'A Stitch In Time' Book Tour

Hi! It's my stop on the book tour for my friend and fellow Tuva author Sharon Burgess' new English Paper Piecing (EPP) book, 'A Stitch In Time'!

This book very much follows from and is in the same lovely style as Sharon's first book, 'Quilting-on-the-go' and does not disappoint! I loved Sharon's first book but I think I love this one even more as it contains mainly smaller projects - there is one quilt in there but most things in this book are very doable in a short space of time for those amongst us who are time-poor or lack the patience to attempt a full size EPP quilt. It's also a great book for EPP beginners as there is a huge technique appendix that teaches everything you need to know!

I was under heavy time constraints when sewing my project for this tour so I went a bit off-piste with my project.  I loved the flower medallions from the 'Sweet Daisy Baby Quilt' so I decided to make three of them and turn them into coasters. They were super fast and satisfying to make - especially for someone like me who gets the itch from time to time to take a break from standard patchwork and do something different - EPP, embroidery, crochet and cross-stitch are right up there in terms of what I crave the most! 

If you are wondering what the fabrics are, they are from my next collection 'Rhapsody' for Riley Blake Designs coming out in 2019 and making their debut at the Australian Quilt Market this weekend. I've been sewing heaps with them recently and loving the vivid colours - I hope you like them too and will be adding them to your fabric collection in the new year!

Congratulations Sharon on another fantastic book! If you would like to see more projects from the book you can check out the hashtag #astitchintimeepp on Instagram and Facebook. You can find the book at your favourite local quilt store, online fabric stores, as well as major book retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and similar.

Thanks for visiting and happy sewing!

Modern Quilts Block by Block Blog Hop

Emily Dennis' long awaited book 'Modern Quilts - Block by Block' is finally out and today I'm joining the blog hop for its launch! This is a beautifully written, illustrated and photographed book containing 12 original quilt patterns, all in Emily's signature crisp, modern style. It's a must have for all quilters who love quilts consisting of repeating blocks. And the paper quality of this book (like all of Tuva Publishing's books) is simply magnificent - and dare I say, the best in the market - large format, heavy pages with a smooth, satin gloss, this book's simply a pleasure to flick through and work with.

I loved how the quilt patterns include instructions to make a single block, as it allows the reader the flexibility to adapt the pattern to make other projects. I made one block from the 'Tiled Stars' quilt and turned it into a pillow.

I decided to try out a new technique and add a flange to this pillow sham - it was so simple and adds an extra dimension to the final finish (and gives me an excuse to use another floral fabric! Ha!). There are lots of tutorials on You Tube and internet in general on how to make flanged pillows if you would like to learn how.

I used a  mix of fabrics from my stash - old prints from Lecien, Michael Miller and Elea Lutz for Riley Blake. The pillow is backed in coordinating aqua dots by Riley Blake.

I reached a new resolution after a recent stocktake in my sewing room - as much as I would like to, I cannot keep everything I sew as I'm quite prolific and simply don't have the space! So from now on I will be listing some of my samples for sale in my Etsy shop - this pillow sham is in there already if you would like to give it a new home (low shipping worldwide as it's light and flat). Click here to purchase.

If you would like to get a copy of the book you can order it on Amazon and all other major book retailers - you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!