Marg Low Designs

favourite fabrics - for this week

Yes, I do have to admit I am fickle when it comes to my favourite fabrics. Last week it was all about pink, and before that it was those gorgeous Urban Cowgirl fabrics in green and pink. Now it's these! 

I wonder if I will ever get tired of red!

 

Christmas tradition

Just like a particular salad and desserts have become part of our Christmas tradition, so has the making of a  red & white quilt. Well it is more mine, since I'm sure my girls only pretend an interest to please me.

Apart from maintaining this tradition it is so good to have one less unfinished project in the house. (I know it still has to be quilted and the binding sewn on, but it's finished enough for me.)

 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

 

Marg

 

presents & a quilt to finish

Every year I find myself wishing I'd started making the Christmas presents a bit earlier. You'd think I'd have worked it out by now.  Even the quickest of gifts take time when you do them in multiples.

I never get tired of making these. The great thing is they're all different and once the fabrics, decoration and threads are picked, I can stop thinking. I could almost make them them in my sleep. You will find kits for Ralph here.

Something different for a friend whose received gifts with Barb's buttons the past two years. The pattern for How Many Sleeps? is here.

The Ho Ho Ho kit can be found here.

And because I don't have enough to do I'd like to finish (top only) this quilt started about 18 months ago. The Friday Girls had a lovely day sewing at Sue-Anne's  on Thursday and I'm inspired. 

 

spring clean

Remember the baby quilt I was making. It took no time at all to piece the top and then nothing.... Even when I bought the perfect piece of backing fabric, still nothing. At last I found a small spark of motivation  to quilt and bind it so I could stitch the binding down at Friday sewing.

 
 I'm having a bit of a spring clean. Yes,I know it's spring but I suspect my reasons are more to do with 'I am over the clutter' and I have found that ruthless streak which allows you to break the emotional ties with bits of stuff.  

I decided to treat myself to a new heat bag. This was the perfect opportunity to cut into (I can't call it used - used implies there are only scraps left over) some of the new fabrics purchased this year.

 
I'm reluctant to use it - it looks so lovely and new! Both my girls have asked for one. I'm thinking a strippy one for them. Guess I should make a start now while I still feel motivated.

the week so far

Tuesday, Jan and I headed across to Bendigo to The White Wedding Dress - 200 Years of Wedding Fashions exhibition on at the Bendigo Art Gallery. The dresses are gorgeous and it was impossible to pick to a favourite. It's on until 6 November and definitely worth going to.

Then it was lunch with Barb in the sunshine ( I am only mentioning the sunshine part as it started raining early yesterday morning and hasn't stopped) followed be a little shopping. Barb suggested we head to Bath Lane 'as there are a couple of nice shops there' and she wasn't wrong! 

The weather has been perfect for staying indoors, to do a little stitching......

and make a little bag for the mirror purchased for a gift at the Art Gallery.

 

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!

no sewing

I have imposed a no sewing ban on myself while I get ready for the quilt show in Sydney next week. Preparing kits is like making a quilt, it does take a lot longer than first thought! So no sewing until they're done.

 
  
 
Just some of the kits I'll be taking. 
 

 Yesterday I went fabric shopping. Looking through a basket of Fat 1/4s I came across a piece of one of my all time favourite fabrics. I only have the oddest shaped scrap left and if I was honest with myself should toss it out as it's not really usable. But it's a favourite, and I have hung onto it just in case the odd shape is a perfect fit for some future project.  You can understand my excitement, why I clutched it tightly in my hand refusing to put it down, while debating 'will I or won't I'. Now you'd think, just buy it, but having used it in two projects there is a real chance it might end up in the stash, uncut for ever. Sometimes you have to 'move on' even with a favourite.
 The two projects and the Fat 1/4. 'Will I' won out.

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.

two things done

Two things were crossed off the list I made myself last Friday. Should I admit the first thing I did was finish the book? Once that was out of the way it was easy to focus on the things I should have been doing. I decided to make the second dress. It was already cut out and hanging over the back of a chair. It needed to be sewn while I was still enthused and could remember how I'd sewn the first. Plus it's not red and white and didn't fit with the decorating theme!

 
I love trees and couldn't resist the white metal one from the shop Little Nest in Albury. The tiny tree was a lovely suprise in the post from Barb, who found it at Steph's, Moruya.

 

It's good to remind yourself that you can have just as much fun playing with pots and flowers as you do with fabric. The wormwood and coriander flowers have begun to droop but the statice will last for almost ever!