Stars in the Making

Today was filled with great delight at the Sewmiriam Workshop at Cottage Quiltworks.

This was the project  - a big, bold, happy star quilt top. 

This is my version of the Barn Star - from Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book 15 Minutes of Play . 

Today in my workshop we gathered our copies of the book 

and following a few tips and tricks I learnt along the way from making mine , including adjusting the size and creating our own templates ( which we can all now make to any size!)  we set about making our own stars.

Much fabric play was done and the building blocks of the stars began to emerge

You will have to wait until the next months workshop to see the stars in all their glory . This photo is just a tease! 

Most of these stars will be large, however the Japanese star when finished

will be just the right size for a cushion cover, and will be this size when finished

There was also some wonderful Sewmiriam Tote bag work being done by Marg 

and the start of my Twinset Quilts by Sue, using Tilda fabrics. 

All in all a busy, marvellous workshop. Thank you ladies for being so talented and generous. I really do have the best job in the world, and I can't wait to see these projects again next month.

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

It's in the Cards

My talented friend Heidi makes beautiful handmade cards , and she has put together a collection of cards using images of my quilt art. How special is that! It has been a wonderful experience to see these cards come to fruition and they are now available at Cottage Quiltworks in Warriewood.

 I felt there was a need for beautiful handmade cards that had a quilting theme and that were Australian made. Heidi uses only the best papers and you can see more of her work by visiting her website  here, and her etsy store here.

Here are some photos of the cards. There are 20 in the range 

Thank you Heidi for making my quilt art shine so brightly. Hopefully those who receive these cards will feel joy, because that is how I felt when I made the quilts, and that is how I want others to feel when they see them. 

I hope all is well in your world. Life is not always easy and often we are challenged to our limits, but  my hope is that you have found some respite from this busy world in your visit to my blog. You are always welcome.

If you are in Sydney this weekend the Cherrybrook Quilters have their Show on at the Cherrybrook Uniting Church on Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 4pm.  Always a great display of quilting talent!

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Back to Front Quilt - Part 2

Well- some weeks just don't go according to plan. This week has been one of those weeks. So my plans to sit and sew and play around with fabric squares and triangles have gone completely out the window!!! I have a feeling that you all can relate to these sentiments in some way. That's life !

So today I am hastily putting together my blogpost with the progress so far of my Back to Front Quilt. The process of quilt making always appeals to me, and it is where I find a lot of joy. It's where the creativity is awakened and where it is takes flight. 

The Back to Front Quilt as you know is my interpretation of Brigitte Giblin's Back to Back Quilt which can be found in her gorgeous new book Feathering the Nest 2 which you can find by visiting her website here.

I decided to do a modern Australian take on the quilt. Here are my fabric choices - looking very neat and tidy .

Being a back to front kind of girl I made the back first and this is how it looks so far.

All it needs are side borders of an indigenous print which I will add when the  front is complete and I know the measurements needed.

Now to the front, which starts with squares and triangles like this on my sewing table - no more neat and tidy- ha! 

And then the play begins putting units together, maybe triangles alone....

Or maybe like this... 

Yes - I like this , so I keep on going...

You see where this is heading....I love this part where you can play around with colour and shape and design away letting your heart and eye decide what makes you happy.

Finally I decided on this...  Sorry about the poor photo quality, but you get the idea .... There is a cool secondary pattern emerging now and I LOVE IT.  Do you? I hope so . It came as quite a surprise to me as I was playing around. 

Now I just have to piece it together in rows and finish the back and I will have the back and front done ready for quilting together. But that task my friends is for a week when there is some peace and calm in my world - which may not be for a while .... 

I hope that you have some time for some gentle stitching , or some wonderful quilt viewing this week. The Hunters Hill Quilt Show is on this weekend if you are lucky enough to be in Sydney.

Happy sewing, love Miriamxx 

Colour Therapy

I love colour. Bright, bold colours. Colours that make me happy. Colours that make my heart sing. When I work with these colours I am in my ' happy place!'  One of the secrets to successful quilting is to use fabrics that you love. When you do you will find that not only will you enjoy your sewing so much more, but your results will be that much better too. I am sure that many of those pesky  projects that are left unfinished are because the fabric colours just don't 'spark joy.'

This week I have been working on the quilt front  of my version of the  Brigitte Giblin "Back to Back" quilt, that can be found in Brigitte's  latest Quiltmania book Feathering the  Nest 2. You can read about my quilt back for this project by clicking here.

My interpretation of this quilt is a riot of colour. I have chosen light, medium and dark fabrics that are a mix of Australian and modern prints, reproductions, spots, and shot cottons. 

I have been busy joining lots and lots of squares and triangles.

The hourglass blocks go beautifully together just on their own too as shown below. This arrangement isn't part of the quilt pattern, but I really like it, so maybe I should think about doing this for another project. What do you think?

This combination looks great too.....

I am still playing around with block placement but so far this is what I have decided on

There is so much movement. Sure- it is busy, it is bright, it is bold, but I love it.  I can't wait to see it grow. There are a lot of squares and triangles kicking around our dining room table still waiting to find their rightful place on this quilt top. 

I even like the little collection of itty bitty triangles that I have clipped from the seams. Here they are collected in a fabric nest on a 4 inch square

I hope this blogpost has cheered and warmed your heart despite the cold winter weather we have been experiencing here in Sydney this week. 

Happy sewing, love Miriamx