Friday 24 January 2014

:: wildwood ::

 i am setting myself up for a bit of a fall here now with 2 posts in 2 days...
don't worry i am sure it will be as many weeks before you hear from me again.



this week i have been working on a few pieces for dashwood studios with their most recent collection wildwood.



this collection is a case in point where things look so much better in real life. 
if you looked at this collection you would think it definitely wasn't me. it is more twee and busier than i would ordinarily go for.

having said that the thing that stops it being overly twee is the colour scheme. the rustic colours (that orange is much more rusty red in real life...i'm not sure what my camera was playing at) are just spot on and make it quite a sophisticated whimsical collection.


i am totally in love with mr fox. placing the taupe toadstools with it is genius making it a really versatile fabric.

i really enjoyed making a small quilt with the collection. i based the design on one of the first quilts i ever made way back in 2007. simple piecing was called for and i think this does allow all the detail in these wonderful fabrics to be shown off.


making the economy block cushion with solid outer sections had the same effect too...pops of colour but no clashing distraction.

i think my final piece for dashwood is going to involve some wonky star blocks with mr foxy positioned in the starring role of each one.


he is rather handsome don't you think?



Thursday 23 January 2014

resolutions...

 well hello...
how the hell are ya?
i'm thinking that there goes my first new year's resolution that isn't doing too well...the one where i said i would blog more.
let's see how i'm getting on with the others...


there was the one about not starting any new quilts until the unfinished ones on the pile were completed...

actually i'll have you know i'm not doing too badly on that front...if you ignore the  second from bottom one...that is next on the list.

i know i started this vintage giant star quilt before the other couple were finished, but there are good reasons for that...


first off, the very very lovely Cathi from down under sent me the hugest bundle of scraps and it would have been rude to not have shown my gratitude by creating with them straight away...



secondly, i needed a project to try out some of Lotta Jansdotter's Little Blomster fabric from her new collection Mormor coming out very soon. I am completely in love with this fabric and knew it would be the perfect background for the vintage fabrics.

and thirdly, having now started this quilt top it needs finishing as it is due to be heading inside the pages of a mag very soon. so you see, i had to play work on this one.


making a quilt as a gift is always a really really good excuse to start a new project, so it wasn't a completely altruistic gesture for me to ask my sis if she would like a quilt for her impending big birthday, but we will gloss over my needs and point out why i really must crack on with this quilt. after all a promise is a promise...


i actually feel guilty that i have never made her a quilt before and so i am obviously lavishing a lot of love and attention on making this for her now, by using up my most favouritest fabric pieces, coupled with beautiful oakshott fabrics.

sis chose the colour scheme but i hope she will love the quilt...i know she'll tell me if she doesn't...she's like that.


so this next quilt...
where does it fit in the new year's resolution let's-not-start-anything-new-until-old-things-are-finished-first line up?
it doesn't, but hey, a girl is only human and one little blip is quite frankly not at all bad going for someone who has a BIG problem with not starting anything new.



besides, hubs is still waiting patiently for a quilt for our bed having seen everyone else get one...yeh right and if you believe that you'll believe anything.

my excuse really was wanting to see how these little vintage scraps from cathi would look pieced with some of my fabrics and some of my favourite low volume bits n bobs...and it just so happened that it would be a perfect quilt for our bed...


my next resolution, like so many of us, is all about the fabric mountain that i regularly and unnecessarily buy and how i am determined to keep control on that.

now this resolution isn't about not buying any more fabric, because let's face it i would be destined to fail that even more than not starting anything new.

no, this resolution is all about not being seduced by pretty fabric that will just sit on my shelf without a use. i am only buying fabric for particular projects.

one such impending project is a liberty project. i haven't made a quilt solely in liberty and i would really like to rectify that and if i am going to do that then i really need to buy more liberties...all makes perfect sense doesn't it?


i did a trade with one of my IG buddies kate during the #greatukfabrcidestash at the weekend (boy that was fun!) and came out of it with this pile of beauties above.

earlier in the week i bought a couple of delicious reds from jo including this one below on the top. boy oh boy am i going to be needing more of that. i can actually visualise it in a dress...



keeping to my not buying any unneeded fabrics resolution, let me introduce you to 2 very much needed fabrics (did i mention that sometimes need and want can be intertwined and get in a right old muddle?)

both these are from the fab girls in aus who recently set up polkdotteafabrics. i am a bit of a sucker for japanese keis. they have a feel of tana lawns, you know all soft and buttery. the floral on the bottom is such a fantastic staple in neutral piecing and i bought it to piece some of the squares in my sister's quilt. ok so i only needed maybe a 10 x 10" square piece in total, but let's face it when you are buying from aus you really wouldn't to have to keep going back, so 2 yards later...


and the top green fabric?
i really needed that...as i say need? want? fine balance.

so that's me and my resolutions...how are yours coming along?


Monday 13 January 2014

Giveaway winner...

thank you all for entering the giveaway to win a copy of Lu Summer's fantastic book Quilt Improv.
Of course there can only be one winner and without further ado...


number 69 is Debbie from South Dakota!

"This book looks so exciting. I would love to have it."

well done Debbie and thanks again to all of you for entering. and if you didn't win i would highly recommend you get yourself a copy...either follow the rest of the tour (see dates here) or if the worst comes to the worst...just go out and buy it!



Friday 10 January 2014

a week in pictures...

it has been back to school and back to work and back to being inspired by the wonderful world of instagram. here are just some of the wonderful likes i have tagged this week...some amazing inspiring talent i think you will agree.

click on the days to go through and see who is who and more of who has been inspiring me this week.












happy weekend!

(and don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already, to be in with a chance of winning a copy of Lu Summer's fab book, Quilt Improv...speaking of talented people...you have until Sunday to enter!)

Wednesday 8 January 2014

:: quilt improv the blog tour ::

Happy New Year!






i feel bad that i haven't stopped by to wish you all a happy new year but hopefully my post and giveaway today will soften that blow.
today is my turn on the fantabulously talented Lu Summer's blog tour of her equally fantabulous new book Quilt Improv.


i have long since been a huge fan of Lu's and it is fair to say that she was a huge inspiration to me starting my screen printing journey. her improv quilting style is very unique and so i was very excited when i heard that she was bringing this book out and even more excited to be asked to be on Lu's blog tour.


Quilt Improv is such a visual feast of a book, with beautiful photos all taken on Lu's picturesque farm. even if you aren't a quilter you won't help but be drawn in by the colourful shots. 

not only is Quilt Improv a stunning book to look at but it is also extremely well planned and one that will become a favourite resource for improv quilting. 

the book begins by teaching you how to do 13 improv designs and then goes on to show you how to make 12 quilts that Lu has designed using these blocks.


one of the things i love most about Lu's book is seeing how you can follow a pattern but make it entirely your own and every time you play around with the designs each quilt will come out differently. 

i had a great deal of fun this week trying out some of the blocks and piecing them together to make my own little improv quilt. some may say too much fun...


so the giveaway...

f & w media, the clever publishers behind Quilt Improv are very kindly offering one of you my lovely readers, near or far, a copy of the book. All you need to do is leave a comment here and I will pick a winner by midnight sunday 12 jan...or a little earlier if i'm having an early night.

check out the other reviews, and opportunities to win a copy of Quilt Improv, at other stops on the book tour going through the rest of the month. to see the other stops on the Quilt Improv blog tour over the next month visit Stitch Craft Create. 

good luck!