Marg Low Designs

kits & christmas

Right now I can't decide if I should be focussing on preparations for the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair in June or working on the projects for the Christmas in July workshop at Avonleigh.

Receiving an order of buttons from Barb made the decision of what to do easy.

Yes, Simple Pleasures Kits. The fun bit is chosing the fabrics and threads and then it resembles and feels like a production line!

I've been fitting in a few minutes here and there on one of the workshop projects. I'm very excited about it and as you can see it combines the things I love - a little stitching and crazy patchwork in my favourite colour!

class 'work'

Here are just a few of the things girls have made or brought along to class. I do love seeing the projects finished or close too. I know myself how difficult it can be finding time to complete things at home.

The Red Treasures girls brought in their pieces from previous classes.

 
 One of The Bunny Sisters. Heather's made two now, the first was a gift.

 The Strawberry Yo-Yo table runner made by Julie. Aren't we lucky to have so many gorgeous red fabrics to choose from. Do you recognise one of them from the last post?

 

Miranda's Strawberry Yo-Yo table runner in the process of being hand quilted.

Tamara's quilt. I love her choice of colours. It might be called the Red Treasures club but this doesn't mean you have to use red. The girls are encouraged to work with their favourite colours and fabrics.

 
The lastest Red Treasures project - Treasures from the Past, a pincushion and scissor case. No red here, apart from Gabby's birds. They have the option of making the stitched pincushion or the quicker  - no stitching at all version. You can see which one some of the girls opted for last night.  Annette's pincushion is what I'd call gorgeous and funky and Tamara's is a perfect match for her table runner.

The Get Set for Christmas Club at The Material Girl, Yarrawonga was a great success.

A few of the Sweet Treats bags the girls made in the morning.  Somehow I missed taking pictures of their How Many Sleeps?   Oops!

things to finish

A few weeks ago I decided to make another red and white quilt.  A little one, of course, using some favourite old pieces combined with new. 

Almost finished, it just needs to be hand quilted.

This pasion for red is not going to stop here. I'm now toying with the idea of decorating the lounge with a collection of red and white cushions.

 
Something simple to get me started. The hand quilting will make it that bit more special, but I can't help wishing I'd used the machine, it would be finished now. I'm not sure how many cushions I'll end up making, I guess I'll just know when enough is enough!

Another project started, this time a a baby's quilt. I spotted the elephant print at the show, loved how bright and cheery it was and decided it would be perfect for a baby girl.

 

Something else I must finish is the birthday quilt!

the material girls - pretty things

Saturday dawned bright and sunny for my trip to The Material Girls at Yarrawonga. A very pleasant surprise after the weather we've been experiencing. It feels like we've skipped Autumn and jumped straight into Winter. I often think this is the real advantage of being passionate about sewing, it can be done regardless of the weather.

There were two classes,  Vintage Stitches Sampler and Nice Things for Everyday.

 
 
As you can see projects were finished or close too and still have time to savour the delicious muffins and cake Leanne made. Thank you to Joy and all the girls for making the day so enjoyable. 

I can't wait to get back there to start the Christmas classes.  

AQC - Birdie Trinket

Last night I was looking for a little project to start and finish. Something simple, requiring little thought and quick so it was finished well before bedtime!

I decided to make another Birdie Trinket. This is the little project you can come along and sew in the Make & Take 3 session at the AQC in April.

The session is approx. 50 minutes and starts at 1.00 pm. Most of the preparation work will be done for you, so you can get down to the fun part, stitching, straight away.

You will need to book and purchase a kit at Blue Willow Cottage (Stand 194). 
 

Steph's shop

Steph's is a gorgeous shop, bright and fresh and full of inspiration. Not sure what to look at first, I knew I had to look at everything!

Here are just a few things that caught my eye.

 
 And finally, how could I resist the red!

 
 
  Some of the finished or close to finished projects the girls worked on.
  
 

A big thank you to Steph and her staff and the girls who attended the trunk show and classes for making my trip so enjoyable. Who cares about the weather when you get to meet so many lovely people.

what to do on a wet saturday

What else do you do on a wet Saturday than start a new quilt!  That's exacty what the girls who attended the Grecian Times class did. Here are the blocks they made.

 
 This block is perfect for using up your scraps. I've been toying with the idea of making the quilt again in these colours for my brother's birthday.

  

something new for everyday

It was only when I pulled my sewing bag out in class that I realised it was looking a little worse for wear. Until then it still appeared (to me) as fresh as the day I made it. I actually felt a little embarassed. To me it's much loved but to others it probably looked a little, grubby. Made about two years ago, it goes everywhere with me and is used everyday. Any wonder it was looking a little tired and sad!

The only thing I could do was make a new one.

 
 I didn't intend to make a red one, it just happened!

It's always nice to see one of your patterns made in a different colour. Have a look Florence's blue version of Cherry Cream Squares.  It looks fantastic. I might even prefer it to the red.

How exciting, Joy has asked me to teach at The Material Girl. There's a two day Get Set for Christmas club and a day of Pretty Things. For more details go to Classes & Workshops 2011.

a fresh sample

Something I like to do every so often is remake a sample. It's fun and can be challenging using entirely different fabrics. The goal this weekend is to remake the Vintage Stitches Sampler. This is just one of the projects I'll be teaching at Steph's, in March.

Of course I could have looked through the stash for the right fabrics but where's the fun in that! I bought these, largely influenced by the journal cover made last weekend. I have doubled up on a couple of the pieces, but didn't want to suffer the frustration of not being able to find them at home. Plus it's nice to leave the shop with the inspiration clutched in your hand.
 As you can see I've made a start, after ditching the green and choosing two greens with a bit more lift from the stash. The choices don't stop here, now to choose the embroidery stitches and thread colour.

Enjoy your weekend.
 

Christmas weekend at Avonleigh

How come good things go so fast! The weekend at Avonleigh just whizzed past.

 
Some of the projects and girls at work (play). As usual the food was delicious - no pictures of that because tasting overrode any other thought. It was impossible to have only one piece of Kay's fruitcake and Sharon's slice. Sensible eating all this week! 

A big thank you to Kay and Sharon, for doing all the things they did to make the weekend so much fun, and to the girls, Sue, Rhonda, Lynne, Chris, Lee, Kim (all the way from Lakes Entrance), Betty, Heidi, Amanda, Belinda, Vanessa, Trudie, Bronwyn and Sue for their laughter and enthusiasm to try new things.

Kay was busy taking photos over the weekend, not sure if she's posted them yet but have a look here.