Marg Low Designs

a special gift

Kay met me at the door of Avonleigh on Saturday with this lovely thoughtful gift.

I can't wait to start sewing with them! 

Thank You Kay and Sharon. 

 

Red Club - Ruby's Little Quilts

A few years ago, Bronwyn and I discovered hexagons, courtesy of Christine Book. Were we excited! Our shopping was quite blinkered, only thinking in terms of which fabrics were suitable for fussy cutting hexagons. Bronwyn kept going with them and I stopped.

The second Red Club project involves hexagons.

I stopped here.

And Bronwyn stopped here.

 
How fabulous does hers look! It's very very inspiring. 

What's so nice about this quilt is the number of prints used. In years to come it will be a lovely record of the fabrics available around this time. 

Belinda hasn't been able to stop making them either and plans to sew hers together. At the moment, she's just enjoying playing with them, who wouldn't!

Belinda's box of fabrics. As exciting as a box of chocolates - Yes/No?

red club no. 4

It happens. The ideas and the desire are there to turn the lastest fabric purchase into a new quilt, pincushion etc but something else crops up; there's tea to cook, the dog needs a bath, rubbish bins to go out, Uni assignments to read (not mine), another project grabs my attention,then one day going through the stash I find myself remembering 'Oh yeah, I was going to make....' I am particular bad (or is it good) at this, but not this time.

The fabric I said I was going to do something has been transformed into the 4th Red Club project.

And since I was not content with just one

I don't know which I am more excited about, two new quilts (almost finished) or the fact I've used fabric for its intended purpose almost immediately. It leaves me wondering, why can't I do this all the time!

a perfect sunday

The Victorian Quilters Quilt Study Group held their meeting in Wodonga on Sunday. A perfect opportunity to view old quilts up close. There was no way I could miss an opportunity like that.
This is Caroline's quilt, made from feedsacks. I've only ever read about these quilts so to see one was very exciting.

 
I know I was a little disappointed when this quilt, belonging to Janet O'Dell, was finally folded and put away. I would have been quite content to look at this one all afternoon. The maker had used some gorgeous fabrics enhanced by fussy cutting them. The hexagons had been paper pieced. Fabrics take on a completely different look when they've been fussy cut.

Can you tell why I loved the rosette in the centre? Yes the little red print in the very middle is what captured my attention.   

Another of Janet's inspiring quilts.

Thank you to Janet and Caroline for allowing me to share these images.

the fabric stash

I'm sure you'll understand completely; it's impossible not to keep adding to the fabric stash. For every piece I use, two or more are added. Here are a few of the additions made over the last month - well the ones I can remember!

 
Reds are so essential that I no longer even consider them part of the stash. I found these at Li'l Blokes, Bendigo.

 
One day I'll make the book bag from these fabrics.

 
And a strippy quilt from these. Well that's the plan today, please don't hold me to it. These fabrics are from Jennifer Meek Giftware, Nhill.

More red, naturally. Soon to be turned into the 4th Red Club project.

 Not fabric, but how yummy are these buttons. I was too busy drooling over them and deciding how many to buy, to pay full attention to what Sharon was saying, but I did hear something about them being made from coconut and no two are identical. This is an impulse buy; no idea what I will do them but had to have them.

sewing things

It's always exciting to look at the fabrics, trims and sewing tools the girls bring to class.

Gabi's pin tin brought back many memories.

The Vintage Stitches Sampler purses the girls made.

 

All so different. The girls had the perfect day planned, a class in the morning and High Tea at Beechworth in the afternoon. A day can't get much better than that.  

look what was returned!

Kay rang with the happy news - the sample was returned this morning. 
My initial reaction was surprise, then relief and then a wry smile. Yesterday I purchased fabric to make a replacement!

I told Kay this and she had a laugh as she traced out the pattern last night. Wish we'd both made a start a week ago.... so good to have it back.

Girl's Day Out - Maroopna

Country Thyme's - Girls Day Out, is not that far away. In fact it's less than four weeks.  So you can guess what projects I'm currently working on.The girls have decided on a Christmas theme this year - can you hear my contented sigh.....

 
I couldn't resist stitching them in red.

And stitching them like this.

The workshop is on the 5th or 6th June. please contact Country Thyme for details and bookings.

mother's day

There are many things I can be grateful to my Mum for, one of those is the ability to sew a straight seam or on a line. I can't remember how old I was when Mum first let me use her sewing machine. I know I was desperate to sew something and Mum was probably equally as keen to put it off for as long as possible. So before I could start making shirts and dresses I had to demonstrate I could sew a straight seam.

My wise Mum gave me scraps of checked and striped fabric to practice on. Sewing a straight line wasn't as easy as it first appeared and I do remember many crooked attempts. (Reversing was probably part of the lesson as well.)  At some point I progressed and made a shirt, the fabric a blue and white check dotted with strawberries. And so my journey began.

christmas club

I was thrilled when the Saturday girls brought in their completed projects from previous classes.
Festive Star Runners was the first 2010 project and Michele has been very busy, having made five and given one away already. 

Belinda has finished her Believe! table runner (a project from last year's Christmas Club) and stitched family members names on the blocks. The runner is not that curvy, it's the way I placed it on the wall - I'd hate you to think it was the sewing!

The 2nd project, A Little Something. Robyn finished hers and the others were close too.

And a peek at the 3rd project.