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!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.msmidge.com" title="Ms Midge"><img src="http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u472/Melissa_Gottliebsen/bccharmalong.jpg" alt="Ms Midge" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Sewing Along With Sewvivor - Nautical Challenge

Once I got over the pain and devastation of not being voted on to the island, I had to re-group and decide what to do. I'd already started my Nautical Challenge piece, but sort of just wanted to fold it up and put it away forever!  Instead, I pulled it out and got on with the job.  And today, well, I finished it!

When nautical came to mind, I thought of the sea (derrrrr), and instantly started searching for a Mariner's Compass.  My husband has three nautical stars tattooed on to his forearm representing our three children together!  I could not find one I loved, so I went to my fabulous friend Kristy over at Quiet Play and asked if she could come up with something fabulous for me?  She came to the party!

I ummed and ahhed over fabric selection, wanting it to be strong and definite in its purpose, but also not wanting it to be predictably nautical in its colours.  I think the newsprint works very well as a background too.

 

Next step was attacking my blue and green stash.  I have plenty of both, but not many that are bigger than fat quarters!  I took my improvised curve cutting skills and worked it baby.  Every single row of colour is cut differently, and very improvised indeed!  I wanted the colours to work together but also against each other if that makes sense?  Like all the different currents in the ocean.  I did all the blue rows first, then had to figure out how to work around the compass block.  I used shorter lengths of fabric, improv curved them, then slashed them in half.  Curve cut the sides of the PP block and attached the side curves, then did the same with the top and bottom.  Phew.

The quilting was quite fun. Lots and lots and LOTS of free motion wavey lines!  There is one section of waves on the aqua pebble fabric and there are some little pebbles in between the lines in sections.  I used a range of Aurifil threads in blue and green.  And of course, some hot pink for the stars.

The final steps were completed today.  The Southern Cross.  I hand cut out all these little stars, which range in size from around 2" across to that teeny little one in the middle of the five point star, which is about 1/2"!  Fiddly.com.  They have been attached using Vlisoflex and then appliqued on with my free motion foot.  I then attached the hanging sleeve and binding - Finished!

I was quite out of love with this a week ago.  But today is a different story.  I know we all second guess ourselves in our artistic efforts, and we are forever comparing ourselves - but finishing this was a great confidence booster for me.  The vision I had at the beginning, of the finished product, actually worked!

I'm still undecided what I will do with this little baby.  I had thought of perhaps sending it off to a friend whose husband is in the Navy, but am unsure whether hanging a quilt in her home would be her "thing"!  So I'll just think a bit longer.  The best part about finishing it?  When I showed it to my husband tonight, he really liked it and used the words "wow" and "cool".  Pick me up off the floor......

A few little stats for you:

Size - 34" x 34"

Fabrics - All from my stash, binding is leftover Horizon jelly roll strips.

Thread - Aurifil , Aurifil and Aurifil

Backing - Ikea print

Now - if you want to go and back some sure favourites in the "real" Sewvivor challenge - then you best head over to Family Ever After.  And if you are an Aussie like me - then you best be voting for my two friends - Angie and Crystal!  Their entries are fabulous!  GO!

Kate Spain Charm-along Winners!

I'm so sad to see the charm-along ending today!  But I'm so very excited to see all of the UH-mazing projects that were linked up!  You seriously have to go and check out each and every one of them.  The way one set of 5" squares can be turned in to so very many different things is inspiring!  You can find them all on the linky HERE.

But for now - feast your eyes on the seven fabulous winners, who were all chosen by Random.org (because I basically could not choose a favourite - it would be like asking me who my favourite child was!?!?).  Here we go.....

1. Gina Coetzer

A $50 Voucher OR a Kate Spain Solstice Jelly Roll from fabricgarden.com.au

2.  Sandie Beach

Mystery Bundle from Gnomeangel.com

3.  Jayne Maddern


$20 Voucher to spend at Patternsonly.com

4.  Jenny Doyle

FQ bundle of Daisies 'n such from katequilts.com

5.  Handmade By Susie

12 FQ Solids bundle from kelliottmagic.com

6.  Chrissy Deacon

MerlyLou Designs Spring Cushion Pattern & Woollen Felt Kit

AND....... Drum Roll..........

A little pressie from Kate Spain herself!

7. Tina Fledderus

I want to do a HUGE shout out to all the wonderful charm swappers who not only took part in the charm swap (both here and the US, cos I know we had some Americans joining us!) but also jumped in and used their charms!  It has been so lovely knowing that the swap was the catalyst for creativity, and for some - a reason to start sewing again!  I have loved each and every part of it!

Another HUGE shout out to all the fabulous Aussie sponsors - please go and check out their businesses!

And also a big shout out to Kate Spain!  Kate (and Pete) has answered many an email from me, and has always been fabulous in her replies and sharing of information!  You are very generous, and I appreciate the time you have taken to be involved!  Mwah!

Ok - where to from here?  Tomorrow...........

Be sure to be around technology mid morning...... Sign ups for the next Aussie Charm Swap will open!

See you then!

Kate Spain Charm Along Linky Party!

All of this Kate Spain charm fun had to come to an end eventually, and I'm afraid now is the time!  I have thoroughly enjoyed the charm swap and the creating with all those beautiful fabrics, and am pleased to show you ONE of my finished projects!  The other one will be unveiled later this week.  But for now, I give you Kate Spain Hexed....

This lovely little wall hanging consists of 66 charms from the swap and a couple of half hexies from my stash of other KS lovelies.  I had already finished off a quilt top using the other 46 charms, and wondered what to make with these.  I then found the half hexie templates I bought over a year ago hiding in my drawer, and thought I'd give them a go.

 

And for my first ever attempt at any type of hexie, I must say, I really love them.  Even though my templates are really made for 2.5" strips or longer lengths of fabric, they just fit on the charm squares, and only just cut off the edges of the hexies at the bottom.  But this actually worked fine!  I love the preciseness of the points where they join.

 

I quilted it using a beautiful creamy gold Aurifil #2000.  I started off in the centre and worked my way outwards in a "bloom" pattern.  It adds some pretty superb texture!  Around the borders I added some pebbles in a zig zag motion and then outlined them with some straight lines.  I love the effect it has given.

 

The backing is the last of an Ikea print I bought a couple of years ago.

This will be hanging somewhere in my house - I'm not sure where yet!  But I love that I'm going to have a reminder of my first ever charm swap!

Now - it's your turn!  I have rounded up these amazing Australian sponsors, with fabulous prizes for some lucky charm-alongers!  All you have to do is link up your project at the bottom of this post before 5pm WEDNESDAY THE 6TH OF AUGUST, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA TIME, and the winners will be chosen and announced Wednesday night here on the blog.

A $50 Voucher OR a Kate Spain Solstice Jelly Roll from fabricgarden.com.au

Mystery Bundle from Gnomeangel.com

$20 Voucher to spend at Patternsonly.com

FQ bundle of Daisies 'n such from katequilts.com

12 FQ Solids bundle from kelliottmagic.com

MerlyLou Designs Spring Cushion Pattern & Woollen Felt Kit

AND....... Drum Roll..........

A very special prize for one of the Aussie Charm Swappers - from Kate Spain herself!  Horizon charm pack, Kate Spain Journal and Playing Cards!

An InLinkz Link-up

W.I.P. Wednesday - KS

Amongst a million other projects I've managed to start, I have two very special WIP's that are almost at basting stage.  My Kate Spain charms are actual works in progress!

 

This, my friends, is my first ever foray in to hexies!  I dared to hashtag them #cheating on IG last week, but was told I certainly am not cheating!  Yay for me.  Anyways, this little quilt top came about when I was left with about half of my charms from this next project......

Which is super top secret - hence the very small sneak peek!  I HAD a love/hate relationship with this quilt top - loving it because of all the KS and hating it because it is the project that caused "Bernina-Tantrum-gate".  But yesterday I had a little brainwave, which ended with me adding some borders and falling in love all over again.  I will hopefully have this project finished and ready to show you all - ALONG WITH A PATTERN!!! - in the next week or two!  Stay tuned.....

P.S. - Tomorrow on the blog - A table basting tutorial!

I'm linking up with Little White Dove - You can too!

Kate Spain Charm Along - Progress Report!

Wow!  There have been some very busy bees this past week!  Here are some fabulous progress photos from some of the members of the Aussie Charm Swap.......  I'm sure there are some others of you out there who are participating in the Charm-along as well, and I can't wait to see what you're all making with your Kate Spain charms!  There's less than two weeks left until it's time to link up your projects and be in the running for all the AMAZING prizes from the sponsors!  Now - two weeks is a long time in my world - so if you've been under a rock and haven't heard about the Kate Spain Charm-along, then you need to READ THIS and get started STAT!!!!  Make sure you also go and check out all the fab sponsors and see why I chose to work with wonderful Australian peeps!

On to the pretty pictures.......

Clockwise from top left:  Bridie has started with something simple (!?!?!?), little old hexies!  Molli is throwing a plethora of ideas around as he battles it out with his head on which one to go with!  Susanne's crosses mixed with the low vol prints are just divine!  And that other project there - well, that's mine!  I pulled out some templates for half hexies I bought last year and gave them a crack!  I finished a little quilt top today.....

Clockwise from top left:  Jill has been tumbling.  Emma has her quilt top well and truly on its way.  Sandie will now be known as the HST Queen.  And Chrissy is making bags!

Amy has well and truly got her entry sorted, with this gorgeous Honey Honey quilt!  Love!

And Alyce has made this gorgeous table runner from some of her favourite KS prints.  

As of this afternoon, I now have TWO quilt tops made from my Charm Swap package.  TWO!  I am hoping to have them basted and ready to quilt for a sit and sew day on Saturday (my first ever time at a sit and sew day!?!).  Wish me luck! 

If you're participating in the Charm-Along, be sure to let me know, and send me some photos of your progress!

{Coming Soon} Sea Breeze Mini QAL with Gnome Angel!

My lovely friend Angie over at Gnome Angel is hosting a fabulous Mini QAL, using the Sea Breeze pattern by Canoe Ridge Creations.  I put my hand up to take part weeks ago, and then, you know, time crept up on me and before I knew it - BAM - it was just around the corner!

It all kicks off on the 21st of July, with a great bunch of bloggers to get you through, and show you a variety of finishes.  Let it be known - I have finished my little quilt top, and it is patiently awaiting my quilting attention.  After procrastinating and wondering how I could make the pattern "my own", I must say - I'm incredibly impressed with myself! Hahah!  The big reveal of my mini will be here on the blog Friday 25th of July.  I will also show you a couple of little tips on how to get matching seams.  But for now, here's a little sneak peek.....

Sooooo - pop over and grab yourself the PATTERN HERE.  And have a think about how you could make this little mini your own!  There is also a Facebook group HERE.  And the full schedule for the QAL is HERE.

Also, pop over and see Angie's interview with Canoe Ridge's Megan.  I love getting to know quilter's and what makes them tick!