Festive Sewing

It has been busy here at Sewmiriam behind the scenes. My attempts to find time to post have failed miserably of late, so finally here at last is a bit of festive cheer  as we approach the holiday season at full speed! Every year this happens to me. I make every attempt to be organised and prepared, but somewhere along the line I get caught up with life, and suddenly POW! It is that time of year again and I am running around like a headless chicken. When will I ever learn!

I have managed to squeeze in some gift sewing for some special people who make for others selflessly all year long. They give generously, so I though now is the time to make something for them.

 I used the Sewmiriam Zara Zip Top Bag Pattern to make these bags in festive colour ways, and added jingle bells for a bit of extra pizzaz!

Next up I did an easy modification of my Sewmiriam Handy Zip Top Bag Pattern 

and made an iPad cover

and then some pencil cases for my three wonderful children 

 In case you were wondering,  I have just put out some of my patterns commercially. It feels surreal. They are appearing in quilt and sewing shops in Australia now and I am beyond delighted! Ask your local shop to order them through Lynne Wilson of HQW Distributors . They are currently in stock and for sale at Cottage Quiltworks in Warriewood.

I have lots of workshops coming up in 2018 already at Quiltsmith,  Thorpe and Co, and at Patchwork Plus at Miranda. I will be around and about at Cottage Quiltworks as well, so great things are happening in 2018. I will keep you posted.

 Wishing you and your families a healthy and safe Festive season, and of course happy sewing!

Love Miriamx

Epping Quilters Sewmiriam Workshop

I had the great pleasure of teaching a Sewmiriam Pikelets Workshop with the wonderful Epping Quilters last Thursday. We had a fabulous day of sewing and inspiration. It never fails to delight me to see one pattern or technique being transformed by clever workshop attendees into unique and stunning quilt projects. 

This workshop was all about learning the tips and tricks to build the quilt as you go Sewmiriam Pikelets. This technique was shown to me by my friend Lynne and I have modified it to be charm pack and layer cake friendly, and worked out a few tricks to make it easier to make and assemble.

Here is my example of the Sewmiriam Pikelets Quilt front

               

And here is the back. It's hard to know which side I like best .Truly a double sided quilt. Got to love that!

Here are the wonderful Epping Quilters with their pikelet blocks in a Brady Bunch formation. 

 Let's take a closer look. Catherine chose fabulous modern prints. She says she is new to quilting, but she is a natural!

 Edna used some of her famous and highly coveted fabric stash to create these wonderful pikelets.

 Anne is so talented and used exquisite indigo Japanese and a bold red and gold background print for a wow effect.

Ros M also chose gorgeous Japanese fabrics with a charcoal background and the results were brilliant as you can see above.

 Monica used the most divine vintage florals for her pikelets and Margi used beautiful blues and buttery yellows for hers.

There was a definite feeling of Christmas in the air at the workshop. Wendy made this beauty 

and Lyn and Teresca created these festive lovelies

A productive day it was. Lots of fun and laughter too. Oh, and did I mention that we were spoilt with a delicious morning tea and lunch. The day was perfect in every way. Thank you Epping Quilters and well done!

Meanwhile, back at "Sewmiriam headquarters" I have been busy sewing up a storm as I prepare for the debut of 7 of my Sewmiriam Patterns at the Australian Quilt Market in Melbourne in November through Lynne Wilson of Highland Quiltwork Distributors. Watch this space!!!! 

Happy sewing, love Miriamxx 

Workshop Magic

It really feels like magic to be back to doing workshops again. My latest workshop was truly something special. Just between you and me I was very nervous about my most recent one. You see it was for the talented Karen Cunningham and friends. Now, seriously, I should be taking her workshops, not her taking mine, but there you have it! I nearly wet my pants. (Instead - I just got my knickers in a bit of a knot.)

Karen even bought a new gorgeous pink Singer sewing machine for the occasion. You can't go wrong with pink!



The day went smoothly, and a good time was had by all, and  the wonderful bags made are testimony to that! Let's take a look ...

Susannah made her first Sewmiriam Handy Zip Top Bag using vibrant colours. Just gorgeous!
( as is Susannah)

Megan worked on the panels for her Sewmiriam Tote. I love the mix of traditional florals and bold modern prints.

Megan also mastered how to put in a lined zippered pocket! Well done Megan.

I can't wait to see the finished bag.

Kerrie was also working on a Tote bag using Dutch prints. Here she is sewing away. Sadly, the photos of her bag didn't come out clearly, but you can trust me it is a stunning bag.

Wendy made this delightful bag below. I just love her fabric play and the colour combinations. The choice of the squirrel fabric on the right creates just the right amount of fun. Awesome work Wendy!

Karen made this wonderful, bright bag and mastered putting in her first zipper. What can I say? Karen is amazing.

Ann has a great colour sense and a fabric stash to envy!  She is making a beautiful bag using these fabulous prints.

Kate is working on a cat inspired bag and you can see her front panel in the bottom right hand corner of the photo collage below. She chose a muted palette to enhance the focus cat fabric and the effect is brilliant. 

I think that is the beauty of these bag projects. They allow you to explore colour, fabric and new techniques with a great result in a day!  Well done ladies and thank you for a wonderful workshop.

Thank you to Cottage Quiltworks for always making me feel so welcome. 

My next workshop is with the Epping Quilters - can't wait! We are making  Sewmiriam Pikelets!

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2017

Thank you for stopping by as part of this year's Blogger's Quilt Festival. You are always welcome here at Sewmiriam. 

Thank you to Amy of Amy's Creative Side for gathering us all together to share our passion for quilting.  

Here is my entry for this years Blogger's Quilt Festival. I am delighted to showcase my design which I am calling Sunshine that will be the raffle quilt for the Fairholme Quilters Show to be held April 6-8th, 2018 . As it's Spring here in Australia, I decided to take the quilt on a road trip to the countryside last weekend to take this shot. 

The story behind this quilt is delightful. Doesn't it always warm your heart when quilters come together and share their talents and time for others! What a generous group the Fairholme Quilters are. Each year they work happily to make over 40 quilts for those in need of all ages in our local community.  Every 2 years, they put on a beautiful display of their quilting efforts and raffle a quilt made by the group. Our next show will raffle the quilt you see here in these pictures. 

Various people generously donated fabric and batting. 

I designed the quilt, posted a tutorial on my blog on how to make the blocks and made up 36 block kits.

Then the Fairholme quilters went to work! They hand appliquéd the blocks to perfection. I assembled the blocks in a pleasing arrangement and designed a hand quilting pattern. Jo-Ann basted the quilt ready for hand quilting.  Next I made up a quilting template and thread /needle kit and started the quilting by completing a few hand quilted blocks. Then away the Fairholme quilters went again! The quilt was never without a good quilting home over several winter months . Lynette stitched on the binding and Voila!  Before we knew it we had a gorgeous quilt ready to raffle!!

Even the horses liked the look of the quilt and came up for a closer look.

It is going to be hard to part with this beauty .

Thank you for visiting Sewmiriam and being a part of the Bloggers Quilt Festival 2017.

Happy sewing, love Miriam 

Seeing Stars - An 80th Birthday Quilt

This year has been filled with sewing for family members celebrating significant birthdays. I like to make quilts to honour them on these occasions,  to celebrate their lives and to let them know how much we all love them.

To do this I give careful thought to the person and aim to design a quilt that is perfect for them. This quilt was made for Lorraine, my mother-in-law for her 80th birthday. The colours are her favourites and the prints are a mix of gentle florals and  butterflies. I balanced the layout of red and blue blocks and then sashed them with a carefully chosen buttery cream coloured fabric set with light red squares. 

The quilting is beautifully done by Jo Philips of Quiltwise.

Lorraine had no idea she was getting the quilt . To my surprise no one in my family let the secret slip - even though our house had been awash with stars and fabric strips for weeks before the 80th birthday party.  I think Lorraine was thrilled to receive it!

A happy day indeed. 

Quilts are such wonderful gifts. 

When we sew for those we love the pleasure is immense. The gift of love that keeps on giving .

Happy sewing, Miriamx 

Fabulous Fairholme Workshop

Last Saturday I had the great honour of running a workshop with the wonderful Fairholme Quilters. 

It was a Sewmiriam Bagmaking workshop and the ladies sewed up a storm!  Today's blogpost is a celebration of their work done on the day. 

Above you can see the front of Nerida"s bag. The colours just glow. Nerida has combined a clever mix of florals and geometric prints.

Next up is Noelle's beautiful ethereal bag panel.

Hilary has a real way with colour and created this gorgeous bag panel .  

Jill completed the Sewmiriam Tote that she had started in a previous workshop, using  Cotton and Steel fabrics.

Love the lined zippered pocket  inside too Jill!

Pat has worked her magic with this beautiful bag panel  using just the right shades blue.

Speaking of blues- Elaine has chosen blues for her next Sewmiriam bag too. Her choice of framing fabrics for the central panel are perfect.

Robyn chose a bold central panel and has made it shine 

Sue chose a dynamic Amy Butler central panel to create this lively bag panel. Sue uses spots so well   here.

Chris has mixed Japanese and tonal prints to great effect here

Adrienne has used a spot to really bring this green floral to life. 

Denise has chosen teapots for her focus fabric and created this stunning panel. She has some more teapots to line her bag too!

Daphne has excelled herself and  created this vibrant bag featuring the cat panel. 

Marilyn has framed her fancy hat to perfection .

And last but certainly not least is Margaret's beautiful owl, surrounded here by her fabric selections.












Congratulation ladies on a wonderful day, and heartfelt thanks for my beautiful flowers.
How lucky am I to be able to share my love of creativity with you all. I can't wait to see your finished Sewmiriam Handy Ziptop bags.

Happy sewing, love Miriamx