WINNERS!!!!!

Congratulations!!! With 176 comments It was definitely too hard to choose... so i popped over to the Random Number Generator.... and out popped 3 winners! Drum roll....................................................

1st Winner ( fabric and pattern)

No. 102

Stephanie said... My first quilt was too small (seam allowances)

It was a mini quilt to start with but mine was a mini mini LOL

Lesson learned ;) 

2nd Winner (pattern)

No. 134

Jennifer said...My biggest quilting mistake?? Using a high-loft polyester batting and hand quilting the quilt. It was my first quilt and I had a huge problem with the batting pulling through to the top {bearding}. I finally got it under control and even though it was a mess, I still love it because it's my first quilt. Thanks for the giveaway. Jennifer :)

3rd Winner (pattern)

 No.75

 Trisha said... Fun giveaway! My biggest mistake was making a St Louis Star quilt for my little blond haired blue eyed baby girl. Why was that a mistake? Because it ended up looking like a quilt covered in swastikas and I didn't even see it until a friend pointed it out. I was mortified (of course) and packed it away. I laugh about it now but it wasn't so funny then!! I blogged about it here where you can see a picture...

A Big Thank You to all who entered!! Winners.....I'll be in contact!! It was so fun, sitting reading all about your first quilts and disasters. I think everyone who buys fabric for the first time should be given a book..

with a few simple tips on....

1. Seam Allowance

2. How to line up seams

3. Which batting to use

 4. Walking foot or hand quilting instructions

 5. How to bind!

These few little tips we have all learnt along the way....which may have saved us alot of time spent UNPICKING!!!! oooh i don't even like to say the word.

Some pictures of my first quilt....

On face value, it might not look too bad.

But then you look up close and you see....?

Stitching in the ditch.....which seam do i follow?? 

How bout straight down the middle!!

A bit of this....

And a bit of that!.....I think I even basted my layers together on carpet!! NO!!!

 My binding, i folded in half and hand stitched...then comes the corners? Lets just say I cut, folded over and hand stitched again.....mmm bit dodgy!

And you remember what I said about my borders!!!!

But hey, to a non-quilter?? who would ever know the difference!

Thanks so much for entering my Giveaway... and if your in for another Giveaway, you have to check out Saffron's Blog.. she is giving some fabric from her new line... Its Gorgeous!!

Sand Castle Pattern and FFA2 Fabric Giveaway!!

 So here it is..............

My very first Giveaway!! Im joining in on the fun! It seems, thats what everyone loves to do on blogs,..... is giveaways!! I wouldnt have a "REAL" blog if i didnt start it with a giveaway...!!

ok, so first... what im giving away??

The First Lucky winner will get this nice little bundle of fabric, the famous Heather Ross' Far Far Away 2 collection. It has 2 Fat Quarters, 18,  3" x 4" pieces, and 12 large diamond pieces and MY just released Sand Castles Pattern!!

I'm also giving away My Sand Castles Pattern to Winner number 2, and Winner number 3....You have 2 chances to enter, and this is how??....

1) Leave a comment and tell me - Your biggest quilting disaster, or biggest mistake on the first quilt you ever made?? ( if you dont make quilts/ whichever craft you do!!)

 2) If you are a follower of my blog! Or become a follower... leave another comment!

I am also selling my pattern for 20% off during this giveaway period!! So check out my SHOP section of my blog! I will also reimburse the winners if you have already bought a Pattern!

Good Luck!..

Let me leave you with my first mistake,... well there are a few,
but my very first quilt... I had no idea about lining up seams, What was a 1/4" foot?? Width of borders - one really skinny 1/2" and one really wide 6 1/2" , and no idea about binding!! My binding 2 1/2" wide, folded in half and just hand sewn on tucking under the edges as i went... corners were tricky i would cut and overlap... very dodgy! But hey its the softest quilt I have because its the most used! And really? where would we be without our very first quilt!....

 

Give Away ends Friday!! xx

20% off Sand Castles Quilt Pattern on sale NOW!!

I have had so much interest in my new 'Sand Castles' Quilt pattern. It has been fantastic!

 I'm having a Giveaway starting Sunday the 25th July and running til Friday the 30th July.

 I'm giving away THREE of my new patterns and for the first Lucky winner ...I also have some Far Far Away 2 fabric to throw in!! . During the week of my giveaway I'm selling my pattern at 20% off.

However, with all the excitement and buzz about it, I have decided to open the pattern up 

for sale now until close of my giveaway.

(and of course, the winner will be reimbursed if they have already purchased my pattern!)

My Photo Shoot.....While I was rushing around trying to get the perfect picture for my pattern...very hit and miss i might add!! My little ones got busy collecting shells and treasure to make Sand Castles of their own..

 Tanner

 Indi

 

and their Aunt Jordy.

I think theirs turned out pretty good. 

Don't you think??

 

( To enter my Give Away on Sunday...I want you to think about the biggest mistake you made, on your first ever quilt/craft project!! Dont enter your disaster comment yet!! Save it for the giveaway!! )

 Thank You to everyone who leaves a comment! It has been great fun reading them!!

Not Always Fabric!

For me, one of the most exciting things about quilting...is the fabric. Fabric just does it for me. I used to scrapbook and would fall in love with all the papers, the textures, the designs, the colours. Quilting for me is scrapbooking but better. There's something (you quilters will understand) about the fabric, the designing a new quilt, the sewing, the sitting peacefully hand sewing, hand quilting... the creating. We all have our own 'thing'.. and i want to show you what Julie-anne's (my mother-in-law) 'thing' is.

She knits! She makes these incredible blankets/throws. Like every craft now days... has taken a modern twist. Fabric has come a long way from the brown brown and more brown quilts that comes to mind when you think about quilting. Same with scrapbooking, and papers, and now also with wool. There are so many amazing colours, textures, sequins, bobbles, feathers...and all sorts of great weaves.

I was lucky enough to get her very first one... and from here,... it snowballed. She made one for each for my kids, for family, friends and seems like every one is putting in their order!

MINE

INDI'S

TANNER'S

She has done greens, yellows, blues, reds, purples, pinks, oranges, beiges, every colour you can imagine... her lastest project is grey, silver and black. I wish I could show you them all, but these are the only ones i could get my hands on.

HER'S

Her TIP:- Use Big needles! She said, it grows quick and is easy on your hands! 

HER FRIENDS

They are just beautiful... the pictures just dont do them justice. AND Sorry, My Photography is LOUSY!! I recon at every craft store they should offer photography lessons!! Dont they know, we all need to take pictures of our latest projects and stick-em up on our Blog!!

I dont do knitting, cant get my head around it. Maybe one day ill get her to teach me and i can pass on some skills.

P.S I gave my baby quilt away last night to a sweet little girl Charlotte, and Yes you were right! Her mummy did love it! xxx

and

rush over to Ali's Blog.. shes doing her first big giveaway!

My Love For....Baby Quilts!

First of all i must send a big THANK YOU.... to all my new friends! I received lots of lovely comments!! It was so nice to wake up each morning to read my emails. I loved checking up on everyone, finding out a bit about you and reading your latest posts. Its a whole world out there i never knew existed and im so excited to be apart of it.

Second.... Baby Quilts!
For some strange reason i have a wierd facination with MASSIVE quilts. As Kate will tell you.. all the quilts i seem to make are huge! They float around the 70", 80", 90" mark. I dont know why? They never start out going to be big.... but they just always seem to end up... Huge! Maybe its my love for borders? My love for big prints?  Or my love for being able to showcase as many of my fav fabrics all at once?? I rarely make little quilts.

But, when i finally make a baby quilt........ i find it so enjoyable...theyre small, quick, easy to quilt, and you can whip one up in a couple days. Or even an evening if needs be.

Everyone loves making quilts for that precious little one coming to us straight from heaven. So when my girlfriend told me she was having a baby... im got in the making... I havent wanted to share it with you just yet, as its a surprise and I didnt want her to come across it too soon....

I found great inspiration from a free quilt pattern from Windham Fabrics changed it a bit, and voila!

  Finished Quilt size 52"  x  52" and Of Course I had to do a Pieced back!! 

Well I hope she likes it.....A nice little bundle for her Sweet little one!

What sort of a Quilter are you???

Are you:-

(a) You see a pattern, buy it and follow it down to the 1/4". If you happen to find it in a kit that is available to buy...well even better?
(b) You design your quilts in your head and draw them out exactly in your trusty graph book then perfectly calculate the exact amount of fabric you need. You go and buy just the right fabric and use every last piece???
(c) You see a new fabric range, fall in love, and design a quilt to suit the fabric perfectly?
(d) Or are you D's??? You see a pattern you like (Kaffe Fasset - Country Garden Quilts Book) You buy way too much fabric...It costs you way too much... you get home and cut it all up, (following the pattern of course).... You lay them all out on your timber floor only to find...

it looks HORRIBLE in the fabrics you've chosen! You realise you now have 205 little tiny 2 1/2" wide diamonds and you have no idea what you are going to do with them.... not to mention pattern pieces j, k, l, m that also have about 100 pieces each and you have those cut too???

    

I call this type of Quilter..... Quilter D - Designer by Default!!!!

This is ME!!! I have finished many many quilts, which began from a beautiful pattern, only to find i didn't like it once i had cut it ALL up and laid it all out in the fabric that I had chosen....Come to think of it,...Maybe that's what my blog should be called...Quilt Designer By Default? Anyway,  so my new quilt is born!

So, After much encouragement from my beautiful friend Kate   (Kate Conklin designs...my BFF and partner in crime!!), a magazine and the fat quarter shop, I have decided to write up some of my quilts and sell my patterns. I now have my first pattern complete...Yay!! and it is available for download (see my shop section of my blog) and i have many more to come.

I thought i would also show you a sneak peak of the project I'm working on...and Kate and I are going to have a giveaway with it soon.

P.S If you are Quilter D.... then there are always plenty of family and friends you can give your quilt to..... My mother-in-law LOVED this one! And besides...i think sometimes they can be your best creations!!
xx

Sprout!!

If you haven't already seen the great patterns from  Make It Perfect .... Then you should def head on over and check them out. A couple weeks ago at the Sydney Quilt and Craft Show, I picked up this gorgeous pattern, Sprout!! Its perfect for all the little girls like mine... (who you cant keep in anything but a dress)! Indi Loves it... However, It was a leap out of my comfort zone..

It was quite quick to make, fully lined in soft flannel and all finished in an afternoon/night!

What do you think of the fabric?? A modern take on Cinderella??
Indi was somewhat pleased, and her comment was... "but Mum, it isn't Pink!!"