The Great Aussie Name Tag Swap

I recently participated in the #GreatAussieNameTagSwap on Instagram which was hosted by Angie Wilson @GnomeAngel  

Participants were assigned partners and we were required to make a quilted name tag that needed to include the person's first name and their Instagram name.  The minimum size was 5" x 3" and it had to be quilted.  Making a lanyard was optional. It was a fast turnaround swap so we only had approximately 3-weeks to make our creation and to pop it in the post.

WHAT I SENT

Sadly the partner that I was assigned has failed to check in throughout this swap or to acknowledge that she has received what I sent her.  According to Australia Post she received it last Friday, so I can only assume that she did not appreciate my handmade gift.  Anyway, I thought that I did a good job and that I met her brief as best as I could.  I don't know her or her circumstances.  All that I knew about her (apart from her name) was that her favourite colours were blue, purple & teal; she likes Tula Pink fabric; and she likes squirrels & stars. No other information was provided. 

This is what I sent her together with some chocolate:

The Name Tag, Lanyard & Tula Pink Key Fob that I sent together with some chocolates.

A close up of the front of the Name Tag.

This was the back of the Name Tag

WHAT I RECEIVED

As we just had a long weekend, our mail delivery was delayed so I only received my parcel on Wednesday, but I am so completely and utterly blown away with what I received!!

Alison Goodall @quiltalicious was the person who made for me and she totally & utterly excelled.  She made me the most amazing name tag & lanyard which is so "me"!!  I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!!!! 

I'm not sure if you can see the detail, but she has used some Tula Pink and Emma Jean Jansen fabrics in the lions mane, and the lanyard is made from "Terra Australis" by Emma Jean Jansen.  Her embroidery work is also perfect!  Seriously I am just totally blown away with the exquisiteness of her work! 

Here is a close up of the Name Tag & the Lanyard.  The lion pattern is foundation paper pieced and is a pattern by @QuietPlay

I also received some rather yummy chocolates

Isn't it utterly gorgeous!!!!  I'm going to Craft Alive on Friday & I am going to wear this with pride!  If you see me, please come & say hi.

The Circle Game Quilt - in the wild in Echuca

During March last year I attended a class in Ballarat with Jen Kingwell learning various techniques required to make her quilt pattern "The Circle Game".  I finally finished the quilt earlier this year and took it with me on my recent visit to Echuca.  Here are the photos taken on Wednesday 13 April.

Once Australia’s largest inland port during the late 1800’s, the Port of Echuca is an Authentic working river port. Located just over 2.5 hours north of Melbourne, Port of Echuca is located on the banks of the Murray River, in the historic Port Precinct of Echuca.

Barge "Alison" Monument

The PS Emmylou is a Murray River paddle steamer. It is driven by a restored 1906 steam engine.  The PS Emmylou starred as the fictional paddle steamer PS Providence in the Australian television mini-series "All the Rivers Run", made in Echuca in 1982-1983.

Hobbysew - Echuca

The second quilt shop that I visited in Echuca was Hobbysew.  My friend Linda teaches here and I was to meet her after her class had finished so that we could catch up for a quick coffee whilst my parents wandered off to do their own thing.

Hobbysew Echuca opened its doors in 2003 and have since been at the forefront of crafting and quilting supplies.  The front section houses thousands of products such as; embellishments and papers for scrapbooking, card making, stamping, beading, painting, embroidery, cross stitch and everything else in between.

As you walk towards the rear section it opens into a cavernous well lit showroom containing hundreds of bolts of quilting fabrics and accessories.  They also offer a Long Arm Quilting service.

They host regular craft & quilting classes on site and have a knowledgeable group of staff who are only too happy to answer all your questions.

The front section of the shop

The front section of the shop

The rear section of the shop

The rear section of the shop

Some of the quilts on display.  The one on the right was made by my friend Linda.

A close up of Linda's Kaffe Fassett quilt.

They even stock the latest Tilda!

I didn't have a chance to buy anything on the day but I will definitely be back later in the year when my budget permits.

HOBBYSEW ECHUCA

98 Annesley St

Echuca Victoria 3567

Ph / Fax 03 54826276

Store Hours:

Monday - Friday 9 a.m. ~ 5 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m. ~ 1 p.m.

http://www.hobbysewechuca.com.au/

South Fabrics - Echuca

Echuca is 92kms North East of Bendigo on the Victoria/New South Wales border.

I visited Echuca back in April during a quick day trip with my parents.  Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia.  It is a 2.5 hour drive from Melbourne and is famed for its bygone era of horse carriages and paddle steamers.  This is the first of three short articles about my visit to Echuca.

After concluding the business that had lured my parents & I to Echuca, I paid a flying visit to the first of two quilting shops - South Fabrics.

South Fabrics houses a large range of fabrics and sewing accessories. Their shop is conveniently located in the main township of Echuca and is within walking distance of the main street.  Their prices are competitive although I did find the shop to be quite cluttered thus difficult to take in all that they had.  

256 Anstruther St, Echuca

Lots of stock displayed in very crowded surroundings

I found it very difficult to see the fabrics displayed on the top shelf and a lack of ladders made it very difficult to pull any bolts down for inspection.  Sadly the staff were not overly helpful or friendly.

Unfortunately their range of Kaffe Fassett was up on the top shelf where I couldn't see or reach it.  Mum & I struggled to pull down some bolts of fabric whilst the owner just sat at her counter watching us.  Our requests for assistance or for a step ladder were rudely ignored.  In the end I just paid for my fabric and left.

Despite stocking Kaffe Fassett I am not sure if I will go back there again.

South Fabrics

256 Anstruther St, Echuca VIC 3564

Tel: (03) 5482 2655

Opening Hours:

9 – 6 Monday to Friday

9 – 1 Saturday

My Kaffe Fassett purchases.

The Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew Along - March

Hmmmm, that annoying moment when you have written a blog post & thought you programmed it to post some time ago but you hadn't hit the right button so it didn't....  Here's a post you should've got AGES ago *hangs head in shame*

After a short break, the sew along re commenced on the 1st of March.  Here are my Farmer's Wife blocks for March 2016:

01 March - Block 88 - Rosemary

03 March - Block 66 - Mrs. Anderson

08 March - Block 43 - Hope

10 March - Block 15 - Blossom

15 March - Block 6 - April

22 March - Block 30 - Em

29 March - Block 77 - Nellie

29 March - Block 98 - Viola

The Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew Along - February

Following on from my last brief post, here are my Farmer's Wife blocks from February 2016:

02 February - Block 61 - May

04 February - Block 37 - Georgia

09 February - Block 69 - Mrs. Keller

11 February - Block 23 - Charlotte

16 February - Block 11 - Bea

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had a break in the sew along until the 1st of March.  This was a great opportunity to catch up. I must admit I am enjoying this sew along but it does take up a lot of time. 

The Cat's Pyjamas

It's not often that I totally squeal with delight when I see a new fabric range being released, but when Jodie Carleton posted a photo of her new fabric range - The Cat's Pyjamas - I was hysterically happy!!  I *KNEW* I had to buy this range and I *KNEW* that those green kitties would make a lovely pair of pyjamas for me.

"The Cat's Pyjamas" by Jodie Carleton for Ella Blue Fabrics.  

I have only been sewing for a few years and I have never made any items of clothing - this was going to be my big debut onto the fashion scene. Queue nerves! Although my mother is a dressmaker by trade, I was determined that I was going to make these myself so I bought a "Simplicity" pattern from Spotlight (I knew that Simplicity have a good reputation for easy to follow patterns).  

Simplicity 2116

My Mum insisted that I brought the pattern and the fabric over to her house (where she has more room) so that she could supervise me cutting it out and to make sure that I didn't stuff it up.  She also explained to me how to do "French Seams" because I wasn't willing to try to thread her overlocker (one of them has 4 needles, the other one has 6 and I have never sewn with an overlocker before).  Once the pattern was all cut out I took it home with me to sew together at my leisure.

It was much easier and quicker to sew together than I imagined.  I even made my own cord for the waistline out of a matching solid green fabric (forgot to buy elastic DOH!).

I purchased a cheap white t-shirt from Target (it was only AUD$4.00) to go with the pyjama pants.  I added some matching ribbon to the sleeves and fussy cut a pocket to sit above the left breast.

Drumroll please...

Close up of the pocket of the t-shirt
(and some shameless publicity for Cotton Factory Ballarat where I bought my fabric).

Close up of the top - the sleeves have matching ribbon sewn on the edges.

My new pyjamas

And this message from Jodie absolutely made my day!

http://www.ellabluefabrics.com/collections/the-cats-pyjamas/

I have more of this fabric range waiting to be played with.  Jodie has since released a free pattern which is now in my "To Do" pile to be made.  The following photograph is copyright & courtesy of Jodie Carleton.  Please click on the link below to access her FREE pattern.

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/free-quilt-pattern-i-blame-iron.html