Mini Blocks - and a Free Pattern

Hello! Though things have not been as active on the sewing front around here lately as I would like, I have had the chance to do a little sewing - and I do mean little. Two little miniaturised Farmers Wife Sampler blocks actually. Each one is two inches square and will finish at 1.5 inches.

Here we have Block 80 - Single Wedding Star (also known as Rolling Stone):

And this is Block 73 - Rainbow Flowers: 

I find these so much fun to make, and they're so quick compared with their bigger cousins. Having given away the mini sampler I made with my first mini blocks (you can see that here) I thought I'd make myself one. No rush, just the odd block now and then.

After posting my first mini sampler last year I was asked for a tutorial on some mini blocks, so I thought I'd do up a free instruction sheet for each of these, and for more as I make them. If you're interested, the Rolling Stone Mini Block pattern is now available for (free) download at my Payhip Pattern Store. :) There are step-by-step instructions and diagrams, as well as a few "Tips for Success". It only takes the smallest of scraps to make these blocks, so why not have a go? There's nothing to lose really :)

Bye for now, and happy sewing!

Hope x

Pattern Sale!

Sale now over. Thank you :)

Hello! Long time no see. I've just looked at the calendar and realised it's only 6 weeks till Christmas, thereabouts. So, just because, I thought I'd have a little pattern sale. For a limited time both my patterns will be $6 instead of the usual $8 - that's 25% off. Sale ends Sunday 24 November 2013.

Thats ZigZag Love:

And Zigzag Run:

Both patterns are available through my Payhip Pattern Store or through hopesquiltdesigns.com.

It's the perfect time to buy and start making some Christmas presents, don't you think? Or either one would look great in Christmas fabrics... :)

Happy sewing!

Bye for now x

Zigzag Run - a New Pattern

Hello, and Happy Wednesday! I have a little sewing project to share with you today, something that started as a sketch in my journal and ended up a touchable, usable item - love that. And another thing to love: it's also my newest pattern! I've called it Zigzag Run.

I have written the pattern with beginners in mind, including lots of diagrams and detailed step-by-step instructions. I am always available if you have any questions - the email address is in the pattern. This would be a great project for more experienced sewers too, the scope for colour play and the smaller pieces keep it interesting. :)

The pattern neatly uses a 42 piece charm pack, but I had a definite colour scheme in mind for this table runner so used charms from a few different ranges as well as a few fabrics from my stash. I love the bold colours and the way they look in our dining room. See the aqua/blue colour in there? That's pretty much the colour of our dining room walls. 

The greens are mostly Hello Luscious by Basic Grey for Moda. There is a lot of Domestic Bliss in there, and the blacks are from Half Moon - both also from Moda. I also used a couple of purple solids left over from the first quilt I ever made. 

The backing and the binding are both from my local quilt shop. The binding fabric is one I'm using for a lot of my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt blocks. I should probably get more actually, just in case I use it all up before I finish the sampler. ;)

I've listed the Zigzag Run pattern for sale at my pattern store at hopesquiltdesigns.com, or for EU members, on Etsy or my Pattern Store. You'll be able to download the pattern after payment at either site.

So, what do you think? Could you see yourself making your own Zigzag Run? I would love to see one in fresh Spring colours, or a graduating rainbow of colours marching from one end of the runner to the other. Alternating dark and light fabrics would be fun too... so many options.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Bye for now x 

A Card for Dad

It's Fathers' Day tomorrow here in Australia, and last night and today I got busy with my coloured pencils and made Dad a card. I sometimes find it tricky to make cards for males, mainly because most of the stamps and so forth I have are not very masculine. So, with cards for Dad I usually try to think outside the box and do something a little different to my usual.

I did most of the 'Dad' and the green last night. I was so into it that eventually my hubby had to tell me "pencils down" in a school examiner's voice to make me stop and go to bed...

Today I finished off the green and did the background. I was going for a wood grain effect... I do hope that's stating the obvious? All up I used about four different browns, two greens, dark blue and black.

I had a bit of trouble getting the colour right in the photos. It's probably somewhere between the first and second photo.

On the back of the card I did this quick little heart:

I think it's safe to assume that Dad will like it. He likes the colour green, he loves wood and working with wood, and he likes that "Old English" style of writing. Plus he's my Dad and as such he will love it because it's made with love - I'm sure that's what's most important to him. 

Thanks for visiting me here. I hope you and the dads in your life have a wonderful day tomorrow.  

Bye for now x

Nature's Chorus

Hello! Goodness time flies, doesn't it? I knew I'd been away from my blog for a while (again) but hadn't realised just how long. Well, I thought it high time I shared a quilt that has been finished since my birthday at the end of April:

This fabric is Nature's Chorus by April Cornell for Moda. The brown is something I bought from my local fabric shop that I thought went rather nicely with the fabrics.

The quilting is all free-motion, even the straight 'in-the-ditch' quilting. I wobbled off course now and then but I would have to search to find where. I quilted it with a few different designs. This on the centre section:

This on the borders (you can see where I wobbled off course into the brown slightly here):

And this flower design on the corners:

As you can see, I decided on a pale binding, and I really like how it looks.

So, there you have it. I am so pleased with the quilting, even with those wobbles. I think the texture is lovely and so different to the straight line quilting I've mainly used in the past. I am dying to quilt another quilt, so I guess I should get on with some WIPs and get something ready to go!

Bye for now x

Back Again - with Star Gardener

I'm back! Back after an extended period of no blogging and no sewing. I had a hand operation in May, a month earlier than I was scheduled to have it, on my right (dominant) hand. Consequently I had to resist using it for a long while. It is almost back to normal - well, almost almost - so I am happily back into my sewing.

Among other things, I've sewn a Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt block. This is block 87, Star Gardener.

I have mainly been sewing rectangles to rectangles lately, so it was really fun to do something a bit more intricate. The cutting took me a long time, but the block went together quite quickly. There are a couple of points I'm itching to re-do, but I'm letting it sit for a bit to see how I feel about it later.

I was planning to do the centre square in the same fabric as the star points, but I cut it too small and didn't have enough left to re-cut. So, after trialling a few different options, I ended up with a rose centre.

Of course, having done this block I'm dying to more. They will have to wait for another weekend though.

Bye for now x

It's a card!

I started this blog, way back when, to share the cards I was making with my family (mainly Mum) who lived 4 hours drive away. Now, I have ended up sharing mainly fabric items because, well, that's what gets made these days. Today though, I've got a card to share! :)

I made this card for a friend's birthday last month, and it is the first one I've made in quite some time. The bird is a stamp from October Afternoon, part of an alphabet set called Rosie's Diner.

The pretty background paper is from K&Company.

After making the card I thought the bird would go nicely on the gift wrapping too, along with some washi tape.

It was good to get back to a bit of paper crafting. Patchwork and quilting takes over sometimes - most times - and the paper and other goodies I have in my cupboard just sit there, neglected. I'm glad the birthday gave me a push to make something papery again, I enjoyed it. 

Bye for now x