Make Modern Magazine

What a start to the New Year!  The latest edition of "Make Modern" magazine was released yesterday and guess who appears in an article on pages 87-90!

 

The article is called "Chronic Quilting - quilters with chronic illness" and I am privileged to feature in this article together with my best friend & chronically awesome sister Cassie Madge.

 

I don't often talk about my health conditions or the numerous limitations that they impose on my daily life; but when I was approached to share my story I leapt at the chance to bring some positive publicity to my quilting and to my illnesses.

 

"Make Modern is a digital magazine, published six times a year (every two months). Each issue features a range of quilts and sewing projects in the modern vein, for quilters of all skill levels. We will also bring you news from the modern quiltosphere and introduce you to some of the coolest quilters and businesses in the modern quilting world." 

 

You can purchase an individual issue for only AUD6.95 or subscribe & save . 

 

Issue #3 of Make Modern magazine. 
Please click on the photo to access their shop. 

 

The perfect gift for an Odd Sock

odd sock - An affectionate term for a person who behaves in a strange and puzzling way.

 

I wanted to send a thank you gift to a special friend who forever keeps me in stitches.  She always cracks me up with her witty comments and funny photos.   Another friend - Juliet over at The Tartan Kiwi - had recently released a new pattern called "Odd Socks" which I was dying to try out, so the idea was formed, I would make a mini quilt for my friend who is an "odd sock".

 

Keeping to the mismatched theme, I wanted to make the socks purely out of pieces from my fabric scrap baskets.  I sorted through my scraps looking for coordinating fabrics to use for the heal & toe area and the bodies of the socks.  This is what I came up with:

 

 

The background fabrics and sashing also came from pieces from my fabric scrap baskets.  The binding was the only fabric cut from an unused fat quarter. 

 

Close up of the echo quilting

 

I echo quilted around the socks using a Perle 8 thread colour coordinated to the colour of each sock.  I then used a cream thread to stitch a fancy design into the sashing.  This was such a fun project to sew.

 

Yes my friend laughed when she received it - she got the joke :0)

 

And on the subject of odd socks - here is one of my favourite cartoons:

 

 

Secret Squirrels on a Mission

Ok, before you start to read this post I really want to get you in the mood.  Please turn your speakers up and enjoy this film clip before reading on:

Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)

Yes, my squirrels were happily singing this song and dancing as they worked on this project.  Who said that you can't have fun whilst you work?

 

The recipient had no idea that the squirrels were making this for her, and we all had a little chuckle each time that we saw that she liked one of these photos on Instagram. 

 

Our friend loves blue.  She deserved some spoiling, and secret squirrel sewing and spoiling is something that my squirrels and I enjoy doing. So do it we will!



Snowy & Woody selecting fabric.

 


Snowy & Woody show off the first completed quarter.

 


Snowy & Woody show the completed block.

 


"Goosed Up" in blue (da ba dee)

 


Hand quilting the centre.

 


Hand quilting the geese.

 


The mini quilt is bound and the label is sewn on, but who is it for?

 


The squirrels are very proud of their accomplishment but who is it for?

 


A close up of the finished mini quilt - "Goosed Up" in Blue.

 

And a few days later as I was stalking this person's Instagram feed I heard a loud squeal of excitement as she opened her mail and discovered this:



Yes Annabel, of course it is for you!  And you know why. :0)

So, are you still singing that song?  I warn you, that song will be in your head all day now! ;)

"Goosed Up" by Jeli Quilts can be purchased from Craftsy. 

Please click on Craftsy logo above to access the pattern.

 

Easy to piece and no tricky angles, this block would look great in a cushion, quilt or even scaled down to make an intricate pincushion. Pattern includes two sizes of templates to make 12" and 4" finished blocks. Please note that this pattern does NOT include instructions on how to foundation piece. The template has clearly labelled sections and includes a 1/4" seam allowance.

1000 Instagram Followers!

 

Once again I am absolutely amazed and stoked that 1000 of you have chosen to follow me over on Instagram!  Your friendships and encouragement mean the world to me, and as my way of thanking you I am having a "1000 Followers Giveaway".

 

The Prize:

 

This fabulous loot could be yours!

What's Included?  Well all of this...

 

Your very own "Bruce"!  Because every lady should have a Bruce in their lives! Bruce is a fabby little craft carrier.  Designed by Ric Rac but made by me.

A 5" Charm Pack of "Winterlude" by 3sisters for Moda (42 squares)

 

A Scandinavian Art Needlework Snowflake/Star kit (includes fabric, yarn, needle & instruction chart)

A Ric Rac designed Felt Birdie (made by me) and a Wristlet Key Fob

Some Naughty Yummies

And your very own Secret Squirrel Card made by Willow Fox Designs here in Bendigo.

 

 How to Enter:

 

There are two ways to enter (and you can do both!).  Either repost the following picture on Instagram and type the hashtag #Fionas1KFollowersGiveaway and/or leave me a comment on my blog below. 

 

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog.  I promise not to spam you, I usually post 1 - 3 posts per week.  You can subscribe by email, or follow me via Bloglovin' (the links to do both are toward the top right hand side of my blog.

 

 

Repost this photo on Instagram and/or leave a comment on my blog below.

 

Who Can Enter?

 

Because I am a sucker for donating my pension to Australia Post, I have decided to open this up to my friends worldwide.  ANY of my friends can enter, yes even my non-quilting friends! Bruce has many uses!!!!!

 

When Is It Drawn? 

 

Entries open as soon as my follower counter hits 1000 (Sunday 28 December 2014) and will close at 9pm on Sunday 11 January 2015 (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time).

 

T&Cs

 

The winner will be announced both on Instagram and also on this blog once I have had a chance to register all valid entries.  All entries will be assigned a number and I will use the Random Number Generator app on my iPhone to select a winner.  Each person is entitled to one Instagram entry and one Blog entry.  The winner will then be asked to contact me directly to provide their postal address details.  The prize will be posted on or after Tuesday 13 January 2015 (which is my next pay day).  I will advise the winner when the parcel has been mailed together with any tracking details if they are supplied by Australia Post.  Australian postage will be by regular parcel post, overseas postage will be by airmail.  I am not responsible for the parcel once it has been handed over to Australia Post.  If you have actually bothered to read these Terms & Conditions congratulations, you are a legend!!!  Pat yourself on the back. :0)

 

~~~

 

Thank you all once again for your friendship and I look forward to reading your comments!!

 

All my love,

Fiona @BendigoLioness

 



Congratulations Michele T!

Bee Hive Wall Quilt for sweet Carolyn

Bee Hive Wall Quilt. 21"

 

Earlier this year I was privileged to meet a lovely sister on Instagram via the "Quilty Sisters Instabee".  I recently had some challenges to face and my sweet sister Carolyn had truly been a "loving friend and sister during times of distress" (Proverbs 17:17).  I knew that Carolyn was my bee block recipient for December and I intended to include some extra special loving in her parcel as my way of thanking her for what she has done for me. 

 

I know that Carolyn loves orange and that she loves bees.  I had slowly been squirrelling away some items for her over the past months, but when I discovered this pattern on Craftsy, I knew that I had to make it for her (pattern link below). 

 

I headed off to my local quilt store as I remembered seeing some bee related fabric the last time that I was there.  The light brown background fabric & the small hearts is "Secret Garden" by Lynette Anderson Designs (printed by Lecien); and I have used "Bees Pls" by Saffron Craig on the back (purchased from Spotlight).  I believe both are Australian Designers.

 



Laying out my fabric selections for piecing.

 


Machine sewing the borders and background pieces.

 


The flowers, beehive and bees were all hand sewn using needle turn applique.

 


This quilt just cried out to be hand quilted with Perle 8.

 


The back of the quilt.

 


A close up of the hand quilting detail.  I colour echoed a 1/4" outside of the applique.

 


I hand quilted the borders in orange and yellow 1/4" inside the top and bottom solid triangles.

 


A close up of the hand quilting detail.  I colour echoed a 1/4" outside of the applique.

 


The bees' flight path was hand quilted in black perle 8.

 


Cards by "Willow Fox Design" in Bendigo

 

 

It is no longer a secret that I have been making each of my Quilty Sisters a bible cover which I am sending out with their bee blocks. I had a bit of a giggle when I discovered some orange Tula Pink bee fabric amongst my stash and found some bee ribbon to match, therefore Carolyn also ended up with a specially tailor made bible cover.

 

The bible cover that I made for Carolyn featuring Tula Pink fabric

~ ~ ~

 

As this bundle of love has now safely arrived with Carolyn in America, I can now share all of these photos with you.

 

The Quilty Sisters portion of the parcel contained: Carolyn's Quilty Sisters Bee Bock, a Bendigo magnet, some Australian Tea tea bags, ANZAC biscuits, a Caramello Koala, my signature block & her bible cover.

 

Oh yes I can assure you the bible covers fit - I personally test each one before I send them off!

 

Some extra loving for this special sweetheart!

~ ~ ~

Bee Hive Wall Quilt Pattern by The Patchsmith. 
Please click on the Craftsy logo above to access the pattern.

Would You Like To Build A Snowman?

I recently helped out a friend in trouble who was a bit swamped time wise.  She had started to paper piece an "Olaf" from the movie "Frozen" (which I am yet to see) but ran into trouble.  Being the paper piecing junkie that I am, I offered my help which she gladly accepted. 

 

The completed Olaf block

 

The fabrics were all chosen & supplied by Sharon.  They were dropped off together with some chocolate & Aurifil and I set to work.  This block is definitely rated at an advanced level, because some of the pieces are quite small. However, they are necessary to achieve the level of detail.  The completed block finished at 10.5" with seam allowance.  

 

Sharon collected Olaf last Friday and the following day I was pretty excited to see this post on Instagram, she had turned it into the most adorable cushion for her daughter.

 

 

If you would like to find out more about her cushion, please visit Sharon's blog post:

Would you like to build/sew your own snowman?  The pattern is a free digital download by Sew Much Mischief.

December Bee Blocks

Well December has finally rolled around and 2 out of 3 of my monthly Quilting Bees have now come to an end.  The Quilt Club Australia Stars Bee for 2014 has now ended, and I have a month off before the 2015 round kicks off in February.  I have resigned from the Quilt Club Australia's Hive #5 so this is my last bee block for that group.  Our Quilty Sisters Instabee continues with 2 new members joining us in January.  I will set up new page tabs for the 2015 quilting bees...

Meanwhile, here are the three bee blocks that I have made for December 2014:

Quilt Club Australia - Stars Bee (paper piecing)

This month is Alissa's queenly reign. Her chosen colours are Lime green & Grey on a solid white background.  I chose to make the Ohio Star for her:

 

See my other blocks made for this bee here.

 

Quilt Club Australia Hive #5

 

This month is Judy's queenly reign. Judy loved the Mondrian blocks that we made back in May so she asked us to make her a 16" Mondrian Block with blue & turquoise and a sparkly print to coordinate with a fabric range that she loves called "Tree of Life" by Chong A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

 

This is Judy's inspiration print - "Tree of Life"

The block I made features a lovely peacock feather print.

See my other blocks made for this bee here.

Quilty Sisters Instabee

This month I made Carolyn's block which is the Come Together Block. Carolyn sent out the grey, teal & white fabrics and asked us to use whatever we wanted for the inner squares.  I used my Dashwood Annali fabrics.

 

 

See my other blocks made for this bee here.