Self portraits

I'm very excited about today's finish.

I've been working with the children in Ella's class to create a class quilt.  They are all about 5 or 6 years old and are in their first year of school. (In Victoria, we call it 'Prep').

Each child was given a white fabric square with a smaller square drawn on (so I would have some seam allowance) and a selection of fabric markers.

I worked with them in small groups and told them to draw a picture of themselves with some things they liked.

I am so thrilled with the result. I'm pretty sure they (and their teacher) will be too.

The back is a fun colourful fabric piece from IKEA.

I've finished it off with a label and tied it all up with a pretty ribbon ... ready to be given on Monday morning!

I hope you've done something satisfying today too.

Andi xx

I can barely contain my happiness

Spring is coming to my garden!!

I can't wait for my bones to thaw!!

Andi xx

My new favourite quilt

Nuff said.
I'm off to snuggle.
Have a great weekend.
Andi xx

So very me!!

I recently purchased a small art work by the ever gorgeous Auntie Cookie.

It's me to a 'T'.

Thanks Shannon!!

Now I just need to find a gorgeous frame to keep it in.

Happy Thursday!!

Andi xx

Thanks

Thanks Leonie.

Leonie's new fabrics for a quilt for HER!!!!

May the quilts be with you.

Andi xx

Oh Denyse .... how I love you!!!

And your gorgeous fabrics!!!

I finished up this quilt top recently and I absolutely love it!!

Not sure I will ever make another quilt with so many 2 inch (finished) squares but I'm so glad I did this one with my gorgeous Denyse Schmidt fabric collection.

Every Flea Market Fancy fabric is featured as well as some of the newest collection from Joann's / Spotlight. Also, because I needed to put in some more red, I added one print from the Katie Jump Rope line (the Red Daisies).

I started hand quilting this on Saturday and I'm loving the process so much I'm already half way. No doubt by this time next week (probably sooner) I'll be blogging about a finished quilt.

Can't wait to pop it on the bed.

Andi xx

Testing .... testing ...

Henceforth to be known as the "Test pattern quilt"

My Beehive quilt this year is vivid and bright.....and HUGE!!
For the first time in many years I'm planning to have this one professionally quilted. I don't really want to hand quilt it, and it is way too big to smoosh through my little Bernina.

My husband has said it is too busy for the bedroom (which was my original intention as the colours I chose were to match the Echino wall hanging above our bed).

He's also not sure about having it in the living room.
He's going to have to deal with it because I absolutely love it.

Thank you Beehivers for your stunning work!! Love you long time!!

Andi xx

Thank you!

Thank you for all your lovely and kind comments on my recent 'sharing' post. I really wanted to give you ALL some fabric. But I compromised and decided to double the prize and give a fabric parcel to someone from Australia and someone overseas.

I divided the names up into two bowls (my new $2 mellamine bowls from Spotlight!!!).

...and picked a name from each.

Jenny ... you said such lovely things in your comment and I so appreciate our catch ups and crafting sessions. Here is what I've selected for you:

I tried to find a nice balance between my love (and your emerging love) of brights and your love of linens and neutrals.

Susan...it has been so lovely getting to know another Jewish quilter and I so love seeing your regular posts about your local Jerusalem (one of my favourite cities in all the world). Here is what I've selected for you:

All very bright. With spots, flowers, birds and butterflies. (And the Kaffe fabric on the left is actually a cotton voile which is so deliciously soft).

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words and friendship.
Andi xx

A fabulous new tool

I mentioned it recently on this post and lots of you wanted to know more about the wonder-tool that allows you to make HSTs without ruling a single line or using a pin.

Well, it is now available at Amitie's online shop.
The listing is here.

Andi xx

Sharing

I tell my kids to do it all the time. It's time for me to practice what I preach.

This is my 300th blog post and since beginning this blog 2 1/2 years ago, my life has changed in so many wonderful ways.

Most importantly, I have met many new friends on line and IRL! This 'sharing' post is for those people who have shared with me their time, their creativity, their 'stuff', their friendship.

Here's what is on offer: fabric. I have LOADS of it and I want to share some of it with one of you.

Some photos from my stash. Not necessarily what I'll be giving.

Rather than make a selection of my own, I will base the selection on the winner's fabric preferences.
So, to be in the running for a parcel of fabric loveliness, just leave me a comment with 5 words to describe your favourite types of fabric.

Here are some examples to get you thinking:

• floral
• vintage
• linen
• Japanese
• solid
• geometric
• green/blue/purple/pink/etc
• designer
• voile
• spots
• bright
• childrens
• and so on .....

More stash photos

Only people I have already connected with will be in the running for this prize. No need to blog about it or tell your friends. If you are new to my blog today, I hope you stick around so I can get to know you before the next time I do such a giveaway.  But you won't be in the running today.

International entries welcome. I will do the random number thing on Thursday morning (Melbourne time). After that, comments to this post will be closed.
Please make sure I have a way of contacting you!!

Thanks again for all that you have shared with me.
Andi xx

Edit 9:30 Thursday morning: This post is now closed for comments. I'll draw a winner very soon!! See here for the winner announcement!

Tidy!

Once my sewing room gets tidied, I get seriously productive.

This week, a dear friend told us he was getting married in January.
Plenty of lead in time I know but I had an idea that needed to 'get out'.

So I raided my red scraps bin and some beautiful linen, and made them some cushions for their couch.

Patch-worked fronts and backs.

And quilted on both sides.

I inserted invisible zips using this excellent tutorial.
I wonder if I'll be able to wait until January before I give them!!

Also sewn in the last 24 hours:

• Patches on a small friend's jeans where he had worn through the knees
• Beehive blocks for Belinda
• Completed the last 6 blocks on this quilt
• A little more hand stitching on this quilt
• Binding on a baby quilt that I haven't shown you yet.

 Tomorrow I have no 'proper' work to do and no kids in the house. I'll be stitchin' up a storm.
What's your plan?

Andi xx

French strings

This month in the Beehive, Belinda has sent a gorgeous range of fabrics to make string blocks.

The centre strip of each block is a beautiful French newspaper print fabric.

This is going to be a stunning quilt.

Whatcha been stitchin'?
Andi xx

My local

Those of you outside the US will be familiar with the struggle to buy local while online fabric prices from US based shops are so very much lower.

I also struggle with this and I do buy some fabric online.

But what the online shops fail to provide is the creative atmosphere, the friendly welcome, the fabric touchability.
I am lucky enough that my local patchwork shop is Amitie. Compared to many other shops I have been into, Amitie staff always have a friendly smile and are always happy to help you put together a project no matter how large or small. And I have noticed that recently they are working their bums off to keep prices down.
And they have some awesome classes coming up. Ever wanted to meet the mad-capped Madame Ricrac in person and learn to make one of her wonderful softies? Well you can here!! (Incidentally, you can also come along on a Thursday afternoon and take a patchwork class with me! Just saying...)

Anyway, I thought I'd show off some of my recent Amitie purchases.

Beautiful variegated Perle 8 thread and stunning new ribbons. (Yes, that IS Kaffe Fassett ribbon!!)

Pretty Liberty fabrics in my favourite colours.

Home dec fabric from the half price shelves.

And an amazing new tool that helps create HSTs without having to rule a line!!!

I hope you have a lovely local bricks 'n' mortar shop like I do. And I hope you give them your support so we get to keep these wonderful shops in business.
I know the lure of online shopping is great. But maybe just put aside a percentage of your crafting budget for local shopping.

What do you say?
Andi xx

WIP Wednesday

Another WIP this week.  First mentioned on the blog here, nearly 2 years ago.

An homage to my grandmother's one-and-only-quilt-she-made (shown here) that I inherited, re-quilted and absolutely cherish.

Another great scrappy project. All paper pieced and hand stitched. Each hexagon measures 1 inch along each side.

I have 14 more flowers to make, white 'borders' to tie them all together and also some work to do on the edges to straighten them up a little. And that's before I've even begun to think about quilting (which I plan to do by hand).

This is most definitely my slowest stitching project but a great one to pick up when I'm running out the door to Perle 8's and don't want to lug around a sewing machine. Also great for taking on holidays, or even having some piecework to keep in my bag for those moments when the craft 'itch' takes hold and I'm out and about!

Do you have a portable project like this one that you keep on hand? What is your 'go-to' slow crafting project?

Andi xx