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!

Nearly xmas!

Judy who lives near The Rock in southern NSW sent me this pic of her version of my Pretty in Purple pattern. Looks great in Japanese reds and navys doesn't it. I love it when you send me pics and especially when you've made the quilt your own by varying the fabric/layout or whatever.

Two NYB quilts in the making from Bathurst on Saturday. The one on the left is batiks - soft and almost pretty while the one on the right has lots of oomph - purple and black.

Barbara has finished her Lots of Dots that was started early in the year at Jukejema in Nowra. She has quilted it herself - can you see the circles around each block? And her label below is from leftover bits of other blocks - very clever. Love that ric rac!

This beauty is the first block in a Noodle Box version from my Hobbysew class. That fish fabric is just perfect.

Finally added a border to my Buzz saw quilt which I think complements the centre. I bought the border fabric before I made the centre and then went to the stash looking for something and there it was! Just waiting for this project. Goes to show if you buy fabric you like when you see it, it will come in handy down the track. That's my theory anyway.

Sent my Chocolate Stars off to Homespun magazine today - won't come out in the mag til Xmas-in-July issue next year - sorry.

Xmas get-togethers are happening all this week and the teaching year is winding down. It's been a very busy one for me and next year looks even busier with lots of away gigs - all fun! After a beachy break over xmas it's back to the sewing machine and computer and I'm hoping to get a head start on what's coming up next year. Hope you have a rest too!

I'm off to Toowoomba on Monday for a 2 day workshop at Precious Time, a beautiful shop in a beautiful town. Lisa has organised lots of different tutors over 2 weeks of classes and I'm lucky enough to be one of them. Thanks Lisa. I'll have some pics when I return.

In the mean time some pics from recent classes - lots of different projects just to keep me on my toes!

Bev's NYB's

Barbara is starting on Prickly Pines

Helen's Deauville is just beautiful

Rosemary was my guinea pig for this Jacobean Star class
but isn't it fabulous! Just needs one more setting triangle.

Judy is working her way thru 36 NYB blocks

Mariners Medley from a Figtree class

One day workshop on a basic mariners compass - they always look great!

Lorraine's on the "Dots" journey - love it

This is on my wall at the moment - I'm having a ton of fun
working with 30-ish fabrics and lots of doilies.

Have you seen the latest issue of Quilt Mania, the French patchwork mag? My Lots of Dots quilt is in it!! A full page pic from the Sydney Quilt Show - I'm excited! It's not in the shops yet but I've seen a subscription copy and the pic is fantastic. Did I mention it will be a BOM thru Hobbysew stores? Hopefully January 2012.
I received this email from Catherine Sanchez the editor of Australian Homespun magazine recently:

It is with great excitement that I announce that Australian Homespun magazine and all subsequent issues are now available as a digital subscription through www.zinio.com (the direct link is http://au.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp%20prnt=cat1960032&productId=500634623&categoryId=cat2250032).
This is a fantastic opportunity to present Homespun, a publication at the forefront of the industry, to a new world of readers, locally and internationally. For those who wish to take out a digital subscription, all you need to do is simply download the Zinio application from iTunes to your iPad, or log on to the website above.


Just click on the link  check it out - it's a great mag.
Have a great weekend - isn't the weather perfect and don't miss the Wentworth Quilters quilt show tomorrow at Lynwood House,  Guildford.

NEWS

What do you think of the new sidebar? Wouldn't you just love it in real fabric! It was a free download from this site - thank you Megan. Check it out if you'd like a new look for your blog. They have free buttons and all sorts of goodies and they're really easy to download. I'm not the best at http's etc. so I need all the help I can get.
Further to the current issue of Homespun with the Texas Wheel quilt featured there is an "interview" with me on their blog this week! How flattering of them to think people would be interested.



After much deliberation I decided to put just this border on my hexagon star and do lots of quilting in the background areas. The colour suits perfectly I think and is a lovely frame for the star which really didn't need any fussiness around it. It's been added to the pile of tops waiting to be quilted hanging over the stair railing. They make great insulation and stop the fire's warmth disappearing upstairs!

This is my hexagon sampler, done by hand at our Tuesday night group meetings. The blocks were drawn up in EQ5 and were a pleasure to sew. The yummy border I saw at Houston last year and then managed to find it at Hancocks for $4.98 per yard! You can click on the pic to see a closeup. The toile came from Zooks at Intercourse for something like $5 a yard - it's not fair is it that we pay so much for fabric out here!

Exciting times for me at the moment - wedding this weekend, leaving for 6 weeks O/S 10 days after that AND I'm starting an on-line shop! The good folks at SEWN have opened SEWnSELL for all sorts of crafty people to be able to sell their wares. I am in the process of loading my store with patterns and actual quilts that have become "surplus to requirements". It is an exciting venture for me and I'll keep you posted.

Inspiration

Check out the latest issue of Australian Homespun (No 75) for my Texas Wheel quilt. I collected SEVERAL reproduction fabrics on the Houston trip last year and made this using SOME of them. Do you think the corner applique looks like Rudolph!!

My Tuesday night handwork has resulted in this gem with lots of fussy cutting around the outside edge. But I am really stuck as to what to do on it next. I've looked at lots of old hexagon quilts and am still not inspired. Maybe it should just sit and brew for a while?
I drove to Bathurst yesterday for a busy class with machine quilting, new york beauties and mariners all happening at the same time. It really makes the day go quickly!


This is Petah's finished quilt with a peeper strip and even mitred corners. She was very excited with the end result and it will certainly warm up those cold Orange winter nights.

Susan from my Friday class has made this wallhanging using mainly Jinny Beyer fabrics, Doesn't it look like a leadlight window.

And Sue has expanded the Noodle Box pattern to make a full size quilt for her son (?). She even draughted her own border templates to get the required size - well done.
The Quilters Guild Friday showcase is on this Friday - Jennifer Corkish is the featured quilter. I don't have a class on so guess where I'm going? 10am at the Pitt St office if anyone's interested.

I was booked for a 2 day class at Quiltsmith this coming weekend but it failed to materialise for whatever reason so we'll be busy speed cleaning for all the visitors on the wedding weekend. How wonderful it will be to catch up with people I haven't seen for years! Wish us well with the weather - it's been glorious the last week - I even dragged myself away from the machine to do some gardening!