Thank you to everyone who commented on our giveaway. You all wrote such lovely comments and we are thrilled you like our Shazza and Bazza.
The winners are:
Robyn Taylor has won the hard copy of Shazza and Bazza with this lovely comment…
And Jilli has won the PDF version of Shazza and Bazza with this lovely comment…
Congratulations ladies, I hope you enjoy making them! I will be in contact shortly with you.
If you didn’t win you can still get your very own copy HERE.
Thanks so much again and we might just have to have another giveaway when we release our next pattern… so keep an eye out!
Happy Stitching
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with animal, australian, baby, cotton, download, fabric, gift, giveaway, handmade, joey, kangaroo, new pattern, pattern, plush, softie, teddy bears stuffed animals, toy.
By Sherryl
– April 5, 2013
Australian animals are so cute and very different from anywhere else in the world. So we thought we would add to our little Australian animal softies with this new pattern ‘Shazza and Bazza – a Kangaroo Family’.
The little Joey pops in and out of Shazza’s pouch and with movable arms and legs they make the cutest little family.
Shazza has luscious lashes…
… and Bazza has boyish brows.
And we think the Joeys are just to0 cute!
To celebrate we thought we would have a GIVEAWAY!
So we are giving away one paper pattern and one PDF pattern of Shazza and Bazza. For your chance to win leave a comment below and tell us what your favourite Australian animal is. For an extra chance to win, LIKE our page on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/quiltinggems and mention it in your comment below.
We will draw the winners in one week on Friday the 5th April. The paper pattern will be sent in the mail and the PDF pattern emailed.
Good luck and happy Easter to everyone!
P.S. If you want to purchase a copy of this pattern NOW just CLICK HERE and you can buy and download it straight away!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with animal, australian, baby, cotton, download, fabric, gift, giveaway, handmade, joey, kangaroo, new pattern, pattern, plush, softie, teddy bears stuffed animals, toy.
By Sherryl
– March 29, 2013
Hi everyone, we have been a little quite lately on the blog front but we’ve still had busy little fingers. We’ve been working on some new softie patterns for next year and a new quilt that is so cute, if you love our Snuffles and Ruffles pattern then you will love this quilt! Here’s a little sneak peek…
We also have some exciting news… our softie patterns are now available at GJ’s Discount Fabrics on Lygon Street in Melbourne. If you haven’t been there then you should definitely go. It is such a beautiful shop and it has so many fabrics including fat 1/4′s for $2!
Now for our SHOW and TELL… we’ve been trying to finish some projects that’ve been on the back burner for such a long time. It feels so good to finish them off. So here’s what we’ve been up to…
Red and white Christmas bunting…
These cute little hanging teddys I have had sitting around half-made for about 5 years and now they are finished and I love them so much! They have glass beads in their hands and feet so they just hang around and look pretty.
These are tooth fairy pilliows from Nancy Halvorsen’s book ‘Curiosities and Mischief’. I have 3 very cute nieces and the oldest, Scarlett, has already lost her first tooth so when we gave her the pillow the other two of course wanted one. So now when the next two lose their first teeth they can put them in the little pocket on the pillow and the tooth fairy will swap them for money.
Mez had a farewell for a friend on Saturday who’s leaving work to have a baby. She made some very cute gifts…. a lion with a rattle inside…
…and these cute ice cream sundaes made with onesies, bibs and baby socks.
We used a McDonalds drink tray to hold the sundaes and finished it with some cellophane and a strip of scrapbooking paper.
Last is a quilt I started a while ago, I had the top made and it just needed quilting. The background fabric is by one of my favourite designers Tula Pink. The Pattern is by Natalie Ross and it’s called “Going Bananas”. I love anything with monkeys on it and I am so pleased to have this finished.
Do you have any UFO’s that you’re working on?
Till next time,
Happy Quilting!!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with angel, bunting, christmas, hedgehog, pattern, quilt, santa, teddies, tooth fairy, UFO.
By Sherryl
– December 3, 2012
I don’t usually get into Halloween, but this year my boyfriends son needed some help with his costume. He had gone to the op shop and found most of what he needed for his Johnny Depp ‘Mad Hatter’ costume. All he needed was help with the hat and the bow tie.
I really enjoyed making the hat because usually I’m sewing with fabric and so I don’t really get a chance to get my hands dirty. So here is my attempt at making a Mad Hatters Hat.
JJ had already purchased a cheap black top hat for the base of the hat, but it needed height and shape.
So firstly I made a tube shape out of cardboard that would fit over the crown of the top had. I stapled and masking taped the join together. Then I cut out a circle from the same cardboard about 1 1/2in bigger than the tube. I stuck the circle to one end of the tube using tape on the inside.
I used 2 pieces of lighter weight A4 sized cardboard and cut even slits halfway down the long side of each A4 sheet. I folded the ends of the slits so they would sit on top of the circle of card and glued both pieces to the tube so they formed a curve at the top.
I used paper mache to cover the whole tube and to shape the crown of the hat. Once it had dried I used a glue gun to stick the shaped tube over the bought top hat.
I then cut out some lace and randomly glued it onto the hat.
I then painted the hat green, including the top of the brim. When it was dry I sponged a mixture of the green paint and dark brown paint over it…
… and when that was dry I sponged some gold paint on very lightly just to highlight some of the lace texture, and finished it off with a coat of water based matte sealer.
I made some hat pins out of kebab skewers by painting them gold and gluing beads on the end.
Using a hot glue gun I stuck the hat pins to the right side of the hat and then on the left side I stuck some peacock feathers.
And lastly I tied some fabric around the brim and stuck a little ticket under the fabric.
JJ was very happy with his costume and had so much fun trick or treating!!
Did you dress up for Halloween?
Posted in Blog, Tutorials.
Tagged with Alice in wonderland, child, costume, dress up, halloween, hat, mad hatter.
By Sherryl
– November 12, 2012
A Fandango is an old Spanish courtship dance in triple time between a man and a woman. So when I saw a video on YouTube (HERE) of flamingos choosing their mate by the most amazing courtship dance. I was so amazed and in awe of these birds, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with their quirkiness and be inspired to design a fun flamingo quilt.
When I think of flamingos I think of those kitsch pink plastic lawn ornaments that were popular in the late 1950’s and 60’s. These were once seen as ugly and tacky but are vintage and cool today.
So add dancing lawn flamingos, a sunset, bulrushes and waterlilies, mayflies and a ladybird and you have our new quilt pattern Flamingo Fandango!
It was so much fun to make and we love the zigzag/chevron border. We made it from Nancy Halvorsen’s range of fabrics called ‘Curiosities’. We have been a long time fan of Nancy’s fabrics and loved this range of bright spots, stripes and swirls.
So why not bring some vintage back into your life… CLICK HERE to get your Flamingo Fandango Quilt pattern.
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with chevron, Curiosities, fandango, flamingo, ladybird, ladybug, mayfly, Nancy Halvorsen, quilt, sunset.
By Sherryl
– October 8, 2012
Thank you so much everyone for your lovely comments. We are so glad you like our Taffy the Tasmanian Devil.
So without further ado, the winner of the Taffy hard copy pattern is….
The winner of the Taffy PDF soft copy pattern is…
So congratulations to Joan and Rosemary! I will be in touch to get your details.
If you didn’t win and you just have to have our Taffy, you can still buy the pattern HERE.
NOW time for another sneak peek of our new quilt pattern. We have been working on this for a little while and we have used one of our favorite fabric designers latest range.
So keep an eye out for this in the next few weeks.
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with giveaway, pattern, plush, softie, taffy, Tasmanian devil, toy.
By Sherryl
– September 27, 2012
My favourite Australian animal has to be the Tasmanian devil. I’ve loved them ever since I was little. I think it was the cute little pink ears and nose and the distinctive white band across their front and back that got me.
When we were thinking about our next softie pattern we thought this would be perfect to release around my birthday.
So we would like you to meet our Taffy the Tasmanian devil. Her white stripes are little frills, almost like a little frilled bikini and she has a cute little tail and button nose that you can’t help falling in love with.
She can be made from stash fabric, tone on tone or even patterned fabric. Why stop at just one… we couldn’t!
To celebrate Taffy’s new release and my birthday month we thought we would also have a giveaway. This is our second pattern in paper and downloadable form so why not give away one of each!
So all you have to do is ‘LIKE’ our Facebook page HERE and leave a comment below (on this post) to be in to win! (We will draw the winners on Thursday 27th September Australian time)
~~If you don’t use Facebook that’s ok… just make sure you leave a comment below, all comments will be included in the draw~~
We hope you love Taffy as much as we do!!
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with animal, australian, softie, Tasmanian devil, toy.
By Sherryl
– September 19, 2012
The weekend before last Mez and I went to the E.L.F Quilt show. We were very excited because this year Mez had two quilts showing and I had one. There’s something special about seeing your quilt on display with other quilts of such high caliber.
Unfortunately it was the last year for the show. I’m sure it takes a whole lot of time and effort to put a show on like this, so thank you ladies for all your hard work.
They had a table of little bits to buy, fabric, books, patterns and some yummy homemade marmalade which Mez couldn’t resist.
All the proceeds for the show went to Carrington Primary School and ‘Challenge – supporting kids with cancer’.
We were even more excited Monday morning when we found out both Mez and I had won the viewers choice awards… Mez for the ‘large quilt’ section and me for the ‘small quilt’ section. It was a big honour being the last show and all.
This is Mez’s Hydrangea Quilt she won Viewers Choice for ‘Large Quilt’.
Mez’s Tulip Quilt
This is my French Connection Quilt that I won Viewers Choice for ‘Small Quilt’.
The ribbons are so cool! I love that they are pieced!
Thanks again to everyone involved 
.
Till next time…
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
By Sherryl
– August 15, 2012
I love ‘Christmas in July’ for two reasons…
- We get to celebrate Christmas twice and who wouldn’t love that?
- And … it’s a great reminder to start projects and presents to have them finished by Christmas.
That’s why this year we decided to release our new Christmas Table Topper ‘Angel Cookies’ in July so there would be plenty of time to have it finished and on display for Christmas.
Our ‘Angel Cookies’ pattern has three Christmas cooking angel stitcheries, Angelica the Icing Angel, Seraphina the Whisk Angel and Evangeline the Rolling Pin Angel. Each Angel has sparkly wings, shoes, dresses and a cute little saying that is progressive over the stitchery panels that says “A little sugar, a lot of spice, makes Christmas cookies oh so nice!”
The stripy candy-cane-like panels separate the stitcheries, and the topper is surrounded by a scalloped border around the edge. It would look great under a cute table-top Christmas tree, or yummy ‘Angel Cookies’ that you can share with friends and family.
If you would like to buy the pattern or read their story of how they become Christmas Angels CLICK HERE. You will also find our FREE recipe for Angel Cookies.
To read about Angelica the Icing Angel, Seraphina the Whisk Angel and Evangeline the Rolling Pin Angel… just CLICK HERE.
Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with angel, angels, candy, Christmas in july, Christmas project, cookies, pink, quilt, table topper.
By Sherryl
– July 31, 2012
We’ve had so much going on in the las few weeks… not all Quilting Gems related. So I thought I would post a few photos of what we’ve been up to.
My niece had her 1st birthday last weekend and Mez and I spent Saturday baking and icing a very pink princess castle cake. We were so happy with the results and it tasted really good too. I made a regular round for the center part and then the three towers were each cooked in a soup tin…. and it worked really well.
It was my very special mans birthday last week and I wanted to make something super special for him. But what can you make for a man that dosen’t need anything? Well a French Teddy Bear of course!
His family is part French and it is a very big part of his life so I thought they would make a perfect match. He still needs a name… something French… any ideas?
And now for another sneak peek of our Christmas in July pattern which is nearly ready to be released. Just have to finish the last part of the pattern and hope for some nice weather for a photo shoot.
Till next time… Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with cake, castle, christmas, french, pink, princess, teddy bear.
By Sherryl
– July 16, 2012
I just wanted to share with you one of my most favourite creatures in the world. I am slightly obsessed with this cute little animal… the Hedgehog. Growing up in New Zealand, we regularly had hedgehogs in our back yard. We wouldn’t always see them but we knew they were there because of the presents they left behind for us in the morning.
That’s why I felt a need to make a Hedgehog softie. So out of my love for these cute little animals Snuffles and Ruffles were born. Mez and I are nearly finished a Snuffles and Ruffles quilt which will have our signature ruffles on it as well.
Sneak peek of our Sunffles and Ruffles Quilt… COMING SOON!
The last couple of times I’ve been back to NZ I’ve tried my hardest to photograph a Hedgehog, without any luck. Last year when I was there I told my Aunty Dot (who is a fabulous photographer) of my small obsession and my mission to snap a photo of a hedgehog. A few months ago she called me to say she had rescued a hedgehog from a friend with whom the hedgehog was eating all her cats food and making a right mess of her verandah. She went over and collected the little hedgehog in order to release it somewhere else.
Needles to say there is now a little hedgehog living in my Aunties garden… SO JEALOUS!!
As she was releasing it she managed to get some beautiful photos. So I thought I would share them with you and get you just as obsessed as I am!!
Hedgehog Photographs by Dot Mullay
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with hedgehog, obsessed, photography, quilt, softie, toy.
By Sherryl
– June 27, 2012
I started designing this quilt about 8 years ago. It all started with one piece of fabric I bought at Gail’s Patchwork Emporium in Ballarat. I love all things vintage and Jane Austen. I also have a fondness for pink and black together. So out of this one piece of fabric I started a journey of designing, fabric collecting and stitching.
The layout was pretty simple and didn’t really change from the beginning. I wanted this quilt to be about the fabric and the appliqués. The first block I designed was the Cameo and that is really how the blocks got their look.
I really love the idea of appliqué blocks of simple black silhouettes with pink accents on them, just like the cameo with a light shell/stone image on front and a dark background. I wanted it to be ornate and pretty so I accentuated each block with beads, lace or buttons.
Cameo
Vintage Boot
Victorian Purse
Victorian Bonnet
Lace Fan
It took me a while to create each block as I researched ideas and drew lots of sketches. When I was finally happy with a sketch I would then draw it up on the computer and play with it some more.
I did one block at a time, finishing one and looking for inspiration for the next… which sometimes was months later. When I finally finished all the blocks it was time to put it all together. I had collected the hanger right back in the beginning so new what size it had to be, so I couldn’t add anything else to it. So after a little advice from my Dad… yes ladies, Dads and Husbands sometimes have the best ideas and advice, it all came together.
9 Patch Block in between appliqués (it was the pink shoe fabric in the middle on the right which started it all).
I had the wonderful Anita from Hillside Quilting quilt it for me. It has been finished for a while now and my plan was to write the pattern as a ‘Block of the Month’. But it was such a long journey from beginning to end that I really just wanted to enjoy it for a while before I attempted to write the pattern. Then we moved on to Macarons and Hedgehogs and I really wasn’t sure if I should write the pattern or just enjoy it as a very special project.
So what do you think? Would you like me to write the pattern?
Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with black and pink, boot, cameo, fan, french, hat, nine patch, patchwork, purse, quilting, vintage.
By Sherryl
– May 7, 2012
It’s been a long time coming but finally we are releasing our new quilt pattern La Patisserie! It was inspired by my trip to Paris and my new love of anything French, especially Macarons.
Can’t you just imagine yourself gazing in the windows of a French Patisserie, with dozens of different scrumptious macarons on display, and then sipping a latte and eating a macaron at a wrought iron table under a striped awning in Paris. My idea of heaven!!
La Patisserie is made mostly from a Jelly Roll - Pom Pom de Paris by French General, and has four Macaron inspired stitcheries each with appliqué ribbons and an ornate scalloped border.
Scalloped border on each block…
We hope you like it as much as we do! You can CLICK HERE to buy it now! And if you still haven’t had enough of macarons yet (like us) then keep an eye out for our 3rd macaron inspired project… cute and easy macaron sewing accessories!
Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with applique, french, Homespun Magazine, jell roll, La Patisserie, macaron, macaroon, quilt, Stitcheries.
By Sherryl
– April 18, 2012
What an awesome day at the AQC show (Australasian Quilt Convention)!! Mez and I had both decided not to spend too much at the show this year… hmmm… we didn’t manage to stick to that… oops! We saw lots of familiar faces and met some lovely new friends.
We caught up with Snuffles at Patchwork with Gail B’s stand… he was very much enjoying himself, just hanging around talking to people (hee hee).
We also saw something else very familiar… YES that’s right… our ‘Mad about Macarons’ wall hangings were over at the Homespun Magazine stand. It was nice to see them again… they have been away from home for a while now.
We also spent a long time looking at and admiring all the quilts in the Quilt Show. My favourite group of quilts were the Jane Austen inspired quilts. Anybody that knows me will know that I am slightly obsessed with anything Jane Austen. These four quilts were inspired by the magnificent houses in the books.
‘Rosings’ by Katrina Hadjimichael
‘Longborne’ by Katrina Hadjimichael
‘Pemberley’ by Katrina Hadjimichael
‘Netherfield’ by Katrina Hadjimichael
But I think my favourite of all the quilts is this one called ‘Orang-utans’ by Helen Godden for the AP&Q AQC Challenge ‘What the world needs now’. I have loved Orang-utans ever since I was a child and a few years ago I was lucky enough to see them in the wild. My dream would be to one day create a quilt like this from one of my photos taken in Borneo.
I would love to hear what your favourite part of the show is or what your dream quilt would be to make.
Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with AQC 2012, Australasian Quilt Convention, quilt convention, quilt show.
By Sherryl
– April 14, 2012
What a busy Easter weekend, full of family, friends and of course chocolate! Our weekend started off with a big BANG!… when I picked up a copy of the April Homespun Magazine. I was so excited to see that my little ‘Mad about Macarons’ project was on the cover! It is even more special as it is a Parisian-inspired issue… all things French!
This pattern has been a long time coming as I first fell in love with macarons when I was in Paris in February 2011 on a trip with my boyfriend. Since then Macarons have become popular here in Australia mostly due to Masterchef and Adriano Zumbo’s Macaron Tower.
This cute little 3 part stitchery can be made in a weekend and would look so cute in any room or kitchen. I used a part of a charm square pack but it would be a great little project to use fabrics from your stash too. I do suggest however, that while you’re sitting stitching you enjoy a couple of scrumptious macarons just to set the mood. My favorite are Raspberry and Chocolate.
After designing ‘Mad about Macarons’, we decided that it just wasn’t enough and we wanted more macaron projects, so we designed a quilt and some sewing accessories as well. We hope to release the quilt pattern this week and the sewing accessories in a couple of weeks.
We hope you like our ‘Mad about Macarons’ pattern, and if you want to see it in person it will be displayed at the Homespun Magazine stand at the Australasian Quilt Convention this coming weekend in Melbourne. We will be going, so hope to see you there!!
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with April, french, Homespun Magazine, moda, quilts, sunkissed fabric.
By Sherryl
– April 11, 2012
Since going to Paris last year I fell in love with all things French especially Macarons, and I have been slightly obsessed with them ever since.
So we decided to design some Macaron flavoured projects, one of which is coming out in next months (April) edition of Homespun Magazine. I was so excited when I read in this month’s edition that the theme of next month’s magazine is going to be… ‘All things French’! I actually didn’t know that it was a French theme.
My boyfriend’s family is half French and when we were in Paris we celebrated our first Valentine’s day. So these projects are extra special to me and hold a special place in my heart. We have a quilt pattern and some cute Macaron accessories to complement the pattern in Homespun. I hope you enjoy making them.
Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with April, french, Homespun Magazine, moda, quilts, sunkissed fabric.
By Sherryl
– March 21, 2012
And the winner of the Snuffles and Ruffles giveaway is… Chris!
Congratulations Chris, I don’t have your last name but you are the only ‘Chris’ that commented on the post. I have your details and I will send you out an email just to confirm.
Thanks so much to everyone that commented. We are in the midst of a new quit pattern to accompany Snuffles and Ruffles, so keep an eye our for that. We also have a pattern coming up in the April issue of Homespun Magazine… which will be a tasty treat!! (hint… hint)
Well I’m off to do some fabric shopping… one of my favourite jobs!
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
By Sherryl
– March 9, 2012
We are so excited to show you all our new softie pattern! As a child living in New Zealand… (YES we are Kiwis)… I loved the snuffling and rustling sounds of little hedgehogs late at night. Sometimes I would go out with a torch and try to spot them in the garden. I have always loved Hedgehogs and they hold a special place in my heart and remind me of my childhood.
So let me introduce you to ‘Snuffles’ and ‘Ruffles’ our frilly pair of hedgehogs. They each have cute little bobble noses and flowing frills down their backs. Snuffles (the boy) has cute little eyebrows and Ruffles (the girl) has luscious lashes.
They love big cuddles and rolling around in crunchy leaves.
The fabric we have used is called ‘Woodland’ from Lecien by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches.
The pattern will be sold in hard copy and kits at Patchwork with Gail B’s shop and it’s to be launched at the Sydney ‘Craft and Sewing‘ show at Gail’s stand. This is the first pattern we have done in hard copy and we hope you like it! It will also be in a downloadable version from our website here.
We think as it’s our first hard copy pattern we should give a copy away! So ‘LIKE’ our Facebook page and leave a comment below (on this post) to be in to win!! (We will draw it winner one week from today on Friday 9th March.)
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with Cinderberry Stitches, frill, frills, hedgehog, lecien, Ruffles, Snuffles, softies, toy, Woodland.
By Sherryl
– March 2, 2012
Hi everyone… this is just a very quick hello and sneak peek into what Mez and I have been up to for the last few weeks.
We are so excited to show you our new little friends, but all we can show for the moment is this crazy photo of arms and legs everywhere!!
Hopefully it makes your mind wonder and dream about what they’ll be attached to.
The fabric is so cute, I saw it and just had to have some. It’s called ‘Woodland’ by Lecien from Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches.
It will only be a few more days and all will be revealed!
Until then… Happy Stitching
Posted in Blog.
By Sherryl
– February 27, 2012
A wee bit late… but better late than never I say! We have been so flat chat since Christmas, we have a pattern coming out in Homespun magazine in April – which we have designed some patterns to accompany it, they just needed to be finished and patterns written… one is now off to our lovely quilter to do her magic, and the other is nearly finished too.
We also have just finished a very cute softie pattern which we absolutely love and hope you do to!! It will be sold in physical pattern form at Patchwork with Gail B’s shop and is to be launched at the Sydney show at Gail’s stand. This is the first pattern we have done in physical form and we hope you like it! It will also be in a downloadable version from our website soon. (Sneak peeks to come)
My craft groups have just started back too and I am teaching a beginners sampler quilt and kaleidoscope quilt at our Friday night quilt group and there are lots of things happening at the Wednesday morning group too!
So in-between all of this my granddaughters have been in need of some special nanny made things. So for Christmas I was hidden away behind my machine making frilly skirts, party dresses, Barbie & Ken wedding clothes and bunting! You will notice they are in purple or pink, Scarlett loves purple and Lacey loves Pink. There were more skirts made but I was not quick enough to photograph them all!!
Frilly skirts with interchangeable underskirt, each got a white broderie anglaise and tulle underskirt, plus a detachable tulle rose.
Pink and purple party dresses, which had matching doll party dresses too!
Barbies had a beautiful dress, veil and bouquet. Ken had to match with a silver dress suit, white shirt with a bow tie and vest.
Aunty Shez even french braided the Barbies hair for their wedding day!
Miss Amelia also got bunting, but it’s not hung yet.
Ok, now off to do some more pattern writing.
Happy Quilting
Posted in Blog.
By Maree
– February 22, 2012
Ok, so I need to do a bit of an explanation first…
At the beginning of last year I was lucky enough to tag along with my boyfriend to Paris and Barcelona. He had been asked to attend a GSMA Mobile conference in Barcelona (A very large tech-ie show, much like our quilting shows but with mobile phones, tablets, software and gadgets).
One of the major sponsors of the conference is Android. Android is an operating system for mobiles and tablets and has a little green android for it’s logo. On the second day we noticed that some people were wearing little green android pins/badges. I LOVE collecting pins, so after asking around we found out that all the stands that supported Android had a little Android man holding up a bowl on each counter. And in each bowl was a different pin.
The Google stand was the ‘official’ Android stand and they had a map of all the stands with pins as well as having some very cute limited edition pins there each day.
So in our free time (when we weren’t working of course) we ran around like mad crazy people trying to collect all the pins… there were 86 in total. It was so much fun and we ended up getting 50 each! Al attached them to the strap on his bag and we got stopped all the time with people wanting to check them out!
We had so many of them and I didn’t want to just put them away in a drawer when we got home, so me being a quilter I thought what better way to display them than on a quilt!
So this Christmas (2011) I wanted to make something special for him to remember the fun we had in Barcelona. I designed this wall quilt to display all the pins we collected and I wrote a cute little poem on the back.
I’m wrapped with it and he thought it was the coolest present ever!
Here is the little poem on the back and Al with the pins on his bag.
This quilt sums us up perfectly… his tech-ie-ness and my love of making quilts.
So till next time… Happy Quilting!
PS: be sure to come back and check out Mez’s Christmas update!
Posted in Blog.
By Sherryl
– January 18, 2012
Every year I say “this is the year that I am going to buy presents – not make them!” This was the plan last year… but I just can’t help myself… I get so much pleasure from making and giving handmade gifts.
So I thought I would share what I made for Christmas 2011!
My Boyfriend has 4 children, and this year I have been addicted to making softies especially ‘Melly and me’ softies.
So each of the kids got their favourite amimal/softie.
A Penguin for Gabi – I adapted this from Melly’s ‘Snowflake‘ pattern. I love him so much I wanted to keep him!
Ninjas for Ali – Melly’s ‘Little Ninjas‘ pattern.
Monkey for JJ (I made the girl monkey last year… she is full size, I shrank the pattern for a smaller monkey for JJ) – Melly’s ‘Magoo‘ Pattern.
And for Ryan, an elephant – Melly’s ‘Pheobe‘ pattern. Ryan is such a cutie and the other night he told me that he sleeps with it every night.
I have one more present to show you that I made for my boyfriend… but it needs a bit of explanation so I think I will give it a post all of it’s own.
Come back soon to check it out as well as Mez’s Christmas update to!
Posted in Blog.
By Sherryl
– January 11, 2012
1. Cutting
Always cut a fresh straight edge to measure from when you start cutting strips of fabric, and make sure your ruler is lined up straight with the folded edge of the fabric, so that you don’t get a “V” at the fold.
Check after cutting a few strips that you are still cutting strips at exact right angles to the fold because it is easy to get a few millimeters out of alignment. Cutting accurately will make your piecing much easier later.
2. Ironing
When you have machine stitched a seam, always iron your seam flat first before pressing the seam allowance to one side, this stretches out the seam and sets the stitches in place which will prevent puckering. Then iron your seams to one side.
In patchworking, seams are always pressed to one side (not open) unless the instructions say otherwise. This puts less pressure on your thread once the seams are stitched over during the quilting process.
3. Sewing
When matching up seams, try to make sure that the seams are ironed in opposite directions. This will allow the seam allowances to “nest” into each other and the seam lines will match perfectly.
When sewing a border to a pieced block or strip, sew with the border on the top, this way you can sew the seam exactly ¼” from the edge of the straight piece, and any slight unevenness on the edge of the pieced strip will not matter.
You will have a lovely straight seam.
4. Quilting
If you are machine quilting straight lines, always use a walking foot. This draws the top fabric through the machine at the same rate as the bottom fabric so there is no warping or wrinkling of the fabric.
Always start quilting from the center of the quilt and work towards the outside, because as the quilt gets quilted it gets drawn in slightly and you will have more flexibility when you get to the edge of the quilt.
You don’t want to be left with awkward little areas to quilt that are puffy because they are surrounded by other quilted areas. You can use a slightly larger stitch length when quilting to accommodate the batting and backing fabric (it’s easier to unpick if you have to as well).
5. Binding
Binding can be cut on the straight grain of the fabric – you only have to cut it on the bias if you are binding curves or wavy edges. However, when making continuous binding, sew your pieces together on the bias (i.e. a 45 degree angle), not perpendicular.
It makes your binding less bulky. If you are using a 2 1/2 inch binding strip, cut the excess batting off 1cm from the stitching line. This will give you the right amount to fill the binding when folding it over to the back to hand stitch it down.
(Click here to learn ‘How to join fabric strips on the bias’)
Posted in Blog, Tutorials.
Tagged with creative quilting, easy patchwork quilt, easy quilt, free patchwork patterns, handmade patchwork quilts, handmade quilts, how to do patchwork, how to do quilting, how to hand quilt, how to make a patchwork quilt, how to make a quilt, how to make a quilt by hand, how to make a simple quilt, how to quilt for beginners, learn how to quilt, learn to quilt, make a patchwork quilt, make a quilt, make patchwork, patchwork and quilting, patchwork designs, patchwork material, patchwork pattern, patchwork patterns, patchwork quilt, patchwork quilt design, patchwork quilt fabric, patchwork quilt patterns, patchwork quilting, patchwork quilts, patchwork quilts for beginners, quilt designs, quilt fabric, quilting fabric, quilting for beginners, quilting how to, quilting kits for beginners, quilting materials, quilts to make, simple patchwork, simple quilt, simple quilting, simple quilts.
By Sherryl
– October 25, 2011
Quilters are known for being resourceful and I have noticed many things designed for other uses being hijacked for use in quilting, and to prove it, I’ve decided to share six of my favorites with you.
Some are because they are just really great for the purpose, but some are because they are cheaper, and hey, we can all use more money to spend on fabric, can’t we?
1. Freezer Paper:
Originally used before plastic bags were invented for wrapping food to put in the freezer, or for layering between frozen goods to keep portions separate.
Now we find it the perfect paper for cutting shapes for needleturn appliqué, and for cutting parts of small, one-off pieced blocks (e.g. in a “Dear Jane” quilt).
The paper is waxy on one side so trace the designs onto the other side and cut out; place the waxy side against the fabric and iron it and it forms a temporary bond with the fabric. Fabric can then be cut out with a seam allowance added. Shapes can be peeled off and re-used several times.
In America it can be bought at supermarkets, but in Australia it is generally only available in patchwork shops.
2. Baking Paper:
We all know this is what stops the cookies sticking to the tray. But it also stops all those lovely fusible products from sticking to the iron.
When using fusible webbing (e.g. Vliesofix, Steam-a-seam etc) for appliqué, or an iron-on stabilizer (Vilene, Pellon, Parlan etc) you can put a piece of Baking Paper on your ironing board to stop it sticking to the board, and another piece on top before you iron, and your iron will stay clean as well.
You can also assemble an appliqué, ironing it onto the baking paper piece by piece, and then peel off the baking paper and iron the entire appliqué onto the background at once.
3. Bicycle Clips:
Quilting with a domestic sewing machine can sometimes be a challenge.
Quilters have discovered one way to control the large area of quilt is to roll it and slip a few bicycle clips (the sort cyclists used to use to keep their flappy trouser legs from getting caught in the chain) over the roll.
This will stop it unrolling, but it is still easy to slip the clip around and unroll it as you go.
4. Snap Hair Clips:
These are the ones little girls wear in their hair all the time, except they don’t need the little flowers and bows and other decorations on them.
They are great for holding down the binding around the edge of the quilt, first as you sew it on, and then as you fold it over and sew it down later. Less pin-pricks in the fingers, and no dropped pins to find later!
5. Gardening gloves:
Yes I know you can buy special quilting gloves with grippy bits on the fingers, but I have found I can buy almost the exact same thing in the gardening department at half the price!
My favorites are the ones which are made of lycra so they fit nice and tight and they “breathe”, but they look as though the whole palm of the hand and fingers have been dipped in latex, which gives a super grippy finish.
I can get them in my favorite color (Pink), there is much less strain on my wrists and fingers and I can quilt for longer!
6. Templates:
Our Grandmothers used cardboard, and we use template plastic, but have you thought of looking around for less expensive options?
Milk and juice often comes in straight-sided bottles which are transparent or semi-transparent, which are great for cutting small templates from.
Old X-Rays are also good for templates. And I’m sure we have all used bowls, lids and coffee cups for drawing circles!
I’m sure you could think of some other options too.
I would love to know what you use for quilting which was meant for something else.
Happy Quilting!
Posted in Blog.
Tagged with Baking Paper, Bicycle Clips, Freezer Paper, Gardening gloves, patchwork, patchwork supplies, quilt, quilting, quilting gloves, quilting supplies, Snap Hair Clips.
By Maree
– August 23, 2011
Gidday Mate!
July 3rd this year was “Sunday Funday” at the church where I lead a couple of craft groups. What this means is several thousand people from the community invited to enjoy food, and lots of activities, especially for the children.
There were jumping castles, games, plaster painting, popcorn, fairy floss, billy-cart races, pies, sandwiches, drinks, soup, and lots of other stuff, all totally FREE!
Our craft groups chose an “Australiana” theme and set up the “Cockatoo Café” in the room where we meet.
We decorated with Australian quilts (a lovely one by Lyn Brocker), folk art with an Australian native floral theme by Kalli Boltman, a collection of vintage wooden pieces featuring pyrography kindly loaned by Karen Deakin, dozens of souvenir tea towels, and lots of other bits and pieces loaned by group members.
Koalas perched on eucalypt branches, kangaroos peaked out from underneath, and the ubiquitous clothesline stretched across the centre of the room, laden with tea towels. Flowering wattle also abounded.
Did we go “over-the-top”? Of course we did! Right down to the tacky souvenir koalas clipped on our cowboy hats and flannel shirts, Slim Dusty singing “The Road to Gundagai”, and the little Aussie Flag toothpicks stuck in the creamed Lamingtons. But that’s what made it so much fun!
Of course we served a fair dinkum “Billy Tea” cuppa (as well as Lemon Myrtle, and Australian Peppermint), and along with the Lamingtons, we also served some beaut “Wattle Seed Scones” with jam and I thought I would share the recipe with you.
It’s the easiest and best scone recipe I’ve found to make plain scones, and you just add the ground wattle seed as an extra. Wattle seed is an Australian native spice that has flavors of walnut, coffee, hazelnut and chocolate. Bonzer!
Lemonade Scones
Pre-heat oven to 240 degrees C
3 cups Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Lemonade
1 cup Liquid Cream
1 Egg
2 tsp Ground Wattleseed (optional)
- Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix lightly.
- Turn mixture out onto a floured board and knead slightly (it is a moist mixture).
- Transfer dough onto a greased oven tray and press out until it is about ¾ inch thick all over.
- Using a sharp knife cut a lattice design of squares through the dough.
- Put the tray in the oven, turning the temperature down to 200 degrees C, for 10-15 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven).
- When cooked, the scones should be slightly golden on top and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Leave them to cool for 5 mins on the tray and then break or cut them apart.
- Enjoy with butter, jam, cream, or cheese. The choice is yours!
So now we are wondering what theme to choose for next year… maybe Paris? You could come and find out!
Happy Quilting (and baking)
Posted in Blog.
By Maree
– July 15, 2011