Free to a good home

Just popping in briefly amidst helping my kids through what seems an insurmountable stack of homework and projects. If you want to know anything about the themes of the graphic novel 'Maus', or anything at all about the South China Karst or even the Taj Mahal, well I'm your girl!

Driven to drink, I am sipping a half-glass, late evening tipple of sauv blanc, and having a 15-minute surf before bed. I happened upon this little lovely:

The uber-talented Aussie stitchery designer Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly, has designed this very sweet Easter project, and has generously released it on her blog for FREE! Run, go get it here! Thank you Bronwyn, for such a perfect project just in time for some holiday stitching ... if I can just get these teachers to stop giving my kids homework!

A quick fix

There is such satisfaction in finishing a quick project. I made this little iPod case today.

It is from Janelle Wind's lovely book, 'Pieces of Me'. (There is a list of stockists of Janelle's patterns on the left sidebar of her blog).

I have used some precious scraps of Denyse Schmidt's 'Flea Market Fancy', a cobble stone print from 'Flights of Fancy' by Paula Prass, and an XLN Basics orange dot. Oh, and a very old, worn button, which I thought just sort of worked.

Now the only argument to be won is which of the three girls in the house this belongs to. I am betting on the oldest and most persuasive one - ha, that would be me!

Roast plum and blackberry cake

A sweet gem from the Sunday paper, using the last, luscious fruits of summer - a very moist and delicious dessert cake. It is a little soft for lunch boxes, although my kids didn't mind! The recipe is by Karen Martini. Enjoy!

Distracted by colour

My apologies for a quiet blog for the last little while. Life has been busy with kids' swimming carnivals, a school fete, some work days here and there, and trips to the farm. There has regretfully been no sewing time, but mercifully, some thinking time!

I have been thinking about colour. It all started here, with this Anna Maria Horner 'Good Folks' print purchased recently. I noticed an astonishing FIFTEEN colour dots on the selvedge. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this means fifteen different screens for a single print - wow! No wonder this fabric packs a punch!

I love to use the colours of selvedge dots to inspire colour schemes for quilting or stitchery designs.

Another source of colour inspiration is Color Collective. Lauren Willhite has compiled this wonderful resource by using the works of artists, designers and photographers to inspire imaginative, often unusual but always beautiful palettes of colour. Any day that you are stuck for a new colour combination, you are bound to find something to enliven your senses at this site.

image source

You can waste a whole lot of time over at Kuler, where there are endless colour schemes to fire your imagination. Under the 'create' tab, you can upload your own photographs and Kuler will generate colour palettes to match. You can even choose a 'mood' for your palette from colourful, bright, muted, deep or dark.

For colour advice, specific to quilters, there are some great posts written by bloggers to refer to. My first port of call would be the queen of colour herself, Rita at Red Pepper Quilts. Rita has written a wonderful post called Colour in quilting in which she advises to take time to notice colour in the everyday.

Jeni, at In Color Order, is writing a brilliant series of posts called The Art of Choosing which deals with fabric and colour. She has lots of great advice about choosing and organising fabric, based around principles of colour. Pop over to Jeni's and feast your eyes!

And just for fun, here's what happens when colour, a bookshelf and someone with a whole lot of time collide!

Imagine doing this with your fabric stash - how fun! Have a great week,

Bloom x

Something for Kate!

The 'Little Menagerie' has been tamed into a quilt top.

Photos shot very glamourously against the garden shed!

That's the easy part done. Now ... to the quilting!

(Pattern is my 'Abracadabra', fabrics are Melanie Hurlston's 'Little Menagerie', against white solid).

The 'eyes' have it

I did my darnedest to resist, truly I did. But every time I walked past these fabrics in my local quilt shop, they were calling my name. Those sweet elephants, their innocent little eyes coaxing me, "Come on Bloom, you know you want to" ...

What is it with the eyes? The owls too have that pleading look, "Hoo, hoo, take me home ... take me home"!

And the monkeys? Well, who could resist such cheeky smiles!So try as I might, these cute creatures have charmed their way to my place, destined for what will hopefully be a busy weekend of sewing. They are from Melanie Hurlston's 'too cute for words' range, 'Little Menagerie'. Melly, you do 'eyes' way too well - I'm sure there's some subliminal messaging going on!

My plan is to whizz these up into a little 'Abracadabra' quilt for a new niece.

Comfort

Dull, rainy day ... hot scones and homemade crabapple jelly - life could be worse!

Needless to say, I didn't have to go to work today! Scone recipe here, and crabapple jelly recipe here.

Tip of the day

Not that my days are chock-a-block with tips, but here is my 'tip of the day' nonetheless. Inspired by this post, over at La Vie en Rosie, I made myself a block board today. 

Armed with a $2 art canvas, some spray adhesive and some fleece, I made myself a block board. That is, I stuck the fleece to the board and trimmed the excess. How clever am I?! I chose the art canvas only because it is flat and inflexible. Any sort of 'board' would do. 

I can now transfer my nine-patch pieces from my design wall to my machine (admittedly only metres away!) without losing bits or forgetting the layout I decided upon. The fabric squares stick nicely to the fleece, no slipping. What can I say - happiness from the simplest things!

Sewing machine cover PDF pattern

For those of you who have been waiting patiently for my sewing machine cover pattern, 'Beyond Measure', it is ready and available at the shop! This pattern was originally published in the November 2010 issue of Australian Homespun magazine.

The cover is a tailored design, closed at the ends to keep the dreaded dust at bay. It has piping trim, simple running stitch embroidery and pearl button embellishment. The 'measuring tape' twill ribbon can be purchased at The Home Patch, who readily do mail orders. They sell the ribbon in metric & imperial markings.

I made the cover twice, changing the patchwork panel from the hip and happening 'Hope Valley' by Denyse Schmidt to the more subdued and elegant fabrics from the 'Martinique' range by 3 Sisters. It gives the cover and entirely different look.

I live by a theory that ANYTHING + LINEN = SUCCESS.

'Hope Valley' and 'Martinique' are such different ranges, but against the common foil of linen, I think they both sparkle.

I have designed a companion set to this machine cover. It will be released as a PDF pattern in a couple of months, subject to my contract with Homespun magazine.

Thank you for your support of my fledgling little pattern business, especially the lovely souls who purchased my 'Abracadabra' quilt pattern. I appreciate your support sincerely!

Daybook entry #7

Outside my window ... are my beloved roses. The day is refreshingly cool after a hot spell.

I am thinking ... how much I hate housework. Over the years, I have come up with all sorts of strategies to motivate me to get through the household tasks. Today is one of those days where there is so much to do, I don't know where to start. I have taken myself aside and we have decided to 'just do SOMETHING'! I dug out this little stash of squares, and have put them next to my sewing machine. 

I am stitching ... therefore, between menial household tasks,  little 9-patch blocks as a reward for my impressive domesticity!

I am thankful for ... healthy, energetic children, even though they fight with each other and wear me out!

From the kitchen ... I need to make up a batch of Thimbelina's Easy Scrolls. These have been a hit for school lunches. I make them at my leisure, wrap them, freeze them and thereby avoid the dreaded sandwich making in the mornings.

I am thinking ... of whipping up one of these little cuties for a new niece: a fluffy*stuffy bunny. Jenny over at Allsorts has very generously posted a free pattern for her bunny and a dress to match. 

From my picture journal ... a favourite photo of my waterlily, flowering right now. I have added it to my wallpaper page if you'd like to share it!

Happy house-working to those of you enjoying that pleasure today! Bloom x