Last Thursday eve I helped host a Christmas Craft Evening at my local Spotlight store. Together with staff and customers we had a very festive evening full of Christmas crafts, sweet treats and some lovely lady chats.
Here’s what we made!
Felt Bunting, Embroidered Homespun Ornaments, Scrappy Quilted Christmas Tree WallhangingHessian Birdy Ornament with hand stamped JOY message
The Christmas felt bunting along with the embroidered/sequinned homespun ornaments were the biggest hits as everyone was welcome to sit down, make and take what they had created.
Everyone did such a wonderful job – the amount of creativity that there is out there is just phenomenal!
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This week, like a moth to the flame, I found my way back to my Double Wrench Mini Block quilt and have finally started quilting it! Huzzah!
The quilt in it’s current state!
As usual, I’m feeling very impatient to get it finished so I can share the sweet success of completion with you all!
My itching fingers have also found their way back to my Yellow Sampler Embroidery, which has been an ongoing project since earlier this year.
I’m on the home stretch to finishing it that today I bought a second-hand frame for it, ready to be hung quietly somewhere in my house!
Over the next few weeks, as Christmas inches ever so closer, I’m planning on filming a few Christmassy | Quilty | Crafty videos that I hope to upload onto Youtube (it involves hexies!!)
I’ll too begin planning for my 2nd Annual Handmade Christmas – a pledge to make and give only handmade gifts and cards for Christmas.
(I made this pledge last year: you can read Part 1 and Part 2 here.)
So I shall say farewell! (As I quietly freak out to myself about how fast the Christmas Eve deadline is approaching! eek!)
Two years ago, on this very day, I found the guts to start writing a blog.
I was nervous, unsure and a little bit scared at the thought of writing and publishing my own quilty work on the internet.
But I was looking for a challenge, an expressive medium and a chance to reach out to other creatives around the world!
And two years later, here we are! Still writing. Still making. Still challenged!
I thought for today’s post I would look down memory lane of the past year – reflecting on the good (and plain-right exciting!!) things that have happened over the past 12 months!
Main picture: Me with my Minimalist: 101 quilt at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Show – my first ever entry into this show!
From bottom left to top right –
1. Hexie Cushion, detail. (I looove hexies!!)
2. London Phone Booth Embroidery, detail. (I wanna go to London so bad!!)
3. Mini Cot Quilt – hospital donation.
4. Painted Flowers Embroidery. (Click here to watch it come to life!)
5. Double Wrench Mini Blocks, quilt top only (ATM!!)
From left to right –
1. Olfa Rotating Cutting Mat – featured in my 5 Quilting Tools I Couldn’t Live Without post & video.
3. Hexie Pincushion (Click here for the video tutorial!)
4. Lovely fabrics used in the Double Wrench Mini Blocks
From left to right –
1. I Heart Colour wallhanging – machine paper pieced wonky log cabin blocks designed by yours truly! Quilt made from 100% scraps – nothing new was bought to make this baby!!
4. Scissors Embroidery – made specially for my new sewing room door.
5. Scrap-Happy String quilt, detail.
This also happened during the year…
Encouraging blog stats!
And this is what happened in my life behind the blog…
Main picture: I became an Auntie again!! My fourth nephew, Xavier, was born in August! (Isn’t he just the cutest!!)
From left to right –
1. I decided to grow my hair out long – I’ve always had it really short (think, pixie/short-bob style for 6 years!) and decided a change was in need! (Change is a good thing, right?)
2. I took my ‘challenge’ mantra to the next level and started making YouTube videos featuring quilty stuff, life stuff and lots of other stuff. (I think of it as a cleansing [and confronting at times] way of finding my self-confidence…). Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there – it’ll help boost my self-confidence even more!! 😀
3. I drank a lot of tea!
So…wow!
It’s definitely been a busy year!
And I’m thankful it’s been a busy one, otherwise I would’ve just gone insane! Literally…
Thanks to everyone who has ever read my little blog and has left messages of encouragement and support! It really does mean a WHOLE LOT!
I’m terribly excited to see what the next 12 months will bring!!
Over the past week, I’ve been squirrelling away in my sewing room whilst humming to a few select christmas carols.
You may be asking, ‘Christmas carols already??’…
Why yes, it does seem that way – Christmas has definitely come to this quilter’s house very early this year! I usually start my christmas crafting in late November/early December, so it’s all feeling a little bit weird!
But there is a legit reason for this…
It’s all in preparation for a Christmas Craft Night I’ll be hostingpresentingrunningco-ordinating having fun at (!) this coming Thursday night at my local Spotlight store!
We’ve got lots of sweet crafty|sewy|quilty christmasy projects planned perfect for the kiddies to join in on as well as for those who are big kids at heart! (Me!!!)
Here’s a glimpse of my sewing room from this week – nothing has changed today, it’s still covered in bits of felt, ribbon, sequins, buttons, PVA glue and christmas fabrics…
I’m usually not this messy!
Meh, whatcha gonna do – this is what the space is used for I suppose!
Annnddd, here’s a small sneaky of some of the things we’ll be making!!
Fresh off the press and ripe for viewing is a new YouTube video made 100% by me! Yaaay!!
Watch as I bring this beautifully sweet and simple embroidery pattern to life!
This video seems to simply fit into what life is all about at the moment in Australia – spring, flowers, colour, fragrance, good music and an abundance of wicked creativeness!
As previously mentioned in my last post, I purchased the pattern from Urban Threads (for a buck may I just add!) as a PDF download.
If you’re in need for some awesomely modern inspiration and/or embroidery patterns, check these guys out!
It’s been a slow week on the sewing front, but I did manage to finally finish my Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt top! Yay!
Completed | Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt – top only
The final measurements are approx.: 118cm x 133cm (46½” x 52½”).
I’m currently productively procrastinating (a big juxtaposition if I’ve ever heard one!) from completing a pieced back for the quilt and am instead concentrating on an embroidery project/idea I’ve been meaning to do for ages!
I spent this morning stitching in the glorious Spring sunshine, amongst the buzzing bees and twittering birds, anxious to get this mission finished!
Embroidering in the Spring sun upon my Small Plates Lap Quilt
This project involves stop-motion photography and a looming YouTube video and I’m pretty excited to get it finished, as all the stills so far are looking really great!
This is where I’m up to so far as I wait for my camera battery to re-charge!
…And off I go again, making some more mini Double Wrench blocks on this glorious Spring morning!
This setup looks familiar…
If I didn’t think making 42 mini blocks was enough, I finally made my mind up to add another 14 blocks to the mix; totalling the block count to a grand total of 56! (That’s a whole lotta little 1.5″ squares!)
Lots of little squares…
I really didn’t plan on making this quilt bigger than what it is now slowly becoming…
…Oh well.
It has been a while since I’ve actually pieced and finished a big quilt – the last one being my Jacob’s Ladder Quilt, which I completed in December last year! (Ohhh, I justlove that quilt!)
So the iron’s ready to go, my blocks are lined up ready to be pieced and a great playlist of songs are ready to be (badly) sung along with…
One of the many reasons why I began writing a quilt blog was to simply INSPIRE others in the art of modern quilt making.
After publishing my first few posts back in November 2011, I’ve received so many lovely comments, both online and face-to-face, at how much I have inspired others to get creative!
(And I take this moment to simply say: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!)
So now allow me to get out my metaphorical ‘Things To Accomplish On My Blog’ list and place a big TICK!! next to: Inspire Others! TICK!!
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop!
Pfft, no way!!
I live and thrive off inspiration, whether it be from others (friends, craft/quilt blogs) or things in my environment, in books and magazines, on TV or Pinterest!
{ And speaking of Pinterest, I dare you to click here to see what’s inspiring me in my quilty journey! }
So I hope that I can continue inspiring whoever chooses to read this little blog and find the courage to make something beautiful! (Preferably a quilt!) 😀
I had a wonderful time teaching, chatting, eating (and sewing!) with a lovely group of ladies.
I showed them how to make four classic quilt blocks paired with some yummy and fresh modern fabrics.
Four Classic Quilt Blocks
The big block winners of the day would have to of been the colour-blocked Log Cabin…
and the Lone Star block (my personal favourite!)
A Pretty Lone Star!
With the Lone Star block, I’m planning to make a sweet lap quilt out of it – stay tuned for that idea to hopefully come to life!
The other blocks we tackled were a Flying Geese variation and the-always-easier-than-it-looks Dresden Plate.
Patiently Machine Appliquéing the Dresden Plate
There were a few other projects that had been planned but time got away from us and they went undone…*insert sad frowny face*
The view of my very messy work space! Oh dear…
It was a great day all around and I was definitely warn out by the time I got home! (It was a rare early night into bed for me!)
This coming week I’ll be working on a side commission for the BFF and then I’ll get back into piecing together my Mini Double Wrench Block Quilt as well as the many other numerous things that need to be planned and done!
Here in Australia, we’re well and truly into our spring season (YES! *fist pump*) with temps reaching up to 30+ degrees already! I love it but can only imagine what summer will be like! (I’ll be living in the pool!)
But moving on from my random weather update ramble thing…ahem..my days have been so jammed packed of doing so much stuff!
And of course the most important stuff would be sewing – duh!
Over the last four days I’ve been prepping, prepping and prepping some more (phew!) all to be ready for the Spotlight Quilting Expo on the weekend.
And if you can believe it, after all that prepping there’s still more to do! (Will it ever end!!)
Prepping the fabrics before ironing, cutting and piecing.
But there’s no need to panic just yet…I’ll leave that until Saturday morning as I’m rushing out the door! eek!
Amongst all my prepping for prepping (huh??), I squeezed in some time to make some little mini quilts for a warms-the-depths-of-your-heart kind of cause.
These mini quilts have been specially made as part of a donation drive at my local Spotlight for the Neo-Natal and Maternity wards in one of our local hospitals. These little quilts will help brighten up the wards and add a homey touch to what can be a very stale and clinical environment. I think it’s such a wonderful idea and these hospital wards are always so thankful for donation drives such as this!
*Oh, I’m getting all emoch*
So, I shall continue on my way, prepping for Saturday and keeping the rising panic at bay while I inhale an unnatural amount of Raspberry M&M’s!
‘How can you be so strangely addictive and yummy at the same time?!’
Diet starts Monday! (Maybe…possibly not…no it won’t.)
3and3quarters 