Marg Low Designs

Craft Alive Wodonga 2019

The show was over all too quickly. It was lovely being out and about, catching up with customers from previous shows and meeting new ones. If you couldn't make it then please enjoy the following!

 

The red & white quilts over the tables are Sarah's Sampler & Friday Girls Medallion.

 

Sewing Kit & Petite Pincushions

 

A piece of Christmas, combining Joy to All, Theodora Cleave decorations & Christmas Tree Quilt

 

Gift Tree

The Gift Tree pattern is on sale for $15. Includes free postage within Australia.

July only or until sold out.

 

a stitch here and there

When I first started designing fifteen years ago I must have had more time. I loved nothing more than remaking a sample using different fabrics or making small changes to the design just to see how it looked.

 

Making the second Sew Bliss sample has taken a few weeks. Started last month for the retreat I've been adding a stitch or two here and there, finishing a step now and then. I'm always pleasantly surprised when those tiny steps add up to a finished project.

The stitched sides were replaced with a floral print showing it looks just as lovely with less work!

You'll find the pattern and kits on my website.

Sew Bliss pattern

Sew Bliss Kits

 

Thread Roll class

It didn’t take much to convince the girls to do one more class for 2017. Once I promised they’d all go home with the Thread Roll finished they were hooked. Who doesn’t love a little project, that’s useful and can be made in under three hours!

 

 

Don't they look fabulous. Love them all!

 

It left me wishing I'd been a bit more adventurous with my flower colours when I made this one for my Aurifil appliqué thread.

Guess I'll just have to make myself another one.

 

The pattern for the Thread Roll is $6.50 plus P & H.

 

it's that time again

It’s that time of the year, thoughts turn to Christmas and what gifts to make. The ‘what’ depends on how many gifts I need and do I have time to make them all? Not everyone leaves it to the last minute like me and it is my never ending hope that one day I’ll start making gifts in January.

With only ten Fridays, including yesterday, before Christmas I should have started and not still be talking about it.

This year it’s going to be a mix of gifts; some Christmas, some sewing and some useful things for all year round. To keep me on track I’ll be making a project each week and posting about it on Fridays.

In case you hadn't noticed, I did miss my first deadline!

So late yesterday I was looking at my fabrics and felts and hoping inspiration would leap off the shelf when I thought about remaking Gem's Needle Keep. I have a new felt colour - Fresh Linen (not white) and wanted to give it a try.

 

 

I'm feeling relieved and pleased that I've made a start.

The pattern for Gem's Needle Keep retails for $6.50 and Gem's Needle Keep Kit is $15. P & H extra.

You'll find the felts here.

 

 Last year some of you missed out on No Peeking.

 I'm happy to let you know the No Peeking patterns and kits are back in stock.

Blue Mountains Retreat

Can you believe it's almost two weeks since the retreat.

It was a fanstastic weekend organised by Karen & Bren from Linen and Threads.

Lovely ladies, yummy food and a spectacular view!

My photographic skills do not do it justice.

 

Indoors it was all about catching up with old friends, making new ones, stitching, shopping ......

 

My projects for the workshop included  a stitchery using one of Barb's (Theodora Cleave) gorgeous buttons and a birdie stitchery made as a decoration or used on a bag.

Both patterns, Make a Christmas Wish and Hearts & Berries retail for $10 each plus P&H. Kits are available for both projects.

While Hearts & Berries may look a little too festive for some, colour changes everything. Try stitching the birdie in blue with red or blue berries for everyday use.

My other little project was a Thread Roll. Some of you may remember this as my Make & Take project at AQC earlier this year.

Everyone was thrilled to go home with a Thread Roll saying it was the first time ever they'd finished something at a workshop.

This is the type of project I LOVE BEST, a combination of techniques and materials, but best of all make-able in a couple of hours.

The Thread Roll pattern retails for $6.50 plus P&H and a kit is available too.

 

One of thread rolls made at the retreat. Love it!

 

Thank you to everyone who attended the retreat, Karen & Bren and the other two tutors, Anni Downs and Michelle Marvig for making it such an enjoyable weekend.

 

Looks like Christmas

This year I can't wait to start decorating for Christmas. Why, because this year I have these trees to put up. The tough decision will be deciding if I want them on the table so I see them every day, on the cupboard opposite my favourite chair or part of the display in my hallway.

I do love working with felt. It's easy to tweak the shapes, simple shapes can be cut freehand, so you don't have to fuss with templates and they can be attached with minimal stitching. The pattern is called Home for Christmas. It costs $16 plus postage.

 

For me, an important aspect of Christmas is making gifts. The simpler the better, since they're usually made at the last minute. I'm hoping to be better organised this year.

This pattern is called Gift Tree and costs $16 plus postage. It includes the three projects shown, a zipper bag, gift card and table mat.

 

The bag was very popular at the Christmas in July workshop at Avonleigh; lots were made, without the felt appliqué, in a variety of fabrics.

 

Sometimes my designs come about because of need and I needed a small quilt to fill a blank spot on a wall.

It's more an all year round design. This project involves needle turn appliqué and some simple piecing. And yes it does look nice hanging in the blank spot! The pattern is called Blackmore Cottage and costs $16 plus postage.

The fourth project is being kept under wraps for the

Linen & Threads 2017 Blue Mountains Patchwork & Quilting Retreat in October.

 

You can purchase the new patterns and lots more from my online store.

 

do you ever

Do you ever prep something and then find it's days, weeks and sometimes months before you get back to it. When the Bumble Berries fabrics arrived I immediately cut out the Dressy Hangers and started stitching the gift pillow from For You; they'd be a quick and lovely addition to my gift stash.

Then the focus shifted to doing all the things that needed to be done for the Armidale workshop and no more progress was made. I told myself there would be time for some stitching on the trip, so into the bag it went and there it stayed. (If I'm honest I took a book and read instead.)

Now I'm on a roll, again, and the collars are on the hangers and the heart has been stitched.

 

 

The heart is filled with lavender and I think they look rather lovely together.

 

 

I hope to finish the other two hangers sometime this weekend, but not tomorrow.

Go Swans! Go Doggies!

I hope your team wins.

 

handy pins & needles keep

Do you pin? It's something I try to keep to a minimum. Over the years I've developed the habit of pulling pins out and dropping them beside the machine. I'm sure it only takes a couple of seconds to go the extra step and stick them in a pincushion, but it interupts the flow of whatever I'm sewing.  That's why this pins & needle keep is perfect for me. It has a magnet inside and I keep it beside my machine.

 

 

I have kits for the Red Flower & Pink Flower.

 

What's great about these kits, is they're already prepped! No tracing and cutting, you can start doing the fun stuff, stitching, straight away.

The kits cost $15 each plus $3.00 P&H within Australia.

You'll find them here Handy PIns & Needles Keep

 

 

gift stash

I remember my Mum had a stash of gifts tucked away in the cupboard. Back then shops closed at 5.30 pm weekdays and weekend trading was restricted to Saturday mornings; popping out to the shops to purchase a last minute gift was not always an option.

My favourite gifts are handmade ones. Even simple ones can take a few hours to make and you can be sure that a birthday or some other special occassion coincides with a work deadline. Over the next few months I plan to replenish my stash of gifts.

I made a start yesterday, stitching the From Me to You pouch.

The pockets are trimmed with ric rac. The fabric is French General - Ville Fleurie.

 I've put together kits. The kit costs $21.50 plus P&H. It includes the pattern, 3 fat eights - one each of fabric to stitch on, stripe & small floral print, ric rac and ribbon. To purchase, simply click on the link below.

From Me to You Kit

I'm so pleased to have one made in such a short time, I'm already planning what to make next!

Little gifts

Nothing went to plan last night - you know how it is, other demands on your time - so I finished sewing it together this morning.

The lavender sachet fits inside the pockets at either end. Last year I made a similar set for a dear friend's birthday and she loved it.

Now I have to ask, 'Do you like the fabric in the background?'  It's my new ironing board cover. O.K., I know,  perhaps it's not that interesting, but I'm very excited. I've been wanting (needing) to make a new cover for some time now and kept putting it off. Today was the day. It didn't take long at all. Even my daughter loves it, she just looked in and told me how good it looked, maybe this tells you just how bad the old one was.