Eclectic Quilt

I've made another quilt - getting rather prodigious in my old age! This one is a pattern created by Lynne Wilson from Highland Quiltworks called Seams Like Fun - it uses 16 Fat Quarters to make the inside of the quilt in quite an efficient way. I decided to do it out of the Girlfriends Range by Jennifer Paganelli for Sis Boom. I wasn't quite sure anyone else would like it because it's a pretty eclectic mix of fabrics all mushed in together - but everyone who's come into the shop as I've been sewing it has positively exclaimed over it - so I guess that's a good sign huh? Because it's not my pattern it won't be in the magazines as a project but it will be a kit available to buy.

Being recognised as someone famous

I had a lady in the shop this afternoon who came in because she saw my picture in Patchwork and Stitching. Her daughter rang her while she was in the shop and asked where she was. She replied she was in the shop of a really famous person. Ha! ha! Very cute.

Now for all my dollmaking friends in the universe I said that they had featured my dolls in the article. When I said that though I hadn't actually seen the article - here's a scan of the pages - they really did make a feature of the dolls (and even my needlefelting ones too).

Very happy!

I am famous for a second lunchtime

Remember when I was famous (in my own lunchtime)? Well - it's happened again! My Freshcut quilt has made the front cover of Patchwork & Stitching magazine! Cool - here's a copy of the styled shot they did for the inside of the magazine too.

For those who actually buy the magazine - there is also a profile on me complete with my true love - cloth dolls! I'll be kind and spare you the photo of me though ;-)

I still think it's funny that I am on the front of a quilting magazine because I am soooooooooooo not a quilter. Mind you - have to say it's improving - what with all the quilts I've been making!

Later fans!

More Log Cabins and a new quilt

This is a quilt I finished at the end of last week. I saw it in Jean Well's Patchwork Made Easy and loved the colour combination. I realised I had just the right fabrics in the shop to make it up - took me a while to quilt it and bind it though! The purple is actually a rose print from Eleanor Burns - Through The Seasons range, as is the small purple floral, the red check and the dark mustard. The other fabrics are from Nancy Halvorsen of Art to Heart.

I've now started another quilt (not a log cabin). It is the free download pattern using the Empress Woo range by Robyn Pandolph. For those who'd like to see what I am aiming for you can look here.

I've been really, really busy this week.

Let me have a trumpet solo please - I have finished not one but two UFOs this week. The biggest one was a queen sized colourwash heart quilt for my mum and dad (Three years in the making from before they moved house). Will have to take a picture and post it here.

The second UFO was a log cabin quilt for Patchwork and Stitching magazine. I started it back here in April. Well here it is finished in one hit yesterday and ready to send.This pic is from before I quilted it and did the binding but it photographed better here than the photo I took when I tried to hang it up to snap it. Now I have to finish the instructions but that's the quick part - I am so much better with words!

Creative Beading

I forgot to post pics of the Beading class with Lisa Walton that was on here back in March (how silly am I)? What prompted me to remember was getting in the wonderful book from Nancy Eha which Lisa uses as the basis of some of her designs (and gives full credit too in case you were wondering!

Here are pics of some of the students works in progress.

And here are some more of Lisa's samplers.

Everyone went home feeling very clever and happy to be able to add some more dimensional interest to their handwork whether it was quilting or needlework or combinations thereof. Great class - great teacher.

I am famous (in my own lunchtime)

Yes - who's quilt is that on the front cover? Yes it's MINE!

Feeling quite pleased with myself - I actually think that my little quilt on the front cover is HILARIOUS!

But still feeling pleased with myself!

I love new fabrics. This assortment is a new Kaye England range called Spice Market. I thought it would look good in a Log Cabin arrangement. Here it is made up into a block. The blocks are currently being put together to make a quilt. I love log cabin's mathematical possibilities since we had a beginner's class here last October. It's amazing how a simple block can result in some really dramatic patterns. Will post a pic of the pieced blocks when I get the camera back from the husband.

Fabrications

Here are some pics from the Fabrications class held at my shop recently. Lisa Walton took a bunch of ladies on a journey making fantasy fabrics using free motion embroidery and soluble stabilizer. The following class they started constructing the blocks using Lisa's fantastic hand dyed fabrics. Here are some of the results. I have pics from the Creative Beading class too but they are still on the camera (and the husband has the camera). Lisa's inspiration for the beading comes from Nancy Eha - had a good flick through the book and will be adding it to my own personal library (as well as the bookshelves for the shop).

Fresh Cut Quilt

Here it is - finished and photographed. It will also be a project in Patchwork and Stitching. Cool!

Fresh Cut Quilt

Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut range arrived in the shop late last month - I made a skirt for my daughter Claire and also a simple charm square quilt from this lovely fabric. I am hoping it might be a project for Patchwork & Stitching (and will definitely be a quilt kit!) I am sure they will take a much better picture of it than I have here (which was at the quilt top stage). I stayed up till 2.30am to finish the bindings so I could deliver it to the magazine - I was tired but happy I'd got it finished. It was a bit of a marathon because I decided to stipple quilt the whole darn thing - argh! what was I thinking? It did improve my stippling though!

Butterflies are free

OK - just to prove that I am not totally obsessed with needlefelting - here is a quilt I have started using Jane Sassaman's fabrics (the Jane's Paradise Garden range). I love her fabrics - they are great for kaleideoscope quilts (not that I'm that clever) beautiful bright and loud! Here is the centre block and a corner block - so far so good.