Thorpe and Co Magic

On Saturday 3rd February I had the great pleasure of running a Sewmiriam Tote Bag making workshop at Thorpe and Co in Boolaroo. Maarten, Chris and Janette made me feel so welcome.

It was such a fun day with a wonderfully talented group of ladies. Some faces I recognised from a previous workshop. These ladies had come back for more! No pressure - LOL.  When I arrived there was a lovely display set amongst divine fabrics. Janette had made a sample Sewmiriam Tote using a vintage tapestry - gorgeous!

Let's see what these clever ladies produced in the class. First up is Olga's delightful Anna Maria Horner bag front. I love that large  raspberry spot !

Janelle used this beautiful poppy print as her focus fabric  and framed it with a superb vibrant gingham.

Rachelle had an enviable collection of Cotton and Steel fabrics and made this panel, which is destined to make a stunning bag.

Candy used bold quilting to make this cat panel go from fantastic to FABULOUS.

Deb did a great job by fussy cutting an Anna Maria Horner fabric to perfection and enhancing it with quilting.

Who wouldn't want this bag for their travelling adventures! Panel perfectly done by Trish during class.

Narelle had a safari theme going on. Look at that ric rack fabric!

Chris coordinated these fabrics, and fussy cut the focus fabric to showcase the birds, trees and the house. I love this combination.

Di put together a striking combination of fabrics. I love the way she has used her focus fabric to create a lace looking side frame.

We even had time to make a professional zippered pocket in our linings on the day.

Cathie loves reproductions and framed them beautifully in class with vibrant colours. Clever!

Who doesn't like an aqua and raspberry combination with a Jennifer Paganelli focus! Tiff put this stunner together .

Debbie framed this beautiful butterfly panel with a vibrant tomato coloured print. 

And last but not least look at  Kay's Sewmiriam Handy Ziptop bag that she was working on in class. It features a Tula Pink tiger print.  This will make a very special bag indeed.

As you have seen, magic was happening in the Thorpe and Co sewing space! Thank you ladies.

Thank you for stopping by and reading this blogpost. You are always welcome. Come visit again soon.

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Quiltsmith Magic!

Last Tuesday I had the privilege of teaching at Quiltsmith in Annandale. A very talented group of ladies gathered to make Sewmiriam Handy Zip Top Bags.

With sewing machines ready to go the fun began. 

                                

First up is Sharron, whose creation went from this 

 to this gorgeous bag panel. I love the way the cat is "stepping out ." 

Kylie had a wonderful selection of special fabrics to work with and made this vibrant panel

Janice worked her magic and put this combination together.  Everyone wanted a piece of that centre fabric!

Next up is Moira's stunning work with clever fussy cutting

Lindy brought along a beautiful selection of reproduction fabrics which she mixed with graphic prints   to great effect

Barbara created a gorgeous panel using some prized fabric pieces from her stash

and last, but certainly not least, Lisa made 2 panels beautiful panels with perfect fussy cutting details 

and put them together to make her bag . How awesome is this!

As you can see this was a very talented class of ladies who all should be so proud of their finished pieces! 

I am now busy preparing for the next Sewmiriam workshops which are on Saturday 3rd February at Thorpe and Co and then on Wednesday 6th February at Patchwork Plus  Can't wait!

Happy sewing my friends, love Miriamx 

Festive Sewing

It has been busy here at Sewmiriam behind the scenes. My attempts to find time to post have failed miserably of late, so finally here at last is a bit of festive cheer  as we approach the holiday season at full speed! Every year this happens to me. I make every attempt to be organised and prepared, but somewhere along the line I get caught up with life, and suddenly POW! It is that time of year again and I am running around like a headless chicken. When will I ever learn!

I have managed to squeeze in some gift sewing for some special people who make for others selflessly all year long. They give generously, so I though now is the time to make something for them.

 I used the Sewmiriam Zara Zip Top Bag Pattern to make these bags in festive colour ways, and added jingle bells for a bit of extra pizzaz!

Next up I did an easy modification of my Sewmiriam Handy Zip Top Bag Pattern 

and made an iPad cover

and then some pencil cases for my three wonderful children 

 In case you were wondering,  I have just put out some of my patterns commercially. It feels surreal. They are appearing in quilt and sewing shops in Australia now and I am beyond delighted! Ask your local shop to order them through Lynne Wilson of HQW Distributors . They are currently in stock and for sale at Cottage Quiltworks in Warriewood.

I have lots of workshops coming up in 2018 already at Quiltsmith,  Thorpe and Co, and at Patchwork Plus at Miranda. I will be around and about at Cottage Quiltworks as well, so great things are happening in 2018. I will keep you posted.

 Wishing you and your families a healthy and safe Festive season, and of course happy sewing!

Love Miriamx

Epping Quilters Sewmiriam Workshop

I had the great pleasure of teaching a Sewmiriam Pikelets Workshop with the wonderful Epping Quilters last Thursday. We had a fabulous day of sewing and inspiration. It never fails to delight me to see one pattern or technique being transformed by clever workshop attendees into unique and stunning quilt projects. 

This workshop was all about learning the tips and tricks to build the quilt as you go Sewmiriam Pikelets. This technique was shown to me by my friend Lynne and I have modified it to be charm pack and layer cake friendly, and worked out a few tricks to make it easier to make and assemble.

Here is my example of the Sewmiriam Pikelets Quilt front

               

And here is the back. It's hard to know which side I like best .Truly a double sided quilt. Got to love that!

Here are the wonderful Epping Quilters with their pikelet blocks in a Brady Bunch formation. 

 Let's take a closer look. Catherine chose fabulous modern prints. She says she is new to quilting, but she is a natural!

 Edna used some of her famous and highly coveted fabric stash to create these wonderful pikelets.

 Anne is so talented and used exquisite indigo Japanese and a bold red and gold background print for a wow effect.

Ros M also chose gorgeous Japanese fabrics with a charcoal background and the results were brilliant as you can see above.

 Monica used the most divine vintage florals for her pikelets and Margi used beautiful blues and buttery yellows for hers.

There was a definite feeling of Christmas in the air at the workshop. Wendy made this beauty 

and Lyn and Teresca created these festive lovelies

A productive day it was. Lots of fun and laughter too. Oh, and did I mention that we were spoilt with a delicious morning tea and lunch. The day was perfect in every way. Thank you Epping Quilters and well done!

Meanwhile, back at "Sewmiriam headquarters" I have been busy sewing up a storm as I prepare for the debut of 7 of my Sewmiriam Patterns at the Australian Quilt Market in Melbourne in November through Lynne Wilson of Highland Quiltwork Distributors. Watch this space!!!! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamxx 

Workshop Magic

It really feels like magic to be back to doing workshops again. My latest workshop was truly something special. Just between you and me I was very nervous about my most recent one. You see it was for the talented Karen Cunningham and friends. Now, seriously, I should be taking her workshops, not her taking mine, but there you have it! I nearly wet my pants. (Instead - I just got my knickers in a bit of a knot.)

Karen even bought a new gorgeous pink Singer sewing machine for the occasion. You can't go wrong with pink!



The day went smoothly, and a good time was had by all, and  the wonderful bags made are testimony to that! Let's take a look ...

Susannah made her first Sewmiriam Handy Zip Top Bag using vibrant colours. Just gorgeous!
( as is Susannah)

Megan worked on the panels for her Sewmiriam Tote. I love the mix of traditional florals and bold modern prints.

Megan also mastered how to put in a lined zippered pocket! Well done Megan.

I can't wait to see the finished bag.

Kerrie was also working on a Tote bag using Dutch prints. Here she is sewing away. Sadly, the photos of her bag didn't come out clearly, but you can trust me it is a stunning bag.

Wendy made this delightful bag below. I just love her fabric play and the colour combinations. The choice of the squirrel fabric on the right creates just the right amount of fun. Awesome work Wendy!

Karen made this wonderful, bright bag and mastered putting in her first zipper. What can I say? Karen is amazing.

Ann has a great colour sense and a fabric stash to envy!  She is making a beautiful bag using these fabulous prints.

Kate is working on a cat inspired bag and you can see her front panel in the bottom right hand corner of the photo collage below. She chose a muted palette to enhance the focus cat fabric and the effect is brilliant. 

I think that is the beauty of these bag projects. They allow you to explore colour, fabric and new techniques with a great result in a day!  Well done ladies and thank you for a wonderful workshop.

Thank you to Cottage Quiltworks for always making me feel so welcome. 

My next workshop is with the Epping Quilters - can't wait! We are making  Sewmiriam Pikelets!

Happy sewing, love Miriamx