WOW: Collar On !

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I was thrilled to find this cardigan in this gorgeous hot pink colour. It's pure wool and beautifully made. But you know me, I had to embellish it somehow! I picked this lovely Bari J fabric and added this fabric collar just for the sake of it. I started last week and got as far as cutting out the pattern when I went down with a nasty bout of Influenza last Thursday. Although I'm still struggling a bit, I am glad to report that this particular WIP is done!

Today, I'm taking it easy with plenty of bed rest. The flu is no joke and I've really suffered from some nasty strains in the past 2 years. I get so annoyed when I see sick people out and about, spreading viruses, especially at this time of year. If you're sick, STAY HOME and stop spreading it.

My WIP today is all about getting better; I'm a terrible patient and just hate being sick, especially when I have so many other more exciting things I'd rather get on with.

 What's Your WOW? 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Juliette for July

Have you met my gorgeous quilt Juliette yet? I love this quilt to bits; from the large cheerful flower heads (or sunshine rays, you decide) to the baskets in the border, this quilt is just screaming out for your favorite fabrics to come together in this bright, modern design. There's even some squares between the flowerheads to let you show off those fabrics you can't bear to cut up!

 What do you think? Do you love it yet?

Of course you already know I love it and it's been a whole year since Juliette was launched. In that year, there's been a lot of new quilts - what can I say? I'm a productive designer! But I really do think Juliette deserves a bit more time in the spotlight.. and I know the best way to do that s to encourage absolutely everyone who loves Juliette the best opportunity to make her:

 Juliette is 77 x 77 inches finished size.

Juliette

Complete Digital Pattern

$19.95 USD

This pattern is being sold as an instant digital download. The moment payment is processed by PayPal, you will be redirected to a download page. You will also be sent an email with download details so you can download this pattern instantly. 

HOYH: Part 7, the Homeward Bound Scene

It's another beautiful month as we create the houses behind the foliage in this scene called Homeward Bound. I set out with an idea in mind when starting on my applique pieces. I had thought that sophisticated grey houses would be stunning.

But like always (and you think I'd know this by now), the quilt decided otherwise. With quilts as epic as this one, the fabrics really do 'speak for themselves' and this combination of tones just came together easily and naturally, even if I did start with other ideas!

I just adore these charming little homes..

You can make yours as simple or fussy as you wish.

and don't forget the tones of your foliage. I've drawn in my berries and stems here, using permanent Indian Ink. I will go over these lines with hand embroidery when the scene is completed.

 And here's my full colour version. On this quilt top, I opted for red houses, because in my imagination, I love them!

Make your houses your own little homes

OK, time for me to get back to my applique prepping board.. 

 'Hold Onto Your Heart' is a paid BOM 

It's a breathtaking quilt full of meaningful symbols and beauty. The floral border is a triumph which offers an additional  pieced option - making it versatile for all skill levels. Perfect for lovers and enthusiasts of applique. 

You can start this BOM today! 

Be sure to visit my Online Quilt Group on Facebook where progress images are being shown all the time. It's a massive inspiration and I warn you, it's addictive!

The Joy Of Simple Stitching: Shelly

I never get tired of Shelly; 

this is a clamshell quilt with a touch of something extra! 

I love the easy clamshell shapes that allow you to finally do something with all that fabric without having to over think it. Shelly is perfect 'on-the-go' project that you can hand stitch just about anywhere. Travel, holidays, meetings or just leisurely afternoons in the garden.. let's start scalloping!

Like it? Make it!

'Shelly' finished size 57 x 57 inches

'Shelly' $12.95 USD

Complete PDF pattern

This pattern is being sold as an instant digital download. The moment payment is processed by PayPal, you will be redirected to a download page. You will also be sent an email with download details so you can download this pattern instantly. 

WOW: Whipping Up A Winter Collar

 WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays 

Today I'm whipping up a collar to to make this gorgeous pink even better..  and I can't wait to show it to you..

 What's Your WOW? 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

WOW: Random Fun

  WOW = WIPs On Wednesday  

Look what I picked up! I purchased it cut out like this - it's a Kaffe Fassett panel and I'm sure I saw it once for sale by the metre, but I purchased it cut out like this for $8.

It looks so inviting, doesn't it? I'm going to try some new crayons and paint techniques today and basically 'colour it in' just for fun. Before I commit to a project, there are tens of steps like this one where I play around, pick favourites and decide on what works and what to move forward with. 

By the time I recommend anything, I've already experimented for months beforehand in many little steps. This is just another one of those. 

 What's Your WOW? 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Stencil This Quilt: Peony Pride

I just love everything about this quilt: it's striking, it's simple and yes.. it's stenciled. When it went on Show, everyone was leaning in as close as possible and debating whether or not it was painted or appliqued. You see, with the right quilting outlining each shape, painted and stenciled shapes really do 'puff' out a bit and look appliqued! Well, I got a real kick out of listening to those conversations, I can tell you.

The reason I decided to exhibit this quilt at all is because I wanted to present an heirloom technique. I felt then - and still feel now, that stenciled quilts are not respected enough in the community. This makes no sense to me. Stenciling is an authentic legacy technique that was practiced by the very first quilters and should be a method as celebrated and common as applique or paper piecing. Yet, we so rarely see this technique championed at all. What a shame.

I made this quilt 11 years ago, yes more than a decade has passed since I felt this way and you know what? Not much has changed. Today, I rarely exhibit my quilts because of the effort, transport theft and costs involved, but whenever I create a stencil quilt, I simply feel that I HAVE to put it out there for others to see. Otherwise, stenciling will never get the love and respect it deserves. And that change will only happen when more and more stencil quilts are actually visible and out there to be seen.

This week I'm promoting stenciling as a technique here on my blog, and I've decided to make all my stencil quilt patterns available to everyone and anyone who's interested in making them. It's the best way I can think of to bring attention to this technique.

So, for the next few days, until the end of the week, the complete digital pattern for this quilt, Peony Pride is available for sale for $4.80 USD. Yes, I'm serious. Let's make some stencil quilts everyone!

I'm really happy to report that I blogged the making process of Peony Pride, so if you'd like to look over those old blog posts, you can find them all in the Peony Pride Archive Page, simply click here to visit that page now!

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Peony Pride

Complete Digital pattern

$4.80 USD

Learn more about this quilt by visiting the Peony Pride archive page: 
simply click here now

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