Today was an exciting day ... our oldest daughter's first baby tooth fell out - eek, ack, gag - exciting!!!

Front: Outside

Looking inside from the front

Front

Back

Inside

In May this year I was lucky enough to attend the Perth Modern Quilt Guild's Mother's Day sew-in.

We have lots of talented people in our Guild, including Bev who is a master at bag-making ... Bev kindly agreed to run a Maker's Tote workshop for those of us that are 3D sewing challenged (pick me, pick me!).

Bev got us off to a great start but it took me a few more home sewing sessions here, and there ... I also had to buy a few vowels making and attaching the binding ... But I got there just in the nick of time for a special trip to Sydney that I had planned.


 I used Anna-Maria Horner's Fibs and Fables for the outside in two different colour-ways.



A cotton weight denim for the gussets and binding.



Kraftex for all the pockets bound in selvage from the front panels



and a mix of Fibs & Fables and Loominous for the interior and pocket linings.





The handles I made myself using some left-over denim from the binding and Kraftex.



So far so good with those handles ... although I can see a stress tear trying to happen in the single thickness section of the Kraftex near where I have attached the handles to the bag ... so I may need to redesign these ... thinking cap on.

Overall, despite the swearing, I did enjoy making this bag.  The swearing was due to using Kraftex for the inside pockets.  They made the bag stiff and therefore it was difficult so squish the bag through my machine to sew on the gussets and binding.  Not the pattern's fault.  Just my fault for pushing the limits in material choices.  But I'm glad I did persevere with the Kraftex.  I love the look and the pockets are nice and sturdy.  They will soften over time, with use ... they'll get lots of use ... because this is my new favourite bag.




So many happy memories with this bag already ... Oh the places we will go and the people we will meet!

Makers Tote meet "Jen Kingwell" and "Tula Pink" - squee!!  My friend Denise and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting these two cool cats at the recent Sydney Craft and Quilt fair

If I look stunned ... it's because I am!

Bought my first piece of Tula Pink fabric at the show and guess who signed it??

and of course the party hasn't started unless you've had a selfie with Sparkle!

My bag and I had a wonderful time in Sydney ... including meeting a lot of the peeps I communicate almost daily with on Instagram.  It was surreal to meet them in real life at the IG meet up kindly organised by Kristy from Quietplay, Keera from Live Love Sew and Molli Sparkles ... my head is still in a spin!

With so much talent in our own backyard ... you'd think I'd be inspired right?  But actually I feel like a rabbit caught in head-lights ... stunned ... unable to move.

I think I'll just sit here for a while ... ponder all that I have seen and experienced and hopefully my brain will start functioning again!

Sx

Linking Up with Finish It Up Friday

Whilst on a quilting retreat this weekend (I'll just drop that in now ... it was bliss ...)

I managed to get a few things sewn in-between gulping sipping wine, eating too much, sitting by the fire, singing along to a playlist of Queen, Savage Garden and Neil Diamond and, of course, sleeping ... so yes, a few things sewn ... but one thing finished (... new record ...)

This little retreat spot was the perfect place to take some pics of my finish in it's natural habitat ...









Quilt Deets
#deerrose on Instagram for progress shots
Size is 71" x 51" (to be precise)
Mustard fabric is Reprodepot #3 from Spotlight
Spring Rose background fabric is "Princess Rose" by Lecien
Backing is by Sarah Fielke
Binding is a butter-soft Japanese Linen purchased from Ava & Neve
Pixel pattern created from a cross stitch pattern found here
Straight line quilted.  First I quilted a straight line from corner to corner (diagonally) to make a large "x". Then I echo quilted, 1" apart, in and out of every "v" shape in the cross.  Hope that makes sense!  Here's an extra pic just in case it doesn't.



Photo shoot location

Dwellingyup Western Australia

One of the locals

My happy little customer

Thanks for visiting!

Serena x

Linking up with: Sew Cute Tuesday, Fabric Tuesday, Let's Bee Social and Finish It Up Friday

You'll be forgiven for thinking that this quilt belongs to the "little people' of our house ... but no ... this mass of scrappy, rainbow goodness is for my dear husband.

This quilt was "officially" finished in June 2015 ... but I haven't had a chance to photograph it properly because it was put to use before I could even finish stitching the binding down.


As we "start the way we mean to finish" in this house ... the quilt has been used and enjoyed ever since.  No time for photoshoots when you are a well loved quilt!  So this weekend when we took him (rainbows can be boys) for a play at the beach, I took the opportunity to get a few (ahem ... windy) snaps.

OK, lets try photographing with the wind behind us...

I used denim for the backing and binding

Which makes for a heavy quilt ... but the wind picked it up like a feather

Diamond straight line quilting pattern inspected by Mr. Seagull

That's a wrap folks ... its too windy!

Despite the wind ... it is Autumn here after-all ... we enjoyed our afternoon at the beach.

Quilt Info:
#hubbyshalfhexie on IG (for progress shots)
510 half hexies sewn together to make this quilt (17 across x 30 rows)
I made my own template to fit 2.5" wide jellyroll cuts
Fabric is a combination of scraps with Cotton Couture solids from a jelly roll

Photo shoot location:
Port Beach, Fremantle, Western Australia




Linking up to: Sew Cute Tuesday, Let's Be Social and Finish It Up Friday

I recently received a bundle of sample fabric in the form of Lecien's "Princess Rose"

It's beautiful ... very sweet, very pretty, very gentle on the eyes, very garden tea party ... very pretty (did I say that already?)



I'm surprised that I like it given it's not my usual go to colour of saturated rainbow (yes, rainbow is a colour).

BUT .... my youngest daughter ... oh she more than like it, she LOVED it ...

"Look Mum! Roses, just like my name!" ... I couldn't deny her little beaming face, so I started planning a little something for her.

BUT ... if I was going to work with these beautiful, soft, pretty fabrics covered in roses we were going to have to find some common ground.

Ground ... yes, there's a good word.  I needed something to "ground" all this light, airy, prettiness that I had before me.

So I'm doing it with this ...


It's a fabric that I picked up last year from Spotlight ... to make my youngest a top ... well obs that never happened!

I don't like to see a purchase go to waste, so here I am, grounding Spring with a touch of Autumn.


I'm using a simple cross stitch pattern to make my daughter a Deer quilt for her bed ... yes I am.



Each square in 1.5" finished ... here's how far along I am ...

Almost halfway ...

I hope to have this finished before the last Autumn leaf twirls it's final pirouette to the ground below.

Sx

I'm being social over at Sew Fresh Quilts ... hope to see you there!

There's a little boy I know of ... I've never met him ... but his Aunt is a dear friend of my Mother.


When I heard this little boy was terribly. almost irreversibly. ill ... I did what most quilters do ... I set to making him a quilt.

His name is synonymous with the Ocean, he has bright blue eyes, he constantly wears a smile and (I'm told) has quite the infectious laugh.

A quote from Moby Dick came to mind "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing"

Inspo for the quilt ... source

Inspo for the quilt - source

The parents and doctors of this boy have differing opinions on how he should be treated medically.

Lizzy House's wonderful whales for backing ... along with some Texas Denim for extra backing and binding.

A little detail ... I love the way it looks like the whale is about to swallow a row of boats.  Whale pattern found here

I can neither "treat" him holistically or with medical science but I can "treat" him to a quilt made with love and hope that the love sewn in each and every stitch seeps through to this much deserving, smiling, happy, very sick little boy.

Sx

Info

Improv wording technique from Sarah Fielke's Wordplay Craftsy Class

Photos taken at "Crawley Edge" Boat Shed ...#73




Linking Up with Finish it Up Friday and Scraptastic Tuesday as all the wording is made from fabrics from previous quilts.