#f*cktober - A Cushion For Eden

**Potty Mouth Alert**

A couple of weeks ago, Beth from Babymac wrote a beautiful blog post for her friend Eden.  Eden and Beth are REAL life friends - meeting through their blogging world, but becoming face to face friends instantly.  I don't know either of them in real life, but feel like I've gotten to know them somewhat through years of reading their blogs.  Especially Eden's.  Eden writes like there is no tomorrow.  Sometimes, literally.  I have commented on her blog hundreds of times over the years, especially last year when I was going through a rather turbulent time with a family member and her battle with mental illness.  Reading Eden's blogs - her feelings, her perspective, helped me infinitely in trying to understand what my family member was going through.  I would tell them this, tell them I was trying to understand and trying to help and that I felt like Eden was helping me too.  Through her words.

Sooooo, when Beth put out the call to help Eden get through a really shitty October, I was very quick to answer the call!  Beth re-named this month #fucktober.  With a hashtag - cos everything needs a hashtag!  Now obviously, I was going to make something.  But what?  This is what I came up with.....

 

One of the most divine cushions I've ever made of course.  Eden has a "thing" for feathers.  So I printed out one of Quiet Play's arrow patterns and then turned to my fabric for help.  After half an hour of trying to work out colours, it hit me - WORDS!  So out came all of my text fabrics....

 

And with painstaking patience, I fussy paper pieced words in to the pattern.  Not just any words, but ones which have power and meaning.

 

I used this sensational Essex yarn dyed linen and pulled out some spools of 12wt and 28wt Aurifil I was sent.  Experimenting with the denser threads was really good fun, and I'm happy to report that it worked beautifully in my sewing machine, with a 40wt thread in the bobbin!  The texture in the cushion cover is amazing.

I was also very happy to discover that I had enough of this divine feather print for the backing.  I think it's perfect.

So, I sent this little present off on its way last week with a little note for Eden - Words are weapons.  Eden uses hers for good.  I have no idea if you have received it Eden, or if you even read my blog hahahah.  But I really hope you like it and that it puts a smile on your dial.

If you'd like to send something to Eden for #fucktober, you can head over to Beth's blog post HERE for all the details.  I don't think Eden's local post office will know what's hit them!

Charm Dash Pattern Testers & A Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who gave me such wonderful feedback and encouragement on the release on my first ever quilt pattern - Charm Dash!  I was a little overwhelmed by everyone's kind words and even more overwhelmed that some of you actually bought it!  Hoorah!  If you missed my post last week, then you can check it out HERE.  And just because we all love pretty pictures, here is the pattern cover photo....

Now, in case you don't know, getting a pattern ready to be released to the world is rather time consuming!  It is also a little stressful, and comes with a little lot of self-doubt.  Well, this was my experience anyway!  A few things made the process a little easier for me:

1.  Supportive quilty friends

2. Understanding husband and children

3. Chocolate

Some of my supportive quilty friends offered up their time to test the pattern for me.  Others proof read it for me, and gave me incredibly constructive feedback to make the pattern more user friendly and in turn, better.  I could not have asked for more!

So today, I am sharing with you some of their fabulous work!

My number one cheer leader, Angie from Gnome Angel, took my first draft written instructions to see if they made any sense whatsoever.  I was beyond thrilled when she sent me through a photo of her finished block.  Angie used some much loved AMH and Cotton + Steel.  I am so looking forward to her finished quilt top!

Emma Hill was one of the first to throw her hand in the air when I put the call out for pattern testers.  And, I kid you not, she had four blocks done a few hours later, and ten days later, her quilt was finished and I had this amazing photo to drool over!  Emma chose to make a baby size quilt, using a 3x3 layout, which I think works beautifully!

The lovely Lea actually offered to pattern test for me before I was even looking!  She didn't let me down, with this delightful fussy cut version.  I love the colour palette she has chosen.

Kelli has started her quilt top, using these beautiful fabrics!  I love the mix of teal, green and purple!

And this amazing piece of work is from the lovely Katrina!  She has switched around the rectangular print block placement, which gives it a whole new look again!  

And a close up just so you can see exactly how yummy the blocks are!

And last but not least, the lovely Susan purchased my pattern to use for her Bonnie & Camille charms!  I was so thrilled when she showed me this photo!  Perfection!

So - there you go!  Some beautiful versions of the Charm Dash, which gives you an idea of just how versatile the pattern is.  If you would like to grab a copy for yourself, you can find it in my Craftsy Store or Etsy Store.

And to celebrate the release, I'm having a little old giveaway!  I have two copies ready to email to two lucky readers.  All you have to do to be in the running, is tell me which charm packs you would use for my Charm Dash pattern?  The giveaway starts now and closes 8am Thursday morning.  The two winners will be announced later that day!

GO!

Charm Dash Pattern Release!

I am just a little bit excited, mixed with a little bit nervous about finally sharing my first ever quilt pattern with you all!  The Charm Dash quilt pattern came about after a night of no sleep, wondering what to do with my Kate Spain charms!  I ended up getting out of bed and started scribbling on a piece of paper, in order to not forget what I had thought of.  Later that day, I played with my fabric and came up with a block design - the Charm Dash.

 

The block itself reminds me of a mutant churn dash!  And when all of the blocks are pieced together, it gives a fantastic octagonal secondary pattern, which provides plenty of negative space for quilting!

 

One of the best parts about this pattern is the fact that it uses 5" charm squares and there is absolutely NO wastage!  Which was perfect when utilising my beloved Kate Spain charm squares from the Aussie charm swap.  It is also a great way of showcasing fussy cut fabrics - with the centre square made for highlighting brilliant prints!

 

All of that negative space was fun to fill.....

 

I free motion quilted what I will call "vine tendrils" over the entire quilt top.  It has added a beautiful texture to the finished look.  

 

I kept the backing simple.  But in an explosive kind of way!  I ADORE this blue print from Sunnyside.  It didn't need to be anything else but itself..... 

I utilised it for the binding too.

Although the pattern is for a throw size quilt, I have included cutting directions and block placement for Cot, Single and Queen size quilts also.

So.  I've designed a quilt.  Written a pattern for it.  And launched it out in to the world!  Who knew?  I'd like to throw out a HUGE thank you to a whole bunch of gorgeous quilty friends of mine, who have been so incredibly encouraging and have held my hand and cheered me on through this process.  You know who you are!  And another big thank you to my fabulous pattern testers!  You will be able to see their wonderful works of art very soon, when I devote a whole blog post to them!

For now - if you'd like to purchase a copy of the Charm Dash pattern, you can pop over to my Craftsy store HERE.  It's an instant download PDF, and the joy of having a Craftsy account means it's forever stored in your own little pattern library - never to be lost on your computer.

Phew.

I'm linking up (EVERYWHERE!) - You can too!

Amy Butler Aussie Charm Swap - Sign Up Is NOW OPEN!

The sign ups are now officially open for the Amy Butler Aussie Charm Swap!  Amy has some of the most vibrant and decadent fabric lines EVER, and I think 112 of her fabrics mixed together will be stunning!

Here are the details:

1) FIRST IN, BEST DRESSED!  This swap will be open to 56 participants, me being one of those!  You HAVE to email me to obtain a spot.  Your spot is not confirmed until you have received a return email from me! All of Amy Butler's fabric lines except for the SOLIDS can be included. The included lines are listed below.

2) Each spot is 2 Amy Butler fabrics, 1 yard of each, and I strongly suggest that you purchase at least 1/4 yard more in case of any cutting mistakes you might experience.  Better safe than sorry.

3) Fabric must be new and unwashed and from a smoke free environment.

4) Press your fabric and remove the selvages before cutting. Cut your yardage into 5 inch squares (56 per yard) total = 112 charms. You can follow the great tutorial on how to cut your charms from yardage by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Frannson! found here.  Please sort your charms in to pairs, as demonstrated in this photo:

5) Post them out to me by 14th of October. Put them in a Ziplock bag and include your 112 charms, an index card with your name, mailing address and email address (in case your package opens up, your charms will stay safe and dry and your contact info will get them back to you. You must post them to me using a PRE-PAID SATCHEL.  You must also include a SELF ADDRESSED PRE-PAID SATCHEL so that your charms can be mailed back to you. Unfortunately due to the cost and complexity of shipping back internationally, this swap will be for Australian/Kiwi participants only.  Kiwi participants will be required to send a return shipping satchel, and will be invoiced via Paypal for return postage.

  Once I receive them all I will sort and return a stack of 112 different charms to each participant! You can sign up for ONE SPOT, however, if there are spots remaining after one week, I will open up those remaining spots to existing swap members.  They will be in the mail to you 2-3 weeks later. I will be aiming to have them all in the return post by end of October/start of November - fingers crossed!

6) Very important!!! Please choose fabrics that have not been claimed by another swap member. Please join the AMY BUTLER AUSSIE CHARM SWAP FACEBOOK GROUP - Once you have had your spot CONFIRMED, then check in the FB photo album before purchasing fabrics to see what has already been chosen; we want to avoid duplicates. Once you have chosen your fabrics please post pictures, with the Fabric line and specific print/colour information to the Facebook group Photo Album.  Once you've chosen your fabrics make sure you add the photos AND include the name/description of them.

7.  There is a $5 fee per swap spot.  This is to be paid via Paypal, once your spot is confirmed.  

So who wants to join in on the Amy Butler fabric fun?

Email me:

Your Name

Mailing Address

Email Address

Phone Number (just in case)
Blog address (if you have one)

When I email you and confirm that you are in the swap, I will include my postal address and Paypal information.

Here are all the Amy Butler fabric lines that are included in this swap. Remember, no SOLIDS fabrics. Some of the older lines are a bit hard to find, but Google is your friend!

Grab the new blog button and feel free to spread the news if you'd like!

GO!

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Make Modern Magazine & My Pavement Puddles

Today is my day on the Make Modern Blog Hop.  I know I've spruiked about the magazine and my contribution when it first came out, but today I get to tell you how my Pavement Puddles quilt came about!

 I went through varying stages of ideas and designs for ideas before I finally got to my submission.  There was talk of a laptop cover - which I got 3/4 of the way through before stuffing it up and having a meltdown.  Then I was going to do a giant floor cushion cover - before I changed my mind again and, you guessed it,  cue the meltdown.  Eventually, it was me not getting through to the Sewvivor top 16 that cemented my quilt submission!  You see, Pavement Puddles began in the upstairs of GJ's in Brunswick - where I spent a Saturday sewing with some blogging friends.  I'd finished the paper piecing I had taken with me, and decided to pull out my Horizon jelly roll. I had earmarked a hexie project in the hope that I would make it in to Sewvivor and would need a hexie project!

Anyway, I wandered downstairs to the shop floor and found the Peppered cotton by Studio E, bought myself a metre and went on my way.  After constructing my first few hexies, I knew it was a winner!  I marched straight back downstairs and bought the last two metres of the peppered cotton, and took it all home and put it on the shelf....

Fast forward a few days later, and finding out I was a not going to need the hexie project, I took this little old photo and sent it through to the MM gals.....

And asked if this hexie quilt idea would be one they'd like for their magazine?  Then fell over with relief when the answer was Yes!

Anyway, I guess the moral of that story is - Missing out on being a Sewvivor contestant really was the best thing to happen to me at that very time!  Because as they say - the rest is history!

Pavement Puddles came together as a quilt remarkably fast.  For some remarkable reason, my lack of mathematical ability flew out the door, and all of my measurements worked out! But as usual, I decided I needed to throw a spanner in the works, and emailed Kate & Pete Spain to see whether they could help me source some yardage for the backing.  They were incredibly generous and helpful, and a week later, I had backing fabric in my hot little hands.  Needless to say, I got the quilt finished and submitted in the nick of time!

 

I named it "Pavement Puddles" because it reminds me of the colourful puddles left on the pavement after a sun shower.

Sooooooo, that's how my first ever submission for publishing rolled.  It was a giant learning process for me, and the ladies at MM were the best cheerleaders around!  

Now, if you haven't already subscribed to Make Modern, or bought yourself the first copy - you can pop over and sort that out right now!!

And if you want some background tales from the other contributors, you can check them out here:

Full Blog Tour Roster:

1^st September                   Make Modern

3^rd September                   Kristy @ Quiet Play

5^th September                   Where Jane Creates

7^th September                   Gina @ Party of Eight: Our Story

9^th September                   Molli Sparkles

11^th September                 Juliet @ The Tartan Kiwi

13^th September                 cat&vee

15^th September                 Ruth @ Ben and Charly’s corner

17^th September                 Kelly @ Kelliotmagic

19^th September                 Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts

21^st September                 Serena @ Sew Giving

23^rd September                 Melissa @ Ms Midge

25^th September                 Anne @ Hudson Valley Quilts

And if you haven't read the first issue, then I guess you wouldn't know that I'm also writing a little old column each issue!  That's right - I am now to be referred to as the "Domestic Quilting Goddess"...... I'm still laughing.  Each issue, I will be giving a little bit of my own basic quilting advice from my own experience, quilting on my little Bernina.

Thanks for having me Make Modern! x

Bonnie & Camille Charm-Along!

Now that the Bonnie & Camille Aussie Charm Swap has wrapped up, I had to find something else to do with my time!  So I've managed to round up some fabulous Australian sponsors with some fabulous prizes - and have created the Bonnie & Camille Charm Along!

WHAT?!?!?  I hear you say....

Well, I want you to go forth with your Bonnie & Camille charms and CREATE!  It does not have to be a quilt, it can be whatever your little heart desires, or whatever your charm squares tell you they need to be - BUT they have to be Bonnie & Camille charms!

Do I have to be an Aussie Charm Swapper to be involved?

NO!!!  This Charm Along is open to EVERYONE around the world - BUT you have to be using Bonnie & Camille charms and you have to agree that if you win one of the lovely prizes and you live outside of Australia,  you will pay for shipping, direct to the sponsor.

So - how is this going to work?

Go and find all your Bonnie & Camille fabric and turn it in to charm square heaven.  Then turn those charm squares in to something you truly love!  You will have FOUR weeks from today, and I will then open up a big old linky for you to join in and show me your projects!  The linky will open on Monday the 20th of October and will close on Monday the 27th of October.

What's in it for you?

Well, I have a few little prizes up for grabs.

The lovely Camille Roskelley has offered FIVE lucky participants their choice of ONE PDF pattern from her amazing range - including a couple of stunning new patterns!

A $50 voucher to spend on the amazing range of Quilter's Solids at The Oz Material Girls.  
(Part of voucher is to cover postage costs).

Live Love Sew has kindly donated a Scrumptious Layer Cake AND a copy of her X's & O's quilt pattern!

Sponsored prize description coming soon!

Machine embroidered Towel, hand towel & face washer set, made to order, kindly donated by one of our charm swap members - Meg Pease.

A SIX MONTH subscription to Make Modern Magazine! Please note: You will receive access to the next three Make Modern issues published after you subscribe. If you subscribe after Issue 1 is published on 1 September, you will receive Issue 2 onwards

AND - if that wasn't motivation enough - getting involved in the charm-along means you get to use all those beautiful fabrics you have just been staring at!  Win win!

Looking for charm inspiration?  Head over to my Charm Square LOVE Pinterest board and check out all the amazing projects.  You can also see all of the Kate Spain Charm Along Participants HERE.

So - what are you waiting for?  Grab the button below and join in!

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Sunday Stash - New Stuff

Some of you may remember the very recent Homespun-gate, which lead to my Bernina's meltdown?  Well, since then I have been investigating my options for good solid solids.  I've asked in a couple of my favourite FB groups, and have been given a range of leads, from Bella to Kona; Art Gallery to Michael Miller.  The majority of those beauties retail in Australia, on average, for around $14 per metre.  Now, given I have been used to using solids that cost around $7 per metre, I just about spat my peppermint tea out when doing such research!  I know, I know - quality blah blah blah.  But my dollar is very important to me, and I like to see it spent wisely.

Sooooo, a while back, my lovely friend Louise from The Oz Material Girls, sent me a sample pack of their quilter's solids.  I took this little pack out again a couple of weeks ago, midst research, and gave them a good looking over, as well as a good feel.  And then decided to jump in and order myself some.  I was able to take out the fat quarter pack of Nightshade I was using for a project, and hold the little sample squares up to them and figure out which colours I required.....

The following day, these lovelies arrived (Yes, Louise even express posts if you ask her nicely).  And I have to say, they are beautiful.  And only $9 per metre.  I made up my quilt top over the following couple of days, and was REALLY happy with how lovely they are to work with.  I could just become a convert.  If you want to try them out, you'll find them HERE.

P.s. - This is NOT a sponsored post.  I just like to tell you when I find something I like.

Another new addition to the stash......

Was this little bundle of brightness.  Straight from Tokyo via the Tokyo BFF.  The Japanese characters you saw in a little bag last week.  And the Disney Frozen prints were sent "just because".  So I've whipped up a couple of cute simple little skirts - one for my daughter, and one for my God-daughter in Tokyo.  I have some decent sized off cuts, so am thinking I'll make up a few zippered pouches or messenger bags for gifts and/or to sell.

And last, but certainly not least.....

This amazing parcel of Aurifil goodness arrived this week! I know, I know, Aurifil is not new around these digs, but some of the products in this parcel are!  You see, the lovely Alex Veronelli asked a favour of me on IG a couple of weeks ago - to see how many bobbins it takes to empty a 50wt spool of thread?  I quite happily obliged, and he very generously sent me all of this in return!

Now, admittedly, I have only ever used 40 & 50wt thread, because you know I'm no hand sewing fiend!  But these lovely little wooden spools of Floss almost make me want to!  The Lana wool thread is amazing but I need to do some more research on how to use them and well, the 28wt cotton spools will be fabulous to quilt with!  If you have any knowledge and/or advice to share with me - feel free to spill!

I hope you are all noticing an absence of new designer bundles entering my stash of late?  I finally put a stop to my purchasing in anticipation of Tokyober.  What's that I hear you say?  Well, in less than three weeks, I'll be off on my Tokyo journey.  At which time, I shall more than make up for my lack of fabric buying at present......

I'm linking up - You can too!