Saturday 14 October 2017

Current Free BOM: On My Window, Flowers Bloom

OMWFB: Part 3 of 4 is Launched!

On My Window, Flowers Bloom 
An applique wall hanging, finished size 38 x 48 inches.

This is a FREE BOM
Running from August 15th - November 15th 2017

 This is a Free BOM in 4 parts, we are up to Part 3 
Release Dates: August 15th - November 15th

Download it: 
Right here on my blog each month or over in my BOM Group

--free download no longer available--

Members of my BOM Group can download the file from the Group "FILE" area

Wednesday 11 October 2017

WOW: 10 Years Already?

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
This is a detail from my wall hanging Lily Rose. I've posted it today because I'm in the mood for flowers. And cake. Possibly both. On the one hand, I think having reached 10 years of blogging is something to be celebrated in style. And ironically, the fact that I have continued blogging in the face of my growing fabric mountain might be my biggest WIP success story ever.

On the other hand, perhaps it was inevitable? And perhaps being online and connecting creatively via the web is such a common daily thing now, completely taken for granted, that celebrating this milestone is just silly? I can't decide. I've been thinking both these things..

..but I have a feeling cake will somehow win.

What's Your WOW?



Tuesday 10 October 2017

10 Years With Red Delicious

This week marks 10 years since I started blogging. As I sit here typing this, I can't even believe that I've been doing this for a decade. A decade!  And the reason I started blogging? This cherry basket:
I'd drawn up this basket design.. and then decided to create a whole quilt around it. And this ended up being a quilt of 'red things that I love.' And blogging seemed the best possible way to share my first every block of the month. Sure, I also wanted to keep my stash mountain contained and keep my WIP pile manageable (failed on both those accounts). But primarily, I wanted to share my designs. And it all started with a cherry.

I'm really pleased that I still love this cherry basket. It doesn't feel dated to me. Certainly it doesn't feel like it's a decade old. And if I had the time, I'd make it all over again.
This was the most commented on block -  mushrooms, forest berries, a capsicum, tomato and ladybug.
My teapot, teacup and fresh strawberries
my heart and fresh cherry blossoms
some long stem roses
some flower heads swaying in the breeze
a vase
apples and pomegranates 
a fan
and some birdies, of course.
I always find a spot to sneak in a bird..or two 
Phew! How could I have known I was kicking off a decade of blogging and BOMs with these sweet motifs? I can still remember a normal life without the internet. Goodness, I feel old saying that. I had no idea that being online would become a daily fixture in my life. In fact, I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me. I didn't even like the internet back then. Look at me now! 

Wow, times change..
What were you doing 10 years ago? 
Has the internet changed how you quilt now?

Wednesday 4 October 2017

WOW: 'Udderly Smooth' GIVEAWAY!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
My own WOWs this week are extra special. I wish I could show you the exciting new designs I'm finishing up for next year right now, but I'm keeping them under wraps until the big reveal at the end of the month. What I can tell you is that 2018 is going to be my most beautiful, creative and inspiring yet. Phew, I can hardly wait. Those of you who have snapped up the Early Bird Special are in for a real treat. 

Now, I can't show you what I'm getting up to behind the scenes, but I can do the next best thing. How about a Giveaway?! As a quilter I look at my hands a lot. My hands are busy active hands. Most of the time I'm so absorbed in my applique that I don't notice my neglected nails until I have to post  pics up here on my blog. Then I get a bit taken aback and remind myself it's time to get around to a long overdue manicure. But you know, creative pursuits get in the way. At least, I have found the most perfect hand cream for quilting. Yes, I'm serious! Udderly Smooth is a quilter's dream. It deeply moisturizers hands without a hint of greasiness and within just minutes I can go back to handling fabrics without any worry of staining or smearing. It sounds too good to be true, so I suppose you'll have to test it for yourself.
Today I'm giving away 10 x Udderly Smooth Hand Creams to 10 x lucky readers. And I'll ship it anywhere in the world. It's a somewhat underwhelming looking cream, but I assure you, once you try it, it'll become a staple product in your sewing studio. 

Fancy winning one yourself? Simply leave a comment below. 10 winners will be drawn by random number generation on Friday and announced at the bottom of this post as an "update". Goodluck! 


What's Your WOW?





Update: Winners Selected 6 October!

Karen Quilts
Sue
Wattle Girl
Sylvie Jourdan
Angie in So Cal
Jennifer Fulton
Dianne Kummelman
Fran
Tubakk
Roseanne

Congrats everyone! Please check your email. Those of you without a blogger account linked to your email, please contact me directly - see my reply message below your comment. 

Thursday 28 September 2017

Block of the Month 2018

For the first time ever, I'm offering 3 x Block of the Month quilts in 2018. I couldn't possibly ask you to choose between them, so I'm giving you access to all of them

You're invited to join me for 12 months of beautiful, inspired, exciting new quilt patterns.
The BOM 2018 runs for 1 year; from January 1st 2018 - December 31st 2018. And, because 2018 is an extra special BOM year, Early Bird entry opens early, on September 27, 2017.

What can you expect? To keep my incredible patterns exclusive right up until the last minute and to keep copy cats at bay, I'm holding off on releasing the sketches during the early bird period.  
The quilt images will all be released in November and the first BOM starts January 1st. Talk about a Happy New Year! 

2018 is going to be filled to the brim with creativity and surprises. I hope you'll join me as I make my 10th BOM year the biggest ever. 

Simply click the Early Bird below to learn more and sign up. 

Let's Quilt! 

Wednesday 27 September 2017

WOW: It's Nearly Time..

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays
The clock is ticking. It's nearly time to reveal my plans for 2018.
And it's a big WOW, that's for sure. In fact, it's like nothing I've ever done before. Interested? Stay tuned..

What's Your WOW?


Friday 22 September 2017

Love Entwined by Chris Endrich

When I first saw progress on this quilt, I called the chosen hues 'sunshine on fabric.' Today I'm delighted to share Chris's finished quilt with you all. It's a journey full of dedication, love and colour.

Isn't it breathtaking?
Here's what Chris has to say about her journey through Love Entwined:

"I started my quilt when it was published as a BOM and wanted it to show off all the colours I like which is pretty much any colour under the sun, so it includes all possible shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, violet and purple for the flowers. The tone I love most is always bright and light, so I used batik fabrics.  

All the flowers produce so much lovely chaos on this quilt that  some element of order had to be introduced which is provided by the dark blue found in the borders and the zigzag. My favourite part was picking fabric but it was also the hardest part because I had to imagine what it would look like in the end when it all comes together and just hope that everything would be in balance. I'm particularly pleased with the lavender-purple/ red-yellow gradation in the third border that creates a pulsating vivid effect."

Chris, your favorite part is really the most difficult part for me and I love reading about how the shades used throughout inspired you. I definitely agree that the dark blue you have used, really grounds your quilt in just the right way. 
"I'm not much of a fan of broderie perse so I spent hours  on research for  techniques that could be used to create realistic looking flowers. 

I tried a lot of things, I ruched roses in three different techniques, folded calices, frayed daisies etc. LE was a huge playground for me. The wish for realistic flowers led me to change the design in various places, the one that stands out the most is the centre-piece with the four vases which are seasonal vases filled with flowers from my garden. When pieces became too small within the leaf helix of the second border I turned to embroidery and tried different stitches. I decided that the strange shapes at the crossings were butterflies instead of angels which seemed to go nicely with the flower theme and replaced the strange looking bird by a robin.  

After the second border I was fed up with leaves and  thought the double bows need loose ends rather than more leaves. I also wanted real tassels rather than embroidered ones so I made them out of wool."
"After so much appliqué I needed a break and put the top aside for an entire year. With this hand appliqué I wanted to hand-quilt it, too, and after visiting an exhibition comparing quilts I decided on a grid because that's what I think makes the appliqué stand out. 

I quilted a 5/8th inch grid, I quilted  for 5 months for two hours every day. I chose a leaf design for the green borders and an intertwining zigzag for the blue border."
"Now that I'm finished I can't really believe it, LE has been my steady company for four years in total. It encompasses all the workmanship I'm capable of, certainly an insane amount of work and displays my love for colour and flowers like no other quilt has done or ever will do again. 

There's no quilt like it and I'll never undertake such an enterprise ever again. It's unique and stands out amongst all my other appliqué quilts." 
Chris, your Love Entwined quilt is full of joyous light and energy that just floods the senses. When I see your colour scheme and consider how many hundreds of hours you have spent making this magnificent heirloom, I'm in awe. This quilt shines and I'm honored to add it to our Love Entwined Gallery. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. 

There are more images to see! Luckily for us, Chris sent through 16 stunning images (too many for a blog post) that you can view over on her Love Entwined Gallery Page. Click any of the images above to go there now, or click here.

What about you? Are you making Love Entwined? Have you joined the Love Entwined BOM Group? Go ahead and join us as we share friendship, quilting tips and creativity.

If you'd like to make Love Entwined yourself, you can purchase the pattern by visiting my online pattern shop, or click here now to go there.

Wednesday 20 September 2017

WOW: Time For A New Stencil Quilt?

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday
The answer is definitely maybe. You know I love stenciling, I've been doing it myself and teaching it to others for over 10 years. It's a technique I first got interested in right at the beginning of my quilting. I was so excited at all the possibilities of painting all my own fabric motifs, mixing all my own exact hues and being in artistic control. And it just made sense to create stencils so that I could repeat any beautiful designs I created.
This past week I found a stash of Tulip Delight Table Runners, and a sketchbook of stenciled quilts was in there too. Well, I can confess - when I pack away my mess, I completely forget about it..which is what happened here. But now I am renewed. And thinking about my next painted quilt. I suppose the term 'stencil' sounds rather stiff, but painting your own quilt top is anything but.

In fact, I think this next creation might be one worth blogging through, step by step.

Watch this space..

What's Your WOW?




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...