A New Project for my son!!

It is often difficult to find boy fabric... and make quilts for boys!! There are a few great ranges out there that we sometimes come across....I was strolling through a quilt show when i spotted this great Dirtbike Panel. I havent seen it at any fabric stores... but found a few for you on Ebay HERE

I have had it in my cupboard for months, waiting to find the right fabric to go with it. Poor Tan even used to sit under the fabric panel on the couch... Even though there are LOTS of quilts to sit under at my house.. he wanted his own... quilt or not... he was using the panel!

THEN,

A couple weeks ago I spotted this new range Extreme Team by Michael Miller...

 I bought mine HERE.

This fabric suits my son... Down to the ground!! Dirtbikes, BMX, Skateboard, Scooters, for his birthday we even made a dirtbike cake. Once I can get this quilt finished... he can finally use his OWN quilt to lay on the floor... with all sorts of household objects under neath to make a supercross track! And as you can see.....in our house this is Our weekly activity!!

Curlicue Quilts made by you and Fat Quarterly Promo!!

Do you all subscribe to the ezine - Fat Quarterly???
I am sheepish to say, I hadn't... up until now!!
For those of you who have bought and read the ezine... i know, i know.... what took me so long???
For those of you who haven't bought an issue or subscribed..let me tell you a little about it!
Welcome to Fat Quarterly!

 Fat Quarterly is a new e-magazine written by modern sewists for modern sewists.

New issues of Fat Quarterly will be released four times per year, ( i recon the name is so clever!!) and each issue will feature a vibrant mix of content by some of today's most exciting crafty bloggers, including:

•quilting and sewing patterns

•designer challenges

•fabric giveaways

•designer interviews

•behind-the-scenes reports on quilting shows and exhibitions

•previews of up and coming fabric lines (start saving those pennies and cents!)

•... and much, much more!

You can read more about Fat Quarterly HERE

For me, i just cant get enough of blogs, pictures, new fabrics, patterns, quilts, new ideas,.. the list goes on and on......

There is such an amazing amount of inspiration out there... Fat Quarterly is a culmination of all of that! Its like your favourite magazine you buy at the local newsagent, only you don't need to flick past most pages because they don't interest you... Its great! i will now be a subscriber for life! I suppose the reason i hadn't bought it in the past is that the file size is quite big. I was nervous about downloading such a huge amount of data... but I downloaded my copy onto a usb drive.. and so i don't have to store it all on my computer. 

 Next great thing about Fat Quarterly..... if you subscribe to a years subscription

HERE

You get my Curlicue Crush Quilt Pattern for FREE!!

If you don't want to subscribe for a whole year.... Single issues are also available HERE
As i have been searching blog land i have found a couple other Curlicue Quilts Popping up.....
From Sewtakeahike

This one is from Pickle Dish



and this one... Quilt Jane

 

Don't they look amazing!!! Its is such an amazing feeling seeing beautiful quilts created from 'my' patterns!! If anyone else has pictures of anything they have created from my patterns, or from my blog.... PLEASE email them to me!! I LOVE seeing them... It truly makes my day!!
and you can even go one step further and add it to the new
Chasing Cottons Flickr Group

So if you want to Subscribe to Fat Quarterly and get a FREE Curlicue Crush Quilt Pattern... Pop on over HERE you still have a few days left!! xx

Sherbet Pips Quilt Finished!!

A few posts back i showed you a little snippet of this quilt. Well, I'm finished!!!..

and it was an absolute dream to make...

Firstly, i think because i LOVE the new Sherbet Pips  range from Annela Hoey. Although it isn't due to hit stores til April... there have been a few pre cuts floating around. But, I cant wait till more yardage is available... The little pictures are so so cute. Its perfect for a either a girl or boy.

 I only had a little charm pack to work with, and most of the other fabric came from my stash

 The red dot is an old Christmas range....something Jolly? By Mary Engelbreit.  The Pink is Kona cotton Candy Pink, the white is Kona Cotton Snow and the blue was scraps from a previous quilt. It was a really easy quilt to make. Perfect for a beginner.

I bordered each 5' x 5" charm square in 1 1/2" strips, of the varying colours. And the strips across the quilt were also cut 1 1/2" wide. The red dot was cut 3 1/2"wide...

 

The quilt was 49" across.. so unfortunately it was just that little bit too wide for one 44" strip. Which also meant this quilt needed a pieced back... I really like how it turned out!  The backing fabric is a gorgeous new range from Melanie Hurlston "Where the wind blows".

I straight line quilted it across the strips ... and hand quilted it using soft pink Pearle Cotton 8 around the white squares.

My girlfriend Kate has a great Hand Quilting Tutorial on her blog . I hold my needle to hand quilt slightly different, i might show you one day... but Kate's tutorial is a perfect step by step guide from start to finish.

This quilt was made for my girlfriend Hayley, for her new baby girl....

....i hope she like it!! xx

Sew Mama Sew Tutorial

Hello!!! to all of you, visiting from Sew Mama Sew!! Thanks for stopping by....If you get a chance, leave me a quick comment... I LOVE finding new blogs... and comments are the best way i can jump on over and read more about you..
For all of my lovely followers... Just a little note to tell you I have a

 Bird Cage Pillow Tutorial over at Sew Mama Sew....

So pop on over and check it out...
In my Tutorial, I give a quick explanation... on sewing curves! This might give you a bit more confidence to tackle a curved quilt!! The possibilities are endless!

You may have noticed i have a new Tab on my blog....TUTORIALS... I have put a few of my Tutorials in there, but had such a great time doing this Bird Cage Pillow one... I'm definitely going to be adding more!!
I hope you enjoy it... AND i LOVE pictures... so if anyone gets to make a pillow???....

 Contact Me!! xx

Fabric scraps = Bird wall art

Do you have a pile of scraps a bit little to actually do anything with?? But too big to throw away?? I have a huge bin full and have been wondering what i can do with them...

So, What about this??

A few post back i showed you my new Sewing Room... Remember the big plain wall above my sewing machine that needed something? Well I decided to use some of these scraps and make a Canvas Wall hanging.

I went to our local cheap shop and bought a large blank canvas for $20. For Christmas, mum bought me this wall decal of a branch.. You can find them all over the place...I found some for you  HERE and HERE and HERE

 ..........and together we stuck it to the canvas. It was a little fiddlier than we had hoped. It didn't really want to stick to the canvas surface. But ended up OK.

I sifted through my fabric stash...  and chose some favourites..

I found my bird silhouettes from a pad of paper, you can also find some HERE  I enlarged mine on the photocopier. Made some templates, traced around them and cut out fabric birds. Placed them on the branch and just used regular kids paper glue to stick them in place....And your DONE!!

So easy!!

I haven't yet hung it up on the wall....I'm now thinking instead of a canvas one, I want a quilted wall hanging... Sort of the same, but raw edge applique the birds and branch..?? Ill see how i go....Maybe this one can go in Indi's room!! xx

Have you added your link??

If you have a blog, love fabric and want to share your creations, OR love blog hopping.....The most lovely Rita, from Red Pepper Quilts has a Master list of blogs to browse, find inspiration and admire the creativity...Pop on over HERE and check it out.

Enjoy your Friday night!! xx 

What have i been doing all day??

Well, apart from my normal day to day jobs.. brekky, dressed, beds, kisses, school drop, tidy, washing, playing, cuddling, watching, dishes, snacks, tea parties, Dora,....you get the picture??
I spent time....Photocopying, collating, stapling, gluing, folding, and packaging up...Patterns....lots and lots of Patterns!!

You may have read in a previous post that i am Sponsoring..

Sew It Together is an annual event that will be held in Sydney in 2011, on the weekend of March 25-27, 2011.
It brings together sewing and craft bloggers from around Australia (and last year, from NZ and Britain!) in a social setting, designed to bring together online friends to meet face to face.
The main event is the Saturday Crafting Session and a few other events are also planned for the weekend.
Each lucky person who attends will receive a goody bag filled... and i mean FILLED with amazing gifts and packages from sponsors all over.. you check out the whole list of sponsors HERE
What you’ll find in your goody bag (your Innergreen Corn Bag, made from 100% corn!):

• A fat quarter of gorgeous Retromummy fabric
• Something fabulous from Ric-Rac
• A fabric badge from Posie Patchwork
• 2 yards of scrap fabric from Hawthorne Threads
• Pencil Roll pattern, quilt size card and discount coupon from Pink Chalk Fabrics
• Quilt pattern from Chasing Cottons
• Sample pack of fabric from Saffron Craig
• Surprise pattern made especially for SIT from Clare’s Craftroom
• Hello Birdie Pillow pattern from The Red Thread

 There will also be tons of prizes on the day, check them out HERE...

The weekend begins on Friday with a shopping trip..
First stop will be The Remnant Warehouse at Alexandria. This is a fabulous shop, and you can read more about it here!
From there we’ll be heading to the exciting, new (and oh so pretty!) Calico and Ivy shop in Balmain. It’s only just opened, and from all reports, it’s a cracker of a shop and we’re all quite excited in Sydney about having it in our midst.
After that, we’ll be off to the Prints Charming studio in Annandale. You’ll have a quick visit here in the shop (opening especially for us!), to make some purchases, before the Friday Fabric Shopping Trip concludes at 4:30pm. Followed by, Friday night drinks....
Saturday Crafting Session... full of workshops from Kathy -  Material Obsession, Sample Swaps, Prizes, Saturday night Dinner.
Sunday - A morning spent at Material Obsession..The shop will be open especially for us, for a little Fabric shopping, a browse through Kathy's inspirational quilts and she will also be doing a few demonstrations.
Sound Fun???....You can read all about it HERE

 So, for me?? As you can see, i have spent a few hours... Packaging up 100 Patterns to go into the goody bags... I have even had a little help along the way..

 

So the question is.... ARE you going to SEW IT TOGETHER???

My New Sewing Room

Well, since moving into this new house... one of the definite perks is....... i get a SEWING ROOM!! Want the grand tour???

From the Right, my Quilts hanging.. Desk and computer to blog... Cutting table/organiser.....

 

Noah's Ark Naughty chair...(my mum painted it years ago for us kids...now it comes in handy for my kids) 

Display cabinet ( holds my little stash of fabric)..

As you can see I don't really have much of a fabric stash (I'm working on it though!!)... I tend to buy fabric for a specific project and use it all. I then sell some patterns, and buy more fabric for the next project. I have collected a little extra here and there... I was very lucky to inherit my grandmas sewing table and cutting bench. She was a keen sewer, making mostly clothes though. She was very wise and a wonderful woman. Although she must have been a little crazy....how could she go through her whole life making clothes when there are QUILTS to be made.

This sewing table is AMAZING!!.. i strongly recommend them to anyone!!. It all folds in, into a nice little compact cabinet. Although for me, i am always sewing so it always stays out like this...no use folding it away! The gold handle that you can see...pulls out towards you about 40 inches to another table with draws underneath... See, its definitely a  Transformer toy for mummy's!

I have this big empty space on the wall.. just waiting to be filled. My mum and I made a Canvas wall art, branch and fabric birds.. i just realised i haven't blogged it!! Slack! Ive thought of hanging one of my quilts, or making a quilted wall hanging, or two or three... maybe four.. and i can hang each different one?

 

My Cabinet also holds my collection of Quilting cottons.. I love Pearle 8 cotton.. I just cant get enough!!

 My stash of ribbon, buttons, felt wool for doll making (one day!) and a wedding picture of my parents in the background.

 My Cutting table folds out (the sides fold up) and is an absolute dream to cut on...perfect height. It has a cupboard and draws either end. A female sewer definitely designed this furniture... its genius!! Calendar, threads, boxes/baskets full of patterns, pins etc and pictures of my babies. 

So there you have it!! 

I would like a few finishing touches..a Kaffe, or Anna Maria Horner or Amy Butler floor rug for the centre of the room... The wall on back left (cant see in picture) I'm thinking of making into a floor to ceiling design wall and I definitely need to hurry up and put something above my sewing machine on the wall... Oh, and the other thing that is wonderful about my sewing room, the next room is the kitchen/lounge room... so i am still amongst all the action. 
You HAVE to pop on over to flickr and check out all the other amazing sewing/craft rooms around! SO much inspiration out there xxx
I really love seeing every ones sewing space.. so if you have blogged your sewing/craft room, leave me a comment with a link...I would love to check it out!! xx

Very busily...very happily... sewing.

I don't usually buy charm packs... i find you are a bit limited with what you can do with them. I'm more of a Fat Quarter bundle girl... But, i have really enjoyed working with this  Sherbet Pips charm pack.. The little pictures are so cute... if you think it looks great on the computer.. just wait til you see it in real life... Its gorgeous!!

Its soo nice to be in a new house, all unpacked.....My sewing machine is back from a service, my sewing room all set up (pictures coming soon) and things starting to settle down a bit.. i can Sew... and Sew and Sew and Sew.
Good timing too... One of my best friends from high school, Hayley, just had a baby girl...I cant show you too much just yet, as she might be stalking my blog... Its been a really fun quick project..

....ill show more when its finished... xx