I made this little bag as my first Club Quilt Christmas swap in 2004. I was really very pleased with it. The stitchery is a sweet design by Anni Downs of Hatched & Patched.
I made a lined pocket behind the stitchery & I think there were pockets on the inside.
This is the reverse side of the bag. The handles on this bag are my all-time favourite way of doing handles. I must do a little tutorial on them sometime. I love how they look as though they are piped on the edges.
Opening last year's gift was another gobsmacking moment. This gorgeous creation was made by Carol and is a stitchery by favourite Australian designer, Bronwyn Hayes.
And of course, the bows on each side undo to reveal more treasures; a needlebook on the left, a scissor keeper on the right & a drawstring bag for threads & stitchery WIPs. Carol is another of our very prolific Club Quilt members & always has something new to show us.
How talented & generous are these women & how lucky have I been to receive such beautiful things for the last three years? Very special.
Now I suppose it is only fair that my next few posts should be about what I GAVE for the last three years! Let me tell you, you have seen the very best, so be prepared for things much more ordinary! I may well even chicken out in the next 24 hours & decide not to show you at all! BUT comparing quality of gifts IS NOT what it's all about is it? ... it's about the spirit of the giving, isn't it? ... see you tomorrow!
I have been trying to get a decent photo of this beauty for days, and this is as good as I'm going to get.
It is a flower from our Cape Chestnut tree (Calodendrum capense), native to South Africa evidently. Very pretty. For my local friends, there is a stunning specimen of this tree in the front garden of The Abbey.
If I wasn't blessed enough in 2004 by receiving Dale's stitchery basket, look what I received the next Christmas! Against amazing odds, I drew Dale's name for the second year in a row and received her stitchery portfolio.
It opens up to reveal plastic zippered sleeves for storing bits and bobs ...
and came with matching scissor holder & needle case!
The inside of the needlecase looks like this.
To say Dale is a prolific quilter & needleworker is an understatement. Her blog is here. She would love to hear from you, I'm sure!
Birthday lunch for a friend today. Took some flowers for her from my garden, as you do. Good food, special friends, too much champagne & lots of laughs. A good day.
This is one of the first gifts I received and was made by Dale. I was understandably overwhelmed when I opened this! It is a stunning sewing basket, a design by one of our Australian stitchery heroes, Leanne Beasley.
It has internal pockets for all those stitching essentials ...
Did I say beautiful, stitched internal pockets?
This basket is never far from my side in the evenings, & is in constant use. The initial pleasure of opening this gift has not waned - I still love to just stop & look at it. Thank you Dale.
I am lucky enough to live 'within a stone's throw' of one of Australia's largest rose growers. Every couple of years, they have an enormous 'nursery door' clearance of their roses at 'next to nothing' prices. I bought this little rose at their latest sale & it is called 'Jumpin' Jack'. It is NOT by David Austin! I won't confess the extent to which I otherwise indulged at the sale, except to say that I found a little stash of French Delbard roses in one corner that I could not resist, & am waiting eagerly for their first blooms.
Sixty stitched & appliquéd heart blocks done ... next, only sixty one nine patch blocks! Didn't I say it was madness?
Thought I'd share a little technique I came up with to help me to get through these heart blocks more quickly. I find this to be really useful in situations where you have a lot of blocks with the same appliqué on each. It isn't 'rocket science', but it assured perfect & uniform placement of the hearts on each background square.
Cut a square from template plastic the same size as your background square. Trace the appliqué shape onto the plastic square in the position you want it to be on your blocks. Carefully cut shape from the centre of your template plastic square using a craft knife.
For my block, I also traced the second smaller heart from the larger one and cut it out carefully.
Prepare appliqué shapes with fusible web as desired. I used Heat 'n' Bond Lite. Place square template over background fabric square. Place appliqué shape in place.
Remove plastic template carefully, without moving appliqué piece, & press.
Repeat process with second appliqué layer using the second smaller heart as a template for placement.
Press second appliqué layer, et voilà, perfectly placed appliqué shapes every time. Hope that makes sense!
There are colour coordinated displays of garments & accessories ...
A wonderful array of homewares ...
And of course the highlight for me is the quilting & stitchery section of the shop:
The owner is a talented craftswoman, and has a range of original stitching & patchwork designs. I am convinced she lives on no sleep - I don't know how she manages such an amazing business & finds time to design as well. It is always a treat to visit her shop.
I had the good fortune to win these great patterns designed by the lovely Lyn at Moore Patchwork & Quilting in her blog giveaway. One is a very sweet cot quilt called Spring Fling, just perfect for baby girls. And the second is a versatile appliqued apron pattern. Please be sure to visit Lyn's blog and say hello.
