Peggy and Bev's Place

Welcome 2010

Hello All, Just as I'm winding down from my Christmas Festivities and feeling quite relaxed, time keeps rolling and now I'm getting ready to Welcome & Celebrate the New Year!

How was your Christmas?  Mine was delightful, shared with family & friends.  It's been a few years since one of my children was able to make it home, so it was just wonderful to lay in bed (the patio is just outside our bedroom) and listen to he & his brother, uncle & friends laugh & chat late into the night.  Now everyone's gone home, the house is too quiet so already I'm planning holidays & activities for the New Year!  I've even been able to find a few hours to keep sewing arcs & melons for my Double Wedding Ring quilt.  No new photos to share yet - I think it may be a while!

My last post was just before I had a week off - while I was away Peggy kept busy, this is what she whipped up-

I think it's lovely! Hot pink, lime green black & grey spots, what a combination.  From memory the fabrics called Daisy Dot (I'm at home and can't check) and the pattern is from Swirly Girl Designs - Perfect Ten, made with 10 fat quarters.

I actually have a design for a skirt in mind for the border fabric,I'll have to be quick toget some before it all goes. 

We're expecting quite a few new fabrics to arrive in the next couple of weeks, so we're clearing out & making space by having a sale at the shop at the moment.  If you haven't visited yet, unfortunately today is the last day.  We have 25% off everything except wadding & class bookings and we have an amazing table with fabrics at $5.00 per metre, which has gone particularly well (as we expected it would - there's some wonderful fabrics included and it's a great way to build a stash).

Anyway, I'm off to work - I need to get some cushions made for a demonstration for the Beginners Sewing Class next week.  I'll show you what I come up with later - I've chosen some exciting fabrics.  Before I go I prowled the internet for some words of wisdom to share for the New Year and I found this, from Aisha Elderwyn -
Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself..

Here's to 2010.

Bev

My Sleepover Bag

Following directions from this wonderful pattern from Melly & Me I made myself this wonderful bag using a few of my favourite fabrics from our home decor range from Kokka and Denyse Schmidt.  I've got to say I'm quite proud of myself - I really like this one.

The Sleepover Bag pattern is definitely sized for an overnighter - perfect for travel!  There are 2 front pockets, a secure top zipper & a unique side decoration.  Finished size is approximately 21"x 21", including the handles.

I'm thinking I'll make a couple up to give away for special Christmas gifts!

Bev

Happy Strippers from Thursday Night & New Patterns from Melly & Me & Others

Well we managed to make it home before our carriages turned into pumpkins, but only just.  Boy we had fun last night!  What a wonderful, even thrilling feeling to start and actually finish a project in one session without interuption - other than cups of tea and lots of laughter & truly serious discussion with great friends that is (we even forgot to eat the chocolate that Kristy brought along). 

Here's our strippers from last night, with their almost completed pillow cases, including beautifully constructed French Seams:

The technique we used - sewing the strips to a backing fabric resulted in a beautifully neat finish to the inside.  Everyone went home very satisfied with their accomplishment and with plans for many more.

A parcel of patterns arrived yesterday including the lovely Sleepover Bag pattern and Bon Bon from Melly & Me.  I've already chosen some lovely Kokka fabrics to make the Sleepover Bag and are hoping to get to it this weekend. 

 

 

Other patterns to arrive include a selection fromthe Lovely Janelle Wind Collection (I seam to be having trouble inserting pictures, so be sure to come in and have a look:

   

 

  Till later - I'm off to do a little creating!

Cheers,

Bev

   

UFO's! Why? Why did I even allow myself to open the door?

How's that for a dramatic title - get your attention?  Sounds like I'm (or at least my UFO's are) out of control, but Í will survive (actually I'm very good a t closing the wardrobe doors so I don't have to look or think about them)! I haven't posted for a few days so this will be a little long - go grab a tea/coffee now, so you can enjoy reading.

It's the most beautiful day here, I made the effort and got out of bed & went for a walk this morning so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself and have great plans for sewing through the rest of the day.  Since it's the second Thursday of the month it's Strip night tonight & I've got a great pillowcase design to sew.  Could it get any better?

We've received some exciting, wonderful new fabrics & patterns here in the shop over the past few days (yes more UFO's are on their way).  Fabrics are from the range Urban Green from Fabriquilt.  Here's pictures of some of the range.

And here's a quilt pattern made with these fabrics -

Next these gorgeous patterns from Australian Designer Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now have arrived.  I actually noticed Kellie's quilt "Meg's Garden" on display at the Australasian Patchwork Convention in Melbourne back in February and fell in love there and then.  Kellie's designs have been featured recently in Homespun & Quilters Companion magazines and I will admit to itching to start! 

The Big Top Puppet Theatre is designed to fit in a door surround with 4 dowels inserted & held up by two hooks above the door.  Looks like great fun!  

Kellie's blog is   http://www.dontlooknow.typepad.com and she has wonderful close up photos of her designs, as well as lots of great information so be sure to have a look.

While I take a break & remember what else I wanted to let you know about, I thought I'd let Christina take over the keyboard & update us on her plans to complete at least 1 UFO each week. This is what she wrote to me:

Do New Projects Count as UFO's

How about cleaning out my sewing room???????????? That seems to be a constant Un Finished Object..................

This week's progress seems a little slower and I think next week's finished projects will grind to a halt. I have spent a lot of time this week getting projects another step along the way to being finished but the most time consuming parts (like pinning and quilting) are yet to come. Progress this week includes finishing the backsmocking on a dress, making 2 quilt backs, sticking circles on a quilt, piecing part of another quilt, cutting more strips needed for yet another unfinished quilt and lastly working out how to put an unfinished table runner together. Unfortunately progress does not equal FINISHED!!!!!

The sewing room clean out included sorting items into 4 tubs:

1. The unfinished bag tub
2. The unfinished MENDING and dressmaking tub
3. The unfinished pattern making tub
4. The unfinished patchwork and quilting tub

Well the 4 projects actually complete are:

 A charity quilt- Started at Evonne's in January (like so many other great projects)

A quilt for Pete's Aunt Marian-this was started at Evonne's place in January also. I quilted this with a twin needle-I love the effect it gives both on the front and the zig zag on the back.

 

Two doll's dresses for a friend's premmie baby. I wanted to do something pretty for little Eva who was born 8 weeks prem-fortunately she is doing really well and will be out of hospital in a few weeks. Man am I glad that Kieren doesn't play with dolls because making dolls clothes is just painful!!

 

Well I'm now 10 projects down-only 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999997 to go................

Love

Christina

Inspiring - isn't she?  I can't say I've finished any UFO's this week, I did however start another project and actually completed it!  We've got a workshop on Stained Glass Patchwork coming up in a couple of weeks, so I got in and made the sample up (and I even quilted it myself) - here it is hanging on the noticeboard in the shop.

Peggy's in Sydney this weekend attending a Marti Michell workshop, so she'll be back next week with lots of new ideas & projects.

Till later, I'm off to do some sewing

Bev