Journey Of A Design- Part 1

I thought it might be fun to share how a design (or an idea in my head) comes to life. I have a few new designs in progress at the moment but Id like to share this one with you. For this project I was given the fabric first and then let loose with the design:

This is Modas Winter range!!! Gorgeous fabrics, so my mind was full of ideas. For me, a design usually comes to life with a theme or a phrase......something dear to me. I usually draft ideas in the car, waiting to pick up Cohen from school...... quiet time!!! They start in my "el cheapo" sketchbook and then i proceed to draft them up on paper:

Trust me, even after my drawing class, I still tend to use "half a tree" worth of paper to get the design I want. I have found that drawing parts of the design and then putting it all together works so much better for me!!! Once I draw it up in black pen, I transfer the design to fabric and then I have to choose the cottons:

I have boxes like this!!! How do you chose what colours work best??? I went with redwork, its my favorite at the moment and it works so well with the fabrics:

Stitching was fun!!! I still made a tweak or two in the process!!!! Im loving the Xmas theme!! Now how will I set the design??? More in Part 2!

Doll and Bear Fair

This weekend we travelled to Ulverstone for the Annual Doll and Bear Fair. It was their 20th Birthday and such a wonderful and warm bunch of people.

This was our stand and for the first time Maddi wanted to come along and join in. She had an amazing time, working the stand and meeting new people.

Even the local newspaper snapped some pictures, which was really exciting for her. We also had a visit from Christine and her sister Kathy. It was wonderful to catch up again!! Christine brought in her red and white version of my tablerunner (and Molly the dog):

It is absolutley gorgeous!!! You did an amazing job Christine!! It was a wonderful weekend, we met so many people, we spent heaps(well it was hard not too lol), we had a lovely stallholders dinner on Saturday night and we had the most amazing views..........

......its easy to see why people love Ulverstone!!

Chez Moi

As soon as I saw Moda's Posh by Chez Moi I had earmarked it to make something for Maddi. The fabrics are gorgeous, just right for a teenage girl!! Eventually after weeks of it sitting in my cupboard, Maddi and I started to play:

Add a pair of old faded jeans and the bag came to life. Maddi loves yo-yo's so they were a definite must have on the bag front. We didnt make it too big, but she wanted the handle to be long enough to either hang by her side or across her chest......so a knotted strap fixed that, making it adjustable. And of course it needed pockets:


We couldnt waste these, they are perfect for her mobile phone and her IPOD!!! She loves it!! Im going to whip up another one for the shop and then write the pattern for it. Now Im looking forward to making her something from their new fabric line, Charisma!!

Tysons Garage

Pam, one of my Saturday students, wanted to make a quilt for her little nephew Tyson who turns 1 very soon!! We had a bit of a talk about what she might like and then she went off to pick some fabrics.......brighter the better is Pams way of picking fabrics lol!! And then it became a class project to construct the quilt:

It still needs some borders but this is Tysons Garage........bright, funky and heaps of fun to watch grow each week.

I designed the cars.....these guys remind me of the Partridge Family Bus and when you look at them you almost expect them to go "beep beep":

Sally designed the centre panel complete with garage, petrol station and car wash. All of our Saturday ladies have had some input into the quilt. Pam is thrilled with the end result although i do tease her and say that Tyson will never sleep under it, its too "loud" lol. I love it!!

Goes to show what a little bit of imagination and a huge burst of colour can create!!!

After the Rain

Every season screams colour, from the golds, browns and oranges of Autumn to the pinks, purples and whites of Spring. Winter may be dreary and bleak for us right now but after the rain there is beauty to be found.

Everything is so lush and green at the moment. The garden tends to get neglected over the winter, the trees become unruly, the grass is long and soft.

The leaves are full of tiny raindrops that shower down on you as you brush past.

There are some signs of new growth. Small amounts of colour to brighten our days, including these guys:

They popped into our garden last week and feasted on a neglected apple still hanging in the bare tree. They stayed for ages and didnt seem to mind me walking around photographing them. I love their colourings, nature is truly inspiring!!!

Pincushion

On a quick trip to the local Spotlight this morning, I found this adorable pincushion:

It is a Mary Engelbreit Collectible pincushion and I think it is just so cute!!! There were 4 designs to chose from, an armchair, a teacup, a teapot but I loved the little watering can!!


They are packaged so nicely.....a perfect present for the sewer in your life or a little treat for you!!

Xmas in July!!

I was shopping with a girlfriend the other day and the shops are full of toys ready to Layby for Xmas. I made the comment, that it is too early to start thinking about Xmas but obviously I have been doing just that for quite awhile now:

Im about 2/3rds of the way through some redwork stitcheries for a new quilt called My Xmas Wishes. They have been such fun to design and stitch and they bring back so many wonderful childhood memories.

Thesedays the things on a childs Xmas wishlist are usually the latest technology or the latest craze!! Gone are the days when you opened a skipping rope or a teddy bear and you were the happiest kid on the block (hmmmm that makes me sound so old!! lol)

Im using Modas Isnt Christmas Jolly fabrics to put this all together:

I love these vivid colours, this is defintley a sweet range of fabrics!!

And I have just sent off a Xmas cushion that was commissioned by Australian Country Threads which will apear in the October 2008 issue. I cant show you any pictures of that just yet!! It goes to show, its never too early to think about Xmas......its something we can enjoy stitching, all year long!!!

Quilt Fair Hobart

We had a fantastic 4 days away at the Hobart Quilt Fair. It is a completley different experience to be part of it than to visit as a customer. Just to be involved in the setting up was fun!! We meet some lovely people ( even a couple of bloggers.....it was great to meet both Cathy and Leanne) and saw a lot of yummy stuff. (please forgive my lack of pictures, I was way too busy!!):

We were able to launch my new BOM Tender Moments and it was received very well. Thanks to all of those who signed up and as promised I will be designing a cushion or two to send to you with your last pattern installment.

I think the highlight for me was teaching in the Craft Circle. I meet some many wonderful ladies and we all had a great time!! We even had a very talented lady sing to us while she stitched. I also had a gorgeous 11 year old girl called Emma participate and Im eagerly awaiting a picture from her of her progress!!

This is Faye and Pam!! There were 7 of us in a 3 bedroom house, so you can imagine the chatting and the laughter. We would all sit around at night, some of us stitching and some knitting, winding down after a busy day!! And of course we stayed up far too late and slept very little but it was an amazing experience that I was so lucky to be apart of!! Cant wait for the next one!!!!