Roll with it.

I've been a bit all over the shop this week which makes for dull blogging. I know you've got better things to do with your time than read mundane tidbits like "I've finished a third of my binding on a quilt..." So I waited until I had something meaty to say ...something like "Whoa! That shirt is sexy."

I must be honest. When I enrolled in Crafty's Sewing with Knits Class that was the last response in the world that I was expecting. When I stopped sewing the shirt halfway through and relegated it to pajama wear - unhemmed, no neckband - I just didn't expect to hear that. Frankly, I didn't even expect him to notice a new shirt. But then he called me sexy?! In long sleeve tshirt? You might want to get in on this action, people.

Let's roll back. Not long long ago, I set up a Craftsy account. They had an introductory offer with a lot of free courses on offer. I signed up for my first class, Design and Sew an A-line Skirt.  I made a draft skirt. It fit well. When I find the right fabrics for it, I planned to make a few more. As an intro class, I deemed it a success. Because I liked the skirt and class, I enrolled in Craftsy's affiliate program* knowing that I'd be blogging about my skirts one day.  Let's face it, in the land of bad skirts, I'm obligated to tell you about the good ones.

**Disclosure: as you know, Badskirt doesn't have currently have ad-box sponsors. In order to continue crafting, I make a wee bit of money via affiliate programs likes Craftsy. This money goes back into my craft and helps pay things like account fees and taxes. Feel free to pop on over to Craftsy to read about and join Craftsy’s Affiliate Program.

One of the benefits of joining the affiliate program at the time I enrolled, was another free class. Despite mixed review's I joined Meg McElwee's Sewing with Knits class. I am really comfortable with craft fabrics, but I am a novice when it comes to knits. I've never had home ec or attended a sewing course. Until this class, I quite honestly did not know my jersey from my interlock. Meg's class is intended for sewists who are quite new to knits. She teaches the difference between french terry and double knit. The videos demonstrate stretch and drape behavior in a way you couldn't get from a book or flat webpage. For me, this was the real meat of the class. I've wanted something like this for a while, so I was exceptionally pleased.

Meg's instructions take you through sewing knits on a domestic machine. This really is for beginners, the pacing is a bit slow and the garment finishes aren't professional. It fit my needs though. No serger required. I used my patchwork Bernina. The course comes with patterns for five knit garments (a hoodie, two tshirts, a skirt, a dress and yoga pants). So far, I've watched the hoodie section and started constructing my first tshirt - the "sexy" one shown above.

I chose a funky jersey from Remnant Warehouse that looks great but seems to have a tremendous propensity to roll. That's why I stopped sewing halfway through. That's why there is no neckband. I really didn't enjoy unrolling this jersey while I sewed. There was no way it would make a good neckband. I think I need to go buy some ribbing to finish it off. I also need some fusible tricot (stay tape) for the hem. I wasn't even sure I enjoyed sewing with knit. I was content knowing that I'd learned a lot about fabric ,and knit garment sewing may not be for me.

That's when this first knit garment became sleepwear...  I popped it on yesterday afternoon because I was hoping the postman would buzz. He only comes when I'm wearing pajamas. Craig saw it when he came home. He first asked if I'd been out to the shops. "You never buy anything for yourself. And this shirt is great. It fits you so well. Sexy. It's really sexy."

...so on that note, I'm going to shop to get more jersey. I've got more lessons to finish.

I'm know I'm late to the Craftsy party. Have you enrolled in many classes?  How did you find them?


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we're building an army.

I've been slowly building an army of tiny toys and wooden figurines which are soon bound for world domination. Behind them lives a photo frame which housed the same photo of bees and flowers for nearly eight years. I thought it was time for a change of pace. Using the sizzix die that I bought yesterday, some fabric, heat-and-bond and a piece of scrapbook paper; I've given us something juicy and new to stare at for a while.  You can have a closer look on flickr. Continue reading →

loot and hook

It's safe to say that I'm no longer in risk of being put on tv on Hoarders, the Crafting Edition. I was rather restrained yesterday at the craft show. I bought a few strips of fabric and a couple of quilting dies. I replaced my favorite triangle die with a non-transparent version. I also picked up a clamshell die which is what I'm most excited about from my quilt show. I had my eyes on a third die, but told myself to be patient..  (which means I may be back at the quilt show tomorrow or this weekend. haha!)

I expected to pick up a fair bit of yarn and a Tunisian crochet hook, but I failed in that quest. Namely because I forgot that I wanted the hook. I think that's a good excuse to head back out. If you are thinking of going to the show, I give it a thumbs up. If you're wandering the quilt show, my favorite this year was Red Hot Tuesday by Sue Cody. I loved it for the variation of style and technique as well as how attuned Sue is to color and composition. [Out of courtesy to the makers, we are asked not to share images of the show quilts online. If I can find a link to her quilt, I'll definitely steer you there soon!]

In non-show news, I finished my second crochet sweater on the same day that I began it. This one is quite wee and would best fit a preemie or newborn. I made the smallest size. I'm not sure it is my usual style, but it is good to know that I've got a pattern up my sleeve that I could make in a day or two for a family whose bub has come earlier than expected.  (*lately that seems to be almost everyone I know!)  I purchased the pattern via Ravelry and this works up super easy. It's a simple combination of basic single and double crochet with increasing stitches. Next time, I'll work a larger size or work in a thicker yarn with a larger hook. The finished project details are on Ravelry.

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hooked again.

Again, I've found myself caught with the crochet bug. Crafting is quite cyclical for me. Right now, it seems to be all about the hooks. I'm now working Lisa van Klaveren's Classic Baby Cardigan pattern which I purchased on Ravelry.  Like the cables from last week, I was taken with the look of the stitches in this sweater and wanted to see how it was done. For the first go, I opted for the wee 0-3 month size. It's so little! Notice that my hook almost dwarfs it.

With my sudden obsession with crochet, it is no surprise that I'll be checking out the yarn stores at tomorrow's Sydney Craft Fair. I'll be making the rounds to Suzy Hausfrau, Willmark Supplies and Kaalund Yarns to see what they have on offer. On the sewing front I'm after sizzix dies from Tracy at Annies and a few special prints from Kelani Fabrics.

Are you headed to the Sydney Craft Fair this week?  What booths are you keen to scope out? Any new crafts or tools that you are keen to try? Continue reading →

my first sweater.

With another small flare up of lymphangitis this week, my on-the-road project morphed into an on-the-couch project. While I would have rather been finishing patchwork or binding a quilt, using the hook was the only thing my fragile arm felt comfortable with. My overwhelming need to create coupled with my sore arm led to finished my first cabled sweater.  The pattern from Agnes Russell is available at FreePatterns and FreeCrochet.

Although I've been crocheting for a while, this is my first garment where gauge makes a difference. Since I didn't have a specific recipient in mind though, I forged ahead gauge free. One day, I'll find a small girl that this first perfectly.  It will be for her. There were a lot of firsts on this project. This is my first sweater. This is my first time with crochet cables. This was my first bit of serious ribbing and it was my first time using knitting-in elastic.  Given all that, I'm happy with the results. It's made a very wearable sweater with a few flaws here and there.

I thought I'd take a minute to mention knitting-in elastic since it was new to me. When the pattern called for elastic sewing thread, I assumed it meant shirring thread. I asked around and others thought the same. The elastic is intended to keep the ribbing around the hood from stretching out of shape. Luckily Cath came to my rescue on Instagram showing me the difference between knitting-in elastic and shirring elastic. There's quite a difference in size and thickness, so I want to share the link to the photo in case others have the same confusion. A new skein of clear knitting-in elastic is $8.79 at Lincraft. The same thread is also packaged as pyjama cord (labelled knitting-in elastic on the back).  On a fluke I found the correct obscure pink color of cord in a clearance bin for just seven cents. Since I'd never used it before and wasn't sure when I'd need it again, I went the seven cent route.  Knitting-in elastic is easy to work with, but doesn't frog as well as yarn. So I have a few errors in the ribbing of my hood because it was too tricky for me to frog them and fix them. I was a bit confused if I was supposed to pull the elastic taut as I paired it with the yarn or not, so I'm not entirely sure if I got the step correctly.  Hopefully it does the trick and keeps the hood from stretching.

All in all, I'm quite happy with how the sweater turned out. I've left some notes on Ravelry for myself in case I make it again. I'll use less buttons next time and I'll change the sleeves just slightly.  If you are a looking for a project to step up your crochet, I'd give a thumbs up to the hooded cable sweater. There's no need to be nervous. If you can do front post and back post double crochet, then you can definitely tackle cables.

With that under my belt, I'm looking for another crochet project for my upcoming flight to Seattle. Any suggestions? Continue reading →

Just Southeast of Melbourne

Mornington Beach Boxes, Mornington VIC

2013 has been a complicated, but wonderful year. At the start of the year, we had been focused on finding work in the US. We sold many things, lightened our load. When that didn't pan out, we shifted our energies towards a goal of living on the road.  We were caravan bound. We even bought a new truck to tow our dreams.  [Don't worry. Craig does most of the the driving]. Then rather unexpectedly, Craig came into a new job which he starts today at Amazon in Australia.  With that, it seems we'll be planted in Sydney for the next few years at least.  There's been a lot of turmoil only to find things haven't changed much at all.

With my destash windfall and Craig's gap between jobs, we decided to pop down to Melbourne for a few days. As winter settles in, it is currently low season in the Melbourne area making it much more affordable to travel.  I thought I'd share some of the highlights of our trip for anyone planning a visit to the area. This is our sixth or seventh trip to Melbourne, we normally fly in but decided to drive this time to explore the area southeast of the city.

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A Few Days to the Southeast of Melbourne

Accommodation

We stayed at the Seasons Heritage on St Kilda Road, which is a comfy modern hotel fronted by a gorgeous historic building which houses reception and a restaurant. The hotel is situated by one of Melbourne's main tram routes, St Kilda Road.

The Seasons Heritage is a somewhat upmarket hotel, and we normally wouldn't splurge on accommodation. We like to spend less on a room, and spend more out in the town. Low season worked in our favor though. We found a deal for an executive one bedroom including a kitchenette, in-room laundry and parking on Wotif for just $99/night which is significantly less than their typical rates.

The suite was tidy and modern. The couch and bed were comfortable. The staff was exceptionally professional and friendly. It would be hard for me to find any faults with our accommodation choice. Although it isn't in the heart of the CBD*, we were exceptionally pleased with the location.  Despite having our own vehicle, we used the trams quite a bit to go into the city for dinner and drinks. That way we could fill up our glasses with regional wine, and leave the keys at home.  Along with easy access to trams; it was just a short walk to Prahran, Greville St and Chapel St.  I would definitely recommend the Seasons Heritage to anyone planning a visit to Melbourne.

*For those overseas readers, the heart of most Australian cities and towns is referred to as the CBD, central business district. In other areas of the world, this might be called downtown or city center.

Eating

Having visited Melbourne many times before, our journey was as much about the food as it was about the city. When we were deciding where to visit, the mere mention of ChinChin sealed the deal for both of us. When we travel, Craig and I tend to snack or eat small inexpensive meals throughout the day, capped by one tasty meal at night. With that in mind, here are the highlights from this trip:

ChinChin - Our favorite restaurant in Melbourne is undoubtedly ChinChin on Flinders Lanes not far from Federation Square in the CBD.  We like it so much that we ate there twice in our three nights in Melbourne this trip. This was cutting back just slightly from our last trip when we went three times. ChinChin has an extensive menu with a fusion of Asian styles. They serve everything from curry and crying tiger to ceviche and spicy filled rotis. All tasty, but not for the faint of heart when it comes to spice. The dishes are best shared, so you get a mix of a flavors. Nearly 80% of the menu can be made gluten-free, so there's plenty available for Craig. The restaurant can be quite busy, but the time passes quickly while you wait in the GoGo bar downstairs.  This is undoubtedly one of our favorite places in Australia to eat.

Mamasita - On a friend's recommendation, we filled our third night in Melbourne with upmarket Mexican at Mamasita on Collins St. This is another restaurant where shared dishes are the way to go. Every dish on the dinner menu is gluten-free. Our favorite dish was the corn-on-the-cob starter. That sounds really bland, but it was roasted and rolled in queso and spice. The tostaditas and tacos were also winners in our book.

Oscar Cooper - The Prahran area was close to our hotel, so Craig and I wandered that way for breakfast one morning. As we were wandering, we stumbled into Oscar Cooper. Melbourne cafes are known for their outstanding coffee, and from what we've seen - Melbourne does a good breakfast. Oscar Cooper was no exception turning out amazing corn fritters and a bacon benny that knocked Craig's socks off.  More than the food, what won us over was the congeniality of the staff. "Oh, you are visiting... let me tell you about the area..."  which was followed by a short history lesson on Greville St. 

We visited three restaurants in Melbourne this trip. All of them winners. The tourism board might like a new slogan, Visit Melbourne, Enjoy the Food.

Brighton Bathing Boxes, Dendy St Beach, Bayside VIC

Things to Do

On previous trips to Melbourne, I've enjoyed the National Gallery of Victoria (NVG) for its collections and hosted exhibitions; Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) for film, television and video game exhibits; the Queens Night Markets in the summer and driving the Great Ocean Road. Having done those things before, Craig and I decided this time we'd explore further a field on the southeast side of Melbourne. Rather than an over planned holiday, we decided to grab a few tourism guides and look for things that called to us.

Brighton Bathing Boxes - Our first port of call on our day exploring was visiting the brightly colored beach huts at Dendy Beach in Brighton. The Brighton Bathing Boxes are just a short drive approximate 15km from our hotel. They are also accessible by train on the Sandringham line. [For the crafty folks, this is the same train line that you'd take to Amitie in Gardenvale.] Rather than parking right by the huts, we parked about 3km down the road and made a morning adventure of walking around Port Phillip foreshore. The Bayside and Brighton areas give you a choice of paths to view the coastline at beach level or from above. It was a great start to the morning. My highlight was, of course, seeing all the rich color soaked bathing boxes.  The 82 Brighton huts are fascinating because they are all uniform in size and materials. Their personality is infused in their color. If I were visiting again, I'd come later in the day when the bathing boxes were drenched in sunlight. 

Mornington - If you follow the coastline around from Melbourne, you'd find yourself on the Mornington Peninsula. This area is known for wine and romantic getaways, along with outdoor adventure. Wine tasting was off the cards for us, as we had a big day of driving ahead but we did venture as far as Mornington for their Wednesday markets which line Main Street. There you could find all the goodies you'd expect at an Australian market - craft, clothes, fruits and fudge. As we made our way down Main Street to the coast, we were pleased to see ...more bathing boxes! There were fewer huts, but the same rich bright tones that sang for us in Brighton. As the first photo on this post shows, these huts were less uniform than the first ones we saw. Still very much lovely. It was wonderful to see them sun kissed.   As it turns out, there are a few more towns with bathing boxes around Port Phillip, so perhaps one day I'll be down for another visit.

Mornington Coast, VIC

Phillip Island - From Mornington, we made our way across the farmland and over to Phillip Island. It is beautiful countryside to drive. For most people, the reason for visiting Phillip Island is to see the Penguin Parade when each night hundreds of penguins waddle ashore. At $22 each, Craig and I decided we weren't up for the expense but that didn't dampen our trip. We did low-budget travelling on Phillip Island.  As were were driving, it because clear that wildlife is everywhere in Phillip Island and they love the roads. Watch out for the birds became a mantra as we drove about. Phillip Island is home to some of the rarest geese in the world and for some reason they kept playing chicken with our truck. We were so startled that we forgot to get pictures, but you can pop over to Pete's Flap to see the Cape Barren Goose.  *As an aside. Is this when it starts?  We turn 40 this year and we're becoming a pair of birdwatchers?  Along with the geese, we also saw quite a few roadside wallabies. At the far end of Phillip Island is the Nobbies, a boardwalked clifftop walk around very scenic coastline. In those cliffs, penguins make their nests. And guess what? There we saw a baby penguin flapping about... for free. I guess we can tick the Phillip Island Penguin box after all. =)  As we left Phillip Island, we stopped in at Panny's World of Chocolate for a cuppa for the road. We regretted not popping by earlier as the curry smelt fantastic.

And that was our day out exploring the areas southeast of Melbourne!

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Melbourne is one of my favorite places to visit in Australia. We could both see ourselves living there, but not any time soon. As I've sent Craig off for his first day of work this morning, we're well planted in Sydney and here to stay for a while.


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A frank talk.

Before we left for Melbourne on Monday, Craig and I had a frank talk about the difference between an on-the-go project and an on-the-road project. He didn't pull any punches. Our trip was quickly planned, and there wasn't much time for packing. I scurried through the house hastily throwing things in my suitcase. Craig was eyeing up what I was doing.

"Did you just pack a quilting project?" he asked.
"Yes. I'll have time to sew in the truck."
He adamantly replied, "no. Don't bring that."
"What?!"
"Don't bring that."
I was dumbfounded. Why did he care?
"March downstairs and get yourself some crochet. You can crochet in the truck. You get really grumpy when you try to quilt on the road. Fabric flies everywhere. You can't cut things properly. You loose a needle in the seat where it remains stabbing me for the next five years of my life."
I had to concede that he was right.

I'd stockpiled some cheap, bright yarn at Spotlight a few months ago and decided to put it to use. I had no plans for it, so I turned to Ravelry until something took my fancy.  Agnes Russell's Hooded Cable Sweater looked like a great project for learning ribbed and cable crochet. I love crocheting and had no idea that cables were both possible and easy. I spent a large portion of my passenger time working on the sleeves and the start of the body for a little sweater. The pattern is clear, and there are a lot of great examples of it worked up on Ravelry. You can also find it via FreePatterns.

I have a lot of patchwork projects on-the-go; but if you see me out and about in Australia, I'll have this crochet with me. Why? Because it makes me Craig less grumpy...




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The Red Thread launches fabric.

I feel a bit like a hit and run blogger this year. We've had more vacation time than expected in 2013 which is a blessing for travel loving kids like us. A rough count shows that between travel and camping, we've spent 35 nights and 41 days away from our apartment this year.  As you can imagine, that's put a huge ding in my crafting and blogging time.  I need to play a bit of catch-up. Today, I want to show you one of the projects that I worked on earlier this year for my friend, Lisa, of The Red Thread. I've been quietly sitting on my hands waiting for the range to be announced at Quilt Market doing my best not to spill the beans.

Image, styling and designs from The Red Thread

Crafty folks in Australia, already know The Red Thread from her pattern and project collections. This year, she's launching her first fabric range for Robert Kaufman along with coordinating haby.  Lisa asked me if I could help her in the frantic rush to get ready for quilt market. And who can resist sewing with unreleased fabric?  When she brought over Hello Tokyo!, it was bright and cheerful. I couldn't help but smile.

I helped out sewing up these patchwork applique cushions from Lisa's designs. They use several of her new prints along with a large panel design that can be used for both softies and applique.  How can you resist those sweet turned in toes?

Hello Tokyo! should be available around September/October, and the patterns for these cushions will be available on the Robert Kaufman website.  Pop on over to Lisa's blog to see more prints and inspiration for the range. Continue reading →

free bee freebie

I've got an easy paper piecing pattern to share with you today. While working on Belinda's quilt, I wanted to include little a few little bees in the patchwork. I decided to draft up my own bee templates in a hexagon which I'm happy to share with you.

Download the Free Bee PDF.

Rather that being a specific size with seam allowances, I've drawn it directly as a hexagon which can be printed and scaled to any size you like.  I was thinking it would be fun with hexagons built up like honeycomb. Before I said anything, Leah mailed me and had the same idea. So I'm pretty sure there is a winner hidden in this concept.

The template is color coded and includes a basic numbering scheme. It should be fairly easy to use for anyone who has done foundation piecing, english paper piecing or freezer paper piecing before. 

Buzz, buzz. Enjoy something small to keep you busy. 


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the paper route.

It's not often that I'm in the local paper. It is even rarer for one of my craft projects to make an appearance, but yesterday was a double hit. Kaila, Zach and I met with an MX photographer for a quick piece about Saturday's fabric-a-brac destash market. Sydneysiders, are you going to pop down to the market? I'll be there with quilting fabrics, jersey cotton, books, acrylic templates and a lot of notions. I'll also be scarfing down bagels. Be sure to say hello!  

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wrapped in love... a secret project

Often photos don't do justice to a quilt and that's certainly true in this case. In the last few months, I was fortunate to be part of a collaborative quilt for my friend, Belinda. The last couple of years have been rough for her family, and so her friends decided that she needed to be wrapped in love. Not just any quilt would do for Belinda though, because she's a few special gal. She's the one who introduced me to Suzuko Koseki fabrics and to the joy of Jen Kingwell. She's shown me so much in quilting and fabric as she has for many others too. We decided a sampler quilt would be perfect for her because everyone could share a piece of themselves as they created something for special for the quilt. Inspired by samplers like Green Tea and  Sweet Beans and the Patchwork 163 book, we set to work making blocks.

Over the last couple of months, they arrived at my house. What came back was truly amazing. I was worried that I couldn't do them justice assembling them. Luckily Jenna and Lorena were right at hand to work through the puzzle, sewing and sharing their stashes to help finish the quilt top. Leah then sent down acres of Kaffe Fassett voile to Jeannette who quilted it up in a weekend and sent it back. After a mad dash at handbinding, a special quilt was ready to be shared.

Thank you Ayumi, Carmen, Cherry, Dolores, Gayle, Jeannette, Jen, Jenna Kerry, Kylie, Leah, Lorena, Melanie and Penny

Truly, the photos don't do the blocks justice.  And, of course, it was dark and grey in Sydney so we haven't managed a proper shoot of if quilted yet. Soon, I promise. In the mean time, here's a peak at what's secretly been keeping us busy:

And Belinda?

I'd say she's really happy. Continue reading →

Winter's here.

IMG_2455.jpg, a photo by badskirt - amy on Flickr.

A chill has settled on Sydney and that was the impetus that I needed to move some quilt tops to quilt sandwiches.

I've been fretting about the quilting on this quilt for months. I've started quilting and unpicked the stitches on this puppy at least a dozen times. It never felt right. Straight lines, circles, scallops, orange peels, ditching the crosses, hand quilting... I think I've burned through a large spool of thread in the process. In the end, less was more and minimal wavy quilting won out.

I also managed to lay down the straight lines the pink/orange/raindrop quilt. Two quilt basted and sewn in three days? That's record breaking around these parts. I'm not a fast quilter. I let things linger for months... sometimes years. I don't really enjoy quilting. I love design, piecing and color; but the quilting leaves me feeling meh.

I've got a great machine for patchwork, but it's really not a quilting machine. I've harped on about harp space so much that Craig now uses harp and throat as part of his regular sewing vocabulary. The thing is... it's probably not the machine. It's me. Even with a gem of a machine, I don't think I'll ever get excited about that part of the process.

Craig's been begging for a quilted poncho again. I'm mortified, of course, but wonder if I could negotiate a longarm budget in trade...

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Fabric-a-Brac May Destash

Sydney guys and gals, Have you cleared your calendar?

Saturday May 25, 10am-2pm

226 Union St, Newtown

Once again Fabric-A-Brac is hosting a fabric and notions destash market, and I'll have all sorts of goodies that I'm purging. When I say goodies, I'm talking about Yuwa, Suzuko Koseki, acrylic template sets, rotary cutters, spare rulers, threads and more! Pop on by to see the goodies from all the vendors. In the past, I've scored everything from Liberty tana and linens to Japanese craft books. As I get things sorted, I'll try to pop some pictures up for you next week.

Oh and Brooklyn Boy Bagels!  Authentic New York Style Bagels!  Yum.

Hopefully I'll see you there?!

**I've heard there is a flight of stairs at this venue. I wanted to give people with mobility issues or prams a heads up. As both a customer and vendor at Sydney Fabric-A-Brac, I assure you climbing those stairs should be worth it!

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The time I didn't visit the Little Quilt Shop in Toongi

This is Toongi. It is a small quiet "town" about 15 minutes south of Dubbo NSW.  Toongi is short on houses, but big on country. There are cows in the paddocks and a peaceful stillness that you only find in the country. Amidst the barren landscape, Toongi has a Little Quilt Shop. Or at least it did until not long ago...

And you might remember that this is our new truck.  I took her for a solo 950km road trip this week.  

I took her to Toongi where there was no signs of life at the quilt shop and no signs of fabric. So I retreated. Perhaps too hastily. 

Without a single cry from the rear parking sensor; I cleanly cleared a concrete culvert, then let a tire slip in the drain snagging my spare tire and towbar on the concrete culvert like a lego block ... in Toongi ...where there's no quilt shop ...and no mobile reception.

My confidence boosting solo camping trip had put me in a gutter. Literally. 

Even four wheel drive wasn't going to get me out of this jam. I'm not sure what I would have done if Terry hadn't happened by in his white truck. He looked it over and scurried back home to get his tractor. He hoisted up the truck so I could drive off. Free of my captor, I meekly asked, "Is this the quilt shop? I saw the big sign on the highway."  My heart sunk as Terry said, "Lesley's moved it to Dubbo."

The truck seems ok, but my ego is badly bruised. My self-rescuing princess crown has shattered. 

The time I didn't visit the Little Quilt Shop in Toongi, a story by Amy Gunson, age 39.

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Forest QAL - Red Panda Pattern.

Joanna and Julianna love paper piecing. Last year, they organized the Sew Out Loud quilt along. This year, they've taken that piecing to a whole new complex level with the Forest Quilt Along. This time they've created patterns for flora and fauna to rock your socks.  Although it was a new style for me, I jumped at the chance to be a guest block designer. My pattern is for a red panda which we met in the zoo. If you haven't seen them before, you can read about them and see a video on my blog post about my trip to Canberra. They are so endearing and sweet.

My red panda paper piecing pattern is by far the most complex pattern that I've written to date.  It's not for the faint of heart. With 21 pieces in the tail section alone, it is quite a feat to piece. But when you finish, there's a lot of bell ringing and  pumping your first in the air. I worked the pattern twice and admit that it was a satisfying thrill putting it together. I felt like I accomplished something each time. If you want to give it a try, remember to take your time and enjoy the process.

Download the PDF.

The PDF includes all of the relevant information about the pattern. Seam allowances are not included so you can scale the pattern up, if you'd like to make a full size quilt. I think she'd look great at 40 inches. Perhaps a museum size at 40 feet?!

I'd like to thank Joanna and Julianna for inviting me. I'd also like to thank Jeannette for pattern testing. Finally, I'd like to thank the J and n keys on my computer for not giving out on me during all the email and thank yous.

If you haven't visited her website before, Jeannette is quite prolific.  In addition to all of her own projects, she owns a longarm business and has quick turnaround time.  Her panda is the one on the left which looks great in the habitat fabric. I love how the blue in the tree complements the colors in her panda.

I thought I'd share the combined photo of all three pandas - Jeannette's on the left and the two I pieced on the right. Initially I pieced the one on the right, but wasn't satisfied with my fabric choices. I was unhappy with the ears and the muzzle. I also decided to do a subtler version where the tree was less prominent than the panda which led to the middle panda. I've shared them all, because I always think it it fascinating to see how print and color can change the feel of a pattern.

I know some people doing the QAL are going for color accuracy, others are using vibrant and playful colors. For those who are aiming for accuracy, here are some reference photos I've taken of red pandas at both the Canberra Nationa Zoo and  the Mogo Zoos in Australia. You'll see a fair bit of color variation among the three of them.

Of course, you could go crazy with the pattern. If you pieced it in grey and black and adjusted the nose slightly, it could look a bit like a raccoon. I can't wait to see the colorful versions that others come up with!

I hope you enjoy the pattern. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or in the Forest QAL flickr group. Happy Crafting, --amy

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Winter blues

I woke up this morning with my mind set on making a new tote bag. It was a 4am wake up and I downed multiple cups of coffee. I was a little spitball of energy. I didn't let the return of a hacking cough slow me down. If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have seen this tote spring out of a pile of fabrics.

The shape of the tote is modeled after one that Amisha made for me a few years ago in a swap. I debated quilting the tote, but in the end decided that finished was better than fancy. I've loved the light tote Amisha made for me and this will be its replacement.

I've used Norah McMeeking's Bella Bella Sampler Quilts for the Trip to Rome blocks. I'll go into more detail about that side of the project when I've done a few more projects with the book and can put together  part 2 of my book review. 

This tote is a bit brighter and more purple than things I normally wear or carry, but I thought it might fend off the winter doldrums that should settle into Sydney any day now. As I mentioned on Instagram, I'm filing it under H for Happy.

Speaking of Instagram, I have a question for those of you on multiple social networks. I'm struggling a bit to find my Instagram voice. So far, I've been trying to make that a place to document process. I've been using the blog and Flickr for finished projects, details and social engagement. I'm curious what works best for you?  How to do manage multiple voices and avoid redundancy? I'd love to hear your approach.

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propelled.

After a strong launch on my SteamPunk quilt, I slowed down a bit while I pored over combinations and fretted if I was getting it right. In the mean time, the girls in the Steampunk flickr support group and Instagram (#steampunkquilt) have roared past me. I'm not terribly worried about that though. If you recall, my Bargain Basement quilt sat for several months until the right fabric appeared in my stash and then it zoomed into completeness. I'm on no deadline and I'm enjoying the process.

This post records blocks seven through ten. The pattern has 40+ blocks, but I'm not a big quilt person. My current aim is 25 whole blocks and a few partial ones along the sides. When I was adding seam allowances to Jen's pattern, I slightly enlarged the design which means 25 blocks should be just about the right size for me.

Among the things that makes Jen Kingwell's Steampunk quilt so interesting are the rogue blocks that she incorporates. I'll admit that I'm having a lot of trouble with rogue. I've been able to add a stray piece here and there, but anything really dramatic has been unpicked and revisited. 

I'm still under the weather this week, but have mustered the energy to tackle some curved seams. Hopefully block eleven can rear its head before I need to crawl back into bed.

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