Marg Low Designs

new reading

OK so it's officially winter but does it have to be soooo cold. Compared to yesterday, glorious warm winter sunshine, today is a bit of a shock. I thought maybe I was just feeling cold without the sunshine but a quick glance at the temperature confirms what I felt - it's only 10C. I'm sure some of you will be laughing at my grumbles about what is probably a warm day for you but believe me this is cold!

With the cold comes the perfect excuse to stay indoors and browse the two new books I got this week.

 
I cannot help but admire early settlers. There is no way I could or would undertake such an arduous journey. Just the packing alone, essentials first and if there was space, treasured possessions. Saying good bye to loved ones knowing you'd only ever communicate by letter. Then enduring the hardships along the way. It makes me very grateful for my lot! Some lovely stories and gorgeous pictures, and best of all some doll quilts.

 
I have a number of books about quilt blocks and antique quilts but none about quilting designs. The quilting design is just, if not more, important than fabric choice. I have all my large quilts professionally machine quilted, eliminating the need for me to make any real decision about the quilting (yes I know shame on me).  But you can only put off things off for so long and my little quilts need to be hand quilted. I've been keen to find a book to point me in the right direction. This book by Jenny Carr Kinney has designs for applique, redwork, pieced blocks, sashings and borders, etc. Now I have many choices for my next little quilt. I just hope it doesn't take me as long to decide as it does to pick fabric! 

 

a birthday

 It was my turn for a birthday on Friday.

All birthdays should be celebrated but this year mine was one of those special ones ending in a zero. 

And to help me celebrate half a century the Friday Girls gave me this beautiful book by Annette Gero on Australia's Quilt Heritage.

As soon as I opened the present, and I glimpsed the quilt on the cover I knew it was going to be a book to treasure.

  But how truly special to find it signed by Annette herself.

Home-made preserves, a large box of Maltesers (I didn't know you could fit so many in one box) and a scrumptious lunch with birthday cake capped off a wonderful day.

Thank you!

nice surprises

I think I'm happiest when I'm working on simple fun to decorate projects, the ones that involve fussy cutting fabrics, ric rac, stitches and buttons.  

Here's a peek at what I've been working on. The Easter project I'll be teaching at Avonleigh in March. I find there is only one problem with this type of project, knowing when to stop!

I had a lovely surprise waiting for me at the Post Office on Friday.

Now some of you will know that Barb is moving to the beach and having a big clean out. Barb found this book and knowing how much I love little quilts sent it to me. I've had a lovely time turning the pages, being inspired and finding more little quilts I will just have to make. 

'something' done

 Yes, I resisted the tempation to make the ruler cover in red and opted for the coordinating set. Green is my favourite colour and I do like combining it with a little pink.

See the red just wouldn't have worked.

I'd never planned to make this many. I originally just needed a cover for my 60 deg. ruler to protect the edges. But you know how it is, one thing leads to another.

This is one of the projects I'll be teaching in the new year.

 Don't you love it when you finish one project and then straight away start the next one.

I have a new teapot and needed a mat to sit it on. Originally, I was going to make a dresden plate block until I remembered this eight petal flower block by Christine Book.

This is one of my favourite books and I have always wanted to make this block.

Now I wasn't sure what colours to use, as it is one of those modern infusion teapots, but these are the first fabrics I pulled out of the basket. They worked, so there seemed to be no point in looking any further.

What I am excited about is all those 'somethings' that needed to be put in some kind of order, have magically ordered themselves. 

Enjoy your New Year celebrations!

sewing treasures

 A few years ago I purchased this book. It's full of wonderful old sewing accessories. I have to admit to drooling over many of the beautifully crafted pincushions and threadholders.

Now I have a little wish list in my head of bits and pieces that one day I'd like to own. There is no urgency to completing this list and over time items drop off and others are added as my tastes change.

Last Saturday I arrived at quilting and sat with Vickii and also most immediately noticed the thread holder.  Vickii didn't want it anymore and said I could have it. How lucky am I!

It is perfect for displaying these old  threads which belonged to my Aunty Ivy. Many years ago, my parents arrived home with a suitcase full of treasure - lace, trim, buttons, beads, buckles, tins, old boxes and pieces of fabric.

Only then did I realise my Aunt must have sewed. As a teenager I'd never stopped to consider how my Aunt earned an income. All I remember is each year we made a long trip to her house to collect Nana, her sister, to bring Nana home.

 Much of the lace and trim is still on the cards but this one is my favourite because it's never been opened. 36 yards of  'Latest Novelty Lion & Flag Haberdashery Known all Over for Excellence of Quality, Made in France'. I would love to know how she planned to use all these bits and pieces and can only imagine the beautiful outfits she must have created.

I feel very fortunate to be the custodian of these pieces.

When I designed this basket, needlecase, pincushion and embroidery scissors bag, it seemed only right to name it after my Aunt Ivy.

This is the new pattern cover I've been working on. I have one copy of this pattern to giveaway. To enter the draw, simply post a comment by Tuesday 16 September.

so little time for sewing

There has been very little sewing at my place this week. Each year I promise myself I will be more diligent with the book work and for about the first 10 days of a new financial year I manage to achieve this goal. But it's not long before I start putting things off until the next day, then before I know it, I have a draw full of expenses that need to be entered and tallied on the computer. Funny how even the housework can look attractive when faced with a stack of bookwork!

Plus I've been getting organised for my Christmas Workshop this weekend. It seemed like I had plenty of time 'up my sleeve' and now it's only two sleeps away. I'm so looking forward to it!

Early in the week, I began hand quilting this project I started a couple of months ago.

And last weekend I finished my challenge quilt,  almost two weeks early! Yes, I am skiting but I cannot remember ever, ever finishing a project with this much time to spare. No pictures until after the Quilt In, it has to remain a secret.

These books arrived on Tuesday. I do like Judy Hopkins', Around the Block books. There are six finished sizes for each block.

And I couldn't resist Maggi McCormick Gordon's, American Folk Art Quilts. Now to be honest it was the front cover that attracted me.  I had no idea what I would find inside, so imagine my delight when I discovered a whole section devoted to Crib and Doll Quilts. I've already added the Brick Wall quilt (page 100) to my list of things I must make this year.

gardening v patchwork

There was a time when I loved everything about gardening, specially the books and magazines. I only ever visited the gardening section in book stores and subscribed to the magazines Gardening Australia and Your Garden. I remember thinking that I would need to build a library, because I could not imagine a time when I would lose interest and stop buying them.

Eight years later I now find myself thinking where can I store all the Patchwork and Quilting books I want to buy.

Yes, here are a couple of books I couldn't resist. Marsha McCloskey's 'Block Party' and Judy Martin and Marsha McCloskey's 'Pieced Borders'. Kathie mentioned the Pieced Borders book on her blog and I just happened to see a copy of the Block Party book and thought I need that.

What really disappoints me about both these books is I've had NO time to sit and study them!

Impulse buys, or not...

Oh, I've been trying so hard  to only buy fabrics for projects I already have planned. You know, no impulse buying!

 But Jan had a piece of this oh so cute Little Red Riding Hood  fabric. And when I visited the shop on Wednesday Sue-Anne was buying a Fat 1/4.  Now I could hardly leave the other Fat 1/4 just sitting there.

And isn't this one sweet; Mary had a Little Lamb. Now I have no idea what I will do with either of these fabrics, but I just had to have them.

The other day I saw this book and heard  the author, Mary Moody. being interviewed. Well I couldn't resist. It's a beautiful book and I'm so pleased that I did buy it. I'm not sure that I will ever make any of the recipes - they all sound delicious, but well meals at my place are often they last thing I think about. Meals therefore, need to be the type you could cook in your sleep. Add to this I never ever have the right ingredients - I know a little bit of planning wouldn't go astray.  But this doesn't stop me collecting recipe books and dreaming about the meals I might cook one day. 

And here is another book that has set me to dreaming. The new Material Obsession book. So many gorgeous quilts, I'm not sure which one (if time permitted) I would make first. I think it would have to be the 'three ring circus', p 128 , not too large so therefore achievable!

But right now I'd better go and work out what's for tea.