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!

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.

monday...

tuesday...

wednesday...

thursday...

friday...

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!)

:: 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!

:: retreat ::

i'm going to retreat! 

with it having fallen badly for me the previous 2 years i am yet to make an appearance at retreat but this time i am going...

i have to...

i'm teaching!!

i have to say i feel very honoured to be teaching and to be in such esteemed company. (check out here for a list of some of the teachers if you haven't already seen the announcement today.) what a line up...oh and then there's me!

i'm very very excited to be teaching and to finally get to meet so many blog and instagram and other quilter friends.

so are you going?

have you bought a ticket yet?

they are available right here and you can pay in 2 instalments too before March 2014...perfect!

i really can't wait. i just hope in between the teaching i have time to hang out...maybe i won't teach after all...

a nice day for finishing a quilt...

2 miracles happened today...

1. i finished a quilt that had been sitting on a pile waiting patiently for its turn since january and...

2. it was sunny enough to take a stroll across the road to the park to shoot a few pics of it.

the quilt in question was my scrappy trip along quilt below, which was my xmas vacation project last year. 

oh so embarrassing to be about to embark on this year's xmas vacation and still have it unfinished. having found an unusual free gap in my week i finally set about to finish it.

there is actually something rather nice about revisiting an unfinished project...memories are wrapped up in it...you get to revisit and rework with fabrics that you may not be anymore.

advantages galore...and that's my story for being a lazy a*** and i'm sticking to it.

im so so pleased with how it's turned out and hopefully ruby, who it was originally made for, is still keen on it too.

i had a fun little photo shoot in the park...dodging the dogs and the wind (weather wind not the dogs' wind) and to show you a few more of the photos i have attached a little flipagram here, which may or may not work. i have never made one before, but have fun with it if it does!

what finishing this quilt has taught me is...

1. i can be a finisher...

2. i actually enjoyed being a finisher...

3. i really really must finish more things before i start anything new.

that last one is my new year's resolution...good luck with that huh?

oh and that first picture at the top?...

that's a sneak of a commission that i have been working on and is about to head off to its destination. just as soon as i can i'll tell you more about that one!

:: bpfc ::

it's here!!

the Blueberry Park Fabric Club!!

choose the size of your bundle from charm pieces up to full panels...

you can become a yearly member and receive additional discounts or spread the cost and pay month on month, either way you will receive significant discounts on regular panel prices.

go here for more details and to sign up. 

and tell all your friends about it...although not too many as i am keeping it small, exclusive and limited. after all if everyone has them, it won't be special any more will it?

i hope you will be as excited about it as i am and enjoy all the benefits of being a member of my club (i have a club!...i've always wanted to have my own club!)

introducing...

 the blueberry park fabric club!

i am very excited to tell you that my new fabric club will go live and ready to join later this week.

it is a club like no other...

:: choose your size ::

...from charm pack up to a full panel size.

:: choose how often ::

...join for a full year or month by month

:: unique hand printed unavailable-anywhere-else fabrics ::

i have taken all your comments on board and hopefully providing what you have asked for.

so what do you get for your money?

:: 2 designs a month :: 

...printed onto a carefully selected group of fabrics printed onto kona cottons

:: ideas sheet ::

...suggestions of what you can do with your special pieces of hand printed fabrics

:: mini project ::

...every issue comes with a mini project

all you need to do is purchase before the 10th of the month of that issue (blueberry park fabric club will be every 2 months, starting in january). there will be limited availability so do book early! if you want a special heads up email on release date to ensure you don't miss out, please leave your details here.

i hope you will be as excited as i am and look forward to telling you in full later in the week.