Saturday 26 October 2013

Strawberry Mousse - Blogger's Quilt Festival

I've only just finished Strawberry Mousse, and the pattern for it will be out in Australian Patchwork & Quilting (v23 n7) come March. I don't usually show quilts before they're published, but I couldn't resist sharing this one now.


I designed it last summer, after a morning of strawberry picking with James and Eleanor - although the design did evolve as I made it. The name comes from a simple family recipe, which is excellent  when you pick far too many strawberries and the last of them start to soften a little.


It's all done with fused applique (and a little thread-painting) and the stems are all straight strips cut on the bias and gently eased to form the curves.


It's 39in square - designed to fit conveniently on standard-width fabric. The background fabric I used was rather more creamy than pink, but by quilting all the feathers in pale pink Aurifil, I've boosted the pink to make it look more like the mousse. The feathers were inspired by Wendy of Ivory Spring, and I love the way they came out. They were actually fairly quick to quilt, too.


The applique is done in free-motion, stitching twice around the very edge of each shape twice, and is done after sandwiching, so it's the quilting as well.

(before quilting)

I love all the little curlicues on the side sections, even if they're not true to strawberry plants.


I did work hard to make the blossoms realistic though, using thread to quilt/draw the pale green representing the calyx visible between the petals, then going over that in the centre with yellow threads. These additions also help to make the white flowers stand out better - they also show up better in person.


The pots in the corners conveniently came out of a small scrap of a print from Kate Spain's Central Park. I rarely use my scrap box, since only the smallest of pieces go in there, but I recently had to upgrade to a larger tub, so it was nice to get both the pots and the flowers from there.


Some of my recent posts explain a bit more of the process - and if you want to make your own; keep an eye out for AP&Q from March next year.

Thank you for visiting my Bloggers' Quilt Festival applique quilt entry; I hope you'll be back! If you haven't already, enjoy the others, here.


Frozen Strawberry Mousse:

1 lb fresh strawberries (it's ok if they're starting to soften - you can often buy cheaper 'jam' strawberries which are fine, too) 
1 cup caster sugar
Extra quarter cup caster sugar
1 cup thickened cream, whipped
Juice of half a lemon
2 large egg whites

Mash the strawberries – don’t overdo it (a potato hand masher is perfect but slow; if using a stabmix, use very short pulses - you don't want puree). Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Whip egg whites stiffly and gradually add the extra sugar. Carefully fold together the strawberries, egg whites and whipped cream and pour into a wet quart mould/pudding basin). Cover and place in freezer. Allow about 12h to freeze.

26 comments:

Lori S said...

This is just beautiful. Amazing as always!

happydaysquilting said...

Its beautiful! lovely applique and stunning quilting.

Unknown said...

So yummy! Love your choice of fabrics for your strawberries and the greenery:))

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

I really don't have words for your beautiful quilt....and your fantastic quilting

Anonymous said...

Stunning!

Gretchen said...

What a charming and gorgeous quilt! I love strawberries and this quilt made me very hungry for them!

CitricSugar said...

Beautiful quilting! As always, your workmanship is impeccable.

Mary said...

Love it, all of it: the design, the fabrics, the quilting. Hope you'll remind us when the mag is published next March. It requires a little extra effort to find Australian Patchwork & Quilting here.

Mary said...

Thank you for posting the final picture. I had been reading the prior posts and wondered if for some reason I had missed the final product. I am new to quilting and am so glad to have found your blog from half way around the world.
Mary

Karen said...

This is a wonderful quilt. It is so fresh and vibrant. Your work is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Lovely design, and beautifully quilted. Made me feel like it was summer again :-)

Quiltbenaco said...

Fantastico!!!!
Ciao dall'Italia

Oops-Lah said...

Just stunning! And the quilting is amazing!

Habibti at Home said...

A quilt named after a dessert? Both so yummy. I like your quilt a lot! My very first quilt was a strawberry theme and I am always drawn to similar quilts. This is unique and very pretty!!

Gina said...

Beautiful quilting and design! Strawberries are my favorite :)

Carla said...

Oh, Emma, this is one gorgeous quilt...everything about it. Your work is perfection! I'm so privileged to own one of your creations!!

Lia*s Handmades said...

so beautiful! love the details! you#ve got yourself a new fan ;)

Calicojoan said...

Sweet and simple design. Fabulous quilting.

Heather said...

This is a gorgeous quilt and I specially love the selection of pink thread for the quilting. thanks for sharing the detailed photos.

Renee said...

What a sweet quilt! Love all those little details, they really add a lot of interest.

FlourishingPalms said...

Such a stunning quilt! The quilting thread color makes the designs stand out so perfectly. I've given a name to the technique you've used, since I have done this a couple times myself - appli-quilting. It looks like your appliqué pieces fused better than mine did. Or, my problem could have been that I didn't quilt twice around each shape. What batting did you use? I used wool, and I think the loftiness made appli-quilting a little more difficult. Once again, you've created a home run quilt. Love it!

green4me said...

This is gorgeous! I love strawberries. Great job! :-)

green4me said...

This is gorgeous! I love strawberries. Thanks for sharing yet another beauty!

Unknown said...

I collect anything with strawberry designs/ patterns
Can't wait to have this. Please let me know when I can order. Thanks so much.

Unknown said...

This is absolutely beautiful. I have got to have it. Your work is flawless.

Emma said...

Hi Tina, if you are interested in buying this quilt, please email me at eho16677@bigpond.net.au, or you can send me a message by clicking on the Contact button in my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sampaguitaquilts