Time for a Retreat!

Sew-Along are proud to announce that we are holding our first weekend retreat!

. . . and what a treat it should be! Two full days of uninterrupted sewing in a peaceful & beautiful environment.

So what’s it all about? . . .

Claire Turpin Deisgns together with Tied with a Ribbon will be running a mystery workshop on the Friday evening which you are welcome to join. It will be a great way for everyone to get to know each other & to ease us all into the weekend!

There will be a quilt workshop on the Saturday morning but if patchwork is not your thing, then we will be opening up the entire library of Sew-Along patterns so take your pick . . . it could be a great weekend to get a start on some Christmas projects!

It will be a great weekend filled with fun, laughter and inspiration and you won't even have to cook a thing all weekend.

Bookings open Friday 8th June at 10am & will be done on a first some first served basis & numbers are limited so don’t think about it for too long!

If you want to get your head around all the info, facts & costs click on the Retreat Link.

For a booking form and the Pattern catologue you can email - tiedwitharibbon@gmail.com

An empty slate!

Well some exciting progress - I have finally finished all the projects that have been lurking in the deep dark depths of my cupboards!!! Yeah - not only does that equal a whole lot of satisfaction for me but I guess that means now I can start lots of new projects!  Such a wonderful never ending creative cycle!  These scrappy squares have finally been all sewn together to make a sweet little lap quilt.



I had made a few extra blocks but decided on the smaller size in the end for a little lady!

And I could not go past this multi-coloured striped fabric that just went beautifully for the binding.

This Liberty Bliss scarf went to a dear friend this week to celebrate her birthday!  I love this pattern and now having made a few still think every time that they all look very different with colours picked for their new owners just especially.  I love the Rowan hand knit cotton for this scarf - it is just the right weight.

I have one happy miss eight with the hexagons I had been working on all finished and sewn together.  I made a few more than I had initially planned as I just wanted to make it that little bit bigger as a great snuggle blanket. 

To trim the edges I used the white to double crochet around the edge and then two of miss eight's favourite colours from the blanket for the final two double crochet rows around the edging.

These birds are for a very special God daughter of mine.  they are going to make a quilt that is inspired by stars.  I have only the hanging strip left to sew on this wall quilt so I will hopefully have some more pictures for you soon.

This quilt is our newest project for our Sew Along classes.  It is a Log cabin quilt sashed with silver satin and with some Liberty fabrics to give this quilt just a little luxury.  If you have been to learn to sew then check out our Workshops for all the upcoming classes.



Getting through the unfinished projects!

I actually feel like I am making some progress.  As I have dedicated this year to finishing all the projects that have been sitting in the cupboard some what started but left to the side I am making headway.  Here is the top of my Candy Girl quilt all ready to be quilted.

I love the textured white fabric I used for the backgrounds. It gives a more dimensional look to the flowers. This quilt had been in the cupboard for about a year so it was great to see this one finished and nearly ready to be loved and used.

I also put the finishing touches on the Dr Suess baby quilt I made.  I am in love with stripy binding at the moment!

I kept the quilting simple on this one so that it did not take away from the busy patterned fabric - just alternating two colours of stitching.

The next UFO that I have re-visited are these scrappy blocks - I know I started these 12 months ago and after a great start they were left to the side. 

I have started making some more to make these 11 inch scrappy blocks into a quilt.

 

Another project that I have started more recently that is well underway to being finished is my crochet hexagons.  These hexagons are for a crochet blanket for my younger daughter and while so far the colours are working out differently to how I first pictured the project I think it will suit my daughters personality just perfectly.



Sewing holiday fun

With a new arrival due very soon it has been time to start work on a new quilt.  These days many people find out the sex of their baby but the couple for whom this quilt is for, are leaving it as a surprise.  When you know the sex of the baby it certainly makes deciding on a quilt design easier but I have always loved that joy of finding out if it is a boy or girl till when you meet them for the first time.  So I thought that this Dr Seuss fabric would be just perfect for either a boy or a girl.  I have just cut 5 1/4 inch squares and sewn them up as a play mat. 

I had originally planned on cutting up the squares to become like the Disappearing 9 patch squares but with the designs on the fabric I thought that you would loose too much of the details and characters in the prints if they were any smaller.  Now to quilt and bind it.  I have chosen a red and white stripe to use as the binding which I think will just finish off the quilt nicely.

Well over a year ago I started this quilt.  In my strong aim to finish all the unfinished projects that have been laying around my sewing room (and only starting those needed - like new baby quilts!)  I have been working on this quilt again.  It is a Janelle Wind design - called Candy Girl.  I will show you more progress as I go - but hopefully I will be able to make a good dent in this these school holidays.

A little treat for myself - I have loved this Washi fabric for a while now and decided that I deserve some so bought it from Pink Chalk Fabrics. 

At night I have been loving my crochet.  This Blooming Flower Cushion from Attic 24 has been on my to do list since picking up a crochet hook.  After a lovely morning with friends we had the start of the pattern nutted out and then I was not able to put it down after that. 

I can not tell you how much I love the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece I  used in this project.  The colours are so bright and I love the texture of it.  You can pick some up for yourself at Tangled Yarns.  I think there may be few of these under the Christmas Tree this year.

And with a special friend almost about to have a birthday I couldn't go past making her a Liberty Bliss scarf.  I used Rowan hand knit cotton in shades of blues and greys and a sweet Liberty print with tiny blue flowers.

Term 2 - Sewing Class Schedule

TERM 2 CLASSES- 2012

IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY !!!

Sew Along turns One in term 2 and to celebrate you are invite to join us for our

Social Night on Tuesday 8th May at 7pm.

It should be a great night with lots of past projects to look at. Bring a sewing project if you would like to or come along for a catch up.

Sewing with Oilcloth

There is so much yummy laminated fabric and oilcloth around at the moment. Choose to make 2 projects from storage boxes, a fancy peg bag and insulated lunch bags.

This class is NOT suitable for beginners - sewing experience required.

3 week class - $140

Tuesday 15th, 22nd and 29th May - 7pm - 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 16th, 23rd, 30th May - 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Patchworking and Quilting Techniques

Following on from the success of our first quilting class in term 1, this new class teaches how to machine piece, machine quilt, hand quilt and how to put on binding. Choose to make a simple cushion or for those more adventurous there is a quilt to make.

3 week class - $140

Tuesday 5th, 12th and 19th June - 7pm- 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 6th, 13th and 20th June 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Sew Along for the Table

This class was such a hit last year that we are doing it again. Come and learn how to cut using a rotary cutter and machine piece a beautiful table runner and placemats.

2 week class - $90

Tuesday 26th June and 3rd July - 7pm - 9:30pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

Wednesday 27th June and 4th July - 9:30am - 12pm

(Venue - Mt Lawley Tennis Club)

A long, long long time ago ......

A long, long long time ago last year I was keen to learn to crochet.  I took on a project from a Better Homes and Gardens Mag and thought - sure I can do this!  Well - totally overestimating my abilities I ended up with close to 300 squares of varying sizes (as per the pattern instructions) and well they just wouldn't come together.  Since taking a few classes I have learned about so many of the mistakes that were plaguing my blanket but not wanting to just set aside the squares as a bad mistake - I have persevered and came up with an alternative version. 

My blanket is now 48 squares  - all the same size.  I made some of the smaller squares larger and vice versa to end up with a blanket that I am actually quite happy with.

All this Brown Sheep Cotton fleece came from Tangled Yarns and was lovely to work with.  I love the range of colours available and the matt look to the cotton rather than a fluffy texture you get from wool.

Aside from dabbling in some crochet I have been quilting too - this quilt is a cot size quilt that I have named Rainbow Fizz and is one of the projects for Term 2 Sewing classes together with Claire Turpin Design.  After using a Kona Solids Charm pack from Pink Chalk as the inspiration I set to turn the squares into triangles.

I added in some white homespun and then hand quilted all the white squares in a co-ordinating Cosmo thread.

Also finished recently was this Music Box - Oliver and S dress.  My little one just loves it and it can't be washed and ironed quickly enough. 

And with Easter coming up I have been busy hand sewing lots of cute little Bouncing Bunnies which make great gifts at Easter time - especially as alternatives to chocolates and as great presents for all the teachers.  You can get your hands on some in my Etsy Store.

But if you are feeling crafty or want to get the kids involved you can buy kits to make them for yourselves

Finally Finished!

Well I have finally finished my Don't Look Now - Love Birds Quilt.  This was the first time I had a go at some Raw edge Applique and while certainly time consuming I am happy with the end result.  I especially think that once quilted it will even look better. 

The border is different from the original pattern as I wanted to create more of a framed picture look to the quilt design. I decided to treat myself to having it quilted by a professional.  Now to decide where to hang it!

In my last post I showed you some Rowan cotton and Liberty fabric for a new scarf - well here it is all finished. 

And with the help of the lovely Susan I decided that I should have a go at a Granny Square Blanket - I have used Debbie Bliss Eco Baby Cotton and have enjoyed working this lovely pattern. 

Granny Square Blankets are very close to my heart - I was taught when I was a kid by my Nanna how to make these as she was a mad crocheter as well.  After she died I found it very hard to continue to make these at it had really been something we shared together.  Many, many, many years on I am loving how with each round I make I am so fondly thinking of her and all the times we would spend crocheting.

Also a special thank you to Mhairi who suggested the Crafty minx Blog - this has been so helpful especially with some good tips and demos on blocking.  Thank you for sharing.