Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair 2016

Greetings from the coal face of the Sydney Quilt Show.

It is always a show filled with creativity, inspiration and  a celebration of all things quilty. In previous years I have been an attendee, but this year I am part of the Cottage Quiltworks Team, so I am working on stand H73 . That means I get to meet lots of great people from all around the country, and share my love of design and quilting with others. It is awesome. Exhausting yes, but wonderful. Can you believe I have nearly lost my voice already from too much talking! Unbelievable - but true! Quiet, shy ol' me- LOL 

I thought I would dedicate this blogpost to some of my favourite quilts at the Quilt Show, so with permission from these talented quilters here is a look at what has made me smile the most at the show. This is a long post - so settle down with a cup and enjoy this visual feast.

Let's start with Verity Hinwood's Quilt 'We Will Rise Again.' I love this quilt! I love the colours, the visual play and the dodos. 

 

To fully appreciate Verity's quilt , you need to let your eyes linger over each part,  taking in the details of the applique, and the  clever play of the background fabric with the tropical elements and the birds. 

This is a thoughtful, considered quilt and I kept on being drawn back to it as I moved about the quilts on display . Thank you Verity for sharing your talents with us here. If you visit the show, take the time to see this quilt .

Next up is Kerry Dear's gorgeous Double Wedding Ring Quilt ' Seeing Red.'  This stopped me in my tracks. 

The play  of the red and the cheddar really appeals to me. I never tire of this classic pattern. Kerry's hand quilting is wonderful too. 

 

Now for the moderns 

Here is Jill O'Conners quilt ' Cut Loose.' 

I am always attracted to quilts that cleverly use colour , fabrics and have lots of movement. I love that Jill's quilt moves and bends, and has figures hidden in the blocks if you look carefully. I also love the flashes of yellow. 

The last two quilts for this blogpost are by Wendy Nutt and both took my breath away. These quilts are tonal in nature. This one is called 'Red Back' 

And this one is called 'Self Image'

The attention to detail in their construction and quilting design is quite stunning.

Well, my mind is numb, and I have to gather my strength for 3 more days of the show, so that's a wrap from the show this week. 

Happy sewing , and if you get to the show - happy quilt viewing ! Love Miriamx 

Busy Times and Show Prep Talk.

When the heavens opened in Sydney recently and  rain fell constantly over a weekend, the silver lining was that there was little else to do but stay indoors and sew. The result for me was this vibrant star, which ended up being quite large, at 59 inches by 59 inches. Taking inspiration from Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book '15 Minutes of Inspirational Play,' I did indeed play with some of my favourite fabrics. But I confess, I couldn't just stop at 15 minutes. I played on and off over the weekend, and even made my own templates. When an idea starts, I just have to let it play out to completion. When time permits I will add borders, and I plan to play further with differing sizes and designs in my monthly workshops next semester at Cottage Quiltworks. There are many possibilities and my play has only just begun! 

Semester One Workshops have now come to an end, with last weekend's workshop wrapping up a great half year. Thank you to all the ladies who have made these classes such a joy to teach. it has been an absolute pleasure to work with you all.  I have been able to share many of the fabulous projects completed this year so far in previous blogposts, but there are a few that still need to have the spotlight shone upon them.

Let's start with Sandy who has completed this stunning  Sewmiriam tote 

and this Sewmiriam cushion cover

Sandy has a great sense of style and colour. 

Dee has been working away at her  baby quilt version of the Sewmiriam Pony Express Quilt and is now adding a yellow striped binding to complete it to perfection.

How gentle and beautiful is this quilt. You are so talented Dee. 

Nancy has started a Sewmiriam Tote bag with fabric combinations that pop!

Sue is starting one of the Sewmiriam twin quilts, using Tilda fabrics. 

This week it is all hands on  deck as Team Cottage Quiltworks prepares for the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair which is on next week from June 22nd - June 26th at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Glebe Island. Please come  and say hello to Gerri and myself at Stand H73 . There has been some very special secret sewing going on recently in preparation and there will be great new original kits, patterns, fabrics and quilting supplies showcasing the best of what Cottage Quiltworks has to offer available at the Show. See you there!!

Happy sewing, love Miriam x 

Quilts on Vacation - Part 4

Seven Mile Beach near Gerroa in New South Wales has always been one of my favourite places to visit. It seemed only right to take my  'twin set' quilts there for a mini vacation a few weekends ago. The weather was grey and the seas moody but I think the quilts still shine in these photos.

I call these two quilts twins because I first made this quilt

and then with the left over strips and scraps I made this quilt...

I really like them both and the way that they look so different and yet work well together. I really didn't have a design in mind when I started. I just started making 6 inch blocks and took it from there. There was little fabric left over when I had finished, which was a bonus. The addition of the black and white prints add a definite freshness to the quilts. 

The quilts were beautifully quilted by Jayne of Quilting Finesse. Thank you Jayne! 

There is a fun, busy time ahead.  I have a workshop this Saturday at Cottage Quiltworks, and then a bag making workshop there as part of Quilt Escape Week on Monday July 4th.  

Sydney has been battered by storms this week. I hope you have been safe and warm. The upside of being kept indoors is the opportunity to sit and sew. There is always a silver lining! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Workshop Wonderland

Last Saturday was filled with laughter, colour and inspiration. A wonderful group of ladies gathered together to create. Ideas were shared, stitches were sewn and perhaps a few of life's problems were solved along the way as an added bonus!

There were many Sewmiriam projects in progress,  but there were also a few finishes on show too. Hooray! There is always a special thrill that comes from a finish!  

Judy loves Charley Harper designs, and so do I. She has just finished this delightful baby quilt using the penguin fabric as the focus. 

And here it is in close up. The quilt has such movement and those penguins really look like they are on the march! 

Maxine has finished her Handy Ziptop bag and it is divine.......

I believe Maxine has made a few more that have already been given as gifts. Lucky are those that receive one of these treasures. 

The owl also made an appearance in Sue's shoulder bag...

I love the use of the big, bold spot . Sue just has to add the shoulder strap and voila- her bag is complete. The photo doesn't show it, but there is a  curved zipper placement at the top of this bag - expertly sewn in by Sue- congratulations Sue!!! 

Another baby quilt is in the works. Dee is a master of perfection and her baby quilt is well on the way now, with the blocks being joined together . 

There will be 9 blocks surrounded by an outer border in the final quilt. Beautiful work Dee! 

Marg was busy sewing away all day, working on a table runner . Here is one block so far 

and here are the end panels 

. 

These fabrics and colours are just brilliant. By the time you read this Marg you will be with your family celebrating a very special birthday! Cheers and best wishes!!! 

Nancy is working on a number of projects, but I only have a photo of her quilt blocks in progress.

This photo gives you an idea of how lovely the quilt is going to be. Each block pops with colour. 

Kim's quilt blocks in soft prints and batiks are looking stunning

Sandy was also sewing up a storm - but I haven't a photo ( how did that happen? Was I distracted by the chocolate cake perhaps? Next time will have to be the big reveal! I promise to make up for it next time Sandy ) 

And welcome to Jane - a new comer to our Saturday group - we loved having you join us and look forward to sharing in your quilting adventures . 

There has also been some secret sewing going on for the 2016 Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair June 22-26 . I will be there working with Gerri on the Cottage Quiltworks stand. Please stop by and say hello. I know, I know  - I can hear you laughing from here - I am hopeless at keeping secrets!! 

My next Handy Ziptop Workshop will be on  Monday July 4 as part of the Quilt Escape Week at Cottage Quiltworks. Call the shop to reserve your place as the spots are filling quickly. If would like to start the tote bag on the day - just let us know.

Keep warm, keep safe, and happy sewing, love Miriamx 

RedBerry Quilters Workshop

Last Friday I had the great pleasure of working with the RedBerry Quilters. We had a marvellous day creating Sewmiriam Pikelets. These ladies are really talented and all came with fabric from their stashes that ranged from the softest of colour ways

to bold saturated brights...

Everyone made a wonderful start to what I know will become gorgeous quilts.

Let's have a closer look.

Carolyn worked on this beautiful baby quilt. I love these colours together and am equally in love with both the back  and the front of the blocks. 

Carol used fabrics from her stash to create these delightful Pikelets . Her use of a variety of low volume prints for the main fabric on the front of the blocks is a great variation to the pattern and is sure to be a stash buster! 

Ann is creating the most gentle quilt using soft pastel prints. My apologies for the shadows in these photos..... they don't do justice to how truly beautiful these blocks are 

Suzanne is stash busting in her Pikelets quilt, bringing a wide range of fabric pieces  together with this versatile small spot print as the focus fabric.

Julie decided to work way outside her comfort zone and use bright, saturated prints paired with a black on black focus fabric to create these stunning Pikelet sets. Well done Julie!

Congratulations to all the workshop attendees! As you can see by this sample of the workshop  blocks the RedBerry Quilters are a talented group of quilters . Everyone started off with a very different collection of fabrics but all worked with the same pattern to create unique and delightful blocks. I can't wait to see what these quilts look like when finished.

The generous RedBerry quilters make many quilts for their community and perhaps this pattern will be useful for quilt as you go community quilt projects in the future.

I hope that your week has also been filled with inspiration, and a moment or two of time for stitching.

 My mind  is now turned to this Saturday where I have my next workshop at Cottage Quiltworks.  Can't wait! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Pikelet Party

Today I am packing my bags in readiness for a Pikelet workshop tomorrow down in Berry with the RedBerry Quilters. It is all rather exciting! I have made a Pikelet Quilt in Japanese fabrics for Show and Tell.

This quilt as you go pattern is really so versatile. No two quilts are ever alike , and the back looks as good as the front.

So I have been airing my Pikelet quilts today in the wonderful Autumnal weather.

Yep - even the old 'ugly fabric stash' can have a makeover in this quilt pattern and be made to look gorgeous. 

It's a short blogpost this week , but with lots of Pikelet eye candy for you to enjoy. What's even better is that it's calorie free! If you like the look of these Pikelets and would like to learn how to make one of these quilts please contact me or Cottage Quiltworks and express your interest. 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Indulgence

It has been  a very busy time of late. There has  been a quilt show, workshops, work, family events ..... the list goes on. All these things have been wonderful, but right now I am feeling TIRED. Can you relate? So this week I thought I would make time to be indulgent.

For me that meant making time to sew something just for me. Not something for a workshop, or for a pattern, or for a present, something for fun! After all, isn't that why we started sewing in the first place ? It's easy to forget at times. Easy to push forward, but much harder to pull back! 

I started with some Color Brigade fabric from Jennifer Paganelli. I just love it's vibrancy, and those florals! Above is the Sewmiriam Handy Ziptop bag I made. 

Here is the other side

Then I pulled out some 'vintage' Jennifer Paganelli fabrics and added those to the mix, using my go to favourite log cabin block and made a few of those ( an Amy Butler found its way in too!) 

I am not sure where these are headed yet, but I think a gorgeous free range scrappy quilt is emerging. What do you think? I know its bright, bold and quirky, but there in lies its charm. This style is always a winner for me. 

Go on, indulge! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx