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NEW QUILT FEB ’13 – LONE STAR

February 21, 2013 – 2:50 pm

I have really been enjoying running up a few machine pieced quilts lately. For years all I have been doing is applique but this year I have decided to get back to my routes & turn my hand to some more traditional quilt designs as well as the applique, if only just to keep my skills up to par!

I saw a wonky Lone Star quilt on Pintrest that sparked my imagination so, any excuse to head to the fabric shop I went with a colour scheme in mind & got to work. Of course I came out of the shop with totally different colours then I had in mind but you get that . . .

My intention was to make it in bright oranges & pinks but I fell in love with these very femine delicate colours.

It was a fabulous challenge as all the angles in the diamonds are cut on the bias so it all gets quite stretchy when you sew it together – it required delicate hands & lots of pinning! Using vintage linens & some Liberty Lawn only added to the drama!

Quilting it was another challenge (although I have to confess I didn’t quilt it) but deciding how to quilt it was tricky! But on the advise of my very talented quilter it has come up a dream.

so, there it is . . . finished in all its girly loveliness.

x Claire


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A wonderful time was had by all!

November 2, 2012 – 4:01 pm

I have been back from Retreat for nearly a week & I thought I’d be totally exhausted  & really not up for much this week but instead I have happily found myself feeling fresh, revived & totally inspired!

It was one of the best weeks ever & I got to share it with a truly wonderful group of ladies & I can’t wait to do it again!

I knew that it was going to be a very productive weekend but I was amazed at how productive it was,  with some ladies completing two quilt tops. It was great to see lots of different projects being done & peoples UFO piles being worked through.

We kicked off the weekend with a ‘mystery project’ – if the truth be known, it was a mystery to us as well until a few weeks ago when I got my backside in gear. So we raided Jemima’s stash of felt & kitted up some cute little strawberry pin cushions. The idea behind it was to have a quick little project that everyone could hand sew, chat & get to know each other & it was great to see that even though it wasn’t compulsory, everyone was keen to give it a go & they all looked delicious!


Apart from the assortment of lovelies being sewn, Jemima ran a Log Cabin workshop Saturday morning, while I ran around making sure everyone else was coping. Now we all know that a log cabin is not that tricky but it does takes time, patience & a degree of skill. There were some beauties put together over the weekend & all in stunning colour combinations. Lindy’s Kaffe Log Cabin was gorgeous & it was great to see how the use of more subtle colours could produce a such a stunning quilt like the one that Nicola did. Pamela’s use of bright pinks & reds set against the dark grey linen was simply stunning & well done to Lisette & Margaret who had never tackled a machine pieced quilt before – they were fab!

I have to admire the dedication of some girls as despite the weekend being a ‘retreat’ they worked their buns off. We had ladies who starting sewing at five in the morning – (in their pyjamas) & they were still going well into the night! (thankfully they had changed out of their pj’s) There were a few ladies who hadn’t done much sewing before but being surrounded by so much inspiration they were encouraged to produce some results to be very proud of.

Aside from all the business of sewing it was wonderful to stay somewhere comfortable & homely & to be so well looked after. Peter & Delveen at the Avalon Homestead in Toodyay certainly knew how to spoil us with delicious home cooked meals & desserts . . . it’s amazing how much nicer food is if you haven’t had to cook it yourself! Jemima once again proved what a domestic goddess she is with her home baked goodies and they went down a treat with the limitless supply of coffee!

What did I get sewn? . . . . well not a lot. I was more then happy helping out, teaching & chatting. In fact,  I think I love the chatting!

. . . . oh & of course the cakes!

Hopefully it was a great success & everyone left happy. We are planning another one for next March & if the gods are shining on us then we will be doing a third later in 2013, fingers crossed for that one.

The retreat in March is from the 15th – 17th & bookings open on Tuesday 13th November – be quick if you’d like to join us as thy will be done on a first come first served basis!

x x happy stitching!

p.s all the photos are uploaded onto my facebook page



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All good – quilts in print!

August 24, 2012 – 5:31 pm

I haven’t written for a while but that unfortunately doesn’t mean that I have been putting my feet up & watching re-runs of Offspring!

I have actually made 5 quilts in the last month or so plus a heap of designs. . .

The designs are all a work in progress & coming along beautifully & two of the quilts are for magazines so I am not allowed to show you, which is a bugger! However, my gnome quilt has finally been printed in this months Homespun magazine (Homespun Vol 13 No eight). All the pattern templates & instructions are in the magazine so you can get busy & make it for yourself! You can now subscribe to Homespun online & receive your copy digitally on your Ipad & computer. click here for more info.

. . . the others are quilts that had taken up residence in my ‘to-do’ box where they had sat nice & cosy for quite a while until I disappeared down to Rockingham for a girls sewing retreat

Retreat is such a treat! . . . the girls where fabulous . . . the ‘silent nuns’ where interesting!

anyway, here’s a bit of what I have been up to . . .

x x

 

Dr Seuss Quilt finally finished . . . I made two of these & I am having them quilted with polar fleece on the back to make them really cuddly TV blankets for the family to fight over!

 

sneaky peek . . . shhhhhh! . . . new quilt for a magazine!

I had super fun with this wolf hat that I made for a customer . . . I can’t claim that I designed it, that honour goes to Lizette Greco. I saw the picture on Pinterest & worked out a pattern from the photo. There was a fury waistcoat & tail to go with it. I would like to say that I made one for my kids but once again they were sent to see what they could find in the dress up basket!

 



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. . . while I was away!

May 22, 2012 – 2:44 pm

Well my trip back to the UK is well & truly over & after a tough couple of weeks trying to get back into the swing of things I am firing on all cylinders again.

. . . did you see what was on the news agency shelves while I was away . . . ?

my lovely frog quilt made the pages of Australian Homespun!!!

The quilt was originally designed for my oldest daughter . . . her nickname is froggy after a very dodgy photo of her when she was a baby  . . . (really sorry Lucy!!)

The only trouble is it took me so long to get around to making it after collecting all the fabric that I don’t think she likes it anymore!!

. . . Shame!

never the less – i love it (which is quite unusual for me as I am my harshest critic) & i’m sure i shall find a deserving place for it.

 


x x x

 

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Busy

March 14, 2012 – 12:03 pm

I had someone in a one-on-one class today who made mention that I hadn’t made a blog post in ages – she is completely correct of course but it actually surprised me that she does in fact read what I write – surprising!!

Sew-Along Classes

Well as much as I would have loved to have spent the past two months since my last post (eeek!) lazing around I have in fact been running my little butt off. Girls are back to school, Heidi has started kindy – all good & I now have two days to myself to do me stuff.

Sew-Along classes are a real joy & this term we have been quilting & teaching how to make hats & skirts. The quilt class was all about teaching how to cut & piece accurately & there have been some beautiful quilts made, all with perfectly matched seams & joins! We are running another quilt class next term teaching different skills but focusing on how to quilt, both by hand & machine – should be a fun class!

 

Rainbow fizz Quilt & cushion for next terms Sew-Along class


Heidi in her new hat made in Sew-Along hats & Skirts class – I used up all my Dr Seuss scraps . . . its reversible!


Jemima & I did the last Perth Upmarket together to really promote Sew-Along classes. It was (another) hideously hot day, which made it long & painful -thank goodness for the fabulous Lisa at Cookie Dough who eased our pain with her Big Elvis cookies. It wasn’t all bad – we had a good show & hopefully there will be lots of fabulous new people who join us in class next term.

Easter Madness!

I’ve gone a bit Easter bunny mad lately & I have made about a thousand (ok, I am exaggerating) Easter bunny egg cosies. Aren’t they silly! Love to make things that make me laugh – hopefully when I go back to the UK for Easter, everyone around my family table on Easter morning will get a little joy from their bunny sitting proudly over their egg keeping it nice & warm.


 

Hope you have ordered you copy of the May Homespun magazine – I have a BIG project being published!!!

x x x Claire

more Easter bunnies to make you smile . . .


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New year . . . new classes

January 16, 2012 – 7:54 am

A very happy new year to you if you are taking the time to read this . . . it’s much appreciated!

A new year means a fresh start & I have been busy re-organising, re-planning, clutter clearing & labelling (there is a vague hope that if I label EVERYTHING in the house that my family will learn to put things away!!)

Jemima & I have planned the next two terms Sew-Along classes & the first terms evening classes are already looking pretty full (yippee!) We will both be at the March Upmarket with all the samples for term two so if you are around the March long weekend, come & have a look.

Join us at our Wednesday Morning Sewing Groups!

Our day time Sew-Along classes still have vacancies. They day classes are a great way to catch up, make some new friends as well as learn new sewing skills & make some fantastic projects along the way. This term we are teaching our first quilt – quite a simple design but we will be teaching the importance of accurate cutting & piecing . . . no don’t be put off, it really is quite easy! If you would like to join us then Jemima is taking bookings so you can contact her at tiedwitharibbon@gmail.com & don’t forget we are always happy to have groups of friends along.

This is the quilt we will be teaching you. The finished size is great to cuddle up under on the sofa with a glass of wine, a good movie in the coming winter months!

Later in the term we are running our hats & skirts class where you can make for yourself of any little girls that you know. We are also running a class to make things for your mum with mothers day in mind. There is a great market bag, makeup bags, sunglasses pouches & a notebook keeper.

All the details & prices for the classes can be found on my classes page or by clicking here

I’m busy making new samples to show you which hopefully will get finished once the kids have all returned to school . . . then I might have to start on working up some of my new designs!

Take care & hope to see you soon x x

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more Gnomes !

December 22, 2011 – 6:43 pm

You might remember this . . . .

It is my new Gnome quilt which was a commission piece for a friends grandaughter (& you may see more of it next year in a magazine publication . . . watch this space!!)

. . . well it has found a new home, ready & waiting for the arrival of a new baby in the new year.

I was asked to make a few other bits to go with it to make the nursery a very warm & friendly place for this special new baby . . . thought you might like to see what has had me chained to my machine for the past week!

My Gnome cushion has made another  appearance along with a toadstool shaped cushion complete with a woodland friend behind the door! I was also asked to make a few storage buckets to keep all the baby ‘stuff’ tidy

I was pleased with how it all turned out & no doubt the lovely customer in question will get plenty of time to appreciate it with all those 2am feeds she has ahead of her!!

. . . well , that’s me done for the year.

It has been a good year with my little venture. A hard slog at times but rewarding. I’ve learnt some new stuff, met some really lovely people, fried my brain, put a machine needle through my finger & made some interesting discoveries!.

. . . & as much as I truly love what I do, I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to not seeing my sewing machine for a week or two!!

Merry christmas to everyone – hope Santa is kind to you & if you have families, I hope they are even kinder!!

See you in the new year

x x Claire

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Gnoming about

July 4, 2011 – 3:37 pm

It’s be a bit ‘gnomey’ in the studio in the past two weeks. I was asked to design a quilt with toadstools . . . well there were a few things lurking behind them!

 

It’s been a fun project & has my mind racing with all sorts of bits to go with it. Just need to work out how to quilt it . . . I’d love to tightly quilt the white but I am still practising the free machine quilting & it is not as easy at it looks.  . . . might just have to fly over east & do a class with the talented Kellie at Don’t Look Now!!

. . . Think it needs a ring of daisies in the centre too

. . . better get back to it!

 

(The colours were chosen from my very favourite fabric ever – a Heather Bailey piece from her Pop garden range, I used it in the details . . . large mushroom base, Gnora Gnomes dress)

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There’s a bit going on!

April 20, 2011 – 6:32 pm

Yippee . . . school holidays are here! I can stay home all day . . . . no trips to school,  kindy, dancing, netball or anything else that drags me away from the sewing machine.

. . . had a very productive day, although I wish I could start one project & finish it before starting another . . . there’s quite a bit going on!


. . . this is something I started AGES ago for Heidi but really didn’t know what to do with it . . . until today!

. . . (did anyone see the Red Riding Hood movie recently? I’m a sad Twilight fan so of course I went with my other ‘really’ sad Twilight friend . . . needless to say, it wasn’t Twilight) . . . I’m waffling!


. . . these look VERY bright . . . (me thinks thats my bad editing) . . . but dinners in the oven so no time!

. . . there’s a frog thing happening in the studio . . . it’s a BIG project so it will take me a while to get it finished but I’ve shown you now so I had better get on with it!

x x


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