10th October.

And if you want to start following me that’s OK too
Somas other patterns are also available at  Whims and Fancies on Etsy  and Whims and Fancies on Craftsy
So now the big reveal of my Union Jack Quilt
If you follow me on instagram or flickr then you may have already had a sneaky peak of this quilt.  I managed to do a photo shoot the other day,
This quilt would not have been possible without all the fantastic friends in the Stars In Their Eyes Bee.  The blocks these ladies put together are absolutely gorgeous and I love each and every one of them.
Thank you so much. I love my quilt!