The Last Piece

Winter Wonderland

This is a quilt I made using Moda's new Wonderland fabric. The exciting news is, it's going to be in the May edition of Australian Women's Weekly! And even more exciting, all of you get an exclusive preview, and a chance to buy the kit.

I only have enough fabric for seven kits in total ( I'm not a shop any more girls - there's only so much stock I can carry!) and I'm giving my blog readers the chance to order a kit for the quilt before the magazine is released later in the week and they all sell.

The quilt is a King Single size, and the fabrics in the kit are as close as I could get them - there are a few different but all the major ones are the same. The kit includes the magazine, the fabric for the top and the binding, and costs $155 AUS plus postage.

Hopefully I will have a full length picture of the quilt for you in the next day or so, but right now here is the lovely shot they took to style for the magazine. I can't shoot the quilt for you myself, because the magazine liked it so much they bought it from me to hang in their offices. How nice is that?

You might also all have noticed the little bean icon in the menu bar... I am in the process of getting the shop up and running properly, but in the mean time you can click through and buy the book directly and get a PayPal invoice. Because I only have so few kits I won't put it in the shop, just shoot me an email (sfielke@ozemail.com.au) with any questions you have about the kit or to order and I will invoice you directly.

Hurry, they won't last and I can't get any more.... :) Material Obsession

**** appendix - and again. Original kits are sold, I have enough fabric coming for four more kits with the original borders, which I was told I couldn't get! If you are interested in a kit with original borders or duplicate borders, please email me as above....Here are the duplicate borders:

 

ANZAC Day

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

If you are not from Australia or New Zealand, then odds are that you won't know about ANZAC Day. If you don't, the short version is that it is a national day of rememberance for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Focus is often on the soldiers of the Frist and Second World Wars, but the day is one of thanks for all Australian soldiers. For the long version, you can click here to read more about the ANZACs and their bravery.

If you were in Australia or New Zealand, odds are also that you may have made ANZAC biscuits today. And if you aren't and you haven't made them before, you are in for such a treat.

There are a few theories on the origins of ANZAC biscuits, but they certainly were "invented" First World War, around 1914/15. Historians say they came about due to resourceful of the women on the "home front" in an endeavour to make a treat for their loved ones that would survive the long journey by post to the war front.

They are so easy to make, give them a go if you haven't made them before. Your kids are guaranteed to love them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1 cup (90g) rolled oats
• 1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar
• 125g butter
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar.
2. Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
3. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
4. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart.
5. Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.
7. Makes about 27 bicsuits (cookies, you gals in the US of A!)

MMM, they look good, you know they do. Sarah Fielke Material Obsession

 

 

Material Obsession Two: Shared Inspiration

It's here, it's here!! Book 2 is out and ready to jump into all of your hot little hands. If you have ordered one already I will contact you tomorrow regarding delivery and payment etc, if you haven't and you want one, email me to sfielke@ozemail.com.au and I will shoot one straight out!

 

Going now to put on my jammies and have another look at my own copy in bed. Excitement!

Joining In!

I just found the most fun thing! Head on over to Park City Girl to read all about it, but basically bloggers from all over are getting together to link up, and talk about a favourite quilt from their quilting history. So I thought I'd join in. What a great idea!

I'm going to share a quilt that's a current favourite of mine. It's about to be in Material Obsession 2 which will give you all a bit of a sneak peek. 

It's called the Maple Leaf Rag. I named the quilt after a piece of jazz music by Scott Joplin which you can hear in this link.

The reason I called named it after the piece is that the circles in the quilt go around and around just like the song. All the colours and patterns remind me so much of the happy go lucky rythmn of the piano. 

Busy right? Busy but controlled. I had SO much fun making this quilt, but it took me nearly three years to come up with a formula to make it that I liked. Because I knew I had to write the pattern afterwards I had to make it in a way that made sense!!

The quilt has pieces from just about everything bright in my stash, as well as pieces from friends stashes and scrap baskets, and students stashes and scrap baskets. This quilt eats fabric for breakfast, so I pinched bits from everywhere to make sure that I didn't repeat anything. Nope not anything, not once! Nothing like a challenge!

So that's my contribution to the First Annual Bloggers Quilt Festival, and thanks to Park City Girl for organising it! Head over there and have fun everyone...

Sarah x

Photography by John Doughty for Material Obsession 2: Shared Inspiration

Moo

I love the Easter Show. For those of you not aquainted with the Sydney show, every Easter there is a big fair in Sydney city. Country people come in from all over bringing their animals and produce for show and for sale. You can walk through huge pavillions filled with all different kinds of cows, horses (my favourite), pigs, goats, sheep, dogs and cats. I always love to see all the little oinking piglets rummaging around in the straw.

I made good friends with this little guy, who even though he looks huge in this picture actually only came up to just above my knee. He has a soft head. Is it really daggy and city-girlish to pat a cow?

Moo. 

There's craft (not many quilts girls, sorry about that), arts including wood carving and painting, and egg decorating! There's lots of food, from dagwood dogs and cheese on a stick to oysters and white wine. There's rides, which if course is why my boys were there in the first place.

I love dodgem cars. Don't you all call them bumper cars in the USA?

There's plenty of things for adults, and discerning crafters, to see and buy.

And of course there's show bags, a child's reason for being. Of course grown ups don't need show bags, they're just for the kids, thats why I limited myself to just two :) 

You can't go home without a bag full of Cadbury to eat in front of Brothers and Sisters. (Anyone out there love this program as much as I do??)

The boys came home having been spun around and upside down, and full of fairy floss, hot dogs, chips, and lollies. And of course wearing a big furry purple hat. Which is what going to the show is all about. 

Sarah x

Playing Catch Up

Back home from Brisbane and playing catch up on all the things I didn't do before we left.

The amazing thing is how great it all looks! I'm really excited and I have never had such a great space to sew in before. Pity I have no time to sew in it. :)

You can blame all the bad pictures on hubby, who has decided I can't have my new camera until we go to the USA in May, and we can get it duty free. Party pooper.

From the class room back to the sewing room.

Part of the stash!

Oooooh, what's that on the design wall?

Classroom! Yay, I love it all.

Hey, have any of you got this yet? (Looking at the overloaded book shelf, can you believe there's a quilt book I DON'T own??) Mr Postman (he's been kind to me lately) brought this on Friday, it's brand new and I think it is the best quilt book I own. It has so many wonderful quilts in it, especially ones I have never seen before. That's exciting because so many antique quilt books seem to re-hash the same quilts over and over. There are so many things to look at here and so many ideas, and so much great information! Yippee, now I just need the kids to be busy doing something else and a cup of tea and I'm all set. That of course is ignoring the housework and the other boxes that are sitting unpacked in my bedroom.

We had such a lovely week at the farm. It rained the first few days but I didn't care one bit, it was a great opportunity to be able to not do anything. The boys loved rolling around outside in the mud, riding their bikes through puddles and making damper in the fire. They also had their first BBQ lesson from Dad and learned the manly art of standing around cooking sausages.

That is soft drink, not beer Charlie is holding!

I always come home feeling that my city exsistence is missing something after a week of home grown veggies, home baked bread and fresh laid eggs. Come on renovation, when I get not only a nice new house but a veggie garden and chooks too!

I wanted to photograph some of the beautiful grasses and textures that surround the farm for you all, but this is about as good as I came up with - next time, sorry about that.

Hope you're all having nice Easter holidays. I'm off the the Easter Show with the boys this afternoon in the rain. The things we do for love!

Sarah x

News!

Hey guess what! I'm going to be doing a colour lecture at the City Quilter in New York City! If you're in NYC come and see me and some of my quilts (as many as I can pack into my suitcase!), say hi and hear me ramble on about colour for a while. There are only 25 spots available for the colour lecture so book fast, but if enough of you book we will do another one as well so get on the phone!

 

How very excitement. I will also be signing books at the Moda stall at Market in Pittsburg on May 15th from 3.30 until 4.30, so if you're at Market I would love to see you. The on the way out to home I will be talking colour again at a shop in Berkeley CA, I'll let you know the details of that as soon as I know myself.

Yay! I can't wait to see you all :)

Sarah

Listing to One Side

Yes, listing a little to the left this morning - sagging slightly from all the chocolate bunnies eaten in this house yesterday! Blog also listing to the left -

* Been wondering what Sue has been up to since she left Sydney? Find out here.

* Not travelling and wanting to couch visit some virtual museums this weekend? Try the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where see this amazing solar system quilt among other things.

 

The Victoria and Albert, where you can play with their textile design widget and see their beautiful quilts and amazing embroidery section (thanks for the link Erica!). Feel like starting a hand piecing project?

Or the Art Gallery of NSW, where you can check out their current exhibitions, including Art Express which is the exhibition of school leavers' artworks for 2008. Well worth a look.

* Check out a great designer's new line coming soon! I LOVED Lizzy House's last line, Lizzy Dish, and here she gives a little sneak peek of the next lot of goodies she has coing our way. Here's one colourway but you'll have to go visit to see the rest...

 

* Haven't eaten enough eggs yet? Head over to this site and let your virtual tastebuds run wild. No calories in these eggs!

 

* Nothing to read over a rainy Easter? Fogged in like we are? (As I've typed, the fog has crept up over the valley and into the garden, and all we can see from the verandah is white nothing.) I've just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I highly recommend, and have started Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. I'll let you know how it goes. The Bookslut, who I am very fond of for recommendations and reviews, has a lot to say about it, read it here.I do think the American cover is groovier than my Australian version.

 

* Need something to sew? Look what the postman brought me on Thursday before I left Sydney. I went over to my friends at Erhman Tapestry looking for a Kaffe pillow to needlework for the couch in the new renovation (when done!), and instead stumbled onto these, which just lept uninvited into my shopping cart.

 

Not ALL of them, just a few.... tee hee. And one of them was just the right size to hop into my carry on bag for aeroplane stitchin'. I'll keep you updated in their progress too!

Now get busy doing something you lot! Have a hoppy day....

Sarah x

It's a Good Friday

Yes girls, it's a good Good Friday, for me because I'm on holidays and for you because one of you is about to win a Layer Cake! Hold on to your hats while the Easter Bunny looks in his basket of numbered Easter eggs (Ok, so it's a theme...) and pulls out.....

Bloom! Congrats!

Best wishes for the move Sarah. Just make sure the fabric & quilts are first to be unpacked - the rest can wait!

I'm with you Bloom, but the kids and the husband think otherwise. Congratulations Bloom, send me a email and I'll get your prize out to you asap.

Down to business. Seeing as how I have brought the camera but not the cord thingy to plug it into the computer (it's that sort of week I'm afraid), I am going to spend the week directing you to the amazingness of other bloggers and crafters. This is partly because as it's raining I plan to spend a lot of time reading, stitching and catching up on Blogland, and partly because if I don't feed the beast you will all get bored with me and never come back :-( boo hoo

As it's Good Friday I thought I would direct you to some Easter goodies you can make for child distraction and general festiveness....

 

These fabric eggs are way too cute. I think I'm gong to spend some time today making with with my crafty nine year old, who is aso very good at pushing the stuffing in with a chopstick. There is a great tutorial for these over at Retro Mama. I found the link through How About Orange, who also has some other great links for Easter stuff.

We've got a house full of kids today and a misty, rainy outlook so I think some of Martha Stewart's paper crafts might be a good thing too.

Thanks How About Orange! Off now to entertain children... have a good Good Friday!

Sarah x

Land of the Living

Cough, cough... clearing clouds of dust.... HOORAY!! Mostly moved, mostly organised and managed to find the wireless thingy and plug it into the doodad and here I am. Very quickly mind you, just to tell you that I am flying to the in-laws farm tomorrow for a holiday and will blog Friday morning Sydney time with the winner of the lovely layer cake and also what I have been up to! Hope you are all well and stitching and thank you all SO MUCH for the lovely moving wishes and advice xxx

Sarah