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Patterns for Block 3 and 4 are up at the Spotlight website for download!
Are you quilting along? It's not too late to join in! Plus make sure and send me pics of anything you make with On the Pond so I can share them on my blog, for all to see. Hope you're all having fun with the fabric, I love hearing from you all :) Happy Tuesday everyone
Hello lovely people, good morning to you! A quick post to let you know that my Craftsy class is up and running! We already have loads of students having a fantastic time over there so come along and join us!
The class is calls Big Techniques from Small Scraps. You can learn to make 6 different small quilts with me, all in different techniques and styles. You can join in any time and watch at your own pace, so don't be worried that you've missed the start of the class or anything like that!
I would love to see you all in class, make say and say hi if you join in! Also as a special offer for December, purchase anything over $20 from my web shop during the month of December and get a card entitling you to 50% off my Craftsy class.
Have a great day everyone! I'm off to teach a real life class :)
Karen made this version of my quilt, A Walk in Deventer. Didn't she do a great job?
The pattern for A Walk in Deventer is available from my website, and you can even get a DVD that tells you all about my method of hand applique. Here's my quilt:
Isn't it funny how some quilts just hit a buzzer with people? And it's never the one you think. For example, this is one of my favourite quilts:
And I don't think I've ever sold a pattern for it, other than to students in class. It's a funny old world :)
So, after I went to Towoomba and Melbourne and Orange, I went to New Zealand. Told you I've been busy, and that's not even the end of it! It is the next step though, so I boarded my Qantas jet and spent 3 happy hours watching My Week with Marilyn and appliquing in an otherwise row of empty seats - the perfect flight.
Fenella from Stitch Playroom in Christchurch picked me up and whisked me straight away to a retreat in Pudding Hill! This is the first year of the Keep Calm and Quilt On Winter Retreat, and it was great fun! The place we stayed was in beautiful setting in the mountains at Pudding Hill.
Isn't that beautiful? For a girl from Sydney where there ain't no mountains or snow, the view from the front of our room gave me quite a kick.
Fenella and Shiree had everything beautifully organised, including little goodie bags for everyone, a shop at the front of the room and lovely morning and afternoon teas.
With a lovely big light room to work in and lots of space -
everyone soon got comfortable pulling out fabrics and making a mess, as quilters do!
With all skill levels in the class from absolute beginner right on through, there was a huge variety of projects going on, mainly projects from Quilting: from little things.
And some old favourites too...
And some took their new found Step Down piecing skills and designed something of their own on the second day!
The two days went by very quickly and soon we were all packed up and off back to Christchurch - but I think that's enough pics for today. You can see the post Fenella wrote about the retreat here and Shiree's post here. Off to the studio to get some work done for me.
What to blog about first? There's been so much going on with me that having time to blog has not been very pratical. Now that I have a little down time though I don't know where to start!
How about I start at the beginning? 'Coz I haven't told you about my trip to Toowoomba yet, and that was WEEKS ago.
I love going to Queensland because it usually means seeing my husband's parents. I know loads of people whine about their mother-in-laws, but not me - and that's not just because I know she reads my blog :) Having lost my own beautiful mum 12 years ago, to me Dorothy is the next best thing, and it doesn't hurt that I quite like her hubby too (heh heh). AND I get to look out at this every morning:
Beautiful. And so a trip to teach in Toowoomba for Lisa at Precious Time also meant that I got to spend time at the farm, and that the kids and Damian could come too. The boys spent a very happy few days riding motorbikes, cutting down trees and chopping firewood.
And while they were doing that, I got to go here:
Isn't that a fantastic space to teach in? A lovely light room, and everyone had loads and loads of space and room to lay their blocks out.
We had a lovely group of ladies and everyone got right to work. Over the two days, we had Jazz Hands (pattern from Material Obsession Two):
Two versions of The Burbs (Material Obsession One):
Two versions of Looking Back (Material Obsession Two):
A Stars in Your Eyes (Quilting: from little things):
Two Made in Cherry's (kits available from my website):
A Night Garden (Quilting: from little things, perspex template sets for rotary cutting available from my website):
I think SIX different Whirligigs - but I only have a pic of one! (Quilting: from little things, applique kit available from my website):
Two versions of The Seasons (Material Obsession Two):
Two different Geese Around the World (Quilting: from little things):
And a Fruit Tingles (Material Obsession Two)- and a partridge in a pear tree!!!
(Thanks to Lisa for letting me use some of her photos). They certainly kept me busy but it was a fantastic few days and I will be back in Toowoomba later in the year - and I think again after my new book comes out in April next year - right Lisa? :)
It wasn't all work though - I did get to go and play a little in Lisa's beautiful shop. If you're in Toowoomba it is certainly worth a visit to this pretty little blue cottage. Just look at all those quilters streaming in.
Precious Time is a treasure trove of pretty things and little nooks filled with gorgeous fabrics and kits.
This was just the most beautifully organised workshop and I had a blast. Thanks so much to Lisa for inviting me! One of the things I love so much about travelling to teach is the new friends I make in the process, and I've certainly made some great ones in the last few weeks. Lucky me :)
Home home, I'm home! Not that I've been miles and miles away, just in and out for a few weeks, so it's nice to sleep in my bed and hug my dog, before I'm off again on Thursday.
So where have I been? First to the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, for my best friend's 40th birthday. 40 is a bit of a theme around here this year - all my school pals are turning 40, and it appears I am next. Ay carramba.
The Hunter was a few days filled with friends and fun and food an laughter, wonderful medicine for the soul and a welcome break from book deadlines and emails! And just look at our beautiful Easter fairies in the garden. Watching the children of your friends grow up is such an unexpected blessing.
Home from the Hunter, pack my bags and off again to Melbourne for the AQC! Rather than attending this year, I went instead to the beautiful Amitie for a day class and a night of Show and Tell.
If you can believe it I was so busy chatting and teaching and sipping champagne, I didn't take a SINGLE picture?? You can spank me later, but did anyone take any they would like to share? Bri? Anyone in class? Andi? Meredithe? Needless to say, pics or no pics I had a WONDERFUL time at Amitie. Such lovely girls in the class and the show and tell was great fun! Thanks for hosting me Jenny and Lucy, and I hope I'll be back soon!
Onwards.... on this trip I took along my trusty sidekick, who had been asking to come on one of my "business trips" for a few weeks. Melbourne seemed like a good opportunity to spend some time with my big boy - don't tell him that though, I told him I only wanted him for his luggage allowance ;-)
Here he is loving having his photo taken at lunch on Lygon St. He was happier than that I promise - nothing like a trip to Koko Black and a long, long shopping walk up Brunswick St to make a teenage boy smile. A few cool knick knacks and a new t-shirt later and we collapsed at the hotel, before dinner with my Wonder Chauffeurs, Penny and Liz at Seamstress.
I love Melbourne!! We lived there for 3 years once upon a time, and I would happily have stayed despite my heart bleeding Sydney blood. The buildings, the shopping, the food, the friends... here's some yarn bombing Charlie and I stumbled over on Lygon St. Charlie was fascinated that people would go out and knit as a form of graffiti.
AQC was the final stop for our trip, and actually the whole reason for me to go in the first place. I wanted to go and see this little lady.
That's my quilt, A Wing and A Prayer, hanging in the Best of the Best exhibition. It's quite a compliment for me to be chosen for this exhibition and I was quite thrilled, so I thought a trip to Melbourne to see her hanging was on the agenda. Please excuse the iPhone photos, she did look better than that :)
The Australasian Quilt Convention is a bright spot on the Australian quilting calendar. If you're looking for a quilt retreat to take classes with international and Australian tutors, have fun with other quilters and do some great shopping, this is it. I've been in one way or another every year since it started and I love it. It's held here:
in the beautiful old Royal Exhibition Centre, whose insides are old painted wood ceilings and parquet floors. A stunning setting for a quilt show.
Needless to say I had a little retail therapy....
And lovely lovely Penny gave me all these pieces from her Liberty stash for a secret project for my new book! I'm collecting as many different Liberties as I can for it and this was her kind contribution. Thanks Penn!!
oooo, pretty. Pat, pat, pat.
Right, this post is plenty long enough. I will tell you about the trip to Orange the day after my return from Melbourne in the next post! And so I have 3 days home before S. Fielke, Travelling Show jets off again, this time to Precious Time in Toowoomba for a two day class and a Show and Tell night. The class is booked out, but if you would like to come and see my quilts and hear my prattling about them, come along and say hi.
One of the good things about going away is that sometimes when you get home there are surprises... and lookie what came in the mail while I was gone. Summersville, direct from my mate Lu!
Swooneroo, thanks babe - can't WAIT to chop this lot up.
**Feel free to pin my images, but please be cool and link back! Thanks :) **
So many classes lately! And more to come. If you're wanting to see me I'm in Melbourne next week - my class at Amitie is full but I am doing a show and tell night and you can still get into that. I'm at The Patchwork Orange in Orange NSW the week after that, and in Toowoomba at Precious Time the week after that - and in New Zealand in May!! If you want more details on the classes feel free to email me and ask, otherwise contact the shops (details in the sidebar inder EVENTS) and book yourself right in.
Classes in Sydney meanwhile are chugging along. Here's a selection:
Sue has been appliquing a quilt from Fons and Porters book, Quilts From the Henry Ford, one of my all time favourite quilt books. I love her bold colours, we had fun picking them out.
Sam is sewing 1" hexies into a rainbow. She's a few rounds out but basically we're going red and yellow and pink and green... purple and orange and blue... singing a rainbow, and wait until you see the stars she's made for the corners.
Little Miss Ella popped into Wednesday night class a few weeks ago with her mum to learn how to hand quilt. She made this quilt top herself, and spent the night happily stitching, and doing a lovely job of it too. Hooray for Ella!
All the quilts in the following posts are from my patterns. You can contact me for purchase information.
Down at Cottage Quiltworks there's fantastic quilts coming out our ears. Emma is making a little version of Candy Shop as a runner for the end of her daughter's bed.
Rebecca is making A Sandwich Short of a Picnic is soft colours for her little daughter.
And Liz is making Flock Together - wow look at those colours! This is going to be gorgeous.
Another wonderful Stars in Your Eyes quilt is underway here:
I love this pattern - it's a little tricky to get together but the results are so worth it. I love seeing all the different versions going on around the place! Here's one made by Jenni - not a student, but an online friend :)
Love that border!
Margaret has been making Sandwich too - this one is for a teenage boy, and don't the colours look bold. Love it.
I dropped into my devine friend Flo's shop (Plue au Vent in Greenwich) the other day for a late afternoon Friday champagne and brie on the sidewalk :) If you haven't been to Flo's shop and you're in Sydney, get yourself over there and check it out. Such beautiful things and such great taste. AND she has old quilt tops!! Run, don't walk. On display at the moment is her version of my Bless You quilt - doesn't it look great?
Between the teaching, lots of stitching... hope you're all getting lots of stitching in too. Leaving you with two blogs to read - check out Thomas's blog on copyright for some very sensible answers to the MANY (and I mean many) queries and panics I've been getting about the Kate Spain/Emily Ceir situation - Thomas explains where you stand with regards to using printed fabric clearly and sensibly in this post. I've refrained from blogging about this because I didn't want to get in the middle of it - however I think Thomas has said everything I wanted to say!
And after you've checked THAT out, hop on over to the Cottage Quiltworks new blog - all the latest fabrics and pics from all their teacher's classes - including mine! Happy Wednesday....
Is it really a week since I blogged last? I'm so sorry peeps! Will you forgive me if I say that I'm head down and bum up, working on a new book and a new fabric range? Loads of busy and exciting things planned for this year, but you will have to wait a little longer for the reveal.
Meantime luckily all my clever students have been sewing and I can show you what they've been making.
Class at Cottage Quiltworks is always fun, not only do we have a huge and wonderful classroom to romp in but then there's the beautiful shop to rummage through... last class we had a new student who not only came along proudly showing off her completed Stars in Your Eyes quilt (which she made at home, on her own, as her FIRST QUILT ladies!)
Then she decided she's like a challenge and went headlong for Flock Together.
We spent a good part of the day picking out fabrics, and the shop looked like this:
But these are her colours for stars, points and backgrounds so she's off and running! I can't wait to see this quilt come together.
Another CQW student has been working hard on her Whirligig centre with fantastic results. Just look how pretty it is:
There are Whirligigs going on all over the place at the moment. Quite a few on Twitter too! This on is by @petitselefants, we've had a bit of debate over wether the setting triangles work but not that they're on I think they are F.A.B.
Such prettiness. If you want to come and chat to me on Twitter my handle is @sarahfielke
My SIL Maria has been stitching too! She tried her hand at the Step Down dolly quilt and used up some of her cute novelties.
Last but by no means least, Peta from my Wednesday night class has been quietly and patiently hand stitching together her version of my Sunday quilt. If you can believe it, Peta is making this quilt as a present for her sister. She's planning to hand quilt it as well.
Hasn't she done the most beautiful job? It's just gorgeous.
All of these quilts are from my books. Why don't you come along and make a quilt with me too? Don't be daunted, you don't have to be an experienced sewer. I love teaching beginners and loads of the quilters in my classes now were beginners when they first came to my classes. Come on you'll have a great time and we would love to have you! Check the sidebar for details of where I'm teaching near you, or email me if you need more details.
Back to book quilts, hand painting and kit cutting - more ordering of backgrounds means that there are still a few Made In Cherry kits from Better Homes and Gardens up for grabs in red, and one or two in the other colours. Be quick!
PS. There's been a bit of confusion this week over the Stars in Your Eyes pattern - if you have been reading about this, there is nothing wrong with the pattern it is correct. You need to look at the templates, diagrams and picture of the quilt to help you along, some of the diamonds are not cut as expected for a patchwork quilt, and some are. If you are making it and having trouble please email me.
I've been fitting my BOM blocks in amongst other things, and I'm having fun making them! They're going to be bright but isn't that half the fun? I still have Pat Sloan and Quiltdad's to make.
More pics of quilts have been coming in, plus one I have meant to show you for MONTHS. Sandi at Cottage Quiltworks came along to a few of my classes there and made The Burbs. She decided her ladies would be The Help, having just seen the movie! So here are her ladies....
Aren't they fantastically retro? I LOVE the combo of the check in the background and the border. Just gorgeous. Robyn came to my class at the Cottage Quiltworks Winter Escape last year not knowing what to expect. She didn't think improvisational piecing was going to be for her, but look what happened....
She got so excited about her dollies, houses and trees she made three quilts for her grand daughters! How cute are those, nearly as cute as her grandbabies.
Claire from Belgium has been making A Sandwich Short of a Picnic. I love her fabrics!
I've been making things too but I can't show you... my next book is heavily in the works and there are bits of quilt all over the house. You'll have to wait until 2013 for it though..... but here's what I've been chopping up this afternoon.....
mmm, Malka Dubrawsky. Having fun.
I love it so much when people send me things they have made that were inspired by my patterns. I've been saving up a whole bunch I've been meaning to show you, so I'm going to release them all in a flood. My apologies if I have forgotten some of the names or gotten my tags mixed up!
Deb Robertson from Christchurch has made a Coming Up Roses (Material Obsession Two) quilt to commerate the earthquakes in NZ last year.
That's her little daughter there lying on the bottom so you can see how big it is!
I'm ashamed to say I can't remember who sent me this little beauty - I have a feeling it belongs to Rita at Red Pepper, and I right Rita? It's called Peaks and Troughs and it's from Quilting: From Little Things.
Therese has been hard at work making my Flutter By quilt.
Such pretty fabrics!
A group of ladies in the UK have all been making quilts based on my Seasons quilt, also from MO2. Here is Kay's Summer Wallhanging:
Jackie's Season's quilt:
Margaret's Season's Quilt:
And Eric'as Season's Playmat.
And here's what Dorothy has been doing with the St Ives fabrics she won in my giveaway!
Sharon has been making a lovely version of Jungle Boogie (MO2)
Margaret and the girls in my class at Calico and Ivy have been hard at work too. Here's Margaret's Whirligig quilt:
Rosalie's Down the Rabbit Hole quilt:
And Linda's Sandwich Short of a Picnic!
I can't wait to get back to classes this week and see what everyone else has been up to. What have you been making?
