rainbow i spy ....

So long ago ...
we played "i spy" ....
Finally sewed my large & small i spies together
Plans to turn them into picnic-go anywhere quilts!I will get back to you with more at some point ...
... making cute things for a little local market ...
I show you some of this soon too!

Thrifted Lotus

Huh?

Yeah ... made a whirlwind thrifty trip
to a favourite haunt today ...
.. bribed my boy with fruity treats as we walked about!

Found this sweet little serving plate ...... that at first I thought it just reminded me
of some favourite fabric
that I can't quite let myself to cut into yet ....
... and then on closer inspection at home
compared one with the other!Woah! Yeah man ....
No recognition of our favourite artist Amy in sight!
Lotus pattern is identical to my naked eye!
Do you think I should tell her??!
Yeah, ok I'll drop her a line & see what she says about it!!
I'll let you know what she says huh!

"Its SNOWING Mummy!"

This I just had to share ... too funny!

Yesterday we had a 'quiet' day at home ...
... I spent some time getting my studio sorted ...
..at one point went to check on the little boy ...
hmmm I smelt talc powder!!!
"Its snowing Mummy!

... was the greeting!
We had recently seen a 'Chuggington' episode
where there was a snow storm
... & he does loves the 'Ice Age' movies ...
so this activity does makes sense ...
Oscar is a tactile learner!
There is still talc in places that I can't seem to get to, to clean!
& the floor is still a little 'slippery'
... at least it smells nice hey!
Creative child I have - Glass half full!!!

Precious Ruby ...

Little baby girl: Ruby ... born 4 weeks ago
to my friends Lisa & Bryan
and sister for Oscar's little friend Ella
Had a cuddle today ... sweet little girlie quilt ...
... & some bunting flags to match ...
... I had my money on a boy with this one!
Ooops!
... had made this quilt top ready & waiting
... had to go to 'plan B' ....
anyway ... a sweet gem!
Welcome to the world baby girl!Lots & lots of coiling type free motion quilting
.... I am improving!
Not bad for someone who still prefers to hand quilt a whole quilt ...!

HST's ... Tonal Value Quilt

For the longest time I have been inspired by

these quilts ...
... nothing new as far as shape goes
...or even using tone ...
... just a fresh look at it
I like them because they are simple, graphic & modern!
Thanks Katie!So over time I have been slowly
collecting & cutting 3" squares
of almost entirely different fabrics ....
How many? 576!!!My Tonal Value Quilt is going to be for our bed
at our cabin at "the" river
.... I love the fact that it is going to display
such an amazing collection of different fabrics!
There are a few double ups but
mainly all different
... bought a few charm square packs
to help move it along too!
Its a Queen sized bed but I'm making it a King sized quilt!
24 x 24 HST blocks wide & tall!
Awesome ...So on Saturday evening ...
(what you do when you have a child ... Sat night at home!)
I sat & sewed them all together ...
You know ... pencil line from one corner
to the other then sew a 1/4" both
sides of the line etc!
Just like I showed you here ...
& then of course you are left
with 2 mini HST blocks that are
'opposites'
(same but different hey!)A friend of mine is also working
on her HST Tonal Value Collection
& we are going to swap lots of our mini blocks ....
... Yay ....
That way we both have an even larger collection
of many, many different fabrics!!!
What are the chances that we might pair
the same 2 fabrics together?

Last night I cut them all apart & pressed ...
... had a wonderful time looking at the
dark & light tonal choices I had made
.... got me thinking all over again about some
of the high contrast patterned fabrics
that Kathy (she has a new book coming out! )
uses ... as inspired by Kaffe ...

Hoot Hoot ..

... evidence that Clara did grow into this suit eventually ...

Trees ...

You may not know ... I love trees ...
& leaves
(See here & here!)
all their interesting shapes & contrasts ...
Recently 'shopping' online & found this!
A collection called "Happier" by Deena Rutter
by Riley Blake Designs
This colour-way is 'Happier in Blue'&
I found it as a wall paper ...
(its almost identical!)
Hoping desperately that it has been used in this context with permission by the artist!
So I felt like a change of background since we are heading into colder days, with less daylight hours, it seems bright & cheerful!
Cute huh!

SIT: Blog Reading ...

ohhh so timely that I have my internet back!

Whew ... to have missed out on this reading would have been sad ...
... seems to I keep seeing myself pop up in the backgrounds of other people's pics ...
here
&
here
&
here
&
here
&
here
too!Above: Pile of gorgeous-ness from MO

The Sponsors of SIT ... Thankyou for all our goodies!

You can check them out too ...

• Retromummy
• Ric-Rac
• Posie Patchwork
• Innergreen
• Hawthorne Threads
• Pink Chalk Fabrics
• Chasing Cottons
• Saffron Craig
• Clare’s Craftroom
• The Red Thread
• Clare’s Place
• Earthgirl Fabrics
• The Remnant Warehouse
• Material Obesssion
• Kelani Fabric Obsession
• Sew Vintage
• Plushka’s Craft
• The Oz Material Girls
• Polly Pratt
• Craft Schmaft
• Prints Charming
• Nicole Mallalieu Design
• Wink Designs
• Crafty Mamas

A huge thank you to all our sponsors!!

SIT: Material Obsession .... Part 4/4

I've admired from afar Kathy Doughty's style & sense of pattern, print & colour ... in meeting her this weekend, I have really shifted some of my ideas about how to approach the concept of patchwork. I really want to create art pieces that happen to be in the form of patchwork & quilting ... I have struggled for a long time to have what I make fit into the style & interiors of home .... now we have a new home & I have a studio & I have lots & lots of ideas & fresh inspiration!Thankyou Kathy - as I said to you the other day ... if I lived in Sydney, you'd know me well already ... !!

Take a look at the Material Obsession blog .... see me there!!
I have a new perspective on using more traditional patchwork shapes with a modern sensibility ... well I will work on it!
For example: using a wedge ruler ....... using a design wall they way it should be ...... or a 60 degree triangle ....
... other combos...Happy times shopping!
(I'll be back!)
This happy photo with evidence that I was there ....
Shopping with Bron & Kelly & Lara & Gilly
was taken by Michelle

SIT: Saturday .... Part 3/4

On Saturday everyone involved in SIT was together for a day of workshops, show bags, prizes, sharing ideas, working alongside each other!
Kathy from Material Obsession was very generous with her time:She ran workshops all day on a few different piecing techniques!I went to her chat about using the 60 degree ruler & how to use this to make triangles & diamonds & then how to use these in various interesting patterns ... & she is very strong on encouraging everyone to find their own inner style & then push those boundaries .... Cath (who I think works with Kathy at MO or is a Patchwork Quilting Instructor maybe?) was working on this piece below: .... she had seen the bed runner
(Pic below was actually taken by Michelle)that I actually completed all the quilting stitches on during the session .... anyway she made a point to show me what she was doing ... its design inspiration comes from her interpretation of an art work by the artist 'Hundertwasser' ... I really respond to this way of working with fabric & creating texture with thread & am very excited to find some other people working in this way!
Below: Bron from 'Whippet Good'
(my friend who was involved with me in the Red & Aqua Block Swap 2010)
Bron worked some on her cathedral windows ...Below: Bron & I working away ... Pic courtesy of Sandy
Below: Leah from 'Puggle Logic"
was carefully hand piecing this fussy cut BOM ... love the extrodinary fabric choices!
looking forward to seeing it complete one day Leah! Thanks for sharing!
(Leah was also in my sample gift swap ... have a look on her blog!)

Below: Marina from 'Wink Designs'
was sitting next to me most of the day ... she was hand piecing these v cute little hexagons!
When complete they will become a lovely rainbow!

Below: One of the Owl-y Mini Quilts
that I made for our Sample Gift Swap organised by Cass
Below: the items I was given in return in the swap!
V cool thing to do!
Made by:
Jen (Cute Patchwork Coasters),
Leah (Funky Patchwork Basket),
Susan (Beaded Lavender Bag),
Christy (Gorgeous Girls Baby Bonnet),
Sandy (Adorable Felt Flower Pincushion)

SIT: Prints Charming Stitching Lesson Part 2/4

It was a delight to just have the opportunity to visit
"Prints Charming"
Missed the chance to buy up big on scrap packs & other interesting hand screen printed panels as the big shopping bus got there before we did but still it was a delight ... especially to meet Cath & Kirsten!
and what a feast of colours their studio is .... oh how I would love to do what they are doing & I know how to .... hmmmm: Road block on that one... maybe one day?
We were there to learn some tricks about embroidery stitching but when I say that I mean v MODERN embroidery with no rules ... I love the way some of their examples have a painterly quality about the stitching!We each worked on our own 'Birdie' screen printed image
... I will take a pic one day when I have mine completed!!!