The Last Piece

Sarah Fielke Dolly Quilts

The Dolly Program I am running with Rhinetex in Europe is well and truly off and running - if you would like to see the stockists and bloggers in the program have a look in my sidebar - and if you ARE a shop or a blogger and are not listed, please let me know so I can get you linked up!

Christiane at CS Quilt Designs has made a few of the quilts already - here is one she has in progress:

This quilt is called Colour Me Happy and it is the first quilt in the program, which runs like a BOM. This quilt is all about how to grade colours and how to see where your stash is lacking. It's great fun to make, and to turn your stash fabrics out and see what you buy a lot of and what you don't!

If you want to sign up for the SF Dollies program, which I'm sure you can do from anywhere in the world, just click on one of the Shop links in my sidebar and they will take you right there.

Christiane is also playing along with Dollies Online. (She must get really sick of my Dolly Quilts!) I have been very remiss in blogging the last few patterns, Amy has done some stunners:

This is the wonderful dotty baskets quilt she made for me for my birthday.

And this is "Wheelies". I have to try some Wheelies, they look like so much fun to make.

My latest patterns are Little Trees

And Star, Flower, Heart, which is this month's pattern.It's a wool quilt with wool embroidery, so you can have fun pulling out all your old coats to cut up for the background!

You can buy all these patterns either as single patterns or a 12 month program by clicking on the links above. It's not too late to join in the program, we still have 4 months unrevealed, and if you sign up for 12 months you get a free extra pattern designed by Amy of the Dollies Online logo. It's SO cute!

And what am I working on? Well aside from everything in the post below, which I am pretending doesn't exist this morning, I have signed up to the Glorious Applique blog, because I have been hoarding all of Kim McLean's patterns for a while now and I thought having to post about making them might give me a kick up the bum. I spent this morning rummaging around in my cupboard finding things for backgrounds so that I can post... but first I have to decide which of the quilts I'm going to make!

The good news is that I have FINISHED the hand quilting on the LAST quilt for the book, which is lucky because they need to take it's picture next week ;-) Nothing like cutting it fine.

Few Words on Friday

Busy things brewing today. Not feeling chatty, just focussed.

 

Projects coming out my ears! Exciting things ticking away.

Thinking, thinking, thinking. 

My Wednesday night girls have been busy. Here's some wagga progress for this week from Chris -

 Sue -

 and Marg. 

Sue finished her beautiful quilt. 

Look at her hand quilting! 

 

What's everyone planning for the weekend where you are?
 

A Hunters Hill Winner

Sorry I've been a bit quiet - it's been busy around here! Children with Gala concerts, violin exams and Sue being driven to Canberra for her classes to Addicted to Fabric. Today though I ran away for an hour off duty to the Hunters Hill Quilt Show.

There were some beautiful quilts there, but first I have to brag on a student! My friend Beryl came to me a year or so ago and asked me to design a quilt especially for her to put in the HH Show. She wanted lots of applique, and to use a blue fabric that she had bought on a trip to the USA. 

We worked on the quilt in class, and Beryl hand quilted it and duly hung it in the show. And guess what?

BEST IN SHOW. Go Beryl!!

 

 
 I'm so excited for her! Woot, woot...

My friend Kathie stepped up to the plate as usual with some STUNNERS. Wow that girl is a talent. Check these two out.

 
All shot cottons, and can I tell you there is not a point out of place. This is Kathie's as well - and man do I want some of that Kokka border fabric!

 
I had a pic of the whole quilt but it was out of focus :-(

Alison made this little beauty:

And Flo's beautiful wagga was hanging. You can get the pattern for this in the Free Patterns section on Sewn. 

 Carolyn made this lovely bright hexagon quilt. I knew you would all love to see that black and white leafy border!

   

Here it is again.

  Did I mention it was Best in Show? Go Beryl!!   

EXCITEMENT of the Fabric-y Kind

Well, they say that from little things, big things grow. Since leaving Material Obsession, the little things I've been doing have been sprouting big wings. Some of you already know that my first fabric line will be released at Houston this year - now I've been let off the leash and can tell you a bit more about it.

Here is tiniest of tiny peeks at the strike offs. As yet I only have little tiny sampling pieces, but I promise that when I get some more in two weeks time I will show you the whole range a little better. The line will be with Japanese company Lecien, which I am SOOO excited about, and it will be called, appropriately, From Little Things. I am in very good design company over there, I'm sure you know this young lady? And this one? Not to mention all their other wonderful Japanese designers.

There are 8 different prints in 5 different colour ways - 40 fabrics in total! And the most exciting thing for me has been designing my very, very own SPOTS. Woo hoo!! Spots with my name on, it's like heaven. And wait until you see the cutest selvedges.....

Sigh ... I am so very desperate to start cutting it all up right away and making patterns so you can all play with some too (although you will have to wait until it is available in shops - not until later in the year). So for now I will have to wait along with you and dream of the bolts stacked in my studio in the coming weeks. Woo hoo!! Yee ha! and most of all WOOT WOOT!! Pass it on, tell your friends....hire a sky writer :-)

Sue Spargo, a Book Shoot and Show and Tell

Hang in there girls, it's a long post today, you may want to get yourself a cuppa and settle in for a while. I have a lot to show you!

On Tuesday morning early (like, DARK early!) my lovely friend Sue Spargo and her friend Melissa flew in to Sydney to kick off Sue's Australian teaching tour. It was lovely to see her, even in the windy, black morning we were having here. We spent the day trying to outrun her jetlag by hopping down to Cottage Quiltworks to see Jan and Chris and look in on Judy Edenborough's wool class going on down there. Sue was greeted with such warmth and came away with a lovely bundle of Aboriginal fabrics to play with! Thanks for looking after her girls.

Yesterday was the very first photo shoot for me new book, and Sue and Melissa very kindly tagged along to my Dad's house on the Northern Beaches to hang out for the shoot. They settled in happily for some sewing and chat.

 

The house was filled with bits of beautiful sewing, both Sue's:

  

Swoon.. how delicious is that.

And mine. Pre styling:

 

And looking very flash.
 

Little bits of styled quilt peeked from all over the house as we moved from room to room. No, I can't show you any more or it will ruin the surprise when the book comes out!

 
 
 We had such a fun day. Thanks so much Sophia and Sue for being so amazing with my quilts and for the great chat, and to Sue and Melissa for hanging out at my shoot with me!

Last night was Wednesday class and it hardly seemed fair that they miss out on the fun, so Sue and Melissa tagged along to that too. I made sure we had some show and tell so she could see that we DO do more than eat chocolate and gossip!

Florence brought this amazing paper pieced beauty she is putting together from Annette Gero's book.

 
And then flung that aside to show us one of Brandon Mably's from the Kaffe V&A book.

    Peta has made wonderful progress on her wagga base and is all ready to start stitching. 

 Move doggie :) As Peta has used old sweaters for her wagga there are all sorts of lovely details like the little cable in this square:

 Peta also brought her Annie's Garden for Show and Tell, which was the first quilt she made with me. If you want the pattern it's in Material Obsession One. Didn't she do a beautiful job with her first quilt?

 It was a trip down memory lane for me, as Fiona had brought one of her first quilts too. Fiona has been coming to lessons with me for a LONG time now! Isn't this lovely:

And my favourite of Fiona's quilts, which unfortunately didn't photograph very well. It's much more under water looking than it appears here:

All in all a really fun couple of days. Today Sue begins her classes at Killara Village Quilts, and I will have some pics to show you! Make sure and stop by Sue's blog and see if she has had time to update :) And tomorrow I have something VERY EXCITING to tell you so stay tuned!!