Favourite Quilts…..

Molly Flanders is hosting a favourite quilt linky party so I thought I would join in the fun! I enjoy most of the quilts I work on but my absolute favourite is Summer Umbrellas.

I made this quilt for my beautiful sister to help her celebrate a special birthday. I chose this quilt because I love scrappy quilts, I love hexagons and I love love hand quilting. It took me a very long time to hand quilt because I quilted in the ditch on every row of the strippy hexagons. I quilted the white hexagons with a feather pattern and love heart in the middle using various colours of perle cotton 8 and I quilted the border with feathers also.

This close up pic allows you to see the quilting and the backing fabric I chose a soft lilac tana lawn fabric for the back. It was so soft and cuddly. A lady that I sew with often describes the art of quilting as the activity that allows you to intimately know every stitch, piece of fabric and sewing of your quilt. As this was very long quilting exercise for me I think that is why I love it so much….

I am linking this post up with Molly Flanders, Needle & Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Woop Woop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish Up Friday@ Crazy Mom Quilts.

As always, many thanks for stopping by and wherever you are in world have a fabulous weekend.

Sew Happy ………………..Marie x

From Little Things………

It has taken a while to settle into the blogging world and I have found so many beautiful, kind and helpful people and it truly warms my heart. The blogging world gives you lots of inspiration to follow your creative journey!

Stars in Your Eyes Quilt July 2013

Quilting From Little Things by Sarah Fielke

Quilting Books are another source of inspiration. One of my favourite books is “Quilting From Little Things ” by Sarah Fielke. Not only is it a great book title it is such a true saying. Sarah influenced me in a huge way as I began my quilting journey. I love her bright modern take on quilting and her appreciation and respect for the quilts of the past. I attended a class with Sarah at Amitie Textiles in Melbourne. I chose the Stars in Your Eyes pattern to conquer inset piecing. As I finished this quilt in July this year I can now add inset piecing to my sewing skills. Craft Buds are hosting the Craft Book of the Month and it is a great opportunity to highlight this quilt and a fabulous book. You need to have completed your project in 2013 and reference the book you have completed your project from. Stop by and have a look at all the wonderful projects and check out the rules here!

Bring Me Flower BOM

Speaking of little things, my little pieces of fabric have been sewn together to complete my second block in the Block of the Month (BOM) Bring Me Flowers by Amitie’s Jen Kingwell. I love the mix of colour and the selection of fabrics. A little Liberty in this block makes it feel so nice. I am so looking forward to the next delivery!

I am linking this post up with Craft Buds Craft Book of the Month, Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday , Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday and Crazy Mom Finish It Up Friday.

Thank you for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Sew Happy ………..Marie x

Mum’s Retro Apron……..

Hey it’s Friday and I am sew happy that I have a finish….. my Retro Apron! It is a great feeling when you have a finish………..

I just love this apron. I used a free online pattern Retro Fun: Vintage Style Apron published on Sew4Home. The pattern is for a double sided Apron. I thought that lining the apron, to make it double sided, used too much fabric so I opted to make it without the lining. The body of the Apron is one piece which still requires yardage but I think the finished look is worth it. I love the frill on the bottom. It is so 1950’s. The mix of red and green polka dot with the big flower print just adds to the vintage. The green and red polka dot fabric is Dottie by Moda and the yellow and red floral fabric is Swell Urban Chicks for Moda.

Whilst I didn’t make a reversible pattern I did add some of the finishes such as double sided ties and lined pockets. I even sewed the apron using a French seam to ensure no fraying and a neat finish. A French seam is a seam stitched first on the right side and then turned in and stitched on the wrong side so that the raw edges are enclosed in the seam. I haven’t sewn French seams since high school. Amazing what you remember when you need too.

I have included this pic to show the reverse of the apron with a French seam and double lined stitching for reinforcement. This is a fun apron to make. It took me the better part of a day to sew it up. It is a great gift for friends. With lots of talk about the holiday season it would make a great Christmas pressie in festive fabric too!

I am linking this post up with Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Brit Sewing Thursday at Maybush Studio, TGIFF at Missy Mac Creations , Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of A Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday.

I appreciate the time you take to stop by and love hearing your comments. Please visit the linky party hosts and check out the beautiful work on display and say Hi, G’day, Good morning or Good evening. That is the great thing about blogging friends it has no time restrictions!

Wishing you all a safe, fun filled weekend! Sew Happy………………Marie x

Sewing & Fabric and all things nice!

Just a quick post to keep you up to date with my sewing and fabric goodies!! I received my Amitie BOM (Block of the Month) in the post this week.

Bring Me Flowers BOM

Bring Me Flowers BOM Close Up.

I have hand pieced this block. I love the mix of colours! I think this block has a very eclectic look. This is such a popular BOM. Amitie is now on round three and I was lucky to get in! Just because you live local is no guarantee! So if you see a BOM you are interested in then be quick!!

A Beautiful Fabric Bundle…..

A little bit of Neon………………….

These bundle of goodies came in the post also and I was so excited!! It was my fabric from Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts! Beautiful fabrics and gorgeous colours. The quality is fabulous. Thank you Alyce!

I would like to say a huge thank you to Heather & Megan at Quilt Story for highlighting my Double Wedding Ring Block on Fabric Tuesday! I am absolutely delighted!!!!

I am linking this post with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. Stop by and say hi and have a look around at the loveliness!

As always, thank you for stopping by and have a great day.

Sew Happy……………..Marie x

My First Quilt…………

Well here it is my first quilt , hand pieced and hand quilted! I was hooked line and sinker………..and haven’t stopped quilting since.

I use to walk passed my local quilt shop with my daughter’s on their scooters. I always said one day I will make a quilt. They just use to giggle and push on. I remembered the beautiful quilts in the window and I put them in my mental to do list for another day. Time passed by …….my family were all busy getting on with their lives and I made a decision to make my first quilt in July 2010. I absolutely loved it . I was like a duck to water. I had sewn before but never made a quilt. I started with a hand pieced sampler and thought it was great fun. I loved picking the mix of fabrics, cutting and sewing the fabric into squares. I find hand piecing and hand quilting very relaxing. After doing all the work I stalled on the binding. I love all aspects of quilting but hand stitching the binding goes on and on…. I eventually finished it.

This pic whilst not a great photo shows up the hand quilting. I stitched in the ditch and quilted love hearts around the border.

During the class I made multiple blocks and as life would have it my Mum had a stroke. I was able to make another quilt from the blocks. I chose soft blue and pink fabrics for the setting triangles, sashing and borders. Then I hand pieced and hand quilted my second sampler. I just needed to wrap my Mum up with lots of love, hugs and kisses. She is paralysed down the right side. My Mum has amazing determination and is managing much better now. So that concludes my first quilt story.

I am linking this post up with Melissa at My Fabric Relish who is hosting a First Time linky party. Stop by and say hi and check out all the wonderful first quilts here!

Have a great day……………Marie x

Lone Stars………….Grandma Stars…..

If you have been following my blog you will know that I am very partial to Stars ….in fact I just love them. I caught up with some sewing friends this week and just had to share my friend Elizabeth’s finish……..

Elizabeth’s Lone Star Quilt (photographed with permission)

I love the simplicity of the yellow / white sashing and borders complimented with nine patch corner stones. Sometimes we deliberate over borders when simple borders are the answer. I will definitely be considering this type of border in future. It was hand quilted beautifully using a perle 8 crème cotton.

Elizabeth is renowned for her creativity with” backings” and this one does not disappoint………….

The left over fabric has been incorporated into a Lone Star Medallion. I just love it…….. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your beautiful work with us

Speaking of Stars …..here is a snap shot of my Grandma’s Star hand quilting! Another block down ………..I just have to remind myself that slowly slowly wins the race.

That’s it for this week. Not a lot of sewing on my part but I do hope you enjoyed the Lone Star as much as I did. My take away tip from the Lone Star quilt is to consider simple borders and nine patch corner stones.

I am linking this post up with Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Brit Sew Thursday at Maybush Studios , TGIFF at Quilt Matters, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of A Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday.

As always, thank you for stopping by. Wherever you are in the world have a fabulous weekend.

Sew Happy……………..Marie x

Double Wedding Ring Day………..

It is such a beautiful day today. The sun is shining and it gives a whole new perspective to life and sewing in general. I have been going through my unfinished projects and found my Double Wedding Ring and I have started some more rings.

My first encounter with quilting happened many years ago when I saw a Double Wedding Ring Quilt in a shop window. It was a very soft pastel quilt with beautiful tiny flowers on a white background and a very pale blue spot binding. Isn’t it funny how you can remember some things so clearly. I desperately wanted to buy that quilt but I just simply couldn’t afford it. The memory of that quilt has never left me. So when my local quilting shop advertised classes for a double wedding ring quilt I couldn’t wait to enrol. I chose butterfly fabric because I love them and thought I had better include something for my hubby and settled on bikes. He is a cycling fanatic. I am hand piecing this quilt and have been working at it on and off for a while. Now that I have shared it with you I will be giving it more attention.

As the sun shines it brings back memories of holidays. Have you heard that Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stiches is hosting a Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition. There are three categories Mini Quilt/ Wall Hanging, Cushion/Pillow, Bag/Accessory. The linky party opens Thursday September 26 – October 4,2013. There are lots of beautiful prizes to be won from sponsors such as Village Haberdashery, Sew Me A Song, Fabric Patch, Blossom Hearts Quilts, Quiet Play. Stop by and check it out here!

I am linking this post with Stitch by Stitch Anything Goes Monday, Quilt Story’s Fabric Tuesday and Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday.

As always, thank you for stopping by! Wherever you are in the world have a fabulous day.

Sew Happy ……………………Marie x

I love Fridays…………do you?

Hi All,

Don’t you just love Fridays! It is a day when people start winding down for the weekend to spend time with family and friends. It is also a day when many of the lovely quilters in the world post and we get to see lots of the beautiful items. It is certainly a day of inspiration and encouragement that I look forward to.

I have just finished sewing the binding on this quilt. I made the quilt top, at a sewing class, some time ago! I love these fabrics. They are quirky and I took a risk to put the fabrics that I love together rather than going for strong contrasts. They create a very ” geometric/ abstract” look . The fabrics are from my stash and the turquoise strip and chain fabrics are Micheal Miller.

I chose a blue Daisy for the backing to soften the quilt. The quilt was long arm quilted using very sharp lines to compliment the abstract look. The quilting shows up more on the back of the fabric. I just love this daisy fabric it is a real favourite purchased from Amitie. Now that this quilt is complete I can tick another one off my Quarter 3 2013 Quilt A Long hosted by Leanne at She Can Quilt.

I am linking this post up with Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Brit Sew Thursday at Maybush Studios , TGIFF at Quokkaquilt, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of A Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday.

That is it for this week. Wherever you are in the world have a fun filled weekend and enjoy your Friday. ….. I will….

Sew Happy ……………..Marie x

Spring is here…….

Spring has arrived and I am so delighted. The sun is shining and the days are warmer. It is time to reflect on my sewing for August.

I can honestly say that there hasn’t been a lot of big ticket items finished this month. I have had fun participating in the fussy square swap hosted by the lovely Amanda at What the Bobbin. This swap has renewed my love of paper piecing so I completed my Harlequin Star, made some fabric and enjoyed sewing my cushion and hexy’s! Most of all I have had fun…….reading blogs, getting feedback, participating in linky parties and sewing happily! Whenever I feel that I haven’t achieved much I am reminded that “Big jobs are progressed one piece at a time”. This quote was said to me by a work colleague. Funny how we remember things people say to us. It is like the light bulb switch just went on.

I trust you have enjoyed August, summer for many of you, and you are looking forward to the days ahead.

I am linking this post up at a Fresh Sewing Day at Lily’s Quilts. Stop by and say hi.

Wherever you are in the world have a fantastic day. Thank you for stopping by!

Sew Happy ……………Marie x