Pattern release!

Finally it's here! The pattern set for my Lots of Dots quilt.
It's now available in my etsy shop - over 100 pages of patterns for this quilt which won its category at the 2011 Sydney Quilt Show.
The set comprises patterns for the 26 different circle blocks in the quilt featuring foundation piecing, applique and english piecing. Each pattern features original foundations, templates, diagrams and extensive instructions for all the blocks in the quilt.

PLUS as a bonus you will receive a 50 page pack of light-weight foundation papers to start you on this project.  So if you're looking for a challenging but rewarding project this one is just for you.

The quilt is on exhibition at the Australian Quilt Convention in Melbourne in April as one of five "Best of the Best" from the NSW Quilters Guild - I'm also teaching there so come and check out the quilt and say hi as well.

Below  is Gaby's version of Lots of Dots in aboriginal fabric featuring - you guessed it - lots of dots!

Her fussy-cutting is amazing and the background fabric is just perfect for the blocks.

You can see both versions of this beautiful quilt at our Springwood Community Quilt Show the last weekend in April. We'd love you to come - check out the latest news from the show on our blog here.

No camera

Did I mention earlier I have two classes at Material Obsession in Drummoyne? An intro to New York Beauty blocks and it was a fun day. Lovely shop and really nice girls - staff and students. Unbelievably one of the students was at high school with my daughter - how's that for coincidence?

Anyway I took some pics on the day and left my camera at the shop - grrrrr.  Kathy has some pics from the day here. There's another class on 14th March with a couple of vacancies if you're interested.

So these two same-but-very different Pickled Lillies quilts are from a while back.

Janette has made this for her grandson complete with shields and swords and all things knightly. He'll just love it don't you think.

This one belongs to Lynne from my class in Toowoomba - great fussy cutting and doesn't the design change when you look at both quilts and the lights and darks in the "pickles" are reversed. Beautiful work.

These are what I've been working on lately - handbags? baskets? - whatever they are I've had a great time playing with fabrics and designs. Haven't decided on the strip fabric yet but the yummy black and green 1950's vintage piece came from here and it was even better in the flesh when it arrived in the post.

Patricia has lots of vintage goodies - quilts, blocks, haby and fabric and I notice she still has some of this groovy fabric in stock.

This block is 7" x 10" and will end up a variation on the old nosegay block - japanese/spotty scraps with lots of different backgrounds - and a bit of ric rac. Can't wait to make more so the layout comes together. I'll keep you posted!

Anorina has a post here about our Mariners Compass day at Figtree - check it out.

Lastly, the entry forms for our Springwood Quilt Show are downloadable from the blog NOW.

Click on the top right but don't forget it's 2 pages with lots of info about entering on page two. Entries close 22nd March so if you're a Blue Mountains/Penrith area quilter we'd love to see your work. Print them off and get them in the post soon. You've got til 26th April to actually finish the quilt so get those skates on! This is our 7th year and we want it to be bigger and better than ever.

Out and about

Lots of pics today from recent classes - Kathy's beautiful Birds in Paradise top. Just needs some binding over the scallops and she's done.

Two from Cottage Quiltworks on Saturday - the start of a Dahlia quilt and Rosemary's mariners block with that ever-popular ric rac.

Jenny's done her own version of Deauville and doesn't it look great. She brought along lots of show-and-tell on Sunday to Hobbysew Figtree - boy does she sew a lot!! Also has a longarm machine and quilts for others so she's a very busy girl.

This is from Monica who was new to foundation piecing but took to it straight away. Looks great.

 These NYB blocks are happening in class at The Home Patch in Bathurst. Limited colour palette but how cool are these.

Pat has been busy over the break making her own version of the Faux Wedding ring quilt. The indigo squares were already embroidered and she has done lovely sashiko in the cream squares.

Why didn't I think of that!

Another from Bathurst - great contrast.

 And this belongs to Anorina from the famous Samelia's mum blog. I was so pleased to meet her

in class yesterday at Figtree and she's done a great job on this compass. Can't wait to see it in a project.

Anorina has a quilt ON THE COVER of the latest issue of Australian Homespun! First submission to the mag and she makes the cover - what a woman! Well done.

I met Janelle Noack at a class I did at Wagga quilt shop Simply Stitches last July. She teaches in the area and has had quite a few quilts in Australian magazines and has contributed a block to the Quiltmaker 100 blocks series of magazines. Now she taken the big leap and has a blog too! It's called Country Matters and you can have a look here. Her work is beautiful and you'll get an idea of where she lives from the backgrounds in her photos - she's a girl on the land. Good luck Janelle in the land of blogging but don't forget you need to be sewing some too!

Classes

Two different projects by two different people but don't they look good together.

 Here's a close-up of that groovy elephant.

 Some of the work done at Hobbysew Belconnen last weekend. A bit confusing with my quilt as the background but you get the idea. Lots of fun and interesting fabric choices.

 A beautiful William Morris compass.

 The rogues gallery! Well done everyone.

 These two pics were sent to me by Annemarie who started them in a class with me at Berrima.

Both look fantastic and will be on display at the Southern Highlands quilt show at Mittagong RSL on 18/19 February.

 I have been working on this for approx. 2 years - my Tuesday night handwork. Finally quilted it over the xmas break. It is my version of  the Garfield-Arthur Bandanna quilt @ 1880 and it was a real scrap-buster. Looks a bit wonky in the pic but it's ok in the flesh.

Entry forms arrived today for the Sydney Quilt Show in June. Yikes!! Better get myself organised and enter something.
I guess you've noticed I have an on-line shop at etsy.com. Sellers often make a treasury of things they like on the site - a collection with a theme and two sellers have used my patterns recently in their treasury. Have a look here and here - how cool is that. Thanks guys for the exposure.