Issue#17.7 July 2016

a u s t r a l i a n

JULY 2016

your heart in your hands

STITCH NOW FOR XMAS CHRISTMAS KOALA SOFTIE CALLING BIRDS WALLHANGING GINGERBREAD HOUSE PLACEMATS TWINKLING STAR QUILT GIFT-WRAPPED TABLE TOPPER CAROLS EMBROIDERY

No. 158 (Vol. 17.07) AU $9.95* NZ $12.20* (Both incl. GST)

Celebrate in stitches

Let your creativity run free with the

Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 All it takes is one look at its unique design to understand that the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 is a sewer’s dream. With Pfaff’s original IDT system guaranteeing even fabric feed from top and bottom, a unique selection of perfectly stitched high-quality 9mm stitches, extra large work space and longest free-arm, the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 will fulfill every quilters’ needs and give your imagination free rein.

Find your nearest dealer at www.pfaff.com/au or phone (02) 4337 3737 BLES-570-PF

LOOKING FOR THE PATTERN SHEETS TO START YOUR HOMESPUN PROJECT?

Registration is easy!

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1 Simply go to www.homespun. net.au/wp-login/ and click the “register” link to create your account, or you can log in with Facebook. Note: this is a different account to your Zinio/Apple/ Google account.

YOU’RE INVITED

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Once you’ve logged in, just go to the “Patterns” section of the Homespun site, or direct link www.homespun.net.au/ homespun-patterns/ and click on the project you’re after to download the PDF.

Become part of the Homespun family by: * SUBSCRIBING to our monthly magazine (see page 127) * CHECKING OUT OUR WEBSITE at www.homespun.net.au * FOLLOWING US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/homespunmag * BROWSING ON PINTEREST www.pinterest.com/homespunmag * TAPPING INTO INSTAGRAM @homespunmagazine

Don’t forget when printing PDFs, print on plain A4 paper, with page scaling turned off (or at 100%).

It’s sew easy!

Any questions? Contact us at homespun@universalmagazines.com.au

OUR PROJECTS THIS ISSUE

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40 Kiss cross

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58 Sweet sorbet

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Cat as a hat

Foxley village BOM Part 6

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82 Four days of Christmas

Natalia

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92 We wish you a ...

Blinky Belle

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110 Under the tree

Out of the woods

Homespun

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a u s t r a l i a n

omespun your heart in your hands

Editor Susan Hurley Deputy Editor Elizabeth Newton Technical Editor Megan Fisher Writer/Online Editor Emma Bradstock Writer/Researcher Janai Velez Senior Designer Martha Rubazewicz Pattern Artist Susan Cadzow Photographer Ken Brass Stylist Sandra Hinton

Advertising Rob Jordan (NSW and Qld) ph: (02) 9887 0359, fax: (02) 9805 0714, mob: 0411 424 196 Angelos Tzovlas (Vic, WA, SA, Tas and NT) ph: (03) 9694 6404, fax: (03) 9699 7890, mob: 0433 567 071 Advertising Production Hannah Felton Advertising Senior Designer Martha Rubazewicz Associate Publisher Karen Day Subscriptions & mail orders 1300 303 414 or +61 2 9887 0317 Editorial enquiries homespun@universalmagazines.com.au Advertising enquiries rjordan@universalmagazines.com.au atzovlas@universalmagazines.com.au Subscription enquiries www.universalshop.com.au or 1300 303 414 Printed by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd, Singapore Distributed by Gordon and Gotch Australia NZ Distributors Netlink – ph: (09) 366 9966 Needlecraft Distributors Ltd – ph: 0800 909 600, www.needlecraft.co.nz UK Distributor Manor House Magazines – ph: +44 167 251 4288 USA Distributor Brewer Quilting & Sewing Supplies – ph: toll free 1 800 676 6543 Singapore Distributor Car Kit Pte – ph: +65 6 282 1960, fax: +65 6 382 3021 Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office (02) 9805 0399.

While every effort has been made to ensure that the projects featured in Homespun are the original work/s of the respective artist/s, no responsibility is taken by the publisher in the event that originality is disputed, and all proof of original design, or otherwise, lies with the artisan/s. Inspiration from other sources and the reworking of traditional patterns and designs in new and unique ways is, however, regarded as constituting ‘originality’ as acknowledged by the artisan/s and the publisher. No patterns may be reproduced (except for personal use). If a project is taught in a class or workshop, each attendee is required to have their own copy of the appropriate Homespun issue/s. Projects may not be produced for commercial gain without the written permission of the designer.

Chairman/CEO Publisher Chief Financial Officer Associate Publisher Associate Publisher Finance & Administration Manager Circulation Director Creative Director Editorial & Production Manager Marketing & Acquisitions Manager

Prema Perera Janice Williams Vicky Mahadeva Emma Perera Karen Day James Perera Mark Darton Kate Podger Anastasia Casey Chelsea Peters

Homespun is published by Universal Magazines, Unit 5, 6-8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113. Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office, Level 1, 150 Albert Street, South Melbourne Vic 3205. Phone: (03) 9694 6444, Fax: (03) 9699 7890. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers. The publishers believe all the information supplied in this book to be correct at the time of printing. They are not, however, in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, after investigation, and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up to date at the time of printing, but circumstances may have since changed. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility must, therefore, be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisements for publication. While every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. This magazine may have some content that is advertorial or promotional in nature.

Please pass on or recycle this magazine. *Recommended retail price ISSN 1443-4792 Copyright © Universal Magazines

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MMXVI ACN 003 026 944 www.universalmagazines.com.au

CONTENTS July 2016 Stitching 32 QUILT Kiss Cross Melissa Gottliebsen 40 KNITTING Cat as a Hat 46 CUSHIONS Sweet Sorbet Peta Peace 58 BLOCK OF THE MONTH PART 6 Foxley Village Natalie Bird 74 WALLHANGING Four Days of Christmas Linda Guy 82 QUILT Natalia Michelle Marvig 92 EMBROIDERY We Wish You a ...

Melissa Grant 100 SOFTIE Blinky Belle Anthea Christian 110 TABLE TOPPER Under the Tree Anni Downs 120 GINGERBREAD PLACEMAT Out of the Woods Sedef Imer

Showing & telling 10 READERS’ SHOWCASE Homespun readers share their successes 26 SELVEDGE Designer Edge: Liz Cooksey’s wirework and mixed media 28 SALVAGE Be seated ... knitted upholstery/crocheted stool covers

Shopping S 22 PATTERN & PALETTE PLAY Star fabrics – A galaxy of glittering designs 128 ON THE ROAD Craft shopping in NSW Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley 134 MARKET PLACE Product browsing from your armchair

Sourcing 14 PIN INTEREST A feast of crafty ideas and Diary Dates 54 MAKE OR BAKE! Vintage sewingmachine cakes 68 WELCOME TO MY (MINIATURE) WORKROOM Sachiko Aldous’s tiny studio in a suitcase 91 WHAT A CUTE CHRISTMAS IDEA! Eight hooped appliqués stacked to make a wall-mounted Xmas tree 119 ANOTHER CUTE CHRISTMAS IDEA! A sausage-dog swag gets the holly treatment 137 STOCKISTS & CONTACTS 138 NEXT MONTH A crafty teaser for Homespun’s August issue

SUBSCRIBING DON’T MISS THIS MONTH’S SPECIAL OFFER

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&UDIW\ )ULHQGV Stroud 2425 Tel. 0414 863 045 E. stroudvalleyharvest@hotmail.com 6WLWFKHG ¶Q· )UDPHG Port Macquarie 2444 Tel. 02 6581 3338 E. jenny@stitchednframed.com.au 7KH 6WLWFKHU·V &XSERDUG Camden 2570 Tel. 02 4655 8348 E. sales@thestitcherscupboard.com.au $YRQOHLJK &RXQWU\ 4XLOWLQJ Albury 2640 Tel. 02 6021 1121 E. info@avonleighcountryquilting.com.au 6HZ &DQ , Werrington County 2747 Tel. 02 9623 4570 E. sewcani@yahoo.com.au )RUWXQHV DQG )DLULHV Richmond 2753 Tel. 02 4578 1650 www.fortunesand fairies.com 7KH +RPH 3DWFK Bathurst 2795 Tel. 02 6331 5002 E. info@homepatch.com.au

A.C.T +REE\VHZ %HOFRQQHQ Belconnen 2617 Tel. 02 6253 0011 E. belconnen@hobbysew.com.au

VICTORIA *-·V 'LVFRXQW )DEULFV Brunswick East 3057 Tel. 03 9380 2989 E. info@gjsdiscountfabrics.com.au 6HZQ $QG 4XLOWHG Blackburn 3130 Tel. 03 9877 1664 E. carol@sewnandquilted.com.au 3DWFKZRUN :LWK *DLO % Bayswater 3153 Tel. 03 9729 3635 E. shop@patchworkwithgailb.com %HOODULQH 6HZLQJ &HQWUH Geelong 3220 Tel. 03 5221 3034 E. bellarinesewingcentre@outlook.com 6HZ ,QQ Colac 3250 Tel. 0431 175 788 E. sew-inn@outlook.com 0LOO 5RVH &RWWDJH Ballan 3342 Tel. 03 5368 2995 E. quilting@millrosecottage.com.au

NEW SOUTH WALES

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+RQH\VXFNOH 6WDLQHG *ODVV 3DWFKZRUN Bendigo 3550 Tel. 03 5441 3289 www.honeysucklepatchwork.com.au

/\Q·V )LQH 1HHGOHZRUN Baulkham Hills 2153 7HO ( VDOHV#O\QVÀQHQHHGOHZRUN FRP DX

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0\ 6HZLQJ 6XSSOLHV Kirrawee 2232 Tel. 02 9542 3513 www.mysewingsupplies.com.au

+REE\VHZ (FKXFD Echuca 3564 Tel. 03 5482 6276 E. karvin@iinet.net.au

3DWFKZRUN %\ 7KH /DNH Boolaroo 2284 Tel. 02 4965 8418 E. bowman_m@optusnet.com.au

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*OHQGRRQ &RWWDJH East Maitland 2323 Tel. 02 4933 8433 E. glendooncottage@y7mail.com

&D]]DQ 3DWFKZRUN *LIWV Orrvale 3631 Tel. 03 5829 1195 E. cazzanpatchwork@yahoo.com.au

6WLWFK %HWZHHQ 7KH %ULGJHV Tamworth 2340 Tel. 02 6765 4138 E. bowman_m@optusnet.com.au

7KH 3DWFKZRUN 7HDKRXVH Warburton 3799 Tel. 03 5966 2400 E. thepatchworkteahouse@bigpond.com

Lily Lane Quilting Rosedale 3847 Tel. 03 5199 2777 E. jennifer@lilylane.com.au Sewing ‘n’ Beyond Rosebud 3939 Tel. 03 5981 2020 E. sewingnbeyond@hotkey.net.au

ONLINE STORES )DEULF 3L[LH www.fabricpixie.com.au Tel. 0415 826 994 E. deanne@fabricpixie.com.au

QUEENSLAND

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)LÀ·V )DEULFRORJ\ Tallebudgera 4228 7HO ( LQIR#ÀÀVIDEULFRORJ\ FRP DX

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7KH 4XLOWHU·V $QJHO +LJKÀHOGV Tel. 07 4630 8062 E. info@quiltersangel.com.au

&UHDWH $QG 6HH www.createandsee.com.au Tel. 08 9071 6010 E. beros@westnet.com.au

7KH 3DWFKZRUN $QJHO Forest Glen 4556 Tel. 07 5477 0700 www.patchworkangel.com.au

027,)E\KDQG www.motifbyhand.com Tel. 0402 622 919 E. motifbyhand@gmail.com

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:LOG &RWWRQ )DEULF www.wildcottonfabric.com.au Tel. 0421 901 976 E. admin@wildcottonfabric.com.au

7HDFXS 4XLOWV 1LFHWLHV Bundaberg Central 4670 Tel. 07 4153 6953 E. turtlz@bigpond.com

$ 3DWFKZRUN 4XLOW www.apatchworkquilt.com.au Tel. 0425 861 464 E. jess@apatchworkquilt.com.au

6HZ 3DWFK Q 4XLOW Gladstone 4680 Tel. 07 4978 7772 E. info@sewpatchnquilt.com.au

)DEULF'LUHFW FRP DX www.fabricdirect.com.au Tel. 0404 192 047 E. fabricdirect@bigpond.com

0DUFL·V 4XLOWLQJ 6HUYLFH Kirwan 4817 Tel. 07 4773 5481 E. mqs06@iinet.net.au

Visit ZZZ LVVXX FRP WZRJUHHQ]HEUDV to view the latest Tilda catalogue online.

T. 02 9553 7201 E. sales@twogreenzebras.com

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SOUTH AUSTRALIA +HWWLH·V 3DWFK Hindmarsh 5007 Tel. 08 8346 0548 E. hetties@bigpond.net.au &UHDWLYHO\ 6HZQ Mount Gambier 5290 Tel. 08 8725 4933 E. kerry@ringwood-designs.com &RXQWU\ +DUW 'HVLJQV Port Pirie 5290 Tel. 08 8632 3172 E. countryhart@bigpond.com 6WLWFK ¶1· %LWV Cowell 5602 Tel. 0457 638 165 E. stitchnbits@bigpond.com

WESTERN AUSTRALIA &DUH &UHDWH Woodvale 6026 Tel. 0412 534 379 E. care2create@bigpond.com .UDIW 'D]H 6HZLQJ :RUOG Maddington 6109 Tel. 08 9459 7843 www.kraftdaze.com.au &UDIW &ROOHFWLRQV Bunbury 6230 Tel. 08 9791 1961 E. stuffnbears@westnet.com.au 3DWFKZRUN 3ODFH Albany 6330 Tel. 08 9842 1466 E. patchworkplace@live.com

TASMANIA (VPH·V 3DWFKZRUN Launceston 7250 Tel. 03 6334 9775 E. lillian@esmes.com.au

NEW ZEALAND +RXVH 2I 3DWFKZRUN Te Atatu Peninsula Auckland 0610 Tel. 09 834 9641 E. houseofpatchworkltd@gmail.com &XVKOD·V 9LOODJH )DEULFV Nelson 7005 Tel. 03 540 2011 www.cushlasvillagefabrics.co.nz $ZD\ :LWK 7KH )DLU\V Cust Village 7444 Tel. 03 312 5250 www.awaywiththefairys.co.nz .LW] ¶Q· 7KLQJ] Invercargill 9810 Tel. 03 214 9111 www.kitznthingz.co.nz

READERS’ SHOWCASE One of the joys of putting Homespun together each month is seeing the vision of our designers translated into personal masterpieces by our enthusiastic readers.

We’d love to hear from you, too. Write to us with your crafty triumphs or with any tips, advice and new-product sightings you’d like to share with others.

THIS MONTH’S WINNER

Congratulations to Jacinta for her great effort. As the winner this month, she will be receiving the following prizes:

Jacinta Hanrahan, from Bungaree, Vic, for her Colour My World project: “After noticing my niece being very particular about the order of her pencils, I thought I would make her a pencil roll for her fourth birthday. I knew I’d seen a pattern before, so I searched through my Homespun collection and finally found it in Vol 11 No 10: Colour My World, by Kellie Wulfsohn. The main fabric in the pattern I substituted with denim, as it goes well with lots of colours. I also changed the outside cover from a flower to the word ‘colour’. It was very hard to hand it over to my niece, but hopefully she’ll let me share when we next colour in together! Thanks for the inspiration.”

Q The Knitster spiral-bound book, by Robbie Dulaney, is subtitled 20 Patterns for Hip Knitters and contains patterns for small accessories, such as gloves and hats, as well as garments plus useful items, like a camera strap, iPad cosy and floor pillow, among others. Techniques covered included knitting, of course, a smattering of crochet and others, such as ombre dyeing and making upcycled yarn from old T-shirts.

The book is available through Hardie Grant Books.

Q Top This!, from Leutenegger, are complete beanie kits for kids.

Included is self-patterning yarn, a novelty topper (to replace boring pompoms) and full instructions inside the ball band.

For contact details for Hardie Grant Books and Leutenegger, turn to the Stockists pages at the back of the magazine.

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: Email enewton@universalmagazines.com.au Mail Homespun Readers’ Showcase, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde NSW 1670.

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BEDBUG BUDDIES FINDING HAPPINESS Valerie Dale, from Brisbane, Qld: “When I saw Monica Poole’s beautiful fruit tree appliqués in Homespun magazine, my fingers itched to get busy making them up. (Happiness Quilt BOM from February-November 2014/ Vol 15 Nos 2-11.) I used fabrics from my stash. Raw-edge appliqué using batik fabric was my choice for the fruit trees. On some of the fruits, I used water-soluble pencils to add shading. For the remaining blocks, I did my own thing, keeping to a circular theme.”

Judy Davis, from Duffy, ACT: “When I saw Are You Bugging Me?,

by Natashia Curtin, from the June 2015 issue of Homespun (Vol 16 No 6), I knew that it would be the ideal quilt to make for the arrival of another great nephew, Aston. I loved making the quilt. I love using bright colours, and the idea of bugs was certainly ideal for a little boy. It was quilted by June Ey, of Bluebell Quilting, in Canberra. Thanks for a great magazine.”

SUMMER FUN Sarah Kumela, from Redwood Park, SA: “For my birthday in January, my mum and sisters gave me a year’s subscription to Homespun. To make the most of the gift, I decided I’d do the Foxley Village BOM and at least one other project from the magazine each month. The first project I tackled was Under the Sprinkler, by Leanne Milsom, from January 2016 (Vol 17 No 1). The original had dark-haired little people and a dog, but I personalised my creation by removing the dog, adding a third little person and lightening their hair to look more like my little people at home.

This work of art now hangs on my wall of family photos and perfectly represents our backyard on a hot summer’s day.”

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HUNTING HEXIES Caitlin Noonan, from Port Lincoln, SA: “I’ve wanted to learn how to make English paper-pieced hexagons for a while now and when I saw Bronwyn Hayes’ pattern, Easter Eden, in the March 2015 edition (Vol 16 No 3) of Homespun, I couldn’t resist giving it a try. I found that it was the perfect starter project, because I only needed to make 13 hexagons. It was such a fun project to do, and I love that I was able to put little fabric scraps to good use. The basket will get used year after year for egg hunts!”

Best of the best from

king jump of the ers

Here are our favourite embroidered snowflakes on Pinterest this month.

Best clock

Time to go a little bit ‘flaky’! Designer: Stitch & Glimmer Contact: stitchandglimmer.etsy.com, (Facebook) Stitch & Glimmer, (Instagram) @stitchandglimmer

Best necklace

Showy, snowy fashion accessories.

Designer: Beverly McCullough, of Flamingo Toes Contact: flamingotoes.com

Best hoop

Get the drift with stitching in the round.

Designer: September House Contact: www.soseptember.blogspot.com, www.septemberhouse-embroidery.com, www.septemberhouse.etsy.com

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THE MANE ATTRACTION Patons has a sweet new pattern book called Pop Tots, which features lovely designs for babies through to size 4. This lion sweater (also shown in girly pink) is our favourite – and the coordinating log-cabin blanket just comes as a bonus. Both patterns are classified as Easy Knitting – in Big Baby 8 ply. Pick up a copy of the pattern book at your favourite craft outlet or contact Patons for your nearest stockist – call 1800 337 032 or visit www.patonsyarns.com.au.

PIN INTEREST Bright ideas, fabulous products, clever tips & quick reads

SUPPLIES • Green buttons • Pearl straight pins

XMAS 1: BUTTON TREES Cori George likes buttons, not branches, for mantel-sized celebratory accessories.

And she’s happy to share her easy tutorial with Homespun readers.

• Scrap of green fabric • Small foam cones

DIRECTIONS Start by covering your foam cone with the green fabric. I actually just pinned it in place because I knew it would be held together by all of the straight pins. But you could glue, as well.

Now, start adding buttons from the bottom, securing them with the pearlised pins. The hardest part of the project is to aim the pins into the cone so that the pointy end isn’t sticking out on the other side of the cone (or into your hand!).

Ethical yarns

Photography (‘In the Garden’ quilts): Robyn Dall

ful of buying ethical yarn, If you’re not already mind r itter, spinner and weave here’s a little rundown. Kn the on ays alw is , g House Sarah Jean, from Peace Fla r, n for her designs. For he yar l ica eth al, lookout for loc al ds of consideration: anim there are three main stran ); als im an the of t die s and care (the living condition ming practices are used); far ble na tai sus land care (if eing of all involved in the and people care (the well-b r more information, visit production of the yarn). Fo m/ethicalyarn. www.peaceflaghouse.co

Work your way up the cone, and top with a final button. Easy!

CONTACTS: Cori George, from Hey, Let’s Make Stuff. Web: heyletsmakestuff.com; Instagram: @heyletsmakestuff.

TIME-TRAVELLING QUILTS Enter a virtual time machine for this challenge: create a quilt that is an interpretation of the theme ‘20 Years Ago’ for the Bunbury Patchwork & Quilting Group 2017 International Quilt Challenge.

Quilters worldwide can enter if their quilt or wallhanging fits the theme and uses a minimum of 75 per cent of the given challenge fabric. For a challenge kit (containing rules, entry form, challenge fabric and prize list), email June Hicks at junehicks44@gmail.com.

Deadline for entries is March 13, 2017. Entries will be displayed at the Bunbury Patchwork Group quilt show [WA] in March next year. Here are a couple of gorgeous entries from this year’s challenge, where the theme was ‘In the Garden’.

In Grandma’s Garden, by Val Giles (SA)

The B Factor, by Jill Wagner (NSW) Homespun

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PIN INTEREST

diary dates

IT’S SHOW TIME!

HILL OF QUILTERS – SYDNEY Only a few more sleeps until Sydneysiders can enjoy the threeday 17th biennial Hunters Hill Quilt Show, which opens on August 11.

Here’s what to expect: • Fun • A gallery of great quilts • Special new exhibition of baby quilts to be donated to the Grace Centre for Newborn Care at Westmead Children’s Hospital • Quilts to buy • Coffee, tea and homemade goodies • Proceeds to Dr Elizabeth Scott for the Brain & Mind Research Institute Where? Historic Hunters Hill Town Hall, 21 Alexandra St. More info? www.huntershillquilters. org/p/2016-quilt-show.html.

HERE‚S CHEERS – ADELAIDE Quilters deserve a night of glamour just as much as anyone!

Well, you can enjoy a fun cocktail party to launch the 2016 AMQ Festival (Australian Machine Quilting Festival), held from August 25-28, 2016. The event includes a presentation of the Minda Benefit Quilt Challenge winners, a special presentation

AUSSIE ICONS – MELBOURNE

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PLUS

by gu guest quilter Claudia Pfeil, entertainment, prizes, cocktail food and a complimentary drink.

Date: Thursday, August 25, 2016 Time: 4.30pm Venue: Hall G, Adelaide Convention Centre Tickets: $70 pp, available online and at the registration desk until noon August 25, 2016 Dress: Smart casual Website: www.amqfestival.com.au

PLUS Making the Australian Quilt: 1800-1950 is a wonderful exhibition due to open this month at the National Gallery of Victoria. You’ve got some time to catch up on this, since it will be open from July 22 through to November 6, so interstaters don’t necessarily have to miss out. This is local quilt heritage in a nutshell (albeit an impressive gallery nutshell!).

Go to www.ngv.vic.gov.au for full details.

Let us know about your upcoming event – email details to homespun@universalmagazines.com.au or send them to Homespun Diary Dates, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde, NSW 1670.

Please notify us at least four months before the event.

NSW – Sydney August 6-7 Camden Camden Country Quilters’ Guild Exhibition; AH & I Hall, Argyle St. Open 9.30am-4pm. Entry $6.

More information: Phone Chris on 0413 762 028.

NSW – Country July 15-17 Port Macquarie Port Macquarie Timeless Quilters’ Biannual Quilt Show; Port Macquarie Panthers Club, 1 Bay St. View quilt display, participate in a raffle, purchase craft goods and attend craft workshops.

Open Fri & Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am3pm. Entry $5. Funds raised will be donated to the Neo-natal Unit at the Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

More information: Phone Lee McGlashan on 0402 437 604, email lee@reglee.com.au or contact Sue Richardson, sooricho@gmail.com.

July 22-24 Wagga Wagga CraftAlive Wagga Wagga; Wagga Wagga Showground, Bourke St. Bringing together both talented interstate and local exhibitors, focusing on creative hand finished products, DIY products, craft supplies, homewares and creative workshops. Open 10am–5pm.

More information: www.craftalive.com.au.

Vic – Melbourne July 9-17 Wandin Tea cosy exhibition and sales; Warratina Lavender Farm, 105 Quayle Rd. Open 10am-4pm.

Proceeds go to cancer research.

More information: Phone (03) 5964 4650.

Gone to Heaven. Editor of Embellish magazine, Lynda Worthington, will give a talk. Also, same-day service for scissor sharpening, scissor fob display, ‘Hexie’ challenge, trading mall, raffle, show bags, lucky door prizes and morning and afternoon tea. BYO lunch, mug and some stitching. Open 10am-4pm. Entry $15 ($10 prepaid), visit website to book.

More information: Visit www.mppi. org.au or email pqpq2016@gmail.com.

Vic – Country August 5-7 Hopetoun Hopetoun Patchwork Group Biennial exhibition; Memorial Hall, Austin St. Quilts, table runners, bags, toys and cushions on display. Shops in attendance. Light refreshments. Open Fri & Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm. Entry $5.

More information: Phone Joan on 0488 978 039 or email hopetounpatchworkgroup@ yahoo.com.au.

Qld – Brisbane July 16-17 Brookfield Schoolhouse Quilters Biennial Quilt Show; Brookfield Show Ground Hall, Brookfield Rd. Quilt display, challenge quilts and gifts, soft toys, etc. for sale. The proceeds from the raffle quilt will be donated to Qld Women’s Historical Association, Miegunyah House Museum.

Refreshments available. Open 10am-4pm. Entry $5.

More information: Phone Pat on (07) 3379 1318.

August 6

Qld – Country July 21–31

Mornington Mornington Peninsula Patchworkers’ biannual PQPQ Quilt In; Peninsula Community Theatre, 61 Wilsons Rd (cnr of Wilsons Rd & Nepean Hwy). Guest speaker is quilt artist, Lisa Walton, from Dyed and

Warwick Jumpers and Jazz in July Festival. Yarn-bombed tree jumper exhibition, jazz acts, textile workshops, craft markets and more.

More information: www.jumpersandjazz.com.

XMAS 2: SHAMROCK WREATH Part St. Pat, part St. Nick – this wool-wound and felt-flowered wreath is glorious in its simplicity. It’s the work of Vicky Barone, whose motto is “Celebrate Everything”. She’s off to a good start with this design.

Contacts: Web: www. vickybarone.com; Blog: blog.vickybarone.com; Instagram: @vicky_barone.

WOOLLY BUT WINGED Have you noticed how few sparrows there are bobbing about your garden these days? They used to be everywhere, and they always looked sweetly cheery and preoccupied with the business of being a bird. Well, if you can’t have the real thing, here is the perfect substitute … a little lookalike crafted from leftover yarn. It is the work of Craftbits, and you can link through to the how-to at craftbits.com/project/cute-birdmade-of-leftover-yarn or email staff@craftbits.com.

XMAS 3: SEWINGMACHINE ORNAMENT Handmade, but a machine!

Betz White’s felt sewingmachine ornament speaks volumes about her Christmas craftiness. Contacts: Pattern available from the Etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/betzwhite.

AND WHILE WE’RE TALKING OF BIRDS …

Isn’t this a lovely idea? A little wire bird feeder full of yarn scraps that your local winged wonders can call on to ‘feather’ their nests. It’s just one of the oodles of great ideas from Sarah, from Repeat Crafter Me. Link straight through at www.repeatcrafterme. com/2014/05/yarn-scrap-bird-feeder.

XMAS 4: CROCHETED STAR GARLAND Dreaming of a white Christmas? Anabelia Craft Design can help with that, with instructions for making these wonderful crocheted six-pointed stars – link directly through at anabeliahandmade. blogspot.com.au/2014/11/diy-how-to-make-crochet-stars-christmas. html. String them together, then string them up! Contacts: Blog: anabeliahandmade.blogspot.com.es; Facebook: www.facebook.com/ AnabeliaCraftDesign/?ref=hl; Instagram: @anabeliacraftdesign.

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PIN INTEREST

XMAS 5: BOTTLE-TOP DECORATIONS

LACY LOBES Hanna, from Pearls & Scissors, feels a little guilty about her lace stud earrings – simply because making them is “so easy, it almost feels like cheating”. She says if you’ve always wanted to have a go at jewellery but were bewildered by the tools and wires involved, then this is the starting point for you. We think her guilt is nullified by the fact that she’s happy to share her quick-step tutorial at www.pearlsandscissors. com/2015/04/diy-lace-stud-earrings.

Let’s drink to Christmas – but keep the bottle top! That’s the advice from Julia Camilleri, who likes to upcycle plastic lids with embroidered and cross-stitched yule motifs. Such a sweet idea – and executed perfectly, considering the space limitations.

Contacts: Julia’s Place. Blog: www. creativeribbons.blogspot.com.au; direct link: www.creativeribbons. blogspot.com.au/2011/11/ bottle-top-decorations.html.

TORQUE ABOUT PINCUSHIONS WITH GRUNT! These are what you would call ‘top gear’ for your sewing studio. These gorgeous truck pincushions are the creation of Cathe Holden, from Just Something I Made, justsomethingimade.com. You can find out more on this direct link: justsomethingimade. com/2010/03/retreat-crafting-spring-2010.

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XMAS 6: ICS NEW FABR

TWINKLE TOES and FANCY FEET Whatever you want to call them, they are all that’s good about modern knitting design. Especially when it’s getting cold out there and the idea of snuggling into toasty hand-knits is the ultimate in winter comfort. These are the work of Cathy Carron, who has compiled wondrous woollies into a fabulous book called Happy Feet – Unique Knits to Knock Your Socks Off. There are heaps of great designs that can be whipped up in no time.

Published by Sixth&Spring Books and distributed locally by Capricorn Link Australia. Available from selected bookshops or by mail order from www.candobooks.com.au. Phone (02) 4560 1600 or email sales@capricornlink.com.au.

When Lori Holt was creating festive fabrics for Riley Blake Designs, she left nothing out of the ‘Cozy Christmas’ cotton range – with wonderful colour and line, she included stars, reindeer, gingerbread, baubles, holly et al. Contacts: Distributor – Millhouse Collections.

Direct link: www.millhousecollections. com/shop/category/ cotton-fabric/availablenow-1/cozy-christmas/ cozy-christmas-cotton; Ph: (07) 5449 1936; Email: sales@ millhousecollections.com.

Sew ing and Qu ilting Let your imagination take over with this exciting chapter: the Innov-is Sewing and Quilting Range. Enjoy creating beautiful quilts and outstanding fashion projects with clear LCD screen and hundreds of built-in decorative and utility stitches.

Innov-is NV1800Q With all the support you could want from advanced features, the Innov-is NV1800Q lets you add your own flourish and flair to sewing and quilting with 290 built-in stitches and sideways sewing.

Innov-is NV1100/NV1300 Create beautiful sewing and quilting projects with a wide range of built-in sewing stitches or make your own with the Brother exclusive My Custom Stitch feature.

Share your creations with us using #BrotherInspires For more information and to find your closest dealer visit brother.com.au

/brotheraustralia

BOOK NOOK The latest new leaves, from handbooks to hardcovers, inspiration to instruction.

From Homespun contributors Some of Homespun’s favourite contributors have fabulous new books out. If you can’t get enough of the beautiful designs from Sedef Imer, Minki Kim and Twinkie Chan, you’ll definitely want to get lost in the pages of these volumes.

Sew Illustrated: 35 Charming Fabric & Thread Designs

Learn How to Knit with 50 Squares by Che Lam, $34.99 If you’re just starting out with knitting or you’ve mastered the basics and are ready to stretch your wings, this book provides an excellent guide to a wide range of stitches and techniques. Learn a new stitch by following the step-by-step instructions and colour photographs, then practise by knitting a square. Begin with knit and purl, then progress to textured, twisted, cable, lace and relief stitches, such as double moss, mini bobbles, braided cable, openwork lace, intarsia and fair isle. For true beginners, there are introductory chapters on tools and materials, holding the yarn and needles, casting on and off and finishing. Instructions are provided for a small number of projects that you can make with your knitted squares, such as the cushion cover shown here.

By Minki Kim and Kristin Esser Use free-motion stitching and appliqué to create beautiful handmade gifts in Zakka style. The book includes 16 small projects with Minki’s signature flair for sweet design.

Instagram: @zeriano

Published by Sally Milner Publishing. Available in craft stores and bookshops.

Phone (02) 4835 6212 or visit www.sallymilner.com.au for stockist enquiries.

Quilt Petite By Sedef Imer

Windy City Bags

by Sara Lawson, US$27.99 Anyone who enjoys making bags of all shapes and sizes should do themselves a favour and buy a copy of Sara Lawson’s latest collection of 12 projects. They range in size from natty little handbags to a backpack and duffle. The instructions are first rate, with lots of diagrams and photographs, and Sara provides very down-to-earth tips to help you achieve good ooutcomes. She even alerts readers to processes tthat are tedious or awkward – so you’ll be aassured that it’s not just you! All the bags photographed for the book were made by vvolunteer pattern testers, so you’re looking aat the results that ‘real’ people can expect tto achieve: including a few wobbly lines of sstitching and the occasional wrinkle in the ffabric. That said, the bags are all stylish and ffeature design details that add polish: zippered pockets, purse hardware and clever use of the latest quilter’s print fabrics.

P Published

by Martingale. Available in selected quilt aand craft shops. Phone +1 425 483 3313 or visit www.martingale-pub.com for stockist enquiries.

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Learn how to make mini quilts, cushions, table toppers, doll quilts, placemats, potholders and more. Includes detailed instructions for 18 projects, featuring a range of techniques, including patchwork, hand and machine quilting, embroidery and more. All suitable for beginners through to advanced.

Instagram: @downgrapevinelane

Crocheted Abode à la Mode: 20 Yummy Crochet Projects for Your Home By Twinkie Chan After the success of Twinkie’s first book, which featured fun food-themed crochet to create and wear, Crocheted Abode à la Mode has fun designs for home decoration. The book is organised according to rooms and includes step-by-step instructions and colour photos to help crocheters of every skill level.

Instagram: @twinkiechan

GET CREATIVE WITH ASHFORD Spin your own creative, unique yarn on a beautifully crafted Ashford spinning wheel

Kiwi 2 Simple smooth and easy to use.

Accessories: Kiwi Super flyer, high speed kit, jumbo flyer kit and bobbins.

Joy 2

Traveller

So portable and light. Choose single or double treadle.

Includes carry bag.

Accessories: Freedom flyer with jumbo bobbins.

Small and beautiful.

Choose single or double drive.

Accessories: Distaff, sliding hook flyer, sliding hook flyer jumbo, basic jumbo flyer unit, quill spindle and bobbins.

Visit one of these Ashford dealers to find out more about the full range of weaving looms, carders, spinning wheels, fibres and textile equipment.

NEW SOUTH WALES

TASMANIA

Free Call 1 800 026 397 www.ashfordaustralia.com

Moonah, TAS 7009 Ph. 03 6278 1800 Fax. 03 6278 1808 woolsuppliers@bigpond.com

Ashford Australia

By Lynette Eastwood, NSW 2122 Ph. 04 3946 8698 bylynette@bigpond.com.au www.bylynette.com.au

Fibre Flair

Gerringong, NSW 2534 Ph. 02 4234 0422

The Craft Circle

www.glenoraweaving.com.au

Licence to Create Ambarvale, NSW 2560 Ph. 04 3522 1062 licencetocreate.com.au

Spinners Haven Armidale, NSW 2350 Ph. 02 6772 8795 spinnershaven@nsw.chariot.net.au

Spun Out - Australia only Gulgong, NSW 2852 Ph. 02 6374 1170 spunout1@bigpond.com

QUEENSLAND

Green Living Australia Underwood, QLD 4119 Ph. 07 3808 2576 www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Knit Spin Weave

Clare, SA 5453 Ph. 04 2945 7689 www.knitspinweave.com.au

The SampleIt Loom is perfect for new and experienced weavers. Easy to use for successful first projects, learning new techniques and for sampling new yarns.

Warp and be weaving in minutes. The perfect gift for the new weaver.

Elmwood, Christchurch Ph/Fax 03 355 9099 hands.craft@clear.net.nz www.handscraftstore.com

Memoirs & Memories

Glenora Weaving & Wool

SampleIt Loom

Hands Ashford NZ Ltd

VICTORIA

Maldon, VIC 3463 Ph. 04 2772 5251 reneet@gcom.net.au

christine@glenoraweaving.com.au

Waikanae Ph./Fax 04 902 9908 information@fibreflair.com www.fibreflair.com

The Wool Shop

Kiwi Gift Shop Queenstown 9300 Ph. 03 442 9563 kiwigiftshop@hotmail.com

Upstairs at Open Drawer Camberwell, VIC 3124 Ph. 04 2570 2001 www.thecraftcircle.com.au

The Yarn Queen Online Knitting Store Servicing all New Zealand Ph. 09 836 7285 sales@theyarnqueen.co.nz www.theyarnqueen.co.nz

Wondoflex Yarn Craft Centre Malvern, VIC 3144 Ph. 03 9822 6231 enquiries@wondoflex.com.au www.wondoflex.com.au

Woolsy Trading Post

er NEW Widg Weavin Width

Ashford Online

Geelong, VIC 3218 Ph. 03 5222 1571 www.woolsytradingpost.com.au

The NEW 25cm (10") weaving width with NEW built-in second heddle kit allows you to weave all your favourite rigid heddle patterns.

Includes 7.5 dpi (30/10) reed, stepby-step instruction booklet, 2 shuttles, threading hook, warping peg and clamp.

Built-in second heddle, comfortable handles and strong 30 teeth nylon cm ratchets with clicker pawls.

NEW 25 tand s Accessories: extra reeds 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15dpi, vari dent reed, pick-up sticks, loom stand.

Visit our website for news and information www.ashford.co.nz

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Bilby Yarns

www.facebook.com/ ashford.wheels.looms

Willagee, WA 6156 Ph. 08 9331 8818 bilbyarn@tpg.com.au www.bilbyyarns.com

Watch our how-to videos on You Tube.

Search: AshfordHandicrafts

NEW ZEALAND

Creations Unlimited Sewing Craft Centre Nelson 7040 Ph. 03 548 4297 www.creationsunlimited.co.nz shop@creationsunlimited.co.nz spinning

New stockist enquiries welcome Australia 1 800 653 397 New Zealand 0508 459 459 www.ashford.co.nz

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The Wheel Magazine Ashford’s annual fibrecraft magazine. Spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing and knitting projects, patterns and articles from around the world. Don’t miss out!

Subscribe at: www.ashford.co.nz/subscribe

ISSUE 25 2013

NZ $10 AUS $9 US $8 CAD $8 GBP £5 EURO €6 YEN ¥800

ASHFORD’S FIBRECRAFT MAGAZINE – NEW ZEALAND ASHFORD’S FIBRECRAFT

MAGAZINE – NEW ZEALAND ASHFORD’S FIBRECRAFT ISSUE 26 2014

MAGAZINE – NEW ZEALAND

NZ $10 US $8.50 AUS $9 GBP £5 27 2015 ¥875 EURO €6 YENISSUE NZ $10 US $7 AUS $9 GBP £4 YEN ¥765 EURO €6

Katniss Cowl Baby Blending Board Wearing

Spun angel

0DJLF

Patsy Z’s illegal yarn

Kiwi Super SUPER Flyer Rug

Freeform capelet

How to ...

BIG Knits

Weave curtains Felt rabbits Grow and process flax ... and much more

GREAT NEW PRODUCTS

www.ashfordclub.co.nz

ilt-in NEW bu d secon heddle!

World of Wearable Arts

GREAT NEW PRODUCTS AND PATTERNS INSIDE AND PATTERNS INSIDE www.ashfordclub.co.nz 1 Ashford Wheels & Looms

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GREAT NEW PRODUCTS

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AND PATTERNS INSIDE

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Pattern & Palette Play Shoot for the stars with your next project and choose these heavenly fabric offerings – stellar designs in twinkling silvers, golds and blues.

Compiled by Janai Velez 22

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01 Art Gallery Fabrics ‘Wild & Free’ Midnight Roof WFR-146, designed by Maureen Cracknell. Distributed

by Craft Project – Charles Parsons.

02 RJR Fabrics ‘Holiday Accents Classics 2016’ 2712-003, designed by RJR Fabrics. Distributed by Dayview Textiles.

03 Northcott ‘Winter Magic’ 21075-44, designed by Deborah Edwards Northcott Studio. Distributed

by Lloyd Curzon Textiles.

04 Liberty Art Fabrics 'Liberty Rocks' Adelajda C. Distributed and sold by The Strawberry Thief.

05 RJR Fabrics ‘Holiday Accents Classics 2016’ 2712-002, designed by RJR Fabrics. Distributed by Dayview Textiles.

06 RJR Fabrics ‘Holiday Accents Classics 2016’ 2712-004, designed by RJR Fabrics. Distributed by Dayview Textiles.

07 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Sugar Plum’ RK1590069 (Midnight colourway), designed by McKenna Ryan.

Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

08 Northcott ‘Stonehenge Celebration 3’ 20645-44, designed by Deborah Edwards Northcott Studio.

Distributed by Lloyd Curzon Textiles.

09 Camelot Fabrics ‘Bonne Nuit’ Night Sky in White D21432062, designed by Camelot Design Studio.

Distributed by Leutenegger.

10 Moda Fabrics ‘Marble Star’ Royal 3406-33, designed

by Moda Classic. Distributed by PK Fabrics.

11 Moda Fabrics ‘Marble Star’ Sky Blue 3406-55, designed

by Moda Classic. Distributed by PK Fabrics.

12 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Holiday Flourish 9’ RK1576111 (Royal colourway), designed by Peggy Toole.

Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

13 Moda Fabrics ‘Primitive Gatherings Fav’ Tallow 1084-13, designed by Primitive Gatherings. Distributed by PK Fabrics.

14 FreeSpirit ‘Jeans and Things’ PWDW109.INDIG, designed

by David Walker Studios. Distributed by XLN Fabrics.

15 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Holiday Flourish 9’ RK1576114 (Natural colourway), designed by Peggy Toole.

Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

16 RJR Fabrics ‘Festive Fun’ 2781-002, designed by Lynette Anderson. Distributed by Dayview Textiles.

17 Moda Fabrics ‘Marble Star’ Windsor 3406-52, designed by Moda Classic. Distributed by PK Fabrics.

18 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Winter’s Grandeur 4’ RK1588914 (Natural colourway), designed by Studio RK. Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

19 Birch Organic Fabric ‘Mod Basics 3’ Wink Dusk TBMB301D. Distributed by Craft Project – Charles Parsons.

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1300 364 422, info@craftproject.com.au, www.craftproject.com.au.

Q Dayview Textiles: (02) 9607 2724, dayviewt@bigpond.net.au, www.dayviewtextiles.com.au.

Q Leutenegger: (02) 8046 4100, sales@leutenegger.com.au, www.leutenegger.com.au.

Q Lloyd Curzon Textiles: (08) 8362 2451, admin@lcurzon.com.au, www.lcurzon.com.au.

Q Millhouse Collections: (07) 5449 1936, sales@millhousecollections.com, www.millhousecollections.com.

Q PK Fabrics: (02) 9557 2022, sales@pkfabrics.com.au, www.pkfabrics.com.au.

Q The Strawberry Thief: robyn@thestrawberrythief.com.au, www.thestrawberrythief.com.au.

Q Two Green Zebras: (02) 9553 7201, sales@twogreenzebras.com, www.twogreenzebras.com.

Q XLN Fabrics: (02) 9621 3066, info@xln.com.au, www.xln.com.au.

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Fabrics shown were available at the time of going to print, unless stated otherwise. Check with the suppliers for current availability and your nearest stockist.

Suppliers: Q Craft Project – Charles Parsons:

20 Liberty Art Fabrics 'Liberty Rocks' Adelajda D. Distributed and sold by The Strawberry Thief.

21 Riley Blake Designs ‘Stars’ C410-20 AQUA, designed by The RBD Designers. Distributed

by Millhouse Collections.

22 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Winter’s Grandeur 4’ RK15889254 (Frost colourway), designed by Studio RK. Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

23 Camelot Fabrics ‘Bonne Nuit’ Night Sky in Stone D21432063, designed by Camelot Design Studio. Distributed by Leutenegger.

24 RJR Fabrics ‘Holiday Accents Classics 2016’ 2712-005, designed by RJR Fabrics.

Distributed by Dayview Textiles.

25 Birch Organic Fabric ‘Mod Basics 3’ Wink Teal TBMB301TE. Distributed by Craft Project – Charles Parsons.

26 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Sugar Plum’ RK159004 (Blue colourway), designed by McKenna Ryan.

Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

27 Riley Blake Designs ‘Stars’ C410-40 GRAY, designed by The RBD Designers. Distributed

by Millhouse Collections.

28 Ella Blue Fabrics ‘Ella’s Basics’ Stars TE4004S. Distributed by Craft Project – Charles Parsons.

29 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Winter’s Grandeur 4’ RK15893186 (Silver colourway), designed by Studio RK. Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

30 Robert Kaufman Fabrics ‘Winter’s Grandeur 4’ RK15891200 (Vintage colourway), designed by Studio RK. Distributed by Two Green Zebras.

Leanne Beasley has once again invited you into her garden, with her latest range for Ella Blue. The Potting Shed will inspire your sewing creations, with a subtle colour palette that can also be coordinated with fabrics from Leanne’s previous ranges. Dig into the cooler greens, lavenders, blues and earth tones; or enjoy the warmer yellow and gentle peach tones.

Use the entire range together for a look that will delight you no matter what the season!

Selvedge

DESIGNER EDGE

LIZ COOKSEY Liz Cooksey’s artworks free birds from behind bars but retain the beauty of feather-soft fabrics and yarns juxtaposed against rigid wirework. And her tiny winged creatures clearly like the idea as much as we do, sticking around to perch on the metal framework, rather than taking flight.

“I often find it difficult to describe my work, as it is made up of lots of different elements using a wide range of techniques,” says Manchester-based Liz. “It involves an eclectic mix of found and handmade treasures. I bring them together in small, intricate compositions with possible narratives coming into play via natural forms, such as flower heads, hares, birds and hearts. I try to carefully place all the elements together within a wire framework, creating crrea eattiing ng rrelationship elatio elat el atiioons at nshi hip th hip tthrough hroug rrooug ugh co ccolour, olo lour ur,r, shape shhap sh ape and ap aannd texture.” text te xtur xtur ure. e The The idea Th iid deeaa came cam ame to ame to hher eerr when whe hen she she sh he was waaass te w tteaching eac achi hing ing ng aand nd hher nd er ccollege er oollleege ge students were stud st uden ents ts w ere making er makkiing ma ng drawings dra rawing wiing w ngs

using small wire grids.

Around the same time, she became ‘hooked’ on crochet after discovering mini hooks in her grandmother’s sewing tin.

“This led me to play around with combining wire and crochet – not the most obvious materials to bring together, but it got me started, and I have loved the process of discovery and experimentation that has led to the current pieces”. The wire framework beautifully showcases her various techniques and her collections of curios.

She starts the process by gathering and making her ‘ingredients’. “I love this stage, because there is so much potential for ideas.

I lay everything out, selecting a crocheted square, embroidered flower, patchwork fabric … And I can consider what works together,” she says.

“It’s like shopping.”

Once a perfect balance has been achieved, the hammering begins.

Liz straightens and flattens the wire to accommodate her crafted compilation. When extra elements are called for, she adds random old buttons, pieces of pottery and remnants of lace and ribbons sourced from antique markets or family cupboards.

Her completed mixed-treasure artworks are suspended behind glass in white boxed frames, pinned to sit slightly away from the surface to create a soft shadow. Although the pieces are small (10-30cm wide), they have a concentrated quality.

Liz exhibits at The Contemporary Craft Festival in Devon, UK and also sells her work through www.madebyhandonline.com.

Visit Liz Cooksey’s website (www.lizcooksey.com), follow her on Instagram (@liz_cooksey) or email her (cookseynash@hotmail.co.uk).

– Janai Velez 26

Homespun

email robyn@countryhart.com.au • www.countryhart.com.au

Bloom Street pattern $30.00 including iron-on transfers 13 Alexander street, Port Pirie SA Opening Hours Tue - Fri 9.30am - 5pm | Sat 9am - 12pm Need another time - Call 08 8632 3172 or 0417 826 418

SALVAGE

Photography: Olaf Szczepaniak. Production: Wilckens & BrĂźckner/Zuhause Wohnen/Picture Media

How to breathe new life into little leftovers, small scraps and otherwise wasted remnants.

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Keep indoors this winter!

JUST KEEP SEWING NG I W E S Back ckg grro rou un n nd d ffab abric ric:: ‘‘T Th he h eorrry eo yo off A Av via iattio ion n’’ by b Whis histl h tle err Stud udio ios io s// Wind indh ha am Fa Fab brric ics css.

Distribu b te ted d by y Leuten e egger (deetttail ailss on ails ail on pag paag ge 137)

Pack your bags!

We’re off on an adventure this issue, with craft projects that take us travelling without the grind of airport queues and jet lag. First, you’ll y need Roslyn Mirrington’s hand-stitched luggage tags (see page 100) 1 – they’re not only steamer-trunk romantic, they’re also practical. practica And don’t forget your patchwork camera bag, courtesy of Minki Kim K (page 72). As to destinations: we start our trip with a stopover in D Dubai to meet up with Fatima, the sweet Muslim doll created for Homes Homespun

by Allison Dey Malacaria (page 82). Then it’s off to Scandinavia ffor northern-winter knits for the home (page 68), before boarding a p plane for Canada, where we’re into the woods to find find Jennifer Goldsmi Goldsmith’s adorable beaver softie. (This one should be easy to spot; she does doesn’t take a dip in the dam without her fl floral oral swim cap and duck float oatie (you’ll see what we mean on page 48). Bon voyage and bon stitch stitching!

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T JEC

PRO

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KISS CROSS

Who wouldn’t fall in love with this quilt from Melissa Gottliebsen? For a start, it’s covered in a latticework of ‘kisses’. And it embraces all the luscious and lusty colours of the spectrum while decorously maintaining a sense of romance.

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Materials Q 110 assorted 5in charm squares OR about 2m (21⁄4yd) in total of assorted print fabrics cut into 5in squares (blocks) Q 3.5m (37⁄8yd) grey fabric – see Note (blocks, border, sashing and binding) 34

Homespun

Q 3.5m (4yd) backing fabric Q Batting at least 178 x 165cm (70 x 65in) Q Rotary cutter, ruler, square ruler and mat Q Sewing machine with 1 ⁄4in foot Q General sewing supplies

Finished size: 162.5 x 148.5cm (64 x 581⁄2in) Finished block size: 41⁄2in Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed

(with the exception of the charm squares) and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide. Melissa used a grey shot cotton from Spotlight in her quilt. Seam allowances of 1⁄4in are used throughout. This quilt has a fully machinestitched binding (optional).

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Diagram 1

Kiss block

Diagram 2

Cutting

Kiss blocks

1

3

2

4

Sort the charm squares into two groups of 55 – one group will be for the Kiss blocks and the other for the Cross blocks.

From the grey fabric, cut: • Two strips, 5in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield a total of 55 strips, 11⁄2 x 5in (Cross blocks) • Two strips, 51⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield a total of 55 strips, 11⁄2 x 51⁄2in (Cross blocks) • Four strips, 8in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield a total of 110 strips, 11⁄2 x 8in (Kiss blocks) • Another four strips, 5in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield a total of 99 strips, 11⁄2 x 5in (vertical sashing) • 14 strips, 11⁄2in across the width of the fabric (horizontal sashing) • Six strips, 21⁄2in across the width of the fabric (border) • Another seven strips, 21⁄2in across the width of the fabric (binding).

Using the 55 charm squares you selected for these blocks, cut each square in half diagonally. Keep the triangles in matching pairs.

Fold two matching triangles in half, short edges matching, and finger press a crease in the longest edge. Unfold. Fold each 11⁄2 x 8in grey strip in half, short edges matching, and finger press a crease. Unfold.

Then fold each of these grey strips in half, long edges matching, and finger press a crease. Unfold.

Sew the two matching triangles to the long edges of the grey strip, matching centre creases. Press the seams away from the grey fabric.

Cut the block in half diagonally, as shown in Diagram 1, cutting across the strip you’ve just sewn.

Repeat Step 5 to sew another 11⁄2 x 8in grey strip between the halves, as shown in Diagram 2 – this time match the centre crease in the long edges of the new grey strip with the centre crease that runs down the length of the first

5

6 7

grey strip. Press these seams towards the second grey strips.

Trim the block to measure 5in square: to do this, place a quilter’s square ruler on it with the 45-degree line on the diagonal crease down the centre of one of the grey strips, and the vertical line marking 21⁄2in from the right edge of the ruler lying over of the centre of the block – through the corners of the top and bottom

8

MELISSA’S SEAM TIP Discover your true quarter inch. Every sewing machine is different, and even though you may have a 1⁄4in foot, looks can be deceiving. I discovered this with my beloved machine and have mastered my quarter inch by moving my needle one position to the right. Now I have perfect block measurements every time. If you don’t have a 1⁄4in foot, mark the measurement on the machine bed.

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Diagram 4

11

Sew a 11⁄2 x 5in grey strip between the two rectangles.

Press the seam away from the grey fabric.

Cut the unit in half horizontally, cutting across the strip you’ve just sewn, as shown in Diagram 4.

Sew a 11⁄2 x 51⁄2in grey strip between the two halves of the block, as shown in Diagram 5. Press the seams towards the grey fabric to make a Cross block. It should now measure 51⁄2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Trim the block to measure 5in square: to do this, place a quilter’s square ruler on it with the vertical line marking 2in from the right edge of the ruler lying over of the seam on the right edge of the vertical grey strip and the horizontal line 2in from the top edge of the ruler lying over the seam on the top edge of the horizontal grey strip, as shown in Diagram 6 (on page 38). Trim the

12 13 Cross block

triangles – as shown in Diagram 3.

Trim the top and right edges. Rotate the block 180 degrees, and repeat the process to trim the other two edges.

Repeat Steps 4-8 to make a total of 55 Kiss blocks.

MELISSA’S BUYING TIPS Invest in your craft. The

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better the quality of your notions, the better the outcome of your projects.

Think decent thread, needles, scissors. You won’t get frustrated with your thread snapping, needles pulling the fabric and blunt scissors – all of which reduce enjoyment.

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Diagram 3 Homespun

45°

1in

5in 2in

5in

3in 2½in

4in

4in

4in

1in

3in

3in

3in

2½in 2in

2in

4in

2in

5in

1in

5in

Cut each of the remaining 55 charm squares in half vertically so that you have matching pairs of 21⁄2 x 5in rectangles. Keep the pairs together.

1in

45°

36

Cross blocks

14

Diagram 5

Getting to know …

MELISSA GOTTLIEBSEN Where do you live and work? I live in a beautiful part of the world – the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne. It’s a green and luscious landscape, and if I look out our windows, I can see the hills behind our house. My workspace is classed as a ‘storeroom’ on our house plans.

And not an end-of-the-world, apocalypse-iscoming kind of storeroom! I call it the shoebox.

All four of my children have their own bedrooms, so I compromised with my workspace. As small as it is, I can achieve so much in there, and I also have our huge dining-room table to pop my cutting board on and bring my sewing machine out to when I have large quilts to do.

What’s your family structure? I turned 40 last year and have been married to my gorgeous husband, Andrew, for 12 years. Together, we have four fab kids – Lochie is 17, Chelsea, 13, Cadyn, 11, and Chloe is 7. I’ve worked as a disability carer for 20 years, and love all the residents I get to hang out with and the fact that I make a difference in their lives.

Why this particular craft? I’d been sewing children’s clothing for a few years when I thought I’d try making a quilt. People had warned me that it was addictive, but I never really believed it.

I can’t really explain why I love it so much – I think it’s a mix of being able to take pieces of fabric and reinvent them as well as, once they are finished, being able to feel the joy of handing them over to someone or watching my family use them.

Have you tried plenty of other crafts? Yes! I forget how many I’ve done and am surprised sometimes when I’m reminded. I was a very keen cross-stitcher in my early 20s, took up scrapbooking with great gusto when my kids were younger and have even crocheted a few blankets over the years.

If you weren’t doing this, what else would occupy your time? I’d probably still be sitting on the couch watching Dr Phil and Oprah!

Seriously – I never had a hobby, and was pretty bored, apart from all the usual mothering gigs in my schedule. I often wonder how I’d fill my days, now that the kids are all at school, if I didn’t have my craft.

Who taught you your crafting skills? My mum taught me to sew when I was a little girl. She worked in the wardrobe department at Dreamworld, and if she wasn’t designing Kenny Koala’s gear, she was sitting in her sewing room at home. When it came to quilting, even though Mum is an accomplished quilter herself, I took to the internet to learn. I’d met a wonderful friend – Gemma – who egged me on during my first attempt. It was her enthusiasm as much as my own curiosity that kept me going. I have only ever had one formal lesson, and that was in a class with Jen Kingwell. I’d started her Steam Punk quilt, so asked her to show me how to hand appliqué. It has proven to be invaluable.

Any good stories from those lessons? The day I went to Amitie to learn from Jen, it was an ‘open class’; in other words – bring along a project and ask for advice/help. I went along with two friends, who are also big fans of Jen’s, and we are all active on social media. The other lady in the class was a beginner quilter and was quite confused by how enamoured we were by being in Jen’s company.

To make matters even more amusing, a high-profile American quilter and blogger – Quilt Dad – turned up at the store, and this poor lady was so confused about why we were taking photos. She must have thought we were from a different planet!

What does this craft mean to you? My quilting has become so much more than just a hobby.

It gives me sanity, has provided me with amazing friendships and has also given me something more in common with my mum. Even though our styles of quilting are completely different, we talk about fabric, she shows me her machine embroidery and the projects she’s working on and vice versa. Quilting has also given me more than I could have ever expected – my blog, which was once a personal space for me to share my life stories, is now a well-established quilting/ crafting blog. I get absolute joy from writing about all the things crafty I’m doing in my life, and it has led to opportunities such as this – a project in Homespun.

Is it hard to find time to do your craft or is it a profession? I am often asked how I manage to get as much sewing done as I do. This is how I explain it – up until two years ago, I had children at home with me for 15 years. There was always a little person beside me, and that made it harder to get what I wanted to do done.

As soon as my youngest, Chloe, started school, I was able to switch to casual employment, which in turn allowed me to have a few days a week at home, where I could do whatever I pleased. I can generally sit and sew from 9am to 3pm uninterrupted on these days, which makes a huge difference in output.

And now that it’s my business, I make all of that ‘me time’ matter. I put my head down and bum up and power through my To Do list.

From where do you draw inspiration? There’s inspiration pretty much everywhere you look these days. I used to spend a lot of time on Pinterest, but then ended up getting confused about what my

style was. Most of the time now, I look at fabrics I have and come up with something. For example, for the Heather Bailey charm squares I used for Kiss Cross I looked at all of the different colours in the prints; I wanted to do something somewhat subtle that would still give the prints life. I think patterns are great inspiration, too. I don’t buy many quilt patterns, but when I bought Jen Kingwell’s Steam Punk pattern, it screamed “boy quilt”, which then led me to all the prints in my stash to make my 17-year-old the perfect quilt to lead him in to adulthood.

Why this skill – and this style? Sewing is something I’ve discovered I’m really good at.

And I really enjoy it – so it’s not time wasted.

Style-wise, it fits with my personality, I think.

I’m not a shy petal, and I’m not out there in your face, either. So I feel my contemporary style fits somewhere in between. It’s not going to fade into the background, but I think it can definitely make an impact.

What are your favourite materials to work with? I absolutely love bold, gem-toned fabrics set against backgrounds of all colours.

I haven’t worked with a white background on a quilt for quite some time now. I discovered shot cottons a couple of years ago, and haven’t looked back. Spotlight has a huge range of colours in them, and the texture gives my quilts a little extra eye candy.

Do you ever see yourself stopping or diversifying? I can’t see myself stopping, but then again, I said many years ago to my mum that I’d never do quilting. When I started my business, it was sewing children’s wear, and over time, I’ve moved on to quilting.

Adding an online store, selling Aurifil thread, to my website has been a major step in my business. It’s been growing steadily since doing so a year ago.

Do you teach your skills to others? Not formally, but when someone asks to be shown something, I’m happy to do so. For example, I meet up with some sewing bloggers twice a year. A couple of the girls have asked me to teach them to paper piece, and I quite happily did. Last meet up, I taught one of the lovely ladies how to free-motion quilt. And in a case of serendipity, I am now teaching my two daughters to sew and quilt, which is lovely. Difficult, but lovely!

How would you describe your style? What makes it unique? I’m not a patient quilter – I’m the first to admit that. I love projects that are relatively quick but that pack some punch. I think a lot of the time, my fabric choices make my style a little unique.

Any embarrassing botch-ups along the way?

Like every other quilter, I’ve made some impressive stuff ups! And it’s usually a case of my rushing ahead and not reading instructions properly. But I don’t tend to get embarrassed by them, because it’s all part of learning. Although, if anyone were to look closely at the backing of my daughter’s quilt, they’d see just how unimpressive my machine-appliqué skills were at the beginning of my quilting career!

Homespun

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5in

1in

1in

5in

2in

4in

3in

4in

4in

3in

5in

3in

2in

2in

3in

2in

4in

1in

5in

1in

Diagram 6

top and right edges. Rotate the block 180 degrees, and repeat the process to trim the other two edges.

Repeat Steps 10-14 to make a total of 55 Cross blocks.

15

Assembly

16

Lay out the Kiss and Cross blocks in 11 rows of 10 blocks, alternating the blocks and arranging the colours in a pleasing way.

Place a 11⁄2 x 5in vertical sashing strip between the blocks in each row. Join the sashing strips and blocks in your chosen order, pressing the seams towards the sashing strips. Replace the rows in the layout as you go.

Measure the width of your rows – they should all be the same length. If they’re not, unpick some of the seams and re-sew them.

Join the remaining 14 grey 11⁄2in strips, end to end, to make one length and press the seams open. From this long strip, cut 10 strips the same length as your rows (horizontal sashing).

Matching the ends and centre points of the rows and horizontal sashing strips, join all the rows and sashing strips together alternately, pressing the seams as you go.

Join the six 21⁄2in grey strips for the border, end to end, to make one length and press the seams open. From this long strip, cut two strips to the same measurement as the horizontal sashing (top and bottom borders).

Matching the ends and centre points, join these border strips to the top and bottom edges of the quilt.

Press the seams towards the border.

Measure the length of the quilt through the centre and cut two strips this length from the remainder of the long 21⁄2in strip.

Sew them to the left and right edges of the quilt, pressing as before.

23

Finishing

17

24

18

25

19

38

22

Cut the backing fabric into two equal lengths, remove the selvedges and sew the two pieces together, side by side. Press the seam open.

The quilt top, backing and batting are ready to take to a long-arm quilter as they are. If you’re doing the quilting yourself, smooth the backing fabric on the floor, right side down, and secure it with masking tape. Lay the batting on top, ensuring it is smooth. After pressing the quilt top, lay it on top of the batting, right side facing up. Baste the three layers together with safety pins (or thread if hand quilting).

Quilt as desired. Melissa freemotion machine quilted a large meandering or stipple pattern on her quilt using a variegated grey thread.

Trim the excess backing fabric and batting level with the raw edges of the quilt top.

Join the 21⁄2in grey strips cut for the binding end to end, with diagonal seams, to make one long strip. Trim the seams and press

20

26

21

27 28

Homespun

them open. Fold the strip in half, wrong sides together and long edges matching, and press.

Melissa completely machine stitched her binding as follows.

With raw edges together, stitch the binding to the edge of the quilt back with a 1⁄4in seam, mitring the corners as you go and referring to the Binding Diagrams on page 80 for details.

Turn the binding over to the front so it covers the previous line of stitching and machine stitch it in place very close to the folded edge.

(Of course, you can sew the binding to the front and hand stitch it to the back in the usual way if you prefer.)

Label and date your quilt.

29 30

For contact details for Melissa Gottliebsen, of Ms Midge, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

MELISSA’S BINDING TIP Try machine binding your quilts. The quilt police are coming to terms with this technique, and there are tonnes of tutorials out there. (I have one on my blog.) I’ve met lots of quilters who are amazed that I don’t hand sew the binding on, and are even more amazed when they discover that you can master a neat and quick binding finish with the machine methods.

It also leaves more time to sew more quilt tops!

NEW!

Yes you do have room for a longarm…it’s simple!

Our new HQ Simply Sixteen requires a little over five feet of space and enables any quilter, beginner to advanced, to finish any size quilt without the space requirements of a conventional frame system.

The unique hoop framing and clamp systems make finishing multiple quilts a dream. The HQ Simply Sixteen’s two modes of built-in stitch regulation make sure you produce a perfect stitch length every time.

The HQ Simply Sixteen is a very affordable longarm quilting machine and it’s simply the best solution when space is at a premium.

Head to our website www.handiquilter.com.au for latest news and events!

Handi Quilter Australia www.handiquilter.com.au (02) 4337 3737

ȝ ŧ Õ

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PRO

CAT AS A HAT

Name your moggy ‘Mittens’ by all means, but draw your creative focus away from gloves and onto headwear this winter. Kids will love pulling on a special kitty cap, complete with ears and whiskers.

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Homespun

Photography: Jean-Baptiste Pellerin; Conception: Dominique Turbe; Marie Claire Idées/Picture Media

02

Homespun

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PRO

02

Materials Q Cleckheaton Country Wide 14 ply 50g balls: two balls of Metal (0019) Q One pair each of 6.00mm (UK 4/US 10) and 5.50mm (UK 5/US 9) knitting needles or sizes needed to give the correct tension Q Scraps of pink, black and white fabric for the face and ears Q Pink, white and black embroidery thread Q Sewing and wool needles Finished size: To fit child 2-5 years; head circumference 52cm (201⁄2in) Note: Read the instructions before starting this project.

This is an easy skill-level project. Use only the yarn specified. Other yarns are likely to produce different results. Quantities are approximate as they can vary between knitters. Check the ball bands to ensure that they are from the same dye lot.

Abbreviations beg = begin/ning; garter st = knit all rows; st/s = stitch/es; stocking st = knit right side rows, purl wrong side rows.

Tension 16 sts and 20 rows to 10cm (4in) over stocking st, using 6.00mm needles.

To work a tension square, using 6.00mm needles, cast on 24 sts.

Work 30 rows stocking st.

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Homespun

Cast off loosely.

Check your tension carefully.

If fewer sts to 10cm (4in) use smaller needles, if more sts use larger needles.

Hat Using 5.50mm needles, cast on 36 sts.

Knit 7 rows (first row is wrong side).

Change to 6.00mm needles.

Work in stocking st (beg with a knit row) until hat measures about 34cm (131⁄2in) from beg, ending with a knit row.

Change to 5.50mm needles.

Knit 7 rows.

Cast off loosely.

Finishing Do not press. We recommend

using mattress stitch for sewing up your hat.

Fold the hat in half and join the side seams, matching the ridges of the garter st rows. Using grey thread, work running stitch across the top two corners to create the ears, gathering the knitting slightly and fastening the thread well.

Stitch the bottom edges of the ears down to give them a curved 3D shape.

Referring to the photograph as a guide, cut two scraps of pink fabric to the shape of the inner ears and use matching pink thread to sew them to the knitting. You can work three fanned straight stitches at the bottom of each one to form the inner ear shaping.

For the face, cut a rounded triangle from pink fabric for the nose, two rounded ovals from black fabric for the eyes and two tiny circles from white fabric for the eye highlights. Use black embroidery thread to backstitch three long fanning whiskers each side of the centre front just above the garter st band as shown in the photograph. Appliqué the pink nose shape just above them with matching thread. Use the black thread to sew a fly stitch around the base of the nose with the holding stitch going down to the centre of the whiskers.

Then appliqué the black eye shapes above the nose with the white highlights on top in matching threads.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

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Long stays in each location, visit stunning fabric shops and exciting museums.

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PRO

03

SWEET SORBET

Photography: Peta Peace

What’s your first impression of these cushions – ice-cream sweet, right?

But the beauty of Peta Peace’s design is the use of asymmetrical linen bands to cut through the girliness and add a certain edge. Scatter these cushions on minimalist or cottagey sofas and they would work equally well. Clever!

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Homespun

Homespun

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Materials Q Fat eighth (25 x 66cm/ 10 x 26in) Liberty Tana Lawn – see Note (main print fabric) Q One or two fat eighths Liberty Tana Lawn (contrast print fabric/s) Q 50cm (1⁄2yd) ivory linen (cushion front background, lining and cushion back)

PETA’S PINNING TIP Use a positioning pin for tricky points. In this project, the construction method for the Flying Geese and the Square-in-a-Square means that there are no seams to nest when the two units are joined. Rather than leaving it to chance, poke a pin through from the wrong side of the point of the Flying-Geese unit. Turn it over to check that the pin is lined up correctly in the point and then insert the pin through the top of the point of the Square-in-aSquare unit. Keep the positioning pin perpendicular to the fabric and, while it’s in place, pin on each side of it. You can remove the positioning pin before sewing the seam.

Q 33 x 43cm (13 x 17in) rectangle of batting or fusible fleece Q 30 x 40cm (12 x 16in) cushion insert – see Note Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat Q Sewing machine with 1 ⁄4in and walking feet Q General sewing supplies

Finished size: 30 x 40cm (12 x 16in) Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project.

Materials listed are for one cushion. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton/ linen, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on Liberty fabrics and linen 137cm (52in) wide.

If you use other fabrics, more yardage may be required. Seam allowances of 1⁄4in are used throughout.

If you can’t find a rectangular cushion insert, buy a 40cm (16in) square insert, open one side, remove some filling, trim the cover to measure 30cm (12in) plus seam allowance and sew it closed.

Cushion 1

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Homespun

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Cushion 2

Preparation and cutting

1

From the main print fabric, refer to Diagram 1 and cut: • One square, 43⁄4in (Square-ina-Square block centre) • One strip, 31⁄2 x 121⁄2in (left border) • One strip, 2 x 121⁄2in (right border) • Two rectangles, 31⁄2 x 61⁄2in (Flying Geese).

From the contrast print fabric/s, cut: • Two squares, 41⁄2in and cut them

2

once on the diagonal to yield a total of four half-square triangles (Squarein-a-Square block corners) • Four squares, 31⁄2in (Flying Geese ends).

From the ivory linen, cut: • Two rectangles, 103⁄4 x 121⁄2in (cushion back) • One rectangle, 131⁄2 x 171⁄2in (front lining) • One rectangle, 43⁄4 x 121⁄2in (wide front panel)

3

3½ x 12½in

Square-in-a-Square block 4¾ x 4¾in

• One strip, 13⁄4 x 121⁄2in (narrow front panel).

2 x 12½in

3½ x 6½in

3½ x 6½in

Square-in-a-Square block

4 Diagram 1

With right sides together, sew a contrast print half-square triangle to opposite sides of the 43⁄4in main fabric square. Take care not to stretch the bias edges. Press the seams Homespun

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Diagram 2 Flying-Geese block

towards the triangles and trim the dog ears. Refer to Diagram 2.

Repeat Step 4 on the other two sides of the square.

Trim the block to measure 61⁄2in square raw edge to raw edge, ensuring there is a 1⁄4in seam allowance beyond each point of the centre square, as shown in Diagram 3.

Cushion front

9

5

10

¼in

Flying Geese blocks

6 Diagram 3

PETA’S ACCURACY TIP Pin, pin, pin! My lovely Mum always made sure I pinned everything before heading to the sewing machine. It’s a super good habit to have and really helps with accuracy.

PETA’S TURNING TIP The end of a chopstick is a great tool to use to make sure the corners are properly turned out. Its blunt end won’t push though the seam, but it helps ensure that the corners are nice and square.

Diagram 4

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Homespun

Rule a diagonal pencil line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the four 31⁄2in contrast print squares.

With right sides together, lay a marked 31⁄2in contrast print square on one end of a 31⁄2 x 61⁄2in main fabric rectangle, as shown in Diagram 4. Stitch along the pencil line and trim 1 ⁄4in from the line. Press the seam towards the contrast fabric. Lay a second marked square on the other end of the rectangle, as shown in Diagram 4. Stitch, trim and press as before.

Repeat Step 7 to make a second Flying Geese block exactly the same.

Sew a Flying Geese block to one side of the Square-ina-Square block with the points facing each other and matching.

Press the seam towards the centre block.

Sew the other Flying Geese block to the opposite side of the centre block, matching the points, and press as before. This panel should now measure 121⁄2 x 61⁄2in, raw edge to raw edge.

Referring to Diagram 5, sew the narrow linen panel and wider main fabric border to the left side of the centre panel, pressing the seams away from the linen.

Then sew the wide linen panel and narrow main print border to the right edge, pressing as before. The cushion front should measure 121⁄2 x 161⁄2in, raw edge to raw edge.

Put the 131⁄2 x 171⁄2in linen rectangle, right side down, on the table or a cutting mat. Centre the batting

7

11

8

12

Diagram 5

Getting to know …

PETA PEACE Why this particular craft? Like so many people, I was looking for something to fill nap time after our first child was born. My mum had picked up a magazine and was giving quilting a go, so I thought I’d do the same. I haven’t looked back since and I don’t think I ever will.

Have you tried plenty of others? I dabbled a little in garment sewing, but my heart was never really in it. I occasionally do a little bit of digital design, but that’s mostly for parties we’re having here.

Any hard-learned lessons over the years?

I was, and probably still am, a master of sewing clothing inside out. Somehow, the ‘right sides together’ message doesn’t click with me and garment sewing.

If you weren’t doing this, what would occupy your time? Can you believe accounting?!?!

Accounting was my day job for a long time, and it’s something I enjoy, but I’m very happy to be focusing on quilting full time now.

Who taught you your crafting skills? My lovely mum taught me to sew. When I was young, she was always at the machine, and

our floor was quite often a minefield of pins and threads. Back in those days, Mum mostly made clothes, but she’s been quilting for quite a while now, too. Now we have matching minefields of pins and threads and share equipment, ideas, inspiration and sometimes even fabric.

What does this craft mean to you? Sewing and quilting is like meditation for me. It’s my ‘me’ time and it’s good for my soul. I feel calmer and more relaxed after a good sewing session. I also love the practicality of quilting; not only do you get to make beautiful things, but they can be put to good everyday use, too.

Is it hard to find time to do your stitching or is it a profession? Even though I quilt professionally these days, it can still be hard to find time to get everything done around our family commitments and social activities.

It’s a constant juggling act, but I’m glad I get to be there for our children as well as doing what I love. I feel like the luckiest person in the world sometimes.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere, and I’ve always got my trusty iPhone ready to snap a photo of things I see that inspire me. My kids find it quite embarrassing when I ask if I can take photos of things when we’re out, but it’s so worth it. Just recently, I was in a little dress shop and took a photo of a scarf. That photograph sat on my phone for a while, but it’s now a work in progress.

Do you ever see yourself stopping or diversifying? I sure hope not. I do like to sew small projects (rather than a full quilt) every now and again and I don’t see that changing in the future, but I’m always open to new opportunities. It will be interesting to see what the future brings.

Where do you live and work? I live with my little family in beautiful Brisbane. I love

the cushion front so all three layers measure 121⁄2 x 161⁄2in.

Assembly

Diagram 6

rectangle on top, followed by the pressed cushion front, right side facing up. Baste the layers together with safety pins or quilt-basting spray, or with an iron if you used fusible fleece.

Quilt as desired. Peta used a walking foot to quilt in the ditch of the seams, accentuating the piecing. Trim the excess batting and linen fabric even with the edges of

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the small-town feel of this big city and everything it has to offer. I’m very lucky to have a dedicated sewing studio in my house, thanks to some minor renovations we undertook last year. It’s a bright, clean space with heaps of room and a cutting table that I built with my daughter. It holds just about everything that I need and use and has made life so much easier for my work.

What’s your family structure? My husband, Richard, and I are big kids at heart. We don’t take life too seriously and we try hard not to get too stressed about things we can’t control. Our girls sometimes think we’re a little embarrassing but we’re sure they love us just the same!

Do you teach your skills to others? Not at the moment, but I’d love to.

How would you describe your style? What makes it unique? I’d describe my style as modern traditionalism. I love old quilt blocks and don’t think there’s anything more fun than seeing them done in new ways. When I’m designing patterns, I love to put a little twist on a second, mini version of the design by adding in something unexpected (or leaving something out).

Any embarrassing botch-ups along the way?

I was possibly the worst quilter in the world for a long time. Honestly! I’ll admit I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so when I didn’t have much luck getting points to match, I gave up on machine piecing blocks and stuck to needleturn appliqué for many years. I did persist, though, and slowly but surely I got better.

What is your advice for beginners? Always pop at least one pin in every seam before heading to the machine. It really helps with accuracy. The feed dogs on a sewing machine can move the fabric at slightly different speeds and, in quilting, even being an 1⁄8in out can make a big difference.

to the other end of the cushion front – the hemmed edges should overlap in the middle, as shown in Diagram 6.

Stitch all the way around the cushion with a 1⁄4in seam allowance, paying particular attention to where the hemmed edges are. Reinforcing these areas with a second line of stitching is a good idea.

Trim the corners carefully and turn the cover right side out. Press it well before putting the cushion insert inside through the back opening.

14

16

15

17

Press under a 1⁄4in double-fold hem on one long edge of each cushion-back rectangle. Machine stitch 1⁄8in from the edges to secure them. Each rectangle should measure about 101⁄4 x 121⁄2in, but it doesn’t matter if they’re a little narrower.

Place the quilted cushion front, right side up, on a table. With right sides together, lay one cushion back rectangle on top of the front with the raw edges level, corners matching and the hemmed edge towards the centre. Pin well. Pin the other cushion-back rectangle

For contact details for Peta Peace, of SheQuiltsALot, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

1525 Frankston-Flinders Road Tyabb 3913 Ph/Fax: +61 3 5977 3332 Email: query@magicpatchquilting.com.au

www.magicpatchquilting.com.au

Two of our past Mystery Quilts - ‘Little House’ quilt (right) and ‘Prairie Star’ quilt (left) are now available as patterns. Both are stunning quilts with many different techniques. Priced at $25 each plus p&h.

Latest fabrics • Block of the month • Books and p patterns • Open weekends • Prompt mail order is our specialty

Fabrics and books in stock See website for more details

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26-28 Prince St, Rosedale d l VIC 3847 PP: 03 5199 2777 27777 EE: jjen jennifer@lilylane.com.au if

RICH H C STIT

MAKE !

E K A B R O

y from craft a w a p te s s e ke Creative typ kitchen to ba e th r fo d a e h wondrously . studios and to te u ib tr y a machines g cakes that p in w e s r e g tage Sin rn evocative, vin to eat – or maybe too da Good enough ompiled by Janai Velez C good to eat!

orrt hport h thp th outhp S So Southport he Sou he The ffrrom T from s, fro s, nks, ink pin S Spinks, a Sp an sa usan S Susan MADE BY: Su Cake Company (UK based) METHOD: Cake base = the chocolate cake was covered in beige fondant and painted with brown food colouring paste diluted with vodka, to make it look like old wood.

Sewing machine and accessories = sewing machine was made from Rice Krispies Treats, hand moulded and then covered in dark chocolate ganache and fondant. The accessories were made from modelling sugar paste.

CONTACT: visit www.thesouthportcake company.co.uk or email sue@cakesales.co.uk.

MADE BY: Rosie Manning, from Rosie's Cakes (UK based) METHOD: Sewing machine and accessories = sections of Victoria sponge cake were stacked (with layers of jam and buttercream) and assembled onto and around the structural dowelling and boards that supported the cake. The cake was then carved into shape and covered in buttercream and sugar paste. The decorations were made using sugar paste and the detailed pattern on the sewing machine was piped on using royal icing.

CONTACT: visit www.rosiescakes.net or find ‘Rosies Cakes Sheffield’ on Facebook.

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Background: Nina N Floral from Liberty Art Fabrics

Sandra's ra Durbin, from MADE BY: Sand d) se C kes (USA ba Ca METHOD: d in fondant cake was covere Cake base = the od. wo le mb to rese and given a finish d accessories = the an Sewing machine Rice was made from and sewing machine ste pa m gu e tails ar Krispies. The de wers are wafer paper. flo fondant and the akes.com. www.sandrasc CONTACT: visit

from MADE BY: Michele Lawrence, d) base (UK es Cak s Bake ele Mich METHOD: Cake base = chocolate mud cake with chocolate buttercream and ganache. It was coated with dark chocolate ganache and iced. The n icing was coloured a light brow were and streaks of a darker brown mixed in in such a way that it resembled wood grain. = Sewing machine and accessories ene the sewing machine is polystyr covered with black icing and painted. The accessories were made from sugar paste. s CONTACT: visit www.michelebake s Bake hele ‘Mic find or .uk s.co cake Cakes’ on Facebook.

MADE BY: Crumbs (Kuwait based) METHOD: Cake base = chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting and covered in sugar paste.

Sewing machine and accessories = the sewing machine was made out of Rice Krispies and covered in gum paste mixed with sugar paste. The accessories were made from gum paste.

CONTACT: visit www.crumbs.com.kw.

MADE BY: Lorraine McKay, from Lorraine McKay Sugar Art (UK based) METHOD: Cake base = Madeira cake layered with Italian meringue buttercream and covered in chocolate ganache and fondant. The cake was dowelled so the sewing machine wouldn’t sink into it.

Sewing machine and accessories = the sewing machine was made from Rice Krispies Treats (Rice Krispies cereal, melted marshmallows and butter) and the shape was moulded by hand. It was covered with gum paste and then black fondant. The gold detailing was hand painted using edible gold powder and alcohol blended to a painting consistency.

The wheel and all the other details and decorations on the cake were created using gum paste.

CONTACT: visit www.lorrainemckaysugarart.co.uk.

Homespun

55

RICH H C STIT MADE BY: Grace Makadala, from Dumont Cake Artistry (Indonesia based) METHOD: Cake base = the cake is Lapis Surabaya (an Indonesian classic layer cake), with two layers of vanilla sponge and one layer of chocolate sponge with strawberry jam filling.

Sewing machine and accessories = the sewing machine was carved out of styrofoam and then covered with fondant, with edible silver finishing.

CONTACT: visit www.dumont-cake.blogspot.com, email dumont.cake@yahoo.com or find ‘Dumont Cake’ on Facebook and Instagram.

MADE BY: Mark Butler, from Slattery (UK based) METHOD: Cake base = chocolate spo nge cake filled with chocolate fudge layers, coated in a thin layer of wh ite chocolate and then covere d in wood-coloured sugar pas te.

Sewing machine and acc essories = the sewing machine was made from puffed rice and chocolate.

Once shaped, it was covered in black sugar paste and gold details we re painted on. The cotton reels were made from sugar paste.

CONTACT: visit www.slatt ery.co.uk.

Sweet Bites MADE BY: Sondra Vicelich, from d) base and Zeal (New Cakes METHOD: covered Cake base = chocolate mud cake t was created with fondant. The wooden effec ed brown by brushing the fondant with dilut food colouring. = the sewing Sewing machine and accessories olate mud machine and pincushion are choc to create the cake. Two support rods were used was used to ant Fond e. ctur stru sewing-machine pincushion and hine mac cover and decorate the ies. A measuring and make all the other accessor board. tape was used around the cake akes.co.nz or tesc etbi .swe www CONTACT: visit . o.nz es.c scak email sondra@sweetbite

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Homespun

The Patchwork Angel HOOT! HOOT! HOOT! – OWLS ARE SO VERY POPULAR! Here are some delightful owl patterns to inspire you.

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rn. O popular patte This is such a a lovely way to is ilt is simple qu t very in and th e either blanke wly decor! Us e this fun a add to your O ak m to ué iq leturn appl stiitch or need pliqué mat if to order an ap et rg fo t is n’ Do q ilt. qu Finished quilt dy have one! d. be y u don’t alrea yo e gl right for a sin 56” x 72” just 3.95 plus p&h the pattern $1 h.

Choose either $180 plus p& r fo and pattern r fo ics br fa e or o the fabric kit th u will receive all In this pack yo g. in nd bi d the quilt top an si ilar will be sim ics br b fa f te e no asse ea Pllea same. e th t no t bu e shown osse ho to th

GOOD MORNING OWL

Good Morning Owl is a quilt! Starting with Lit story tle Owl getting up in the mo rning, playing all day and then bathtime at night! Th is can be adapted for boys or girls.

Finished size is 45” x 45” Pattern is $19.95 plus p&h.

Order either on our secure cure website www.patchworkangel.com.au or by phone 07 5477 0700 AND Don’t forget we now stock quality yarns for Knitting and Crochet!

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ORIGAMI OWL n and Make this cute pincushio lovely se the ke ma to how learn e time. sam the origami flowers at x 2”.

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Make this adorable quilt using M 10” 1 squares perfect for a layer cake! c Included in the pattern is a mobile too! Use simple piecing and a some appliqué perfect for a b beginner patchworker. Finished q quilt is 36” x 45”, Owl size 4” x 4 4”. Make one of these for that new arrival! Pattern is $12.95 plus p&h. We would love to make m you up a kit for this one.

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CK BLOTHE OF NTH MO

PART 6

FOXLEY VILLAGE We’ve met some pretty cute critter characters during the course of Natalie Bird’s enchanting Foxley Village monthby-month blocks. And this issue is no exception. It’s time to introduce readers and stitchers to our woolly-headed wagon rider – Natalie’s sweet, black-faced, floralbodied, chunky-proportioned sheep.

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Homespun

59

MY IN I SPIRATION & IN NFLUENCES

Designs, Yoko Sa ito, Maggie Bona nomi, Anni Downs, Karen St yle s and Kathy Doug

By Na atta hty. allie  Today, my styl ie Bir ird e is less country, a bi t more modern, but still with the same qu  Whe irky, naive en I fi firrs sp rst st in star . arte M ted do y de d ing patchwork signs seem to fo llow that thread, and quil qu iilt ltti tin iin ng n g,, I lo g ove of heartfelt imag ved ussin ing ffabrics from es and messages designers about family and friends, lots of cute critters an such as Debbie d homely sentiments. I wan t to design things Mumm, that evoke a warm or happy emotion, with m Bareroots ay be a giggle here and there, to o. and Buggy  My designs ar e sometimes insp Barn Quilts. ired by a gorgeous piece of fabric or somethi I definitely ng that may be happening in my life at the tim had quite e.

Or just from a day of do odling and a wan a ‘country’ de rin g mind.

My best ‘thinking ’ is done in the sh leaning, ower. Not great when Brisba ne is in drought early on.

– it means less creative-thin king time!  Other  We have some beautiful baysid designers e spots right nearby, where I love to grab a co who I love ffe e and sit looking out at th e pelicans and m are: Tilda, oo red boats bobbing in the w ater, letting my m Blackbird in d wander and sketching so me designs.

T

HE FANTASY TALE OF FOXLEY VILLAGE – PART 6

Sparrow)

By Zachary Twigg (aka Zach anna?

Did you ever see the movie Polly (by did p shee ge Well, our Foxley Villa l drive-in loca the at e fenc the over ing peep tad a if , way years ago – cheaper that onable illegal!). Being at a very impressi film – the by y awa ied carr was she age, s out! turn it as one, and in more ways than e ther , show the of tion dura le For the who pish shee of was the soft, distant sound the ‘oohs and bahs’ emanating from Our fluffy e-in. driv the ining adjo ock padd with the four-legger was besotted, mostly she day, next very the ; Mills star, Hayley from changed her name by deed poll and Charlene Bailey to Hayley Bale-y

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Homespun

her has never allowed references to icular old name since. One scene in part the on t lean she as resonated with her, es hoov en clov e, fenc -rail post-and , and that supporting her little woolly chin ax of clim the at ival fest ’s was the town ds caught frien her and anna Polly film. the fair a hay-wagon ride to and from the ur, colo with alive was ng ythi – and ever t’s how excitement and anticipation. Tha to live – Hayley B. (nee Charlene) wanted of ming drea d poun com a in alled not corr and n actio distr to greener pastures, bored lon rme wate than er rath s grazing on gras e her and giant cake wedges. But whil lly!), woo (and aspirations were wild e of paddock fences cramped her sens ted an adventure until one day she spot om old dray going to waste at the bott

her claim, of the field. She promptly staked the bulk ds spen now she re and that’s whe above the of her day, lounging around high activities other sheep, overseeing the farm anna, Polly e, mat best her ng endi and pret been er is on the same dray ride. Nev cise happier – or heavier. Lack of exer weight the on king stac s keep she ns mea (even on wag e until she now fills the entir ber blub of ’ tops in ‘muff t sligh running to But HB spilling over the wagon edges). albeit doesn’t mind – she feels like a star, rather s, shed ring shea to ted spor one tran than local carnivals. w oow rrow rro arrow paar p par Spa Zaaacchh S – Zac

BL CK OF O MONTHE TH

PART 6: Sheep Wagon, Pinwheel Circles and Flock of Geese Blocks Materials for Part 6 Q Tilda solid off white (481012) – Fabric Y Q Fabrics M, U, Smoke, Charcoal and Biscuit (Sheep Wagon) Q Fabrics A, B, D, F, H, I, J, K, L, N, R, S, U and W (piecing) Q DMC Stranded Embroidery Cotton in Black Brown (3371) Q A4 sheet of lightweight cardboard Stitches used: Backstitch

Sheep Wagon, Pinwheel Circles and Flock of Geese

Note: Refer to the Fabric Key for the Tilda ‘Autumntree’ and ‘Sweetheart’ fabrics used in this project. The appliqué method used is needleturn, but you can adapt the instructions to your preferred method. Seam allowances of 1⁄4in are used throughout for the piecing.

Two strands of embroidery thread are used throughout.

Instructions are given for working from the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can download the digital patterns from www. homespun.net.au and print them out instead.

Homespun

61

Preparation and cutting

CK BLOTHE OF NTH MO

1

NATALIE’S ERGONOMIC TIP We’re often told to put the ironing board right by the sewing machine when we’re piecing blocks so we can quickly press as we go, but I deliberately position my ironing board away from the sewing table so that I have to get up and stretch my legs every so often.

From the solid off-white fabric Y, cut: • One rectangle, 9 x 13in (Sheep Wagon background) • One square, 121⁄2in (large Pinwheel Circles panel background) • One rectangle, 61⁄2 x 121⁄2in (small Pinwheel Circles panel background) • Four squares, 37⁄8in (Flock of Geese).

From each of fabrics A, B, D, F, H, J, K, N, U and W, cut: • Two squares, 37⁄8in (piecing).

From each of fabrics R and S, cut: • Four squares, 37⁄8in (piecing).

From each of fabrics I and L, cut: • One square, 67⁄8in (piecing).

Natalie centred the doily motifs in her fabric I square.

2 3 4

Appliqué and embroidery

5

Using the photograph as a guide to the placement of fabrics listed

in Materials above, trace the appliqué shapes from the design on the Pattern Sheet onto the right side of the fabrics with a blue water-erasable marker. Trace the embroidery designs on them at the same time. Cut them out by eye a scant 1⁄4in outside the lines.

Trace the circle template from the Pattern Sheet onto paper. Cut it out roughly, and glue it to lightweight cardboard. Then cut it out on the line.

Referring to the general appliqué instructions in Part 1, prepare the background rectangle and appliqué all the shapes in place for the sheep wagon, starting with the ones that are overlaid by others. Keep the design lines for the wheel embroidery centred as you appliqué the circles.

Using Black Brown (3371), backstitch the wheel spokes, hub and wagon handle.

6

7

8

Fabric Key: Tilda fabrics from the ‘Autumn Tree’ and ‘Sweetheart’ ranges used in this project

62

A

B

C

D

E

F

Celia green (481042)

Celia slate blue (481043)

Thula blue lilac (481046)

Thula lilac (481048)

Floribunda green (481041)

Floribunda lilac (481047)

G

H

I

J

K

L

Forest slate blue (481044)

Forest green (481049)

Doilies green (481040)

Ilse lilac (481051)

Sewn Spot slate blue (481045)

Sewn Spot dove white (481050)

M

N

O

P

Q

R

Celia dove white (481000)

Celia light blue (481002)

Thula carmine red (481001)

Thula red pink (481007)

Floribunda dove white (481005)

Floribunda slate blue (481006)

S

T

U

V

W

X

Forest carmine red (481008)

Forest light blue (481010)

Ilse carmine red (481011)

Doilies light blue (481004)

Ilse light blue (481009)

Sewn Spot carmine red (481003)

Homespun

Sheep Wagon block

Pinwheel Circles

9

Trim the background rectangle to measure 81⁄2in high by 121⁄2in wide with the appliqué centred.

Pinwheel Circles blocks

10

Step 13

Each Pinwheel block is made from two different fabrics, using the 37⁄8in squares you cut from fabrics A, B, D, F, H, J, K, N, U and W and two of the 37⁄8in squares cut from fabrics R and S. Decide on the fabrics you will use for each block, referring to the photograph of Natalie’s blocks if you wish to make them the same as hers. You will need two 37⁄8in squares of each fabric – four squares in all – to make a block.

To make a block, rule a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the 37⁄8in squares of the lighter fabric.

Match each marked square with a square cut from the other fabric, right sides together, and sew 1⁄4in either side of the ruled line.

Cut along the marked line to yield two half-square triangle units.

Arrange the four half-square triangle units in two rows of two to form a pinwheel pattern. Sew the squares in pairs and join the rows to complete the square block.

Centre the cardboard circle you prepared in Step 6 on the wrong side of the square pinwheel block and trace around it with the blue marker. Cut it out by eye about 3 ⁄8in outside the traced line.

Work a line of running stitch around the edge of a pinwheel

11

12 13

Step 14

NATALIE’S PINWHEEL TIP Sewing a tiny invisible stitch in the centre of the Pinwheel Circles into the background fabric will help them to sit flat on the quilt.

14

Step 15

circle, centre the cardboard template on the wrong side of it and pull up the thread to gather the allowance over the back. Press well from both sides and remove the cardboard circle. Press again.

OUR FABRICS This quilt uses a large variety of print and solid fabrics selected by Natalie from the Tilda ‘Autumn Tree’, Tilda ‘Sweetheart’ and Kona ‘Solids’ ranges, distributed in Australia by Two Green Zebras.

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63

Unit Layout Diagram

Flock of Geese block

16 17

Make a total of six Pinwheel Circle blocks as described in Steps 11-15.

Arrange four Pinwheel Circles on the 121⁄2in square of fabric Y and two Pinwheel Circles on the 61⁄2 x 121⁄2in rectangle of fabric Y. Make sure you have them at least 1⁄2in from the edges of the off-white fabric so they won’t be caught in the seams.

Appliqué them in place.

Flock of Geese block

18

Rule a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the four 37⁄8in fabric Y squares with the blue marker.

Pair the marked squares, right sides together, with the remaining 37⁄8in fabric R and S squares and sew 1⁄4in either side of the marked lines. Cut along the marked lines to yield two halfsquare triangle units from each set – eight in total.

Referring to the Unit Layout Diagram, arrange a set of four matching half-square triangle units

19

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in two rows of two. Sew the units in pairs and join the rows. Press.

Repeat this step with the other four matching units. These units should measure 61⁄2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Rule a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the 67⁄8in fabric I square. Match it, right sides together, with the 67⁄8in fabric L square and stitch 1⁄4in either side of the marked line. Cut along the line to yield two large half-square triangle units. They should measure 61⁄2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Arrange the units from Steps 20 and 21 as shown in the photograph. Sew them together in pairs, then join the pairs to complete the block. It should measure 121⁄2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

21

22

Assembly

23

Sew the large pinwheel panel to the top of the Sheep Wagon block and small pinwheel panel to the bottom of it. Then sew the Flock of Geese block to the bottom of the

Step 21

small pinwheel panel to complete Part 6. It should measure 381⁄2 x 121⁄2in, raw edge to raw edge.

For contact details for Natalie Bird, of The Birdhouse, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

This Block of the Month project is being published over 10 issues of Homespun, from February to November 2016.

The materials required to make the complete quilt appear in Part 1. Contact our subscriptions department to order a subscription or back issues, or log onto Zinio or the Apple/Google Play newsstands to get the issues digitally.

Introducing the

New Horn Australia Modular Range

The Horn Modular range has been designed to help you configure your room to your requirements. You can set the room up with all the modular designs or select one or two pieces depending on your space.

The modular range comes with plenty of storage space, plus extra working areas for larger projects. The sewing cabinet comes with our largest designed lifter that suits the majority of machines on the market.

You can choose your own design by selecting individual pieces to suit your room. You can start off small then grow the modular design as required.

Horn Modular Pull Out Thread Holder Cabinet Three individual slide-out, pantry styled thread holders, sized for smaller embroidery threads or cotton reels.

Fixed shelf area with 4 foldable fabric boxes for extra storage. Bi-fold door sits into the cabinet when opened.

Brother scan and cut machine will fit into the fixed shelf area.

Creative Storage Solutions Horn Modular Sewing Cabinet Bi-fold door slides into cabinet.

Lifter moves to storage position when the door is closed. Lockable castors on all wheels. Cut-out area with grooved recesses in the top panel for flat bed sewing.

Horn Australia is a proud sponsor of the

Australian Machine Quilting Festival - Minda Benefit Quilt Challenge in 2016.

This challenge will assist in raising much needed funds to support people living with intellectual disability live lives of their choosing.

The theme for this year’s challenge is ‘Celebration’.

You are invited to create a quilt that shouts out the theme of celebration for the challenge. Each quilt must be accompanied by a story of why or what you are celebrating in no longer than 250 words. The top 30 finalists will be displayed at the AMQ Festival from 25 - 28 August 2016.

The quilts will be donated to Minda to be auctioned with full proceeds being used to support people living with intellectual disabilities.

At Minda, we create an environment where people with intellectual disability can embrace and enjoy the experiences of life. Minda is at the forefront of the disability sector, offering support and opportunity to approximately 1,700 people in the areas of accommodation, supported employment, lifestyle services and respite. At Minda we are committed to creating a dynamic environment where people can live lives of their choosing.

Web: www.horn.com.au

Email: horn@horn.com.au

Accessories not included - Specifications may change without notice

PROUDLY PRESENTS

FOXLEY VILLAGE 2016 NEW BLOCK OF THE MONTH CREATED BY NATALIE BIRD

Tilda fabric distributed by Two Green Zebras (02) 9553 7201 twogreenzebras.com

S TS AVAILABLE IN COMPLETE KIT CONTACT A STOCKIST CLOSEST TO YOU. OW!!

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QUEENSLAND Country Quilt Co Ipswich Ph: (07) 3294 7000 www.countryquiltco.com.au Fabric Patch Cooribah Ph: (07) 5442 4613 janeene@fabricpatch.com.au www.fabricpatch.com.au Marci’s Quilting Service Kirwan Ph: (07) 4773 5481 mqs06@iinet.net.au Sew Patch n Quilt Gladstone Ph: (07) 4978 7772 info@sewpatchnquilt.com.au www.sewpatchnquilt.com.au Stitches From The Bush Goondiwindi ph: 0427 764 147 stitchesfromthebush@bigpond.com www.stitchesfromthebush.com.au The Patchwork Angel Forest Glen Ph: (07) 5477 0700 info@patchworkangel.com.au www.patchworkangel.com.au

Picton Patchwork & Quilting Picton Ph: (02) 4677 2802 troy@pictonpatchwork.com.au

The Quilters Angel Highfields Ph: (07) 4630 8062 info@quiltersangel.com.au www.quiltersangel.com.au

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The Quilters Shack Bundaberg Ph: (07) 4154 4486 ken_4_sue@hotmail.com www.patchwork&cupcakes.com

Rainbow Patchwork Lismore Ph: (02) 6622 3003 info@rainbowpatchwork.com.au www.rainbowpatchwork.com.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Care 2 Create Woodvale Ph: 0412 534 379 care2create@bigpond.com re2cr ate.com are2 www.care2cre

World S Kraft Daze Sewing n gton dington Maddin 9 7843 59 Ph: (08) 9459 net au iinett.net.au kraftdaze@iine www.kraftdaze.com.au TASMANIA Chez Moi French Style Hobart Ph: (03) 6231 3321 chezmoifrenchstyle@gmail.com Esme’s Patchwork Launceston Ph: (03) 6334 9775 lillian@esmes.com.au SOUTH AUSTRALIA Country Fabrics ‘N’ Things Eudunda Ph: (08) 8581 1663, 0458 900 655 eudunda@fabricshop-aus.com www.fabricshop-aus.com Hettie’s Patch Hindmarsh Ph: (08) 8346 0548 hetties@bigpond.net.au www.hettiespatch.com.au Ruby & Kate Port Lincoln Ph: (08) 8682 3636 rubyandkate@me.com www.rubyandkate.com.au

Palm Beach Quilting Carrum Downs Ph: (03) 9775 1601 www.palmbeachquilting.com.au Sew Bright Alpine Quilting Bright Ph: (03) 5981 2020 sewingnbeyond@hotkey.net.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Sewing ‘N’ Beyond Rosebud Ph: 03 5981 2020 sewingnbeyond@hotkey.net.au www.patchnquilt.com.au

Dragonfly Fabrics Shop Alawa Ph: (08) 8948 0691 dragonfabric@bigpond.com www.dragonfabric.com.au

Sewn and Quilted Blackburn Ph: (03) 9877 1664 carol@sewnandquilted.com.au www.sewnandquilted.com.au

VICTORIA

Sha Cottage Moe Ph: (03) 5127 3306 jbucko1@bigpond.com

A Patchwork Quilt Wallan Ph: 0425 861 464 jess@apatchworkquilt.com.au www.apatchworkquilt.com.au Catharina’s Vintage Stitches Kyabram Ph: 0409 700 385 catharinas48@gmail.com www.catharinasvintagestitches. com.au Lily Lane Quilting Rosedale Ph: (03) 5199 2777 jennifer@lilylane.com.au www.lilylane.com.au Little Crafty Shop Melbourne info@littlecraftyshop.com.au www.littlecraftyshop.com.au Millrose Quilting & Gallery Ballan Ph: (03) 5368 2995 sales@millrosecottage.com.au www.millrosecottage.com.au

The Patchwork Tea House Warburton Ph: (03) 5966 2400 thepatchworkteahouse@ bigpond.com www.thepatchworkteahouse.com The Quilt Shop Eltham Ph: (03) 8418 6770 sales@thequiltshop.com.au www.thequiltshop.com.au Yarram Drapery Yarram Ph: (03) 5182 5085 yarrdrap@bigpond.net.au NEW ZEALAND Cushla’s Village Fabrics Auckland & Nelson Ph: +64 03 540 2011 (Nelson) Ph: +64 09 445 9995 (Auckland)) z shop@cushlasvillagefabrics.co.nz www.cushlasvillagefabrics.co.nz

Welcome to my (miniature)

WORKROOM Don’t have a spare room for a sewing oasis?

Then live the dream in miniature, says SACHIKO ALDOUS, with boxed studios complete with tiny tools and postage-stamp-sized stashes.

By Janai Velez

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ake a browse around this pretty, light-filled sewing room – check out the cupboard with bolts of fabric organised in colourways, the mannequin showcasing the latest garment and quilt blocks awaiting pressing. But all is not what it seems.

This is a teeny sewing room in a suitcase, furnished with craft- and

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dollar-store finds, handmade pieces and repurposed items, all Thumbelina size. The cutting mat is cardstock with a gridwork of lines drawn onto it; the floorboards and wallpaper are scrapbook papers; buttons are used as plates; and that gorgeous whitelace rug? – a paper doily!

And this downsized ‘room’ pays big decorative dividends for next

to no cash. “If I am working with a life-size room, it can cost a fortune to design the whole thing, but with the miniature room, I can be creative and achieve the look for a fraction of the cost,” says its creator, US-based Sachiko Aldous, who has also made an adorable bedroom in a candy container, weeny Christmas-themed rooms and a minuscule quilt shop.

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“I have been collecting miniature items for a while now. When I had a sewing machine, iron and ironing board, it was time for me to put together a sewing room. Once I channelled my mind, ideas flooded, and I couldn't stop till I was done,” says Sachiko of her tiny treasures.

The soft colour scheme of the room is modelled on her own sewing space, but other elements, such as the white, textured wallpaper, chest of drawers, large pompom pillow and a selection of yummy treats, are all fresh from Sachiko’s imagination.

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“I love everything to do with creating. I make quilts, sew, stitch, refashion, repurpose, paint shoes and make jewellery, too! I have to say my deepest love is working with fabrics,” Sachiko says. But we think her finest hours come from her tiny treasures.

“Any box can be the base of a [mini] room, but I wanted more than just a box, to expand the room and make it possible to put it away when necessary. The wooden suitcase was a perfect fit for what I had in mind.

I painted the unfinished box, added wallpaper and ‘wood’ floors and then

decided on furniture. The rest is just making, decorating and moving around small items,” she says.

Sachiko has big plans for more tiny rooms. “I always like to create something people look at and relate to – something people can see themselves in. A living room, kitchen, hallway, bookstore, flower shop ... the possibilities are endless.” Topping her priorities is a girl’s bedroom, which she promised her daughter she’d make before any other miniatures.

Her daughter is clearly as enraptured

as we are with little crafts. When Sachiko showed her the miniature sewing room, her jaw dropped and eyes filled with amazement. “I caught her playing with the sewing room, using the mini iron and ironing board to press the tiny quilt blocks!” beams Sachiko.

Find out more about Sachiko Aldous, of Tea Rose Home, by visiting her blog (tearosehome.blogspot.com) and following her on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/tearosehome) and Instagram (@tearosehome).

THE HARDEST PART OF ALL The mannequin is only 3¼in tall, so Sachiko had to be extra creative with her sewing skills to make the dress (with the help of glue). “I started out with rectangular fabric pieces and went from there. By accentuating the waistline with a lace apron and ribbon flower and adding a ‘pearl’ necklace, I was able to create the look I had in my mind’s eye,” she says.

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THE CAT’S PYJAMAS Kitty and Milo are in their pyjamas and ready for bed.

NEW FABRIC RANGE FROM TILDA

Jodie Carleton’s second range for Ella Blue is inspired

by Jodie’s love of cats and toy making. Only $14.99 per panel includes postage.

Limited Edition

“Candy y Bloom”

Available in pre-cuts or b the metre. by Find us on social media

108 Murray Street, Gawler SA 5118 | Phone/fax: (08) 8522 3246 Email: sales@kornacraft.com.au | www.kornacraft.com.au

Visit us online li at www.fabricpixie.com.au f bi i i

Email: deanne@fabricpixie.com.au

United Stitches

By Rosalie Quinlan

A Stitch & Switch Program!

5 and 10 month options available.

Contact the store or visit our website for more details.

Shop 4a, 20 Argyle Street, Ca Camden amden amd den NSW 2570 Phone: 02 4655 8348 Email: sales@the sales@thest sales@thestitcherscupboard.com.au th h stti Log onto our website for year round specials at

www.thestitcherscupboard.com.au

A OU HY S I W ge 92 WE Pa

...

FOUR DAYS OF CHRISTMAS Page 74 NATALI A Page 82

OUT OF

THE Page WOOD S 120

BLINK Y BE Page 1 LLE 00

E TREE UNDER TH Page 110

Christmas Special

AND DON’T FORGET What a Cute Christmas Idea – page 91 Another Cute Christmas Idea – page 119 Homespun

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CHRISTMAS

Calling birds, French hens, turtle doves ‌ and a partridge in a pear tree. Linda Guy wings it with designs for yuletide and comes up with the perfect wallhanging decoration.

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Materials Q 75cm (7⁄8yd) solid white fabric (appliqué backgrounds) Q 30cm (3⁄8yd) aqua toneon-tone print fabric (sashing) Q 40cm (1⁄2yd) green floral print fabric (border) Q 30cm (3⁄8yd) green floral print fabric – see Note (binding) Q Three 10cm (4in) squares of brown print fabrics (three French hens) 76

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Q Fat eighth red tone-ontone print fabric (berries, flowers and hearts) Q Fat eighth each of green and brown print fabrics (stems and vines) Q 25cm (10in) square of black print fabric (four calling birds) Q Two 10cm (4in) squares of aqua print fabric (two turtle doves) Q Two 10cm (4in) squares of blue print fabrics (partridge and callingbird wings)

Q One 10cm (4in) square of dark aqua print fabric (partridge) Q Scraps at least 10cm (4in) square of four gold print fabrics (berries, flowers and pear) Q Scraps at least 10cm (4in) square of five green print fabrics (leaves) Q Two 8cm (3in) squares of light print fabrics (flowers and turtledove wings) Q 1m (11⁄8yd) backing fabric

Q 15cm (6in) square of stripe print fabric (French hen wings) Q Batting at least 1m (39in) square Q Stranded embroidery cotton in dark brown, mid green, red, mustard and tan or colours to suit your fabrics (stems, stamens, bird beaks, legs and feathers, and ribbon) Q Red and dark green seed beads (stamens and feather tips)

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Q 10 beads – see Step 12 (bird eyes) Q Erasable fabric-marking pen or pencil Q Cardboard (circle templates) Q Spray starch Q Appliqué glue such as Roxanne’s Glue Baste It (optional) Q 6mm (1⁄4in) bias maker (optional)

Q Freezer paper Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat Q Sewing machine Q General sewing supplies Stitch used: Backstitch, French knot, satin stitch Finished size: 90 x 85cm (341⁄2 x 33in)

Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide. Linda used the same fabric for the border and binding, but they are listed separately in the Materials list so you can use different fabrics for them if you wish. The appliqué method

described in the instructions is needleturn but you can adapt them to your preferred technique. Two strands of embroidery cotton are used throughout. Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can also download the digital patterns from www. homespun.net.au/homespunpatterns and print them out.

Diagram 1

Sheet onto the centre of the four white background rectangles with the erasable fabric-marking pen or pencil.

They are a guide to the appliqué placement.

From the green and brown print fat eighths, cut: • Seven bias strips, 5⁄8in wide for the stems and vines – three from green and four from brown. You can run the strips through a 1⁄4in bias maker as shown in Diagram 1 if you have one.

Trace all the appliqué shapes from the Pattern Sheet onto the dull side of the freezer paper and, with the exception of the circles, cut them out neatly on the lines. Keep the shapes for each design together as a group. (You only need to trace one of each size circle and one of each repeated shape.)

Iron the freezer paper marked with circles to cardboard and cut them out on the lines when they have fused.

Put them with the rest of their designs.

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6 Partridge block

Preparation and cutting

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From the solid white fabric, cut: • Four rectangles, 121⁄2 x 131⁄2in – these will be trimmed to size after the appliqué is complete (appliqué backgrounds).

From the aqua tone-on-tone print fabric, cut: • Five strips, 2in across the width of the fabric. Trim three strips to measure 2 x 25in (vertical sashing).

Crosscut the remaining two strips to yield two strips, 2 x 261⁄2in (top and bottom horizontal sashing) and two

2

strips, 2 x 111⁄4in (centre horizontal sashing).

From the green floral print fabric, cut: • Four strips, 33⁄4in across the width of the fabric. Trim two strips to measure 33⁄4 x 28in (side borders) and the other two strips to measure 33⁄4 x 33in (top and bottom borders) • Four strips, 21⁄2in across the width of the fabric (binding).

Using a lightbox or well-lit window behind the pattern, lightly trace the appliqué designs from the Pattern

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Partridge block

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Begin by appliquéing the two brown stems in place. If you prepared these with a bias maker, pin or glue them in place over the design lines and appliqué down both sides with matching brown thread. An alternative stem method if you don’t have a bias maker is to place one long edge of the strip on the design line, Homespun

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right sides together. Work a line of running stitch 3⁄16in from the raw edge through both layers. Flip the strip over and needleturn appliqué the other edge, sweeping under 3⁄16in as you go, meaning that both raw edges are now underneath a neatly appliquéd 1⁄4in-wide stem. Don’t worry about the raw edges of the stem ends as they will be covered by leaves or calyxes.

To prepare the fabric shapes for the appliqué, place the freezerpaper shapes on the right side of the selected fabrics, shiny side down and fuse them in place lightly with an iron.

If there is more than one shape on a fabric, leave at least 1⁄2in between them. Draw around the templates with a fabric-marking pen or pencil and cut them out a scant 1⁄4in by eye outside the edge of the template.

Gently peel the freezer-paper shapes from the fabrics. Trace around repeated shapes the required number of times for the design – freezer paper can be re-used a number of times before it loses its stickiness.

Beginning with the fabric shapes that lie under other ones, pin or glue the shapes in place and needleturn appliqué the leaves, flowers, calyxes, bird body, bird wing and pear on the design. To do this, sweep the seam allowance under with the needle a little at

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a time until the drawn line is just hidden, finger press it or hold it in place with your thumb as you stitch the shape in place as invisibly as possible using thread to match the fabric being appliquéd. Refer to Diagram 2. For outside points, stitch to the top of the point, trim the excess seam allowance slightly and manipulate it under at the other side, then give the thread a small tug to sharpen the point. Clip the seam allowance of inside points and appliqué into the corner, secure the point and appliqué out again. Clip the seam allowance of concave curves to allow the fabric to lie flat on the background.

When the appliqué is complete, backstitch the flower stamens in mustard, the bird tail and crest feathers in tan and the pear stem and leaves in mid-green embroidery thread. Satin stitch the partridge’s beak in red and backstitch its legs in dark brown thread.

Sew a red seed bead to the end of each flower stamen and a dark green seed bead to the ends of the tail and crest feather swirls. Finally, sew the bead in place for the partridge’s eye. Linda used a small metallic flower bead for the eyes, but a shiny round black bead would be fine too as would a small circle of satin stitch.

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12

Turtle Doves block

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Keeping the design centred, trim the Partridge block to measure 12in high by 111⁄4in wide, raw edge to raw edge.

Turtle Doves block

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Begin by appliquéing two green bias strips in place to form the heart, folding under the raw ends at the top and bottom corners to make it look continuous with no raw edges showing. Refer to Step 8 for the methods.

For the round berries, lay the prepared template for the small circle on the wrong side of the red and yellow fabrics and draw around them the required number of times, leaving about 1in between them. Cut them out by eye a generous 1⁄4in outside the traced lines.

Beginning with a large knot on the right side of the fabric, sew a line of running stitch around the edge of a fabric circle in the middle of the seam allowance – leave the thread attached. Place the cardboard template in the centre of the circle on the wrong side and pull up the thread to gather the seam allowance over to the back evenly and firmly, as shown in Diagram 3.

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Diagram 3

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Tie off the thread securely before pressing the shape well on both sides using spray starch. Snip one of the stitches to loosen the edge and remove the template before appliquéing the shape in place.

Repeat for all the berries.

Following Step 9, prepare the appliqué shapes for the leaves, bird bodies, wings and tails.

Appliqué the shapes in place on the design as described in Step 10.

When the appliqué is complete, use dark brown embroidery thread to backstitch the berry stems and stamen clusters and satin stitch the birds’ beaks.

Sew two beads in place for the birds’ eyes.

Repeat Step 13 to trim the block to size.

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French Hens block

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Appliqué the short green angled stem, followed by the longer one so that it covers the bottom end of the short one.

The other raw ends will be covered by appliqué shapes.

Refer to Step 8 for the methods.

Repeat Steps 9-10 and 1516 to prepare the appliqué shapes for this block and stitch them in place, beginning with the ones that lie under others.

Backstitch the flower stamens in mustard and the leaf stems and bird legs in dark brown embroidery thread.

Work closely spaced French knots to fill the areas of the birds’ combs using red thread.

Sew red seed beads to the ends of the flower stamens and three beads in place for the birds’ eyes.

Trim the block as described in Step 13.

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Calling Birds block

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Begin by appliquéing the two brown overlapping stems in place as described in Step 8. The raw ends will be covered by other shapes.

Prepare and appliqué the shapes as described in Steps 9-10.

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Backstitch the stamens in mustard thread and work a cluster of French knots over the V area of the flowers in the same colour. Backstitch the birds’ legs in dark brown and satin stitch the open beaks in red thread.

Repeat Step 25 and then repeat Step 13 to complete the final block.

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Assembly

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Lay out the four blocks in the correct order. Join the left two blocks with a 2 x 111⁄4in aqua horizontal sashing strip between them to make one column. Repeat this step to sew the right column of blocks together. Press all the seams towards the sashing.

Matching the ends and centre points, sew a 2 x 25in vertical aqua sashing strip between the two columns to join them, then sew the other 2 x 25in strips to the left and right edges of the columns to complete the vertical sashing.

Sew the 2 x 261⁄2in aqua horizontal sashing strips to the top and bottom edges in the same manner to complete the sashing. Your wallhanging should now measure 28in x 261⁄2in.

Sew the 33⁄4 x 28in floral print border strips to the left and right edges of the wallhanging, then sew the 33⁄4 x 33in strips to the top and bottom edges to complete the wallhanging top. Press it well.

Appliqué the five red hearts on the aqua sashing strips, referring to the photograph for guidance.

French Hens block

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Finishing

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The wallhanging top, backing fabric and batting are ready to take to a long-arm quilter as they are. If you’re doing the quilting yourself, smooth out the backing fabric on the floor with right side down and secure it with masking tape. Lay the batting on top, ensuring it is free of wrinkles. Lay the wallhanging top, right side up, on top of the

Calling Birds block

LINDA’S APPLIQUÉ TIP When you are doing needleturn appliqué, a toothpick works really well to turn the edges under.

LINDA’S VARIATION TIPS You could make just one of the blocks and turn it into a cushion for Christmas. If you prefer, you could use tiny pieces of wool felt for the birds’ beaks.

LINDA’S CIRCLE TIP Instead of using cardboard and freezer paper for the circle templates, you can use Mylar, which is heat resistant. Its transparency makes it easy to fussy cut the fabric and you can press the circles – something you can’t do with normal template plastic.

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LINDA GUY What sort of Christmas weather do you get where you are in New Zealand? The weather in New Zealand is usually lovely and sunny at Christmas. The odd year may be raining, but it’s nice and warm.

Do you love antipodean Christmases or do you like the idea of snow and red robins?

I love New Zealand Christmases. When I was in England, I used to say to my mum, “One day, we’ll have Christmas on the beach”.

We did a few times, and it was heaven. But I also love Christmas in England, as it’s so traditional, being cold and having roast turkey. The atmosphere is lovely, and you can always hear the Salvation Army bands playing in the high streets.

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? Being with family is my favourite thing at Christmas. Pulling Christmas

batting and baste the three layers together with thread (for hand quilting) or safety pins (for machine quilting).

Quilt as desired. Linda hand quilted her wallhanging using white and ivory quilting thread, quilting in the ditch of the sashing seams and border seams to begin.

She worked a hand stipple design over the backgrounds of the blocks as well as outline quilting the main appliqué shapes. She quilted a

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swirling vine design in the sashing and parallel lines in the border.

When the quilting is complete, trim the excess backing fabric and batting 1⁄4in outside the edge of the wallhanging top.

Join the binding strips you cut in Step 3, end to end, with diagonal seams to make one length.

Trim the seams to 1⁄4in and press them open. Fold the binding in half, wrong sides together and long edges matching, and press.

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crackers and reading silly jokes, as well.

We always have a laugh.

Do you always try to do a Xmas craft each year? I make something for Christmas starting a couple of months before. Doesn’t always get finished, though! I just think, “Oh well, it’ll be for next year!”

What was your most ambitious Christmas craft project? My most ambitious Christmas make was a quilt for my sister. It was a queen size. I stick to smaller things now!

What’s your idea of the perfect Christmas holiday? A big family get together and a barbeque … as long as I’m not cooking.

Do you change the style of projects you do from season to season? I tend to make things in colourways, so in a way yes, but they don’t get made in order of the seasons.

I would choose colours that matched the seasons, though – spring, summer, autumn and winter colours.

What’s next on the agenda? I’m making a block of the month for All Things Patchwork, in Auckland next. I have a few other projects on the go, as well, though, so I’m really looking forward to the next few months’ sewing.

How long have you been doing your sewing as a business? For the past five years I’ve been designing patterns on and off.

Any mistakes or regrets along the way?

No regrets. I just enjoy each day and sew for at least 30 minutes.

What advice would you give to a new crafter?

Go to classes and learn some basics, or drop into your local library for some good books.

Don’t worry about being perfect. Enjoy yourself.

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With raw edges together, sew the binding to the wallhanging with a 1⁄4in seam, mitring the corners as you go and referring to the Binding Diagrams below for details.

Turn the binding over and stitch the folded edge to the back of the wallhanging by hand. Label and date your wallhanging to finish.

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For contact details for Linda Guy, of Sew Quilt Designs, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

Binding diagram 40cm (16in)

Rule a line along the 45-degree fold

Mitring corners

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Join the ends by matching the fold line and the drawn line and sewing them together. Trim the seam, press it open and refold the binding, then finish sewing it to the quilt.

Tranquility CRAFTS ‘N SUPPLIES 37 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds 3039 | Telephone: 03 9375 3575 | Email: tranquilitycrafts@bigpond.com.au

PETITE RED ROBINS Delightful pattern from Gail Pan which measures 95cm x 95cm (37” x 37”).

Pattern includes hand embroidery, needleturn applique and machine piecing. Pattern only $15.50 (plus p&h). Kit $70.00 (plus p&h) which includes all the fabric for quilt top, binding and embroidery thread.

Images: starting with D.

KALEIDESCOPIC HOUNDS A fun bright quilt measuring 170cm x 170cm.

Cost of kit is $105.00 (plus p&h) which includes all the fabric for quilt top, binding and pattern.

Images: starting with P.

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Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a good sprinkling of twinkling stars, and Michelle Marvig has put on a splendid show to be enjoyed 24 hours a day, not just against a night sky.

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Materials Q 30cm (3⁄8yd) white toneon-tone print fabric (star centres) Q 90cm (1yd) red tone-ontone print fabric (star backgrounds) Q 1.1m (11⁄4yd) solid red fabric (sashing, Border 1 and binding) Q 1.1m (11⁄4yd) red and white spot print fabric (setting triangles and cornerstones) Q 35cm (1⁄2yd) each of red print fabrics in four different values: lightmedium; dark-medium; 84

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light-dark; and dark-dark (inner star) Q 30cm (3⁄8yd) each of five light-value red on white print fabrics and five medium-value red on white print fabrics (outer star and Border 2) Q 3.3m (35⁄8yd) backing fabric Q Batting at least 165cm (64in) square Q Paper for foundations, such as photocopy paper Q Scrap of light cardboard Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat Q Sewing machine Q General sewing supplies

Finished size: 147cm (58in) square Block size: 14in Note: It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed.

Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide. The different values of the red print fabrics are important to achieve the visual impact of Michelle’s project, so read the instructions carefully before selecting your fabrics. Each star has four main foundation patterns.

Foundations A and C always use the lighter values, while B and D

use the darker values. Lay out your fabrics before cutting, to ensure you have the correct placement of the values.

Foundation piecing is used to make the stars and the instructions assume a good working knowledge of this technique. Sew all the foundation-piecing seams with a short stitch length to make it easier to remove the papers without affecting the stitching.

Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine as well as the digital patterns on www.homespun.net. au/homespun-patterns.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Preparation and cutting

1

Photocopy 20 of each of Foundation A, B, C and D from the Pattern Sheet or download them from the Homespun website, www.homespun. net.au/homespun-patterns and print them out. Cut them out outside the outer lines. However, if you’ve accurately traced the foundations instead, write labels on each area – the numbers indicate the order in which each foundation is pieced.

Make a swatch board using a snippet of each fabric and write the designation you’ve given to each one (eg. “light-medium”, “dark-dark”) and the areas of each foundation that they’re to be used for. Refer to your swatches as you cut and then sew your fabrics. Keep the cut rectangles in groups – or snap-lock bags – and label them.

Trace Template E onto paper, glue it to light cardboard and cut it out carefully on the line.

From the white tone-on-tone print fabric, cut: • Two strips, 31⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield 40 rectangles, 2 x 31⁄2in (areas A1, B5, C1 and D5).

Trace around Template E five times on the wrong side of the remaining white tone-on-tone print fabric, leaving 1⁄2in between shapes.

Cut the circles out a generous 1⁄4in by eye outside the traced line.

From the red tone-on-tone print fabric, cut: • Three strips, 4in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield 40 rectangles, 3 x 4in (areas D1 and C5) • Three strips, 71⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield 40 rectangles, 21⁄2 x 71⁄2in (areas B1 and A5).

From the solid red fabric, cut: • One strip, 141⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 16 rectangles, 2 x 141⁄2in (sashings) • Five strips, 11⁄2in across the width of the fabric (Border 1) • Six strips, 21⁄2in across the width of the fabric (binding).

From the red and white spot print fabric, cut: • One square, 24in. Cut it twice across the diagonals to yield four

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quarter-square triangles (setting triangles) • Two squares, 14in. Crosscut each of them once on the diagonal to yield a total of four half-square triangles (corners) • 12 squares, 2in (cornerstones).

From the light-medium red print fabric, cut: • Two strips, 41⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield 40 rectangles, 2 x 41⁄2in (areas A2 and C2).

From the dark-medium red print fabric, cut: • One strip, 4in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 4in (area D4) • One strip, 5in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 5in (area B4).

From the light-dark red print fabric, cut: • One strip, 41⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 41⁄2in (area C3) • One strip, 7in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 7in (area A3).

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From the dark-dark red print fabric, cut: • One strip, 41⁄2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 41⁄2in (area D3) • One strip, 7in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut it to yield 20 rectangles, 2 x 7in (area B3).

From each of the five lightvalue red on white print fabrics, cut: • Two strips, 2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield four rectangles, 2 x 5in (area C4) and four rectangles, 2 x 8in (area A4)

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MICHELLE’S FABRIC TIP It’s a good idea to spray starch the fabrics before cutting them, if you’re worried about the feel of them. In this project, it is beneficial to starch the fabric used for the large edge triangles of the units, which have long bias edges, as the starch helps to control the stretch of the bias.

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Step 20: completed foundations from the right side

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Step 20: completed foundations from the wrong side

– a total of 20 rectangles of each size (40 in all) • Another strip, 2in across the width of the fabric (Border 2) • One strip, 3in across the width of the fabric (Border 2).

From each of the five medium-value red on white print fabrics, cut: • Two strips, 2in across the width of the fabric. Crosscut them to yield four rectangles, 2 x 5in (area D2) and four rectangles, 2 x 71⁄2in (area B2) – a total of 20 rectangles of each size • Another strip, 2in across the width of the fabric (Border 2) • One strip, 3in across the width of the fabric (Border 2).

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Step 21

Natalia Star blocks

15 MICHELLE’S COPYING TIP Photocopiers are all a little different.

Make sure that you copy all the patterns required for your project on the one machine to avoid any tiny differences in size.

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Select one of each rectangle you’ve cut for each of areas A1-A5. Pin the rectangle for A1 to the unmarked side of a paper foundation over area A1 with the wrong side of the fabric against the paper. Hold the foundation up to the light with the marked side facing you to ensure that the fabric covers the whole A1 area plus a seam allowance all the way around.

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Pin a rectangle cut for A2 over the A1 rectangle, right sides together. Refer to Michelle’s Pinning Tip. Turn the foundation over to the marked side and sew along the line between A1 and A2, continuing to the outer line at both ends.

Open out the A2 rectangle and finger press it over area A2. Check that it covers the whole A2 area plus seam allowances. If it does, trim the seam allowance to 1⁄4in and pin the A2 rectangle in place over area A2.

Working in numerical order, repeat Steps 15-17 to cover the whole A foundation. Trim the surplus fabric to the marked seam allowance around the foundation.

Continue in this manner to cover a B, C and D foundation, checking that you’re using the correct fabric rectangles cut for each area.

Lay out the A, B, C and D foundations as shown.

Stitch the foundations together along the broken lines marking the seam allowances, checking that the seam intersections in

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Getting to know …

MICHELLE MARVIG Why this particular craft? I learnt to make patchwork quilts in order to sell the patchwork fabric in a store that I opened with my mum, in Mudgee, NSW, 24 years ago. I was hooked from the first quilt.

Have you tried plenty of others? I did dressmaking for the family, made soft toys and knitted before I found patchwork. It has been a long time since I made a garment!

If you weren’t doing this, what else would occupy your time? My husband would describe me as a foodie. I adore all the cooking shows, have an extensive library of cookbooks and love researching restaurants to try while on tour with Travelrite. So, I guess I’d be doing something in the food industry. I love exploring new ingredients and flavour combinations and seeing the pleasure it gives my family when they consume the food I have cooked.

Who taught you your crafting skills? My mother was a self-taught home dressmaker, and she passed her sewing skills on to me. However, as an adult, I went to a couple of classes locally to start patchwork, to learn the basics. After that, I’m self taught, using trial and error on new techniques. My mind always has more new projects designed than I can ever make in a lifetime. After only quilting for 12 months, I landed a job as a sample quiltmaker for a fabric distributor. I could do this from home, with two small children under foot. It forced me to work with fabrics that I would not normally choose to work with, and I started designing my own original quilts. And then I reciprocated and taught my mum how to do patchwork.

the neighbouring foundations match perfectly.

Repeat Steps 15-20 to make another three units. To complete the star block, lay them out in two rows of two. Sew the units in each row together, then sew the rows together.

Your block should measure 141⁄2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Remove the paper from the wrong side of the block. The edges are on the bias and will stretch readily, so take care with this process.

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What does this craft mean to you? Everything.

I have to sew every day; I can’t watch TV without something in my hands; I have hand piecing that travels in the car with me (if I’m the passenger!). I have also met some of the most wonderful people through this craft, and I’m lucky to call them friends.

Is it hard to find time to do this or is it your profession? It was never meant to be a profession when I started, but I’m very glad that I can fill in ‘Quilter’ as a profession on official forms. I love my job. I love playing with textiles; changing the look of my home with different quilts, cushions etc; and I love teaching others the skills, so that they too love to create patchwork quilts.

From where do you draw inspiration? I love antique quilts, antique blocks and the history of quiltmaking. I draw inspiration from these sources, but also from photos, tiles, home decor and fabrics. Sometimes, quilts just evolve. For one recent quilt, I cut the chevrons for a different pattern but started playing with the cut pieces on my design wall, and a new design emerged.

The new medallion that I am piecing is simply being built one border at a time. I recently wrote the Quilt Workshop for Beginners book. The featured quilt was designed around the supplied fabrics and the set of techniques to be included.

Why this skill – and this style? Foundation piecing allows for odd shapes to be produced easily, without the aid of templates. I love the endless possibilities that it offers.

What are your favourite materials to work with?

I always work with cotton fabrics, but don’t have a favourite designer or brand. I’m drawn to different fabrics for different reasons. Since moving house five years ago, I’m working with more modern fabrics, as I look at redecorating my home. But, any fabric can be inspiration for a quilt.

I once bought five metres of an Alexander Henry geisha print for a backing, but it ended up in the front of the quilt instead.

Do you ever see yourself stopping or diversifying? No, I could not stop sewing.

I would be so grumpy! However, I have had to teach myself to hand piece quilts recently, because I teach projects on my Quilters Companion/Travelrite patchwork tours overseas, and, unsurprisingly, a sewing machine does not

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Repeat Steps 15-22 to make another four star blocks.

Assembly

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Lay out the five star blocks on point. Add the 16 solid red sashing strips to the layout around the outer edges of the blocks and between blocks. Then add the cornerstones at the end of each sashing strip. Fill in the edges with the quarter-square setting triangles.

fit in my luggage allowance! And, much to my delight, I find I really enjoy hand piecing.

Where do you live and work? My studio is the second living area in my house and cannot be shut off, due to the open plan nature of the house.

So every visitor to my house gets to see my creative mess. My Brother NV3000 sits on an Ikea table that joins the pigeon-holes holding some of my fabric. I have a separate cutting table (as the family got sick of moving my projects off the island in the kitchen) and a design wall. The wood fire is in this room, with a lounge in front of it for hand stitching. I also have a study, where I work on my computer, house my library of books and store some of the completed quilts.

Do you teach your skills to others? Teaching is a real joy, and I teach at My Sewing Supplies, The Stitchers Cupboard and Penrith Patchwork on a regular basis. But I also travel far and wide to teach workshops during the year.

What’s your family structure? I’ve been married for 28 years to a wonderful man, Peter, who not only cooks, but long-arm quilts my designs. We have two children, Emma and Nathan. While I have three grand ‘fur’ kids, I will be a real grandmother for the first time this year, and am so excited! My husband and I live on couple of acres, where we are trying to grow as much of our own food as we can. We have chickens, a few sheep, an orchard and vegie patch. I grew up in country NSW, and I love living in a rural area again.

How would you describe your style? What makes it unique? I am a passionate machine piecer. I strive to find different ways to make piecing techniques easier, and to teach this to my students. I don’t have a ‘style’, as such. I think it’s because I started making sample quilts so early in my quiltmaking journey. If pushed, I’d say I am traditional, with a twist.

Any embarrassing botch-ups along the way?

Not really. I have several unpickers, and they get used all the time. A mistake might lead to new discoveries. I called them PDMs – Personal Design Modifications.

What is your advice for beginners? Do take a class with a good teacher to learn the basics of quiltmaking. A good grounding in correct techniques will give you the knowledge to explore on your own.

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Sew the triangles, sashings, blocks and cornerstones in each diagonal row together. Press seams towards the sashings. Then sew the rows together, carefully matching seams. Sew a half-square triangle to each corner to complete the centre of the quilt.

If necessary, straighten the edges of the quilt and ensure that the corners are 90 degrees. The setting triangles have been cut a little over size, so if you wish, you can trim

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them a little outside the corners of the outer cornerstones, creating a mock inner border of red and white spot print fabric as Michelle has done.

through the centre and trim two strips this length from this long strip.

Sew them to the left and right edges of the quilt and press as before.

Repeat Steps 30-32 using the 3in strips of light-value and medium-value red on white print fabrics to add Border 3 to your quilt.

(You’ll need to make your pieced strips a little longer than those for Border 2.)

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Finishing Add the borders

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Join the five 11⁄2in strips of solid red fabric cut for Border 1 together, end to end, to create one long strip.

Measure your quilt horizontally through the centre and trim two strips this length from the long strip. Sew them to the top and bottom edges of the quilt. Press seams outwards.

Measure your quilt vertically through the centre and trim two strips this length from the remainder of the long strip. Sew them to the left and right edges of the quilt and press as before.

Cut the 2in strips of light-value and medium-value red on white print fabrics into rectangles ranging in length from 3in to 8in.

Cut a few rectangles from each fabric to begin with and then cut more as needed. Sew the rectangles together, end to end, at random to create a strip about 100in long.

Measure your quilt horizontally through the centre and trim two strips this length from the long pieced strip. Sew them to the top and bottom edges of the quilt. Press seams outwards.

Cut and sew more rectangles in the same manner to create a second pieced strip about 106in long. Measure your quilt vertically

28 29 30

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Diagram 1

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Remove the selvedges and cut the backing fabric in half across the width. With right sides together, join the pieces side by side with a 1⁄2in seam and press it open.

The quilt top, backing and batting are ready for a long-arm quilting machine as they are.

If you’re doing the quilting yourself, smooth the backing fabric on the floor with the right side down and secure it with masking tape. Lay the batting on top and ensure it is free of wrinkles. Lay the pressed quilt top over the batting with the right side facing up and baste the three layers together with thread (if hand quilting) or safety pins (if machine quilting).

Quilt as desired. Michelle’s quilt was professionally machine quilted by her husband, Peter. He used red thread to quilt an all-over pattern called Dizzy Izzy Baby designed by Jessica Schick for Urban Elementz.

Trim the excess batting and backing fabric 1⁄4in outside the raw edge of the quilt top.

Join the binding strips you cut in Step 7 with diagonal seams to make one length, trim the seams to 1 ⁄4in and press them open. Fold the strip in half, wrong sides together and long edges matching, and press gently. With raw edges together, stitch the binding

to the edge of the quilt, mitring the corners as you go. Refer to the Binding Diagrams on page 80 for details.

Turn the binding over and stitch it by hand to the back of the quilt. Label and date your quilt.

Referring to Diagram 1, sew a row of gathering stitch near the edge of each white circle you cut in Step 5.

Centre the cardboard Template E on the wrong side of the fabric and pull up the thread to fold the seam allowance over to the wrong side. Press well from both sides and remove the cardboard circle.

Appliqué a circle in the centre of each star block.

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For contact details for Michelle Marvig, of Pieceville, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine. Step photographs courtesy of Michelle.

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MICHELLE’S FOUNDATION PIECING TIP Foundation piecing seems back to front compared with other patchwork. The first pieces will be hard to get your head around. Print extra foundations and practise with some fabric scraps before starting on the blocks for the project. Always cut your fabrics larger than the area you are covering. Pin them in place and fold them back to check the coverage before sewing – it saves heartache later.

MICHELLE’S PINNING TIP The angles used in the foundation piecing for this project can make it challenging to judge whether each new fabric will cover the required area once the seam has been sewn – and unpicking those small stitches is a nuisance. When making the first few foundations, pin each new rectangle to the previous shape along the seam line.

Then fold the rectangle over so that it’s right side facing up. Hold the foundation up to the light to check that the rectangle will cover the next area plus seam allowances.

Once you’ve got it positioned correctly, you can move the pins to a different position, so they won’t interfere with your stitching.

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We wish you a ‌

Merry Christmas from these sweet embroidered carollers and their maestro stitcher/creator, Melissa Grant. Some yuletide projects are worth singing about!

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Materials Q Fat quarter off-white cotton or linen fabric (background) Q Fat eighth red tone-ontone print fabric (top and bottom borders) Q 38 x 33cm (15 x 13in) fusible stabiliser Q 40 x 36cm (16 x 14in) thin batting (framing) Q Cottage Garden Threads in Toffee Apple (1), 94

Homespun

Swamp Gum (207), Carrot Seed (310) and Oregano (809) – see Note Q Au Papillon Fil D’or Thread in Medium Gold Q Embroidery needle Q Very fine-pointed fabric marker Q A4-size timber frame Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat Q Sewing machine Q General sewing supplies

Stitches used: Backstitch, French knot, running stitch, satin stitch, straight stitch Finished size: 29 x 20cm (111⁄2 x 8in) not including frame; 23 x 17.5cm (9 x 7in) design area Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project. A 1⁄4in seam allowance is used

throughout. Two strands of embroidery cotton are used unless stated otherwise. Melissa has thread and transfer packs available for this project – the details are on page 97.

Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can also download the digital pattern from www.homespun.net.au/ homespun-patterns and print it out.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Preparation and cutting

1

From the off-white cotton or linen fabric, cut: • One rectangle, 15 x 13in (background). This will be trimmed after the embroidery is complete.

From the red tone-on-tone fabric, cut: • Two strips, 3 x 13in (top and bottom borders).

Tape the pattern to a lightbox or well-lit window. Centre the 15 x 13in rectangle of off-white fabric, right side up and in ‘portrait’ orientation, over the design and tape it in place. Use a very fine fabric marker to trace the design carefully. Keep the lines very fine so one strand of thread covers them.

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Fuse a 15 x 13in rectangle of stabiliser to the wrong side of the traced fabric.

Embroidery

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Referring to the Stitchery Guide below, embroider the design. A few notes follow, which may assist with the finer details.

For the children’s eyes, Melissa worked the upper curves in backstitch with two or three vertical backstitches below them. The eyebrows are a single backstitch.

The noses are one horizontal backstitch worked slightly loose so that it curves a little. The lower lips have a second line of backstitch

6

inside the first to give them a little more definition.

The buttons and shoe bows are filled with two or three vertical backstitches.

For the Gold thread, use just one thickness as it comes off the spool – it’s not divisible. The bells have the little rows of dots worked in tiny running stitches and the clapper is filled with two or three backstitches.

When stitching the musical text, work the music stave before the lettering and notes. The mid-air notes are outlined in tiny backstitches and filled with vertical satin stitches.

There’s no need to outline the notes attached to the letters.

7 8 9

STITCHERY GUIDE Singing Girl and Boy

Little Girl Knocking

Design area

Thread

Stitch

Face outlines, ears, eyes, noses, mouths and necks

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Headband and hair

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch

Dress, shorts, shirt and shoes

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch

Hands, arms, legs and socks

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Book outline

Oregano (809)

Backstitch

Lines on book

Oregano (809) One strand

Backstitch

Bell

Gold

Backstitch and running stitch

Dog fur and details

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch

Dog’s eye

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch and satin stitch

Nose

Carrot Seed (310)

Satin stitch

Bow

Toffee Apple (1)

Backstitch

Brickwork and ground

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Arms, hands, legs, socks and shoe soles

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Hair

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch

Dress, petticoat and top of shoes

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch and running stitch

Bell

Gold

Backstitch and running stitch

Door outlines, doorframe, handle and step outlines

Carrot Seed (310)

Backstitch

Step surface lines

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Door inset panels

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

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STITCHERY GUIDE cont ...

Musical Text

Design area

Thread

Stitch

Music stave lines

Oregano (809) One strand

Backstitch

Notes in mid air

Toffee Apple (1) One strand

Backstitch and satin stitch

Lettering

Toffee Apple (1)

Backstitch, satin stitch

Wreath outline and details

Swamp Gum (207)

Backstitch

Berry outlines

Toffee Apple (1) One strand

Backstitch

Hanging ribbons

Toffee Apple (1)

Backstitch

Parallel lines

Toffee Apple (1)

Backstitch

Dotted line

Oregano (809)

Running stitch

Main pine branches

Swamp Gum (207)

Backstitch branches and straight stitch pine needles

Intermediate pine branches

Oregano (809)

Backstitch and straight stitch

Hanging baubles

Toffee Apple (1) One strand

Backstitch and French knot

Bauble strings

Carrot Seed (310) One strand

Backstitch

Stars

Gold

Straight stitch

Dots

Gold

French knot – one wrap

Parallel and dotted lines as before

Toffee Apple (1) One strand

Backstitch and French knot

Lettering

Toffee Apple (1)

Backstitch

Pine branches, gold stars and dots as before

Gold

Straight stitch

Red lined stars

Toffee Apple (1) One strand

Straight stitch

Wreath on Door

Top Border See below

Bottom Border See page 98

Top border

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Getting to know …

MELISSA GRANT Why this particular craft? The simple combination of needle and thread offers such a vast array of options, doesn’t it? I love to create by hand. Appliqué, dimensional fabric work, embroidery and quilting ... they all centre around a needle and thread. Such a portable and commonplace tool, but there really is no limit to what you can create with it. Like many others, I grew up with women who stitched, knitted, crocheted and sewed. There is no doubt that this love of needlework has come from home. Over time, however, I have developed a love of breaking the rules. I now really enjoy experimenting, combining everyday techniques to discover something new. Often, a finished design ends up with a dimensional or textural element that you might not usually find in appliqué, patchwork or embroidery.

Have you tried plenty of others? Quite a few years ago, I produced a range of handmade porcelain buttons. It was a wonderful adventure that lasted more than 10 years, during which time we supplied patchwork stores, both locally and internationally. The buttons became the centrepieces of my very first needlework and patchwork patterns, some of which featured in the earliest editions of Homespun.

If you weren’t doing this, what would occupy your time? In my dreams, there is a very small shop filled with vintage postcards, greeting cards, magazines and children’s books.

Advertising posters, sewing patterns, paper dolls, store catalogues, advent calendars and wrapping paper ... a glimpse at life between the 1890s-late 1950s. There’d be a special cabinet for my (yet to be realised) Art Nouveau ephemera and another for anything related to the Arts and Crafts Movement. Would there be a market for such a store? I doubt it. Could I bring myself to actually sell any of it? Nope.

But what an amazing place to go to work!

Can you imagine being surrounded with all that nostalgia, design and art?

Who taught you your crafting skills? I watched Grandma and Mum create, and there was always the opportunity to join in. They patiently re-threaded my needle or picked up the dropped stitches in my knitting. I was allowed to play with the treadle machine and Mum’s electric, too. It had wonderful cams for the different stitches that I loved to sort and try out.

Exploring their stash of knitting needles, wool, threads, buttons, patterns and fabric is also a treasured memory. I remember discussions about where things were found, what they were going to be used for or why they were saved.

I guess these collections were more than just things to me; they were chosen for a reason and often had a history or a story to tell. I still have a fascination for vintage haberdashery and have a small collection of wartime pieces ... needle cards, spools of silk thread, glass buttons. They don’t have to be in pristine condition for me to love them. I imagine each piece in someone’s sewing box. They have a certain nostalgia about them that makes me feel connected to the generations of stitchers that came before me.

In the 1980s, I spent a year on exchange in northern Germany. My host mother had a great many talents in varying crafts, including paper sculpture, pottery and needlework. She taught me to knit “the European way”, which left me astounded. Who knew there was a different way to form the same stitches? While in Germany, I also began to cross stitch with linen and hand-dyed Danish thread. The stitched designs were both traditional and botanical. I think my current love for both styles began there.

Is it hard to find time to do your stitching or is it a profession? At the moment, it can be tricky to find enough designing time. I have a little helper who sees me at the computer or stitching and wants me to stop and play. At three years old, Hannah has her own fat quarters, ricrac, wool, tubs of buttons and threading cards. You see, I thought I could convince her to join in, in her own way, and I could work alongside her. It kind of works ... the buttons have become doll food and the fat quarters are their blankets. She loves to paste with snippets of ricrac, and my pattern print-offs that occur with the editing process become her colouring paper. The thing is, this sharing of materials was meant to help me get work done, and you know what happens?

I end up playing, instead. For the time being, most working hours happen after 8pm, and that actually works pretty well.

How do you see your ‘job’? I feel lucky to create for a living. It’s a flexible ‘job’, and I’m able to change what I produce or the style of it as I discover new ways to create and as my tastes shift. Creativity can be inspired by anything at all, so I see my design options as permanently wide open. Projects can incorporate any combination of favourite themes, colour and technique.

How do you go about your design process?

I tend to gather favourite things into groups.

Fabrics, images found online, photos taken of things that appeal in texture, shape or design, ideas that come in the middle of the night and colour combinations I find ... they all end up sorted into little groups, a bit like a collage. When it’s time to begin a new project, I sort through them to bring them together in a design. Sometimes there can be something missing or something that doesn’t fit into the design, so the search begins for the missing piece, colour or component. There are some projects that come to a semipermanent standstill, while I wait for that missing piece to show up.

What can we expect to find in your other designs? My pattern range includes small wallhangings, table runners with texture, simply stitched projects, needlebooks, pincushions, quilts with an abundance of dimension and framed pieces. There are projects for the sewing room, designs for Christmas and others for the nursery. Some projects use just one technique, such as embroidery projects, but most of my patterns use a combination of methods, which keeps stitching interesting.

Where do you live and work? We live in the foothills of the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, on the outskirts of Melbourne. We have rainforest just a stone’s throw away and feel surrounded in green, despite being five minutes from suburbia. After designing under the name of One Day in May for five years, I finally set aside part of our home as a workspace and studio. I’d like to be able to describe the physical home of One Day in May as a well-ordered space. In truth, it’s better described as “busy”.

Almost every flat surface has “something in progress”. I’m often found in the middle trying to do a bit of everything at once. Like all of us, I aspire to good time management and enough organisation to know where my favourite scissors are. This office/sewing room/mail room can be found in a converted garage under the house. It’s wonderfully cool in summer, has great light and heaps of storage, but I still tend to stitch all through the house. Evenings are sometimes spent stitching in bed while watching a documentary – with the bedside cabinet used as a sewing table. Late last year, we also launched the online home of One Day in May, www.onedayinmay.com.au, which I’m very excited about. My brother-in-law designed it for me, and it is beautifully organised, just like my sewing room should be.

Do you teach your skills to others? As Hannah grows, I’m gradually taking on more classes and stitching events. Many techniques I use are actually very simple, so I tend to also demonstrate or explain them at craft shows or while visiting stores. People are often surprised how simple it is to add dimension to a piece, or how to give added texture with some simple embroidery.

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MELISSA’S CONTINUITY TIP

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At the end of the day, I like to leave my work with a fully threaded needle and the first few stitches of the next section sewn. Next time, it’s so easy to pick up my project and begin stitching and I always know exactly where I left the needle.

MELISSA’S THREAD TIP

Diagram 1

Finishing

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When the embroidery is complete, put it face down on a thick, clean towel and press it lightly from the wrong side to avoid flattening the stitches.

Using a ruler and fabric marker, rule a horizontal line 3⁄4in above the uppermost stitched red line of the upper border. Mark a second horizontal line 3⁄4in below the lowest stitched red line of the lower border.

Trim the stitchery along the marked lines. It should now measure about 101⁄2in high by 13in wide. If your stitch tension is tight, it may be a little smaller, but this is not important.

With right sides together and a 1⁄4in seam, sew a 3 x 13in red tone-on-tone strip to the top and

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bottom edges of the stitchery. Press the seams away from the stitchery, again resting it face down on a thick towel as you do so.

To finish, back the project with thin batting and lace it around the backing board of the frame, referring to Diagram 1. Insert it in the frame, minus any glass, and fasten the clips at the back.

An additional sheet of cardboard can be used to neaten the back if desired.

As an alternative to framing, Melissa suggests adding a fabric backing and binding to make it into a wallhanging.

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For contact details for Melissa Grant, of One Day in May, Creations by Melissa Grant, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

In smaller projects, I like to use a single strand of thread to embroider the outline of a face, facial features, hands, arms and the like. I use two strands in surrounding areas like the hair, clothing, shoes and objects.

A single strand gives a lighter, more delicate look, helping to show the softness of the skin and differentiating between it and the surrounding elements.

It allows for fine and accurate detail when stitching the shape of a face, mouth or eyes too.

MELISSA’S VARIEGATED THREAD TIP When stitching with variegated thread, use the darker sections to embroider eyes. Noses, ears, mouths and the outline of a face can appear softer or kinder when stitched with the lighter sections of the thread.

I also like to use the darker section for animal noses.

Melissa has thread and transfer packs available for this project. Containing an iron-on transfer of the design (so you won’t have to trace it from the Pattern Sheet) and thread pack with the required four skeins of Cottage Garden Thread and 5m of Au Papillon Fil D’Or – Medium Gold thread, it can be mail ordered for $34.50 (Australia), $37 (NZ) or $39.50 (elsewhere) including P&H from www.onedayinmay.com.au/shop.

Bottom border

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do it yourself ...

Perivale Gütermann Pty Ltd Northshore Corporate Centre, 810 PaciÞc Highway, Gordon, NSW 2072 Tel: (02) 9416 0605 perivale@gutermann.com.au

www.gutermann.com

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BLINKY BELLE

When Santa comes down the chimney, a certain festive koala descends from the fork of her comfy eucalypt to take part in the fun. A sprig of holly in her fur and a bag of gum-leaves at the ready, and Anthea Christian’s cute cuddly is ready to feast and party.

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Materials Q 50cm ( ⁄2yd) grey toneon-tone print fabric (koala body) Q 25 x 30cm (10 x 12in) white felt (ear overlays, hair spike, foot and hand pads and sack trim) Q 25 x 30cm (10 x 12in) red felt (holly berries and sack) Q Scrap of black felt (snout and eyes) Q Scrap of green felt (holly leaves) Q Fibre fill 1

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Q 10cm (1⁄8yd) red and white stripe fabric (scarf) Q Two 18mm (3⁄4in) white pompoms (scarf trim) Q 50cm (1⁄2yd) white or natural twine (sack tie) Q Stranded embroidery cotton in black Q Thin cardboard, paper and 2B pencil Q Water-erasable fabricmarking pen and chalk pencil Q Compass Q Loop turner

Q Sewing machine with 1⁄4in foot Q General sewing supplies Stitches used: Backstitch, ladder stitch, whipstitch Finished size: 29cm (111⁄2in) high (seated) Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project.

A seam allowance of 1⁄4in is included throughout unless otherwise stated. It is recommended that fabrics,

apart from the felt, be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide. Use a shorter than usual stitch length on the sewing machine to make the seams stronger and smoother.

Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can also download the digital patterns from www. homespun.net.au/homespunpatterns and print them out.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Preparation and cutting

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Trace the templates from the Pattern Sheet onto paper, transferring the markings. Use a compass to draw a circle with a radius of 113⁄16in (diameter 35⁄8in) onto the paper as well – this is the template for the sack base. Cut all the shapes out roughly, glue them to cardboard, then cut them out accurately on the traced lines.

Fold the grey tone-on-tone print fabric in half, right sides together. Using the fabricmarking pen, trace around the following templates, matching the arrows on the patterns with the lengthwise grain of the fabric: • One head front • One head back • One body front • One body back • One outer arm • One inner arm • Two legs • Two ears.

Pin the fabric layers together, then cut out each shape on the traced line. Transfer the markings for the openings onto the wrong side of the body back, legs and inner arm. Transfer the eye, snout and mouth positions onto the right side of the head front shape. Transfer the markings for the leg placement onto the right side of the body front. Unfold the remaining grey tone-on-tone print fabric and trace and cut one body base shape.

From the white felt, cut: • One strip, 2.5 x 27cm (1 x 105⁄8in) (sack trim).

Fold the remaining white felt in half and trace: • One foot pad • One ear overlay • One arm pad • One hair spike.

Pin the layers of felt together and, with the exception of the hair spike, cut the shapes out on the traced lines. (You will stitch the hair spike in Step 10, below, before cutting it out.)

On a single layer of black felt, trace: • One snout

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• Two eyes. (Anthea recommends using a chalk pencil if the fabricmarking pen doesn’t show on the black felt.) Cut the shapes out on the lines.

Fold the green felt in half and trace: • Two holly leaves – don’t cut them out yet.

On a single layer of red felt, trace/draw: • One rectangle, 10 x 26cm (4 x 101⁄4in) (sack sides) • One sack base with the circle template. Cut the shapes out on the lines. Fold the remaining red felt in half and trace: • Three holly berries – don’t cut them out yet.

From the red and white stripe fabric, cut: • One strip, 6.5 x 51cm (21⁄2 x 20in) (scarf).

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Koala assembly

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Using white thread, sew around the hair spike on the traced line through both felt layers; leave the straight bottom edge open. Cut the shape out just outside the stitching and on the traced line across the bottom edge.

Place a white ear overlay shape on the right side of a grey ear shape as indicated on the template. Sew around the overlay shape just inside the edge with white thread. Match the ear+overlay shape, right sides together, with a plain ear shape and sew around the curved edge, leaving the bottom open. Clip the curves and turn the ear right side out. Repeat this step for the other ear and overlay shapes, making sure that the overlay is placed in reverse on the second ear so you have mirror-reverse left and right ears.

Sew the darts in the head front and back shapes. To do this, fold the fabric, right sides together, so the edges of the dart are aligned. Sew from the outer edge to the point and knot the thread ends at the point to secure.

Match the two head fronts, right side together, and sew the centre front seam. Match the two head backs, right sides

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together. Sew the centre back seam from A to B. Using black thread, backstitch the felt eyes to the head front where indicated on the pattern. Backstitch the mouth below the snout position using two strands of black embroidery cotton, then stitch the vertical line to the snout over the centre front seam – sew a stitch or two into the snout area to be sure it will be covered when the snout is attached.

Clip the bottom seam allowance of the raw edge of the ears at 1cm (3⁄8in) intervals.

Position an ear, felt side down, on the right side of the head front with the top edge of the ear aligned with the dart on the side of the head. Stitch the ear in place 1 ⁄8in from the raw edge. Repeat this step with the other ear.

Pin the hair spike to the right side of the head front at the centre top, right sides together and raw edges level.

Stitch it in place about 1⁄8in from the raw edge Pin the head front and head back together, right sides facing, matching the edges and centre seams. The ears and hair spike should be sandwiched between them. Working from the head front side, sew them together, leaving the neck edge open. Clip the curves.

With right sides together, sew a white felt arm pad to the bottom straight edge of an inner arm. Check that the inner arm+pad is now a match with the outer arm; unpick and resew the seam if necessary to achieve a match. Clip the inner arm seam

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allowance. Repeat with the other inner arm, reversing the pad shape to achieve a left and right arm.

Pin the inner and outer arms together, right sides facing, and sew around the curved edges, leaving openings in the top and side where indicated on the pattern. Clip the curves and turn the arms right side out.

With right sides facing, match each body front with a body back and sew the side seam.

Pin the top raw edge of the arms to the top raw edge of the body, positioning them so the back edge of each arm is 3cm (11⁄4in) from the centre back edge of the body. The arms should be facing the body front with the felt sides face down. Sew them in place 1⁄8in from the raw edge.

Match the two body shapes, right sides together, and sew the centre front seam.

Match two leg shapes, right sides together, and sew the front seam and then the back seam, leaving an opening in the back seam where indicated.

Repeat for the second leg.

Clip the bottom edge of the legs within the seam allowance. Pin the foot pads to the bottom edges of the legs, right sides together, and stitch.

Clip the curves and turn the legs right side out.

Roll the fabric at the top of the legs between your fingers to move the seams into the centre of the legs, one behind the other. Lay the legs on the right side of the body fronts where

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indicated, matching the raw edges and with the front of the foot facing the body. Stitch them in place 1⁄8in from the raw edge.

Clip into the seam allowance next to the side seams at the base of the head.

Sew the head to the body at the neckline, right sides together and centre seams matching. The arms should be sandwiched in this seam.

With right sides together, sew the centre back seam of the body from the lower opening mark to the bottom edge of the body – the centre section remains open for now.

Fold the body base shape in half and finger press the edges to create centre creases at the front and back outer edges. Pin the base to the bottom of the body, right sides together, creases aligned with the centre front and back seams and the back of the base facing the back of the body. Clip the body seam allowance as needed to ease the fabric around the curves and stitch the base in place.

Sew the centre back seam on the head and body from B to C. Clip the curves and turn the koala right side out.

Stuff the koala head and body firmly with fibre fill through the opening in the back seam. Stuff the arms and legs

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Sack

with a moderate amount of filling.

Refer to Anthea’s Stuffing Tip. Fold the black felt snout shape in half lengthwise, aligning the edges of the dart.

Whipstitch these edges together with black thread and turn the snout right side out. Pin the snout to the face where indicated, with the dart closer to the mouth and aligned with the centre front seam. Backstitch about threequarters of the way around the snout in black thread, insert a small amount of filling inside the snout and finish sewing it in place. Tie off the threads neatly just under the edge of the felt.

Ladder stitch all the openings in the body, arms and legs closed in matching thread.

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Embellishments Sack

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Fold the rectangle of red felt in half, short edges matching, and sew the short edges together. Pin the base shape to the bottom edge of the sack sides and stitch it in place.

Fold the strip of white felt in half, long edges matching, and wrap it around the top edge of the sack, pinning as you go. Overlap the ends of the felt at the start and sew the strip in place 1⁄8in from the edge.

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Getting to know …

ANTHEA CHRISTIAN

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How would you describe your particular craft style? I love using bright and colourful fabrics in my creations. When I’m designing my softies, I try to give each of them personality and cute expressions on their faces.

Did your distinctive style happen over time or was it immediate when you started stitching? I think I’ve always had the same look in mind that I’m trying to create, but perhaps I’ve got better at capturing that look the more items I’ve created. I guess I’ve refined my style over time and experience.

Are you good at all the crafts you’ve tried? I haven’t actually tried that many different crafts. I did learn to crochet recently, and have found it relaxing and enjoyable, but I’ve only done a few simple projects, so I’m not sure how I would go tackling a more complicated design.

Other than crafting, how do you like to spend your free time? I love going for long walks with friends along the beachside trail

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Put some fibre fill inside the sack if you wish, then tie the length of twine around the neck of the sack to draw it closed.

Scarf Fold the short ends of the red and white fabric strip under by 6mm (1⁄4in) and stitch the hems. Fold the strip in half,

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near our home, or catching up with friends for coffee. I also love curling up with a good book at home.

Is your stitching a great diversion from tasks you’d prefer to avoid (eg housework)? I’ve learnt that, if I want to spend a decent day sewing, then I have to leave the housework undone. It would be nice to have a clean and tidy house before I start a project but it means cutting into my valuable sewing time.

Of all the designs you have created, which has been your favourite? My fox softie design so far (featured in June 2015 Homespun and star of that issue’s cover).

I’m really happy with how it turned out, and the positive response from others has been overwhelming. I love the look of the fox made in patchwork fabrics, rather than just plain orange and white, and it means everyone can make a unique version by choosing their own mix of fabrics.

And which has been most popular with the public or gift recipients? I’ve given a couple of my patchwork foxes as gifts and I often get requests to make them from others who see them.

Have you got a stitching dream or goal?

I really enjoy working at home, doing something I love, so it’s my goal to one day be able to work full time on my business and grow it so it’s big enough to make a living from. It is doing quite well, but I’m working on expanding my range of patterns so that, hopefully, one day this will be possible.

What makes you laugh out loud? My two kids make me laugh all the time. They’re always saying funny things and making up funny shows for me to watch.

right sides together and long edges matching. Stitch the long edges together. Turn the tube right side out using a loop turner.

Fold the hemmed edges at the ends in half and hand stitch to secure them.

Sew a pompom to each end of the scarf and then tie it loosely around the koala’s neck.

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ANTHEA’S STUFFING TIP When stuffing the koala, flip the

ANTHEA’S POMPOM TIP If you can’t find single small

seam allowances of the ears and hair spike towards the back of the head.

This will help the ears to sit forwards and the hair spike to sit upright.

pompoms for sale, buy a short length of pompom trim (bobble braid) and carefully snip off two of the pompoms in the chain.

Holly

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Stitch around the traced lines of the holly berries through both layers with red thread and cut them out just outside the stitching.

Stitch around the traced lines of the leaves through both layers with green thread and sew a line up the centre of them for veins. Cut them out just outside the stitching.

Overlap the bases of the leaves by about 6mm (1⁄4in) and hand stitch them together.

Sew the three holly berries to the leaves over the join. Hand sew the holly to one side of the koala’s head to finish.

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For contact details for Anthea Christian, of Angel Lea Designs, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine. Step photos courtesy of Anthea.

Pixie Quilt Another day in the life of the average pixie, having fun at the races, cruising in the puddles and keeping those flowers painted and watered.

This fun wall hanging/lap quilt is available as full colour printed stitcheries on high quality cotton fabric, or as simple black and white paper patterns ready to trace. Both options include panel by panel colour directions and comprehensive stitching instructions, and colour diagrams for easy reference.

Finished size: 43 x 41 inches.

PAPER PATTERN ONLY: $25 PRE-PRINTED FABRIC PATTERN: $80 Ordering: Pay online with Paypal (which accepts most cards) or send your cheque or money order to Smee Designs at the below address. (Don’t forget to add $5 P&H.)

40 LARNOOK CRES, ASPENDALE VIC 3195

www.smeedesigns.com

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UNDER THE TREE

… and over the table. Anni Downs wraps up yuletide design with a table topper of patchwork, ricrac, stars and appliquéd gifts, all tied up with string. These are a few of our favourite (Christmassy) things!

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Materials Q 75cm (3⁄4yd) light print fabric (stars and Border 1) Q Assortment of medium print fabrics to total about 1.2m (13⁄8yd): fat eighths are ideal Q 1m (11⁄8yd) backing fabric Q Batting at least 95cm (36in) square Q Stranded embroidery thread to coordinate 112

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with the appliqué fabrics Q 3.7m (4yd) brown ricrac 15mm (5⁄8in) wide – see Anni’s Ricrac Tip Q Appliqué glue (optional) Q Erasable fabric-marking pen or pencil Q Fine pigma pen or graphite pencil Q Small paintbrush Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat

Q Sewing machine with 1 ⁄4in foot Q General sewing supplies Finished size: 88cm (341⁄2in) square Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project.

Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and

well ironed. A seam allowance of 1⁄4in is used throughout.

The appliqué method is needleturn, but you can adapt the instructions for your preferred appliqué technique.

Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can also download the digital patterns from www. homespun.net.au/homespunpatterns and print them out.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

Friendship Star block

Friendship Star Block Layout Diagram

Four-patch block

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Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to make a total of nine Friendship Star blocks.

Four-patch blocks

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Preparation and cutting

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From the light print fabric, cut: • Four strips, 6in across the width of the fabric. Trim two of these strips to 33in long and two to 24in long. Put them aside for Border 1.

From the offcuts of these strips, cut: • 18 squares, 21⁄2in • Nine squares, 2in.

From the assorted medium print fabrics, cut: • 64 squares, 23⁄4in • 18 squares, 21⁄2in • 40 squares, 2in • 56 rectangles, 23⁄4 x 2in.

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Friendship Star blocks

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Rule a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the light 21⁄2in squares. Match each of them with a 21⁄2in square of medium

Appliquéd presents (including a corner one)

print fabric, right sides together. Sew 1 ⁄4in either side of the ruled line. Cut along the marked lines and press the pieced squares open, as shown in Diagram 1. Trim them to measure 2in square from raw edge to raw edge.

To make one Friendship Star block, you will need four pieced squares from Step 3, one 2in square of light print fabric and four 2in squares of assorted medium print fabrics. Lay out the patches in three rows of three, as shown in the Friendship Star Block Layout Diagram.

Sew the units in each row together, then sew the rows together, carefully matching seams.

Your Friendship Star should measure 5in square from raw edge to raw edge.

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To make a Four-patch block, you will need four 23⁄4in squares of medium print fabrics. Lay them out in two rows of two. Sew the squares together in pairs, then join the pairs to complete the block. It should measure 5in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Repeat Step 7 to make a total of 16 Four-patch blocks.

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Assembly

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Lay out the Friendship Star blocks and the Four-patch blocks in five rows of five blocks each. The arrangement of blocks that Anni used is shown in the Quilt Layout Diagram, but you could develop your own layout if you wished.

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Quilt Layout Diagram Homespun

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When you have a layout that you like, sew the blocks in each row together, then sew the rows together, carefully matching seams.

Your quilt should measure 23in square from raw edge to raw edge.

Border 1

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Draw a rectangle 5 x 32in in the centre of each of the two light 6 x 33in strips you cut in Step 1 using an erasable fabric-marking pen.

Draw a rectangle 5 x 23in in the centre of each of the two light 6 x 24in strips in the same manner. The fabric will be trimmed back to these lines after you have completed the appliqué and stitchery.

Trace a total of 36 presents from the shapes printed on the Pattern Sheet. The easiest way to do this is to put the Pattern Sheet and the fabric you have chosen for a particular shape right side up on top of a lightbox (or backlit window).

Trace the exact shape on the fabric with an erasable fabric marker. If there is any embroidery on the shape, trace that too. Cut the shape out of the appliqué fabric a scant 1⁄4in by eye outside the traced line.

Arrange the presents along each border strip in a pleasing layout. Anni has eight presents on each shorter strip and 10 on each longer strip. Vary the position and angle of the presents, referring to the photograph of Anni’s quilt as a guide;

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Border 2 corner with ricrac edging

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Anni rotated the presents at the end of each longer strip at a 45-degree angle, so that they were facing the centre of the quilt once these strips had been sewn to the quilt. As you position each present, bear in mind that all of the presents have embroidered lines that extend above and below their edges, and that this embroidery needs to be at least 3⁄8in inside the rectangles you drew on your background fabric in Step 11. Hold the appliqué shapes in place with a couple of dots of basting glue or appliqué pins.

Needleturn appliqué the shapes in place. To do this, knot the end of a thread that is the same colour as the appliqué fabric.

Use the point of the needle to turn the raw edge of a section of the shape under to the traced line and hold it in place with your nondominant thumbnail. Bring the needle up so it just catches the folded edge of the fabric. Pull it through, go down again immediately below the fold and bring the needle up on the fold a few millimetres (about 1⁄8in) along – the stitches should be virtually invisible. Continue around the shape, folding the edge under with the needle and holding it with your thumbnail. When you come to a corner, tuck the raw edges under as you stitch around it.

Draw (or trace) the ribbon for each present using a fine

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pigma pen or a sharp pencil.

Backstitch the ribbon in three strands of embroidery floss in a colour to complement your appliqué fabric.

Remove the fabric marker lines from each border with water and a small paintbrush. Press the strips, then trim the two longer ones to 5 x 32in with the appliqué centred and the two shorter ones to 5 x 23in.

Sew a shorter strip to the left and right edges of the quilt, with the ribbon bows closer to the quilt centre. Press. Sew a longer strip to the top and bottom edges of the quilt, again with the ribbon bows closer to the quilt centre. Your quilt should now measure 32in square from raw edge to raw edge.

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Border 2

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Lay out the 23⁄4 x 2in rectangles of assorted print fabrics in four rows of 14 rectangles each with the short edges of the rectangles matching. When you have an array of colours and prints that you like, sew the rectangles in each row together. They should measure 2 x 32in from raw edge to raw edge.

Sew a row to the top and bottom edges of the quilt and press seams outwards.

Sew a 2in print square to each end of the remaining two rows, then sew these rows to the left and right edges of the quilt, pressing as before.

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Finishing ANNI’S RICRAC TIP I worked with ricrac on this project that was 5⁄8in wide.

I elected to trim the bottom edge to reduce the bulk around the edge of my quilt. But if you can find ricrac in a colour to suit your quilt that is only 1⁄2in wide, use it and you won’t need to trim it. If you can only find ricrac in a colour to suit your quilt that is wider than 5⁄8in wide, you can still use it. Just trim it in the same way as described in Step 22 – you’ll just be trimming a little more of the bottom ‘waves’ than you would with 5⁄8in ricrac.

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From the ricrac, cut: • Four lengths, 34in.

Trim each length of ricrac 1 ⁄4in below the upper valley, as shown in Diagram 2.

Pin a length of ricrac to each edge of the quilt with the

straight cut edge of the ricrac matching the raw edge of the quilt and with the ricrac lying on Border 2. See Diagram 3.

Baste the ricrac in place.

Measure your quilt top vertically and horizontally through the centre. Trim the

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Diagram 2

Getting to know …

ANNI DOWNS How would you describe your particular craft style? A little naive and whimsical, with warm hues and low contrast.

Did your distinctive style happen over time or was it immediate when you started stitching? I am always developing, and my style is quite different from when I first began. When I started, I did much more piecing of images – now I prefer to appliqué my images. The colours I use now are much lighter than they used to be. Some of my earlier designs are still some of my favourites, but others look very chunky compared to what I do now. I guess it’s a ‘move with the times’ approach, whereby you constantly evolve and change what you do because of what is surrounding you. But I think, ultimately, I have always had my own distinctive look; I see it as just like handwriting – everyone has their own fingerprint on what they do.

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Are you good at all the crafts you have tried?

Gosh no! I tried crochet and just couldn’t work out where to put that crochet hook – I created a bunch of weird-looking knots. I definitely need some assistance there.

What sorts of crafts do you avoid like the plague? Anything that includes masses of glue and sparkles. I’m a traditionalist at heart and avoid anything too kitsch or cutesy.

How many craft shows do you participate in? As far as retail shows go, I usually only attend a few around my area as well as the huge Craft and Quilt Fair in Sydney. This year, I went to the Melbourne Quilt Convention and am hoping to try a few others now my husband is free to explore with me.

Do you enjoy these shows and meeting enthusiastic stitchers? It’s always brilliant to join in the buzz of a show. The setup is exhausting, but the following days are SO much fun, meeting up with those you chat with over the phone or via email or from workshops in the past, or simply those who you see because they visit you every year.

It’s like a family reunion. We even have a couple of wonderful women bring us slice.

(Pete, my husband, loves them the most!)

If the good fairy granted you three wishes, what would you like them to be? Of course I am going to say more time, more hands and now, sadly, better eyes! I just went for my first pair of glasses last week ... EEP! I would like a fourth wish, though, and that would be a machine to ping me all over the world in a second. How great would that be?

Of all the designs you’ve created, which has been your favourite? In My Garden Block of the Month is still my all-time favourite, along with Gossip in the Garden. I spent ages creating these two designs, and so they feel

like a part of me. They’re definitely the ones I would try to save in a fire!

And which has been most popular with the public or gift recipient? An Angel Story quilt is still the one I have feedback on the most.

I think a lot of people identify with it. And the quilt from my book A Simple Life would come a close second.

Are you happy with the space you work in – what are its limitations and benefits? What I have now is a small corner in a spare room of our house, which I share with a double bed and loads of paraphernalia. Really, I use the corner to store my bits and pieces, then take most of what I’m working on out to the dining-room table to be with my family. My dream would be a huge sewing space with a table just for my sewing machine, one for my lightbox and one for planning and creating everything on. I’d also want many windows for lots of natural light (plus a nice view to look out on and dream); a few walk-in cupboards to hide everything in; oh, and a personal robot to clean up after me and maybe do the pressing of seams.

What are your five favourite craft blogs for casual craft browsing? I don’t really have a favourite craft blog. If ever I’m browsing on the internet, I often just Google a quilty word or two and just scroll through the gorgeous images – a great way to come across something a little different and unique to start the creative juices.

Do you have any sewing gadget you never use? I would deem myself the most basic of basic when it comes to gizmos and gadgets.

I just use my regular supplies – the stuff that I can’t do without. I am racking my brain, trying to think of something I don’t ever use and am coming up with a big fat blank.

Diagram 3

backing fabric and batting to the same size as the quilt top.

Smooth the batting on the floor. Lay the backing fabric on top of it, right side facing up. After pressing the quilt top, lay it on top of the backing fabric, right side facing down. The ricrac will now be sandwiched between the backing and the quilt top. Pin the edges of all three layers together, then sew around them using a 1⁄4in seam allowance and pivoting at the corners.

Leave a 5in opening in one edge.

Trim the corners, then turn the quilt right side out through the opening. Press. Turn in the raw edges at the opening and slip stitch it closed.

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Quilt as desired. Anni hand quilted 1 ⁄4in outside the edges of each Friendship Star block, diagonally through all the Four-patch blocks and in the ditch between the quilt centre and Border 1.

She used two strands of embroidery floss to quilt a line joining all the presents in Border 2. Do this by eye or use a fabricmarking pen or a fine graphite pencil to draw a line before stitching it.

Label and date your quilt.

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For contact details for Anni Downs, of Hatched and Patched, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

ANNI’S NEEDLETURN TIP If you struggle to fold the seam allowance under the shape when doing needleturn appliqué, try using a long size 11 milliner’s needle. I find that these needles allow me to guide the seam allowance under more easily than shorter needles do.

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47 Farrall Road, Midvale T: (08) 9250 2722 E: sales@carolsofmidland.com.au Girls’ Shed provides workshops for Patchwork and Quilting for beginners and beyond. Machine Embroidery and So ware Workshops for beginners to advanced also available.

‘Green Tea and Sweet Beans’ kit with postage $208.40

Girls’ Shed is available for Cra Retreats, which can be booked for 2 or 3 day weekends. Retreats for days other than the weekend, are possible by negotiation. All retreats are fully catered.

Size 182cm x 192cm

‘Unicornia’ kit with postage $240.65 Size 127cm x 185cm

www.carolsofmidland.com.au l f idl

RUSSIAN PUNCH EMBROIDERY STARTER KIT

MASHA’S RUSSIAN PUNCH EMBROIDERY Phone: 0412 781 807 Email: masha1@optusnet.com.au Proudly Australian made and owned 100%

Girls’ Shed is located just outside Maryborough, Queensland. We are less than 3 hours from Brisbane, 2 hours from Sunshine Coast, 45 minutes from Hervey Bay and a li le over an hour from Bundaberg.

For enquiries contact Neola at neola_simkus@girlsshed.com.au mobile 0409 748 600 website www.girlsshed.com.au

Find us on Facebook!

Girls Shed Retreats

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There’s nothing new about putting a dog on a lead, but putting 10 dogs on the one lead and then stringing them up across a wall???? Radical! This Christmas dachshund garland is the creation of Patricia Welch – a rare breed of crafter, who likes to add a little design twist for whimsy and style. Don’t you love her addition of holly-sprigged bones to divide up the dogs? It’s not your classic Christmas decoration, but we bet it’s the most memorable.

Contacts: PatriciaWelchDesigns. Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/PatriciaWelchDesigns.

STRING OF SAUSAGE(DOG)S

Another cute Christmas idea!

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Out of the

WOODS

This Christmas, Hansel and Gretel can stay right at home, rather than venturing into dark and threatening forests, thanks to Sedef Imer’s gingerbread house. Her design is not only a surface-protecting placemat and cutlery storer, it comes without calories or witches!

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Materials Q 50cm ( ⁄2yd) light brown spot print fabric (house background) Q Fat eighth of pink check print fabric (roof) Q Fat quarter of solid white cotton (window frames and lining for walls) Q Rectangles, 10 x 18cm (4 x 7in) of two print fabrics – see Note (door and doorframe) Q Rectangle, 10 x 15cm (4 x 6in) of red print fabric (windowpanes) Q Assorted scraps of nine different print fabrics at least 6.5cm (21⁄2in) square (roof decorations) 1

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Q Strip, 4 x 48cm (11⁄2 x 19in) of red bias stripe print fabric (eaves) Q 15cm (1⁄4yd) multicoloured spot print fabric (binding) Q Fat quarter of print fabric (backing) Q Batting at least 43 x 51cm (17 x 20in) Q DMC Perlé 8 Cotton in Bright Red (666) (hand quilting) Q 15mm (5⁄8in) timber button (doorknob) Q 80cm (7⁄8yd) white ricrac (eaves and windowsills) Q Fusible web Q Rectangle, 15 x 30cm (6 x 12in) of lightweight non-fusible interfacing

Q Fabric glue stick Q Lightweight cardboard or stiff paper Q Fabric-marking pen Q Rotary cutter, ruler and mat Q Sewing machine with 1 ⁄4in and walking feet Q General sewing supplies Finished size: 37.5 x 47.5cm (143⁄4 x 183⁄4in) Note: Read all the instructions before starting the project.

Materials listed are for one placemat – note that it includes a cutlery and serviette pocket on the left side (behind the door).

Sedef used the same fabrics for the door and outer binding and for the doorframe and eaves binding – 20cm (1⁄4yd) of each would be sufficient to do this. It is recommended that fabrics be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed.

Requirements are based on fabric 107cm (42in) wide.

Seam allowances of 1⁄4in are used throughout. This project uses a variety of hand and machine appliqué techniques.

Instructions are given for using the printed Pattern Sheet in the magazine, but you can also download the digital patterns from www. homespun.net.au/homespunpatterns and print them out.

www.homespun.net.au/homespun-patterns

3¼in

3¼in

3¼in

A B

Diagram 1

Preparation and cutting

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From the light brown spot print fabric, cut: • One rectangle, 83⁄4 x 181⁄2in (inside layer/pocket back C) • One rectangle, 81⁄2 x 181⁄2in (house walls/pocket front) • One square, 61⁄2in. Referring to Diagram 1, mark the centre of the top edge. On the cutting mat, align the ruler between the mark and the bottom corners and trim both sides to make a triangle (roof gable end A).

From the pink check print fabric, cut: • One rectangle, 61⁄4 x 16in. Referring to Diagram 2, measure and mark 31⁄4in from the top right corner and 31⁄4in from the bottom left corner.

On the cutting mat, align the ruler between the marks and the opposite corners and trim to make a parallelogram (roof B).

From the white fabric, cut: • One rectangle, 81⁄2 x 181⁄2in (pocket lining/interlining).

From the multi-coloured spot print fabric, cut: • Two strips, 21⁄4in across the width of the fabric (binding).

Trace the heart, door and two sets of windowpane shapes from the

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3 4 5

Diagram 2

Pattern Sheet onto the paper side of the fusible web, leaving about 1⁄2in between them. Cut them out roughly and fuse them to the wrong sides of the selected fabrics. Cut the shapes out accurately on the lines.

Trace the roof decoration circle, doorframe and window-frame shapes once each onto lightweight cardboard or stiff paper and cut them out carefully.

Centre the circle template on the wrong side of eight of the assorted print fabric scraps and draw around the circle with a fabric-marking pen.

From the lightweight non-fusible interfacing, cut: • Eight squares, 21⁄2in.

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Assembly Roof Referring to Diagram 3, with right sides together, pin gable end A to roof shape B. Offset the corners by 1⁄4in at the top so the pieces are aligned along the bottom edge after the seam is pressed open. Stitch, press the seam open and trim the dog ears.

Sew the C rectangle of brown spot print fabric to the bottom edge of the roof. Press.

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Peel off the backing paper and centre the heart shape, glue side down, on the gable end A shape. Fuse it in place with a hot iron. Using a short straight stitch on the machine, sew all the way around the heart about 1mm (1⁄16in) from the raw edge.

Match a marked roof decoration square, right sides together, with an interfacing square.

Sew all the way around the marked circle with a short stitch length, sewing over the first few stitches as you complete the circle to secure the stitching. Trim away the fabric outside the stitching with pinking shears if you have them. If you don’t have pinking shears, trim a scant 1 ⁄4in outside the stitching and notch the seam allowance at 4mm (1⁄4in) intervals without cutting the stitching.

Repeat this step for all eight circles.

Carefully cut a central crossshaped slit in the interfacing layer only. Turn the circle right side

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B

A

C

Roof and gable end

Diagram 3 Homespun

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out through the slit and use a blunt tool such as a chopstick to push out the edges gently until the curve is smooth. Press the shape with an iron to fix the shape – no interfacing should be visible from the front.

Repeat this step for all the circles.

Arrange the eight circles in two rows of four on the pink roof shape, using a ruler to align them between the horizontal and angled edges and spacing them evenly apart. Pin them in place.

Appliqué the circles in place by hand with invisible stitches.

(Or you can stitch them in place by machine if you don’t mind the stitches being visible.)

Front wall panel Cut a 19in length of white ricrac. Lay the 81⁄2 x 181⁄2in white rectangle face down on the table with the 81⁄2 x 181⁄2in rectangle of light brown spot print fabric on top, right side facing up and all the edges aligned. Pin the ricrac to the long top edge through both layers – the ends should overhang evenly on both sides and the top edges of the ricrac should be aligned with the raw edges of the fabrics. Baste it in place by hand or machine 1⁄8in from the raw edges.

Fold under and press 1⁄4in on one long edge of the red stripe

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Diagram 4

print strip. Lay the other edge of the strip, right sides together, on top of the basted ricrac with the raw edges level. Stitch it in place. Fold the strip over to the back so that the long folded edge covers the line of stitching you’ve just sewn and pin it in place. Stitch in the ditch from the front to secure the binding in place.

Trim the excess ricrac and binding even with the edges of the panel at each side.

Place the front panel you just made over the A-B-C shape with the side and bottom edges matching. Rule a vertical line from where the gable meets the roof down to the bottom of the front panel, as shown in

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SEDEF’S BASTING TIP Use a contrasting coloured thread to hand baste the ricrac so it’s easy to see and remove when you’ve finished sewing the eaves and windows. (You can also machine baste with a long stitch length where it won’t be seen – machine basting is not removed.)

Front panel

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Diagram 4 – this will be stitched later, but it’s needed to position the door and windows before the panels are joined.

Windows and door Place the doorframe template on the wrong side of the selected 4 x 7in rectangle of fabric (Sedef used red bias stripe) and trace around it with a fabric-marking pen.

Remove the template and cut out the shape 1⁄4in by eye outside the traced line. Put the template back on the wrong side of the shape, fold the seam allowance over the template and glue it lightly in place. Ease the fabric around the curve with small folds so that the edge is smooth.

Press the piece to set the shape,

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10½in

13⁄8in

2¼in

Diagram 7

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

allow it to cool and carefully remove the template. Press again.

Repeat Step 17 twice with the window-frame template and white fabric to make the window frames.

Mark the position of the window frames on the front panel with the fabric-marking pen, referring to Diagram 5.

Cut two lengths of white ricrac about 3in long for each windowsill as follows: because ricrac frays very easily, cut it so that only complete bottom curves are visible at each end and the window frame will cover the cut edges, as shown in Diagram 6. Baste the two pieces of ricrac on the panel along the line you drew for the bottom edge of the

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window frames so their upper curves will be covered by the frames.

Position the prepared window frames and doorframe on the front panel. The doorframe should be level with the bottom edge of the panel and the window frames should cover the top half of the ricrac windowsills. Appliqué them in place by hand with invisible stitches.

Peel the backing paper off the door, centre it at the bottom of the doorframe and fuse it in place.

Machine stitch close to the edge with a short stitch length.

Peel the backing paper off the windowpane shapes and arrange them on the window frames.

Fuse them in place and machine stitch close to their edges.

Using Bright Red (666) Perlé cotton, work a line of running stitch around the side and curved edges of the doorframe on the brown spot print fabric. Sew the button in place for the doorknob. (The quilting around the windows is done later.)

Finishing

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Lay the backing fabric, right side down, on the table and smooth the batting on top of it. Place the A-B-C placemat shape over the batting, right side facing up, then the front panel, right side up with the side and bottom edges aligned with those of the A-B-C shape. Baste all the layers together securely with safety pins.

Using a walking foot and regular stitch length, sew along the lines shown in red in Diagram 7.

The horizontal line should be in the ditch over the previous line on the ricrac and the angled line should be in the ditch of the gable-roof seam. Don’t sew across the left side of the panel where the pocket is. Machine stitch all the way around the perimeter of the placemat 1⁄8in from the edge.

Hand appliqué the top edge of the red striped binding to the pink roof section with small invisible stitches. Don’t stitch it to the gable part – it remains open to

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SEDEF’S APPLIQUÉ TIP If you’re using a lightcoloured fabric for the door panel, the door-frame fabric might show through it. To prevent this, prepare a second door panel in plain white cotton fabric and fuse both pieces to the door frame, fusing the plain white layer first as a lining. Make sure they are exactly aligned so that the lining isn’t visible around the edges.

Diagram 8 Homespun

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Getting to know …

SEDEF IMER What time of the day do you make it into your craft studio? It varies every day, but most days it’s between 9 and 10am. I have two young kids, and now that school holidays have finished, I hope to get back into a regular routine.

On a regular day, what has to be done before you can pick up your stitching? Feed and dress my kids, shower and get ready, then take the kids to school or kindergarten. I then do my grocery run and any household chores before I can peacefully settle down to sewing.

Your sewing business is relatively new but has been quite successful, hasn’t it? It feels so strange when I think that I had never even used a sewing machine until 31⁄2 years ago. I bought one to make things for my daughter’s nursery, then started a blog and Etsy shop, and it’s just taken

off from there. So much has happened since then.

I would have never believed it if someone had told me that I’d be designing fabric for one of the biggest fabric houses in the world and have a quilting book published in this short space of time. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and am so excited about what the future holds.

What do you consider your main accomplishments since establishing your stitching as a business? Building a large following and fan base; building industry relationships with fabric houses and fabric stores; learning to design fabric and joining the Riley Blake design team; and writing my first book, Quilt Petite.

What part does blogging play in your success?

My blog (www.downgrapevinelane.com) is a mechanism for me to showcase my work and my craft journey with my followers. I consider social media, such as Instagram and Facebook, an extension of the blog; they also allow more impromptu sharing of whatever I’m working on that day. I’m not a professional blogger, nor do I try to be – my business model is not based on blog revenues. So, for instance, my blog doesn’t have adverts, nor do I keep to a ‘schedule’ for blogging. I blog as and when I have something worth sharing.

What are your five favourite blogs? Nana Company, Minki’s Worktable (www.minkikim. com), Ellis & Higgs, A Spoonful of Sugar and Tied With a Ribbon. And so many more! There is a bigger list on my blog.

Do you like to work in silence or with music/ tele/radio? For work that doesn’t need total concentration, I play Netflix on my laptop next to my sewing machine. If I’m writing a pattern

serve as the pocket for the cutlery and serviette.

Use the Perlé cotton to hand quilt around each roof decoration and the window frames in running stitch through all layers.

Trim the excess backing fabric and batting level with the placemat.

Join the binding strips cut in Step 4 with diagonal seams to make one long length, trim the seam and press it open. Fold the binding in half, wrong sides together and long edges matching, and press. Use a pencil to draw lines 1⁄4in from the raw edge on the front of the placemat for about 1⁄2in on either side of each corner that isn’t a right angle, as shown in Diagram 8.

With right sides together, sew the binding to the front of the placemat, mitring the corners as you go and referring to the Binding

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SEDEF’S QUILTING TIP When hand quilting, make sure you ‘bury’ all the knots so they’re not visible on the back of the placemat. To do this, give a gentle tug on the thread with just enough force to pull the knot through the layer of backing fabric and into the batting.

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or doing something that requires full focus, I just play music or work in silence.

What percentage of your time is spent browsing in haberdashery and patchwork stores? I go to Spotlight a couple of times a month (and spend an eternity every time I’m in there). I tend to do a lot of my fabric and notion browsing and purchasing online, so that happens in dribs and drabs every day. I am lucky to have a lot of partnerships with fabric stores, which allows me to keep up to date with the latest lines. If I had to guess a percentage, it would be probably be something like 10 per cent of my time.

Is that by necessity or desire? I have a slight obsession with fabric (what sewist doesn’t?), so I don’t consider it a chore. It’s one of the most enjoyable parts of my work – buying fabric, receiving pretty fabric bundles, playing with fabric mixes. So it’s definitely a pleasure.

Do you like to craft shop alone or with friends and colleagues? I much prefer to shop alone, as I tend to flit all over the place when I am in a big store and have no logic or rationale to the order in which I look for things. And lots of impulse purchasing happens, too. My husband came to Spotlight with me once – I don’t think he will ever make that mistake again. I think I’m a pretty frustrating person to shop with.

What are your feelings when you unwrap new fabric and sewing acquisitions when you get them home? It totally makes my day. I love receiving happy mail (which for me = fabric/ sewing materials). I tend to keep new fabric bundles on my desk for a few days, while I enjoy looking at (and stroking!) them, and plan what I may use them for.

Diagrams on page 80 for details. To mitre the corners that aren’t right angles, stitch to the point of the corner where the two lines you’ve drawn intersect; stop with the needle in the fabric right at that point. Fold the fabric back along the line of stitching to align the raw edge with the next edge of the placemat.

Then fold the binding down so that the fold is in line with the outer point. See Diagram 9. Stitch, beginning at the edge of the placemat and catching the fold in the binding. Sedef recommends watching a helpful tutorial she found on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Vci9-li3aYU for more tips on this technique.

Turn the binding over and hand stitch it to the back of the placemat. Load the pocket with cutlery and a serviette and enjoy!

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For contact details for Sedef Imer, of Down Grapevine Lane, turn to Stockists at the back of the magazine.

Blessington Quilt Challenge inspired by the theme…

Secret Dreams

If you're new to quilting or a seasoned quilter, the BQC is for you!

Create your story...

FIRST PRIZE:

Quilt your story...

KEY DATES:

$12,000 Total Value.

Includes a trip for two to the International Quilt Fesitval in Houston 2017!

RUNNER UP PRIZE:

$3,000 Blessington Gift Certificate

VIEWERS CHOICE:

$1,500 Blessington Gift Certificate

FINISHED QUILT SIZE:

No smaller than 24in x 40in (60cm x 100cm) and no larger than 60in (150cm) square.

Blessington

Share your story...

1st December 2016

Online Entry Submitted with Photos

3rd February 2017

Finalists Notified

28th February 2017

Finalist Quilts Received

Academy 2017

Announcement of Winners. (April TBC)

2018

Finalist Quilts returned to owners

in conjunction with

Find all the information you need to get started at blessington.com.au/bqc/

7 8 9 10

6 GOSFORD

5

On the road

4 3 2

1 SYDNEY

NSW BLUE MOUNTAINS AND HUNTER VALLEY

TOUR GUIDE 1 GLENBROOK 2 LEURA 3 KATOOMBA 4 BLACKHEATH 5 BATHURST 6 ORANGE 7 DUNGOG 8 BOLWARRA HEIGHTS 9 WARATAH 10 NEWCASTLE & EAST MAITLAND

1. Glenbrook

POST OFFICE PATCHWORK

Mountains, Where’s Glenbrook: At the foot of the Blue Sydney CBD. from drive ’s hour an r Glenbrook is just unde d the day, spen just or break a take to It’s a lovely place centre, cafes and with a cinema, beautiful park, information from the boutiques, all within an easy five-minute walk village centre and train station. the Great Western Where in Glenbrook: 33 Ross Street. From passing the after just t, Stree Highway, turn left into Ross s complex, tenni the at Road Park s information centre. Cros out for the look and t Stree Ross down d then continue ahea ng by train, hexagon tiles on our front wall! If you’re comi station. we’re about two minutes up the hill from the Who plays host: Judy Tyrrell and staff.

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helpful staff will be Worth visiting because: Our friendly and your eyes over all the there to greet you when you visit, then, cast stock quality cotton We wonderful crafty goodies we have for you.

Civil War and ding inclu s, quilting fabrics in a wide range of style designers from s fabric Moda of similar reproduction ranges, lots rs and Siste e Thre lle, Cami and ie such as French General, Bonn nese Japa and s plain ren’s, child ers, blend s, more, along with batik one. Inspiration is fabrics – we really have something for every ng patterns available, easy to come by, with patchwork and quilti bits you need for and we also stock batting and most of the g threads, Madeira your quilting. We also have Gütermann sewin supplies. And you ery rdash embroidery threads and general habe us for servicing with ine mach g can feel free to leave your sewin and workshops es class hold we year, or repairs. Throughout the are tours Bus ers. teach ed rienc expe with established and e. notic prior with welcome to visit us regularly, What we recommend: Make sure you visit beautiful fabric because we are always supplementing our – we have find ranges, and you never know what you’ll something for everyone.

2773 Address: 33 Ross Street, Glenbrook , NSW eftel.net.au ork@ tchw popa l: Emai Phone: (02) 4739 9555 u om.a ork.c tchw icepa Website: www.postoff

2. Leura

PICKLEMOUSE CORNER

Where’s Leura: Approx two hou rs from Sydney, just before Katoomba in the spectacular Blue Mountains. Leura has some amazing shops and cafes, so it is definitely worth a full-day visit .

3. Katoomba

Where in Leura: 1/152 Megalong Street. We’re in a sweet cottage behind Leura Mall (the main shopping strip). Just travel down Leura Mall, turn left at Meg along Street and then left into the car park , and we are there, opp osite Woolworths, so there is plenty of parking right outside our door.

Who plays host: Pamela Davis and her helpful staff.

Worth visiting because: We are a unique patchwork boutique, with something for everyone, no matter what fabrics you love, or need, for your projects. We're also celebrating 20 years of contribution to the patchwork com munity. As well as patchwork and quilting supplies, we stock a wide range of haberdashery and wool and we also stock Fren ch Country nightwear. People also travel far and wide to buy som e of our delicious homemade fudge – you just can’t leave the stor e without some! Bus trips are welcome to visit .

What we recommend: Flannel fabr ics, Australiana and Indigenous prints and our full Jinn y Beyer Range are just a few of our favourites in store. Our nov elty and reproduction prints are also popular, and we have rang es from various fabric houses.

Address: 1/152 Megalong Street, Leura, NSW 2780 Phone: 0488 470 684 Email: pam@picklemousecorner .com Website: www.picklemousecorner .com

LINEN AND THREADS

Where’s Katoomba: In the heart of the picturesque Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

Where in Katoomba: 100 Lurline Street. Our beautiful shop is located in a lovely little yellow cottage. Lurline Street is the main tourist road that runs down to the famous Three Sisters and is the gateway to the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park.

Who plays host: The shop is owned by Karen and Brendon Kirk.

You’ll find Karen in store on Tuesday through to Friday, and on alternate Saturdays, you will be greeted and looked after by Leisel and Marg.

Worth visiting because: Linen and Threads is both a patchwork and needlework shop, but now our focus is primarily on needlework. We started out as a needlework business 16 years ago, and have now decided to make that the main part of our business again, although we do have a great deal of patchwork supplies still. Our cottage has eight rooms packed with supplies and lovely samples to inspire you. We have many ranges of embroidery threads and beads, and we are always happy to order in anything we don’t have in stock that you might have trouble finding. Our patchwork ranges are mostly Civil War and reproduction fabrics. We also have a Christmas room, which is enticing all year round; after all, it’s never too early to start some Christmas stitching!

What we recommend: We have hundreds of cross-stitch charts and we specialise in antique reproduction samples, although we do also have a full range of Mirabilia Designs. We have also launched our own range of beautiful hand-dyed linens under our Under The Hedgerow brand.

Address: 100 Lurline Street, Katoomba, NSW 2782 Phone: (02) 4782 5809 Email: karen@linenandthreads.com Website: www.linenandthreads.com

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4. Blackheath

BLACKHEATH HABERDASHERY & QUILTING SUPPLIES

Where’s Blackheath: One of the larger parts of the Blue Mountains – just keep heading up on the Great Western Highway from Katoomba and before Mount Victoria.

Where in Blackheath: 2/52 Govetts Leap Road. When coming from Sydney, turn right at the traffic lights for Govetts Leap Road, which is the main street through Blackheath. Just keep driving through the intersection of Wentworth Street and Govetts Leap Road. You’ll find us on the left-hand side of the street, three buildings down from that intersection.

Who plays host: Store owner Debbie with the help of Selina, Karen and Emily. Teaching classes from beginners to experienced sewers and patchworkers in store are Deb Leake, Marea Drayton, Chris Jurd, Anne Somerlad and Mahli Tan. Worth visiting because: After purchasing the store earlier this year, Debbie has tried to put her own stamp on it, while also keeping the warm community vibe that the previous owner, Karen, had created, and when you visit, you’ll definitely agree that Debbie has well and truly done this. There are lots of new products and ranges for you to browse, and you’ll notice mainly natural fibres in the dressmaking fabrics, with linen and wools being popular at this time of year. There’s also a good selection of organic jerseys and quilting fabrics, including ranges from Moda, Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Tula Pink and both modern and reproduction prints. Apart from the selection of

5. Bathurst

THE HOME PATCH (HOME OF HATCHED AND PATCHED)

Where’s Bathurst: Australia’s olde st inland city, Bathurst is an hour beyond the Blue Mountai ns.

Where in Bathurst: 156 Durham Street. We are located on the highway, in a 150-year-old inn, on the corner of Durham and Stewart Streets – you can’t miss us!

Who plays host: The shop is own ed by Pete and Anni. When visiting, you’ll be greeted by Anni, along with Michelle and Di,

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dressmaking fabrics, there are Tessuti patterns to inspire you.

Debbie’s shop is also an agent for Bernina sewing machines, and it offers machine repairs. Keeping the community vibe going, Debbie hosts many regular classes with fantastic teachers, and if you need specific help on something, there are clinics and project classes. A regular sewing circle meets in store, with a warm fire crackling away in winter and a nice cuppa while the ladies natter and sew. Check out the Facebook page to see photos of works created by students and also to keep up to date with what’s going on in store – just search for ‘Blackheath Haberdashery & Fabric’.

What we recommend: We have just started stocking bamboo knitting needles, and we’ll soon have our knitting wools in stock, so if you’re passing through on holiday and need a good ‘in the car’ project, we have you covered. We also have paper piecing, threads, needles and all other quilting essentials in case you need to top up on supplies on your travels.

Address: 2/52 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath, NSW 2785 Phone: (02) 4787 5200 Email: heathhabby@iinet.net.au

who all have a great passion for all things fabric. Deb also works at The Home Patch behind the scen es to get online orders ready.

Worth visiting because: This is the home of Hatched and Patched, so you’ll get to experience all of Anni’s samples up close and personal and check out the patterns and kits for all of these designs, from small purses and pincushions to large quilts and everything in between. If you love handwork, this is really the place for you, with an extensiv e range of fabrics, including reproductions, bright and quirky, along with Anni’s own ranges, plus there are lots of patterns, boo ks, unique giftware, felts and hand-dyed woven wools. We have visiting tutors drop in to teach workshops, including Marg Sampson-George, Brigitte Giblin, Chris Jurd and Lynne Alch in, just to name a few.

What we recommend: Come and check out the range of projects and kits from Anni’s late st book. Pete also dyes our own range of Four Ewes branded hand-dyed and felted woven wools, which are great for appliqu é, embellishing or creating any number of projects. The woven woo ls come in lots of colours, textures and sizes, and they are also found in many of our kits.

Address: 156 Durham Street, Bath urst , NSW 2795 Phone: (02) 6331 5002 Email: sales@homepatch.com.au Website: www.homepatch.com.au

6. Orange

BELLA PATCHWORK DESIGNS

Where’s Orange: About an hour ’s drive west of Bathurst; a perfect destination when heading across NSW. Where in Orange: 2/25 Sale Street.

Right next door to LJ Hooker. parking our two-h with t, Stree There is one-hour parking in Sale rmarket supe ies Wool to ent adjac park nearby in the Council car house, rick red-b a in ed locat is store The et. and Harris Farm Mark . esses ty of busin which has been converted for use by a varie

7. Dungog

Who plays host: Owner Delma Watts. ago, Bella Worth visiting because: A little over a year . I like to store r Patchwork Designs moved to a new, bigge are we and s, fabric keep the store stocked full of bright e Kaff of range large the known throughout the region for . stock in range lstery upho his Fassett fabrics. I also have as s, fabric and rs colou tt Fasse e Kits are available in Kaff s reproduction well as black and white fabrics, and the 1930 kits together, ranges. I’m in the process of putting more d your colour and these can be custom designed aroun 10am een requirements. Visitors are welcome betw day Satur on and 5pm each weekday and usually from 10am to 1pm. ne is in store What we recommend: Designer Julie McLa attendees are class and s, shop work frequently for weekend Patchwork rns. patte new her e creat to p often the first grou g the week . and sewing classes are run several days durin and I am Beginners are always welcome to come in, . more than happy to help with design ideas 2800 NSW Address: 2/25 Sale Street, Orange, Phone: (02) 6361 3399 Email: sales@bellapatchwork.com.au Website: www.bellapatchwork .com.au

CREATIVE CRAFTS & FABRICS

Where’s Dungog: At the foothills of the Barrington Tops.

You can make it a day trip on the train up to Dungog.

Where in Dungog: 120 Dowling Street. The store is right next door to a cafe. Quilting, coffee and cake – what more could a quilter want?

Who plays host: Owner Carol-Ann Cummings has been running the shop for the past 13 years.

Worth visiting because: The shop is absolutely full to the brim with more than 1,200 patchwork fabrics, including backings, chenille, minky, flannels and cottons. For your haberdashery needs, I have buttons, elastics, ribbons, hooks and eyes, zippers and scissors. If playing with yarn is more your thing, I have Patons, Cleckheaton, Shepherd and Heirloom yarns, along with all accessories you need. Battings, Pellon and interfacing are available, and I also stock Janome sewing machines and the accessories. And with classes running four times a week, there’s never a dull moment in store. The shop is open Mon to Fri 9am-4pm, but closed on the first Monday of each month.

What we recommend: Why not try some Sue Daley paper piecing using Sewline products to make a lovely table runner, bag or quilt? I also have a selection of Sally Giblin’s ‘Rivendale Collection’ patterns, which have easy-to-read instructions, and they make lovely gifts.

Address: 120 Dowling Street, Dungog NSW 2420 Phone: (02) 4992 1232, 0429 182 369 Fax: (02) 4992 3587 Email: creativecrafts1@bigpond.com

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8. Bolwarra Heights

LOTUS FABRICS

Where’s Bolwarra Heights: Bolwarra is a beautiful leafy suburb of Maitland, in the Hunter Valley. Not far from the historic town of Morpeth or the wine-growing region of Pokolbin, also in the Hunter Valley.

Where in Bolwarra Heights: Visits by appointment only.

Please use the contact details below to make a time.

Who plays host: Louise Brown-Thomas.

Worth visiting because: I specialise in batik and hand-dyed fabrics and carry a substantial range on bolts as well as pre-cut 2½in strips, fat quarters, 10in and 5in squares. I also stock MasterPiece, King Tut and Bottom Line threads from Superior Threads and a range of 50-weight silk threads for hand or machine appliqué. I have been a Certified Shop for Quiltworx for four years and have their patterns in stock. Classes are run every week for any Quiltworx pattern you choose to make. Kits are also available.

What we recommend: Apart from my fabrics and Quiltworx patterns, I stock books, patterns and fabrics from Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts; patterns and kits from McKenna Ryan; patterns and kits for the Be Colourful range by Jacqueline de Jonge; and bags from Quiltsmart. It’s all on my website!

Sign up for the newsletter to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in store.

9. Waratah

Address: Bolwarra Heights, NSW Phone: (02) 4930 1182, 0407 248 644 Email: louise@lotusfabrics.com.au Website: www.lotusfabrics.com.au

CRAFT ONPOINT PATCHWORK AND NEEDLE

you search the tea feature prominently on our shelves, and if Rolls, Layer Cakes trolley, you’ll find delicious selections of Jelly stock to help you in are and other precuts. Notions and gadgets ucts. prod r Clove t with your projects, including the lates of DMC range full the with for Embroiderers are also catered Cottage lar popu the with along ds, stranded and overdyed threa ds threa ded stran yed overd rx adwo Thre Garden Threads and Aida . the shop – it’s a real burst of colour as you walk down us counts of vario with her toget , sizes all in ble cloth is availa other forms of and evenweave linen for hardanger, cross stitch tmellic and Moun for s embroidery, plus we have speciality fabric expertise of levels all for es crewel embroidery. We also run class friendly and ming welco a is e Ther . in embroidery and patchwork looking e you’r what have don’t we if atmosphere at Onpoint, and in for you. So, why for, we will do our best to locate it or get it astle, north of Where’s Waratah: Waratah is a suburb of Newc nt? conte ’s heart your to re explo not visit us and er Valley wine region. are a valuable Sydney, and the gateway to the beautiful Hunt lates temp Own da’s Matil nd: mme What we reco find the shop just a Quarter Inch Where in Waratah: 61A Station Street. You’ll The r. asset for both the hand and machine piece accessible by car. lates. short walk from the train station, and it’s easily temp these Plus ruler is a great addition to use with Pat Guilfoyle.

Who plays host: Store proprietors Cath and 2298 NSW tah, Address: 61A Station Street, Wara through our wide Worth visiting because: Enjoy a browse Phone: (02) 4968 0094 from s have range range of beautiful fabrics when you visit. We us Email: shop@onpointpatch.com.au Marc man, Hoff many leading designers, including Moda, RJR, m Website: onpointpatchworkandneedlecraft.co Civil War designs Fabrics and more. Christmas, children’s and

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10. Newcastle & East Maitland

Where are Newcastle & East Mai tland: Take the M1 from Sydney and take the Newcastle off ramp. From there, you can either go to Newcastle or East Mai tland.

Where in Newcastle & East Mai tland: 57 Georgetown Road (Newcastle): Follow the link road to Newcastle, turn left at Turton Road, then turn right at Geo rgetown Road – it’s the purple shop two minutes up the road. Shop 1, 4a Garnett Street (East Maitland): Follow the road to Greenhills, turn into Greenhills shopping centre. Go righ t at the roundabout and take the first right. We are right besi de the NSW service centre.

ZIG ZAG SEWING

Who plays host: Sally and the dyn amic sales team, Celia, Karen, Kathy, Jenny, Suzanne, Renea, Aus tin and Nathan.

Worth visiting because: At Zig Zag Sewing, we’re all passionate stitchers and believe that all the ills of the world would be solved if everyone just started sewing! Our aim is to spark this passion in as many peo ple as possible. Both of our stores carry a variety of different products, with our focus on sewing machines, overlockers and long-arm quilting machines.

Our customers are like family to us: we even share in weddings, births and holidays. We feel that our passion combined with our knowledge of all things sewing adds value to your visit , where you get more than just you r purchase. Our motto is: “If we don’t know the answer, we will find out for you”.

What we recommend: We carry the best brands of sewing machines and overlockers, which include Pfaff, Janome, Singer, Babylock, Handi Quilter (both sit-d own as well as long-arm machines), Accuquilt cutters and the new Artistic Edge cutter.

We also carry Elna presses.

Address: 57 Georgetown Road, Geo rgetown (Newcastle), NSW 2298. Shop 1, 4a Garnett Stre et, East Maitland, NSW 2323 Phone: Georgetown (02) 4960 2426 , East Maitland (02) 4933 6800 Email: sales@zigzagsewing.com.a u Website: www.zigzagsewing.com .au

226 Scarborough Beach Road Mt Hawthorn WA 6016 P. 08 9201 1011 E. sales@teddytree.com.au F. facebook.com/theteddytree Open. Tues-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-3pm

www.teddytree.com.au

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Market Place

PRODUCTS OF THE MONTH P

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TWO GREEN ZEBRAS

KORNACRAFT

TRANQUILITY CRAFTS ‘N SUPPLIES

TILDA CANDY BLOOM LIMITEDLIMITED EDITION FABRIC COLLECTION

FUNKY FRIENDS OWL AND BULLDOG

PEMBERLEY QUILT BLOCK OF THE MONTH

BY KATRINA HADJIMICHAEL

A collection of 12 beautiful cotton fabrics inspired by folklore and country life. Available for a limited time only.

Contact us for stockists.

Make your very own French or British bulldog 13in softie, available as a kit for $25.99 or pattern for $15.99. 12in owl softie is also available as a pattern for $15.99, plus p&h.

Featuring needleturn appliqué and English paper piecing, a BOM of this quilt runs over 12 months for $42 plus p&h per month. Finished size is 93 x 84in. Each month you will receive fabrics (from Sue Daley’s Era of Jane collection), pattern & relevant papers & templates.

Phone: (02) 9553 7201 Email: sales@twogreenzebras.com Website: www.issuu.com/twogreenzebras

Phone: (08) 8522 3246 Email: sales@kornacraft.com.au Website: www.kornacraft.som.au

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Phone: (03) 9375 3575 Email: tranquilitycrafts@bigpond.com.au

BERNINA AUSTRALIA

ASIA DISCOVERY TOURS

BERNINA BINDING ATTACHMENTS #87 AND #88

13-DAY TOUR TO THE GREATEST QUILT SHOW IN ASIA, JAPAN 2017

You’ll never have to hand sew binding onto a quilt with these attachments, and the finish is professional with minimal effort. It even lets you do beautiful, crisp mitred corners. The attachment folds the fabric around the fabric edge and holds it in place as you sew.

Join a 13-day quilting tour to Japan, designed exclusively for quilters and fabric enthusiasts.

The group is led throughout by Tita Leach, an experienced quilter and teacher from Sydney.

Phone: 1800 237 646 Email: bernina@bernina.com.au Website: www.bernina.com.au

Phone: (02) 9267 7699 Email: sales@asiadiscoverytours.com.au Website: www.asiadiscoverytours.com.au

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LEUTENEGGER

MICHELLE RIDGWAY OF RAG-TAG STITCHIN’

LEUTENEGGER COTTON SOLIDS

A HOLLY COTTAGE CHRISTMAS BOOK

We have revamped our premium ‘Quilters Deluxe’ solid colour collection available in 24 colours. Pre-shrunk, colourfast and 100 per cent mercerised cotton.

A delightful 43-page Christmas book, featuring 10 appliqué and stitchery projects to make.

Includes full-size patterns for a Christmas quilt, table topper, gift tags & more, for $32 plus p&h.

Phone: (02) 8046 4100 Email: cservice@leutenegger.com.au Website: www.leutenegger.com.au

Phone: (07) 3208 8217 Email: michelleridgway53@hotmail.com Website: michelleridgwaydesigns1.blogspot.com

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9 ECHIDNA SEWING PRODUCTS EMBROIDER BUDDY PLUSH TOYS

Designed and manufactured to Australian toy safety standards using the finest materials, they unzip with removable stuffing pods to make hand or machine embroidery easy. Skins and pods are machine washable. Personalise them with your own embroidery designs to make unique gifts! RRP $34.95.

Phone: 1800 000 360 Email: sales@echidnaclub.com.au Website: www.echidnaclub.com.au

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JUMPERS AND JAZZ IN JULY

CLOVER

YARNBOMBING AND JAZZ FESTIVAL

CREATE-A-PINCUSHION

Held July 21-31, 2016 in Warwick, Queensland, is the annual Jumpers and Jazz in July festival. Full program includes over 100 events showcasing yarnbombing, live jazz, local produce & country charm.

Available in brown or ivory. Have fun creating your own pincushion using your favourite fabrics, embroidery or patchwork. Full instructions and template are provided.

Phone: (07) 4661 0434 Email: karina.devine@sdrc.qld.gov.au Website: www.jumpersandjazz.com

Phone: +81 6 6978 2220 Email: info@clover-mfg.com Website: www.clover-mfg.com

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HORN AUSTRALIA

THE STRAWBERRY THIEF

HORN CRAFT AND HOBBY CUTTING TABLE

LOVE LIBERTY CLUB

Ideal fabric-preparation table, with a sturdy steel frame and leg supports with lockable castors. Includes a handy in-built ironing board.

The complete unit folds away for storage.

Become an exclusive member of the Love Liberty Club and receive a fat bundle of Liberty Love each month. Every month, your excitement and anticipation will culminate in a carefully curated selection of Season (past and present) and Classic Liberty Tana Lawn. Visit the website to join.

Phone: (08) 8209 2800 Email: horn@horn.com.au Website: www.horn.com.au

Email: robyn@thestrawberrythief.com.au Website: www.thestrawberrythief.com.au

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GIRLS’ SHED

LILY LANE QUILTING

CLOVER

LACE DESIGNS BY ADVANCED EMBROIDERY

GEMS OF THE EAST PATTERN AND FABRIC KIT

COMPACT SEWING KIT

Necklace and half-glove designs are suitable for wedding parties and can be made to colour match the dress. Can also be made for Steampunk outfits.

Featuring 24 fat quarters of batiks in beautiful gem and jewel colours. Big blocks mean it’s super-easy to make.

Finished size 215 x 180cm.

Just the thing for running repairs when out and about. Includes stainless-steel scissors, thread tweezers, thread, buttons, needles and more, contained in a neat little kit that is small enough for a handbag, suitcase or for keeping in the car.

Phone: 0409 748 600 Email: neola_simkus@girlsshed.com.au Website: www.girlsshed.com.au

Phone: (03) 5199 2777 Email: jennifer@lilylane.com.au Website: www.lilylane.com.au

Phone: +81 6 6978 2220 Email: info@clover-mfg.com Website: www.clover-mfg.com

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BROTHER AUSTRALIA

SEWN AND QUILTED

BROTHER NV1100 COMPUTERISED SEWING AND QUILTING MACHINE

PERFECT ADJUSTABLE RULER

Perfect for the beginner or experienced sewer, it boasts a great range of features, including a large workspace, so you can easily tackle those larger projects.

Take advantage of the 180 built-in sewing stitches, or make your own with the Brother exclusive My Custom Stitch feature. Your creativity has no limits!

This ingenious five-piece ruler easily snaps together to form a 6in, 12in, 18in or 24in length. Clear and accurate markings.

Packs away, making it perfect for travelling.

Phone: (02) 9887 4344 Email: brothermarketing@brother.com.au Website: www.brother.com.au

Phone: (03) 9877 1664 Email: carol@sewnandquilted.com.au Website: www.sewnandquilted.com.au

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THE TEDDY TREE

CRAFTEE COTTAGE

CYNTHIA’S ARK

HUG SNUG RIBBON

NEW NAKO BOHO SOCK YARNS

STASH BASH SEWING PARTY BOOKLET #1

This beautiful product is 100 per cent rayon, woven-edged ribbon.

Available in a huge range of gorgeous colours; it’ll be hard to choose your favourite.

You can never have too many sock wools!

The new Nako Boho sock yarn is a great self-patterning 4-ply wool blend. And there are lots ofdifferent colourways to choose from.

One block, four different quilt patterns. This booklet accompanies the first Stash Bash Sewing Party we held in store earlier this year, and now the pattern booklet is available for $17, or as a kit for $100.

Phone: (08) 9201 1011 Email: sales@teddytree.com.au Website: www.teddytree.com.au

Phone: (03) 9568 3606 Email: info@crafteecottage.com.au Website: www.crafteecottage.com.au

Phone: (08) 8527 2120 Email: sales@cynthiasark.com.au Website: www.cynthiasark.com.au

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THIS MONTH’S DESIGNERS’ CONTACTS PROJECT 1: KISS CROSS Melissa Gottliebsen Ms Midge Email: msmidge1@bigpond.com Website: www.msmidge.com.au Instagram: @msmidge PROJECT 3: SWEET SORBET Peta Peace SheQuiltsALot Email: shequiltsalot@gmail.com Website: www.shequiltsalot.com Instagram: @shequiltsalot Facebook: SheQuiltsALot Pinterest: SheQuiltsALot BLOCK OF THE MONTH: FOXLEY VILLAGE Natalie Bird The Birdhouse Email: thebirdhouse@bigpond.com Website: www.thebirdhouse.com.au Blog: www.thebirdhouse.typepad.com PROJECT 4: FOUR DAYS OF CHRISTMAS Linda Guy Sew Quilt Designs Website: www.sewquiltdesigns.com PROJECT 5: NATALIA Michelle Marvig Pieceville Email: michelle@pieceville.com.au Website: www.pieceville.com.au PROJECT 6: WE WISH YOU A …

Melissa Grant One Day in May, Creations

by Melissa Grant Email: info@onedayinmay.com.au Website: www.onedayinmay.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/ OneDayInMay.MelissaGrant Address: P.O. Box 7145, Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria 3156 PROJECT 7: BLINKY BELLE Anthea Christian Angel Lea Designs Email: anthea@angelleadesigns.com Website: www.angelleadesigns.com Facebook: facebook.com/ angelleadesigns PROJECT 8: UNDER THE TREE Anni Downs Hatched and Patched Ph: (02) 6331 5002 Email: anni@hatchedandpatched. com.au PROJECT 9: OUT OF THE WOODS Sedef Imer Down Grapevine Lane Email: sedef@downgrapevinelane.com Blog: www.downgrapevinelane.com Instagram: @downgrapevinelane Facebook: facebook.com/ downgrapevinelane Etsy: downgrapevinelane.etsy.com

STOCKISTS & CONTACTS A

shford Wheels & Looms Ph: 1800 653 397, website: www.ashford.co.nz/yarn.

Asia Discovery Tours Suite 1302, Level 13, 370 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.

Ph: (02) 9267 7699, website: asiadiscoverytours.com.au.

Australian Country Spinners Toll free: 1800 337 032, ph: (03) 9380 3888, website: www.auspinners.com.au.

Australian Machine Quilters Festival Ph: 0448 256 214, email: info@ amqfestival.com.au, website: www.amqfestival.com.au. ella Patchwork Designs 2/25 Sale Street, Orange, NSW 2800. Ph: (02) 6361 3399, email: sales@bellapatchwork. com.au, website: www.bellapatchwork.com.au.

Bernina Australia (Contact address only) Unit 10, 15 Carrington Road, Castle Hill, NSW 2154. Ph: 1800 237 646 or (02) 9899 1188, email: bernina@bernina.com.au, website: www.bernina.com.au.

Birch Haberdashery & Craft Ph: (03) 9450 8900, website: www.birchhaby.com.au.

Bird, Natalie – see box at left.

Blackheath Haberdashery & Quilting Supplies 2/52 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath, NSW 2785. Ph: (02) 4787 5200, email: heathhabby@iinet.net.au.

Black Possum Fabrics Shop 1, 197 Myall Street, Tea Gardens, NSW 2324. Ph: (02) 4997 0866, email: blackpossumfabrics@ bigpond.com, website: www.blackpossumfabrics.com.

Brother Australia Ph: 1300 880 297, website: www.brother.com.au. apricorn Link (Australia) PO Box 704, Windsor NSW 2756. Ph: (02) 4560 1600, email: books@capricornlink.com.au, website: www.capricornlink.com.au.

Carol’s of Midland 47 Farrall Road, Midvale, WA 6056. Ph: (08) 9250 2722, email: carolsmi@ bigpond.net.au, website: www.carolsofmidland.com.au.

Charles Parsons & Co See Craft Project – Charles Parsons & Co.

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Christian, Anthea – see box at left.

Clover Mfg Co., Ltd Ph: +81 6 6978 2220, email: info@clover-mfg.com, website: www.clover-mfg.com.

Constantine Quilts RSD 1028, Agery via Kadina SA 5555. Ph: (08) 8825 6214, email: constantinequilt@internode. on.net, website: www.constantinequilts.com.

Country Hart Designs 13 Alexander Street, Port Pirie SA 5540. Ph: (08) 8632 3172, mobile: 0417 826 418, email: robyn@countryhart.com.au, website: www.countryhart.com.au.

CraftAlive 185 Moray Street, South Melbourne, Vic 3205.

Ph: (03) 9682 5133, email: info@craftalive.com.au, website: www.craftalive.com.au.

Craftee Cottage Shop 5, 52-54 Atherton Road, Oakleigh, Vic 3166. Ph: (03) 9568 3606, email: info@crafteecottage.com. au, website: www.crafteecottage.com.au.

Craft Project – Charles Parsons & Co Ph: (toll free) 1300 364 422, email: info@ craftproject.com.au, website: www.craftproject.com.au.

Creative Crafts & Fabrics 120 Dowling Street, Dungog, NSW 2420. Ph: (02) 4992 1232, 0429 182 369, fax: (02) 4992 3587, email: creativecrafts1@bigpond. com.

Cynthia’s Ark Email: sales@ cynthiasark.com.au, website: www.cynthiasark.com.au. owns, Anni – see box at left.

Dragonfly Fabrics Shop 2-3, 53 Alawa Crescent, Alawa NT 0810. Ph: (08) 8948 0691, email: dragonfabric@bigpond.com, website: www.dragonfabric.com.au. chidna Sewing Products Head office: 56 Neumann Road, Capalaba Qld 4157 (Stores in Brisbane, Townsville, Melbourne and Sunshine Coast).

Ph: (07) 3390 3600, email: sales@ echidnaclub.com.au, website: www.echidnaclub.com.au. abric Pixie Ph: 0415 826 994, email: deanne@ fabricpixie.com.au, website: www.fabricpixie.com.au.

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irl’s Shed 208 Dunford Road West, Grahams Creek, Qld 4650. Ph: 0409 748 600, email: neola_simkus@girlsshed.com.au, website: www.girlsshed.com.au Gottliebsen, Melissa – see box at left.

Grant, Melissa – see box at left.

Gütermann 810 Pacific Highway, Gordon, NSW 2072.

Ph: (02) 9416 0605, email: perivale@gutermann.com.au, website: www.gutermann.com.

Guy, Linda – see box at left. ardie Grant Publishing Website: www.hardiegrant.com.au Horn Australia 29 Playford Crescent, Salisbury North, SA 5108 (PO Box 223, Salisbury, SA 5108). Ph: (08) 8209 2800, fax: (08) 8209 2899, email: horn@horn.com.au, website: www.horn.com.au.

Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines Locked Bag 40, Gosford NSW 2250. Ph: (02) 4337 3737, email: info@blessingtongroup. com.au, website: www.husqvarnaviking.com/au. mer, Sedef – see box at left. anome PO Box 1383, Moorabbin, Vic 3189.Ph: Toll-free 1300 JANOME; Vic (03) 8586 3100; NSW (02) 9624 1822; WA (08) 9248 6689; Qld (07) 3256 3477; SA (08) 8356 7700, website: www.janome.com.au. ornacraft Sewing Centre 108 Murray Street, Gawler, SA 5118. Ph: (08) 8522 3246, email: sales@kornacraft.com.au, website: www.kornacraft.com.au. eutenegger Macquarie Park, NSW 2113. Ph: (02) 8046 4100, email: cservice@ leutenegger.com.au, website: www.leutenegger.com.au.

Lily Lane 26-28 Prince Street, Rosedale, Vic 3847. Ph: (03) 5199 2777, 0428 486 365, email: jennifer@lilylane.com.au, website: www.lilylane.com.au.

Linen and Threads 100 Lurline Street, Katoomba, NSW 2782. Ph: (02) 4782 5809, email: karen@linenandthreads. com, website: www.linenandthreads.com.

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Lotus Fabrics Bolwarra Heights, NSW. Ph: (02) 4930 1182, 0407 248 644, email: louise@lotusfabrics. com.au, website: www. lotusfabrics.com.au. agic Patch Quilting 1525 Frankston-Flinders Road, Tyabb, Vic 3913.

Ph: (03) 5977 3332, email: query@magicpatchquilting.com.au, website: www.magicpatch quilting.com.au.

Marvig, Michelle – see box on page 137.

Masha’s Russian Punch Embroidery Ph: 0412 781 807, email: masha1@optusnet.com.au.

My Patch Fabrics 42 Wason Street, Milton, NSW 2538.

Ph: (02) 4455 4087, email: sew@ mypatchfabrics.com.au, website: www.mypatchfabrics.com.au. npoint Patchwork & Needlecraft 61a Station Street, Waratah, NSW 2298.

Ph: (02) 4968 0094, email: shop@ onpointpatch.com.au, website: www.onpointpatchworkand needlecraft.com. eace, Peta – see box on page 137.

Pfaff Sewing Machines Locked Bag 40, Gosford NSW 2250. Ph: (02) 4337 3737, email: info@blessingtongroup.com.au, website: www.pfaff.com/au.

Picklemouse Corner 1/152 Megalong Street, Leura, NSW 2780. Ph: 0488 470 684, email: pam@picklemouse

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corner.com, website: www.picklemousecorner.com.

Pick Up Stitches 30 Piper Street, Kyneton Vic 3444. Ph: (03) 5422 6614, email: pickupstitches@bigpond.com.

Post Office Patchwork 33 Ross Street, Glenbrook, NSW 2773. Ph: (02) 4739 9555, email: popatchwork@eftel.net.au, website: www.postofficepatch work.com.au. ag-tag Stitchin’ Ph: (07) 3208 8217, email: michelleridgway53@hotmail.com, blog: michelleridgwaydesigns1. blogspot.com. ew Many Stitches Shop 4, Level 2, 147 Queen Street, Campbelltown, NSW 2560.

Ph: (02) 4628 4437, email: sewstitches@bigpond.com.

Sewn and Quilted 92 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn, Vic 3130. Ph: (03) 9877 1664, email: carol@sewnandquilted. com.au, website: www.sewnandquilted.com.au.

Singer (Contact address only) Unit 17/167 Prospect Highway, Seven Hills NSW 2147. Ph: (02) 9620 5922, email: info@ singerco.com.au, website: www.singerco.com.au.

Smee Designs (Postal address only) 40 Larnook Crescent, Aspendale, Vic 3195.

Email: smeedesigns@optusnet. com.au, website: www.smeedesigns.com.

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NEXT MONTH ANIMAL MAGNETISM IN AUGUST HOMESPUN Adorable designs in different techniques.

Q Appliquéd rooster quilt Q Autograph sausage-dog softie Q Lavishly embroidered winter fox

e, And plenty more, lt including a quilt y of many many many colours!

AUGUST HOMESPUN – ON SALE AUGUST 4

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Homespun

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he Crewel Gobelin 9 Marian Street, Killara, NSW 2071. Ph: (02) 9498 6831, email: enquiriesthecrewelgobelin. com.au, website: www.thecrewel gobelin.com.au.

The Home Patch (home of Hatched and Patched) 156 Durham Street, Bathurst, NSW 2795. Ph: (02) 6331 5002, email: sales@homepatch.com.au, website: www.homepatch.com.au.

The Patchwork Angel 343 Mons Road, Forest Glen, Sunshine Coast, Qld 4556.

Ph: (07) 5477 0700, email: info@ patchworkangel.com.au, website: www.patchworkangel.com.au.

The Quilters Shack 77 Boundary Street, Bundaberg, Qld 4670. Ph: (07) 4154 4486, email: girls@thequiltersshack. com, website: www.thequiltersshack.com.

The Stitcher’s Cupboard 4A/20 Argyle Street, Camden, NSW 2570. Ph: (02) 4655 8348, email: sales@thestitcherscup board.com.au website: thestitcherscupboard.com.au.

The Strawberry Thief Email: robyn@thestrawberrythief. com.au, website: www.thestrawberrythief.com.au.

The Teddy Tree 226 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn, WA 6016.

Ph: (08) 9201 1011, email: sales@teddytree.com.au, website: www.teddytree.com.au.

Tranquility Crafts ‘N Supplies 37 Holmes Road, Moonee Ponds, Vic 3039.

Ph: (03) 9375 3575, email: tranquilitycrafts@bigpond.com.au, website: www.facebook.com/ TranquilityCraftsnSupplies.

Travelrite International Pty Ltd 423 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn, Vic 3103.

Toll free: 1800 630 343, outside Australia: +61 3 9836 2522, email: michelle@travelrite.com.au, website: www.travelrite.com.au.

Two Green Zebras Ph: (02) 9553 7201, email: sales@twogreenzebras. com, website: www.twogreen zebras.com.

SM Australia See Husqvarna Viking, Singer or Pfaff Sewing Machines. arwick Art Gallery 49 Albion Street, Warwick, Qld 4370.

Ph: (07) 4661 0434, email: warwickart@sdrc.qld.gov.au, website: www.warwickart gallery.com.au ig Zag Sewing 57 Georgetown Road, Georgetown (Newcastle), NSW 2298.

Shop 1, 4a Garnett Street, East Maitland, NSW 2323.

Ph: Georgetown (02) 4960 2426, East Maitland (02) 4933 6800, email: sales@zigzagsewing. com.au, website: www.zigzagsewing.com.au.

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