Marg Low Designs

christmas pattern giveaway

There was a lovely surprise waiting for me yesterday in my letter box.

A parcel from Jenny saying thank you for being a part of her Stitchery Retreat last month.

Jenny asked me for something Christmassy. This wasn't too much of a stretch as I'm nearly always thinking Christmas. And since I'm usually making things at the last minute they need to be 'simple and quick'.

 Stitched tags, strung together like a bunting, hung on a tree (Jenny did this) or tied to a gift. And because I have a 'thing' for gift pillows, I couldn't resist decorating a little stitched pillow with one. Finally, a Merry Christmas sign to hang at the front of the bunting (this would also make a cute pillow).

But Christmas is still a long way off.......... isn't it? Last Monday I spotted a Santa at Holbrook holding the number '59'. This can't be right was my immediate reaction quickly followed by........yes it is! 

If you're anything like me and enjoy making gifts but tend to leave them to the last minute (I hope not) this is the perfect pattern. I have 3 patterns to giveaway. To enter the draw simply leave a comment by next Friday 7 November.

Sampling the Antique - Mamre House

What a fabulous weekend!

The theme for the workshop was 'Sampling the Antique'.

Jan designed the most gorgeous appliqued tablerunner, string pieced star and cushion. I love the tablerunner; Jan's home and all the things she holds dear.

Christine projects were a Stitch Sampler - Needlekeeper, String pieced Hussif with a stitched verse by Jane Austen and one of the loveliest samplers (sorry I don't have a picture) I've seen Christine do.

  My projects were a stitched purse with sample stitches, a needle and thread roll, needle punch needlecase and appliqued pincushion. And because I love using fabrics from my collection of scraps - a crazy patchwork purse. I've used the same pot design in each of the projects. It's great fun taking the same drawing and then working it in the different mediums.

On Saturday the mystery guest was Catherine Sanchez from Homespun with a preview of some of the projects that will be appearing in the magazine over the coming months.

Then on Sunday Sue Ross from A Day in the Country was there with show and tell. Her quilts are stunning! 

 The contents of the goodies bag. Project patterns, fabric, antique buttons from Lillyvale, striped binding from Ingrid of Pioneer Patchwork and needles etc.

 The weekend is a time for some fancy dressing. The girls are encouraged to dress to the theme. Here's Christine with the Bling sisters and their handmade bonnets.

These girls drew their inspiration from the film The Duchess. Yes they wore their tiaras all day. Would love to know if they travelled home wearing them.

What's lovely about teaching at Mamre House again is seeing lots of familiar faces. Janet and Jean got into the spirit of things with their pink shirts.

Michelle and Karol enjoying themselves.

Girls from both days

 

There was lots of retail therapy, with Tracy from Patches of Heaven, Temora, Ingrid from Pioneer Patchwork, Narellan and Colleen from Lillyvale. You can catch Colleen at the Cobbitty Markets, 1st Saturday of each month.

  And I found time for my own bit of retail therapy. A stunning bracelet made from antique buttons by Colleen's daughter Belinda, green buttons and doiley and a fabulous Santa tag.

I feel sure that everyone who attended had just as much fun as I did.

oh joy

Oh joy, late this afternoon I finally managed to play with some threads, and just maybe I'll find a few spare minutes tonight to do a little stitching.

Now I guess your wondering why I could be so excited about putting a few threads together.

Well up until now the only sewing I've managed since Monday LAST week is this  - hemming the sleeves on my jacket and overlocking the split seams on a pair of leggings. Necessary, but hardly inspiring!

 This has been sorted and is now packed in the car for an early start tomorrow morning. The Mamre House weekend has come around so quickly. Jan and I had such a good time last year and this year promises to be just as much fun. Hope to see you there!

busy, but no sewing

I've been busy doing everything but sewing! I can't remember when I last picked up a needle or used the sewing machine. The good thing is I've been tackling jobs which have been on the To Do list for quite some time. I had this crazy notion everything should be crossed off before heading to Sydney this Friday for the Mamre House workshop. I soon realised I was trying to achieve the impossible, prioritized the list and feel oh so good about what's been crossed off!  

Jenny & Kay brought along their journal covers to class last week. How good do they look? Jenny's with the ric rac and ribbon roses is gorgeous and elegant and would make a very special gift. Kay's is perfect if you love to stitch.

 Finalising the instructions for this project is still on the To Do list.

Oh how simple if all I had to do was provide the templates and let the maker decide fabrics and construction methods. This is how it was done 100 years ago; one of the interesting facts I learnt at Yelena's  Antique Quilt chat group yesterday. We also learnt about Turkey Red, Poison Green, Chrome yellow and Cheddar fabrics. A lovely way to finish off a hectic week.

a bit of this n that

You can see, I'm really having a lot of fun with these fabrics. The birds are finished and now all I have to do is hand quilt, then bind this small throw and a table runner. I have used just about every bit of the fabric I purchased. What a great feeling knowing I haven't added to the stash!

This is a Hera marker (Clover) and I could not do without it. For around $10 it is one of the best investments I've made. I mark all my quilting lines with it and even use it to mark the casing lines on drawstring bags. No more lead pencil marks.

A little gift bag, I made awhile ago. No prizes for guessing the recipients favourite colour!

I love that the little flowers were the perfect fit for the circles on the scalloped border. How simple was that!

more yellow

I can't believe it's Thursday already and only two weeks to go before Jan and I pack our bags and head to Sydney for the Mamre House workshop. Neither of us want to think about our to do list between now and then. The good news is we've both finalised our projects, including the instructions. We caught up with Christine last week and made some final plans. It promises to be a fun weekend so hope to see you there.

 I'm feeling very pleased with myself, because for once my most recent purchase is being put to use.

How often do I come home with fabric and then after a couple of weeks put it into my stash? Too many! And I am thoroughly enjoying working with these colours.

And I do have more yellow in my garden than I care to admit too.

The Banksiae rose is one of my favourites.  Its a mass of blooms in springtime.

I love the small delicate flowers, the thornless stems and the fact it thrives on neglect. My type of plant.

not my colours, but.....

These are not my usual colours. In fact I try to avoid orange and yellow,even in the garden, they're a little too hot for me.  But I found myself draw to them everytime I visited my local patchwork shop. 

I did resist until last week when I realised this fabric would be perfect for my Red Robins or perhaps the Robins were perfect for the fabric. A simple and quick project that would satisfy my desire to make something with these fabric.

Ok, so they're not finished, but I  have started.

I did design another project to use the remaining fabric; cut it out and started sewing before I realised the maths was wrong (should have double checked with the calculator). So now I'm rethinking and rearranging......

  

And the colours are creeping into the garden as well. My neighbour had nasturtiums growing in her backyard and somehow they've found their way into mine. I don't mind, they self-seed and grow without any assistance. Even the colours are starting to grow on me.

more journal covers

Here are some more journal covers.

They were made by Vicki and Sharon. Don't they look great. It's very inspiring to see the different fabric combinations and use of trims. Just looking at them has already got me thinking and dreaming..........

I've been tagged by Lenora to tell you seven random things about myself. So here goes.

1. I grew up on an orchard and then moved to a dairy farm when I was 15.

2. I love apples, but there is no way I could drink a glass of milk. I'm a black tea and coffee girl, have been since I was about 17. 

3. Love the TV series Dr Who. Sunday nights just won't be the same now the series has finished.

4.15 minutes in a book store, flicking through the children's books, is pure enjoyment.  A couple of my all time favourites are Edward the Emu and Dr. Dog.

5. Most days I go for a 25 minute walk around the block. It's good for me and great for Azzy (the dog).

6. If time permits, I attempt the Kokonotsu (Sudoku) puzzle in the paper each day.

7. I cannot trust myself with yummy food - chocolate and the like, so we don't have any in the house.

And that's it!