The Last Piece

At Last.....

.....my looooove has come along...... no, not singing, but perhaps I will crank that song out of the iPod while I'm quilting today, now that it's in my head! Before I sit at the machine for another long piecing day (why did I say I'd write another book again?? Oh that's right, because I love it), here at last is the promised post of pics of quilts made by students/ from my patterns that people have sent me over 2009. Again in no particular order - and please, if I have posted a pic of your quilt and you have a blog to link to or I haven't credited it correctly to you, let me know and I will fix you right up! Here goes...

A beautiful Annie's Garden (MO1) that was sent to me! 

 

 

 

More lovely Annie's Gardens on Flickr.

Sue made this lovely star quilt in our Wednesday night class.

 

Beryl made this flying geese quilt for her new grandchild.

 

Fiona put together this cot quilt using her scraps!

  
 Mary's lovely Dotty for Dresden (MO1) variation.
 

 

A beautiful Dotty in progress from Katy at I'm a Ginger Monkey. Loving that dark background.

 

More Dotty on Flickr.

 

Margaret in my Friday class made this beautiful version of my Potting Shed quilt (pattern available from me). She also whipped up this fantastic soccer quilt for her nephew using all his shirts.

 

Marg made Charlotte Sometimes (MO2) for her niece. I don't have a pic of the quilt once we got the applique on Marg, do you?

 
And another beautiful Charlotte Sometimes from France.

 

Here's  6G with the quilt they made in class with me, and below 4/5SG with theirs. The pattern for the 6G quilt is up for free on Sewn, and there is an article about the making of these two quilts in this month's Quilter's Companion magazine.

 

 

Oscar and I also made a patchwork kite in 2009 year - you can find the tutorial for it under tutorials in my sidebar.

 

Bridget made a sweet version of Strawberry Fields (MO1) using lots of Heather Bailey fabrics.

My sister-in-law learned to make her first quilt! She wrote about the experience for Sewn in Sewing Stories.

 

A fabulous version of Jazz Hands (MO2) on Flickr.

 

A little cutie with her Candy Shop (MO1) on Flickr.

 

A very sweet little Summer Sunshine version (MO1) on Flickr. 

  

And last but not least, a Fanciful Flowers (MO1) on Flickr too. I know that Kate at Passing Down Crazy has also made a fab Fanciful Flowers, and that there are also a few Down the Rabbit Hole pics that I've been sent, and various other things, but I can't find what I've done with all the pics! So please send them again if you have them and I'll get them all put up for viewing pleasure.

 

You can buy signed copies of my books here, or without signature at your local book or quilting store! OK, back to the sewing machine, there's work to be done!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Yep, hot in Sydney. Hot. Like, sizzling. 43 degrees (109F!!) here day before yesterday and another hottie on the way for Australia Day tomorrow. Good thing Australia Day involves drinking beer, eating sausages and swimming. What a national holiday.

This is where the Fielke family will be. 

 

Our house is nearly ready to move back into after nearly a year, and we are painting! This is the Butter Lettuce bathroom.

 

The computer table from my sewing room is having a makeover too, it has a coat of undercoat now-

 

and tomorrow I'm going to turn it this colour.

 
 And for all those of you who have asked about the wedge ruler - I'm afraid I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. The project is for the book and I'm not allowed to show it yet :( Now I am picturing all of you turning the ruler over and over in your hands and pondering.........
 
 

Today

Oh wedge ruler, your inspiration knows no bounds. Just when I thought I knew everything you could do...

 

Going to Grandma's House

Been working on another little dolly quilt for the April edition of Dollies Online. It's called Grandma's House.  I am working on this now, because in April I will deliver my book to the publisher and then take off for the Pour d'Amour du Fils show in Nantes. So as to not leave all you Dolly-ers with no quilt, I thought I would make it, quilt it, write the pattern and get it all off to Amy with the quilt for February, which she still doesn't have.... ahem. 

 

None the less, shortly I will be ahead of the game and up to date - with Dollies Online, anyway. Don't forget that you can buy each pattern by the month, so Amy's first quilt, Hurry Home, is up and ready to buy at Sew n'Sell. It's not too late to sign up for the 12 month program, either. 

A few of the girls in the program have started uploading pics of their versions of Hurry Home, click on the Flickr link in my sidebar to have a look! If you are in the program please load your pics up so everyone can see what you're all up to. 

In other business, yesterday The Last Piece was awarded a Lemonade Stand Award from the lovely Joan.

 

 

 I now have to nominate 10 other blogs that I think are worthy of an award - TEN! I only say it like that because I know that a number of my favourites have already gotten one and you can't get two :)

So here's my top ten for today - the Top Ten Blogs, in no particular order, that I have enjoyed reading in 2009, minus the already awarded few. 

1. Orange You Lucky - Helen Dardik, woman genius :) Oh to have her artistic talents. She has a new fabric line coming out soon-ish and I promise you all to chase down an interview with her for Sewn. 

2. Red Pepper Quilts - always beautiful colour and cheerful reading here from Rita

3. Sue Spargo - love knowing what Sue is up to and dreaming about our next project together!

4. A Stitch in Dye - Malka is a very clever lady indeed.

5. I Heart Linen - and ditto Rashida, she of the beautiful new book, I Heart Patchwork!

6. Creative Dabbling - My lovely friend Erica, who always has an interesting tidbit to read about

7. Don't Look Now - Kelly is amazing, but I'm sure you already all knew that!

8. Pam Kitty Morning - Oh that Pam, she cracks me up. Always good for a laugh and a bit of fabric envy

9. The Happy Zombie - and her mad friend Monica. Between Pam, Monica and Amy, I always manage a laugh in the morning.

10. Inspired by Antique Quilts - Kathie and I share a mad obsession for quilting books, especially quilting books about antique quilts. 

OK ladies, consider yourself awarded and here's what you need to do:

Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.

Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.

Link the nominees within your post.

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Happy Wednesday everbody:)

Saturday and Sewing Room Dancing

Lots of readers out there! Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Still collecting pics of student quilts so bear with me... in the mean time here's Saturday. Moved the sewing room around to accomodate my computer..... lots of book writing to be done in the next weeks.

Instead of Top Ten today we are having Top 5 Songs to Dance to on the IPod in the Sewing Room. What do you MEAN you don't dance while you're sewing? It stops you getting stiff from all that sitting and makes those little pieces fly through the machine so quickly. Anyone got any favourites to add?

1. Jason Mraz-  anything really but We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things is my favourite

2. ABBA, ABBA Gold- well dur. Who DOESN"T dance to ABBA. How can you NOT dance to ABBA? It may be daggy, but it's fun.

3. Ditto The Essential Michael Jackson. All those Jackson 5 boogie beats, yeeha!

4. Glee Soundtrack - not just dancing but a whole lot of singing to this one. 

5. Ben Lee - Awake is the New Sleep. Aussie singer you may not all of heard of. I have LOVED his music for years and this is his best album, although the latest one is growing on me too!

Get on your dancing shoes! I will add that my IPod contains a HEAP of other music of all different sorts, but these are the current boogie-ing favourites. On with Saturday.

Looked through lots of pictures taken over summer for colour inspiration and came up with these...

 

Hmm, the colours look better in the camera than they do here. Oh well.  Found a home for this guy, part of my Christmas present from the lovely Amy who spoils me.

Isn't he cute? I do love a new animal for my sewing room menagerie, and I don't have any whales :) Did a bit of quilting on a little project. This is a big blow up, those are 2" squares!

 

It's a hard summer, but someone's got to do it.

 
  
 
  

My Top Ten

Thinking over the year after my post yesterday, I thought I might share a few of my top ten things for 2009. Let's begin today with my Top Ten Good Reads of the year in no particular order- these are novels etc, not quilting books, that's a WHOLE other category, and narrowing down just ten will be a real challenge!! I would love to know what you loved reading this year - I'm always on the lookout for a new good book. Leave me a comment and let me know. 

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Historical novel about the period of Henry VIII, as told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. I am a total sucker for this kind of book, and in my humble opinion this is the best ever. As evidenced by the fact that it won the Booker Prize.

2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski

The story of a young boy and his family's dog breeding business. This is a wonderful, magical story in the epic traditions of something like The Pillars of the Earth or The Power of One. 

3. A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz

The history of America, but not as you know it. Tony is one of my favourite authors, plus I am lucky enough that he is my step-uncle! (my what?? does that ridiculous connection even exsist??) He writes true history, but twists the genre by visiting the places that the historical events happened and writes about what they are like now. He is also a very funny man. If you haven't read his other most wonderful book, Confederates in the Attic, you had better get that too.

4. Twilight (and the rest) by Stephanie Myer

Yes I succumbed. I hate fantasy novels, vampires, werewolves..... But my 12 year old wanted to read them, and I had heard they were inappropriate, and so I thought I should read them first. And now I am a tragic. Team Edward all the way!!

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  (and the other two in the trilogy!) by Stieg Larsson

And yes, I also succumbed here, although I also hate crime novels. But I LOVED these. LOVED. You can eat these with a spoon. The characters are suitably odd and yet endearing, the story line is impossible and yet believable and the writing easy and tinged with sarcasm. So much fun.

6. The Children's Book by A.S Byatt

This book tells the story of a charmed family living charmed lives in a charmed age. Set in the early 1900's in England, and spanning a time period through to the Second World War,  I loved this as much for the historical figures woven into the story and the detailed descriptions of artworks, the V&A, and World Fair and other events of the age as for the tale of the proper yet bohemian family and their close friends. The story begins in such a benign fashion it's a horrid shock when, inevitably, things begin to unravel and darken. This is not an easy book to read, but well worth the effort.

7. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I read Mr Zafon's first book in this series, The Shadow of the Wind, when it first came out in 2005. This book is not a sequel, however there are some of the same characters, and the setting of Barcelona and the mysterious Cemetery of Forgotten books. These are dark stories but wonderfully told. Apparently the author has planned four books in the series, each a seperate story but connected through the city and the Cemetery. Can't wait for the next one!

8. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

A little odd, and a little dark, and a little wordy, this is a tale of teenage twists illustrated with pen and ink drawings, along the lines of The Secret History 

9. What is the What by Dave Eggers

""God has a problem with me," complains Valentina Achak Deng, the subject of Dave Eggers extraordinary new novel, What is the What. Coming from almost any other person on the planet, this lament would appear hopelessly self-pitying. Cut coming from Valentina, a Sudanese refugee, it sounds almost like an understatement." So says the Washington Post. Get the hankies out for this one, this is a terrifying but amazing story of hope against adversity and all that jazz.

10. Red Leaves by Paullina Simons

Love Paullina Simons. Love, love, love. Of course nothing will ever top The Bronze Horseman. I mean, Alexander, how can you top that? Not even Edward Cullen comes close. This is a good book however, and you will love it. It's been out for a while, I've only just read it though. I have read all her others, including the latest, Road to Paradise, which I was not so keen on. But Red Leaves is great, and if you haven't read The Bronze Horseman, I - I just don't even have the words. 

That's it, let me know what you think - did you read any? Did I miss something crucial? Enquiring minds want to know :) 

2009 in a Nutshell

Like Austin Powers, I did feel a little like last year was a nutshell I would never get out of. After all, it's been just a little crazy.

I left an old business and started 3 new ones (Sewn, Dollies Online and The Last Piece), pieced over 35 quilts and wrote the patterns, hand quilted 18 quilts, made 3 charity quilts, wrote half a book, four magazine articles and countless reams of content for Sewn, taught around 100 classes in three countries, designed 14 dolly quilts (some for Dollies Online and some for Rhinetex Dollies) and designed my first fabric line (oops, how did that get in there?? naughty me....revealing secrets! ). I designed and made a quilt with one of my favourite designers. I had my work published in Down Under Quilts, Quilter's Companion, QuiltScene and Quilter's Newsletter and my quilts exhibited in The Netherlands. I've been to Pittsburg, New York, San Francisco, Birmingham, London, Amsterdam, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

I also read around 30 novels, baked a lot of cakes and cooked a lot of dinners, taught craft at my kids school, renovated a house, took up golf and went to over 20 children's concerts. And that's just the things I can remember. No wonder I've been sleeping in over the last few weeks.

Leaving Material Obsession and winging off on my own has certainly been a huge, huge, massive, gigantic adventure. Thank you to all of you, all over the world, SO MUCH for coming along on it with me! Your company has been such a pleasure. 

I really planned that this year I would work quietly on my book and make nutritious afternoon teas for when the boys got home. Little did I know! What an adventure. 

So what am I doing in 2010? Finishing the book, releasing the fabric, exhibiting my quilts and teaching at Pour l'Amour du Fil in France, going to the International Quilt Festival in Houston to release Material Obsession Two in the USA (I know, it's been a long time coming!) and also release my fabric line, writing more for Sewn, running Dollies Online with Amy, hopefully improving my golf handicap, starting the eldest child at high school and hopefully soon, moving into my new house! Phew. And people keep asking me if I'm going to have a quieter year! You have to love it all though right? Imagine how bored I would be with the peace and quiet. 

Nothing further to say than to send you off on a long roll of piccies of quilts I have made this year. Bear in mind that some of them are only sneak peeks of the quilt in progress as they are for the book or for mags that haven't come out yet! I will try to put a reference as to where you can get the patterns or what they are for on each one. Here goes....

 

This is the quilt I made with Oscar's 4/5 class. There's no pattern available but there's an article about the making of it in the upcoming Quilter's Companion.

Ditto with this quilt, which I mad with Charlie's grade 6 class. I think I may mention in the article that the pattern will be available on Sewn... hmmm, better get onto that one.  

 

Bye Bye Birdie... a cot quilt. You can buy the pattern from me.

 

A bit of North by North East. In an upcoming issue of Quilter's Newsletter and will also be in the book.

 

A work in progress. Don't even ask me what this is for!
 

A Dotty Garden is in QuiltScene magazine, or you can get the pattern from me if you can't get the magazine where you are.
 

Rouge et Gris was in Down Under Quilts. I still have 2 kits available if anyone is interested!

  

A little book WIP...

 

and another.....

 

 
 and another....

and yep, another. These are just bits though, I can't show you the whole thing! 

 

Dolly quilts for various programs...number 1

 

number 2 and

 

number 3.

 

The Conservatory will be in an upcoming issue of Quilter's Companion, along with an article about the very talented Laura Gunn!

  

A little Christmas present for Amy. Thanks for the lend of the pic buddy!

 

Pomponella was in Quilter's Companion earlier this year. The pattern is available from me.
 

Down the Rabbit Hole was in the Australian Women's Weekly. The pattern is also available from me, and I can probably still put a kit together too if you don't mind a different border and a few substitutes.

  
 Stars in Your Eyes was in QC too. Pattern also available from me.

 
OK I didn't design this one. It's from a Kaffe Fassett book.

That's it! I have discovered by doing this that I do not photograph all my quilts, and some of them I only have pics of in progress and not finished. There's a New Year's resolution for you. 

That's enough tootin' my own horn - next post I think will be pics of my student's quilts and quilts people have made from my patterns this year. I have a lot already, but I know there are more of you out there - so if you have made a quilt from my patterns or one inspired by one of my quilts on 2009, send me a pic to [email protected] so everyone can see! 

Before I go, can I just say some New Year's thank yous again, not just to all of you who read my blog and Sewn, but to those of you who have stuck in there like glue? Forgive me if I forget someone, but thanks so much to Cheryl, Reit, Kathleen, Joan, Kathie, Suzannah, Margaret, Meg, Valentina, Pam, Monica, Kate and Katie, Becky, Sue, and Mandy, faithful blog and Facebook readers and commenters. Knowing you're out there makes it so much easier to write. Also thank you to Angie, Deb, Clare, Pokey, Sue, Wendy, Brandon, Linda, Nick, Kay and Carol for your creativity, inspiration and friendship! You know who you are. 

And last and certainly not least, to Flo, Erica, Beril, Amy, Chris, Rosie, Sam, Sue and Wol for listening, basting, stitching and giggling, you chicks are tops. Happy New Year everybody. Let's hold hands and jump off the top of 2010 shall we?

Happy New Year

And a sigh of relaxation was heard by all. Christmas is over, New Year is celebrated, Sewn is closed for another week and all is right with the world.

 We played on the beach. The little kids dug holes:

 

While the big ones made masterpieces.

 

Upstairs in the kitchen, masterpieces of another kind were being made......

 

With anxious audiences hoping for a taste.

 

Drinks were had by everyone, for any excuse at many times of day! These lovely men are my dad, my hubby and my brother.

 

New Year's Eve was an excuse for yet more drinks, Caprioskas this time.....

 

No fireworks at Whale Beach, but we made do with this amazing light show in the sky.

Happy New Year everyone, and as my friend Tony says, "May it never be worse!".... coming in the next few days (when I next come up from the beach!) a bit of an overview of quilts I have made in 2009. I wonder how many there are?