The Last Piece

Guess What? Another Winner!

You guys are so lucky... here' s an exciting bit of news! Becca, who won the giveaway of Bari J's book, managed to win not one but TWO blog giveaways of the book! So she decided that I can draw the giveaway here again, which means you all get another chance. I'm checking now with the Random Number Generator. And the winner is:

Number 8, SandyN! Sandy said: 

My mum was the person also that insprired me to sew. In primary school she would come to my class and teach everyone to sew.

What a great book... would LOVE to have a copy.

Congratulations Sandy!! Make sure and email me your address details so I can send them to Bari.

I have been so busy the last week or so that I haven't blogged, sewed or even played Farmville :D But this week I'm back! What's everyone been up to this week? Drop me a comment and let me know what you're making at the moment. I'm waiting....

Who's a Lucky Girl Then?

I've been very spoilt lately! Those beautiful roses for Valentines Day.... then my sister in law made me some of my fabrics mounted in embroidery hoops for the wall in my sewing room! (Sorry for the dull pics, it's very overcast here today)

I ordered a piece of Saffron Craig's new range and she sent me a whole lot of other bits to play with. Thanks Saffron, they're gorgeous!

I broke my fabric drought and indulged in the Sew Mama Sew sale... got a few bits I have been holding off on. A bit of Tula Pink, a bit of Anna Maria, a bit of Tina Givens!

And THEN, the box came from my lovely Amy, who spoils me the best.

Amid the Hersheys Kissess and other treasures in the box were all these little beauties:

This lovely sewing lady who is having a tea party:

And Herman, my new best friend. He is a unicorn. He can sit on the top of your sewing machine.

heeheee... she knows me too well xx

Lucky me I have had a week full of playing with new projects too. Things currently on the design wall are an idea for the Doll Quilt Swap 10, which I am playing in for the first time - 

An embroidery pillow I'm working on, coming soon to a quilt mag near you. What do you think of the bits on the border? I'm on the fence - 

And a medallion quilt in process. Auditioning for the next border with a piece of Yuwa linen.

Plus, I spent yesterday playing at Calico and Ivy and having lunch with my honey, last night teaching my fave students and today marshalling at the school swimming carnival and hanging out with my Chooka. How lucky can one girl get?

A Happy Valentine

Just when you think your hubbby forgot. He always comes through in the end.

They're field roses, aren't they devine? They smell wonderful.

Happy Valentines Day lovely man, I love you :)

Speaking of Valentines, here's this month's Dollies Online quilt. It's called Hugs and Kisses.

It combines reverse applique and the Windmill block. If you want to make it and other cuties like it, you should join up to the Dollies Online club I run with my friend and quilt sistah Amy! And while you're over looking at Amy's blog, you can see what beauty she is making from my fabric range, From Little Things. Come on, you know you want to. 

PS. Don't forget you can pre-order my new book by emailing me at [email protected]

Basics Charity Challenge and Bari J Winner

Not a very inspired name for this post but at least you all know what it's for! I have been meaning to blog abut the last stop on my trip to Holland but between school being back and all these other things I have to tell you about I haven't gotten there yet. That will be next!

Cara at CaraQuilts is having a Charity Challenge. She was recently moved to help her local women's shelter, and was so distressed at the thought that they are so lacking in basic items that we all take for granted (in this case, paper towels) that she has started this challenge. There are some amazing prizes to win!! You can go over to her blog and read her whole story, but I would like to encourage all my Australian readers especially to help out the people here in Queensland and Perth who have suffered in the floods, cyclone and the bushfires. 

I read some comments during the floods of how overcome with emotion people where when they were offered simple items such as hairbrushes, toothpaste and new underpants from neighbours and strangers alike after their houses were destroyed. I think we all who are fortunate not to have gone through anything like this are completely unaware of the complete sense of displacement you must feel to have nothing to your name but the clothes you are standing up in. Simple thing we never think about like a toothbrush or a bandaid can become a struggle in itself at a time when there are so many other things to struggle with!

So please all go and check out what Cara has to say and find a way to help in your community.

And now on to the drawing of Bari J's book! The winner is:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:32

Bec from Beccasauras! Who said:

I love your inspirations, and that you cut apart a quilt- I'm assuming you did sew it back together, though?

Congrats Bec. Yes I did cut apart a quilt, but I didn't sew it back together. That story later in the week :)

Thanks so much to Bari for asking me to be on her blog tour and to Stash Books for the giveaway. See you later....

Inspired to Sew With Bari J

Since designing my own fabric earlier this year, I have acquired several (as we call each other) Fabric Sisters. My Sisters and I all design for Lecien, and let me tell you those girls are a clever bunch of peeps. Today I'm featuring one of the newest members to the Lecien Gang, Bari J Ackerman, whose new book, Inspired to Sew, published by Stash Books, has just been released! (cue streamers and confetti cannon)

If you have been following Bari's book blog tour, you will know that she has asked a group of lucky bloggers to talk about her book and tell readers a two or three reasons why we are Inspired to Sew.

When I first read this I thought - only 3? Wow, there are so many reasons why I am inspired to sew, but here's just a few.

The biggest and also the first reason I was inspired to sew was because of my mother. She was always sewing or knitting something, although knitting is not a skill she managed to pass on. When I was very small she made me a quilt (her first), which I was so fascinated by I cut apart with scissors. My very first quilting experience. She always encouraged me to stitch and taught me so much about patience and technique. Mum died around 11 years ago, before I started the shop, and so she never got to see any of the work I do now, but everything I make has a little of her in it, and I still use many of her sewing notions and scissors nearly every day.

The second thing that inspired me to sew was my children - and I see that others along the blog tour have felt the same. When I emerged from my teenage/young adult years of not sewing and started having babies, I was looking for things to make a groovy nursery with, and finding pastel yellow lambs and mint green trim. I was not impressed, and decided I would do what I was given hands for and make everything. And I haven't stopped sewing again since. Thanks for being born Charlie!

I am inspired to sew every day and everyday. If I get cranky my boys send me in to the sewing room (for which they sometimes receive a smack over the head) but I always come out smiling. Its my job but it's also my love, for which I am grateful every day!

Bari's book just oozes what inspires her to sew. The beautiful photography and styling showcase the projects just beautifully, and Bari's gorgeous style and natural cheerfulness is in every page. The best part of this post is that you can leave a comment on this post and WIN a copy of Bari's beautiful book! Hurrah! Follow along with the rest of the tour for more chances to win:

Feb 5, Jenny Doh: Crescendoh

Feb 6, Cara Wilson: Cara Quilts

Feb 7, Deborah Moebes: Whipstitch Fabrics

Feb 8, Monica Solorio-Snow: The Happy Zombie

Feb 9, Susanne Woods: Stash Books (giving away a stack of Bari’s Full Bloom fabric!)

Don't forget to comment, and if you don't win you can order a signed copy of the book anyway from Bari J's blog. It's delicious peoples, make sure to enter! Thanks for the chance to be a part of your tour Bari J :)

 

Book Reveal - Quilting: From Little Things!

I just couldn't resist showing you what I got in the mail yesterday. I'm so excited.

Its the advance copy of my new book, Quilting: From Little Things. Here's the back cover:

Yep, that's my famous little mutty on the back cover. And here's my scone on the inside flap, just to prove I really wrote it:

The idea behind the book is that there are 10 dolly quilts and 10 large quilts using the same technique. That way you can try out new things without having to commit to a whole, large quilt. Each small quilt is like a little lesson. Here are some of the projects. This is Stars in Your Eyes and Peaks and Troughs picture together:

This is North by North East:

And this is one of the little dollies, Fanfare:

There are, of course, flat shots of all the large quilts, diagrams, full patterns, tips, a full size pattern sheet and the kitchen sink! It's so beautiful - as usual Murdoch have done their wonderful production job and the paper has a lux feel to it. The photography is devine and the layout just right. The quilts are OK too, but then, I'm biased :)

I'm so excited. Did I mention I'm excited? 

Do you want one too? I'm taking pre-orders for when the book arrives April 1. So if you would like an autographed copy (or an un-autographed one!!) please drop me an email to [email protected] and I will set you up. The books are $49.95 AUS plus postage.

I'm so excited. Might go and dance for a while. Woot!

PS. Tune in tomorrow - I'm reviewing my fabric sister, Bari J's new book, Inspired to Sew and giving away a copy! The excitement just never ends.....

PPS. Ammended to add - Yes I am happy to ship internationally! 

Rolling On to Rhinetex

Well we're rolling on through my Netherlands trip to Day 3. This is where I taught for 2 days for Rhinetex, the biggest patchwork distributor in Europe. Rhinetex runs my Sarah Fielke Dolly Quilts Program, so I was showing new shops about the program and teaching this month's quilt, the Windmills! Very appropriate.

Very reserved for me, I know. But when I made the dollies for the program, I tried to use a range of different fabrics and tones as well as different techniques. After all, the Dolly Programs are supposed to be about learning new things and experimenting. Everyone in every class got busy cutting and sewing very quickly!

We thought it would be fun to have a rainbow of dollies after the classes were done, so Rhinetex generously supplied a fantastic and varied range of fat quarters and the students were encouraged to choose their own colours, and perhaps try something they would try otherwise!

With over 70 women in my 6 classes over 2 days, we had some varied results. Here are just a few, and I have put everything up in the Sarah Fielke Dolly Quilts Flickr Group so that you can go and see.

Shops, please add your finished dolly tops and join the group when you get them done and we can have a real rainbow of colour. And don't forget that you and your students can add their finished dolly quilts or pics of class in progress any time you like. Everyone loves to see what everyone else is doing, so please share your Dolly Quilt experiences.

Just one last thing to report - lolablueocean on Flickr has been making my Maple Leaf Rag quilt from Material Obsession Two. She was kind enough to share a pic with me, and here it is!! I just LOVE it when people share pics of their versions of my quilts, and this going is going to be a stunner. Well done!