The Last Piece

Grandma's House

Dolly is on her way to go shopping, but first she want to visit Grandma who lives in the deep dark woods. OK, you need to use your imagination on this one. 

 

oops, that came out a little bit small... no time to ponder the randomness of that computer burp.  

This is my version of my patterns for the Dollies Online quilt for this month, available now on Sew n'Sell for the individual pattern, or you can still join up for the 12 month program, it's not too late! Here is Amy's version of my quilt:

 Cute huh. Rather more of a sunny day in Amy-land. If you like Amy's cute little quilt - and who wouldn't - pop on over to her blog right now because she is giving it away! Yep, it's her blog-i-versary and you can win this little quilt, so go comment. 

Amy has also been busy beavering away on the free pattern that you get when you sign up for the 12 month Dollie's program. It's a version of our Dollies Online logo and it's SO cute! Go look, it's on her blog....

Drat that Eyjafjallajokull

Can anyone pronounce it? If you could, I'm sure it would sound like DISAPPOINTMENT. At least I have to be thankful that I am sitting on my couch and not in an airport somewhere stranded for days. I'm so sorry to all the girls who were coming to do my classes in Nantes! At least my quilts are there for you to see, and I am planning a podcast of the class so you can all watch some of it online. 

I am so disappointed not to be going! I have to love my Sister in Law though, look what a courier brought me:

 

One of her Sweet Little Things boxes...

Full of vanilla and choccie cupcakes....

With this note. She's the best. Guess what I'm doing after dinner. After I beat the children off with a stick.

I'm using the time wisely at least... I've been doing some hand quilting in front of the first season of Glee in preperation for Season 2 to start next week. 

and I've started a new project for Quilter's Newsletter.

In other news, the cover of the US version of Material Obsession Two has been released! That's my Charlotte Sometimes quilt on the cover. I think it looks fantastic! (Remember, for everyone else in the world, this is NOT a new MO book, it's just the cover that the US market is using for MO2, they haven't released it there yet). 

 

 

MO2 is due to be released in the USA in late July, thanks to everyone there for being so patient and waiting for it!

OK, off to watch Masterchef! Go Adele....

PS. I have been meaning to show you this! What a beautiful version of my Dotty for Dresden quilt from MO1 by Bettina. Well done and thanks for sending me a picture!!

  

 

Get in the Craft Room

It's official! I will be teaching classes for Notebook Magazine's Craft Room in June. The classes will cover beginner patchwork and hand Perle cotton quilting, however - if you are already a quilter and just want to take a class with me, you can come along anyway and we will work to your own pace and specifications.

 

If you don't already know about the Craft Room it's a fantastic idea from Notebook where you can go along and learn all kinds of different crafts. Each class includes all of your materials, and as my class runs all day, you get tasty lunch as well!

You can see the schedule here and booking should be up and running in the next few days.

In other news - I am NOT on a plane to France to teach at Pour l'Amour du Fils. My arch enemy the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name has resulted in my flight being cancelled and no-one can really tell me anything about when there might be another one. I know there are people all over the world with the same problem but - but - sigh.... durned volcano.

 

That's him.  Looking at it, you don't really want to have to fly through it. I'm trying very hard to get on a flight but when there IS no flight.... Sorry to all the girls who have contacted me over the last few weeks saying they are coming to Nantes for my classes. I am trying my best to get there - I'll keep you posted!

Collywobbles

When I was little and I had butterfiles in my stomach, my grandma would say I had the collywobbles. I certainly have the collywobbles at the moment. There are so many butterfly-ey things to have the collywobbles about at the moment that it's a wonder I'm managing to sleep!

Thank you so much to all of your for your good wishes on my book delivery! There's a major collywobble moment over and done with. Now the editing begins....the book won't be published in Australia until early 2011 so there's a while to wait.

On Monday I leave Sydney to fly to Paris, where I am meeting up with the beautiful Flo (hi Flo!) who has been off enjoying the company of her family and friends and the V&A quilt exhibition (for which, obviously, I am wildly jealous). The next day we get the VFT to Nantes, where I am exhibiting and teaching at the Pour l'Amour du Fils quilt show for Quiltmania. 

 

I promise to have my trusty laptop in tow so you can all come with me! I am very nervous about flying internationally on my own, but I'm sure I'll be fine once I do it and of course once I get there I'm in the company of quilters, where you can't go wrong!

Also exciting this week is my quilt on the "cover" of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. 

 

See, that's it folded up on the top right hand corner there :) tee hee

They did a beautiful job of shooting the quilt, it is lovely. Here's a pic for those of you internationally challenged by Australian BH &G!

 

 
 It's called Botanical Gardens as you can probably see. I have been cutting kits for this all week. It's a major excersise! They look so pretty though and have taken up a lot of room on my kitchen bench.

In other news, my trusty friend the postman has delivered these tasty treats in three seperate deliveries.
While the V&A book and the long awaited American Quilts book are just delicious, I was up until midnight with the Print and Pattern book! If you, like me, are obsessed with beautiful pattern, drawing, design and colour, grab yourself a copy of this hefty little tome and dive in. It's got lots of my favourites like Helen Dardik, Jess Gonancha, Heather Moore, Liz and Pip and Jill Bliss,  along with thousands of others and all with their web addresses provided. I can see there are thousands of hours ahead of me researching all these amazing talents! I got all my books at The Book Deopsitory, which I have to say is the best online book shop around - quick, cheap and FREE SHIPPING. Yes, free INTERNATIONAL shipping. They rock. 

Another exciting development (see, I told you there were butterfiles!) is that I have been interviewed by Valley Fiber Life about the MO books, my quilts and what I'm up to in general... you can hop on over and have a look. It's a lovely site and they have a lot of very interesting articles, so have a poke around after you read mine!

Ok everyone that's enough for today... I have to go and start a new project this morning, yippee! Fabric, here I come. First though, here are the winners of the Iron on Competition. Please contact me with your postal details to [email protected] and congratulations!

Birdcages:

Susie at Flowerpress

Lyn Lindsay

Mel Nunn

Soo at s-littlespace

Jackie at Canton VIllage Quiltworks

Letters:

Mathea at Crafty Mathea

Jenny at Cut. Sew. Iron. Repeat

Frou at Zen of Needle and Thread

Cardygirl

Julie R 

Congrats everyone.... happy Tuesday!

 

Happiness Is

I'm so excited. Yesterday I dropped the manuscript of my third book to the publisher. For those of you who don't know, this book is special because it is my first book on my own. Somehow this made it both more exciting and more terrifying to write and prepare at the same time. 

Renovating a house, starting a new business and writing a book all at once have made for an interesting year. But this book is special. It's the reason my blog has been relatively bare of quilting posts for the best part of a year, and the reason my kids regularly call out in frustration for the location of clean underwear. 

It's the reason I haven't played golf yet this year, or seen friends who I miss, or ironed anything other than patchwork pieces. And it's also one of the most exciting things I've ever done, and now it's on it's way to being a real live book! 

We have a way to go though yet, so I hope you're not too excited along with me. There's months of editing and photography and layouts and then printing before I can show you anything, so I hope you can all sustain any excitement you may feel and I will remind you along the way :)

Anyway, enough book excitement and on to Easter excitement! While my AMAZING worker-bee parent-in-law were here, we got so much work done on the house it was amazing. Here is my newly painted computer desk in the kitchen:

 

The combo of that green with the little handles and the white chair give me a little skip every time I walk past. The teacup flower pot was a gift from my SIL for my last birthday, and it's been safely in a box waiting for a special place for it to go. It's got violets in it because they were my mum's favourite. And here's my newly planted herb garden:

It has parsley and coriander, basil and chives, oregano, rosemary, thyme... it has celery, lettuce, rocket and snow peas! I can't wait until it all starts to grow and I can eat it.  

Here are my sleepy Easter bunnies with their egg stash.

 

Here's one more random thing for this rambling post- Material Obsession One was named on Sew Mama Sew as one of their top ten favourite quilt books! How cool is that. Thanks SMS.... head over there and they are having a competition and you can win books and stuff. 

Speaking of giveaways, my friends at Leutenegger have been generous little Easter bunnies as well. They have given me some of their devine new iron on transfers to give away. You can iron these patches onto any fabric, embroider over the top and have a cute new something for your house! I have a few ideas n mind for these little beauties so keep a look out.

In the mean time, I have five of each of the designs shown to give away to ten commenters on this post (you will get one iron on each). 

  

Just tell me which iron on you would like to win and what you might do with it to win. I will draw this coming Monday, Sydney time. 

What's that they're sitting on? Bright and early this morning the postie brought me a parcel from Mrs Schmenk (as she is affectionately known) with the latest Dollies Online (pattern available HERE, don't forget you can still sign up for the 12 month program!) quilt for my dolly wall, and a delicious piece of gigantic red and white spot!!

So the beautiful machine quilting you can see in the pics is done by her on her domestic sewing machine. That's right! DOMESTIC sewing machine. So while I'm having my hair cut, go over and visit with Amy and have a look at some more amazing quilting she's been doing. Run along, nothing more to see here.... 
 
 

Easter Bunnies from Brisbane

The Easter Bunny has arrived early in our house, but he didn't bring eggs! Instead he brought Damian's parents, who are the best Easter present I ever got. This morning they were up bright and early and straight into helping with jobs around the renovation! Everyone got busy. 

Damian and his Dad started with this on the new back deck:

 

And by this afternoon they had constructed this!

 

This deck is where I am going to have my herb garden and lettuces growing... will show you when we get them planted over the weekend. 

Charlie spent the day making up the new stools for the kitchen bench.

 

They are nearly ready, he just needs his Dad to help with the tightening of the screws.

 

Dorothy spent the morning painting all my dining chairs with limewash, a job for which she gets 10 gold stars!

 

I've been trying to find the time to do the rest of these for 2 months. In between jobs we managed to get new light shades up over the dining table.

Loving that red in my room! It looks so sparky with the quilts on my ladder. 

Meanwhile I made the lunches and baked for the hungry hordes. This is my fruit loaf with coconut the was eaten in one sitting!

 

I hope everyone has a safe, happy and peaceful Easter weekend and that the Bunny is kind. In fact, he already made a little stop in my sewing room.....