Girly goodness

Back in January, with my head down in a flurry of sewing projects, I took the easy way out and picked up a store bought art smock for Lily for school. But oh no - a garish, orange, PVC sack-like thing was not going to cut it for my fashionista. So back it went to the store.

Weeks went by and finally she really did need an art smock. Like YESTERDAY. She wanted one with babushkas which her friend's Mum had bought from Spotlight(by now sold out). With the clock ticking, my grand vision of making one out of Amy Butler oil cloth ground to a halt when I discovered it retails locally for AUD$44m! Inspired by my friend Steph's approach to de-stashing, I decided instead to make one completely from my smallish but perfectly adequate stash.

I was lucky enough to have this super-cute pattern on hand - the Little Flirty Skirty Apron by The Apron Lady Designs, very kindly gifted to me by my friend Marilyn for my birthday last year from Sewco.



Using some sturdy canvas bought many years ago from Ikea for the apron, I added a small bit of babushka fabric in my scraps bin for the pockets, from the very first quilt I made for Lily. Pre-made bias binding added an accent of red.



Some divine babushka tape jazzes up the ties. (Where did I buy that from? A Brusselsprouts de-stash sale?)



The girl is now happy.



This month I also whipped up these two sweet dresses for my little cousins. Again a mission in stash-busting, I used some fabrics from Denyse Schmidt's DS Quilts Collection fabrics from her first range Picnic and Fairground for Spotlight (a "must-have" purchase that has since sat staring at me on my shelf). Thanks to Facebook I came across the Apron Knot Dress Sewing Pattern (3m-5t) by Pitter Patterns on Craftsy. I really liked their sample made using blues and grays. I tried to emulate this by using similar colours in each of mine - greens in one and reds in the other. It was a buzz to create buttonholes on my machine (not something I do very often!). I love how this pattern uses knots in the straps instead of buttons. I'd like to adapt this pattern into a top for myself, perhaps even using a voile (from my stash!).





**Edited to add pics of my darling cousins in their dresses...

Australian fabric designers:: Sarah Fielke & St Ives

I love supporting Australian fabric designers. Favourites of mine include Bird Textiles, Umbrella Prints, Kristen Doran, the many indigenous women who create the designs for M&S Textiles and of course, Sarah Fielke.

It was with much anticipation that I awaited Sarah's latest fabric range from Lecian called St Ives. A prolific Sydney-based quiltmaker, teacher and author, Sarah's previous range was From Little Things. Her book Quilting From Little Things was released last year and she is busily working away on her new book (read this funny guest post on her blog by Erica Spinks).

My local patchwork fabric store of choice, Sewco Sewing Centre at Mt Gravatt, kindly agreed to order in a selection of bolts from Sarah's St Ives range.



How to choose?!! After much indecision, I selected some prints and made two skirts for my young cousins.

The first was a Twirly Girl Skirt by Pink Chickadee Designs:





The second was a Lazy Days skirt (free pattern available here from Oliver & S) :





The girls in their skirts...



A few weeks ago, Mia decided to make her best friend Sass a "rock star skirt". She picked out the fabrics, including one from St Ives. She figured out which fabric would go where and even sewed some of it. Mia rockin' Sass' rock star skirt:



Sending Sarah lots of creative vibes, cups of tea and magically un-ending hours for the gestation of her new book!

community...compassion...love...hope

Today I donated this wall hanging for auction to help raise money for the family of one of the women I wrote about and made a piece for in my last blog post. Her circle of women have rallied around her in the most inspiring ways, one of which includes organising a huge party and auction this Sunday.

Using the same processes as my last two pieces, I again featured Lauren Burch's Celestial Dreams fabrics, as well as an indigenous Australian print Yalke Blue (meaning Bush Onion) by June Smith for M&S Textiles. You can read about June and her work here.

I forgot to measure it before posting it off, but I think it measures about 16" x 10". I sewed on a rod pocket, inserted a piece of dowel and tied on cord so it can be hung by it's new (hopefully very generous!) owner.









You can find out more about the auction and how to help this family on this Facebook event page.

Quilts that heal

Recently I was very moved by this powerful creation, a piece called "Caesarean Quilt" made by a mother in the United States called Renee Hoffman who gave birth and experienced a traumatic caesarean in 2010.


Cesarean Quilt by Renee Hoffman, USA

I cried a lot after he was born, partially due to hormones, but mostly due to the events surrounding his birth. At follow up appointments with my certified nurse midwife, I felt like I was told the same thing over and over, as though she was quoting from a script: "Just be thankful you and the baby are healthy, that's all that matters." Never was my emotional damage or turmoil addressed.

I decided to wait a year to heal mentally and physically before doing in-depth research into cesareans and vaginal births after cesareans (VBACs). I met with a certified professional midwife--the very midwife that had delivered my twin brother and I nearly 27 years before--about having a homebirth. She was wonderfully encouraging and supportive. She encouraged my husband and I to find a way that would help us release and express our emotions from our son's birth. One night as I was falling asleep I came up with an image of a woman releasing red waves of pain and emotions into the wind. I had been planning on making a Ticker Tape quilt for a while, and knew the method would work well to turn the image into a quilt.

I wanted to include single words that expressed all the emotions and thoughts I had had since having the cesarean, and wanted to get my husband involved too. We both made a list of words separately then we discussed our lists, adding even more words. As I started quilting the words onto the quilt, I thought of new words and soon there were 70 words! It took nearly a month to complete, and now hangs above our bed. About two weeks after it's completion I became pregnant, and am currently expecting our second child, via home VBAC, in March 2012.

Renee Hoffman, interview on the International Museum of Women's website

You can read more from Renee about her quilt and see several stunning photos here on the International Museum of Women's website and in this post on Renee's own blog.

I was so touched to see how Renee and her husband used quiltmaking to help them on their journey of healing. Sending them many blessings for the upcoming birth of their second baby!

There are two very special women I know who have touched the lives of many people dear to me. Both are wild women, community-minded, creative, passionate and living in the same area (although I don't think they know each other). They too are on the journey of their lives, both on a journey with cancer. I was moved to make them something that reminds them that there are many people who are holding them in their hearts right now. Inspired by Renee's creation, I made two small wall quilts for them.





I created a sandwich of backing, thick double-sided fusible interfacing, batting and a base fabric. Appliqueing small pieces using Vlisofix, I free-motion quilted them down, as well as quilting words of meaning.







I chose to use Laurel Burch's Celestial Dreams fabrics, which I featured in a previous quilt for a dear friend. Laurel was a prolific artist who lived with the bone disease osteopetrosis. Laurel's website describes the motivation behind her art:

“In our fast-paced, changing world,” she said, “we need symbols that are a reminder of the ongoing world of the spirit.” On some level, her work was always about bringing different cultures together, and about our connection with the earth and all living things, ideas that have only increased in relevance today.

The universe of her imagination was fertile, burgeoning, uplifting, egalitarian, a place where every flower and dragonfly was transformed into something...magical and beautiful.

For obvious reasons, the subject of healing was always close to her heart. “Being physically vulnerable is, in a lot of ways, a tremendous advantage in terms of human wisdom. My bone disease was my gift,” she said.

Wrapped with love...





Healing energy and positivity is in every stitch of these gifts. Sending both these women much love and support on their journeys.

Off to class with 3Hours Past & Laundry Collection's Sewing School

Sew. Much. Fun.

Steph from 3 Hours Past the Edge of the World ~ Sewing, Pattern Alteration, Vintage Style, Ethical Fashion and more has teamed up with Mel from Laundry Collection’s Sewing School to run a four week Sewing Foundation course in Brisbane. You can read more about Steph on her blog here.

Sewing Foundations- Learn to sew or buff up your skills with a passionate, experienced teacher.

Learn sewing fundamentals while creating a casual outfit you can actually wear! We’ll make a simple shopping bag, Ginger - a versatile A-line skirt pattern, and a Blank Canvas Tee. Skills and concepts covered include:

Understanding basic fabric types (including a swatch kit you can keep)
Grain- straight of grain, bias grain, and knits
Sewing terms
Cutting procedures
Working with a pattern so it fits (we can also lower the waistband on the skirt and play with the neckline on the tee if that’s an issue!)
Marking
Sewing a strong, durable plain seam
Interfacing and its uses
Basting
Easing
Using an overlocker (one will be provided)
Inserting an invisible zipper
Patch pocket application
Hems (Use the same skill to take up pants!)
Basics of cutting and sewing knits- including stitches, needles, and stabilizers
Embellishments (For more comfortable sewists. Whatever you like- stenciling, applique, lace insertion. Try me. :))
Sizing in patterns and clothing companies

I was really excited when I first saw details of this course. I've been lucky to do classes with Steph before (an Amy Butler bag and my birthday workshop), so I know what a great teacher she is. And not to mention, one cool chick (she makes all her amazing clothes and is so generous with her advice).

Although I'm confident with quilting and making kids' clothes, I'm really daunted by adult dressmaking. I am thrilled at the prospect of learning to make clothes for myself that fit well and out of great fabrics. And I WILL conquer my fear of zips!

Earlier this week five of us attended our first class. I was ridiculously excited to be there! There's a real mix of experience amongst us and we are all keen to learn.



The lovely Steph talked us through the projects we will be making, the different kinds of fabrics and extras we will need (cotton knits = good, lycra = bad. See, I took notes), gave hints on places to shop for great dressmaking fabrics in Brisbane and much more.

Our week 1 project was a simple carry bag, made out of re-purposed fabric (in my case, a pre-loved blockout curtain) and embellishments kindly provided by Steph and Mel. Given my addiction to new fabric, upcycling is shamefully not a habit I have cultivated. Crazy, given that the roots of patchwork and quilting lie in marrying thrift and beauty.

I am thrilled with the result, a creative and eco-friendly solution to my need for a swimming bag. Looking forward to more green sewing.



I love this little dude. Must try more to channel my inner, chilled-out gnome.



Can't waaaaaiiiittttt for next week - we are making a t-shirt using Steph's own free-to-download Blank Canvas Tee pattern.

If you are in Brisbane and keen to learn how to sew in a fun way, then run don't walk here to Steph's website for full information on the course.

An Aussie, mint-y, Grinch-y, chocolate-y Christmas!

I have already gifted almost everything I have made this year, so it's safe to do a blog post!

This apron made from a panel from Spotlight should have arrived at my Dad and Step Mom's house near San Francisco, California. A little bit of Australia for them for Christmas!



To share a weekly ritual I've been doing this year with some of my friends and family, I made them some foot scrub goodie bags.



I sewed draw string bags using one of my favourite prints in Denyse Schmidt's DS Quilts Collection for Fabric Traditions line available at Spotlight. Into each went a jar of homemade foot scrub (epsom salts, spearmint and lavender oils as well as dried lavender), a foot emery board or pumice stone, a small bottle of The Body Shop's Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion and some chammomile tea bags! And of course, a tub each to soak in!



I made cloth Christmas cards from a gorgeous Laurel Burch Holiday Celebrations panel.



While our families are sleeping, I hope we can all bliss out together every week watching some iView or reading a book, knowing that across Queensland there are other mummas taking some time out for ourselves. Join us!

Last week was stocking-mania, with sixteen Christmas stockings whipped up over a couple of days for the many kids we caught up with. Some were out of a panel from Spotlight.



The rest from various Christmas fabrics including a gorgeous one I picked up from Voodoo Rabbit called Holiday Happy Little Santa by Happy Zombie for Lecien.



I spied this How the Grinch Stole Christmas panel at the Craft and Quilt Fair. My youngest daughter Mia loves the film. I finally made it up into bunting yesterday morning, with the help of a free pattern I received in a Voodoo Rabbit newsletter. You can buy the panel from them here.









I also made a batch of my favourite brownies to share amongst friends. I tried to convert it to the Thermomix, but having done so, I reckon this one is easier to make with the old electric beaters. For those who have drooled over these in the past - I found the recipe online! Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies from taste.com.au



I'm on the home stretch now, with my last project hopefully being whipped up tomorrow along with shopping and packing and a zillion other things before we start our Christmas holidays.

Merry Christmas to you!

17th quilt for a 17th birthday

The Tempest Quilt pattern by Cherry House Quilts is a PDF pattern available here for only US$9. The idea behind the stunning design is to use solid fabrics in two colourways, one for the main part of the blocks and one for the accents. This is the design as on the pattern cover:



Cherry House Quilts also have a great colour chart "with the exact Kona Solids colors you will need to create The Tempest in seven different options". It helped inspire me to see how I could feature the colours in my nephew's bedroom in their new house, as secretly posted to me on this sheet from his Mum.



Using my friend's invaluable Kona Solids Colour Card (I want!) which has one inch swatches of each of the 220 fabrics in the range, I was able to match up greys and browns for the main colour. For the accents I chose black, two different reds, sky blue, white and ivory.

Based on range and price, I purchased the Kona Solids fabrics from Hancocks of Paducah and Fat Quarter Shop.

The pattern is very simple, featuring strip piecing. All cut and ready to piece:



Blocks made and laid out, ready to sew into rows:



This is the largest quilt I have made so I got it quilted with a modern geometric pattern by Barb Cowan of The Quilt Connection here in Brisbane. It's the second time I've had a quilt quilted by Barb (the first was this one for my friend's daughter). It's a joy to work with her.



Finished!



It turns out this is the seventeenth quilt I have made since I started quiltmaking in May 2009. You can see a gallery of all of them here on my Flickr page. Sweet then, that it's for my nephew's seventeenth birthday!

Stitched into it is lots of good luck for his final year of school and hopes for his future as he blossoms into a wonderful young man.