Forget Me Not Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Forget Me Not blog tour, showcasing this pretty new collection by Tammie Green of Studio T Green for Riley Blake Designs. Such sweet colours and lovely florals - my little girl almost died when she set eyes on this fabric! So I made a new quilt for her doll's bed, using my own Ruffle Doll Quilt pattern. Boy was she happy when she saw it!

I always get questions about this doll whenever she puts in an appearance on my blog - so I will just mention here that she was made by the lovely Deb from Deb's Steiner Dolls - a truly talented Aussie custom doll maker!

I designed this doll quilt / sleeping bag to fit an IKEA doll's bed, which I know is a very popular choice worldwide. It is super quick to make, suitable for beginner quilters, and the sweet ruffle is sure to melt any little person's heart. The pattern is available in PDF and paper versions in my shop. I used my favourite Aurifil 50 wt thread in Pink 2410 for the piecing and quilting.

Hope you enjoyed my project on the blog tour - thanks for visiting!

Pincushions Galore + Giveaway!

When Nadra from Ellis & Higgs sent me some of her latest fabric collection Arbor Blossom recently, I instantly knew what I wanted to make with them -  a set of pincushions for gifts! Look at the colours of this line - so bold and vibrant, with bright blues, reds, pinks and greens, but also a few low volumes mixed in there too. Utterly gorgeous, and so very 'Nadra'!

I was in the midst of some deadlines when my friend Minki Kim was running a pincushion sew along for her adorable applique patterns a few months back, and I knew they would be a perfect fit for these fabrics. I intended to make about six to give out as gifts, but once I started I couldn't stop and ended up making a dozen. With other deadlines looming I had to force myself to stop - but I could have kept going. Minki's drawings are so stinking cute!

You can purchase Minki's patterns in her shop. She has lots of different sets to choose from and they only cost a dollar each - bargain! The technique used in the making of the appliques is called sewing illustration, and it's essentially machine applique with black / dark brown stitch, going over the outlines twice. If you have never tried this Minki has a set of tutorial videos on You Tube explaining how. 

GIVEAWAY! 

Minki kindly offered a full set of her pincushion patterns (over 60 motifs!) to one of my followers - if you would like to win this go to my Instagram account to enter. We will pick a winner on Tuesday. Good luck!

Big thank you to Minki and Nadra, who are not only good friends but also fellow Riley Blake fabric designers. I'm truly blessed to be in the same team with talented ladies such as these two! 

Pixelated Quilt | Paper Patterns

I would like to introduce my newest quilt pattern: 'Pixelated', out today in issue 51 of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine. I love a modern rainbow quilt, and am really proud of this one! It's a simple beginner friendly quilt, no fiddly points to match, and the pattern in the magazine has a clear cutting chart. Easy peasy!

The magazine is now available in stores in the UK and for digital download, and will be hitting the shelves in the US in 4-6 weeks. Digital copies are available for  Apple Newsstand, Zinio or Google Play.

I have some other fabulous news to share with you today! Please join me in celebrating this huge milestone in my quilty career: paper patterns! I have been selling PDF patterns in my Etsy shop for a while now, but I know a lot of you prefer the real paper version to electronic, so you can now ask your local quilt store to order them in. I also have a few copies of each paper pattern in my shop. Wholesale orders can be placed via Creative Abundance in Australia and Checkers Distributors in the US. 

 

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely day!

'A Piece of Cake' Book Tour

I am so thrilled to kick off the book tour for my lovely friend and fellow Aussie designer Peta Peace's first book, 'A Piece of Cake', published by Martingale. It's a lovely book full of some of the best quilt patterns I have ever seen (like, seriously), and all of them can be made from layer cake (10") squares. What a clever book concept, and the perfect book name to go with it!

I met Peta via quilty social media a few years back and then finally in person at the spring quilt market last year. She has become one of my best quilty buddies since then and has been a huge support in more ways than one. It was high time she published a book, and I am so happy to join her and a group of incredible sewists in celebrating the launch of her first book! I'm saying 'first' book as I have no doubt she will publish many, many more, the rising star that she is.

For my project on the tour I simply had to make THAT quilt on the cover, which is called 'Playing Around Again'. What a simple but effective pattern -  I had the whole quilt top cut and pieced in just over a day. A new record for me!

We've had glorious sunny weather here the last few days, but because I had a quilt to photograph today in the garden, it had to be pouring with rain, and with blustery winds (grrr). This was the best picture we could manage in the garden, where you can see 'almost' the entire quilt. Just imagine the quilt flapping about as I was taking photos non stop. Most of the other photos featured my husband's legs and the quilt backing more prominently than the front! We finally gave up on the garden shoot, and took the rest of the photos indoors.

The fabrics I have used are of course my Sweet Prairie collection for Riley Blake Designs, which is now out in the US and soon hitting the shelves in Australia and Europe too. The pink bias stripe binding is from my Sweet Orchard collection, and for the backing I used Riley Blake Le Creme Swiss Dot in Gray.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the blog tour, if you would like to see more wonderful quilts from this book! Enjoy!

14 Aug Sedef - Down Grapevine Lane
15 Aug Jemima - Tied with a Ribbon

16 Aug Samantha - Aqua Paisley Studio

17 Aug Andy - A Bright Corner

18 Aug Kirsty - Bonjour Quilts

19 Aug Lisa - A Spoonful of Sugar Designs

20 Aug Alison - Cotton Factory

21 Aug Carrie - Moda Fabrics

22 Aug Nadra - Ellis and Higgs

23 Aug Angie - Gnome Angel

24 Aug Tara - Tara Sews

25 Aug Jules - The Creative Retreat

26 Aug Kristyne - Pretty by Hand

27 Aug Kimberly - Fat Quarter Shop

28 Aug Lissa - Moda Lissa

29 Aug Amy - Diary of a Quilter

30 Aug Kerry - Kid Giddy & Cat - Hello from Cat on Instagram

31 Aug Jane - Modern Makers Retreat

1 Sept Kate - Never Enough Hours

2 Sept Jodie - Vintage Ric Rac

3 Sept Sharon - Patches Indooroopilly

4 Sept Amanda - Material Girl Quilts

5 Sept Amber - A Little Bit Biased

6 Sept Xanthe - Wife Made

7 Sept Rachel - Family Ever After

8 Sept Jenny - Martingale

9 Sept Amy - Nana Company

10 Sept Peta - She Quilts A Lot

'Quilting On The Go... English Paper Piecing' Book Tour

It's my turn on the book tour of my friend and fellow Aussie pattern designer Sharon Burgess' first book, 'Quilting On The Go... English Paper Piecing', published by Tuva Publishing. Those of you familiar with Sharon's incredible EPP work may recognise her as @lilabellelane on social media. Like all her work, Sharon's first book is absolutely impeccable, and oh so inspiring! It's suitable for both experienced English paper piecers and complete beginners - the entire first quarter of the book is a huge Techniques section that tells you everything you need to know about English Paper Piecing.

For my first project I picked the 'Spring Time Journal Cover'. I carry an A5 sketch book in my handbag wherever I go - you never know when inspiration may hit for a new fabric design or a quilt pattern idea! I thought it would be cute to make a pretty cover for it, especially as it also has a super handy pocket on the inside cover for pens and any other bits and bobs. No more hunting for a pen at the bottom of my handbag!

For the fabrics I used my new Sweet Prairie collection for Riley Blake Designs which is imminently shipping to stores in US and Europe, and coming to Australia in a few weeks. I am so proud of this collection as it's so 'me'! I printed the tag on the front cover on cardstock (after much wrestling with printable cotton which for some reason my printer didn't like! So in the end I gave up and used paper. I'll just remove it when the cover needs a wash). I also added some ties to the journal cover to make sure the journal stays closed and the pens don't fall out in my bag.

My second project is the 'Linen And Lace Fussy Cut Pincushions', also in Sweet Prairie. I desperately needed a new pincushion to replace my current one that's falling apart. I love it so much!

I hope you enjoyed my projects! If you'd like to see what everyone else is making on the blog tour, here's the full schedule. Enjoy!

July 1	Sharon Burgess	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
July 2	Martina Bahre	@avaandneve	www.avaandneve.com.au/blog/
July 5	Sharon Burgess	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
July 8	Alex Luenz	@ALEXOUQ	www.instagram.com/alexouq/
July 10	Weekly round up	@ilabellelane	lilabellelanecreations.com
July 12	Rita Hodge	@redpepperquilts	www.redpepperquilts.com
July 13	Elise Baek	@eliseandemelie	www.eliseandemelie.com/
July 14	Jennie Pickett	@cloverandviolet	www.cloverandviolet.com/blog
July 15	Angela Hamilton	@alittlepatchwork	www.alittlepatchwork.wordpress.com
July 17	Weekly round up	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
July 18	Heidi Grohs	@buttonsandbutterflies	www.buttonsandbutterflies.com
July 19	Carlie Lincoln	@quilty_carlie	www.instagram.com/quilty_carlie/
July 20	Jess Finn	@paperpiecesepp	www.paperpieces.com
July 21	Alison von Bibra	@cotton_factory	www.cottonfactory.wordpress.com
July 22	Anorina Morris	@SameliasMum	www.sameliasmum.com
July 23	Kristyne Czepuryk	@prettybyhand	prettybyhand.com
July 24	Weekly round up	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
July 25	Amy Smart	@diaryofaquilter.com	www.diaryofaquilter.com
July 26	Nadra Ridgeway	@ellisandhiggs.com	www.ellisandhiggs.com
July 27	Lauren Wright	@mollyandmama	www.mollyandmama.com.au
July 28	Giuseppe Ribaudo	@giucy_giuce	www.instagram.com/giucy_giuce/
July 29	Jodi Godfrey	@talesofcloth	www.talesofcloth.com
July 31	Weekly round up	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
Aug 1	Amira Ameruddin	@amira_littlemushroomcap	thelittlemushroomcap.com
Aug 2	Melody Daly	@melodymatilda	thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.com.au/
Aug 3	Sedef Imer	@downgrapevinelane	www.downgrapevinelane.com
Aug 4	Martina Bahre	@avaaandneve	www.avaandneve.com.au/blog/
Aug 5	Samantha Green	@fortheloveoffabric	www.fortheloveoffabric.net
Aug 6	Alisha Orlando	@ministryoffabric	www.ministryoffabric.com.au
Aug 7	Weekly round up	@lilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com
Aug 8	Minki Kim	@zeriano	minkikim.com
Aug 9	Carlie Lincoln	@quilty_carlie	www.instagram.com/quilty_carlie/
Aug 10	Alex Luenz	@ALEXOUQ	www.instagram.com/alexouq/
Aug 11	Mathew Boudreaux	@MisterDomestic	www.MisterDomestic.net
Aug 12	Anna Cromie	@spanzy	www.instagram.com/spanzy/
Aug 13	Elise Baek	@eliseandemelie	www.eliseandemelie.com
Aug 14	Wynn Tan	@zakkaArt	www.zakkaArt.blogspot.com
Aug 15	Final wrap up	@ilabellelane	blog.lilabellelanecreations.com