Last minute gift making

I have just finished a couple of small gifts for my girls. The littlest blossie has claimed this hexagon purse.

It was a kit from Hatched and Patched. As usual, their fabric choices were perfect! How I love piecing hexies - very relaxing.

The eldest blossie requested a charm square backpack. She rummaged through my stash of pre-cuts and emerged with a charm pack of  'Hello Luscious 'by Basic Grey for Moda.

Never one to be bound by convention, she decided she wanted one side pink, the other blue ;) And a zippered pocket on both sides if you please! Happy to oblige.

A sad day in Australia

Blooms express love and kind thoughts, 
in the happiest of times, and in the tragic.

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The people of Australia are reeling from the events of the past 24 hours. 

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I am very proud to be counted as Australian today. 

The authorities and those involved in the siege in Sydney have been calm in crisis, and strong in tragedy. 

In full bloom

In my garden today, and making me happy: Rosa 'Zéphirine Drouhin' in glorious bloom.

'Zéphirine Drouhin' is a grand old dame of the rose world. She is a Bourbon rose and was bred in France, way back in 1868 by Bizot. 

That 'Zéphirine Drouhin' is still grown in gardens almost 150 years later is testament to some very desirable characteristics.

Its blooms are abundant, and a cheerful lipstick pink. It is perfect as a small climber, especially planted near pathways because its canes are virtually thornless. It has a heavenly 'old rose' perfume. 

My 'Zephirine Drouhin' receives very little water, and yet it puts on an impressive display. It repeat flowers, unlike many old roses. While mine is planted on a north-facing fence, it is well known for tolerating shady conditions.

I first saw 'Zéphirine Drouhin' at an Open Garden in Mudgee, and it took me several years to find one. But I'm very pleased I did - she's gorgeous!

Handmade Holidays starts today

Every November, I look forward to Sew Mama Sew's roundup of sewing tutorials. So much inspiration and some great ideas for Christmas gifts!

For each day of November, there is a different sewing theme, with links to excellent, free tutorials, and a chance to win some great prizes. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Special offer

One of my local quilt shops is sadly closing its doors on 22nd November. After over 10 years of supplying sewists across the Central West, Allyson Tilston is closing her beloved Marally Craft. However, in her usual optimistic style, she is seeing this as an opportunity for a new direction in her business life.

The good news for you is that Allyson has several kits of two of my quilts available at drastically reduced prices.

Spin to Play quilt

Size 53" x 57"

Detailed description here and here.

All kits include hard copy pattern.

Quilt kit (without backing) 

WAS AU$150 

NOW AU$75

plus AU$14.50 postage

Quilt kit (with backing) 

WAS AU$195 

NOW AU$97.50

plus AU$14.50 postage

Lovebird flannel quilt

Size 58” x 56½” 

Detailed description here.

All kits include hard copy pattern.

Quilt kit (without backing) 

WAS AU$160 

NOW AU$80

plus AU$14.50 postage

Quilt kit (with backing) 

WAS AU$220 

NOW AU$110

plus AU$14.50 postage

If you are interested in these quilt kits, give Allyson a call on (02) 6362 3860. I'd be quick though because they won't last long.

Allyson has reduced most of her stock, including fabrics and many other quilt kits, by 50%.

Name this plant

Calling all gardeners! Can anyone tell me what this plant is:

I went for a walk in a friend's beautiful garden on Friday, 

and she has this lime green lovely planted in some shade. 

She says it is a perhaps a type of may bush?

New journal cover tutorial

One of my most popular free tutorials over the years has been my journal cover tutorial. I have returned to it over and over to whiz up a quick gift. 

I've updated my tutorial to provide instructions to custom fit the dimensions of any journal. I've also come up with a couple of nifty options for elastic closures. Enjoy!

Step 1: Preliminary measuring

Measure and record the length (A) of your journal in inches.

 

Measure and record the total width of the back cover + spine + front cover of your journal(B) in inches. Do this by wrapping your measuring tape around your closed journal. 

 

A = length of journal

B = total width of back cover + spine + front cover of journal

Step 2: Gather your supplies

• Main fabric - yardage required = (A + 2)" For example, a journal with length 9" requires 11" x width of fabric
• Lightweight fusible batting, e.g. Vilene H630 - (A + 2)"
• Lining fabric - (A + 2)"
• ½" wide elastic - (A + 2)" length
• General sewing supplies
• Purchased white crocheted flower, approximately 2" diameter (optional)
• White stranded embroidery cotton (optional)

Step 3: Cutting

From each of the main fabric and the fusible batting, cut: 
One rectangle that has a length of (A + 1)" and a width of (1.5 x B)".

From the lining fabric, cut: 

One rectangle that has a length of (A + 1)" and a width of B".

Step 4:

A ¼" seam allowance is used unless otherwise stated. 

Fuse the batting rectangle to the wrong side of the main fabric rectangle. 

Overlock or zigzag the short edges of both the main fabric and lining rectangles. Note: Overlocking or zigzagging the edges is optional - it just gives a neater and more robust finish.

Turn the short ends of the main fabric rectangle to the wrong side by ¼" to form a hem. Top stitch the hem in place.

Step 5: Optional embellishment

If you would like to embellish your journal cover with a crocheted flower, mark the centre of your cover with pins as shown below. Using a pencil, lightly mark a line 6½" long, at a point 4½" to the right of centre.

Please note, my journal is approximately A5 size. If your chosen journal is significantly different in size, you may need to 'eyeball' the position of your stem and flower.

Using 6 strands of embroidery floss, work a running stitch along this pencil line. Hand stitch the crocheted flower in place.


Step 6: Elastic closure #1

Cut the ½" wide elastic to the length of your cover. Position the elastic 1" in from the right hand edge. Baste the ends of the elastic in place at the top and bottom edges using ⅛" seam.

Step 7:

Place the main fabric rectangle wrong side down on a flat surface. Fold each of the short ends of the rectangle in equally, right sides together, so that the total width of the cover measures B". Pin the ends in place. 

 

Step 8: Lining the cover

Lay the lining rectangle on the cover, right sides together. Pin all layers together.

Using a ¼" seam, sew along the top and bottom edges of the cover through all layers. Overlock or zigzag to neaten the seams if desired.


Step 9: Turning the cover

Turn the cover right side out and press well. This is the only step that can be a little confusing. I've addressed this in the following (rather dodgy!) clip:

That's it! Nothing remains but to slip your journal inside your cover and stand back to admire your work!

The elastic closure should extend from the front cover and wrap around the back of the journal.

The journal that I used had a transparent cover, which by chance was perfect because it allows you to see the lining fabric you've chosen when the journal is open.

A variation: Elastic closure #2

I made a second journal cover to show you an alternative elastic closure.

Follow the previous instructions up to and including Step 4. 
Place your main fabric rectangle wrong side down on a flat surface. Using a pencil, lightly mark vertical lines at equal distances from the left and right edges of the rectangle, so that the width between the lines measures (B + ½)", as shown below. 

Mark each of these lines at the midpoint. Place marks 2" either side of the midpoint on the left hand line.

Cut three 1¾" lengths of ½" wide elastic. Fold them in half to form loops and pin them at the three points that you just marked. The raw ends of the elastic should meet the marked line. Baste each of them in place using ⅛" seam, as shown below. 

Fold each of the short ends of the rectangle along the vertical pencil lines, right sides together. Sew a ¼" seam at each short end of the cover. This seam encloses the raw ends of the elastic loops.

Complete the journal cover by following the previous instructions from Step 8. Note that the width of lining fabric should lay between the two seam lines that you have just sewn. 

On turning your cover, it should look like this, with elastic loops at either end:

Insert your journal, and slide a pen through the loops to secure the journal closed. Nifty huh?

I hope you have as much fun with this tutorial as my previous one.

I would love to see your creations, so please send me photos! Best wishes, Bloom x

Charm square backpack PDF pattern

Whoever dreamed up the idea of fabric charm packs was a marketing genius ... and the nemesis of every fabric addict! The addict enters a fabric shop, and no matter her level of determination to resist, those little sample packs just draw her in. And she says to herself, "If I just buy one of these, it's cheaper than yardage, and I'll have a little bit of every fabric in the range. Win, win!" And so I have an untold number of random charm packs in my stash. 

I set myself a challenge to come up with a pattern to whittle down this collection. Something practical, something quick to make, and that can make use of a single random charm pack. I'm happy to say that I have written up a pattern for my Charm Square Backpack.

I have designed a drawstring backpack, made from a single charm pack, combined with a half metre of lining fabric.

At approximately 18" square, it is a perfect size for that quick trip to the shops, or a swim at the beach. It would also be great as a kid's library bag, or for their next sleepover with friends.

The backpack is fully lined, has an external zippered pocket for safe keeping of valuables and a loop for hanging.

I've made four of these backpacks now, and I confess they are quite addictive! But then it seems I'm prone to addiction :) The backpack on the left is made from Bonnie and Camille's 'Happy-Go-Lucky' range, while the one on the right is Zen Chic's 'Sphere', both by Moda of course, the leading culprit in charm pack world domination.

I also made two backpacks for some entomological friends of mine, using 'Bee My Honey' by Mary Jane.

I was lucky enough to find some fabulous braided cord at one of my local quilt shops. It is apparently an 'end of line' item, so is not readily available. If you find some, I suggest you buy it all (like I did). It just seems to blend with any fabric combination you can think of.

The Charm Square Backpack pattern is available as a PDF download in my shop.

If you happen to subscribe to my Newsletter, you will find a discount code for this pattern in your inbox. If you don't subscribe, but would like to, there is a newsletter subscription link at the top right of this page.

Daybook entry #15

Outside my window ... it is cold and dreary, but inside I have a beautiful pot of hyacinths to brighten my day. Their delicious fragrance fills the room and makes me very happy!

At the farm ... our lupin crop is looking really good. But we have learned not to count our chickens before they're hatched! The last lupin crop was as good a crop as our agronomist had ever seen, and heavy late season rain and wind blew them all over. 

At my machine ... I am playing with charm packs. I am working on a new pattern, designed to bust your charm pack stash! I can't bring myself to count how many charm packs I have ;)

I am inspired by ... Nicole Mallalieu's book, The Better Bag Maker. I have always loved Nicole's patterns. She has a wonderful sense of style, but also has pattern making and design credentials that make her projects stand out from the rest. I have grand plans of working my way through her book, and making each of the bags in succession, from easiest to most difficult. 

I am thinking about ... books. Beautiful, old books ...

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... with letter pressed bindings and covered in dust. 

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I have a book-themed commission for Australian Homespun that is proving to be quite a challenge, and has me a bit stumped at this point. I would ask for your help if I was allowed to! Perhaps this will spark some inspiration:

Have a good week. Bloom x

The story of a quilt

I guess every quilt has a story, reflecting what is happening in the quilt maker's life at the time.

I turned 40 in July ... eight years ago! My Mum said she'd make me a birthday quilt.

A pattern was chosen: a simple design called 'Coventry' by Brenda Riddle, from her book 'Comfort and Joy'. I am a sucker for star blocks, and that double border of tiny red squares was calling me.

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The fabric was chosen: the same fabrics used in Brenda's quilt, 'Roman Holiday' by 3 Sisters for Moda.

But in May 2006, my Dad was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The quilt was shelved, and the next nine months of Mum's life were focussed on caring for him. He passed away in February 2007.

So now, eight years later, my 40th birthday quilt has been dusted off. In that time, a background fabric was chosen, a dusty blue sprig on cream, from the 'Rural Jardin' range by French General for Moda.

In the last school holidays, Mum and I worked together on my quilt. Mum sewed, while I cut and pressed. 

When Mum and I sew together, we get places! We had 36 star blocks whipped up in no time. Admittedly, we had some help. Inspired by Rita in this post, I invested in a set of Bloc Loc rulers to help with our flying geese blocks. 

While these rulers are expensive, I would highly recommend them. They made an enormous difference to the speed and accuracy with which our blocks came together. 

So my birthday quilt is well underway. The blocks are all done, and pinned to our design wall (aka red fleece blanket). Mum has rolled it up and taken it home to finish piecing the top. I'll keep you posted on its progress. Mum? ... Mum? How are you going with it?!

This is a favourite photo of my Mum and me, taken about 1985 when Mum was 40! Yes, we were milking sheep ... but that's a story for another day.