Don't look now!

Little Monsters, Hetties Patch, Josephs Coat first month round up ... topped off With Love!

Those of you who have been visiting mefor a bit would remember this quilt ...

This is what I spent much of my time working on earlier in the year ....

 
It's called Little Monsters and you can find it in this months Homespun Magazine. You can also read a little more about it here ....

I made it for my littlest monster!!!!! Joshua finally has a quilt for his bed!!!

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I spent last weekend in Adelaide at Hettie's Patch teaching another great group of women...

Top row from left to right - Valerie, Gai, Julie, Lisa, Julie, Helen, Carolyn, Meredith, Linda, Danielle, Jann, Vicki, Kathy, Megan

Front Row - Lorraine, Me, Kelly & Louise

(missing from this photo are Anne & Janette)

I designed another little project specifically for the class to practice on ... this time it had a Christmas twist. I have called this little one First Day of Christmas.

I also partly made another to go with the pastel Christmas theme I have going on this year.

Valerie who is in black sitting beside me in this photo is also joining us in the Joseph's Coat Quilt Along! You can also see some of my blocks in the bottom of this photo. Valerie has even made herself a lovely case to keep her blocks in! But I'll show you that later ...

Standing beside me is Megan! Megan used a brown spot for her tree trunk not such a great photo but it really looked spectacular!

  
This is Valerie's project ... looks wonderful doesn't!

This is Linda who worked really hard and got some great results!

This is Louise & Kathy who were both absolute stars!!!!

This is Kathy's first practice!

... and well what can I say about Louise who just took to this like a duck to water!

Janette (left) struggled until she got herself a 'proper' machine to play with ;). Helen took her new machine out for a spin and really created a great little practice piece...

Janette with a borrowed Bernina 440!

Helen plans to bind and back her pillow with some beautiful French General fabric so I can't wait to see the finished project. 

Linda worked really hard preparing her projects

Carolyn got right into it and had her practice piece ready to bind by the end of the day on Sunday!

Meridith, on the other hand, whilst her work was excellent ... spent far too much time SMSing her friends trying to make them jealous!!!

Julie worked on the First Day of Christmas using all of my very best fabrics!!!!

Daniele ... a quiet achiever sat and slogged away and really produced some stella work!

 

This is Ann's project. Ann is currently also working on Lilly Pilly. She has decided to use raw edge on the leaves rather than turning the edges. I can't wait to see how you get on with it Ann!

Lisa came all the way from Sydney to surprise her sister Gai and to take part in the class with her! Sorry that the photo isn't that clear girls. That's Leanne in the background ... so you can be certain that this crappy photo wasn't taken by her!

I have left a couple of my quilts visiting with Lorraine so if you are in the area and would like to take a peek  make sure you stop by!

Anna.. your Lilly Pilly loved visiting with the girls in Adelaide .... and I have to admit that she has now taken a quick trip here before she makes her way to the other side of the world to finally settle down to a calmer home life with you! For the rest of you guys Anna has a rather spectacular Advent Calender tutorial on her blog at the moment so you should take a quick peek.

Oh and remember that little paper bag at the start of these photos ... well I had to fill it with something before I came home!

 
I am collecting greens at the moment for something I hope to make a start on in the new year...

This one is my absolute favorite!!!!!

 
It just screams backing fabric don't you think?

I am trying something a little different with my photos of fabric ... if this works correctly you should be able to swipe your cursor over the fabric photos and the names of the fabrics should be listed so that you can find them if you want to ... if I know the names that is ;)

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Josephs Coat - First Month Round Up!

I think that we are off to a sterling start! Well done to everyone who has already started posting their progress photos on the Flickr page. Sadly, many of you have now overtaken me so maybe I will need to bring in penalties for making the Host look bad ... just kidding!!! I have just made a start on my 8th block ... there has been so much happening here of late ... I'm sure now that all of my teaching engagements are over for the rest of the year, I will have time to get stuck into it again!

So here are all of the people who have managed to finish at least 6 blocks which was the last target...

     

Don't Look Now!     Quiltsalot

  

Quilts & Threads     Good4Once

 

Marielle (first to 7 blocks)      Gina Quilts

           

Tamara Farm Girl         Birrabank

Love Laugh Quilt

From these I had Joshua pull a name from a hat (well actually it was a bowl ...... oh and obviously my name wasn't included!) and he came up with Tamara Farm Girl who I will send off a copy of How does your garden grow? (please email me your details Tamara)

The second patterns goes to Sweet Liberty Grace - random photo chosen number 72 of 76. Beautiful block! (please email me your details, thanks!) 

Finally I have to also mention my favorite project so far which is this one ... 

mind you Cabbage Quilts  AKA Cathy hasn't sewn down her petals yet and still isn't convinced that her background colour is quite right!!!!??? Go figure! Anyway I love these colours and I think she also deserves a pattern so make sure you email me your details Cathy!

The next goal is 9 blocks which we should have finished by the end of next week ... from there, there will only be 5 more blocks to go before we put together our first two rows!!!

Next set of incentives ....

A pattern for one of the people who post a photo of their first 9 finished blocks

One pattern for a random photo chosen from those posted between now and the next review. 

Plus one more ... but I will need to think a little more as to how I will dish this one out.

As promised ... a couple of photos of Valerie's block holder & blocks ...

 
 aren't they great? I want a block holder now!!!

I have also had a few suggestions that it may be fun to have simultaneous get togethers / sew-ins all around the world for those joining in with the quiltalong ... what do you think? Obviously this would need to be after Christmas now ... but I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Thank you everyone for playing along so nicely and for also making this a fun project to host!!

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I hadn't intended to show you this until next post but what the heck .... the girls at Hettie's got to take a peek so it isn't a secret any more ;) ....

this is the latest little tid bit that I have been playing with. It's called With Love From Me. This project has been designed specifically with Christmas in mind however the pattern will include a couple of alternative ideas and templates to make it suitable for other purposes such as a child's Christening or to commemorate a birth or what ever really! The pattern should be ready by early next week.

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Before I go there are a few things that you wont want to miss this week!!!

Ballarat Patchwork are having their annual 20% off sale this week!!! This is for online orders as well!!!

GJ's Discount Fabrics (still blogless!!!) are also having a sale all week 25% off! I spent my pocket money there yesterday ....

Addicted to Fabrics who are located in the ACT are also having a sale this weekend ... and if you stop by you will find Oh Christmas Tree, Lilly Pilly, Love BIrds, Willow & several of the Pretty 'n Pink pillows visiting their store ... they will be enjoying a month visiting with Jenny and her entourage ... wish I could have come too .... I have long wished to visit this shop!

Now go and do some serious fabric shopping guys ... quickly ... before you waste all your money on frivolous things like food, Christmas Presents and the like ;) !!!

Enjoy your week!

Kellie

PS. Pretty much all of the photos that I have used from the Hettie's workshop have come from the Master!! Well certainly the good ones anyway!!! Make sure you go take a look at Leanne's blog her photos really are inspiring! Thanks Leanne!  

Joseph's Coat - Placement of applique shapes & finishing your block

Now this is the fun part! Grab a cuppa, your petal shapes, a 12" square of your background fabric, glue stick, applique pins, needle (size 11 straw), threads, scissors, a light box ... if you have one ... and lets go!

Placement of your applique shapes ...

You will need to position the placement guide, that you made in step one, on a flat, firm surface where you can place your background fabric over it and still see your placement makings through the fabric. Obviously, the easiest way to do this is by using a light box but if you don't have one there are other ways to do this .. such as securing your project to a window or to a glass top table etc. Alternatively, you could carefully trace over the positioning lines using a fine permanent marker so that you can see the lines through your fabric without a light source - although this will probably only work if your background fabric is white.

Tape both the placement sheet & the background fabric in place using a little masking tape to avoid movement during this step. Apply a little glue to the seam allowances on the back of one of your petals.

Once complete, carefully position the petal shape over one of the centre petal positions on your background fabric, making sure you match up your points.

Apply glue to the back of another petal and carefully position it on the outer edge of the block ... see below ... taking care again to patch up your points.

Continue in this manner around your block, carefully positioning your petal shapes making sure that the points meet as perfectly as you can manage ... this job will be made much easier if you have been able to create sharp points when you originally made the petal shape.

I use glue to initially position the petals because it makes it quick & easy to reposition them, if you need to. 

 
 
Although the glue stick will hold the petals in place initially, because you will be manipulating the project around quite a lot while you stitch, you will need to pin the petals in place to ensure their stability until they are secured permanently with your stitching.

Applique pins are perfect for this purpose as they are lovely and small making it less likely that you will get your thread caught up in them while you are stitching. You will also need a couple of pins along the side of each petal in addition to the pins I have used in this photo.

Stitching your shapes in place ...

Before we jump into the applique stitch here are a few little tid bits that you may or may not have a hankering to know about ....

Do you sometimes have problems with your thread knotting up and becoming tangled while you are stitching? It may just be because you have threaded your needle with the wrong end of your thread!!! If you are left handed, like I am, you should thread your needle using the end that you cut ...not the end that comes off your cotton reel! If you are right handed you should thread your needle with the end that comes directly off your cotton reel. 

Do you know how to make a 'Quilting Knot' in your thread??

Basically this is just a french knot of sorts .... thread your needle then take the eye end of your needle between your thumb & second finger ... place approximately 1cm of the long end of your thread between your first finger and the needle - holding it in place with your thumb.

Wrap your thread over and bring it back under your needle holding the loop in place on the needle with your thumb and first finger ....

 
... pull the thread tight around the needle and holding it in place with your finger and by maintaining the tension on the thread with your other hand.

  
Wrap your thread around your needle a second time. Pull the thread tight around the shank of the needle.

Then while holding the loops in place firmly with your thumb and first finger .... use your other hand to carefully pull the sharp end of the needle through the loops of thread, while continuing to hold the thread loops firmly with your thumb & first finger.

 
Pull the needle until the entire length of the thread has been pulled through the loops ...

 creating a small knot in the end of your thread.  

Which direction should you stitch?

If you are left handed you will find it easiest to stitch from left to right and if you are right handed you will find it most comfortable to stitch from right to left ... generally speaking that is!

Blind stitch ...

We will be using the exact same stitch that you would use if you were needle turning this applique ... but you obviously don't need to flick your seam allowances under with your needle because we did that earlier!

Firstly I will show you the actual stitch then we can look at the order that I sew the shapes down later. Anchor your thread behind your block under the applique shape you intend to work on. Pull your needle through to the right side of your project by coming out slightly under the applique shape, taking the needle up through the petal as close to the fold line as possible (the fold that was created when you turned the seams allowances under).

While holding your block with your non-dominant hand ... thumb on top and fingers under where you will be stitching - your first finger should be positioned directly under where you are stitching. Carefully take your needle straight down into the background fabric directly in line with your initial stitch.

Once you feel the tip of your needle pop through to the back ... tilt your needle back and take it back up through the background fabric ... only a millimeter or two from where you came through ...

... remember to come through your background fabric a thread or two under the shape then take the needle through as close to the folded edge of the shape as possible. Pull your thread through firmly.

Basically this is the stitch that you will be using through out this entire project. If you are careful and you match your threads well to your applique shape you shouldn't really see your stitches.

Remember that your stitches should only be a couple of millimeters apart. You should find the back of your project should look something like this ...

 
 
If you are able to see your stitches it may be because ...

* your stitches are too far apart

* you aren't beginning your next stitch where the last stitch finished

* you are coming through your applique shape too far from the shapes folded edge

* you are coming up through your background fabric at a point that isn't slightly under your applique shape

This really isn't a hard stitch to master and once you get in the swing of it you will find that you will really motor along!

Stitching order ...

I start my stitching off along the edge of one of the centre petals about an inch from the centre point. I stitch toward the centre. Once I reach the centre I then anchor all of the other five points making sure that they all meet as closely as possible in the centre.

To do this... bring your needle up under the petal you are working on, just before the centre point of the block. Then take the needle into shape, slightly below the centre point, slide the needle along in between the seam allowance and the top surface of the shape coming out through the point. Now take the needle through the background fabric at the centre point bringing the petal point to the centre of the block. Continue to sew a few anchoring stitches along one edge before moving to the next petal.

Once all of the centre points have been secured select one petal and continue along one edge to the other point.

Continue stitching along the inside edge of the adjoining outer petal, then down the next inner petal, up the other side of that same petal and so on until all of the 6 inner petals have been sewn down and the inner edge of the 6 border petals. Do not, at this point, sew down the outer edges of the border petals ... this will be completed when the blocks are sewn together.

 
That's it!! I hope you can follow all of this ... it has been a challenge to get decent photos for this post as it is pretty much impossible to take photos myself while using both hands to stitch .... so Joshua spent quite a lot of time taking photos of my hands today! ... Oh and his brand new thongs!!!

You should now be able to make yourself a block or two or 49! So go forth and stitch people!!!! Should we have a little incentive? How about ...

... the first person to finish a block and post a picture of it on the Joseph's Coat flickr page .... will collect a How does your garden grow pattern. You will need to be listed as participating in the quilt along to play along.

... the first person to finish off 7 blocks and post a picture of them on the Joseph's Coat flickr page .... can select any one of my patterns to do with as they please. Don't forget that you will need to be listed as participating in the quilt along to play along.

Seeing the plan was 3 blocks every 2 weeks I think it would be great if we could all meet on Flickr at least every two weeks to share our progress.  

Edit ... Edna has been checking up on you girls !!! (see comments) If you are joining in please;

* make sure your link is functional on the Mr Linky list - please check yours and let me know if it needs fixing

* make sure that you have at least linked to the quilt along on your blog if you have one ,,, fair is fair guys!

* if you have decided to opt out .. no problem ..just let me know so I can take you off the list.

I will run lots of random giveaways and incentives during the making of the quilt ...but you will need to be on the Mr Linky list to join in.

Congrats to Marielle was the first to complete a block! Well done Marielle ... it looks lovely too with the green background! Very dramatic!;

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If you are in the UK and looking for something to do this weekend make sure you head off to the Chilford Autumn Quilt Festival .... if you happen to make it there please go and say hello to the Buttonberry Duo who have apparently rustled up a Meg's Garden & Oh Christmas Tree of their very own ... in their spare time!!!!

As for me ... well I am going to be burning the candle at both ends even more than usual this week as I have in a moment of total madness weakness decided that it would be a good idea to take a stall at the Quilt Market (trade show) here in Melbourne next weekend ... how everything is going to get done before Friday I have no idea!

Enjoy your weekend!

Kellie

Joseph's Coat - Drafting your block, creating a placement guide & template shape

Drafting the block...

Go make yourself a cup of tea or a glass of wine, get comfortable and take some deep calming breaths ... this part of the project is going to involve a little geometry .....

You are going to need a sheet of paper about 22" square ... join together some smaller sheets if you have to. I suggested using A3 sized paper ... for those of you who aren't familiar with A3 paper ... it is twice the size of an A4 sheet of paper ... does that help? ;) Which ever way you manage to come up with your big piece of paper to draft your pattern onto is really irrelevant .... providing you can some how protect it as you will need to refer to this sheet throughout the entire project.

Place your sheet of paper on a flat surface, collect your compass, ruler & eraser ... although I'm sure we wont make any mistakes so we wont need the eraser anyway!

Lock your compass at 5 1/2" which will ultimately give you an 11" block.

 
In the centre of your sheet of paper draw out a circle.

Place the point of your compass on any point around the circumference of the circle and draw another circle. This circle's cicircumference should intersect the centre of your original circle.

 
Now place the point of your compass on one of the points where the second circle intersects the original circle's circumference - draw out another circle. The circumference of this 3rd circle should intersect the centre points of the first and second circles.

Now place the point of your compass on the point where the 3rd circle intersects the first circle's circumference - draw out the 4th circle. The circumference of the fourth circle should intersect the centre points of the first and 3rd circles.

Continue in this manner until you have drawn out a total of 7 circles where circles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 all intersect at the centre point of the first circle.

 
 
You should now see the makings of the center of your block - being that of the 6 petal shapes that converge at the centre of the circle. We now need to draft a further 6 petal shapes to frame the block.

Place the point of the compass at the point where the circumferences of the 7th & the 2nd circles intersect. Draw an arc that intersects the centre points of the 2nd & 7th circles.

Place the point of the compass at the point where the circumferences of the 2nd & the 3rd circles intersect. Draw an arc that intersects the centre points of the 2nd & 3rd circles.

Continue in this manner until all of the 6 petal shapes have been drafted to frame the original circle block.

 
 
You now have a placement guide to help you with positioning your applique shapes on your block. You will need to refer to this placement guide throughout the project so it's a good idea to laminate it to preserve it's integrity because if you are anything like me it will be dragged all over the place with you!

 
Creating the petal template ...

At this point you will need to make yourself a template of a petal shape that you will use throughout the project to draft out all of the petal shapes in the quilt and trust me there a whole hell of a lot of them!!!

Use a little tape to secure your template plastic over one of the petals you have created. Locate the centre points of the two intersecting circles that have created this petal. Using your compass carefully re-draw the arcs to transpose the petal shape accurately onto your template plastic.

Using a small sharp pair of scissors cut out the petal shape on the line you have drawn .. if you cut out either side of the marked line of your template it's size will be either slightly smaller or slightly larger than what you ultimately want it to be.

 
Check the template for accuracy by positioning it over the original petal. It is important that this template is accurate as you will be using it to create all of the petals in the quilt and they all need to fit together snugly ... a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.

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That's it for today ... not very exciting so far is it? Setting up is always a little tedious ... but very important all the same to make sure the project comes together nicely.

I'll be back on Tuesday with the next steps which will be much more fun and a whole lot more colourful!!!

Great to see some of the blogless girls joining in with their newly created Flickr pages .... which reminds me .... I will establish a Flickr Group this week so that we can share our progress once we start putting together our blocks. I figure that this will be a great place to share our progress, be inspired by each others colours choices and chat.

I appreciate everyone's goodwill in relation to this project. Please do not use this pattern for profit in any way ... the pattern & directions are given in good faith and is intended for your personal use only and not to be reproduced in anyway. Lets keep it nice!

Kellie

I love trees ...

... but I guess you already know that.

This is the project that I started in Fiji.

It still has a ways to go before it's finished ....  but now that the first lot of the new patterns have been folded and Australia Post has whisked them off on their way ... I can't wait to get back to my machine and this project!

It is turning out just as I had dreamed that it would ... I love it when it happens like that!

Thanks to the Random Number Generator the giveaway winners from my last post are ...

Trashcan who I loved meeting at the Ballarat Blog Meet back when the weather here was hot ... Trash left the 28th comment

Annette from A Day in the Life .... left the 40th comment

My dear bloggy friend Lisa from Periwinkle left the 43rd comment

Viv from Highway Cottage left the 54th comment ... Viv has just finished a Machine Quilting class and her samples look great ... make sure you take a peek!

Lisa from Swedasyspaces who left the 65th comment ... Lisa has just made a friend a beautiful quilt make sure you have a look ... seems this girl has caught the tree bug too!

Finally Sarah ... yes THE Sarah ... from The Last Piece who left the 91st comment. I am sure you all know and love and regularly visit Sarah's space but if not make sure you go and take a peek down the page a bit at the quilt that she has worked on with Sue Spargo ... very nice girls!!!

Congrats guys I will send you all out one of the How Does Your Garden Grow patterns next week.

There will will be 7 patterns up for grabs this post ... the odds are getting better and better ... I had better hurry up and finish the tree before I giveaway all of my patterns! This giveaway runs until I publish my next post. Just in case you are new here and haven't a clue about this giveaway ... well here are the details again ...

This whole giveaway thing is happening because I was too disorganised to have something good to giveaway for my 100th post ... so my 100th post giveaway is going to be a little belated. In the mean time I will giveaway some patterns ... plus there are a few other bits and pieces that you should know ....

• everyone who leaves a comment on this post and the subsequent posts that come before the belated 100th post giveaway will automatically get an extra entry for each comment that they leave ...

• if the person who ultimately wins the belated 100th giveaway has left a comment during the lead up to the 100th post giveaway ...they will receive an extra little something included with their prize   ...

• if the person who wins the belated 100th post giveaway has purchased one of my patterns before the end of the giveaway then they will receive an extra little something (can be purchased from either my self or any of my stockists - must have proof of purchase) ... 

• I will give away an increasing number of How Does Your Garden Grow patterns with each post leading into the belated 100th post giveaway.

Other than folding patterns this week, I have added to my fabric collection in a big way ...

... this lot is going to become a little boys cot / play quilt for a friend who is due around Christmas time.

I just collected these ones because the colours make my heart sing ...

 

I added to my linen stash ...

and well you can never have too much pink & green fabric! All of this was collected during my visit to the GJ's Discount Fabrics sale (... you guys really need a blog or website or something!!!)

Next week is going to be a big one ... I have to find time to work on Miss Jessica's birthday party that's planned for next Sunday ....

I am teaching at Patchwork House on Thursday ....

... there was one space left in this class last week so if you would like to join in give Kylie a call.

And last but not least I'm going to visit a very special placeon Friday because every girl loves a sale ... and we can never have enough fabric!!!

... but for now I am going to go spend some quality time with my tree!

Enjoy your weekend!

Kellie

PS. All of the new patterns are now available in my store at these other lovely places very soon if not already (depending upon the post) ....

A Quilting Passion

Buttonberry

Dungarees and Daisies

Hettie's Patch

Patchwork Angel

A little self indulgence ...

For a few weeks now I have been slogging away with my hand stitching. I have resisted the urge to turn on the Bernina. A little germ of an idea crept into my thoughts earlier in the week and it has been nagging me ever since ... this morning after dropping off the kiddos I decided that resistance was futile ...

I love you Bernina 820 ... I truly do!

I should have actually been doing Mr DLN's books .... oops don't tell him please!!!!!! 

Enjoy your weekend!

Kellie

PS. If you have had trouble opening my blog this week could you please shoot me an email and let me know what your computer shouted when it happened ... so that I can let Typepad know. Thanks!  

Honey Bunny ... part 2

I turned my Honey Bunny applique into a small cushion but you could do lots of different things with yours ... like put the design on a library bag or kids tote. It would look very cute on one of my art smocks or if you wanted to make a cushion but wanted one a little larger then you could add some simple borders and adjust the size of the pillow back - ie. increase the length of the side edges by 1/2 of the total measurement that you have increased the cushion by (don't increase the length of the edges where the zip will be fitted!)... does that make sense??? Clear as mud right???

These instructions will show you how to insert a zip and create a flap to cover it ... I am no seamstress by any stretch of the imagination however these instructions will give you a good and neat result.

Last little bits and pieces that you will need if you want to turn yours into a little cushion ....

10" x 13" rectangle of fabric for cushion back

4" pink check for binding

8" zip

Final Steps ...

1. Cut your centre applique panel back to 10" square - make sure you double check your measurements before you cut to avoid tears!

Construct the back ...

2. Cut one 10" x 5 3/4" rectangle from cushion back fabric - top half of cushion back

3. Cut one 10" x 6 1/2" rectangle from cushion back fabric - lower half of cushion back

4. Mark the centre points of one 10" side of each of each cushion back piece & the zip. Lay the lower half of the cushion back out right side up and the zip wrong side up along one 10" side of the lower cushion back matching centre points and raw edges. Pin in place. Using your zipper foot sew along the edge of the zip & fabric as close to the zipper teeth as possible.

5. Lay the zip & fabric flat and press. Sew a row of top stitching close to the fold securing the zip & fabric in place.

 

6. Lay the top half of the cushion back right side up on a flat surface. Place the other edge of the zip wrong side up along one 10" edge matching center points & raw edges. Pin in place. Sew along the edge of the zip & fabric as close to the zipper teeth as possible. 

7. Lay the cushion back flat right side up. Press. Mark 1" up from the fold line that you have just created. Fold along this marked line and take the fold down over the zip creating a flap over the zip. Pin in place - mark the end points of the zip.

 

8. Beginning at one edge sew close to the fold until you reach the beginning of the zip. Pivot and sew up across the end of the zip until you reach the point just below the top edge of the zip. Pivot again and sew along the length of the zip, securing the flap, stopping at the end of the zip. Pivot and sew back down across the zip end. Finally pivot again and sew back along the final edge close to the fold. Refer below...

  

9. Lay out the cushion top wrong side up. Place the cushion back on top of the cushion top right side up. Pin in place. Baste in place around the entire edge of the cushion 1/4" from the edge.

10. Cut two 2" strips of binding from the pink check fabric. Join the two sections using a mitered seam. Trim the seam to 1/4" & press open. Press binding strip in half length ways. Pin binding to the right side of the cushion top matching raw edges and leaving a 3" to 4" tail of binding free. Pin in place and sew in place using a 1/4" seam finishing 1/4" from the side edge. Securing your stitching at the start and finish points.

11. Fold the binding back creating a 45 degree fold. Fold binding back over the fold matching raw edges with the next side of the pillow top - refer to the photos below;

  

12. Sew along the edge continuing in the same manner until you reach the side where you began. Pin the corner & side in place and overlap the start & end points of the binding by 2" and trim to these points.

13. Open out the binding. With right sides together position the first binding edge along the side edge of the tail end of the binding - see below.

14. Mark a 45 degree line as shown below. Sew along line.

15. Open the binding out and ensure that it sits nicely in place. Once you are satisfied trim seam allowance to 1/4" and finger press open. Reposition binding in place along the edge of the pillow and sew in place. 

16. Turn the folded binding edge to the back of the pillow top and sew it in place by hand manipulating the corners to sit nicely. 

Yay! You're finished!!!!

I hope you have fun making this little cushion! It comes together very quickly and is a great little project to try out your raw edge applique on.  Janet emailed me a shot of her version yesterday ... there are no flies on this woman I am telling you!!!! You will find the finished version in the photo album. Janet is also having a giveaway so make sure you take a look!

Ranette has also been busy!

So I guess you guys remember this from my last post ...

 

Meg's Garden is in issue number 71 of Australian Homespun Magazine ... for those of you who find it difficult to get your hands on this magazine you can order it on line from here and have it sent to you ... and it will be in your hot little hands in no time at all!!!

I always have a lot of people ask me about my sock monkey's. I don't sell these and I wont be making a pattern or doing a tutorial on them ... but this woman does sell them and just between you and me her's are a whole lot nicer than mine!!!!

Talking about amazing women ... check out what what Lynn has been upto ... it is looking great isn't it!!!!! She has also made a great little quilt that you should take a peek at too! Valerie has made a beautiful wall hanging using the Flower Garden pillow applique shapes and there are some new photos form some blogless girls that I will also add to the photo album.

OK I must go ... I have spent way too much time here in my typepad world this past few days. Next week I am going to start some Mother's Day gifts for our school stall and get to work on a quilt for one of the boys that I have been dreaming about for quite some time!

I hope you have had a great Easter and enjoyed the wonderful relaxing family time that comes at this time of the year. I will leave you with one last photo ...

...our kids forgot to leave the Easter Bunny a snack this year ... obviously this really pissed the Easter Bunny off as she pooped on our coffee table!!!!

Have a great week!

Kellie

PS. OK, just one more photo ... of Joshua & his very best friend in the whole wide world ... who were two very cute rainbows in our local festival's parade a couple of weeks ago ...  

   

Ta daa!

As promised a new pattern ... I hope you like it ...

The pattern is called Pretty 'n Pink ... and contains the complete instructions for a collection of 4 pillows;

My Sweet Heart ...

... this pillow suits a European pillow insert. It is based on the swap quilt I made last year for ErinK. Although I have made this design into a pillow it doesn't mean that you are locked into this. You could simply bind the top and use it as a small wall hanging or you could even use it as a center of a medallion quilt. I've used raw edge applique & trapunto to achieve this jigsaw puzzle design.

Sweet Little Garden ...

... this is a simple little pillow that would be a good starting point for a beginner to try out the raw edge technique that I use before launching into the more complex Sweet Heart pattern.

Sugar Candy ...

...is a sweet little cushion completely filled with my jigsaw puzzle styled applique. This would also be a good place to start if you haven't used raw edge applique before. It is also a very simple design that would be a great gift as it looks quite impressive but really is as simple as can be to make.

Finally Just for me ...

... is a small monogram pillow design. I just love this particular cushion as it looks great on any little girls bed and can be whipped up in no time at all. This pillow would also be a perfect gift for a special little friend.

This pattern will be released herenext Tuesday the 7th of April, however, you can place a pre-order by emailing me here (please make sure you title your email preorder) and I will send you an email request for the payment (paypal). All orders that are made using this process will be sent off on Tuesday the 7th of April.

Edit: Sorry I forgot to include the price ... each pattern is $18.00 AUD plus postage & GST where applicable.

Now I think that I did mention a give away didn't I? Of course I did! I am going to actually have two giveaways that will work a little differently to my previous give aways so make sure you read carefully ...

Give Away 1

This giveaway will be for all of the pre-order people... if you place a preorder and prepay for the pattern before midnight Australian EST on the 6th of April your name will go into a draw for another Don't Look Now! pattern of your choice ... and just as a little bonus if the person who wins this giveaway has previously bought one of my patterns, before this post was published, they will also receive an extra little bit of love in the form of sweet little Lilly.... 

Give Away 2

The second giveaway is open to everyone including those who place a pre-order. You can be included in this giveaway by;

• leaving a comment here between now and 12MN Australian EST on Tuesday the 6th of April which will give you one entry

• mentioning the giveaway and linking to it on your blog - this will give you three extra entries BUT make sure that if you do this that you email me here and include the link so I can check it - please label your email giveaway link. 

• finally as always if you have left a comment here in any of my last ten posts I will give you an additional entry for each comment you have left

The second giveaway has two prizes the first is this pillow .... and Amy.

The second prize is this pillow ... obviously I will make you one with the initial of you choice on it ... & Tina.

...OK so you can't actually see Tina ... because I haven't actually made her yet ... but she will be included in this prize!!!! I promise!!! You also probably noticed that Amy looks a lot like Lilly ... well that's because Lilly is kindly standing in for Amy as she is looking a little worse for wear ... she is still with out arms and a mouth! ... but again she'll be fighting fit by next week!

Good luck!

Kellie 

PS. Just before you go you must jump over here and lake a look at what Lynn has been up to!!!!! It is looking pretty fantastic! Well done! I have a few more photos to add to the album but I have run out of time for this post so they will have to wait until next time! 

Cut flowers ....

How did it get to be over a week since my last post??? I have been busy though!

I've been cutting big pieces of fabric into little pieces of fabric ...

and the result just makes my heart sing ... but you will have to wait until next week for the big reveal which will be in the form of a new pattern ... and what the heck maybe even another give away!

Talking about my patterns ... well if you happen to live in Brisbane you can now buy them from this very beautiful shop OR if you happen to be way over the other side of the world in Sweeden then you can get them from this lovely lady! If you happen to buy one or two from either of these girls then drop me an email  and I'll send the first person who contacts me (with proof of purchase that can be confirmed) from each shop a little Don't Look Now love! :)

I've made a heap more of these ... 

... trust me it will be good once I've finished!

I've given my new love a run for her money!

And isn't she just amazing ... you know she warns me when her bobbin is running out and when if finally does ... she stops and wont sew any further ... how cool is she really???

We had a long weekend here in Melbourne this past weekend ... so what do you do on a beautiful Autumn work free / school free Monday?

You pack up the family and go to Luna Park!

Ben, Megan & a dear friend of Meg's literally screamed around all of the thrill rides ...

Can you see that operator standing on the roller coaster ... how can that be safe??? 

And my two littlest chickens ... chicken as always ... spent their time on the Carousel ...

 

Dumbo & the Aeroplanes!

If you're in Melbourne and looking for something to do Luna Park is a great day out and providing you have kids like mine that just hammer the rides it's great value for money. 

I have also done a little, long over due, house work around the old blog ... there is now a search widget at the top of my side bar. I have included a photo album of things that you guys have made using my designs. If you have a photo that you would like to include here please drop me an email.

Tomorrow is the first of five days of Craft & Stitching heaven here in Melbourne! I am going to make my way down there on Thursday to catch up with this lovely lady and look at all of the lovely things that these amazing women have been doing ... and of course you will be able to spy my circles quilt on the Living Creatively stand!

I have been meaning to show you all for a while now my AmitieBlogVIP mail out fabric love ...

...mmm ....do you think they are telling me I use too much pink??? Seriously though if you aren't a BlogVIP then really what have you been doing with your life??? There are some pretty cool benefits but most of all you get 10% off all of your purchases ...

I've also forgotten to show you these two great projects that you can find in the February edition of Homespun.The first one is by this lovely girl who I have sung the praises of many times before!

And this lovely tree is by Judy Newman who, despite the fact that she is blogless, is an amazing local designer. You can also find her at Amitie! If you want one of this issue you will have to get your skates on though because I think this months edition will be out this week ...

Before I go look where I found myself today! Thank you so much Kim for the feature ... you made my day! This is a great site make sure you go and take a look!

Have a great week!

Kellie 

PS. Remember last week I told you all about a blog meet dinner that Mr DLN & I went to ... well I can now include a photo & the links ... courtesy of Stomper Girl! So here goes left to right Pea Soup, Craftymum, Stomper Girl , Peppermint Patcher, Fairlie, Frogdancer, Matching Pegs, & me.

This very cheeky girlwho I loved getting to know at the dinner ... tagged me!!!! Poor Lisa obviously doesn't realise how crap I am at tags! One day I will put together a post that answers all of the tags I have waiting on my desk ...

I've been hiding...

I have been writing this post in dribs and drabs now for nearly two weeks. Adding things here and there so if it is a little disjointed forgive me. I had actually intended to post on Monday but was unable to bring myself to do so after the horrific events over the weekend. We are close to the ravaged areas but still far enough away to be very safe. Thank you to everyone who has checked to make sure we were OK ... amazing kindness in this blogging world! This very sweet girl who I am so pleased to have gotten to know ... even gave me a call to check on us!

 

Marysville photo ABC online

My heart goes out to those of you who have been affected. I can't imagine what you must be going through right now. I am brought to tears at the sight of tent cities, broken families, little children without homes and worse....I'm sure you have all seen the great things that have been happening in the blog world to help out those affected.

 

Jenny at Amitie is a collection point for Handmade Help.Gillianoriginally contacted me about this fabulous effort.

 

 

 

 

I also just stumbled across Tiawho has organised an amazing project and again with the generosity and help of Kim this effort is off to a flying start!

 

 

I am sure that there are many more amazing projects out there that you could get involved with, otherwise you can be like our family who have given cash by donating to the Red Cross. Coles Supermarkets are also donating the profits from Fridays takings so that's where I'll be this afternoon, stocking up my pantry.

So what have we been up to and why have I been hiding for so long???? Mainly because of this project which has a deadline that is rapidly approaching ....

Unfortunately, I can't show you it  properly just yet but you will see it later in the year hopefully. Some of you have asked about the Living Creatively challenge quilt I showed a snippet of a few posts ago ... 

The competition hasn't been decided as yet so I can't show you it either except for a snip-it of the quilting. It's a design that's new to me and although it was time consuming I loved doing it and I was really pleased with the overall effect.

This is the backing fabric which is a gorgeous Prints Charmingprint in all of my favorite colours. I picked it up from Ballarat Patchwork.

Predominantly, though my time has been taken up setting the kids up for the year ahead. The three big kids returned to school last week. Megan in grade 4 and Ben & Jess in grade 1. It seems that life is marching forward at an unbelievable pace ... wasn't it just five minutes ago that I was dreaming about who they would become and what they would look like as they grew in my tummy?

Joshua is settling into 4 year old kinder ... all be it under sufferance. Joshua's very best friend was not in his settling in group last week and when he discovered this, well in his mind it was quite pointless to even attend kinder.Thank goodness they are back together this week and their hours are steadily rising to a point closer to what it will actually be. He was particularly knocked out after Tuesday's 5 hour session. Those of you who know our Joshua know he is no shrinking violet. He is a boy of MANYwords. In fact if often feels like machine gun fire some days when he gets on a roll. However, after kinder on Tuesday he had NO words at all ... nothing ... all he could manage was to lay on the floor and a little Nintendo ... he wasn't even hungry!

Megan has begun swimming training twice a week ... so early in the morning that I'm frightened to say the time out loud as I may be struck down by lightening. She has also dropped out of art classes & dance in a bid to throw herself wholly into tennis which she told me late last year has been a life long goal of hers ... from which apparently I have been holding her back :). Her poor little face was so red after playing in 34 degree heat last Friday afternoon that she almost glowed!

Jessica started art classes yesterday ... taking up Meg's vacated position. Jessie, Ben and Joshua will continue with dancing ... much to Daddy's dismay. Why is it a problem for boys to take dancing lessons when girls can participate in predominantly male activities and no one would bat a eyelid?  

Ben began Karate last week with the whole family looking on ... and within 10 minutes the two girls also joined in eager to get a 'cool' costume & shout loudly 'from the strength that lies within their stomachs'! Joshua wasn't keen ... he would rather play Mario Party!

So that's it ... although Ben will start piano at some point all of this will be what will occupy my comings and goings for the rest of the year.

Before I go I am going to point you off in the direction of a few lovely & clever people who have made some of my things... (I know I've seen more but sadly I forgot to bookmark all of them ...if you want to play along please email me with your details so I can link to you)...

Marlene

Maree

In the next week or so you will find a new album in my sidebar that I am creating to show off some of the beautiful things that you guys have made using my patterns. If you have finished something from my tutorials or patterns then please send me a photo and your link so that I can include you too! (I wont include any photos that haven't been sent to me or that I haven't specifically been given permission to use)

Enjoy your weekend ... lets hope it's better than the last!

Kellie 

PS. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that Julie left my 2000th comment on Tuesday last week. I will be sending her off a little Don't look Nowlove soon. Thanks Julie and everyone else who takes the time to leave a comment I truly appreciate it ... I know how time consuming it can be! 

 

Rocket Ship Pillow Tutorial ...

This is really not like me ... 4 posts in 10 days! So I won't bore you for too long ;). As with the Flower Garden Pillow I have included the tutorial with this post. The applique pattern pieces are in PDF format and you fill find a link to them in the tutorial. I hope you find both of the pillow tutorials useful I've enjoyed making them and giveaways are always fun. I must say though that the Rocket Ship is my favorite!

So who won the pillow??? Kim from Brigantia Designs.

Congratulations Kim. Email me your address and I'll pop it in the mail and it will make it's way to you in Scotland!

Before we jump into the tutorial here's a little peak at what I've been working on this past week ...

I'll be back on Saturday for my Blogaversary!!!!!

Rocket Ship Pillow

This pattern, for the most part, uses fusible raw edge appliqué and the pillow top has been machine quilted. This doesn’t mean that you’re locked into using these methods. You might prefer to finish your appliqué edges with a machine blanket stitch and leave your pillow top as a plain piece of fabric with no batting or quilting. The pillow is secured with two large self covered buttons, alternatively you might prefer to use a zip or ties. Choose a method that you feel comfortable with.

Please remember that this pattern and appliqué design is intended for your own personal use only and should not be used for profit or sale.

What you need...

18” x 18” appliqué background fabric square (front)

20 ½ ”piece of spotted fabric for front borders & pillow back – cut as follows

            20½” x 18 ½ “

            20 ½” x 12“

            18” x 1 ¾ “ strips x2 (front border)

            20 1/2 “ x 1 ¾ “ strips x2 (front border)

22” x 22” square of fabric for front panel lining

Various scraps of blue, orange, green & yellow fabric totaling approximately 1 fat quarter for appliqué shapes

8”         coordinating stripe for binding – this will allow 3 x 2 ½ “  strips for the binding providing you with ample excess for matching of stripes

22” x 22” piece of batting – try and use one that has a high loft to ensure that your finished appliqué has a full ‘puffy’ appearance.

Fusible web – I use a fusible that leaves a tacky surface on the rear of the appliqué shape making auditioning the appliqué shapes a breeze. In this project I have used Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 in Australia it can be sourced from OzQuilts. I only discovered this product recently and have used it on I (heart) Pink & Oh Christmas Tree and I have been very happy with it. It leaves an almost pefect finish on the raw edges, it doesn't gum up my needle and isn't too 'hard' when finished. 

x3        30mm self cover buttons

Scissors

Fine tip Permanent marking pen - use a pressing sheet when you iron over the marked fusible paper if you  are using the Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 as the ink still tends to lift on this product

Spray Baste – I have only been using spray baste for a short time and have only used it on small quilts so far. If I try it on a larger quilt I think that I would still do some pinning ... mainly because I’m a control freak!

Pins & needles, rotary cutter, quilting ruler & cutting mat

Iron

Light box – not essential

Darning foot and a sewing machine capable of lowering the feed dogs

Walking Foot

Quilting gloves

Method

Make front pillow panel

1. Attach the two short border lengths to the sides of the center front panel. Press seams toward the blue fabric. Attach the two longer border lengths to the other sides. Press seams toward the blue fabric.

Appliqué

2. Download the applique shapes and print them out ready for use. Always follow the manufactures directions regarding the use of your fusible web. Trace the appliqué shapes onto the backing paper of the fusible web using a permanent marker ensuring that you leave adequate space between your shapes to allow them to be separated while still leaving a small margin around each of the shapes. You will require 3 stars and one of each of the rest of the appliqué shapes.

3. Separate all of the shapes and select the colour combinations that you intend to use. Adhere the fusible to the rear of the fabric following the manufactures instructions. Cut out the shapes & remove the backing paper revealing the tacky surface of the fusible. Using the photograph of the quilt as a guide roughly set out the appliqué shapes. Do not spend a lot of time on this task as you are likely to move them a bit before they are finally ironed into place. 

4. Make a quilt sandwich with the pillow top, batting square and lining fabric using spray baste – be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

To complete the appliqué edges;

5. Change your machine foot to a free motion foot and drop your feed dogs. Select a top & bobbin thread to complement the shape you will be working on. Begin by lowering your needle into the quilt an inch or so from the shape. Raise the needle and pull on the top thread pulling the bobbin thread through to the top. Lower and raise the needle again temporarily securing the two threads on the top of the quilt. Slide your quilt to your intended starting point and lower your needle. Free motion stitch close to the edges of all of the appliqué shapes stitching over each area at least twice. Move slowly if you are trying to achieve a precise result. Alternatively if you are looking for a more ‘sketch’ like finish move a little faster and don’t worry about keeping the rows of stitching together. 

Tip: Take several stitches close together at the start and finish points of each appliqué shape. This will secure the start & finish points allowing you to cut the threads at the quilt surface eliminating the need to bury threads.

6. Using a walking foot - stitch in the ditch between the center panel and the borders. Baste around the edge of the pillow top ¼” from the edges.

7. Once you have finished this process complete the background quilting. I used an all over spiral quilting pattern.  

If you are new to machine quilting and would like to give it a go my best advice to you is to do a class! Other than this practice before you start on a scrap section of quilt sandwich but most of all don't get hung up on the machine quilting! It doesn't need to be perfect no one will notice! The pillow is for someone you love ... they won't be judging you ... and if they do don't make them anything ever again ;). 

Completing the pillow back

8. On the larger of the two pieces of fabric fold over a hem of ½ “ on one of the long sides and press. Fold over further  3“ and press. Secure the hem using a straight stitch close to the edge of both folds.

9. On the smaller of the two pieces of fabric fold over a hem of ½ “ on one of the long sides and press. Fold over further  3“ and press. Secure the hem using a straight stitch close to the edge of both folds.

10. On the smaller of the two back sections mark points at 5 ¼ “, 10 ¼“ &  15 ¼“ along the hem. In addition to this mark ¾ “ up from the edge of the hem. Make button holes at each of these three points.

11. Position the pillow top, right side up on top of the pillow front with wrong sides facing each other. Adjust the pillow back so the the smaller section overlaps the larger piece. Bind the pillow using the bias strip as you would normally bind a quilt finishing with a mitered seam.You can find my instructions to help with this here ...

12. Make the three self cover buttons according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Using a water-soluble pen mark the lower point of each button holes on the larger piece of the pillow back.  Fix buttons to these points.

Finished!   

I hope you enjoy making the pillow!

Kellie