Marg Low Designs

pretty journal cover class

Teaching is so much fun and today was no exception.

Journal covers were the go today.

These make great gifts and once you know how to measure your journal there are many many options for decorating them. 

I also took along the instructions for this cover, my 2008 Diary Cover, and the girls could choose any one of these or 'do their own thing'.

Now it's fabulous when this happens as ideas start to bounce backwards and forwards. Plus there we were in a shop filled with a wonderful array of ribbons, ric rac and buttons. What bliss! It is so much fun when you can just walk up to a shelf and pull off 5 or 6 different ric racs and see which one works best.

Here is the morning's progress. Two are finished and I can't wait to see the rest completed.  Jenny's thinking about embroidering grub roses on the red ric rac and Kim had started on her second cover  - the very pretty pink floral. It wasn't all work - there was a great deal of chat and a yummy morning tea. 

Kim's been busy, whipping up these gifts since the last class.

I wonder how many covers they will have made for the next class?

a little bit of everything

 A new needlepunch design. Started yesterday and finished earlier today, it has not taken long to do. This is the second one I've worked. Where possible, I always make a second one to check the pattern.

A  new stitchery for the class on Saturday.

The print is one of my favourite fabrics. You know one of those fabrics you just can't leave behind in the shop. Every so often I cut into it and make a little something. I couldn't resist using some today.

  The Spot the Yo Yo quilt is finally finished. And it has a label! The quilt was designed by Jan. Started just after Christmas 2007,the top was finished in days. It took me months to drop it off for machine quilting by Susan Campbell (Rowdy Flat Quilting).  

I'm very very pleased with it. Love it in fact!

Santa Class

Some of the girls from the class last Wednesday have asked me to teach this little Santa (Santa & The Advent Tree). I've lost count of the number I've made since I first designed and taught him four years ago. The plan was to make one from each of my red fabrics and decorate an entire tree with them. Well this hasn't happened. Somehow I managed to give most away that Christmas. I guess I'm lucky to still have these three.  

The date for the doll, Christmas Belle, has been changed from 8 to 29 November and an extra Punch Needle class has been added. Please see Classes and Workshops for details. 

quilts & blogs

Another quilt finished. (I wish I could say the same thing about the pattern.) I want to make another one, but using the scraps in my scrap bag, or maybe I'll make it in brights. Just know I want to make it again. 

Isn't it a great feeling when you stitch down the last inch of binding? Now if I can sew down the binding on another two quilts before tomorrow night I'll feel like I have achieved something this week. 

Barb has a new blog, for her 'design stuff' and is continuing Willow Bank for her chat and travels. I have to say I'm very impressed with her ability (and energy) to maintain two blogs!

And Carolyn's blog has been running for almost two months now (thought maybe you missed its inclusion in the blogs I like to visit), with some great reading and  photos.

Simply Gifts at Avonleigh

Last night I had my first class at Avonleigh. And it was such good fun!

Earlier in the day, I decided to make a few new gifts in my favourite colours green and pink.  If I'm teaching a project I haven't made in awhile I always try to make one (or more) just to refresh the memory. I do love making them, simple and quick to assemble and then the fun part - decorating them.

Here are the gifts the girls made. Decorated with gold, red and rusty bells, fussy cut baubles and angels. The possiblities are endless. But the real achiever last night was Abby, who came with Mum and was just going to watch but ended up making the three gifts pictured at the back in the paisley print. Don't they look gorgeous!

announcing the winner

And the winner of the Aunt Ivy's Sewing Basket pattern is...

Dawn, who wrote "I too have a dear Aunt whom I used to sit and sew and watch her create many things....." .

Congratulations Dawn. Please email me with your address and I'll pop the pattern in the post to you.

Thank you to everyone who commented. Like me, I know many of you will have bits and pieces tucked away in the cupboard, their value measured simply by the fact they once belonged to someone special.

gardening & shirtings

I'm not sure how or what I've done but my font size changed in the last few posts. I've tried to change it back so I'll see how it goes. At least large print is easy to read. 

Apart from finishing a sample Saturday morning for Mamre House, I've done no other sewing. Haven't even thought about. All I can think about is my garden. Yes I know it is that time of year, but I think its largely due to this great blog, Barb emailed me. I haven't felt this enthused about my garden in a long time. It's more than just the beautiful warm weather, new buds forming and bulbs flowering, this blog reminded me of what I had set out to do when I planned the garden.  

I am amazed at the resilient nature of some plants. This perennial wallflower just managed to hang in there last summer, surviving on only the little bit of rain we we had. And now its a mass of blooms. I've made a promise, this year I will trim it after flowering and give it some of the better quality mulch.  

I purchased a pot of Dutch Iris bulbs at a school fete a few years ago for $1 and should have bought more! Another one of my favourite plants - rewarding me with beautiful blooms for no effort. If you look closely you can see the lemon balm poking through the rosemary. I do love plants that self seed and pop up wherever, but for me, lemon balm is almost a weed.  If I didn't enjoy making a tea with it from time to time I would attempt to eradicate it all together.

And just in case your wondering where is the fabric?

Last week I purchased these beautiful shirtings with the gift voucher Helen gave me. I plan to use them in the Strawberry Stars quilt I started with Sue Ross. They will be perfect.

 

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.

Classes at Avonleigh Country Crafts

I'm very excited. This term I will teaching at Avonleigh Country Crafts. On offer are doll, stitchery and needle punch classes so I'm sure there will be something to please everyone.  Please see Classes and Workshops for more details.

     

     

         

Pattern Clearance

After 5 years I decided it was time to revamp my pattern covers. This also meant I had to make some hard decisions about which patterns I would discontinue. This has been as difficult as culling my fabrics as I still have a fondness for all my patterns. Each pattern triggers memories of what I was doing and feeling at the time I designed them. Sorting through them I had to fight the temptation not to start making them in new fabrics.

This is your chance to purchase these patterns for the last time. They are listed in the Pattern Clearance album. Prices have been reduced.

Simply email me [email protected] with your order. I will arrange for payment via paypal.