Patchwork & Quilting – Page 7

A Crazy Craving for Applique!

Ever since mid-semester break begun early last week, a strange and very exciting urge (or craving) came over me to get my hands moving and get stuck into some hand-sewn applique!

It’s literally been an age since I last did any hand applique. I’ve done little bits here and there when sewing on quilt labels and such, but nothing really intense where the project is solely based on or designed around this technique.

So over the weekend, the hunt began to find the perfect pattern to stitch! My first port-of-call (as always) was my book shelf: always full of fab ideas and glorious inspiration! It never lets me down! And I somehow knew instinctively that I would find what I was looking for in this book – Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke.

From what I could remember, a lot the designs featured in this book involved applique pieces, perfect hand-quilting textures and brilliantly clashing fabrics to boot! So to my delight and happiness, after flicking through it once, my eye stopped on this cheery tulip pattern that perfectly summed up the exact thing I was looking to stitch up! (I was also hoping to find a pattern that was a flower or was centred around flowers as they seem to be very much my life right now!)

After a quick scan through the details for the applique block and what techniques needed to be used (this pattern can be created using either the hand-turned applique method or the raw edge method. I chose to do the later! Ooo, I always love a good button-hole/blanket stitch!!), I hurriedly picked out a few fabrics that I thought would go well, searched for some template plastic to trace the template pieces on to (a few pattern pieces needed to be reversed) and I rolled out my vliesofix (or heat-n-bond paper) and got stuck in!

Happily, it only took me one afternoon to get the first block completely finished! I had a whole weeks worth of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to watch, so I got comfy with a cup of tea and immersed myself into a world of sewing that I’ve missed so much over the past couple of months! (PS. These blocks are big ol’ boys – they measure about 18.5″ squared!)

I’m now currently onto the second block, exploring a different colour way and choosing another dominate floral fabric for the centre piece.

This one features one of my all-time favourite fabrics by Amy Butler – Gypsy Caravan in the print called Gypsy Mum! I think the colours are just so divine and I love the pop of those eggplant colour details throughout it!

At the moment, I’m not sure whether I’ll follow the pattern in the book or just make up each block as I go as a side project to all of my other side projects and then piece them into a quilt… Right now, I’m just looking at it as an adventure that will keep my hands busy while on break from my floristry course and that will continue to soothe my craving for some down-right good-ol’ sewing! (Plus, it’s just really nice to have a new project displayed up on design wall in my sewing room! For a while there it was looking quite bleak and unloved… But these gorgeous tulips are pepping it up nicely and giving the room a warm and welcoming glow again, making me one happy quilter!)

As always, I’ll keep you updated with the progress of this (yet another) quilt-in-progress on my social media pages (ie. Instagram). TBH, I’m really enjoying this one – it makes a great change from piecing a block together on the sewing machine to having to hand trace, cut, press and then hand-sew each piece down. It’s a process that I’ll always love doing!

Happy Sewing, Friends!!

An Autumn Afternoon Catchup!

We’re smack-bang in the middle of March today! (Heck!) And the weather this afternoon is reminding me of why I love the beautiful cool changes in between the seasons! Autumn is slowly beginning to creep into life and I love it! The slow breeze ruffling the ageing leaves of the trees in our garden, the sun setting earlier casting long shadows through the house and the promise of warm afternoon cuppas with a cheeky chocolate biscuit or Hot Cross Bun! (‘Tis the season, you know!)

And with thanks to this perfectly inspirational Autumnal afternoon, I felt it was the perfect time to write a much needed and long awaited blog post!

Oh, my poor little blog has been so neglected this year and it makes me feel so guilty everyday! The year is seriously moving so fast that I can’t scarce believe it that April is just around the corner! Even scarier, it’s Easter next week! It literally felt like yesterday that I was writing all about my Christmas Tree!

So with that, let’s catch up on what’s happening!

How are you?! Have you been making anything fun, new, challenging, inspirational?

Me, I’m good! I’ve been having so much fun learning and playing with some beautiful flowers in my Floristry course. We’ve moved on from making simple button-holes and tricky corsages to learning how to put together wired bouquets (the beginning of our wedding work!) to small posy boxes and baskets as well as big alter-type designs such as this one…

We’ve also begun to venture into circlet/halos (flower crowns) and cake decorations! How fun! But in saying that, there’s also lots of tricky elements to the art of floristry. Colour theory, design choices and placements, spacial awareness as well as all of the ins-and-outs to all of the techniques we’re learning to master…Hand-tied bouquets, wire-work, working with base-medium forms (ie floral foam) and just getting everything looking perfect, precise and professional! And then there’s all of the behind the scenes stuff such as retail education, flower care as well as learning all about how plants work and the science behind it all! It can be tough somedays. Totally exhausting. Stressful. Full-on. Tiring. But fun. Really, really fun. 🙂

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Let’s also catch up on what’s been happening on my YouTube channel! Although I’ve been slightly absent from my blog, I’ve been trying my darn-hardest to keep up with uploading a video every week – whether it be a tutorial or a chit-chat one such as a Monthly Favourites, a Haul or some other video request that I’ve received.

The first thing is a quick and sweet block tutorial I did around Valentine’s Day. It was just a really simple four-patch block tipped onto one of it’s corners, making it look like a lovely love heart!

MEASUREMENT & CUTTING INFO:
Cut –
x1: 3″ white square (Cotton Supreme Solid in Optical White)
x1: 3″ light pink square (Cotton Supreme Solid in Elephantastic Pink)
x1: 3″ medium pink square (Prima Cotton Homespun in Lipstick)
x1: 3″ red square (Cotton Supreme Solid in Chilli Pepper)
– x2: 4.5″ white square

A few weeks before I made the tutorial, I had been seeing this block everywhere in my Instagram feed and it totally inspired me to make it my own and then share the process of making it with you in tutorial form! I can not stress at just how simple, easy and quick the block is to make. The final size of the block (7&5/8″ square) is perfect to make into little mug or pot rugs or to piece into a darling mini quilt or even a lovely lap quilt! The choice is completely yours!

Another tutorial that I was able to recently make and upload was the Boxy Zipper Pouch! I had so many requests for a tutorial on this when I shared the one I made for my mum at Christmas that I knew I had to do it as soon as possible! Already, I’ve received lots of emails, instagrams and messages from you showing me your finished little pouches and they all look so great!!

Here’s the how to –

MEASUREMENTS & CUTTING:
From the batting and two matching or contrasting fabrics cut –
x1: 11″x14″ rectangles from each

You will also need –
x1: 10″ (25cm) matching or contrasting zipper

FINAL SIZE approx.
Length: 8″ (20.4cm)
Width: 4.5″ (11.5cm)
Depth: 3″ (7.6cm)

Don’t forget to share you finished pouches with me! You know I always love to see what you make! 🙂

And lastly, due to another request from you guys, I did a two part special showing you my Quilt Collection and then my Mini Quilt Collection!

I had lots of fun making each one, re-discovering some of my favourite quilts and renewing my love and passion for all things patchwork and quilting!

Oh, I love it so!!

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So that’s my little world to date! I really cannot describe just how lovely and much needed this little blog-post catchup has been! It’s always so nice to have the opportunity to sit and write all of the happenings that have been not only in my sewing room but also out of it as well!

It’s been such a peaceful and pleasant Autumn afternoon!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

An Update from my Sewing Room… #6

Hello Friends!!

It’s always so lovely to find the time to sit and write and share and catchup with you!

I must admit, my blog has very sadly been neglected over the past few months… Life has seem to find the accelerator pedal and made the past few weeks just fly by! (I mean, can you believe it’s the middle of February already!! Geez!)

So as always, there are lots and lots of new exciting things to catchup you up on – so let’s dive in!

first update – floristry!

I’m a student once more and no ordinary student at that! I’m learning how to become a Florist!

I’ve always wanted to study floristry ever since I was in my last year at high school. (I’ve also always been into gardening and growing my own plants, veggies, herbs and fruits. A trait inherited from my dad and paternal grandfather.) But things and experiences prevented me from pursuing it until late last year when I was very randomly reminded of my early interest in wanting to do it. So I did some research and found out that one of the local TAFE colleges in my area offered the very course I was interested in! Yay! So I applied and begun the course on the 1st February!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some new photos of flowers and arrangements and be thinking, ‘why?’…. And now you know! Of course I’ll keep posting pictures of my sewing adventures and life adventures and other sorts of things, but now pretty florals and bouquets will be added to the mix as well!

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second update – youtube

Now, you may be thinking if I’m studying floristry does that mean no more tutorials, videos, blogging, sewing, crafting…??!!

No. I will never stop sewing! Patchwork and quilting is my life! I’ve found that if I’m ever having a personal crisis or have had a bad day or am feeling blue or even 100% happy, I know that I can always rely on sewing to cheer me up, to put me back in the right mind set and to remind me that life is good. 🙂

And I love sharing that with you! I love teaching and helping you out. I love inspiring you and watching you grow in your skills and confidence. I have so many great things planned to share with you on my YouTube channel and blog this year and I’m so excited to get stuck into them!

However, now that my time is being shared with my studies there will be times when videos may be late or go up on the wrong date or not go up at all from week-to-week. (I may even change my upload day soon – I’ll let you know when and if I do!) It really will depend on how busy the week gets with study, family life, prior commitments etc. But just know I will always do my best to get something up and out to you each week!

And just as a sneak-peek to those of you who read my blog, here are a few of the tutorials/videos coming up on my channel over the next month or so… (in no particular order, btw!)

– My Mini Quilt Collection

– Ocean Waves Block Tutorial

– Boxy Zipper Pouch Tutorial

– February Favourites

– Behind the Scenes: The Tutorial Edition*

(*This will be a video showing you how I film, edit and produce my block tutorials. It’ll be the behind the scenes of the Ocean Waves block!)

– And there’s the potential of a mini Spotlight Fabric Haul if you would like to see it… Let me know if you do!

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third update – sugar block club

This year I decided to jump on the band wagon and join in on one of Amy’s from Stitchery Dickory Dock Sugar Block Clubs. (Click here if you want to learn more about it!)

These are the two blocks I’ve made so far for January and February – Churn Dash and Log Cabin variations!

I’ve decided to use solids for each of my blocks as I absolutely love using them at the moment! (Plus, I have lots of solid fabric to get through!) I’m sticking with a neutral creamy colour for the background which will help each of the colours I choose to sing and show off the designs in each block. I’m so excited to see where this quilt will end up!

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fourth update – happy mail!

Although I’ve already thanked her, I just want to acknowledge and share this lovely gift that a wonderful friend, reader and viewer sent me last week!

Carissa made me this super cute little ‘thank you’ wall hanging/mini in the design of an envelope, featuring hand embroidered details, beautiful little sample fabrics from her HST Sampler Quilt along with a gorgeous little frenchie bulldog fussy cut for the fabric postage stamp!! Ahh, soooo cute!!

Along with this, she so generously sent lots of fun things like Pop Tarts and a selection of American candies, binding clips, a Buzz Lightyear Mug (!!) and so many other awesome little things!

And so again Carissa, thank you so much for sending me such a lovely, generous and thoughtful package! You’re truly the best! (Can you tell I’m still on a bit of a high from all of it?! Te-he!)

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And that’s the update done! (There’ll be a fifth update but I’m going to make that into a separate post – it’ll be all about my Four-Patch Love Heart Block tutorial!)

I’m so looking forward to completing my floristry course and perhaps sharing some flower care and construction tips with you some time!

And, I’m quite eager to get those tutorials underway and share them with you asap!

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead,

Happy Sewing, Friends!

TUTORIAL: RJR Fabrics ‘In The Kitchen’ FPP Coffee Cups Wallhanging

Hello and Happy Friday!!

(Yay!!)

In today’s post I’m combining both part one and part two in my most recent project uploaded onto my YouTube channel featuring the new RJR Fabrics collection, ‘In the Kitchen’ by Patrick Lose. And that of course is my Foundation Paper Pieced (FPP) Coffee Cups Wallhanging!

So I thought, instead of doing two separate posts, why not join them together in a lovely huge blog post for you to come back to and have all of the info you need in one neat little package!

So let’s get into the nitty-gritty stuff and start making!

First of all you’ll need the pattern to make those cute-as-a-button coffee mugs! And here it is!

—>> FPPCoffeeCupsPattern <<—

Download it and print it off as many times as you wish! (Although for this project you’ll only need three copies!)

Next is the video tutorial where I show you how to piece them together… You’ll find that right under this video, there’s a full list of all of the fabrics you’ll need, how much to cut for each section (all of the guess work has been taken care of!) as well as a few of the tools and notions I use when I’m FPP.

MEASUREMENTS & CUTTING INFO:
Cut these amounts for each section in the template. (These amounts are to make one Coffee Cup block.)

TEMPLATE A –
A1: x1 4.5″x5″ rectangle
A2 & A3: x2 1.5″x1.5″ squares
A4 & A6: x2 1″x5″ rectangles
A5: x1 1.5″x5″ rectangle
A7: x1 2″x5″ rectangle

TEMPLATE B –
B1: x1 2″x2″ square
B2 & B3: x2 1.5″x1.5″ squares
B4 & B5: x2 1.5″ x2″ rectangles
B6: x1 1.5″ x3″ rectangle
B7 & B8: x2 1.5″x1.5″ squares
B9: x1 2.5″ x3″ rectangle
B10: x1 2″ x2.5″ rectangle
B11: 2″x6.5″ rectangle

PLUS for the opposite side of the cups and diagonal sashings, cut –
x3: 2¼”x5.5″ rectangles and
x4: 2¼”x8¾” rectangles from your background fabric.

FABRICS I USED FOR EACH CUP:
Top Coffee Cup block
– Main print: Coffee Cups Calico in Paprika
– Line detail: Silhouettes in Butter
– Background: Quilted Grid in Salt

Middle Coffee Cup block
– Main print: Kitchenware in Fresca
– Line detail: Tile in Multi
– Background: Quilted Grid in Salt

Bottom Coffee Cup block
– Main print: Utensils in Chocolate
– Line detail: Silhouettes in Fresca
– Background: Quilted Grid in Salt

NOTIONS & SUPPLIES I USED:
– Brother Innovis 200QE sewing machine
– Brother ¼” piecing foot
– Fiskars Rotary Blade (28mm) & thread snips
– Sew Easy Rulers
– Clover Serrated Tracing Wheel
– Clover Finger Presser

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Moving onto part two in the project, I show you how you can finish your wallhanging with two lovely borders that frame the coffee cup trio and then how to simply sew it all up and quickly quilt it to completion!

Again, there’s a full list of all the measuring and cutting info for this part directly underneath for you to take a squizz at!

FABRICS, MEASUREMENTS & CUTTING INFO:

First Border –
FABRIC: ‘Silhouettes’ in the colour Butter
CUT: x2: 1½”x23″ strips and x2: 1½”x10¾” rectangles

Second Border –
FABRIC: ‘Kitchenware’ in the colour Eggshell
CUT: x2: 2¼”x25″ strips and x2: 2¼”x14″ rectangles

Batting –
FABRIC: Legacy Bamboo/Cotton Blend Batting
CUT: x1: 15″x29″ rectangle

Backing –
FABRIC: ‘In the Kitchen’ in the colour Multi
CUT: x1: 15″x29″ rectangle

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And now it’s time for a GIVEAWAY**!! Whoo!!!

I have one delightful little Fat Quarter Bundle with 16 prints from the range that I would love to give away to somebody! If you want that to be you, then simply comment below answering this question:

What do you love most making in the kitchen and why?

The winner will be announced/contacted next Friday, 5th February 2016.

Best of luck!!

(PS. World-wide entries are welcomed!)

**NB: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!!

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Now if you’re just as smitten with this range as I am, here are a few places online where you can get the ‘In The Kitchen’ collection!

Patrick Lose Studios

Missouri Quilt Company

Again, I would like to say a huge thank you to RJR Fabrics for giving me the opportunity to play, make and create with this fun new range!

Wishing you all a very lovely weekend ahead!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

PS. Don’t forget to check out this Pieced Apron tutorial I made using the ‘In the Kitchen’ range too!

TUTORIAL: RJR Fabrics ‘In The Kitchen’ Pieced Apron

Hello Friends!

It’s time to dive straight back into the swing of things and get cracking on a new sewing tutorial!

And the first one of the New Year is a fun little Pieced Apron made using a new fabric range from RJR Fabrics called, ‘In The Kitchen’ by Patrick Lose!

As soon as I saw this range, I knew I had to get my hands on some and get creating! I think the range has some of the fun-est kitchen-y prints that I’ve seen in a long time and some of the colour names are simply spot-on perfect! They include – Butter, Paprika, Chocolate, Cocoa, Salt and Saffron! Ooo, so delicious!!

But back to the tutorial at hand… I called this project a ‘Pieced Apron’ as it’s made in three sections or stages that are then all sewn together to create our apron! Easy!

**Behind the scenes trivia**
If you look closely, the design of this pattern was inspired and loosely designed off the apron featured in a few of the prints in the range! What do you think??

So everything you’ll need to know on how to make this apron is in the video as well as listed below it. There I’ve written out all of the measurement and cutting instructions along with the name and colour of the fabrics I’ve used for each piece. TIP: Take your time as you watch and follow along in the video, pausing and catching up at any stage that you feel necessary. 🙂

FABRICS, MEASUREMENTS & CUTTING INFO:

Top half of the apron:
– For the front cut: x1: 10”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Kitchenware’ in the colour Butter.
– For the top trim cut: x1: 1¾”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Silhouettes’ in the colour Fresca.
– For the neck loop cut: x1: 3”x26” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Utensils’
in the colour Eggshell.
– For the lining cut: x1: 11¼”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Tile’ in the colour Multi.

Apron pocket:
– For the front cut: x1: 6”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Hot Pads’ in the colour Fresca.
– For the top trim cut: x1: 1¾”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Silhouettes’ in the colour Fresca.
– For the lining cut: x1: 7¼”x12” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Tile’ in the colour Multi.

Bottom half of the apron:
– For the front cut: x1: 20”x30” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Silhouettes’ in the colour Paprika.
– For the top trim cut: x1: 1¾”x30” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Silhouettes’ in the colour Fresca.
– For the apron ties cut: x2: 3”xWOF strips from the fabric: ‘Utensils’
in the colour Eggshell.
– For the lining cut: x1: 21¼”x30” rectangle from the fabric: ‘Tile’ in the colour Multi.

Also, here’s a list of all of the NOTIONS & TOOLS I used in this tutorial:

– Brother Innovis 200QE sewing machine
– Brother ¼” piecing foot
– Gutermann polyester thread (white)
– OLFA Cutting Mat
– Fiskars Rotary Blade (28mm) & thread snips
– Sew Easy Rulers
– Birch Non-Melt Flower Head Quilting Pins
– Philips Azur Steam Iron
– Mundial 9½” Fabric Scissors
– 300cm (120″) tape measure
– Plastic Chopstick (or pointing tool)
– 7″ saucer/plate
– Lead Pencil

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If you’re just as smitten with this range as I am, here are a few places online where you can get the ‘In The Kitchen’ collection!

Patrick Lose Studios

Missouri Quilt Company

So next week I’ll be doing one more project featuring this collection… It’ll be a two parter (videos will be up on Wednesday and Friday) and will feature a fun Foundation Paper Piecing pattern designed by me that will then be sewn into a sweet wallhanging!

Annnddd there’s gonna be a giveaway!! Whee!!! 😀

Happy Sewing, Friends!

An Update From My Sewing Room… #5

Hello Friends!!

I’m back from a brief little hiatus from all things YouTube-y, blog-y and responsibility-riddled! Basically, I just needed a break where I could just relax, recharge, plan, think, dream, play, laugh, swim, eat, game, sew and just enjoy the seasonal atmosphere around me! To be perfectly honest with you, the last few weeks before and after Christmas just seemed to fizzle and crumble around me – I lost concentration, motivation, fun, enjoyment and drive. I found it so hard to dedicate time to my blog while trying my best to get the last of my QAL videos out – the stress almost broke me!! (Plus our crappy Internet decided to die just before Christmas, preventing me from doing anything!! A big con when you work online!) So the break away from everything was very much needed!!

So it’s now a brand new year, lots of fun and exciting things will be happening and I’m ready to face them head-on!!

But first, let’s catchup on some news!

FYI: Because I’ve had a little bit of blackout from my ‘public’ social media places, I’ve been slowly catching up on replying back to all of the messages, comments and emails you’ve sent me over the past few weeks! So I just want to let you know I’m doing my very best to write you back over the next coming days!

Christmas!! I had a lovely quiet and simple day celebrating with family and friends. Boxing day on the other hand, is quite the opposite in our household as it’s my brothers birthday and all the extended family come round and celebrate! The house is crammed full of people, chairs, food, chatter, drinks, tales of the day before, birthday cake, very full bellies and numerous plates and bowls full of leftovers! This year, with the release of the new Star Wars movie (which was brilliant by the way!!) and my brother being a fan, we did a bit of a theme for his birthday lunch! We dived into the crazy merchandise race and bought Star Wars party cups, plates, napkins, balloons, masks and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign to hang up. I also treated my brother to Gold Class Cinema tickets to see the movie together that night as we hadn’t seen it yet! Happy to say he had a great day!

New Year!! I’m quite boring when it comes to celebrating on New Years Eve. We stay home and watch the Sydney fireworks on TV. (A simple night for a simple person!) For the second year running, we took part in our annual Monopoly (Sydney Edition!) game where again, I came last and a parent came first! (No surprise!) Then once the fireworks were over, I was in bed sound asleep by 1am. I party hard! Whoo!!

During my little break away from life, I began a new project! (Like I don’t need another one!!) I woke up one day with this ravenous craving to start sewing a new quilt! I just needed one of those days where you just completely shut yourself off from everything and everyone and loose yourself in your sewing. I knew I wanted to do something with my fabrics scraps and I knew that a technique where I didn’t have to think about it was what I needed, hence the reason why I wanted to use my scraps! I also wanted an element of tradition in the quilt layout. So I poured through all of my block books and found nothing that really screamed at me… Until I came across this quilt…

It’s called ‘Ocean Waves’ from the book Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! (Second Edition) by Diana McClun & Laura Nownes and was perfect for what I had in mind! (I had a tonne of little scrappy bits that I was terribly hoarding and didn’t want to let go of!) So sewing 3″ little triangles together was spot-on for what I wanted to be doing that day! Although the triangles in the original pattern have been sewn with a dark and light colour next to each other, I chose to ignore that with my piecing and blissfully started sewing random triangle to random triangle to random triangle and so on… So the update on this quilt-to-be: I’ve sewn about 20 triangle units together (each block takes 12 units!) and have a great pile of freshly cut 3″ triangles to piece together to make more. I’m quite certain that this will be one of those projects that I’ll keep coming back to over the next year or so when I’ve got nothing else to sew (HA!! As if!!). I’ll just keep casually adding more and more pieced triangle units to the pile until I have enough to construct the many blocks that make up the quilt! I’ll try to keep you updated…

Next, let’s dive into some YouTube news!

Over the break, my channel very excitedly reached the 10,000+ subscribers mark! Yay! (Our little YT community is now just over 11k! So hello to all of you who are new to these parts!) Seriously, I couldn’t be anymore astounded at how many people have chosen to subscribe and watch the videos I upload onto my little channel! The support, encouragement and beautiful words of friendship you leave me make my day, everyday! THANK YOU!!!

So, what’s coming up on the channel you may be thinking… We’ll a few exciting things actually! First of all, this week I’ll be chatting about and showing you my own personal quilt collection! This has been a highly requested video and I thought it would be a wonderfully motivating and quilty way to start off the new year! (I’ll try my best to honour the video requests you all send through to me this year! No promises though, I do get a lot of requests and sometimes things just aren’t possible due to my lack of resources, space, time, people-power and skills!)

Then next week, I’ll be doing two very exciting tutorials featuring a brand new fabric collection from RJR Fabrics called ‘In The Kitchen’ by Patrick Lose. It’s such a fun and vibrant range with some of the sweetest kitchen-y prints that I’ve seen in a long time! And I’ll give you a three-word hint to what one of the projects we’ll be making involves… Foundation Paper Piecing! OooOOoo!!

Now, in regards to my HST Sampler Quilt Along, I will be writing up a wrap-up type blog post in the next couple of days, chatting about the basting and quilting process as well as how to bind and label your quilt. It was something that I wanted to publish last year when the series came to an end but it just didn’t happen, simple as that. And, I also have to show you my finished quilt, which I’ve only really shared in the last video of the series! It turned out to be a beautiful quilt and I’m tremendously happy with the end result! A lot of you who joined in have been sending and tagging me in pictures of your finished quilts and I couldn’t be anymore proud of what you’ve all achieved!! Your quilts are beautiful!!

So a big thanks to everyone who have been keeping in contact with me and who have been sharing their quilts, their blocks, their projects, their skills – their everything! – it’s always wonderful to see what you’ve been getting up to!

And although it’s a bit late, I wish each and everyone of you a very happy, safe and creative New Year!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Our Christmas Tree! | December Diary

I had a ‘moment’ the other day… A wash of dreaded panic swept over me as I realised that next week is Christmas! Eek!! Here I was, living in some weird dream land thinking that Christmas was still a few weeks away and that I still had loads of time to get things done, to make some fun Christmasy things to share with you and to go shopping for gifts! Well no. That wave of panic sure did slap me in the face and made me wake up to that fact that there are still so many things I want to do and share before the Festive Season is over for another year!

Over the past week or so, I’ve been wanting to get my camera out and snap some fun little photos of our Christmas Tree to share with you! Having a real Pine Tree for a Christmas Tree isn’t that big of a tradition here in Australia. My brothers and I always grew up with a fake plastic tree, sitting proudly in a corner of our living room, decorated heavily with multi-coloured twinkling lights, thin and scratchy tinsel and ornaments that were about a gazillion years old! It was one of those trees that if you were to get too close, touch it slightly or even breathe the wrong way near it, it would topple over spewing baubles and fake pine needles all over the floor!

These days, our tree is a little bit more stable but just as fake and plastic. We’ve upgraded the ornaments over the years and added some new white-light twinkling lights and fluffier tinsel! It still stands in a corner in our front living room and is the Mecca for all the of the presents and related Christmas items to sit under and around!

We usually set aside the first day of December to set up the tree and hang the decorations around the house. This year we did it a few days earlier than usual and had a fabulous little helper in my five year old nephew, Ayden. With Christmas tunes playing in the background, he helped me put all of the baubles onto the tree, placed ornaments and other Christmasy decorations around the house all while wearing a darling Santa hat on his head! What a little legend!!

Here are a few of my favourite things that we have hanging on our tree…

The little glass Deer is a relative newcomer to our tree. I bought it last year from one of the big department stores we have here called Myer. I thought it was super cute and I loved how glittery and vintage-festive it was! The glass angel was a gift for my mum from one of her students when she was still teaching. It’s one of those legit glass ornaments that if your were to accidentally drop it, it would for sure break! Eek!

The red felt Christmas tree is another little treat I bought from Myer last year. I loved the ‘handmade’ look it had about it and gave me inspiration to make a few myself. (Which never happened!) Plus, I can never resist buying something like this when it’s covered in buttons and fun little pom-poms! And then there’s the classic golden bauble… Perfect to take those fun reflective type photos with! (Spot the blogger!)

The gorgeous Tonga Angel belongs to my parents. They visited the beautiful Pacific Island late last year and bought back this handmade treasure! I love it! Next to her on the tree, centre stage is an ornament I made a few years ago in a Christmas tutorial on my YouTube channel that features my beautiful Lucy. This darling pup died in April and it’ll be one my first ever Christmas’ without a pet by my side. I miss her dearly…

The pattern stag came in a packet of four from IKEA many years ago! I also have a packet of red ones too floating around the house somewhere… I liked the blue ones more at the time so I added them to our permanent collection! The Christmas tree is another Myer purchase from last year. I loved how solid and 3D it looked. And because the felt is so thick and the bell on the bottom so heavy and clunky, it weighs a small tonne making the bow it’s hung on literally bend in half! But no matter how impractical it is, I still love it!

What’s a Christmas Tree without a tacky ornament of Santa Claus?! I have no clue where this Santa has come from… I think it may’ve belonged to my dad’s parents who relished in plastic-y vintage-y decorations like this! I must admit, I really quite like it. I love it for it’s kitsch, old-school vibe and for the plethora of holly stuck on the back of his sleigh! He’s an oldie but a goodie!

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So that in a nutshell is our tree. It’s not fancy. It’s not real. It’s not colour coordinated or perfect. It’s simple, homey and lovely. And I wouldn’t want it any other way!

What’s your Christmas Tree like? I would love to know!

I hope you’re all having a wonderfully festive month wherever you are in the world!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Amelia’s 1st Birthday! | December Diary

The first of many December birthdays has begun with the celebration of my niece’s 1st birthday yesterday!

Truly, my family and I cannot believe just how fast the year has flown by since that very special day she was born! It seems like only yesterday (weird concept as yesterday was her actual birthday), we heard about the amazing start she had in life – born early in the morning in the family car on the way to the hospital! (She sure knew how to make an entrance!) Then later that evening seeing her, my brother and sister-in-law along with her four big brothers on the 6pm News, where her adventurous start in life was reported to the nation! Gotta admit, it was a pretty awesome day in the lives of the Rolfe family (and extended family too!) and such a wonderful way to start the Christmas season off! 🙂

And now here she is, the big ONE, almost walking and taking in everything that life seems to bring – especially chocolate cake! (Good choice, my darling!)

Happy 1st Birthday Amelia!

Big hugs & kisses,

Love Auntie

HST Sampler Quilt | Sashing & Borders

PATTERN SHEET: HST Sampler Quilt – Sashing & Borders

Happy Friday, Friends!!

Today I’m so happy to be finally uploading the next step in my HST Sampler Quilt Along! Yay!

Now that all nine blocks have been made, it’s time to sash them together and then add a border around each of the edges to complete the quilt top!

Before we get into it, I just want to let you know that this particular tutorial is pretty heavy in the information department! I do go through lots of different steps quite quickly, so if you have any issues keeping up, pause it when you need to, catch up in your own sewing/understanding, check out the diagram on the pattern sheet and then continue on your way until you’ve finished piecing everything together.

As always, if you click on the pattern sheet linked at the top of this post, you’ll be able to find a full list of all of the measurements and cutting info, along with the fabrics* I’ve used to piece the quilt top together!

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So with our quilt tops now pieced and looking grand, we’ll be getting into basting and quilting it in the next instalment of the Quilt Along! Whoo! So in that video I’ll show you how to baste your quilt, I’ll chat about backing and batting and then show you how to quilt it on your sewing machine! It should be great!

Also, don’t forget to keep sharing your finished blocks and quilt tops with me! You know I love to see everything that you make!

I hope you all have a splendid weekend!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

*A big thanks to Australian wholesale supplier and fabric distributer Dayview Textiles for supplying me with such beautiful fabrics! If you want to see all of the fabrics I’ll be using in this Quilt Along, check out this post where I share them all with you!

‘Tis The Season! | December Diary

As I sit here, thinking of something fun and witty to write to begin this post, all I can think of is the scary thought of just how quick this year has flown by! Sure, we say it every year, but this time it feels slightly different for me… Perhaps it’s simply because I’ve had so much fun this year blogging and making stuff that time has simply slipped by without me noticing… Or maybe it’s due to my young-adult mind developing and maturing and taking more of a notice to these things… Ooo, I’m going a bit too deep in the thought process here… let’s rewind and get back onto the fun ‘It’s almost Christmas!’ bandwagon!

Yay!! It’s almost Christmas!! 😀

You know, I love this time of the year. (Minus the sweaty, humid heat! Yuck! Give me jeans-and-a-t-shirt kind of weather any day, thanks!) I love planning and making and wrapping and celebrating and eating and decorating and singing and eating and worshipping and shopping and eating and giving and being happy and being thankful and eating! Everything about it I love!!

As you may’ve already guessed, I live in Australia. And in Australia, Christmas equals Summer! It’s hot and dry, humid and sticky, windy and stormy, and the sun sets late into the night. So I thought that because the majority of people who read my blog live in the Northern Hemisphere where Christmas equals Winter, I would give you an insight into what an Australian Christmas is like in a thing I like to call my December Diary! Unlike what I did in September where I wrote a post everyday during the month, this time I would write a post every few days or so with all things Christmas, lifestyle, family, friends, tutorials and crafts and anything else that makes December in Australia a happy one!

Like many of us, December is a very busy month with lots of things happening: social events, family catch-ups, carol services, birthdays (three in my family alone!), crafting and sewing sessions (#HandmadeChristmas) and of course lots of afternoon swimming pool sessions! So as your December gets a bit crazy, a bit manic and a bit stressful, by all means take some time to chill and relax and perhaps use the time to catch-up on what’s happening on the other side of the world with me and my Aussie Christmas!

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So getting the ball rolling, so to speak, here’s my first bit of Christmas sewing to share with you!

This year on Instagram, I’ve signed up to be apart of an #AussieChristmasSwap where quilters, sewers and makers from all over Australia make or buy something special for their Aussie partner and send it off to them in the first week of December.

Amongst the other things I have to give, I made this sweet little Christmas Robin wallhanging/mini quilt using a foundation paper pieced pattern by Kristy from Quiet Play. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it – it’s so adorable!! And when I found out that my partner likes a lot of the Cotton+Steel ranges, I knew I had to use some of their Tinsel Christmas range that I recently received from Dayview Textiles! So with both of those elements combined along with a few matching spotties from my stash, this little beauty was made…

I quilted it in my usual vertical straight-line way but this time with the lines slightly closer together almost borderlining on matchstick quilting. Then once the binding was sewn into place, I stitched on a little button for the Robin’s eye which simply brought the whole thing to life! The hanger in the picture above isn’t the final one I’ll send it away with, I’ll buy a better looking one over the next day or so!

The final measurement of this gorgeous little mini is: 10&1/4″x10&1/4″! Super cute!!

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I’m so excited to get into and share with you all of my Christmas-y crafts and ideas that have been brewing in my mind over the past few weeks! And as we wrap up the final elements in my HST Sampler Quilt Along both here and on my YouTube channel, I’ll also be uploading all of my fun Christmas videos too! Yay!!

Sing with me now: ‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

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