Marg Low Designs

new quilt patterns

Two of my favourite things are 'little quilts' and 'achievable quilts'. The AQC was the perfect venue to release my two new quilt patterns.

 
These satisfy my need for 'small'. Both would look gorgeous as a table topper. You can purchase the Candy Floss pattern here or the kit for either Sashed Stars or Checkered Stars here.

Coconut Ice is very 'achievable'. I can't wait to make another in red, one in soft pastels for a baby, green and pinks, blues & yellows - I could keep going. It's the ideal pattern for using bundles of Fat 1/8's stashed away in the cupboard.

The pattern is available here or if you prefer the kit here. 

It can take me ages to choose a name for a pattern. I must have had a very sweet tooth the day I named these!

a pink phase

Clearly I am in the midst of a pink phase.

I thought these were yummy fabrics when I bought them and I haven't changed my mind.

What to make with them - a pair of little quilts of course.

They were made before Christmas and at the time thought they would be completely finished by mid January, and not just machine-quilted but hand-quilted. Somethings just don't go to plan.

Instead I've been writing patterns, liaising with the printers  - spending the last couple of weeks on the necessary but much less interesting side of business.

friday's shoofly quilt

Last week, Sue-Anne, Nicole and I got together and started the Shoofly Doll Quilt from Kathleen Tracy's book, The Civil War Sewing Circle. We have jokingly called this our 'We're not going overseas quilt' . Two Friday Girls are off overseas, lucky them, and those of us staying home are making a quilt, lucky us. Jan is going to catch up!

Sue-Anne has finished hers - not just the top, the whole thing, hand quilted, bound and labelled - it looks gorgeous in blues and blacks.

 
 Nicole has finished her top and it looks entirely different in the greens and pinks. Looks so pretty and yummy!

 
 And mine looks like it's already worn out before it's even finished.

 
I didn't change any of the fabrics, however Sue-Anne did come to the rescue with the cornerstone fabric. It's a nice change from the red quilts I've been making.

a little weekend sewing

Last Friday it was decided, that this week at sewing, the Friday Girls would make one of the little quilts out of the book 'The Civil War Sewing Circle' by Kathleen Tracy. We all received this book for our birthdays, thanks to Sue-Anne.

No buying new fabric, we have to make it out of our stash -  which shouldn't be a problem. So you can guess what I was doing Friday night and part of Saturday. Going through the stash looking for 'just the right fabrics'. Of course I am 'short' the fabric I want to use in the border!

I've been so preoccupied designing and sewing with my red fabrics I'd forgotten about some of my other treasures.

Like this border fabric. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make something with it, not sometime in the future, but right then! Working out the layout and size was simple, I only had a Fat 1/4  to play with. The Churndash block was an easy choice, I loved making it for the birthday quilt and I've been drooling over the ones Helen & Michelle are making.

 
 Love the pink, blue and green combination!

So looking forward to Friday and sewing with the Friday Girls. I can't wait to see what fabrics they've chosen.

today's post

Look what came in the post today.

 
The Threadbear Fabric Club! They are sitting on the table, tempting me to play with them, but you know how it is - there are other things I must do first.

These little quilts were made for birthday gifts. This year I decided to make the same quilt, but in different fabrics. 

 

Super easy once you get the maths worked out. I'm tempted to make another one using the fabrics that arrived today. 

I should be, but .....

There are many things I should be doing, buying more fabric and dreaming of a new little quilt isn't one of them.

I am very partial to red, white and blue and zeroed in on this fabric as soon as I walked through the doors of Avonleigh last Saturday. There was no way I could come home without a piece. 

 Of course I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on the priorities but it was impossible.  

What to make? Nothing sprung to mind so I flicked through some of my books. Barb gave me a book called 'Living with Little Quilts' by Alice Berg, Mary Ellen Von Holt and Sylvia Johnson. Lots of lovely pictures and some quilt patterns. There is a quilt, pictured on page 18, I'm always drawn too and it was just what I felt like making. Something simple that didn't involve complicated maths.

 Now I'm sure you are wondering where is the new fabric! And it has made me smile. The fabric was the inspiration but not essential to this quilt. I did use it in two blocks, but to be honest, that was just so I could justify the purchase to myself!

a friday girl birthday

Earlier this year I was very organised (unusually so) and made Helen's birthday present well before it was due.

It was just a simple matter of wrapping it.

And no I'm not organised for the next two.

red & white churndash

Buying fabric can take only a moment, putting it to use can take a bit longer, sometimes years. I came home with all those fabrics from the AQC and wondered how long it would be before they ended up in a project(s). Some are going into the birthday quilt and two more ended up in a churndash block.

 I don't know why, but I've only made this block once before in my first quilt, a sampler. It's lovely and easy and there will be more than one in the birthday quilt. The idea for a little churndash quilt has been bubbling away for awhile, but seeing Kathie's made it happen.   

 
 Not quite finished, it still needs to be quilted. One day!
 

something pretty, something red

A new baby girl was the perfect reason, for pulling out the stash of "baby fabrics" and making a little quilt.  The last three baby quilts have been for boys, so it was a lovely change to make something pretty and girly! 
You may remember the cute love bird fabric I used on the back of a baby quilt last year.  I couldn't resist fussy cutting it and using it in the stars and corners. I would dearly like to make another one, exactly the same for me, but it's not possible as I used up every last bit of many of the prints.

After finishing the top I felt motivated to do the last bit of applique and add borders to a red and white quilt started earlier this year.

 
Now I'm tempted to start another red quilt with the fabrics I bought at the AQC.

march birthdays

March is a big month for girlfriend's birthdays, three in the one week. Most years I'm still stitching the night before, but for reasons I cannot explain they were started and finished in February. I was on such a roll I've even made the one for the birthday in May. This is highly unusual for me, so much so, I thought I should check my temp!

I was so ahead of myself, I forgot to take a picture of one of them.

I decided to make little quilts.

 
 It's the Nine-patch from the my favourite book Childhood Treasures by Merikay Waldvogel (page 107).

There are still two more to make. The fabrics were chosen in February and have sat on one end of the work table until the other day when I needed the space and were moved to the cupboard. 

So nice to know things are returning to normal!