WOW: Make Way November!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I've got big plans for November..but first I just have to battle through a sinus infection that has left me lying about in bed feeling dizzy and cross eyed. It's my birthday later this week and I really can't be having it from my sickbed, so I'm doing everything I can to get better.

I know you're all as excited as I am about my BOM reveal and I can't wait to get back on my feet and start showing off exactly what I've been up to.. because, oh boy, it's special!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: Counting Down..

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

It's nearly time for my big reveal- what will my BOMs for 2018 look like?

I simply can't wait to show you, stay tuned..

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: A Celebratory Morning Tea

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I've decided that blogs definitely can have birthdays and that 10 years old is occasion enough for a cake and some flowers. True, the cake is store bought  - but perfectly nice. Actually, it's probably nicer than any I could have made myself. The sponge is deliciously light. Much lighter than my own efforts have ever yielded. And the cream is fresh and the strawberries unseasonably ripe. I think they're from Queensland which explains it. Local strawberries this time of year are often so sour.

My DH suggested we should take the family out for a nice meal at hotel we frequent for special occasions. And I considered this, but then decided I'd rather splash that cash on fabric. Happily for me it arrived in record time (36 hours?!) after I carefully selected it online. And I've since gone and ordered some more so I'll have plenty to play around with.

And now it's time for me to return to the business of next years block of the month quilts. Oh my goodness, do I have something to celebrate! I can't wait to show you all my designs for the 3 BOMs coming in 2018.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Current Free BOM: On My Window, Flowers Bloom

OMWFB: Part 3 of 4 is Launched!

On My Window, Flowers Bloom 

An applique wall hanging, finished size 38 x 48 inches.

This is a FREE BOM

Running from August 15th - November 15th 2017

 This is a Free BOM in 4 parts, we are up to Part 3 

Release Dates: August 15th - November 15th

Download it: 

Right here on my blog each month or over in my BOM Group

--free download no longer available--

Members of my BOM Group can download the file from the Group "FILE" area

WOW: 10 Years Already?

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

This is a detail from my wall hanging Lily Rose. I've posted it today because I'm in the mood for flowers. And cake. Possibly both. On the one hand, I think having reached 10 years of blogging is something to be celebrated in style. And ironically, the fact that I have continued blogging in the face of my growing fabric mountain might be my biggest WIP success story ever.

On the other hand, perhaps it was inevitable? And perhaps being online and connecting creatively via the web is such a common daily thing now, completely taken for granted, that celebrating this milestone is just silly? I can't decide. I've been thinking both these things..

..but I have a feeling cake will somehow win.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Years With Red Delicious

This week marks 10 years since I started blogging. As I sit here typing this, I can't even believe that I've been doing this for a decade. A decade!  And the reason I started blogging? This cherry basket:

I'd drawn up this basket design.. and then decided to create a whole quilt around it. And this ended up being a quilt of 'red things that I love.' And blogging seemed the best possible way to share my first every block of the month. Sure, I also wanted to keep my stash mountain contained and keep my WIP pile manageable (failed on both those accounts). But primarily, I wanted to share my designs. And it all started with a cherry.

I'm really pleased that I still love this cherry basket. It doesn't feel dated to me. Certainly it doesn't feel like it's a decade old. And if I had the time, I'd make it all over again.

This was the most commented on block -  mushrooms, forest berries, a capsicum, tomato and ladybug.

My teapot, teacup and fresh strawberries

my heart and fresh cherry blossoms

some long stem roses

some flower heads swaying in the breeze

a vase

apples and pomegranates 

a fan

and some birdies, of course.

I always find a spot to sneak in a bird..or two 

Phew! How could I have known I was kicking off a decade of blogging and BOMs with these sweet motifs? I can still remember a normal life without the internet. Goodness, I feel old saying that. I had no idea that being online would become a daily fixture in my life. In fact, I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me. I didn't even like the internet back then. Look at me now! 

Wow, times change..

What were you doing 10 years ago? 

Has the internet changed how you quilt now?

WOW: 'Udderly Smooth' GIVEAWAY!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

My own WOWs this week are extra special. I wish I could show you the exciting new designs I'm finishing up for next year right now, but I'm keeping them under wraps until the big reveal at the end of the month. What I can tell you is that 2018 is going to be my most beautiful, creative and inspiring yet. Phew, I can hardly wait. Those of you who have snapped up the Early Bird Special are in for a real treat. 

Now, I can't show you what I'm getting up to behind the scenes, but I can do the next best thing. How about a Giveaway?! As a quilter I look at my hands a lot. My hands are busy active hands. Most of the time I'm so absorbed in my applique that I don't notice my neglected nails until I have to post  pics up here on my blog. Then I get a bit taken aback and remind myself it's time to get around to a long overdue manicure. But you know, creative pursuits get in the way. At least, I have found the most perfect hand cream for quilting. Yes, I'm serious! Udderly Smooth is a quilter's dream. It deeply moisturizers hands without a hint of greasiness and within just minutes I can go back to handling fabrics without any worry of staining or smearing. It sounds too good to be true, so I suppose you'll have to test it for yourself.

Today I'm giving away 10 x Udderly Smooth Hand Creams to 10 x lucky readers. And I'll ship it anywhere in the world. It's a somewhat underwhelming looking cream, but I assure you, once you try it, it'll become a staple product in your sewing studio. 

Fancy winning one yourself? Simply leave a comment below. 10 winners will be drawn by random number generation on Friday and announced at the bottom of this post as an "update". Goodluck! 

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Update: Winners Selected 6 October!

Karen Quilts

Sue

Wattle Girl

Sylvie Jourdan

Angie in So Cal

Jennifer Fulton

Dianne Kummelman

Fran

Tubakk

Roseanne

Congrats everyone! Please check your email. Those of you without a blogger account linked to your email, please contact me directly - see my reply message below your comment. 

Block of the Month 2018

For the first time ever, I'm offering 3 x Block of the Month quilts in 2018. I couldn't possibly ask you to choose between them, so I'm giving you access to all of them. 

You're invited to join me for 12 months of beautiful, inspired, exciting new quilt patterns.
The BOM 2018 runs for 1 year; from January 1st 2018 - December 31st 2018. And, because 2018 is an extra special BOM year, Early Bird entry opens early, on September 27, 2017.

What can you expect? To keep my incredible patterns exclusive right up until the last minute and to keep copy cats at bay, I'm holding off on releasing the sketches during the early bird period.  The quilt images will all be released in November and the first BOM starts January 1st. Talk about a Happy New Year! 

2018 is going to be filled to the brim with creativity and surprises. I hope you'll join me as I make my 10th BOM year the biggest ever. 

Simply click the Early Bird below to learn more and sign up. 

Let's Quilt! 

WOW: It's Nearly Time..

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

The clock is ticking. It's nearly time to reveal my plans for 2018.

And it's a big WOW, that's for sure. In fact, it's like nothing I've ever done before. Interested? Stay tuned..

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Love Entwined by Chris Endrich

When I first saw progress on this quilt, I called the chosen hues 'sunshine on fabric.' Today I'm delighted to share Chris's finished quilt with you all. It's a journey full of dedication, love and colour.

Isn't it breathtaking?

Here's what Chris has to say about her journey through Love Entwined:

"I started my quilt when it was published as a BOM and wanted it to show off all the colours I like which is pretty much any colour under the sun, so it includes all possible shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, violet and purple for the flowers. The tone I love most is always bright and light, so I used batik fabrics.  

All the flowers produce so much lovely chaos on this quilt that  some element of order had to be introduced which is provided by the dark blue found in the borders and the zigzag. My favourite part was picking fabric but it was also the hardest part because I had to imagine what it would look like in the end when it all comes together and just hope that everything would be in balance. I'm particularly pleased with the lavender-purple/ red-yellow gradation in the third border that creates a pulsating vivid effect."

Chris, your favorite part is really the most difficult part for me and I love reading about how the shades used throughout inspired you. I definitely agree that the dark blue you have used, really grounds your quilt in just the right way. 

"I'm not much of a fan of broderie perse so I spent hours  on research for  techniques that could be used to create realistic looking flowers. 

I tried a lot of things, I ruched roses in three different techniques, folded calices, frayed daisies etc. LE was a huge playground for me. The wish for realistic flowers led me to change the design in various places, the one that stands out the most is the centre-piece with the four vases which are seasonal vases filled with flowers from my garden. When pieces became too small within the leaf helix of the second border I turned to embroidery and tried different stitches. I decided that the strange shapes at the crossings were butterflies instead of angels which seemed to go nicely with the flower theme and replaced the strange looking bird by a robin.  

After the second border I was fed up with leaves and  thought the double bows need loose ends rather than more leaves. I also wanted real tassels rather than embroidered ones so I made them out of wool."

"After so much appliqué I needed a break and put the top aside for an entire year. With this hand appliqué I wanted to hand-quilt it, too, and after visiting an exhibition comparing quilts I decided on a grid because that's what I think makes the appliqué stand out. 

I quilted a 5/8th inch grid, I quilted  for 5 months for two hours every day. I chose a leaf design for the green borders and an intertwining zigzag for the blue border."

"Now that I'm finished I can't really believe it, LE has been my steady company for four years in total. It encompasses all the workmanship I'm capable of, certainly an insane amount of work and displays my love for colour and flowers like no other quilt has done or ever will do again. 

There's no quilt like it and I'll never undertake such an enterprise ever again. It's unique and stands out amongst all my other appliqué quilts." 

Chris, your Love Entwined quilt is full of joyous light and energy that just floods the senses. When I see your colour scheme and consider how many hundreds of hours you have spent making this magnificent heirloom, I'm in awe. This quilt shines and I'm honored to add it to our Love Entwined Gallery. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. 

There are more images to see! Luckily for us, Chris sent through 16 stunning images (too many for a blog post) that you can view over on her Love Entwined Gallery Page. Click any of the images above to go there now, or click here.

What about you? Are you making Love Entwined? Have you joined the Love Entwined BOM Group? Go ahead and join us as we share friendship, quilting tips and creativity.

If you'd like to make Love Entwined yourself, you can purchase the pattern by visiting my online pattern shop, or click here now to go there.

WOW: Time For A New Stencil Quilt?

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

The answer is definitely maybe. You know I love stenciling, I've been doing it myself and teaching it to others for over 10 years. It's a technique I first got interested in right at the beginning of my quilting. I was so excited at all the possibilities of painting all my own fabric motifs, mixing all my own exact hues and being in artistic control. And it just made sense to create stencils so that I could repeat any beautiful designs I created.

This past week I found a stash of Tulip Delight Table Runners, and a sketchbook of stenciled quilts was in there too. Well, I can confess - when I pack away my mess, I completely forget about it..which is what happened here. But now I am renewed. And thinking about my next painted quilt. I suppose the term 'stencil' sounds rather stiff, but painting your own quilt top is anything but.

In fact, I think this next creation might be one worth blogging through, step by step.

Watch this space..

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

OMWFB: Part 2 of 4 is Launched!

On My Window, Flowers Bloom 

An applique wall hanging, finished size 38 x 48 inches.

This is a FREE BOM

Running from August 15th - November 15th 2017

 This is a Free BOM in 4 parts, we are up to Part 2 

Release Dates: August 15th - November 15th

Download it: 

Right here on my blog each month or over in my BOM Group

--free download no longer available--

Members of my BOM Group can download the file from the Group "FILE" area

WOW: Secret Garden Business!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays 

Today I'm plodding along with my Secret Garden blocks. This is what my Part 8 looks like. I've opted for contrast fabric on the outside ribbons and a beige on the inside. Looking at this pic right now, I realize I have put my little bud in upside down - whoops!

Whilst I've been enjoying my Secret Garden blocks this past week, two groups of women who meet privately decided to host a Christmas Workshop 'sew along' where they will each work on the same pattern together and get a wall hanging finished within the time frame of a 2 day workshop. Well, what's odd is that these two private groups don't know each other and aren't connected and both decide to make Gracie at exactly the same time! I thought that was so unusual, I had to double check - and yep, it's just synchronicity...or perhaps serendipity or maybe even both those things mixed in together. What's even nicer is knowing that there's going to be a whole lot more Gracies out in the world real soon.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

'Gracie' Christmas Workshoppers Pattern

For those of you taking part in the Gracie Christmas Workshop (along with anyone who's interested in snapping up a bargain), you can purchase the pattern right now by clicking below. The heavily discounted price will only apply until Wednesday morning, so finalize your orders immediately. Remember, digital downloads are instant. You will receive a link with your download instantly when the PayPal payment completes.

For anyone else who is interested in getting together to make Gracie, you can organize your own sewing bee or retreat using any of my quilt patterns. Shops are also welcome to contact me regarding yearly licenses to run classes. Feel free to contact me for further info by clicking here now

Happy Quilting everyone ☺

WOW: Catching Up With Myself

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

After dutifully prepping all my pieces for part 4 of Secret Garden, I tucked the envelope away in the wrong folder and have been wondering these past weeks, where it could have got to?! With all the hours of prep in every envelope, losing it was never an option. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Luckily I found my stash of pre stitched ivy leaves and can get my block in order today.

Phew! Not a minute too soon.. I want these blocks completed before I launch the center block.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: Magnolia Madness!

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays 

It's winter down my way and the weather has been weird and it's confused my magnolia tree. A lot of the buds have been destroyed by frost and look like they won't be developing any further. This poor tree has been hit by several false start seasons in a row over the last few years and I'm wondering when I'm going to get to see it in full bloom again.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to make my own 'Monday Flowers' vase installment and get my magnolia fix that way!

I've been photographing bits from my garden to add to my colour files which I always like to leaf through when in search of inspiration.

I have three quilt designs on my desk at the moment and I'm torn equally between each one. The hardest part of releasing each new quilt pattern is deciding which to 'bring to life' via the pattern sheet as I simply don't have enough lifetimes to do them all.

Today I'm doing the laundry and rearranging some plates before I can get back to finishing up some applique prep work. Chores are boring but necessary. I keep telling my DH that I need staff, so that I can dedicate myself to quilting full time. But he doesn't take my staffing requirements seriously. What's a quilter to do?!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

'Monday Flowers' is Launched!

I'm so in love with Magnolias right now. My teacup magnolia tree is budding and promising a whole window full of blooms and I've got my fingers crossed for a bumper magnolia season so I can bring those gorgeous branches indoors for arranging. When I designed my weekly vase range, I just knew magnolias would feature for my 'Monday' vase. Because, after the real thing, there is something just as satisfying - and that's fabric painted magnolias on my wall. 

So here it is. An applique arrangement for any wall you think could use some floral colour. Will your magnolia's be soft and gentle like my own colour scheme? Or will your magnolia's be bold like my fuchsia ones below? Florals are so versatile, you can set the mood and match any interior theme that suits you. 

 

This is 'Monday Flowers' and it's a flower gallery style wall hanging. I’ve designed seven vase designs, one for each day of the week. Each is a stand alone wall hanging, designed to showcase my love of vase arrangements for the home.

Monday Flowers finished size is 23 x 33 inches which feels like a perfect 'painting' size on my walls. The pattern also includes a 50% reduced option for anyone wanting to make it smaller. It's perfect for beginners or anyone who wants to make a statement in applique.

Monday Flowers 

Complete Digital Pattern

(Digital Downloads are INSTANT)

$12.95 USD

OMWFB: Showing Off The Vase 1 Blocks

Oh WOW, take a look at these beauties! I haven't even started my own On My Window, Flowers Bloom yet, but I am very fortunate that I get to enjoy watching everyone else makes theirs over in my BOM Group. It's a hive of activity over there, whenever I drop in there's someone doing something incredible. I just sit down with a cup of coffee and swoon.

I only just released Part 1 of On My Window, Flowers Bloom on August 15th, but already some eager quilter's were quick to get started. So I asked them if I could show off their blocks here on the blog, and they generously agreed. So here we go:

First to get her block up and going was Jenny Henry. She even posted her process over on her blog (click here to visit her blog now). No regular readers of this blog will be surprised to hear this as Jenny is super quick with all my projects and each one somehow ends up being prettier than the last! I don't know how she manages it. 

How gorgeous is her fussy cutting for the centre bloom with just a dash of green? And I love that sky cloud print behind the window too. And her frame fabric is tiny bricks! It's all just so perfect.

Now for another Vase 1 that is equally beautiful but oh so different - take a look at Nancy Randy Paris's block. WOW! How absolutely beautiful are these colours? My goodness I was all in a swoon when I saw these pics.

The background is a scene of (birch?) trees that work perfectly and the balance of yellow, warm orange and brown along with the green foliage is just spot on. It's not easy to get such a harmonious balance that still shines so brightly, but Nancy did it!

And this fabulous color pop below reminds me of the Kaffee Fassett version I have in mind for my own OMWFB. Isn't it just so stunning?! It belongs to Valerie Giles. The foliage has been fussy cut to perfection - look at those leaf veins. The blooming heads are so cheerful and the vase along with that great blue background is just wonderful.

What more can I say? On My Window Flowers Bloom has only just launched and already the blocks being made are all so different but so beautiful and inspiring. WOW!

Thanks Jenny Henry, Nancy Randy Paris and Valerie Giles for allowing me to show off your blocks at this early stage. What eye candy!

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Like it? Make it!

This post is related to On My Window, Flowers Bloom which is my current Free BOM. 

It runs from August 15th - November 15th 2017. 

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WOW: Prep & Conquer

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

People always ask me how I get so much applique done and I always give the same answer - turn edge applique is a game of preparation. You must prep. If you don't like prepping, then applique is not for you. There simply isn't any way around this - although people have asked me if there is a secret more times than I care to count. The secret is prepping. So don't be daunted, just get stuck in. And once you do, you too can prep and conquer!

This envelope is my work for the morning, here I go!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up