Bits and Pieces

Hillside Quilting Business CardsLife has been keeping me offline for the last little while, busy with the business of living, and not so much with creating.  However, here I can share something I prepared a little earlier.  My husband Luke and I designed a whole new look for my friend Anita’s quilting business, including her logo, business cards, stickers and assorted fancy looking stuff.  I don’t know which one of us was more excited when the business cards finally arrived.  Hillside Quilting LogoAnita has quilted a number of my quilts for me, and we have a great collaborative relationship.  For her brand she wanted something that communicated creative and modern, but didn’t ostracise traditional quilters either.  We chose to be inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement for the feature font, and Anita found the very cute pattern on Shutterstock.  I had to do the reverse of “put-a-bird-on-it” and get rid of the little birdies, and re-jig the pattern to fill in the gaps.  It was a lot of fun.Ndew Fabric from Ballarat PatchworkLook what else is new this week, some lovely fabric, ( I ordered from Ballarat Patchwork) which is also making me very happy.  These fabrics are not all going to be used together, but don’t they look sweet in their stack!  The top one is some Sweet Azalea “Lina” from the Echo line by Lotta Jansdotter.  In the centre is some “Tangerine Swinging” from the Comma collection by Zen Chic, and the sassy orange “Small Chevron” fabric at the bottom is by Riley Blake.
Feather 1 of "Hope is a thing of Feather" by Matching Pegs
Feather 2 of "Hope is a thing of Feather" by Matching Pegs
Ideas in my head are still revolving around feathers, and are joined by yet more pegs and Space-Invader-inspired-rocketships.  I’ve also been contemplating beetles and frogs.
What design motifs are you contemplating?

 

Pythagorean theorem and lots of super-wide-calico

Woodland Play Tent by Matching Pegs

6 months ago I was posting cryptic statements on Facebook about how I was working on a large project that required lots of super-wide-calico, (2.4m or 95″wide) and a fair bit of calculations involving Pythagorean theorem.  Now I can finally reveal the result, Ta-Da!  This is my project that is published in the current “Australian Homespun – The Kids Issue” (No.113; Vol.13 No.10) as “My Treehouse Adventures”.  The third project that I have had published in Homespun, (all in the annual Kids Issue) this one was by far the most challenging.

Woodland Play Tent by Matching Pegs, with a closed tree-window

I made 3 different scale-card-models, and then kept sewing and unpicking a prototype made of old sheets, until I got the structure right.  I designed the appliques in Illustrator, and kept printing them out and pinning the paper versions onto the prototype until the scale and placement were pleasing.  Eventually I felt ready to sew up the real thing.

Woodland Play Tent by Matching Pegs with the tree-window open.

I am particularly proud of the “Tree-Window” on the tent which has a rather nifty construction.  I took these photos on a grey old day in May, after rearranging our Lounge room, and co-opting Amelia to be the “kid” in the photo, as no one else was home.  The instructions I sent to the magazine ran to 11 solid pages of text, and 24 diagrams.  Thank goodness they have a good technical editor, who was able to cut them down somewhat, (and was also reportedly impressed with my instructions and diagrams :-)).

Woodland Play Tent by Matching Pegs, a rear view of the tent

I am really proud of this project, and would be thrilled to see any versions of it made using my instructions.  My kids loved playing inside it before it was sent interstate (for photography), and can’t wait for it to come home.  So go forth and buy this year’s “Kids Issue” of Australian Homespun, and don’t forget to email me a finished picture or two.

 

 

Get Cooking Little Chefs

I just opened my mailbox to see that the Kids Issue of Australian Homespun is out, containing one of my projects – A chef set for Girls and one for Boys.

I actually designed these a year and a half ago (when this photo of Rory was taken) when I was very close to having a whole book of projects of my very own published.  The opportunity fell through (thanks Global Financial Crisis) and I have been sitting on them ever since.  I am so excited to be able to share them in Homespun.

This was the prototype set, which you can see was made for a little friend, Kaitlin.  Doesn’t Michaela look young!

The strangest thing about having them published, is seeing them on other children, who are modeling them in the magazine.  If you want to make your own set, duck in to your nearest newsagent, and ask for Australian Homespun No. 89, Vol 11 No. 10 “The Kids Issue”.  You will find my project on page 82, along with a profile page all about me.

Please be sure to send me an email and photo if you make one of these yourself, I would love to see your apron and hat.

Happy Cooking!

Published at last – Spacewalk Quilt

Today I opened my letterbox and realised the day had finally come – My quilt has been published!

Homespun Number 67, Volume 9 Number 12 is “The Kids Issue” and features my Spacewalk Quilt, that I made over 4 years ago, for Rory’s second birthday.  When I designed it, I wanted a quilt that would not become to young for him in no time at all – I thought a Space theme might age with him well, and it has.

I am in some wonderful company in this issue, as there are several other blogger’s projects featured.  Tiel from tsk tsk has a lovely log cabin quilt in pinks and greens, Leslie of onegirl has a Fleur Play mat, and Fiona of Hop Skip Jump has one of her fantastic giraffe’s, as well as a short feature on her.  Last but not least, Megan (who is 9), the talented daughter of Kellie of Don’t Look Now fame is shortlisted in the Young Designer of the Year Competition (Which Amelia won a category of last year).  Of course there are some other lovely projects in the issue as well, but I am more familiar with the work of the bloggers who I have been reading for ages.

So if you would like to make the little man in your life a spacy quilt (40 x 55 inches) then get yourself to a quality newsagents, purchase Homespun 9.12,  turn to page 54, and get sewing.