Megan's quilt as you go Bag

This is my friend Megan's version of the 'In The Pink', JoyPatch Bag. I love her daughters choice of fabrics, they work so perfectly together. I think I've got her hooked on making bags, which might be a good thing. As she's had a few requests, from her daughter's friends, for their own 'In The Pink' bag.

Quilt as you go Bag

I made this bag a few weeks ago now. It was really fun to do as I'd not quilted as I'd gone before. It's encouraged me to make a cot quilt this way, I've just not got it fully designed in my head yet.



I made the bag back and front from scraps. The handle from a fat quarter and the lining from an op-shop asian tablerunner. I think it turned out alright. I followed a pattern by JoyPatch called 'In The Pink', but changed the handle.



My Aqua fabrics post is nearly finished, I just remembered some more tonight but will wait for daylight to take photo's.
I can't show anything else I'm doing, until after Christmas. I can't wait to see my Mum & Sister's faces on Christmas morning. It's going to be just the best Christmas.

Promised Pictures

From the lovely Amy Butler

Oh so yummy Daisy Chain

In fact, I've discovered I have an even larger stash of Aqua fabric's than even I thought!
I've decided to dedicate a whole post to pic's of them all.
You will truly see that I am a bona fide Aqua Addict.


And lastly, but definitely not least.
My 'Melly & Me' Fat Quarter's Bag.
I really love these fabrics, City Girl by Kitty Yoshida.
I think they suit the bag, which was a lot of fun to make.

I'm looking forward to the 'Melly & Me' book, which Melly has just started to think about. I just know it will be filled with fun and funky things. Hopefully a bit of this and a bit of that, a bit for me, a bit for you and some bits for them, plus a bag, any bag, I love making bags.

Once in a lifetime.............

Our evening out in Sydney was fantastic. Two gals from the mountains, drove into the big city and immersed ourselves in Amy's warmth and creative persona. We were dazzled, truly motivated and valet parked. First time in my life, what a hoot!

The following line is what I initially came away with buzzing in my head.

'Do what you love, and love what you do'

At first it sounds too idealistic to be realistic, but thinking further, what I think Amy was hoping to get across to us. Was that if you want joy from what you do, you have to stay true to what you love. Don't give up on it, don't lose sight of it. Don't dilute or temper it. And go for it! Don't hold back. Live it, breathe it, be it. Have courage and conviction, but don't be hasty, let it evolve at it's own pace. Walk when it walks and run when it runs.

(I wrote that last week, I wasn't sure if it sounded too daft. But I've re-read it, and it still resonates true, so I'll leave it).

Neither Jane or I took a camera with us. Ho hum. Too excited?

I have taken a picture of my signed book and of the fabric I bought. But I'm still waiting, for 'im indoors, to be able to download them. I'll do a second post later this week of them, (hopefully).


Santa's bringing me my very own camera for Christmas, I'll be able to blog more confidently and frequently then. Yeehar. If anybody out there can recommend their camera, which they find blogging easy with, could they let me know.

In January I'll be able to show what I'm making at the moment. I don't want to put them on the blog just yet, as I want them to remain a surprise on Christmas morning for my Mum and Sister.

Happy Blogging,
Mandy

An Evening with Amy Butler

I can't really believe I'm going!

This lady single-handedly changed the way I thought about patchwork, quilting, bag-making, all sewing really.

I first fell in love with Amy Butler's fabrics, and then moved onto her patterns. You know that Listerine advert on the tv, the one that blows all the barnacles off the hull of a sailing boat. That kinda happened in my mind when I first saw Amy's fabrics. It sounds rather ridiculous, but her colours and fresh, modern but retro designs allowed me to think outside what I though patchwork and quilting was all about. AND it allowed me to think that perhaps I could at least try it for myself. It gave me the confidence to experiment. Wow. I have not looked back. I still like traditional fabrics and traditional patterns. But now I look at fabric through different eyes, and have so many more options than I used too. Hang on, maybe that's another reason The Stash has grown to the proportions it has. Oh well, there are worse things to be obsessed about.


Moving on to other things...................

I've failed to say before, that my local village, truly gorgeous shopping place, Sage, has bought a few of my bags to to sell. I don't know how I found the courage to talk to Rexine, I think I must have been riding high on my success at 'The Falls Art Festival'. Because, I have the shy gene, and have on quite a few occasions, especially when I feel out of my depth, turned a vivid shade of red all on my neck and chest. Mortifying. But, talk to her I did! And, what a thrill that she liked what she saw. I also took some fabric samples and she ordered a couple of bags to be made.

This one




is the one she ordered. If you ever see this fabric, 'Country Roads' by Robyn Pandolph, touch it! It is oh so soft, you'd be forgiven if you thought it was flannel. This is the only fabric to get 'the nod' from Tim, and I have, of course, sourced some more for a quilt for our bed.
Back to the bag.
This bag is all my own. I first made this bag, which I've called 'Simply Shopping' from some 6 1/2" odd squares I found at Ribbons & Rainbows in Blackheath. I just designed that bag from what fabric I had, and basically followed the method of Rosalie Quinlan's 'Naomi's Bag'. This time though, I thought what about a log cabin center, and voila, there you have it.

This is the back


The center for this one is just all the left over, odd cut pieces, sewn together, and then cut down to the correct size. I like to think it has added a Ying/Yang - order/disorder aspect to the bag.
Anyhow, the second bag that went to Sage today was a bag I started maybe a year ago! I'd made the outer bag and the lining, and then gone, oops not sure if I like that, and had to stop. I found it again last week, and looking again at the colour compostition, I decided that yes I did like it after all.





And so to bed.......

My Softie

Here is my very first attempt at designing a soft toy. It had to be easy!
I wanted my toy to be a used toy. One that could go anywhere, especially in the washing machine. I didn't want it to be complicated, I wanted easy shapes. I wanted it to be loved and cuddled, sat on, squished and dragged where ever it's two legged owner wanted to go.

So....

here

is....

'my hugul'







I'm wondering about making up some kits to sell, or maybe just a pattern. But I'm not sure. After being home raising children for nearly eight years, I'm feeling the need to try and contribute in a financial way also.
Please let me know what you think.

Hi Jane

I finally got it together to make a post. Thanks to my good friends prompting.
First up, a couple of tease photos, as I don't want to spoil the fun in Melbourne.
Go here for more clues.































The other thing I want to show is the finished table runner I did recently. I'm so proud of it, and I'm really glad it didn't sell as I want to give it to a particular friend of mine. She loves the colour orange, and this table runner sure is that!
















Okay, that's all for today. I'm plum tuckered out.
I, still, have that softie post to do.